Our reading life can be one of the most life-giving habits we cultivate. Through reading, we can expand our horizons, deepen our knowledge, and develop our skills and creativity. But, when our hands are full, it can be hard to make time to read! Our reading life shouldn’t stop when we have kids. Today, we’re talking about reading with a house full of littles. Plus, I’ll give you my top 5 books from 2025.
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Hi everyone! I’m Cayce Fletcher, and this is A More Beautiful Life Collective. I’m here to walk hand in hand with you as we grow in grace, build with purpose, and live beautifully.
Today, we are talking about one of my all-time favorite topics: Reading!
When I first started blogging and podcasting, one of my primary goals was to have a place to talk about what I was reading. I firmly believe that if we spend all of our time consuming things – whether that’s podcasts, books, TV shows, blog posts, social media content, or even the Bible – rather than talking about those things, we’ll shortchange ourselves. We’ll never have time to make the connections and do the deep learning required to be changed by content.
This blog is one way that I work through the content that I’m hearing while letting you know the ‘best of’ list: What I’ve found so helpful that it’s worth telling you about.
Related: An Antidote for Shallow Thinking: The Benefits of Reading
My Reading Goals
I love to read and always have a book in my purse and a few more on hold at the library. In the past few years, I’ve been reaching almost 80 books read, so I decided to set my sights high and aim to read 100 books in 2025.
Let’s just say I didn’t reach that goal.
Even though I thought I would do way more reading last year than I did (I had a nursing baby and normally I can read a lot), last year was actually a really difficult year for reading. My youngest was a fussy, squirmy eater. I was stressed and spent a lot of time working on my computer, helping with my husband’s business. When I wasn’t working, I often found myself scrolling.
Even so, I still managed to read 65 books last year. Reading is so beneficial for our lives and is worth making time for in our day. But the great challenge is setting aside the time to make progress towards our goals.
Related: Why You Should Set Reading Goals + My Top 5 Books from 2024
Reading While Your Hands Are Full
Just this past week, I was reminded of what pursuing a literary life is like with a house full of littles.
My youngest is teething and is notorious for waking up as soon as we lay her down by herself. So, this week, I’ve often had a fussy little companion for my morning time. Between sips of my coffee (and cleaning up one spill), I managed to read a few pages of my book before my other two crawled out of bed and into my lap.
Two more pages passed in between the peppering of questions: “Mama, what are we going to do today?” “Mama, is it time for breakfast yet?” “Mama, when will it be church day?”
I managed to get to my 10 pages before turning to start the day.
And, I have to admit – quiet times with kids are not much like those long, drawn-out mornings when I was in college and just married.
Sometimes, just opening a book is a win.
AMBL Reading Log & TBR Tracker | A Gentle Reading Challenge Kit
The AMBL Reading Challenge Kit is a printable reading log and TBR tracker designed for women who want simple structure without pressure. Featuring a flexible reading log, 50-book coloring tracker, and gentle reading bingo, this kit helps you track what you’re reading, plan what’s next, and rebuild a consistent reading rhythm—one page at a time.
How to Make Time for Reading With Kids in the House
When you have kids in the house, it doesn’t mean that you have to give up reading. But it does mean that your reading life looks different than it did before.
In this post here 4 Steps to Cultivate a Reading Life + My Top 3 Books from 2023, we talked about how to cultivate a reading life. You should:
- Set a goal.
- Make it easy.
- Keep it interesting.
- Talk about it.
One of the best things I did for my reading life was incorporating reading into my quiet time morning routine. This routine helps me do all of these steps in one go.
Every morning, I follow the same routine:
- Wake up
- Unload the Dishwasher and Start a Load of Laundry
- Do my Bible Reading and Prayer
- Read 10 pages out of at least 2 books (sometimes 3)
- Do my morning pages (write at least one full page)
Morning Routines are essential for setting up your day for success, and when you incorporate your reading life into your morning routine, you start the day further along than most people get in a day!
