As usual, there's good news and bad news.
When I started Katrina's Fall Into Reading Challenge, I started with a list of nine books. Well, I got more than nine books read...just not the nine books I started out with. LOL I wrote a review for each as I finished up and they are linked below.
The books I completed from the original list were The Mark of Athena by Rick Riordan and The White Queen by Phillipa Gregory. They were the most enjoyable of the gaggle I read this past few months.
In the interest of getting ready for the newest release from Jim Butcher, the 14th book in the Harry Dresden series, which was released on November 27, I re-read the first six in the series: Storm Front, Fool Moon, Grave Peril, Summer Knight, Death Masks, and Blood Rites.
I dug up a nugget buried on my tablet called When the Walls Fell by Monique Martin. It was a sequel to a debut novel by the author that I also found on a Kindle freebie site and would definitively recommend it.
Another Kindle nugget was Graceling by Kristin Cashore. This I would most definitively recommend if you are looking for an older teenager fan of Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, or Hunger Games.
I started Lucy and Susan Letcher's travel journal Barefoot Sisters: Southbound but I didn't not finish it. It was a doorstop that I didn't click with.
Finally, I dug out a book off the bookshelf that I've been meaning to read called Juliet by Ann Fortier. It was a mixed bag but a fun read if you're a Shakespeare geek as well as a lover of quick-paced mysteries.
And, in further defense of my original list, three of the books from that list (Crazy Love, 10 Habits of Happy Mothers, and Furies of Calderon) have all finally come up on my wait list at the library and are the next to be read in my queue!
Showing posts with label reading. Show all posts
Showing posts with label reading. Show all posts
Friday, December 21, 2012
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
FIR: "Southbound" and "Graceling"
It's getting down to the wire here. Katrina's Fall Into Reading challenge will be wrapping up next Friday. So, I wanted to throw out two more reviews...
"Southbound" was a travel journal of two sisters who hike the Appalachian Trail top to bottom over several months. Normally, I am a fan of travelogues especially those geared to more non-commercial locations. But, I've decided I'm just getting too old. LOL So old I couldn't finish the 480+ pages. By halfway through, I was tired and bored with their post-collegiate self doubt, woe-is-me, where do I go from here, who/what do I want to be when I grow up angst.
If I was 20 years younger, I'd probably add to its multiple 5-star reviews on Amazon but not as a 40-some mother of two.
"Graceling" came as a freebie through a Kindle discount site and looked like it would tickle my sci-fi, fantasy fancy. And, oh, did it! Loved Kristin Cashore's characters, plot, conflict, and development of her fantasy world. It felt a lot like Ursula LeGuin "Earthsea"books but with a female land-bound lead instead of Ged/Sparrowhawk.
It hits all the central fantasy themes: characters with unique gifts, political battling, a journey, a crisis of conscience, evil bad guys, you know the drill. What a delight for the main character to be a female and, in a sense, the antithesis of all stereotypical female traits: brutal, focused, independent, physical, non-emotional, killer instinct.
I would highly recommend it.
"Southbound" was a travel journal of two sisters who hike the Appalachian Trail top to bottom over several months. Normally, I am a fan of travelogues especially those geared to more non-commercial locations. But, I've decided I'm just getting too old. LOL So old I couldn't finish the 480+ pages. By halfway through, I was tired and bored with their post-collegiate self doubt, woe-is-me, where do I go from here, who/what do I want to be when I grow up angst.
If I was 20 years younger, I'd probably add to its multiple 5-star reviews on Amazon but not as a 40-some mother of two.
"Graceling" came as a freebie through a Kindle discount site and looked like it would tickle my sci-fi, fantasy fancy. And, oh, did it! Loved Kristin Cashore's characters, plot, conflict, and development of her fantasy world. It felt a lot like Ursula LeGuin "Earthsea"books but with a female land-bound lead instead of Ged/Sparrowhawk.
It hits all the central fantasy themes: characters with unique gifts, political battling, a journey, a crisis of conscience, evil bad guys, you know the drill. What a delight for the main character to be a female and, in a sense, the antithesis of all stereotypical female traits: brutal, focused, independent, physical, non-emotional, killer instinct.
I would highly recommend it.
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
FIR: "Juliet"
I'm a Shakespeare geek.
I know. Big shocker there, eh?
So, when I found a novel that integrated a modern day mystery AND "Romeo and Juilet," I was all over it! LOL "Juliet" was not on my original FIR list but came as a paperbackswap.com delivery recently.
The story begins when Julie's aunt dies and old family secrets are revealed. Her and her sister's family connections to Siena, Italy take one, then both, on a ride of discovery. Nothing is as it seems. Century old grudges, alliances, and family lore twist nearly everything in unrecognizable puzzles.
I was completely enthralled with "Juliet" for about 2/3 of the book. The locations, the conflict, the unexpected romance angle, the literary references, the history. But, there were too many threads going so many directions that near the end, it seemed a forced race to tie everything up.
I'd recommend it for a slow, summer read but I was so caught up initially, rushing through to see how it ended that I found the ending disappointing despite the bad guys being caught, family being reconciled, and a couple finding - if that makes any sense at all.
I know. Big shocker there, eh?
So, when I found a novel that integrated a modern day mystery AND "Romeo and Juilet," I was all over it! LOL "Juliet" was not on my original FIR list but came as a paperbackswap.com delivery recently.
The story begins when Julie's aunt dies and old family secrets are revealed. Her and her sister's family connections to Siena, Italy take one, then both, on a ride of discovery. Nothing is as it seems. Century old grudges, alliances, and family lore twist nearly everything in unrecognizable puzzles.
I was completely enthralled with "Juliet" for about 2/3 of the book. The locations, the conflict, the unexpected romance angle, the literary references, the history. But, there were too many threads going so many directions that near the end, it seemed a forced race to tie everything up.
I'd recommend it for a slow, summer read but I was so caught up initially, rushing through to see how it ended that I found the ending disappointing despite the bad guys being caught, family being reconciled, and a couple finding - if that makes any sense at all.
Thursday, November 29, 2012
FIR 2012: The Mark of Athena
At the beginning of October, "The Mark of Athena" was finally released. It is the third of Rick Riordan's "Heroes of Olympus" series which followed the original five-book series featuring Percy Jackson - a Greek demigod whose cut from the same cloth as Harry Potter.
Both find out following a pre-teen birthday that their everyday, troubled lives are actually very special - unbeknownst to them up until that point. Harry is whisked off to Hogwarts while Percy is swept away in Camp Half-Blood.
The "Heroes of Olympus" brings in the competing Roman mythology with the first book's story line where Jason, a Roman demigod, finds himself awakened to realize that Hera has been tinkering with his life - giving him amnesia, taking him from Camp Jupiter (the Roman equivalent of Camp Half-Blood), and depositing him around people he doesn't know at Camp Half-Blood which he didn't realize existed.
In book two, we discover that Percy has experienced the same phenomenon. Amnesia, unknown people, and at Camp Jupiter.
Finally, in this third book, the two camps attempt to come together (something that's never happened before in the history of the either mythology) and face an impending threat from Gaia who wants ALL demigods and their parents destroyed regardless of their ancient affiliation.
