Favorite books of 2014

Guys. I read 78 books this year!

I have seen LOTS AND LOTS of best books of the year posts.

I decided to be inspired to blog for the second time this year. 

Stupid low number of posts, I know.

BUT! BOOKS!!! I love to talk books! 

Let's go. I'll try to give my impression, rather than a synopsis of each book. 

Yes Please. I've said it before (not here, obvs) but I'll say it again. Amy Poehler is my spirit animal. I love love loved her book. Now don't read this, Mom. She's not tame, and she also uses wordy dirds. 

A Man Called Ove This debuet from Sweden just captured my heart. I got an advance review copy from Netgalley. (DID YOU KNOW THAT YOU CAN GET FREE REVIEW EBOOKS?) A grouchy old man watches his neighborhood change and he changes with it. It was just plain good. I cried.

Code Name Verity This book is considered YA. It's a book with heart. A very well written, book with heart. I love books that highlight great friendships and this one does. Again, I cried. 

The Invention of Wings Ok. I cried again. Maybe this is a thing with me and books I love. This is not an easy book to read. The scenes of mistreatment are hard to listen to and so much angry making, but it is such a good book. 

The Graveyard Book Not my first Gaiman. I listened to Oceans At The End of The Lane last year and was entranced. This one was perfect for right around halloween when it's getting colder and leaves are falling. My daughter listened with me and loved it just as much as I did. Maybe more. (Which makes a momma happy!)

The Bookman's Tale Books about books!! I think those are my favorite books of all books! How many times can I say books? This one goes back in time and solves the mystery about the identity of The Bard. The Author, Charlie Lovett has a new book, First Impressions, which takes on our favorite authoress, Jane. 

The Storied Life of A.J. Fickry Another book about books! This bookseller adopts a baby left in his store and becomes human again. He also reccommends many books that I have put on my wish list. 

All The Light We Cannot See Another Netgalley freebie. Yay for free, especially when it's so good! This story just transported me back in time and made me fall in love with the father willing to do so much to help his blind daughter and make her life happier, even in hard times. Really, so good. I know everyone has this on their list, it's that good.

You Are Now Less Dumb I like to sprinkle some nonfiction throughout my reading year. This one was really good. Sort of an explaination of why our brains do what they do and how to prevent the weird things we all do now that we know our brain is fooling us. Fascinating stuff.

Let's Pretend This Never Happened The Bloggess. She hooked me when she adopted a giant metal chicken and named it Beyonce. I loved the chapter on how she and her coworkers handled the various undesirables when she was working in HR. 

Fuzzy Nation I also sprinkle my reading year with scifi. I haven't earned the coveted badge of nerd, but I like to think that I'm nerd-curious. Unless this is a title that you can self-proclaim. If so, I'M SUCH A NERD! This is just your average other-planet-alien-species, obnoxious-hero-who-ends-up-in-a-courtroom story. You know the ones I'm talking about.

Off To Be The Wizard I really reccommend listening to the audiobook. The reader is just fabulous. I put this one on the list because, while I did enjoy it, my whole family loved it. This made a road trip so much more bearable. Boy, if you thought the last book was nerdy, this one ratchets the nerd up a level or two. It's funny, too, which always earns you points in my book. (BOOK! HA!)

A few honourable mentions: I did love these but I had to limit my list to 12 because reasons. (It's late and I'm tired.) In The Woods, The Hundred Year Old Man Who...had an entirely too long book title, What Alice Forgot, and The Rosie Project were all favorites too. 

I'm thinking of writing up a list of books where the cover outshone the book itself. A good cover really draws me in. Am I the only one who loves to look at the covers of books I've read? It's like a time machine. 

What were your favorite books this year? Did you blog the list? I want to know what I need to put on my TBR list for the coming year. Talk books with me!

Less a review, more my story about a book that matters:

I'm cranking up the ole blog. 

I need you to know about this book. I just finished. I've been reading it and trying to get through it for weeks now. I have every available format. Audio, kindle, signed paperback. (EEK! I love signed copies!!) I'm a fangirl.

I'll tell you a bit about why this means so much to me. This book represents, for me, a journey.  From where? Back from the familiar shroud, from certainty, to questions that my heart has asked my entire life, that I once thought I  had answers for. You see, life smacked me in the face, and I reeled. I didn't know how I could get back.

As I sit here writing this, I can feel that familiar shroud creeping near. I can feel the tendrils of depression unfurling themselves at me. It's gotten easier to resist sinking.

Let me tell you why. I am learning to believe that I'm beloved. It's a hard lesson to accept, and I'm still working. 

I believe in Love. I know that God is love. I know he loves everyone. Blah blah blah. That's easy to accept for the world at large. Of course God loves YOU!! 

But to accept that I am loved, deeply, unattached to the stars on my behavior chart? Well. Phffffft.

Several years ago, after the darkest year I have ever had, I followed the author on twitter. It was during the week-long General Assembly for the Church of God. I was working nights, but I was nerd enough to come home from my shift and stay up to watch the live stream. With my tweetdeck #COGGA column up, I would rail at anyone I disagreed with, immediately follow and often retweet those that I connected with. I also regularly texted my husband not to come home if he voted certain ways. ;) I do believe the issue of the day was allowing women to become ordained and actually have a say in the polity of the church. Ooo. Dicy stuff! 

Jonathan Martin's tweets immediately struck a cord. 

Then about a year later, he tweeted something about God having to be at least as nice as Jesus. I stood up and took notice.

Then another year later, when my husband and I were facing some extremely difficult situations in church and work, he became my virtual pastor. I devoured podcasts of his sermons. 

Now, that may all sound creepy and Every Breath You Take, but I believe God sent this man's message my way because, well, I needed it. 