Related: Need a Reading Challenge? 10 Reading Challenges to Help You Reach Your Reading Goals
My Reading Goals for 2026
In 2026, I am setting the same goal as in 2025. I want to read 100 books, and hopefully, this year I will get closer to my goal. I always track my books on Goodreads so you can follow along there if you are interested!
I also want to tackle several titles on my TBR list. I’ve collected quite a few books over the years, and one of my long-term goals is to read (or get rid of) all of the books that I own. (Now, I don’t count my husband’s books – that is a whole different story!)
My last reading goal is a focus on commonplacing. I love being able to talk about what I read on the blog, but I’ve noticed that as I’ve gotten older and had more kids, my ability to remember what I’ve read is slowly going down. Commonplacing is just one way that we document and talk about what we are reading as we make connections through all the different things we read.
My Top 5 Books for 2025
Here are my top books for 2025 (in no particular order):
# 1 – The Scent of Water by Elizabeth Goudge
This book is just beautiful. It is set in the English countryside in the middle of the century and follows a woman who has retired from her career in the city to build a life in the country. The writing is beautiful and traces her coming back to God and her sense of herself. It will make you want to sit down and savor each word.
# 2 – Jesus the King: The Story of the World in the Life of Jesus by Timothy J. Keller
Also published as King’s Cross, this book might be one of my favorites by Tim Keller. He is an excellent writer and does such a good job of parsing out lofty theological ideas in plain language. I’ve been a Christian my whole life, but this book made me read the life of Jesus with new eyes and reminded me afresh of the wonders of grace.
# 3 – Sacred Seasons: A Family Guide to Center Your Year Around Jesus by Danielle Hitchen
I’ve talked about the Church calendar before on the podcast, and I am so drawn to living liturgically throughout the year. This book does an excellent job of explaining the Church calendar and what it means for Protestants. It always starts with how this moment in the year can teach a certain theological concept. Then, it gives very practical ways to observe this moment in the year with joy – and food and crafts and get-togethers and sometimes gifts!
# 4 – The Donald Whitney Collection: Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life, Praying the Bible, and Family Worship
One of the podcasts I listen to has mentioned these three books by Donald Whitney over and over again, so this year I ordered Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life. Which led me to read both Praying the Bible and Family Worship. Donald Whitney does a great job of communicating how our actions can deepen our faith and our family’s faith if we make a point to practice habits of faith. I’ve incorporated several of his tips in my life and have seen the fruit. These are books you will come back to again and again.
One genre I’ve been reading a lot more of this year is business books. It takes a lot of learning to go from a middle school ELA teacher to a Blue Collar Entrepreneur. One area of life that can make or break your business is finances, and a book that truly is life-changing in that area is Profit First. In the book, Mike Michalowicz describes how you set up bank accounts to create manageable buckets so that you are able to save and cash flow what you need to keep your business running. Definitely worth the read! (We’ve even implemented some of his suggestions to help with our personal finances.)
Honorable Mentions:
These books were excellent reads as well.
- Putting Jesus in His Place: The Case for the Deity of Christ by Robert M. Bowman Jr.
- The Holy Longing: The Search for a Christian Spirituality by Ronald Rolheiser
What is your reading goal for 2026?
Reading is such a life-giving pursuit. It is well worth the time and effort to develop a reading life. What are your reading goals?
I’d love to hear them! Comment below, and be sure to subscribe to the blog and podcast to never miss an episode. Also, if you have a moment, consider leaving a rating and review on the podcast to help others find the show.
If you are looking for a reading challenge, you can download the AMBL Book Bingo to expand your reading horizons this year! You can also get our Reading Life Journal from the AMBL shop!
Until next time, keep creating a life you love and cultivating your heart for God.
The Reading Life Journal | A Faith-Formed Reading Journal for Women
The Reading Life Journal is a 100-page, faith-formed reading companion designed to help women read with attention, intention, and grace. Through theology-anchored reflections, commonplace pages, reading logs, and seasonal reviews, this journal supports a sustainable reading life shaped by formation rather than productivity.
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