My 2011 Book Awards

I love to read.  I can still remember the first story I read in my first grade reader.  It was called "A Fish Out of Water" and I was so proud of myself to have read it through with no help.  Once I could read, I never stopped.  My physical location has never limited me...the library aboard the SS Anastasis kept me sane during my Discipleship Training School in Western Africa.  And my husband didn't even bat an eye when I needed practically a whole suitcase for books when we moved to Namibia.  He knows I need them!

I go through an ebb and flow with reading.  Sometimes I'll read 2 books in a week and then go a few without reading any.  Depends on how busy life is and if I have any room in my brain to add to.  I've never kept track of the books I read, but decided to in 2011.  I was interested to know how many I actually read in a year and I was completely surprised by the number.  I read 47 books in 2011.  Some were great, some were challenging and some were just an easy read to escape with.  If reading more is on your list of goals for the New Year, here's a few of my favorites  from last year.

Hands down, the best book I read is Somewhere More Holy by Tony Woodlief. I wrote about it here already, and I can still say it is a beautiful testament to God making beauty from ashes and filling our lives, every room of them, with His goodness. I still think of this book on a weekly basis and plan to read it again this year.

I discovered a new author that writes "Christian fiction" (FYI- I don't like that term!) that isn't brain numbingly bad.  There are good ones out there and she is one of them- Sally John.  She's written several and a few different series and I've really enjoyed them all.  Some are better then others, but overall engaging characters and stories that ultimately honor God.  I think I read 8 of her books last year if that tells you anything!

Belong to Me by Maria de los Santos was a beautiful follow-up to the author's debut novel (Love Walked In) which I read in 2010.  The second book was even better then the first.  Warning: this does have some explicit language which I'm usually very careful about, but didn't find it overly offensive in context.  Wonderfully written with characters you will be sad to leave.  I just requested her newest one from the library and can't wait to read it.

One of my top five books of all time was revisted this year, Peace Like a River by Leif Enger. It was as beautiful and gut-wrenching as I remembered it to be.  I think it says a lot about a book that on my third time through, I was still moved to tears at times and laughed aloud at others.  If you haven't read this book...do yourself a favor and read it this year. It contains some of the most perfect sentences you'll ever read.

And here's a few honorable mentions that I really enjoyed, in no particular order.  The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society..drug my heels on this one because everyone kept saying how good it was.  They were not lying; especially enjoyable if you like historical fiction set in WW II.  This book, Before I Go to Sleep  by SJ Watson is so not my usual style, but I ended up really enjoying it.  Kinda freaky, but good! One of my first books of 2011 was Little Bee by Chris Cleave.  Difficult and heart-breaking to read, but also can't turn the pages fast enough.

My only goal in regards to reading in this new year is to beef up my non-fiction list.  I love to collect non-fiction and slowly read them.  It's time to dust off that stack and get busy.  I aim to read at least 2 non-fiction each month.  As for the rest, I'm open to suggestions.  Read any good books lately?

A stack of goodness

I love to read. I always have, even from a young age. My favorite thing to do on summer vacation was go and get a stack of books 20 high and read them all in the two weeks before they were due back. Time doesn't allow such reading habits anymore, but the love for it is still there. People who know me well know this about me evidenced by the stack of books I received as Christmas and birthday gifts.

So here's a look at what I'm currently reading or will be reading soon... (from the top)

-Jesus Lives by Sarah Young : I already mentioned how much I am enjoying this book and that hasn't changed in the last few weeks. Great encouragement/conviction daily.

-The Ministry of Motherhood by Sally Clarkson : I loved Clarkson's Mission of Motherhood and I'm sure that this will be equally as good. Thanks, Jenny!

-This Momentary Marriage by John Piper : It's been awhile since I've read any books by Piper and I've been missing out I think! This book is thick and rich (of course, it's Piper!), but so readable and applicable to my marriage. I'm halfway through and already planning a re-read!

-Ten P's in a Pod by Arnold Pent III : A family's story of their life as they travelled across the country with their eight children in tow. Should be a fascinating read. Thanks, Julie!

-Adopted for Life by Russell Moore : I have heard nothing but great things about this book. Obviously God has already opened our hearts about adoption, but I'm excited to read this book about how the church can be the church in caring for orphans.

