Billionaires and Reading Goals (To be Read in February) : HopeStreamRadio

Billionaires and Reading Goals (To be Read in February)

Stephanie Nickel describes some of her reading goals while also reviewing books about billionaires! Apparently the characters are lots of fun.

Do you have some reading tips for our audience? If so, contact us and let us know, or comment below.

Reading Goals

In January of 2019, I completed 33 percent of my goal to read 18 books this year. (I don’t spend near as much time reading as I would like to. So, I wanted to set an achievable goal.)

Granted, four of those books were Ted and Kara Dekker’s The Dream Traveler Quest series, which was written for middle grade readers and should only count as one book. But still …

So, what is on my To Be Read pile for the rest of this month and next?

A Plan for Reading God’s Word

As I mentioned in a previous post, our pastors challenged us to adopt a plan for reading God’s Word more consistently. I’m aiming, for the first time ever, to read through the Scriptures in a year. I may read the New Testament twice. Kudos to those of you who do this on a regular basis!

Looking ahead, I will have read the rest of Exodus and Acts and all of Leviticus and Hebrews by the end of February if I stay on schedule. And if I read nothing else, that’s absolutely alright.

Still, my minimum goal beyond reading God’s Word is to finish a book by the end of January and read two in February, one fiction and one nonfiction.

Reading Fiction

Before I continue, I’d like to “get real” for a few moments. I am very much aware that some Christians believe reading fiction of any kind is a waste of time. And I understand why they feel that way. However, we must be careful not to judge others for their choices if those choices don’t clearly violate God’s Word.

Still, we, as Christians, must be willing to humbly examine ourselves and our motives. Before I allot my reading time to any given book, there are some questions I should ask myself. (Maybe you’ll want to consider these questions as well.)

Do I give reading this book priority over reading and studying the Scriptures?
Do I neglect things I should be doing in favour of reading?
Does this book feed discontentment?
Do I fantasize about having a different life—one God is not calling me to?
Do I impose unrealistic expectations on others because they are not behaving the way some fictional character is behaving?
Does what I’m reading reinforce a biblical worldview or is it contrary to God’s definition of right and wrong?
Do I find myself compromising my beliefs—even mentally—as a result of what I’m reading?
Am I embarrassed for others to see my bookshelves, physical or virtual?
Would I recommend this book to others?

Novel Life Lessons

I’ve learned many important life lessons from novels and believe 100 percent that they will always have a prominent place on my To Be Read pile. But if you feel reading fiction does you more harm than good, by all means, don’t seek to justify reading novels because other Christians enjoy them.

Now, let’s get back to those books I hope to read before the end of February.

You may have heard of the sweet romance category, not all of which are Christian by any means, but they don’t include what most of us would consider inappropriate or graphic. Romance in general is not a category that attracts my attention. However, I know several authors, and when one of them begins to write in this category, I’m likely to check it out. And when that author releases a book a month … Let’s just say my TBR pile has grown significantly.

Billionaire Books

Currently, I’m reading Emma St. Clair’s The Billionaire Benefactor. I can almost see your eyes rolling. Books about billionaire’s is a big thing right now, but I’m not headed down that rabbit hole. Still, I will likely read all the books St. Clair writes in this genre.

Why—besides the fact I connect with the author on social media almost daily?

The characters are a lot of fun. They’re real, three-dimensional, and I care about them. Plus, these books don’t avoid the hard topics like Alzheimer’s, abandonment, infidelity, poverty, single parenting, etc. There really is more to these books than you might think.

I also have St. Clair’s next book, The Billionaire’s Masquerade Ball, downloaded on my e-reader. The plan is to read it in February.

Plus, I would really like to get back to Amy Meyerson’s The Bookshop of Yesterdays. I couldn’t leave it in the bookstore after I read the synopsis: A woman inherits a beloved bookstore and sets forth on a journey of self-discovery in the poignant debut about family, forgiveness and a love of reading. I’ve started this book, but I will have to be a lot more focused if I intend to get through it anytime soon.

As far as nonfiction goes, I would like to read Kirsten’s Oliphant’s 31 Small Steps to Grow Your Blog. However, I have purchased several online courses that include written and video components. So, working on one or two of those may constitute my nonfiction reading time.

What’s on your list of books to read in the next month or two?

Steph Nickel

Stephanie is a freelance writer and a contributor to our Christian internet radio station, HopeStreamRadio. Read and hear more from Steph Nickel on the contributor’s page or at Steph Nickel’s Eclectic Interests.

Stephanie’s show, “Family Life Lessons,” airs from Monday to Friday on HopeStreamRadio.