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Homeschooling

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Favorite Books + Resources

I’ve put together a curated lists of a handful of books and resources that have helped me in writing and creativity, missions, my walk with God and relationship with people, and homeschooling/parenting.

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For authors

Best Writing Books

most impactful

Hands-down the best writing book I’ve ever read about writing creative nonfiction. Highly practical, with examples!

most funny

Anne Lamott will make you laugh, cry, and feel way better about yourself–and your terrible first drafts.

best example

This book is so full of meaningful details, and none of it is made up. It’s a poignant read that sheds a spotlight on Indian culture and the problem of poverty. A fabulous example of narrative nonfiction.

best of the basics

This is a great introduction to using the skills of fiction to write and market narrative nonfiction.

For authors

Recommended Tools

for organizing notes

I’ve tried many note-taking apps, but craft is pretty, cheaper than others, and cloud-based. I can keep all my notes for different projects organized and easily find what I need.

for writing books

Scrivener lets you work on one scene or chapter at a time, and drag scenes around in a file-like system. Faster and easier to manage than Word!

for formatting books

If you are considering self-publishing, Vellum is well worth the cost. It does exactly what it says it does–helps you create beautiful books. Best for text-based rather than image-based books.

for graphics

I use Canva all the time. It’s easy to use, the pro account is inexpensive and it comes with a lot of stock photos, videos, tremplates, etc.

missions + Ministry

Best Books for Gospel Seed Sowers

witnessing

Practical and easy-to-apply, this book about explaining and defending beliefs is invaluable to anyone who wants to share their faith!

culture

Anne Lamott will make you laugh, cry, and feel way better about yourself–and your terrible first drafts.

money

I didn’t agree with everything in this book, but the cultural premise is solid and has helped me understand how to relate to money issues.

poverty

An important book for anyone working with or near people in poverty. Still on my reading list!

Missions + ministry

People Skills and Leadership

favorite

I try to listen to the audio version of this book once every year or two. A wonderful resource for seeing yourself and others honestly.

most practical

For vulnerable, transparent relationships to form, we have to be willing to have difficult conversations. This book will show you how to do that.

reading now

I just started reading this, but I love it! It’s very practical and full of stories about expert communicators.

important

The knowledge in this book has the potential to prevent and heal a lot of heartache. I highly recommend it, especially for people in ministry.

homeschooling

Homeschool Curriculum I Love

math + spelling

We’ve had wonderful success with both Math U See and Spelling U See, both thoughtfully developed curriculums developed by Demme Learning. We’ve tried others and always go back!

STEM

Timberdoodle is a unique company that puts together fun curriculum kits with plenty of hands-on activities and an easy-to-use lesson planner.

Vibrant collection of books on shelves for reading, research, and education.
history + literature

If you love reading, you’ll love Sonlight, which bases its history-rich curriculum on wonderful books that are truly works of art.

science

We’ve really enjoyed the science courses we’ve used from Journey Homeschool Academy. They are video-based, easy for parents, and interesting for kids.

homeschooling + family

Inspiring True Stories to Read With Older Kids

exciting + inspiring

This famous survival story will have you holding your breath and imagining what it would be like for ice to crush your ship!

faith-building

A favorite in our family that reminds us to be faithful to God, no matter the cost… He will always be faithful to us!

practical, motivating

This inspiring autobiography of Booker T. Washington makes you determined to be as intentional with your life as the inspiring author.

intriguing + fun

We learned a lot about bears and about how wildlife rangers work with bears through this interesting book.

Homeschooling

Other Homeschooling Resources

choosing curriculum

This is the book I used to learn how to navigate the many wonderful options out there for homeschool curriculum.

dyslexia help

I recommend Nessy to ALL my friends whose children struggle with reading, writing, or spelling. We aren’t “video game” people but this gamified, adaptive program really works to help kids, particularly those with dyslexia.

online classes

Outschool is a great place to find classes in nearly everything, from tutoring in multiplication tables to violin lessons to speech or debate classes.

fictional narrative

A simple, charming book that explains the Charlotte Mason method through a story. I find reading this very relaxing and encouraging.