-The Used World by Haven Kimmel : I found this little gem perusing the clearance rack at the cheap bookstore and was beyond delighted with the find. I've been a fan of Kimmel's since reading her first book A Girl Named Zippy several years ago. And yes, it is where I first heard the name Haven and filed it away until it was needed. I started it last night and am thoroughly engaged 30 pages in.

Other things I'm reading include my five magazine subscriptions, our home group books (there's two), Ramona the Brave with Haven (plus 10 others a day!), and of course, the Bible. And I love all of it! Give me a few spare minutes and you'll likely find me with a book in hand.

What are you reading?

Falling Into Reading

The Fall Into Reading 2007 challenge is here and I have a short list this time around. I haven't had a lot of time to read of late so I am hoping that this list will help me to get motivated when I do have time. This is probably not a complete list as I usually get inspired on visits to the bookstore or library and will add to this as the months progress. Am I the only one who goes to the bookstore and picks out books I want to read, writes down the names and authors and then goes home and requests them from the library? I love to read, but my thriftiness compels me to heavily utilize the library. Or the clearance shelf at Half-Price Books! And now the list:

A Widow for One Year by John Irving

The Accidental Tourist by Anne Tyler

The Case for the Real Jesus by Lee Strobel

The Boleyn Inheritance by Philippa Gregory

All My Road Before Me: the diary of C.S. Lewis by C.S. Lewis

The Christian Home School by Gregg Harris

Happy reading to everyone!

A book or two in review

Earlier this week I finished one of the best books I have read in some time, There is No Me Without You by Melissa Fay Greene. The author tells the story of one woman's journey to save AIDS orphans in her country of Ethiopia. But more than that it is a schooling on HIV/AIDS, big pharmaceutical companies, and the world's slow response to this pandemic. I consider myself to be relatively educated about HIV/AIDS from our experience working with Christ's Hope International, but I was still overwhelmed by the numbers of lives that are being wiped out every day. It's so easy to be caught up in my nice middle class life that I forget the suffering and pain that millions of people are experiencing on a daily basis. But I am getting off track and that's a whole other post!

Anyways, this book was well written and takes a difficult, far-reaching subject and makes it personal without making it overly sensational or falsely sympathetic. It's real and raw and for me, a call to action. What that action is going to be I'm still working out, but reading this book stirred up things that have laid dormant in my heart for awhile. As I wrote the other day, the Lord is doing some exciting things and I can't wait to see how what's next.

I also recently finished, Peace Like A River by Leif Enger based on Sarah's glowing review. I'm not sure that I loved it quite as much as she did, but I did thoroughly enjoy it. I took my time reading it, savoring the excellent writing and truly wanting to draw out the wonderful story as long as possible. I have since purchased the book and have convinced Cale that he would enjoy it. It's now on his list of books to read on vacation (which is only 9 days away- yippee!). It's actually the only book on his list, but whatever.

This is probably also a good time to mention that I didn't quite finish all the books on my Spring Reading Thing List. I almost made it, but not quite. I started Sense and Sensibility, but then got books from the library that I requested and just got caught up in other things. I anticipate getting back to it later this summer. Teach them Diligently will be finished hopefully soon. It's a really good resource, but for some reason I am having a hard time getting through it; which is sad, because it's really not that long of a book! I also need to get around to reading One Night with the King. Not sure why it is still sitting there, unread and unloved, but it is. I think I have had too many other things that I wanted to read a whole lot more than it. It has probably fallen into the category of "desperation read" because I won't get around to it until I have absolutely nothing else to read! The other one left on my list is For Women Only and I have a good excuse for this one! I requested it from my library four months ago and just yesterday was able to pick it up. It looks like a quick, but hopefully informative read.

I have amassed a lovely stack of books to take on vacation with me next week. I can't tell you how much I am looking forward to it!

SRT Update

I haven't had as much time to read in the last few weeks as I would have liked, but I still have managed to cross a few more books off my Spring Reading Thing List. I finally managed to finish Mockingbird and really enjoyed it. I felt like I read that book forever and could never finish it, but it was interesting. It got a bit long in some sections (like when Nelle was helping Capote with In Cold Blood research), but it was nothing if not thorough. If you love To Kill a Mockingbird then I think you would enjoy this. Or if you are just a fan of a good biography, this book would work for you.