Like the Potteresque equivalent, this eighth book is a door-stop. LOL However, it is an easy read. While not as dark at Potter, there's plenty of danger, death, mayhem, battling, self-examination, and savvy problem solving.
The book opens with the Jason and his new Camp Half-Blood compatriots en route to first Camp Jupiter for the first time in history. They know Percy is there but have no idea what kind of reception they will receive. Things start off well but quickly turn disastrous with the intervention of the gods.
This story line is the primary...but there's several others. Each demigod struggles with personal challenges and doubts. Additionally, one character (Percy's girlfriend Annabeth - a daughter of Athena) has a separate quest that weaves in and out of the primary unifying-against-Gaia theme.
The book ends with a huge, obvious cliff hanger that makes me wonder if Riordan or his publisher said "well, this would be a good place as any to stop. This book is already 500+ pages." So, I will wait another year or so until book four comes out - but wait I will because this is quickly becoming my favorite young adult series, even outshining Harry Potter.
Somehow Riordan writes complicated and in-depth story lines with a simple art that causes the reader to sit for hours to just keep reading and reading to see what happens next. His character pool has reached a size that it's starting to get hard to keep everyone, their parentage, their issues, and their story line separate but hanging on for the ride is WELL worth it.
Both find out following a pre-teen birthday that their everyday, troubled lives are actually very special - unbeknownst to them up until that point. Harry is whisked off to Hogwarts while Percy is swept away in Camp Half-Blood.
The "Heroes of Olympus" brings in the competing Roman mythology with the first book's story line where Jason, a Roman demigod, finds himself awakened to realize that Hera has been tinkering with his life - giving him amnesia, taking him from Camp Jupiter (the Roman equivalent of Camp Half-Blood), and depositing him around people he doesn't know at Camp Half-Blood which he didn't realize existed.
In book two, we discover that Percy has experienced the same phenomenon. Amnesia, unknown people, and at Camp Jupiter.
Finally, in this third book, the two camps attempt to come together (something that's never happened before in the history of the either mythology) and face an impending threat from Gaia who wants ALL demigods and their parents destroyed regardless of their ancient affiliation.
Like the Potteresque equivalent, this eighth book is a door-stop. LOL However, it is an easy read. While not as dark at Potter, there's plenty of danger, death, mayhem, battling, self-examination, and savvy problem solving.
The book opens with the Jason and his new Camp Half-Blood compatriots en route to first Camp Jupiter for the first time in history. They know Percy is there but have no idea what kind of reception they will receive. Things start off well but quickly turn disastrous with the intervention of the gods.
This story line is the primary...but there's several others. Each demigod struggles with personal challenges and doubts. Additionally, one character (Percy's girlfriend Annabeth - a daughter of Athena) has a separate quest that weaves in and out of the primary unifying-against-Gaia theme.
The book ends with a huge, obvious cliff hanger that makes me wonder if Riordan or his publisher said "well, this would be a good place as any to stop. This book is already 500+ pages." So, I will wait another year or so until book four comes out - but wait I will because this is quickly becoming my favorite young adult series, even outshining Harry Potter.
Somehow Riordan writes complicated and in-depth story lines with a simple art that causes the reader to sit for hours to just keep reading and reading to see what happens next. His character pool has reached a size that it's starting to get hard to keep everyone, their parentage, their issues, and their story line separate but hanging on for the ride is WELL worth it.
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
FIR 2012: When the Walls Fell
Well, it has been a rough 2 weeks. I finished my last book on the 8th. Four days later, we were at a hospital in Chicago saying our goodbyes to DaHubby's sister who was losing her battle with leukemia, a subsequent stem cell transplant, and its after effects. She died on the 13th and we unexpectedly stayed in Michigan until the 19th. Not a lot of reading going on.
So, over the last four days, I wrapped up something that's been sitting on my Kindle that I've been meaning to read: When the Walls Fell by Monique Martin. It's number two in her time travelling series. I read the first, Out of Time (which is still free for Kindle at this posting), when I saw it on a Kindle freebie-of-the-day list, read the blurb, thought I'd like it, and downloaded it. It wasn't on my original FIR reading list.
It's light but challenging, quick but complicated, a little adventure and a little romance. Some good brain candy to get back on track with.
Then, I started one of the Barefoot Sisters' literary travelogues last night. Hoping to finish it by Monday.
So, over the last four days, I wrapped up something that's been sitting on my Kindle that I've been meaning to read: When the Walls Fell by Monique Martin. It's number two in her time travelling series. I read the first, Out of Time (which is still free for Kindle at this posting), when I saw it on a Kindle freebie-of-the-day list, read the blurb, thought I'd like it, and downloaded it. It wasn't on my original FIR reading list.
It's light but challenging, quick but complicated, a little adventure and a little romance. Some good brain candy to get back on track with.
Then, I started one of the Barefoot Sisters' literary travelogues last night. Hoping to finish it by Monday.
Monday, October 8, 2012
FIR 2012: The Dresden Files 1-6
Well, I can blame an old high school friend for recommending Jim Butcher's novels to me a few years ago. Now, I figure there should be a 12-step group for people needing to get a life after reading the Harry Dresden series! LOL
One of my "secret" reading favorites are the fantasy/ sci-fi stuff of my adolescence. "A Wrinkle In Time" was THE book that drew me into the wonderful world of leisure reading around 3rd grade. Since then, I read and re-read L'Engle, LeGuin, Tolkien, Lewis,and McCaffrey over and over. You can now add Butcher to that list.
I read all the Harry Dresden series last year up to the thirteenth and most current, "Ghost Story," released last year. (By the way, number fourteen, "Cold Day," is to be released next month!) In honor of the pending new release, I wanted to re-read the series. I had put a hold on an e-version of the first six books and it happened to come in just at this reading challenge began. So, as I mentioned here, I followed this bibliographical detour from my original list and got reading.
And, I've gotten nothing done for a week!
Now, I won't go through all six plots but there is something to be said to see how Dresden develops over the course of each...so much so that I can't wait to catch up via books seven through 13. For the record, here are the titles include in this first half of a baker's dozen: Storm Front, Fool Moon, Grave Peril, Summer Knight, Death Masks, and Blood Rites.
I love watching Dresden's internal battles with good/evil, his past and history, his greater beliefs in Magic vs western religion, and the new challenges. I love the characters including Lieutenant Karrin Murphy and his often-called-upon fellow battle man, Michael, who happens to be a holy Knight of the Cross...for real. White crusader cape, red cross, wielding a sword containing a nail from the Crucifixion...yea, THAT Crucifixtion. LOL
If you're looking for some sci-fi brain candy to get lost in for a while, please go to your local library STAT and look into the Harry Dresden series.
One of my "secret" reading favorites are the fantasy/ sci-fi stuff of my adolescence. "A Wrinkle In Time" was THE book that drew me into the wonderful world of leisure reading around 3rd grade. Since then, I read and re-read L'Engle, LeGuin, Tolkien, Lewis,and McCaffrey over and over. You can now add Butcher to that list.
I read all the Harry Dresden series last year up to the thirteenth and most current, "Ghost Story," released last year. (By the way, number fourteen, "Cold Day," is to be released next month!) In honor of the pending new release, I wanted to re-read the series. I had put a hold on an e-version of the first six books and it happened to come in just at this reading challenge began. So, as I mentioned here, I followed this bibliographical detour from my original list and got reading.
