Sept & Oct Reading List

I'm reading 24 books this year. See my book list reviews here.

Sadie's Song by Linda Hall

I really had no idea what this book was about when I started reading it. The back of the book made it sound like a mystery but that's not really what it was about. This book dealt with abuse, specifically domestic abuse in a Christian household. Sadie's husband, who is an elder at church, both verbally and physically abuses her. 

There are side stories about the effect the abuse has on her children and there is a mystery about a missing girl stuck in there as well. However these stories are very artfully mixed in there so it doesn't seem disconnected.

The book is written from Sadie's point of view which I think is brilliant. As a reader you really get inside the head of an abused woman. You see her struggle with believing her husband loves her and being upset with him beating her. You feel her transformation as she starts to realize that this is not what love is supposed to be.

This is not a feel good read but it was still an excellent book. It definitely gave me greater insight into the mind of a domestic violence victim. I highly recommend it.

Where the River Ends by Charles Martin

Abby is dying. After fighting cancer for 4 years, Doss, her husband, must accept that the cancer has won. But before it does, he is determined to float his wife down the river, crossing items off her bucket lost along the way.

I've read a lot of Charles martin's books and feel that this book was good but not his best. The hero seems a little too well versed in everything - outdoors man who can survive on a river with a sick wife even during a hurricane, an artist who paints beautiful portraits and a completely devoted husband.

It's a good book, don't get me wrong, just not wonderful. Oh and if you are going to read it, keep some tissues close by. Any book about dying is bound to be sad in the end.

Sickness really puts a wrench in all plans, including plans to read books in Nov and Dec. So this will be the last post in this year's reading list. I haven't decided if I'm going to do this next year or not. It was very stressful to me to keep up with my reading, at least with the books on this list. (I did read all these other books to, though.) I'm all about lessening stress, so this idea may have to go into the "save my sanity" box.

August Reading List

I'm reading 24 books this year- books that I already had in my house.  See the whole list here.

My fiction book for the month is Betrayal in Paris by Doris Elaine Fell.

(from the back cover) A double betrayal decades apart leaves a family at odds and siblings in rivalry.  In the favorite son's quest to restore his father's honor, he is left behind on foreign soil - the victim of a different war, the victim of the same betrayer.  Twenty-seven-year-old Adrienne Winters, daughter and sister to the men betrayed, steps into a game of intrigue involving a terrorist cell in Paris, a perilous captivity in Kuwait, her brother's deception, and her country's cover-up.

All the books I'm reading this year are books that I already owned.  I get my books from a variety of places, usually not full price at a retail store.  This particular book I got at a local used book store.  After reading it, I understand why it was there.

It was not good.  There was nothing morally bad with it or anything.  But it just wasn't good writing.  Minor characters were suddenly made into major characters in the middle of the book.  The story line just rambled on and on without any clear direction.  Big "twists" were so easy to figure out ahead of time that when they were revealed, it was the definition of anticlimactic.

I finished the book just because I haven't finished many recently, but it was tedious reading 400 pages of book that I really just didn't like.  If you see this book on the shelf, leave it there.

My nonfiction book was supposed to be Too Busy Not to Pray by Hybels, but instead I chose to go back and read June's selection (that I didn't get around to reading), Bringing Up Boys by James Dobson.

(from Amazon) Sensible advice and caring encouragement on raising boys from the nation's most trusted parenting expert, Dr.James Dobson. With so much confusion about the role of men in our society, it's no wonder so many parents and teachers are at a loss about how to bring up boys. Our culture has vilified masculinity and, as a result, boys are suffering. Parents, teachers, and others involved in shaping the character of boys have lots of questions. Dr. Dobson tackles these questions and offers advice and encouragement based on a firm foundation of biblical principles.

(my thoughts)  I'm still in the middle of this book, but it is just wonderful so far.  I have thoroughly enjoyed reading it.  No only does it help me better understand my son, it helps me better understand my husband.  Things like, why can they both walk into a room and step over the same junk on the floor and never notice it.  Because boys are genetically wired to be focused on one thing at a time, such as whatever reason they had for coming into that room, to the exclusion of all else, including the junk on the floor.

There will be some hard sections of this book for some people to take.  Dr. Dobson has strong opinions about homosexuality and single parents families.  What I love about this book, including those sections, are all the statistics that Dobson uses to back up every conclusion he has in the book.  He mentions that this book took the longest to write out of every book he's written, simply because he was doing so much research for it.

Some amazing, eye-opening stats that he mentions...70% of all African American babies are born out of wedlock; 33% of all children are born to unwed mothers; boys that are raised in a home without a father present (including those with a stepfather, but not a biological father present) are 3 times more likely to be incarcerated.  It all boils down to the fact that it is vitally important to have a father in a boy's life, even more important than a mother.  But for those who are already raising a boy without a father, Dr. Dobson offers encouragement and advice as well.

