The Power of Habit (and Other January Reads)

Our family loves books, and we love to share books we like with friends. My husband and I both read about a book a week, but when I attempt to write individual reviews for all those books, I either (1) fall behind, get discouraged and quit (the tack I’ve taken in the past) or (2) stay on top of it, but have fewer and fewer books on which to report, as all that writing seriously cuts into my reading time!

So this year, I’ve decided to try a compromise. I’ll write one review column a month to tell you about all the books I’ve finished most recently. As Doug and the kids read different titles, they’ll have to come up with their own plan for sharing (unless it’s particularly noteworthy, in which case I’ll read it myself and report on it the following month).

So, without further ado, here’s my list of January reads:

1. Glad Tidings: The First 25 Years of Flanders Family Christmas Letters
   by Jennifer Flanders
   Every December, Doug rereads our old Christmas letters aloud to the family. We love to reminisce in this way, as the funny anecdotes trigger all sorts of fond memories which are in turn relived and discussed at length. This has been a great way for our younger children to learn the family history and to see their older siblings in a whole new light. Unfortunately, holiday events caused us to miss story-time more evenings than not last December, so we didn’t finish the book until January.

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2. The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business
   by Charles Duhigg
   This book is as inspirational as it is interesting. The author tackles the science of how habits are formed and offers guidelines for transforming old, bad habits into new, better ones (which we saw it do for our 16-year-old son’s approach to schoolwork once he read the book last summer). Thoroughly researched and documented, it is packed with fascinating case studies that will keep you reading, eager to learn more. The Wall Street Journal named this one of the best books of the year. Read it, and you’ll understand why.

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3. Man of the Family
   by Ralph Moody
   Man of the Family chronicles how 11-year-old Ralph Moody and his family struggle to survive amid tumultuous changes in their life circumstances. It is the second book in the Little Britches saga, an eight book series which Sterling North says “should be read aloud in every family circle in America.” We whole-heartedly agree! These are some of the best character building stories we’ve ever encountered, full of hard-earned life lessons, family love and loyalty, and laugh-out-loud humor.

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4. The Black Cauldron
   by Lloyd Alexander
   We decided make 2013 a year of revisiting old favorites, so while Jennifer’s rereading the Little Britches books in the afternoons, Doug’s been regaling us with The Chronicles of Prydain again in the evenings. This book, the second in the series, follows Taran and his companions as they sally forth to destroy the Black Cauldron and defeat an evil menace of deathless warriors the cauldron has been used to create.

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What books have you been reading this month? Please share! We enjoy finding new favorites as much as we enjoy rereading old ones!

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