And, I've gotten nothing done for a week!
Now, I won't go through all six plots but there is something to be said to see how Dresden develops over the course of each...so much so that I can't wait to catch up via books seven through 13. For the record, here are the titles include in this first half of a baker's dozen: Storm Front, Fool Moon, Grave Peril, Summer Knight, Death Masks, and Blood Rites.
I love watching Dresden's internal battles with good/evil, his past and history, his greater beliefs in Magic vs western religion, and the new challenges. I love the characters including Lieutenant Karrin Murphy and his often-called-upon fellow battle man, Michael, who happens to be a holy Knight of the Cross...for real. White crusader cape, red cross, wielding a sword containing a nail from the Crucifixion...yea, THAT Crucifixtion. LOL
If you're looking for some sci-fi brain candy to get lost in for a while, please go to your local library STAT and look into the Harry Dresden series.
Monday, October 1, 2012
FIR 2012: The White Queen by Philippa Gregory
Well, one book down...
I've followed the Boleyn books from Philippa Gregory a couple years ago. She has gone on to write over two dozen historically based novels primarily about the British monarchy.
Somewhere along the line, I had added "The White Queen" to my reading wish list at paperbackswap.com. My wish was granted about a week before Katrina's reading challenge started so I started with that one.
I didn't find it as absorbing at "The Other Boleyn Girl" - too dry, too much telling and not enough showing, and (ultimately, through no fault of Gregory) too many characters with the same names and similar titles. A family tree is provided at the beginning of the book illustrating the beginnings of The Cousins' War and the War of the Roses but it ended with the characters at the beginning of the book. It would have been helpful to continue it to include all the marriages and births that followed over the course of the 411 page book.
I was caught up in the beginning, the love story, and their ascension to the English monarchy. But, their stumblings the politics, and their fall didn't keep me interested. I stopped liking the main character. I didn't care if she succeeded Didn't care who came out on top of the three-pronged fight between the Lancasters, Yorks, and budding house of Tudor. The "drama" was not enough to keep me interested.
However, the whole "princes in the tower" mystery sparked enough interest in more information that I ordered two books through interlibrary loan to read next: "The War of the Roses" and "The Princes in the Tower" by Alison Weir - a noted and celebrated monarchy historian.
i would recommend this book for a summer read but probably will skip the rest of Gregory's books in this series to tackle Weir's.
I've followed the Boleyn books from Philippa Gregory a couple years ago. She has gone on to write over two dozen historically based novels primarily about the British monarchy.
Somewhere along the line, I had added "The White Queen" to my reading wish list at paperbackswap.com. My wish was granted about a week before Katrina's reading challenge started so I started with that one.
I didn't find it as absorbing at "The Other Boleyn Girl" - too dry, too much telling and not enough showing, and (ultimately, through no fault of Gregory) too many characters with the same names and similar titles. A family tree is provided at the beginning of the book illustrating the beginnings of The Cousins' War and the War of the Roses but it ended with the characters at the beginning of the book. It would have been helpful to continue it to include all the marriages and births that followed over the course of the 411 page book.
I was caught up in the beginning, the love story, and their ascension to the English monarchy. But, their stumblings the politics, and their fall didn't keep me interested. I stopped liking the main character. I didn't care if she succeeded Didn't care who came out on top of the three-pronged fight between the Lancasters, Yorks, and budding house of Tudor. The "drama" was not enough to keep me interested.
However, the whole "princes in the tower" mystery sparked enough interest in more information that I ordered two books through interlibrary loan to read next: "The War of the Roses" and "The Princes in the Tower" by Alison Weir - a noted and celebrated monarchy historian.
i would recommend this book for a summer read but probably will skip the rest of Gregory's books in this series to tackle Weir's.
Monday, September 24, 2012
Fall Into Reading 2012
Well, I'm running a little behind but I wanted to post a list for Katrina's reading challenge at Callapidder Days.
This time around and with the season of life we're in, I'm posting more of a wish list than to-do list.
We started homeschooling 6 weeks ago and are still easing into the lifestyle. I've had a few new interests lately (particularly the British history of the monarchy) plus books I've had in queue for over a year. I'm prioritizing some of the ones I'm most looking forward to. Plus, out here in the middle of nowhere in our new environs makes getting books from our local little library a bit more challenging.
So, I'm starting from this wish list and seeing where it takes me! :) I hope Katrina is OK with that. :)
Top of my list? Rick Riordan's book to be released on October 2nd - "Mark of Athena."
I've recently been introduced to Alison Weir and I'm finding it difficult to pick which of her books with which to start. I'm thinking of tackling "Wars of the Roses" and "Children of Henry VIII."
Another similar novel - "The White Queen" by Philippa Gregory.
And, I've been meaning to also read "Age of Wonder" by Richard Holmes.
Recently, I've been re-reading the Jim Butcher Harry Dresden series. Now that I've read them all, I thought I'd try the first of Butcher's other series, "Furies of Calderon."
One of my brain candy authors that I generally read in the summer but didn't get around to it this year in Diane Mott Davidson. I'm reading through her Goldy books and thought I'd throw in "Tough Cookie" for this challenge.
And, finally, a few more non-fiction...Meg Meeker's "10 Habits of Happy Mothers," Frances Chan's "Crazy Love," and Lucy and Susan Letcher's travel journal "Barefoot Sisters: Southbound."
Call me crazy but I'm pretty sure I won't be able to get all those here to the middle of my cornfield. I'll get what I can and maybe stumble onto something else that strikes my fancy. We shall see! Excited to see how much I get done!
Please don't hesitate to join us! Stop by Katrina's challenge anytime between now and mid-December to jump on board!
This time around and with the season of life we're in, I'm posting more of a wish list than to-do list.
We started homeschooling 6 weeks ago and are still easing into the lifestyle. I've had a few new interests lately (particularly the British history of the monarchy) plus books I've had in queue for over a year. I'm prioritizing some of the ones I'm most looking forward to. Plus, out here in the middle of nowhere in our new environs makes getting books from our local little library a bit more challenging.
So, I'm starting from this wish list and seeing where it takes me! :) I hope Katrina is OK with that. :)
Top of my list? Rick Riordan's book to be released on October 2nd - "
I've recently been introduced to Alison Weir and I'm finding it difficult to pick which of her books with which to start. I'm thinking of tackling "Wars of the Roses" and "Children of Henry VIII."
Another similar novel - "
And, I've been meaning to also read "Age of Wonder" by Richard Holmes.
Recently, I've been re-reading the Jim Butcher Harry Dresden series. Now that I've read them all, I thought I'd try the first of Butcher's other series, "Furies of Calderon."
One of my brain candy authors that I generally read in the summer but didn't get around to it this year in Diane Mott Davidson. I'm reading through her Goldy books and thought I'd throw in "Tough Cookie" for this challenge.
And, finally, a few more non-fiction...Meg Meeker's "10 Habits of Happy Mothers," Frances Chan's "Crazy Love," and Lucy and Susan Letcher's travel journal "
Call me crazy but I'm pretty sure I won't be able to get all those here to the middle of my cornfield. I'll get what I can and maybe stumble onto something else that strikes my fancy. We shall see! Excited to see how much I get done!
