Sisters' October Reading Challenge

I hope you enjoyed these fall days and good reading this month. We did!

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 October Reading Challenges

1. Read a book by an author you’ve never read.

Charity - The Art of Neighboring by Jay Pathak and Dave Runyon

The Great Commandment. Do I follow it? Pathak and Runyon challenge us to love our neighbors by actually learning to know them. With practical and sometimes profound thoughts, they push us out our front door and into our neighborhood. I appreciated how practical and uncomplicated they made this concept of neighboring while also not denying how hard it will be.

Gina - Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genus Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time by Dava Sobel

With gps on our phones pinpointing our exact location at every moment, it is hard to imagine that for centuries, ships in the ocean could only guess how far east or west they were. And sometimes they met huge surprises that spelled disaster. This small book tells of the dangers of sea travel without a dependable method to find longitude and the large awards offered to the person who solved this problem. We all love an underdog story and this is a true account of a untrained, uneducated carpenter who changed navigation forever.

2. Read a book written by a pastor.

Charity - The Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer

This book, by a pastor, is a plea to get out and seek God. Don't just sit back and wait for Him to reveal Himself. Tozer addresses the things that hold us back from knowing God and how He longs for us to find that closeness that could exist if only we would seek Him.

Gina - Getting Along with People God's Way by John Coblentz

With chapters on love, communication, peacemaking, and honesty, I knew this would be a practical book. Every time we relate with other people, there is potential for both conflict and growth. I'll confess that I didn't complete this book this month since I didn't want to rush through it. Some of the ladies at my church plan to get together and discuss this book this winter so I want to read it slowly and take notes.

3. Read a book about royalty.

Charity - A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court by Mark Twain

Written as a satire, this is a weird combination of humor, violence, and injustice. A young man from Connecticut finds himself transported back to King Arthur's kingdom. Quickly he realizes how ridiculous the laws and customs of the time are, as well as how impractical knightly armor is to fight in. Using his knowledge of modern technology, he quickly becomes one of the most powerful men in the kingdom and goes on many exciting and tragic adventures. I often was unsure if I should laugh or cry.

Gina - Lenape Homeland by James G. Landis

I read this book to learn more about the Native Americans in Pennsylvania. Written as historical fiction, sometimes I had trouble deciding what was fact and what was fiction, but it gave me a glimpse into the Lenape perspective of the European colonization of America.  Maybe it was a stretch to say this book is about royalty, but several chiefs are featured in the book. I'm hoping to read more in this series to balance out the white view of American history usually told in history books. 

4. Press a pretty leaf in a book.

Charity - A weekend away with some delightful rambles outside made for great leaf collecting opportunities! I used my little red leaves as a book marker and had autumn glory pressed between the pages of my journal. They remind of a restful weekend away from home and its busyness.

Gina - Our leaves were slow to turn this year since October was so warm. But one tree in our yard had some pretty red leaves to pick. This season is so fleeting and I want to enjoy these warm-colored days.

5. Read a book at a coffee shop.

Charity - I know it is ridiculous. I work at a coffee shop and I didn't complete this challenge. But even though I love my job, I rarely want to go early or stay late just so I can read there. So this challenge was undone. Don't be deceived, no actually quality reading time happened during these photos with Gina.

Gina - While waiting for Charity to finish work so we could take a few photos, I read a book off the coffee shop bookshelf to my little girls. I also read for a few minutes early one morning in a coffee shop while waiting to to meet a friend.

Hope you enjoyed your reading this month. As always, we'd love to hear what you read! Come back and see the November challenges.