Hello! Welcome to Caffeinated Bookish Mom! Grab a cup of coffee, and let’s chat all things bookish! My name is Courtney, and I am a lifelong reader. It’s nice to meet you!

Who is Courtney?

I am a follower of Jesus. With anything you hear from me, I aim to ensure that it comes through the lens of honoring God. This impacts how I interact with people, what books I read, and what I share here and on social media.

I am a wife, mom, and teacher. In our family, half of us are avid readers, but we have built a culture where we all appreciate the value of books. I have two boys (10 & 16). Sometimes it’s harder to find books geared toward teen boys, so I hope other boymoms find a kindred spirit here. I am a 7th & 8th grade writing teacher. One of the things I say to my students all the time is, “Good readers make good writers, and good writers make good readers.”

My Reading Journey

I have been a reader my whole life. When I was a child, and computers first came out (Remember the old Dos computers? Green screen with the blinking cursor? I’m that old…), I would create lists of all of the books in our home so that I could pretend to be a librarian. My first “book of the month” subscription was getting three Baby-Sitters’ Club and Baby-Sitters’ Club Little Sister books every month. The Pizza Hut Book It club was one of my favorite things ever! A personal pizza every month? Count me in!

When I was in college, Chick Lit was the thing. I devoured all of Sophie Kinsella’s Shopaholic books. I also read every Mary Higgins Clark suspense novel ever written. She was one of the first authors I truly remember grieving when she passed.

Now, I’m all about the sweet and closed-door romances. Give me a punny cozy mystery anytime. Just to keep things interesting, I’ll also throw in a cozy fantasy, suspenseful thriller, and magical YA.

10 fun (or boring) facts about me

  1. We have two precious pups. Ruby Sue is an 11-year-old pomperanian-chihuaha mix. Harold is a 3-year-old pug-chihuaha mix.
  2. My husband and I are both on the worship team for our church.
  3. I believe coffee is a love language. My classroom is coffee-themed. My students know I have a major coffee addiction.
  4. We value family dinners together. While we’re moving into a season where our oldest is working, and we can’t always be home together, we still eat dinner at home as many nights as possible.
  5. I don’t love tv or movies. When someone starts the question “Have you ever seen…?” I almost always stop them and say, “Nope, probably not, but let me tell you about the book I’m reading!”
  6. I have never considered myself a health nut, but walking is my favorite. I love a good walk, and you can probably anticipate some bookish walking challenges here!
  7. My other love language is brownies. I will take a chocolately baked good over almost any other dessert.
  8. I track all of my books on Goodreads, but I am absolutely NOT social on there at all. I used to be, but realized I couldn’t keep up in this current season.
  9. I’m 40 years old, and not trendy. I will share what I use and love, but I’m not out to keep up with every new website or trend. I love a good backlist challenge.
  10. We live in an itty bitty historic town in Oklahoma. My school is celebrating 100 years this year.

What is Caffeinated Bookish Mom?

I am a Conservative, Christian reader. I am a wife and mom, and I’m on a mission to find enjoyable books that still align with my values. More and more often, I start to read a book, and then I’m caught off guard somewhere in the middle with content that I don’t want to read. The mission of Caffeinated Bookish Mom is to make is easier to other women to find good books for themselves and their families.

What does it mean to be a Conservative, Christian reader?

  1. I will not promote books with graphic or explicit sexual content. If there is romance in the book, I want that door firmly closed. If, for some reason, I am talking about a book that does have an open-door scene, it will be clearly stated (and it will certainly not be the norm).
  2. I will not promote books with excessive foul language. I’m not talking about a swear word here or there, but rather language that is used so frequently that it detracts from the story, or language that turns vulgar.
  3. I wil not promote books that include characters that make decisions that completely go against my Christian values. I fully understand that we want character arcs, and we want redemption and character growth. I’m all for it. I’m NOT for characters making those choices and then celebrating them, or not showing growth past them.

What can you expect from Caffeinated Bookish Mom?

You can expect book reviews, bookish chat, and mom life talk. I’ll share books that I (and my boys) have read and loved. I’ll share bookish finds that just make the reading life more fun. I’ll share resources, tips and tricks, and activities that make mom life simpler and more memorable. And of course, we’re all about caffeinating, so I’ll share all of my favorite coffees and snacks!

I’m planning and dreaming. I’d love to see Caffeinated Bookish Mom grow to include resources to help Christian indie authors. I see a Bookish Cozy Etsy shop coming soon! I hope to include some insight from my teacher life that may help moms with their own kids. It could be fun to have a virtual book club. What would you like to see? I’m open to chatting about fun ideas!

10 books that reflect Caffeinated Bookish Mom

  1. Summerhaven by Tiffany Odekirk (sweet romance)
  2. Compared by Kortney Keisel (closed door rom-com)
  3. Murder at the Lakeside Library by Holly Danvers (cozy mystery)
  4. Where Are the Children? by Mary Higgins Clark (suspense/thriller)
  5. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer (literary fiction)
  6. Pretty Little Pieces by Carmen Schober (Christian fiction)
  7. The Selection by Kiera Cass (young adult)
  8. Harry Potter by JK Rowling (family read alouds)
  9. The Best Yes by Lisa Terkeurst (Christian non-fiction)
  10. Women Living Well: The Book of Mark by Courtney Joseph (Bible study)

Do these books sound like something you’d enjoy? Are you looking for wholesome books for your family? Let’s be friends!