Please don't hesitate to join us! Stop by Katrina's challenge anytime between now and mid-December to jump on board!
Thursday, October 27, 2011
"God Makes Lemonade" Blog Tour
When I was blogging more often, I got hooked up with with Glass Road Public Relations and their book promotions. Now that life has slowed down (a little), I wanted to get back in the swing of things so I jumped on board for a recent blog tour.
"God Makes Lemonade" seemed like a book I could really appreciate in this season of life. After all we've been through recently, I thought I'd find camaraderie, smiles, head nods, faith building, and tears reading this book.
Not so much.
And, since I was provided with a free copy to review, it pains me to say that.
While the formatting reminded me of the "Chicken Soup for the (Fill-in-the-Blank) Soul" series, "God Makes Lemonade" just didn't grab me the same way. It was difficult to finish. I was bored after getting about halfway through.
And, for having "God..." in the title, I didn't see the faith, the prayer, the leaps I had hoped for.
However, each story WAS a great example of looking positively and searching for silver linings in all circumstances and how, in hindsight, one can see great good coming out of heart-breaking and/or challenging circumstances.
Since 2008 since our trials began, I've been clinging to Romans 8.28 ("...we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to [His] purpose") but, with the challenges still ahead of us, I didn't find the book particularly encouraging but more of a awkward "atta girl" punch in the shoulder to tough it out and have some hope that things would turn out eventually.
Now, according to the Amazon reviews, I am in the minority opinion here. Don Jacobson (the creator of this book) has more than 25 years of publishing experience so he probably knows what he's doing. LOL So, if you liked the "Chicken Soup" books, this one may be right up your alley.
Disclosure: as I said above, I was provided a copy of this book for free to review. However, the opinions herein are my own.
"God Makes Lemonade" seemed like a book I could really appreciate in this season of life. After all we've been through recently, I thought I'd find camaraderie, smiles, head nods, faith building, and tears reading this book.
Not so much.
And, since I was provided with a free copy to review, it pains me to say that.
While the formatting reminded me of the "Chicken Soup for the (Fill-in-the-Blank) Soul" series, "God Makes Lemonade" just didn't grab me the same way. It was difficult to finish. I was bored after getting about halfway through.
And, for having "God..." in the title, I didn't see the faith, the prayer, the leaps I had hoped for.
However, each story WAS a great example of looking positively and searching for silver linings in all circumstances and how, in hindsight, one can see great good coming out of heart-breaking and/or challenging circumstances.
Since 2008 since our trials began, I've been clinging to Romans 8.28 ("...we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to [His] purpose") but, with the challenges still ahead of us, I didn't find the book particularly encouraging but more of a awkward "atta girl" punch in the shoulder to tough it out and have some hope that things would turn out eventually.
Now, according to the Amazon reviews, I am in the minority opinion here. Don Jacobson (the creator of this book) has more than 25 years of publishing experience so he probably knows what he's doing. LOL So, if you liked the "Chicken Soup" books, this one may be right up your alley.
Disclosure: as I said above, I was provided a copy of this book for free to review. However, the opinions herein are my own.
Friday, October 21, 2011
FIR book reviews: the Kindle edition
I'm still chugging my way through my Fall Into Reading challenge hosted by Katrina at Callapidder Days. If you check out my original book list, there were no Kindle books on there. LOL Unfortunately, my darling hubby tempted me off the straight and narrow path of hard-copy book reading by getting me a new tablet running Android with a Kindle for Android app! LOL
And, my new addiction to the Free Books for Kindle page on Facebook offered me even more temptation! LOL So, while I'm working on two black-and-white hard copy books off my list, I managed to complete four more novels on my tablet. (If you follow the Amazon links and are interested in downloading, keep in mind that these titles were free at the time I downloaded them - some as a limtited time offers - and may not be free now.)
The Brotherhood by Jerry Jenkins I read the Left Behind series that Jenkins co-wrote but nothing else from him. I was interested what "regular" fiction might look like plus it was a cop story so I gave it a chance. It started off good - plot, characters, and even the faith-based stuff was handled well. Didn't feel much for the main character, Boone, but saw in him much of the same stoic nature I saw around me in the years I worked in law enforcement. Then, there was a catastrophic accident that rocks the Boone's world and challenges his faith. And, it was brutal to endure but the writing was so real that I couldn't stop myself. Watching Boone dig back out left me anticipating the next chapters but ended up leaving me going "huh?" All the momentum built up just kind of fell apart and got tied up a little too neatly at the end.
The Choice by Suzanne Woods Fisher Giving the Amish Christian genre another chance...and this one was pretty good. Lots of extra drama constructed by a high number of chance occurrences but well worth a "brain candy" status for a quick read.
Love Finds You in Homestead Iowa by Melanie Dobson Wasn't sure I was going to like this one either but the story of a father and daughter taken in by Mennonite community was a little different twist.
Throwaway by Heather Huffman This one reminded me a lot of Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers but with a modern twist where a struggling prostitute joins forces with an undercover cop to get out of the life. The change in both is remarkable, believable, and makes it a page-turner.
So...six books down, two in progress, four to go. I'm "halfway" done...assuming I'm not overtaken by my Kindle again! :)
And, my new addiction to the Free Books for Kindle page on Facebook offered me even more temptation! LOL So, while I'm working on two black-and-white hard copy books off my list, I managed to complete four more novels on my tablet. (If you follow the Amazon links and are interested in downloading, keep in mind that these titles were free at the time I downloaded them - some as a limtited time offers - and may not be free now.)
The Brotherhood by Jerry Jenkins I read the Left Behind series that Jenkins co-wrote but nothing else from him. I was interested what "regular" fiction might look like plus it was a cop story so I gave it a chance. It started off good - plot, characters, and even the faith-based stuff was handled well. Didn't feel much for the main character, Boone, but saw in him much of the same stoic nature I saw around me in the years I worked in law enforcement. Then, there was a catastrophic accident that rocks the Boone's world and challenges his faith. And, it was brutal to endure but the writing was so real that I couldn't stop myself. Watching Boone dig back out left me anticipating the next chapters but ended up leaving me going "huh?" All the momentum built up just kind of fell apart and got tied up a little too neatly at the end.
The Choice by Suzanne Woods Fisher Giving the Amish Christian genre another chance...and this one was pretty good. Lots of extra drama constructed by a high number of chance occurrences but well worth a "brain candy" status for a quick read.
Love Finds You in Homestead Iowa by Melanie Dobson Wasn't sure I was going to like this one either but the story of a father and daughter taken in by Mennonite community was a little different twist.
Throwaway by Heather Huffman This one reminded me a lot of Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers but with a modern twist where a struggling prostitute joins forces with an undercover cop to get out of the life. The change in both is remarkable, believable, and makes it a page-turner.