I highly recommend this book to everyone raising a boy and even to those who want to better understand their husband.

June Reading List

I'm reading 24 books this year - books that I already had in my house.  See the whole list here.

So...I'm really late on reporting on my June books.  What can I say? Summer happens.  Kids are home, I have less time to read and even less to blog.

Way back in June, I was supposed to read Rebecca and Bringing up Boys.

Hailed as the best gothic novel of its time, Rebecca is a change from the genre of novel that I normally read. The second Mrs. de Winter arrives at Manderley, her new home, just weeks after marrying her new husband.  Expecting to be swept into the world of high class parties and friends, she is surprised when Manderley is more of a tomb than a honeymoon.  What secrets surround the death of Rebecca, the first Mrs. de Winter?

Knowing that this was later made into an Alfred Hitchcock film, I approached it with trepidation.  I really don't like horror stories.  What I found, instead, was a very boring book.  Seriously!  This book was so slow moving, I literally feel asleep reading it more than once.  It was more Jane Austen, less Stephen King than what I was expecting.  I did not finish it, so I never did find out the secret of Rebecca's death.  But that's OK.  Obviously, I don't recommend this book.  Maybe it gets more exciting later on, but it didn't hold my attention long enough to find out.

Reading this book didn't happen.  I still really want to read it, so it's going into my pile to read later in the year when I have a free minute.

Confession: It's August and I still haven't even started July's books.  I've decided to skip them and go on to August's books (which I'm half-way through the first one - yay).  Like the James Dobson book, they are going into the pile to read later.  Look for August's review at the beginning of September.

For August:  Not Too Busy to Pray and Betrayal in Paris.

May Reading List

I'm reading 24 books this year.  Want to join me?  See the whole list here.

I actually finished my May books early, but I just didn't get around to writing up the reviews until now.  Oh, well, I haven't changed my opinion of the books, so I guess it doesn't matter when I write them up.

Thought I'd shake it up a little this month and tell you about my non-fiction book first.  Oooooo, I'm such a rebel!

Power of a Praying Parent by Stormie OMartian

Stormie OMartian has written numerous books on praying specifically for areas of your life.  This book, obviously, focuses on praying for your children.  This is an easy book to read.  Each chapter is about a different topic that you can pray for your children - their salvation, their friendships, their future spouse, etc.  Each chapter also includes a sample prayer as well as Bible verses that apply to the subject.  I think this is a great resource for every parent.  We all know the biggies that we need to pray for but sometimes we need a boost to help remind us of everything else.  Bottom line - this is a great book to keep around.

On Every Side by Karen Kingsbury

Bethany, Pennsylvania has found itself in the middle of a national debate over the Jesus statue in its public park.  On one side of the fight is lawyer Joshua Nunn, newscaster Faith Evans and the whole town of Bethany who want the Jesus statue to stay where it is in the park.  Opposing them is Jordan Riley, a big-city lawyer out to make the city of Bethany pay for every wrong that was imposed on him as a child.

The book centers on a political debate over whether a statue in a public area violates the separation of church and state.  The relationship between Jordan and Faith also takes center stage.  I thought the premise of the book was interesting.  It is based on a real-life town and their real-life legal battles.  (The article is included in the back of the book.)  However, Jordan and Faith's relationship including their past together was a little far-fetched for me.  It seemed too coincidental and sappy.  But, then again, I'm not a sappy person.

My biggest issue with the book was the names Kingsbury used.  The lawyer was Joshua Nunn, as in Joshua, son of Nun, from the Bible.  The park was Jericho park, as in "Joshua fought the battle of Jericho."  Then there is the Christian woman named Faith and the "bad guy" named Jordan that they had to "cross" to "win the battle for Jericho" Park.  It was just a little cheesy for me.

Bottom line - this book was OK, but very cheesy and sappy.  I've read a lot of Karen Kingsbury books and this was not one of my favorites.

Next up - June books - Bringing up Boys by James Dobson and Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier

April Reading List

I'm reading 24 books this year.  Want to join me?  See the whole list here.

Time for April's reading list reviews.

My fiction book this month was Her Mother's Hope by Francine Rivers and my nonfiction book was Love Life for Every Married Couple by Ed Wheat.

In this book based loosely on the lives of her mother and grandmother, Rivers follows the life of Marta and her daughter Hildemara.  Marta starts her life out with an abusive father in a small town in Switzerland at the turn of the 20th century.  He believes that her life is worth nothing more than being a servant in someone else's household.  Marta lives to prove him wrong.  Her aspirations take her to England and then on to Canada where she meets and marries Niclas.  After moving to California and starting their family, the story shifts from Marta's life to that of her oldest daughter, Hildemara.