I started to read Water for Elephants. Started as in about 80 pages and then had to walk away. I don't know what it was, but I just couldn't get through it. It's very rare that I stop reading a book, but I had no desire to keep going. So that has been crossed off the list.

I have about two chapters to go in A Mother's Heart and have really been challenged, encouraged and inspired by this book. I feel like that sounds a bit cliche, but it's really true. I am walking away from this book with a renewed vision for my home, a deeper sense of responsibility for the task at hand, and practical ideas to help me be a more intentional, focused mom. With Haven being as young as she is, some of the ideas will have to wait, but I am confident that this is a book I will come back to time and again as we strive to make the Lord the head of this home. If you are a mom- READ THIS BOOK! And thanks to Jenny for the recommendation!

Yesterday I had a few minutes to start The Other Boleyn Girl and I hope to have more time later this week to really get into it. It comes with great recommendations so hopefully it hasn't been too inflated in my mind and can live up to all the praise!

Haven's been busy reading, too! She seems to have her mother's love for books!

Crossing them off left and right

The perks of living in a hotel- lots of time to read! I finished Quaker Summer last night and absolutely loved it. It is a butt-kicking, challenging, thought-provoking book that I would highly recommend. Lisa Samson has an amazing talent to write engaging fiction, but it is so much more than that. She puts to paper the conversations that float around in my suburban mind and has renewed the debate about how I spend my time and what is it all worth anyways. Where does Jesus fit into it? And isn't that ultimately the problem- that I am trying to fit Him into my life, rather than Him being my life???? I have a lot of thoughts swirling around in my head after reading this book and hope that they will become more coherent in the coming days.

On a totally different note, I can also cross off Bill Bryson's African Diary from my list. I actually read this aloud to Cale as we drove on Tuesday. It was good, but too short to be satisfying for me. It also brought back lots of memories from our time in Namibia and I hope to write about some of that stuff soon. I don't know much about the organization he was with, but from what Bryson highlights about CARE they seem to be fighting poverty in practical and sustainable ways.

I also started A Mother's Heart and that too is challenging me and my small vision as a mom. I've only read a few chapters thus far, but already have been convicted in some of my attitudes and thoughts and the way I view myself a stay-at-home mom. There will definitely be more to write about as I work through this book.

Okay, that's all the reading updates I've got for now. Haven's asleep so guess what I am going to go do?!

Spring Reading List

Here is my list for the Spring Reading Thing!

I reserve the right to add or subtract from this list at any time! I am always reading fiction, but want to commit to reading more non-fiction. I have several books that I have had around for awhile that I want to read and now that I've written it down, I'm committed to crossing them off my list. I'm surprised that I actually have more non-fiction than fiction on my list (ok, it's only one more, but that's still more!) and that they are all books I genuinely want to read. I have already started a few of them and will try to finish them up first.

Mockingbird by Charles J Shields -A biography of Nelle Harper Lee that I am halfway through, but had to return to the library. I'm waiting for the next copy to come available.

A Mother's Heart by Jean Fleming- Highly recommended to me by another mom.

Teach them Diligently by Lou Priolo-A parenting book that talks about the necessity of incorporating scripture in all that we do.

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen -I've heard good things about this, but don't really know what it's about.

Quaker Summer by Lisa Samson- Her new book and I pretty much love everything she writes!

For Women Only by Shaunti Feldhahn- I'm not usually into books like this, but our pastor did a series recently on men and women and used this as a resource, so I thought I would give it a shot.

Bill Bryson's African Diary by Bill Bryson- He makes me laugh and I'm sure this will be entertaining if nothing else.

The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory -This is a recommendation from Jess and she usually knows what she's talking about!

There is No Me Without You by Melissa Fay Greene- Another book that I have heard nothing but good things that's about one woman's desire to rescue children from Africa.

One Night with the King by Tommy Tenney- A friend told me this was better than the movie and I got it for Christmas but haven't gotten into it yet. And in case you don't know, it's a fictionalized account of Esther.

Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen- Can you believe I have never read this? I couldn't when I realized it the other day. So I am going to attempt to rectify that!

I'll let you know how it goes!