So...six books down, two in progress, four to go. I'm "halfway" done...assuming I'm not overtaken by my Kindle again! :)
Monday, October 3, 2011
Fall Into Reading book review #2: Safe From the Sea
I love northern Michigan. Most Michiganders do. I love it so much that I married someone from the Upper Peninsula! LOL
The fascination and mystique about Lake Superior, Sault Ste Marie, Marquette, Calumet, Thunder Bay, and Duluth is hard to explain. And, the love of Great Lakes freighters is
one many people around the Great Lakes can attest to. I'd bet more than half have wondered what it would be like to be on those grand iron ore hauling queens grandly sailing through weather so horrible that it's unseen anywhere on inland lakes and rarely seen on the ocean. And, the shipwrecks! Oh! In those five lakes, there have been approximately 6,000 shipwrecks recorded.
"Safe from the Sea" by Peter Geye is a fictional account of a Superior Steel employee who was one of only three survivors of a Great Lakes freighter shipwreck near Isle Royale. The Torr family is based in Duluth and, like many immigrants from that area as well as the U.P., they were of Norweigian descent. Olaf's career was spent out on the ore ship leaving his wife, his son Noah, and his daughter alone for weeks and months at a time.
After many years of estrangement, Noah receives a call from his father. Olaf is sick and at their rustic cabin in need of some help before winter sets in. Noah finds his way to Duluth and then to his father farther north where they awkwardly begin to sort through years of misunderstanding and resentment.
This book was as near to perfect as I could imagine. The detail was amazing but not so deep that the story was lost. Geye's descriptions of Lake Superior life and the strange beauty of the lake in the winter was spot-on and made me re-think all the times I thought I'd never want to spend a winter upstate.
The reconciliation between Noah and his father was honest, real, awkward but so rewarding. Geye's also allows a peek any Great Lakes buff would appreciate into the life upon an ore freighter.
And, the description of the sinking of Olaf's ship, the Ragnarok, makes you mystified and terrified for anyone whose ever faced a November storm on Lake Superior.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone whose heart belongs to the Great Lakes area.
The fascination and mystique about Lake Superior, Sault Ste Marie, Marquette, Calumet, Thunder Bay, and Duluth is hard to explain. And, the love of Great Lakes freighters is
one many people around the Great Lakes can attest to. I'd bet more than half have wondered what it would be like to be on those grand iron ore hauling queens grandly sailing through weather so horrible that it's unseen anywhere on inland lakes and rarely seen on the ocean. And, the shipwrecks! Oh! In those five lakes, there have been approximately 6,000 shipwrecks recorded."Safe from the Sea" by Peter Geye is a fictional account of a Superior Steel employee who was one of only three survivors of a Great Lakes freighter shipwreck near Isle Royale. The Torr family is based in Duluth and, like many immigrants from that area as well as the U.P., they were of Norweigian descent. Olaf's career was spent out on the ore ship leaving his wife, his son Noah, and his daughter alone for weeks and months at a time.
After many years of estrangement, Noah receives a call from his father. Olaf is sick and at their rustic cabin in need of some help before winter sets in. Noah finds his way to Duluth and then to his father farther north where they awkwardly begin to sort through years of misunderstanding and resentment.
This book was as near to perfect as I could imagine. The detail was amazing but not so deep that the story was lost. Geye's descriptions of Lake Superior life and the strange beauty of the lake in the winter was spot-on and made me re-think all the times I thought I'd never want to spend a winter upstate.
The reconciliation between Noah and his father was honest, real, awkward but so rewarding. Geye's also allows a peek any Great Lakes buff would appreciate into the life upon an ore freighter.
And, the description of the sinking of Olaf's ship, the Ragnarok, makes you mystified and terrified for anyone whose ever faced a November storm on Lake Superior.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone whose heart belongs to the Great Lakes area.
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Fall Into Reading '11 book review #1: Redeeming Love
I can't believe I finished my first book in the first week of Katrina's Fall Into Reading challenge! Woo-hoo! LOL However, this book wasn't even on my list. I hit "publish" last Friday on my FIR post, went to check the mailbox, and there it was from paperbackswap.com! Can I tell you how much I *LOVE* getting books for free!?
Anyway, "Redeeming Love" by Francine Rivers was suggested to me by some of the ladies in my Bible study. I hadn't heard of Rivers before. It appears everyone but me has read this book before. LOL Normally, I'm not a big fan of Christian fiction, particularly historical fiction, and the Old Testament re-telling nearly scared me off! LOL But, I enjoyed "The Red Tent" by Anita Diamant so I gave it a whirl.
And, Francine Rivers proved it was worth it.
"Redeeming Love" is a bit of a "doorstop book" at over a couple hundred pages but, once I started, I couldn't put it down. I read it in 3 days.
The characters were real, believable, and deep. The interactions between the characters were of equal quality. The restoration, change, and conversion of Angel/Amanda heart-breaking and bittersweet. The strength, patience, devotedness, and faith of Michael has put him at the top of my "dreamy guys of literature" list. :)
As a word of warning, there are serious issues discussed here: incest, rape, prostitution, infidelity, martial relations, etc. so even the author suggests a book-equivalent of a PG rating. But, all are handled respectfully and appropriately.
To be honest, I was very impressed by Rivers' ability to balance the "raunch" of Angel's former life as well as her coming-to-Christ faith issues. This didn't feel overly preachy or dripping with attempts to keep shoving more Biblical references in the narrative. It was that powerful, faith-filled, everyday walk that we all wish for. And, the discussions of sex didn't pull any punches either.
I would highly recommend this book and, now that I have my own copy, I plan on reading it again...maybe once the challenge is over though. :)
Anyway, "Redeeming Love" by Francine Rivers was suggested to me by some of the ladies in my Bible study. I hadn't heard of Rivers before. It appears everyone but me has read this book before. LOL Normally, I'm not a big fan of Christian fiction, particularly historical fiction, and the Old Testament re-telling nearly scared me off! LOL But, I enjoyed "The Red Tent" by Anita Diamant so I gave it a whirl.
And, Francine Rivers proved it was worth it.
"Redeeming Love" is a bit of a "doorstop book" at over a couple hundred pages but, once I started, I couldn't put it down. I read it in 3 days.
The characters were real, believable, and deep. The interactions between the characters were of equal quality. The restoration, change, and conversion of Angel/Amanda heart-breaking and bittersweet. The strength, patience, devotedness, and faith of Michael has put him at the top of my "dreamy guys of literature" list. :)
As a word of warning, there are serious issues discussed here: incest, rape, prostitution, infidelity, martial relations, etc. so even the author suggests a book-equivalent of a PG rating. But, all are handled respectfully and appropriately.
To be honest, I was very impressed by Rivers' ability to balance the "raunch" of Angel's former life as well as her coming-to-Christ faith issues. This didn't feel overly preachy or dripping with attempts to keep shoving more Biblical references in the narrative. It was that powerful, faith-filled, everyday walk that we all wish for. And, the discussions of sex didn't pull any punches either.
I would highly recommend this book and, now that I have my own copy, I plan on reading it again...maybe once the challenge is over though. :)
Friday, September 23, 2011
Fall Into Reading 2011
Today is the first day of Katrina's Fall Into Reading challenge! This is the first one I've done in this fall season. Usually, I do the spring challenge but, things being as they are around here right now with both kids in school all day and DaHubby working endless hours at his new job, I *finally* have time to do some leisure reading. Woo hoo!