Marta has always pushed Hildemara, trying to get her to achieve the things that Marta never had the chance to.  What Marta sees as pushing and guiding, Hildemara feels as nonacceptance.  Can she ever live up to her mother's expectations?  Will Marta and Hildemara be at odds forever?

Francine Rivers describes this book as a saga in her introduction.  That is a very accurate description.  While the book was OK, it was incredibly long.  Rivers could have easily made this into two books - one about Marta and one about Hildemara.  There were parts that kind of dragged on and I found myself wanting to skip ahead.

I also thought the end was kind of underwhelming.  It just kind of ended abruptly.  I know there is a sequel but I was a little disappointed, after reading 500 pages, that there wasn't a better ending.

My vote - Francine Rivers has so many other good books, read some of them instead.

Physician Ed Wheat teaches about love, real love, Bible-based love in this book.  He explains the five different forms of love and how we can love our spouse using each of these forms of love.  Are you trying to save your marriage alone?  He addresses that in here too.  Dr. Wheat answers honest questions about love in marriage and how you can have the love life in your marriage that you have always dreamed about.

This was an incredible book.  I loved reading about the different types of love.  I have heard about them in the past but had forgotten a lot of it.  I also really liked the practical advice Dr. Wheat gives about how to put each type of love into practice.  My only complaint was that I was reading a really old version of the book (I bought it used).  It was published in 1980, when I was 2 year old.  He talks about cassette tape players and supercomputers that fill up a room, which kind of made me laugh when I was reading.  The book has since been revised and updated and republished in 1997.  It would probably be a good idea to buy the newer version of the book (unless of course, you want a good laugh at the old technology).

My vote - essential reading for any married folks.

Coming up in May: On Every Side by Karen Kingsbury and The Power of a Praying Parent by Stormie OMartian

March Reading List

I'm reading 24 books this year.  Want to join me?  See the whole list here.

The two books on my "March Reading List" were Different Children, Different Needs by Charles Boyd and Face of Betrayal  by Liz Wiehl.

The main purpose of this book is to discover what personality type you are and what type your child(ren) is.  Using that information, you can better parent them to help them thrive.  Boyd uses the DISC method of personality testing.  With each personality type, he has chapters on what to expect from that type of person - both the parent and the child.  The book was informative, although a little boring.  And some of the examples were outdated.  The version of the book I was reading also had a smaller font and small margins.  It made it hard to read.  In short, read the book if you are really having a hard time with personality clashes in your household.  Otherwise, you can probably pass.

I decided to add Hand of Fate to my list as well.  Both it and Face of Betrayal are in the Triple Threat Club series by Liz Wiehl.  (I have reviewed the third and fourth books in the series as well.)  I loved these books. In Face of Betrayal, a senate intern has gone missing during her Christmas break back home in Portland, Oregon.  Thankfully, the newly formed Triple Threat Club is on the case.  From FBI agent, Nicole Hedge and federal prosecutor, Allison Pierce to their new resource, crime reporter, Cassidy Shaw, the Triple Threat Club must figure out where the intern is and what has happened to her.  As in any good crime novel, the ending will surprise you.  This book is well written and keeps you on the edge of your seat.

In Hand of Fate, controversial radio talk show host, Jim Fate, receives a lethal package addressed to him and dies in his studio during his show.  A personal friend of one of the Triple Threat, can they figure out who killed him and why?  Once again Wiehl writes a riveting crime novel with a cool twist at the end.

My conclusion - read them both, my friend, and enjoy.

February Reading List

This is a busy, busy week in our household, so I've scheduled some book review posts for you.  I realize that's not as fun and exciting as hearing about our fabulous lives, but that's all I can manage this week.  Enjoy!

My "to-read" February books were While We're Far Apart by Lynn Austin and Simplify Your Time by Marcia Ramsland.

I loved this book!  The story is set in the 1940's during America's involvement in World War II.  Eddie Shaffer is a young widower with two children.  Unable to cope with his wife's death, he enlists in the army without much thought as to who will care for his children while he is away.

Penny Goodrich has been in love with Eddie since she was a little girl.  Unable to win his heart any other way, she volunteers to watch his children, Esther and Peter, while he is away, hoping that will make him notice her.

The story is part history, part coming of age and part love story.  It starts off slow, but, let me tell you, about a third of the way into it, I couldn't put it down.  Not only are you following the stories of those left at home during the war, but you are also following the story of Mr. Mendel, the Hungarian Jewish landlord, and his son who is trapped in Hungary with no way to communicate to his father.  Neither of those storylines are ones I had heard before.

The writing is fantastic and the storyline riveting.  I highly recommend this book.

Marcia Ramsland is a professional organizer and has written many books.  Her goal in writing this book is to give you short, specific ways to simplify your life in 30 days.

