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| Very excited about my birthday gift... I LOVE these books! |
I was cleaning my office the other day and opened up a storage bin that contained some keepsakes from my childhood... some of which are my favorite books. There was Mandie staring up at me. I had to smile. I have fond memories of my mom reading us a chapter in the morning before school if we were able to get ready to go a few minutes early. That was enough incentive for me to be early. And at six years old, my love for books began.
The suspense of a mystery, the excitement of a new adventure, the emotion of a love lost or found... I've traveled the world and the centuries through books I've read... and I've loved every second of it.
After we'd been dating a while, M and I started reading books aloud together. Partially for "speech therapy" for me and partially because it's something we enjoy doing. While he was in grad school, the reading together really slowed down, but now that he's all done (hurray!) we're looking for a new book to read. Any suggestions?
Some books we've read together over the past 2 years:
- The complete Chronicles of Narnia series by C.S. Lewis
- The World of Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse (a compilation of short stories - not the entire series, by a long shot!)
- God's Smuggler by Brother Andrew with John and Elizabeth Sherrill
- The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins
The Pathfinder
Part of James Fenimore Cooper's Leatherstocking Tales (a great series of books). It's a fictional story set during the French and Indian War on Lake Ontario and follows the adventures of a frontier guide. It's a classic! In fact, this is the 3rd time he's read it.
M's rating: 5 out of 5
What I'm reading now (I prefer a shotgun method and have several books going at once):
You Matter More Than You Think
This inspirational book is by Leslie Parrott, a marriage and family therapist based out of Seattle, WA. The subtitle speaks volumes: what a woman needs to know about the difference she makes. This is definitely something I can relate to right now and has been very thought provoking. However, because it is thought provoking, I can only read a little bit at a time, so it's been in progress for a while now. If you're feeling discouraged about making a difference in the world around you, I encourage you to pick up this book!
Raye's Rating: 4.9 out of 5
Naturally Knocked Up
Donielle Baker struggled with infertility before stumbling across some research that changed her life. This book is partly her story and partly her research. While infertility is not something that I've been struggling with personally, at some point we'd like to have children and I figure it can't hurt to start preparing my body for it now. Donielle includes some great information on healthy living, nutrition, exercise, and cleaning up your environment for overall wellness, especially prior to conception.
Raye's Rating: 4.7 out of 5
The Will of Wisteria
I'm a big Denise Hildreth Jones fan! This is a re-read for me, but it was just as good the second time around. It's a fictional story of a filthy rich business man who dies and leaves his fortune to his 4 spoiled rotten, bitter children... with a catch... the provisions of the will state they all have to leave their trust funds, jobs, college, etc. and work pro bono for a full year to be eligible to receive their inheritance. As you can imagine, some crazy things happen along the way. There's humor, love, suspense and redemption all wrapped up in one novel. My kind of book!
Raye's Rating 4.9 out of 5
What's on your bookshelf?
Raye,
ReplyDeleteSo good to see that you, too, love to read! And hubby with you!! It's always been that way in our home. I've never been able to out-read my dear husband! His love for reading has always exceeded mine, and when we were first married, I considered myself the most voracious reader of anyone I knew. WRONG! Currently I am reading (1) Ready or Not by Sara Carlson -- for teenage girls, but a great reminder for all women. I'm finding I'm enjoying it more than I thought I would. (Sara is Troy's wife) (2)Vance Havner, Journey From Jugtown: A Biography -- a preacher from years gone by who wrote one of my favorite books: Though I Walk Through the Valley about his wife's illness and subsequent death and how he struggled and dealt with that. (3) Life's Greatest Adventure by Dr. J. Don Jennings -- a book on "walking" with the Lord by one of our former pastors at Highland Park Baptist Church in Chattanooga (4)101 Organic Gardening Tips -- I'm striving to learn more and more about how to improve my weak skills in this area! (5)100 Days Prayer Journal - Create a Daily Habit of Spending Time With the Lord by Lori Ramsey -- again, trying to improve my personal devotions (6) Achieve Anything In Just One Year: Be Inspired Daily to Live Your Dreams and Accomplish Your Goals by Jason Harvey -- I haven't read anything yet that I haven't tried at one time or another in my 55 years, but it makes for an interesting read. He begins each chapter with a quote (like Beka loves!) and then a daily application for personal growth! (7) Accused by Janice Cantore -- this is my "fluff"; a Christian police novel which so far has been well-written and captivating.
As far as recommendations, last month I finished my 3rd or 4th run through of John R. Rice's book on Prayer, which I think is a must-read for every Christian. We have made a habit of presenting it to all graduating seniors in our ministry. Every time I read it I am reminded of how much I fall short in my prayer life and re-commit to doing more and following the Lord in what the Scripture says.
I've gone on too long. Hope this is what you wanted!
Currently, I'm reading The Sword in the Stone (who knew it was a book series?) and a cookbook called Robin Takes 5 (Robin Miller). I'm not reading one of the books this second, but I am in the middle of the Guardians of Ga'Hoole series which is a fun, light series (I definitely recommend it). As for recommendations, I can't recommend Steve Saint's End of the Spear enough. I was incredibly moved throughout the whole book, but you'll probably need tissues for the last few chapters.
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