As I prepared my list, I picked eight books I'd like to get done. I have two here at home that I already own so I should be able to start with a bang! LOL But, I'm already having trouble with tracking down the others I wanted. Plus, I have a few that suddenly came up in the last few days via paperbackswap.com. So, this is my list as of today! LOL But, due my learning curve with my new inter-library loan system here in Illinois and depending on what arrives from PBS in the next few weeks, I'm leaving the door open to change.
Devotional:
One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp I'm absolutely addicted to Ann's blog and her photography. Her writing breaks my heart (in a good way) often. I can't WAIT to read this book once it arrives via my local library.
The Discipline of Spiritual Discernment by Tim Challies I've had this on my wish list at paperbackswap.com for a while. And, if you believe in coincidence, I just so happened to pop up as available the same week I started Priscilla Shirer's "Discerning the Voice of God" Bible study. So, I can take a hint! LOL
Fiction:
Lost Hero by Rick Riordan My first reading love was young adult lit. There's a very good reason I became a middle school language arts teacher! LOL This is book one of another series from Riordan who wrote the Percy Jackson series.
Safe From the Sea by Peter Geye This is my hat tip to my homesickness - a fictional account of a family's reaction to a shipwreck on Michigan's Lake Superior.
Nonfiction:
Wreck of the Carl D by Michael Schumacher This time a true story of a Great Lakes shipwreck - this time in Lake Michigan.
Plain, Honest Men by Richard Beeman (I tried but I just couldn't do it. LOL WAY to academic for me. LOL) This is a large doorstop of a book so I'm not sure I'll get through it but this book is reported to be an in-depth , detailed, humanizing, personality-driven account by an acclaimed historical Constitutional expert of our Founding Fathers and the Constitution Convention in 1787.
Parenting:
Rhythm of Family by Amanda Soule With all the upheaval in our family the last few years, I've been looking for parenting books that can restore some peace, help us focus on what's important, and knit us together even more tightly. I think this may be one of them.
Rite of Passage Parenting by Walker Moore Ditto for this one what I wrote above.
Well, that's my list. Stop by Katrina's page today and see what everyone else will be reading. I'll guarantee that you will find some other gems to read and, if you are participating already in this challenge, you'll find some you'll want to add! :)
Updated:
I ended also reading the following:
Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers
And, a batch of Kindle books...
As I prepared my list, I picked eight books I'd like to get done. I have two here at home that I already own so I should be able to start with a bang! LOL But, I'm already having trouble with tracking down the others I wanted. Plus, I have a few that suddenly came up in the last few days via paperbackswap.com. So, this is my list as of today! LOL But, due my learning curve with my new inter-library loan system here in Illinois and depending on what arrives from PBS in the next few weeks, I'm leaving the door open to change.
Devotional:
One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp I'm absolutely addicted to Ann's blog and her photography. Her writing breaks my heart (in a good way) often. I can't WAIT to read this book once it arrives via my local library.
The Discipline of Spiritual Discernment by Tim Challies I've had this on my wish list at paperbackswap.com for a while. And, if you believe in coincidence, I just so happened to pop up as available the same week I started Priscilla Shirer's "Discerning the Voice of God" Bible study. So, I can take a hint! LOL
Fiction:
Nonfiction:
Wreck of the Carl D by Michael Schumacher This time a true story of a Great Lakes shipwreck - this time in Lake Michigan.
Parenting:
Rhythm of Family by Amanda Soule With all the upheaval in our family the last few years, I've been looking for parenting books that can restore some peace, help us focus on what's important, and knit us together even more tightly. I think this may be one of them.
Rite of Passage Parenting by Walker Moore Ditto for this one what I wrote above.
Well, that's my list. Stop by Katrina's page today and see what everyone else will be reading. I'll guarantee that you will find some other gems to read and, if you are participating already in this challenge, you'll find some you'll want to add! :)
Updated:
I ended also reading the following:
Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers
And, a batch of Kindle books...
Thursday, March 25, 2010
A Busy Mom's Bible
As many of you know, I often take advantage of freebies. Especially books. E-books, hard cover, paperback - doesn't much matter. LOL So, I definitely jumped on the proverbial wagon when Zondervan offered bloggers a new Bible to review.
As a rule, I'm usually not a fan of the ever-lengthening list of Bible translations and specialty Bibles. I did invest in a Amplified Bible for a new take on my Bible reading this year but have long since walked away from NIV translations since I found it frustrating and even inaccurate at times in comparison with KJV and NKJV.
And, I generally find it a little irksome to see the rows and rows of Bibles for women, men, pastors, kids, teens, charismatics, Lutherans, Catholics, families, students, those in recovery, recent graduates, brides, couples, parents, sports fans, military, public service, and the list goes on and on.
But, my curiosity was piqued when Zondervan was offering a "Busy Mom's Bible." And, I thought I'd give it a shot.
The book itself is well-constructed, solid, and has a nice feel in your hands. This is a quality book. I'm not into the whole "pink is for girls" thing so the hot pink and pale pink cover was a bit much. Maybe a "tomboys" Bible is in the works!? LOL
"Busy Mom's" is a NIV translation but I found it worked in this particular situation. My guess is that the publisher was responding to the much heard cry of busy moms in and out of the home who can barely find time to shower much less get to their Bible reading each day. So, they interspersed "Busy Mom's" with 1, 5, and 10 minute devotional inserts throughout. And, I think the NIV translation facilitates the read-it-and-go idea.
The inserts not only have the 1-5-10 devotional options but they are also thematic on topics including the following: God is..., Family Ties, Your Marriage, Raising Your Kids, Your Relationships, Your Identity in Christ, A Woman of Character, Overcoming Obstacles, Your Emotions, Your Spiritual Life, Healthy Living, Stewardship, and God's Love For You.
The additional inserts are equally spaced throughout the Old and New Testaments which while visually pleasing are a little annoying since the Scripture reference cited in the devotion is NOT necessarily where the insert was placed. For example, the insert on Stewardship appears near the second and third chapter of John in the New Testament yet cites 1 Samuel 5.12 for the 1 minute devotional read. Or, the insert on being a woman of character is placed near chapter 5 of Song of Songs while citing Philippians 2.3 about doing nothing out of selfish ambition.
There are some very useful references and tools in the back of the Bible including a 104 page concordance. One reference is a "10 minute study index". It is organized by subject and are follow-ups to the inserted devotionals. Due to the way it's organized, I'd find this index WAY more useful than the inserts.
Finally, I really like the "5 Minute Readings of Jesus" and "5 Minute Readings About the Women of the Bible". Those were lists I would definitely use if I truly only had 5-10 minutes to read my Bible.
Overall, this is a quality Bible for someone looking for a relatively well organized way to use a short amount of time to get into God's word. I see from Christianbook.com that they are offering this for $16.99 and it retails for nearly $25. I would definitely say it's worth the price. And, other than the two inserts on marriage and having kids, this could be a good buy for any busy woman and not just a busy mom.
As a rule, I'm usually not a fan of the ever-lengthening list of Bible translations and specialty Bibles. I did invest in a Amplified Bible for a new take on my Bible reading this year but have long since walked away from NIV translations since I found it frustrating and even inaccurate at times in comparison with KJV and NKJV.