This is the second time I've attempted to read through this book.  Notice I said "attempted."  I didn't finish it.  Don't get me wrong, this book is very practical.  But if I don't do a section, I feel like I can't go on in reading, then I get stuck.

However, if you have the time and motivation to actually do the suggestions in this book, it would really improve your organization in life.  In that sense, I recommend the book.  But for just informational reading, when not applying it to your life, I would pass it up.

Find out what other books I'm reading this year and get all the reviews here.

Note:  I'm changing my yearly reading list a little bit.  There were such horrible reviews of my March fiction selection that I'm just going to throw it away and not read it (I got it for insanely cheap during an online book sale - now I know why).  Instead I'm going to read Face of Betrayal by Lis Wiehl.

January Reading List

The two books that were on my January "To Read" list were Unlocked by Karen Kingsbury and Crazy Love by Francis Chan.

In the Above the Line series, Kingsbury tells about two Christian movie producers who have landed a deal to make the number one book in America into a movie.  That book is called Unlocked.  After writing that series, Kingsbury decided to write the book, Unlocked with the same name and the same storyline as in the fictional movie.  I had read the Above the Line series which, of course, made me want to read this book.

In the book, 18 year old Holden Harris is caught in the silent world of autism.  He has not spoken to his parents or anyone else in 15 years.  Ella Reynolds, a senior at Fulton High School in Atlanta, takes it upon herself to use music to "unlock" Holden.

In true Karen Kingsbury fashion, this book was a quick read.  There were great characters and a good ending.  Was it the best Karen Kingsbury book I've ever read?  No, and I doubt it would really have the impact that the fictional Unlocked book has in the Above the Line series.  But I still enjoyed reading it.

Crazy Love was a very convicting book.  Chan spends the whole book dealing with the premise that we should not be doing "good", "Christian" things because we feel obligated to, or because we're scared God will punish us if we don't.  We should be living each day with a crazy, wholehearted love for God.  We love God and the things we do pour out from us because of that love.

I, personally, don't spend much of my day dwelling on how much God loves me or how much I love Him.  But I should.  I do things everyday for my husband and kids because I love them.  Do I want to help with homework every day?  Or figure out, yet again, what to fix for dinner?  No, but I do love my family and these are things I do for them (usually without complaining) because I love them.  The same should be true of God.  The things He wants me to do, I should do willingly, out of love for Him.

This is not a quick read.  Crazy Love is definitely a book that will take a while to digest and think about.  I couldn't read more than half a chapter a day because I needed time to let that settle in before I could read more.  But I do think this is a book worth reading.

Now, it's on to my February books.  Stay tuned.

24 Books I Plan to read in 2012

One of my favorite bloggers is Money Saving Mom.  Not only does she tell us about deals in stores and online, but she also has excellent posts on setting goals.

One of her goals is to read 24 books in 2012.
I decided this would be an excellent thing for me to do as well.
While I normally do read a lot, I still have loads of books at my house that I have never read.

So, my reading goal for the year is to read one fiction book and one non-fiction book each month that I already own.  I will still be reading and doing book reviews for Booksneeze, Blogging for Books, NetGalley and Tyndale throughout the year.  But I am going to make reading my books a priority too.

Here's "the list":

January - Crazy Love by Chan
               Unlocked by Kingsbury
               Read reviews here.

February - Simplify Your Time by Ramsland
                 While We're Far Apart by Austin
                 Read reviews here.

March - Different Children, Different Needs by Boyd
             Face of Betrayal by Wiehl
             Read reviews here.

April - Love Life for Every Married Couple by Wheat
           Her Mother's Hope by Rivers
           Read reviews here.

May - The Power of a Praying Parent - OMartian
           On Every Side - Kingsbury
           Read reviews here.

June - Bringing up Boys - Dobson
          Rebecca - du Maurier
          Read reviews here.

July - Life Management for Busy Women - George
         Never Let You Go by Healy
         Reading these books was postponed.  Look for them in next year's list.

August - Too Busy Not to Pray by Hybels
              Betrayal in Paris by Fell
              Read reviews here.

September - Sacred Parenting by Thomas
                    Sadie's Song by Hall

October - Rocking the Roles by Hendricks
                Where the River Ends by Martin

November - Captivating by Eldredge
                    Burn by Healy

December - Wild at Heart by Eldredge
                   No One You Know by Richmond

I really wanted to put Mere Christianity by CS Lewis on there but it's an intense book.  I don't think I can just sit down and read it all at once.  So instead, I'm going to try to read one chapter a month.  Even at that, I won't finish it in a year.  But that's OK.  I think I'll need to think about each chapter for a while before I move on.

So there you have it.  My 2012 goals may not be that intense, but I am going to be adding to them with things like this little by little.  And now that I've posted this out there in cyberspace for all to see, then I'll be more likely to do it :).