These days I don't get to curl up with a physical book quite as often as I'd like, but I have learned to make the most of those monthly audiobook credits. They've become one of my favorite parts of an ordinary day — folding laundry, driving to an appointment, walking in the morning, all of it goes a little better with someone good reading to me. And if you can't already tell, for better or worse, I'm a nonfiction girl through and through. I want to come away from a book having learned something I can actually use.
Four books made up my whole month this May, and every one was worth the credit. They run the range from faith to fertility to root-cause health, which honestly is a pretty accurate map of where my head and heart tend to live. Here's what I read this May, and why each one stayed with me.
Becoming Like Jesus
This one was a sweet, steadying reminder that relationship with Jesus is the heart of the whole thing. It gently pulled my attention back from behavior management toward something far more personal — the idea that He wants our everyday lives, the ordinary and unglamorous middle of the week, not just our best-behaved moments. I finished it feeling less like I'd been handed a to-do list and more like I'd been invited closer, which is exactly the kind of book I want to keep returning to.
The Fertility Formula
If you've spent any time on my Essentials page, you already know this one earned a permanent spot on my shelf. It's one of the best holistic, genuinely science-backed books I've read on fertility and reproductive health — the rare title that respects both the research and the woman reading it. Whether you're actively trying to conceive or simply want to understand your cycle and hormones with more clarity, it manages to be both deeply informative and genuinely readable, which is harder to pull off than it sounds.
Faith-Filled Childbirth
I'm on my second read of this one, and parts of it still stop me in my tracks. It weaves together the physical and the spiritual sides of birth in a way I haven't found anywhere else, and somehow it lands differently the second time through. If you're a pregnant mama — or you love one — I can't recommend it highly enough. It's the kind of book I'd hand someone in their third trimester and tell them to take their time with.
Unlock Your Health Potential
Saving a meaningful one for last. This is a guide to identifying and addressing the root causes of chronic illness rather than just chasing symptoms, and it happens to be written by two of my professional mentors. Seeing their framework laid out so clearly on the page was a genuine treat, and it's a wonderful starting place if you've ever felt like the standard "everything looks normal" answer didn't match how you actually feel. Root-cause thinking is so much of how I practice, and this book captures the heart of it beautifully.
If You're Looking for More
If this stirred up your own to-be-read list, you're in good company — I keep a running collection of my all-time favorite reads on the Essentials page, spanning hormones, nutrition, motherhood, faith, and a few that simply made me a better human. It's the first place I'd point you if you want more where these came from.
And because I will never turn down a good recommendation: I'd genuinely love to hear what's been on your nightstand (or in your headphones) lately. Come tell me over on Instagram — a great book passed between friends is one of life's small, reliable joys.