And, I generally find it a little irksome to see the rows and rows of Bibles for women, men, pastors, kids, teens, charismatics, Lutherans, Catholics, families, students, those in recovery, recent graduates, brides, couples, parents, sports fans, military, public service, and the list goes on and on.
But, my curiosity was piqued when Zondervan was offering a "Busy Mom's Bible." And, I thought I'd give it a shot.
The book itself is well-constructed, solid, and has a nice feel in your hands. This is a quality book. I'm not into the whole "pink is for girls" thing so the hot pink and pale pink cover was a bit much. Maybe a "tomboys" Bible is in the works!? LOL
"Busy Mom's" is a NIV translation but I found it worked in this particular situation. My guess is that the publisher was responding to the much heard cry of busy moms in and out of the home who can barely find time to shower much less get to their Bible reading each day. So, they interspersed "Busy Mom's" with 1, 5, and 10 minute devotional inserts throughout. And, I think the NIV translation facilitates the read-it-and-go idea.
The inserts not only have the 1-5-10 devotional options but they are also thematic on topics including the following: God is..., Family Ties, Your Marriage, Raising Your Kids, Your Relationships, Your Identity in Christ, A Woman of Character, Overcoming Obstacles, Your Emotions, Your Spiritual Life, Healthy Living, Stewardship, and God's Love For You.
The additional inserts are equally spaced throughout the Old and New Testaments which while visually pleasing are a little annoying since the Scripture reference cited in the devotion is NOT necessarily where the insert was placed. For example, the insert on Stewardship appears near the second and third chapter of John in the New Testament yet cites 1 Samuel 5.12 for the 1 minute devotional read. Or, the insert on being a woman of character is placed near chapter 5 of Song of Songs while citing Philippians 2.3 about doing nothing out of selfish ambition.
There are some very useful references and tools in the back of the Bible including a 104 page concordance. One reference is a "10 minute study index". It is organized by subject and are follow-ups to the inserted devotionals. Due to the way it's organized, I'd find this index WAY more useful than the inserts.
Finally, I really like the "5 Minute Readings of Jesus" and "5 Minute Readings About the Women of the Bible". Those were lists I would definitely use if I truly only had 5-10 minutes to read my Bible.
Overall, this is a quality Bible for someone looking for a relatively well organized way to use a short amount of time to get into God's word. I see from Christianbook.com that they are offering this for $16.99 and it retails for nearly $25. I would definitely say it's worth the price. And, other than the two inserts on marriage and having kids, this could be a good buy for any busy woman and not just a busy mom.
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Warms a momma's heart...
The other night, I was digging in my closet for some long johns (did I mention we've received over a FOOT of snow in the last 16 hrs? LOL). And, I found 4 books I had ordered from Flicka's Scholastic Book Club at school to give to the Vikings on Christmas. Oops! :)
I had picked out a penguin book and a new Jon Scieszka TruckTown book we hadn't seen yet on snow trucking. For those of you with vehicle-obsessed little ones, I can't recommend Scieszka's TruckTown books enough...plus he's a native Michigander so it's all good in my book! LOL
And, Flicka's books included a Scholastic version of "The Princess and the Frog" and a book on the Nativity.
So, when I put the Vikings to bed an hour earlier last night to prep for our back-to-school schedule on Monday, I thought the new books might soften their angry, fussy respsonse. And, both Vikings had the reaction a momma always wishes for...
...they both *kissed* their new books!
And, then me, of course. LOL
Flicka LOVED her Princess book; Pojke started jumping and hollering over the Snow Trucking book.
And, THAT makes an English teacher momma's heart happy!
I had picked out a penguin book and a new Jon Scieszka TruckTown book we hadn't seen yet on snow trucking. For those of you with vehicle-obsessed little ones, I can't recommend Scieszka's TruckTown books enough...plus he's a native Michigander so it's all good in my book! LOL
And, Flicka's books included a Scholastic version of "The Princess and the Frog" and a book on the Nativity.
So, when I put the Vikings to bed an hour earlier last night to prep for our back-to-school schedule on Monday, I thought the new books might soften their angry, fussy respsonse. And, both Vikings had the reaction a momma always wishes for...
...they both *kissed* their new books!
And, then me, of course. LOL
Flicka LOVED her Princess book; Pojke started jumping and hollering over the Snow Trucking book.
And, THAT makes an English teacher momma's heart happy!
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Fall Reading Challenege wrap-up
I can't believe this challenge is over already! I wrote here in September that I was going to take it easy this time around. I usually over-commit myself in life - even more so in reading. So, I pledged to only read 2 nonfiction and 2 fiction during the 13-week challenge.
Well.....
I got more reading done than I planned because my plans were thwarted by paperbackswap.com. LOL They just kept sending me good books to distract me from my original plan.
The one book from my original list I *did* complete was The House on Sugar Beach by Helene Cooper. It was a weird, differently-handled memoir that was slow at times but wonderful and revealing at others.
I also started A Walk With Jane Austen by Lori Smith but couldn't get myself to finish it. Too much of the author and not enough of the Austen analysis I was expecting.
So, it was the other unexpected joys of the following that kept me curled up on the couch:
The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger (weird, mushy, a bit confusing by a good "brain candy")
The Heretic's Daughter: A Novel by Kathleen Kent (Got completely absorbed in this one. This is the one of the six that I would recommend the most.)
Well.....
I got more reading done than I planned because my plans were thwarted by paperbackswap.com. LOL They just kept sending me good books to distract me from my original plan.
The one book from my original list I *did* complete was The House on Sugar Beach by Helene Cooper. It was a weird, differently-handled memoir that was slow at times but wonderful and revealing at others.
I also started A Walk With Jane Austen by Lori Smith but couldn't get myself to finish it. Too much of the author and not enough of the Austen analysis I was expecting.
So, it was the other unexpected joys of the following that kept me curled up on the couch:
The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger (weird, mushy, a bit confusing by a good "brain candy")
Magi by Daniel Gilbert (A historically-accurate yet fictitious account from the magis' point of view in the year of Christ's birth. Read it in a day - loved it!)
So, I consider this challenge a success despite the fiction-heavy list & throwing my reading plan to the wind. LOL Thank you, Katrina, for continuing to do these challenges. It helps snap my bee-hind in gear and keeps me from forgeting how much I truly love getting lost in a great book!
And, see what else everyone accomplished here.
So, I consider this challenge a success despite the fiction-heavy list & throwing my reading plan to the wind. LOL Thank you, Katrina, for continuing to do these challenges. It helps snap my bee-hind in gear and keeps me from forgeting how much I truly love getting lost in a great book!
And, see what else everyone accomplished here.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Fall Reading Challenge: Takin' It Easy
OK, I'm all about reading. I'm a semi-retired English teacher, for pete's sake! I'm creating a second generation of little ones addicted to Scholastic Book Clubs. LOL
But, I also have two small children, two Bible classes, and a wicked case of unmedicated ADD. LOL
I've participated in Katrina's challenges before - some successfully, some not so much. So, with the upheaval of the last year, I'm back to baby steps.
It's not much but I'm committing to 2 nonfiction and 2 fiction.
Nonfiction:
A Walk With Jane Austin by Lori Smith
Grace Based Parenting by Dr. Tim Kimmel
Fiction:
House on Sugar Beach by Helene Cooper
Peace Like a River by Leif Enger
So, check in at Katrina's today to see what everyone else is gonna be tackling.
But, I also have two small children, two Bible classes, and a wicked case of unmedicated ADD. LOL
I've participated in Katrina's challenges before - some successfully, some not so much. So, with the upheaval of the last year, I'm back to baby steps.
It's not much but I'm committing to 2 nonfiction and 2 fiction.
Nonfiction:
A Walk With Jane Austin by Lori Smith
Grace Based Parenting by Dr. Tim Kimmel
Fiction:
Peace Like a River by Leif Enger
So, check in at Katrina's today to see what everyone else is gonna be tackling.
Friday, March 20, 2009
Spring Reading Thing 2009
Happy first day of Spring!!
And, no March 20th would be complete without Katrina throwing down the gauntlet again - just as the weather here in Michigan is FINALLY improving, she's challenging us to hunker down and tackle a stack of books! LOL
Her Spring Reading Thing challenge starts today! And, she wants to know what we'll be figuratively chewing on the next 10 weeks. In the interest of balance, I tried to pick a mix of fiction and non-fiction this time....so here goes:
NONFICTION
Underground History of American Education by John Taylor Gatto
A Charlotte Mason Education by Christine Levinson
Jesus Take The Wheel: 7 Keys to a Transformed Life with God by Stuart Migdon
Grace Based Parenting by Tim Kimmel
The Girl's Like Spaghetti: Why, You Can't Manage without Apostrophes! by Lynn Truss
FICTION
Twenty Wishes by Debbie Macomber
The Heretic's Daughter: A Novel by Kathleen Kent
Magi by Daniel L. Gilbert
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
Ambitious? OH, yea! But, we'll see! Stop by Katrina's (I'll put in the direct link when she puts up her post) and see what everyone else is tackling. (I ended up changing my list at least twice when I see what the other participants have chosen! LOL) And, good luck!
And, no March 20th would be complete without Katrina throwing down the gauntlet again - just as the weather here in Michigan is FINALLY improving, she's challenging us to hunker down and tackle a stack of books! LOL
Her Spring Reading Thing challenge starts today! And, she wants to know what we'll be figuratively chewing on the next 10 weeks. In the interest of balance, I tried to pick a mix of fiction and non-fiction this time....so here goes:
NONFICTION
Underground History of American Education by John Taylor Gatto
Jesus Take The Wheel: 7 Keys to a Transformed Life with God by Stuart Migdon
Grace Based Parenting by Tim Kimmel
The Girl's Like Spaghetti: Why, You Can't Manage without Apostrophes! by Lynn Truss
FICTION
The Heretic's Daughter: A Novel by Kathleen Kent
Magi by Daniel L. Gilbert
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
Ambitious? OH, yea! But, we'll see! Stop by Katrina's (I'll put in the direct link when she puts up her post) and see what everyone else is tackling. (I ended up changing my list at least twice when I see what the other participants have chosen! LOL) And, good luck!
Monday, December 22, 2008
Fall Reading Challenge at Katrina's
Well, back in September, Katrina started another one of her reading challenges. We had a chance to make some reading goals with about 12 weeks worth of time. I chose the following list:
48 days to the work you love by Dan Miller (lib)
A Childhood Remembered by Helene Cooper (?)
Yesterday's Weather by Anne Enright (on hold at lib)
The absorbent mind / Maria Montessori (lib)
Eats, shoots & leaves : the zero tolerance approach to punctuation by Lynn Truss (lib)
Cranford by Elizabeth Crandall (PBS.com)
Friends for the journey by Lucy Shaw and Madeleine L'Engle (en route via ILL)
And, as usual, I wandered off my list! LOL
Miller's book is at our library but I never got around to it. And, when I looked in September, I couldn't find Cooper's book at my library or through interlibrary loan.
I did read Yesterday's Weather by Anne Enright but was disappointed. I had initially been excited by the structure of several short essays. With small kids, it's hard to follow a long story! LOL But, I've apparently been out of the loop with popular books too long and found her stories didn't really speak to me anymore.
Absorbant Mind took two tries through interlibrary loan and it is still sitting on my kitchen counter unread! LOL
Lynn Truss' book was an unexpected delight! I actually laughed out loud but had problems explaining the jokes and stories well enough to DaHubby for him to appreciate them! LOL All I can say is she spoke to the English teacher in me! LOL And, I would highly recommend it.
I'm halfway through Cranford and I'm having trouble finishing it after several weeks of trying.
I finished Friends for the Journey just in time to start tracking down a copy for my best for her birthday in October! A little choppy but very deep and WELL worth the read!
And, I'm on page 258 of 467 of The Moon in the Mango Tree which I only started Saturday! Excellent story!
So, I got 3.5 books done from my original list of 7 plus added another. At least I'm batting about .500! *wink* And, that's better than some of my other reading challenges!
So, stop by Katrina's this week and see some wonderful book reviews for the New Year and to see how everyone else did!
48 days to the work you love by Dan Miller (lib)
A Childhood Remembered by Helene Cooper (?)
Yesterday's Weather by Anne Enright (on hold at lib)
The absorbent mind / Maria Montessori (lib)
Eats, shoots & leaves : the zero tolerance approach to punctuation by Lynn Truss (lib)
Cranford by Elizabeth Crandall (PBS.com)
Friends for the journey by Lucy Shaw and Madeleine L'Engle (en route via ILL)
And, as usual, I wandered off my list! LOL
Miller's book is at our library but I never got around to it. And, when I looked in September, I couldn't find Cooper's book at my library or through interlibrary loan.
I did read Yesterday's Weather by Anne Enright but was disappointed. I had initially been excited by the structure of several short essays. With small kids, it's hard to follow a long story! LOL But, I've apparently been out of the loop with popular books too long and found her stories didn't really speak to me anymore.
Absorbant Mind took two tries through interlibrary loan and it is still sitting on my kitchen counter unread! LOL
Lynn Truss' book was an unexpected delight! I actually laughed out loud but had problems explaining the jokes and stories well enough to DaHubby for him to appreciate them! LOL All I can say is she spoke to the English teacher in me! LOL And, I would highly recommend it.
I'm halfway through Cranford and I'm having trouble finishing it after several weeks of trying.
I finished Friends for the Journey just in time to start tracking down a copy for my best for her birthday in October! A little choppy but very deep and WELL worth the read!
And, I'm on page 258 of 467 of The Moon in the Mango Tree which I only started Saturday! Excellent story!
So, I got 3.5 books done from my original list of 7 plus added another. At least I'm batting about .500! *wink* And, that's better than some of my other reading challenges!
So, stop by Katrina's this week and see some wonderful book reviews for the New Year and to see how everyone else did!
Monday, September 22, 2008
Monday Playgroup Photos
I so love our playgroups with our Parents as Teachers group. I'm so bummed that come January Pojke will "age out" of the program which focuses on pre-preschool-aged kids and their development and skills.
All this plus reading time and a free books each month!
All this plus reading time and a free books each month!
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