I wish you could see the highlights in my kindle. Their name should be Legion, for they are many. 

On Sunday, I had the privilege of going to Renovatus, Jonathan's church,  and getting him to sign a copy that I bought in the lobby. 

He preached on obscurity, specifically citing that chapter of the book. "The wilderness is the place where God courts his beloved." That one line blew me away when I read it, and then again on Sunday. 

I remember being in the middle of the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Year, and there would be little things that  made me think, (I kid you not) "God, you're wooing me." And yet, it still took me years to get to a point where I can say that I'm ok and not have to lie.

And I don't think I'm the only one. I think we all struggle with allowing ourselves to actually feel the love that God is literally dying to pour over us. I don't know why it's so hard to believe in love for me.

I do know this. I have so much more empathy and compassion and than I did before my shroud. My prideful disdain for "them and they" became a genuine longing to see from other perspectives, hear "their" story. 

The whole time in the wilderness, I wanted to get back to where I was before. Now I wouldn't go there for anything. I would never have believed it at the time, but I'm better off because of my shroud.

I haven't really told you anything about the book, have I? 

"Jesus is our prototype."

"When God called Jesus His beloved, Jesus did something truly remarkable: He believed him.... And unlike every other person in history...He never forgot."  -- The chapter including those two sentences is worth the price of admission. And the chapter on fear. Well. 

If you're feeling ragged, unloved, and lonely, I recommend it. If you're on top of the world and it's your oyster, you may want to invest. Tip-top oyster worlds don't last forever, you know?

Ok. I'm not going to go quoting the entire book to you, you need to do some highlighting for yourself.

Go on.....

I'll wait here, so we can compare notes.

You know how I love talking books.

~Jen

Sunday Sundries

Sundays are not good days to blog. I've found this out. Just look at the time stamps from the last 2 weeks.
But, get this in, I will.

~I'm reading The Crowd, The Critic, and the Muse by Michael Gungor.
I'm also participating in an online book club for this book. So much fun. Y'all know I love talking books. Y'all also know I'm at my best behind my screen. This is perfect!
I was struck by his assertion that we are all creative. Just the fact that we put words together to form thoughts or ideas or express them to one another is creative. I've always known that I am creative, I have never considered myself an artist. That's a lofty goal, for people much better than myself.
I'm thinking about reconsidering that stance.

I'll let you know.

~I had my very first gig today!!

I'm pretty stoked. I shot some senior photos for a young man in our youth group. He was such a handsome model. I had fun. I know he was just happy to be done with it. Hopefully we'll get a happy mama out of it!

~Pam and I Instant Messaged tonight. It is always a balm to my soul, typing and laughing with her! Never fails to make me feel better.

~I'm a tired girl. I did not get my Sunday nap today. I was working.

~Imma let you finish, but my bed is the most comfortable place in the world.

And I'm going to it.

Nighty, Lovlies!

~Jen


Click below for the 31 days series.

2011 75 Book Challenge

 

Warning.  This post contains blatant braggadocios behavior.

You’ve been warned.

I entered Library Thing’s challenge earlier this year.  It was a little difficult to go back and dredge up all of the books I had already read.  Luckily, I catalog books once I’ve read them.  I may have missed a book or two, but I don’t think I have.

I have read 76 books so far this year!

I usually don’t blatantly brag like this, but I’m proud of this.

Now.  I counted audiobooks.  If you are a purist/puritan/eyeball-only-reader, that number would drop significantly. 

You can find the list of everything I read this year here.

Some of my favorites of the year are as follows.

The Monsters: The curse of Mary Shelley and Frankenstein by Dorothy and Thomas Hoobler.  This is a book about Mary and Percy Shelley and the contest that started it all, as well as Mary’s sister that had an ongoing, lifelong affair with Percy, and the themes from Frankenstein mirroring Shelley’s life.  It was very interesting.  I read it, then Frankenstein.  I wish I had done it the other way around.  This book summarized Frankenstein, so it was a bit of a let down reading it, knowing what was coming next.

The Historian, by Elizabeth Kostova.  This is a very intriguing novel about Dracula still existing today, and the hunt to find him and destroy him.  It delves into the history of Vlad the Impaler.  Dracula has over the years left clues to only the best researchers in the literary field.  I felt very smart reading this.  I have discovered that I like dark fiction.  Not overly creepy, or gruesome, but dark-ish.  This fits the bill.  And it’s delightfully long.  I love a good, thick book that’s not over too quickly.

We are all weird, by Seth Godin. This short little book is all about how weird is taking over.  Most people have weird in them somewhere, and are less and less ashamed of weirdness.  I identified with this book.  I’m weird.  It’s ok.  I like weird. 

Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn.  This book is very quirky, witty, and all clever.  (I realize that sentence isn’t proper, I’m making a point, but I did have to point that out.  Sad.  I know.) An island idolizes the man that coined “The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog.” They have this tiled in the square with his statue.  As tiles start falling, letters get outlawed in oral and written form.  The book is written in letters.  Letters about letters.  It’s like the inception of the alphabet.  I loved it!

I Remember Nothing by Nora Ephron. I love her.  She’s funny and real.  I too, remember nothing, except that I loved this book.

The Postmistress by Sarah Blake. This WWII novel made me sob.  Literally.  I’m telling you.  If you read this and get to a train, get tissues ready.  Chest heaving, snot running snubs are coming.  I’m assuming that you aren’t a robot and have human emotions, of course.  But it’s so good.  So good.

Dune by Frank Herbert. I’m a geek.  That’s part of my weird.  I have read the Harry Potter books twice, am getting through The Lord of The Rings, I love Star Trek (Next Gen) and Star Wars (3-6), and Eragon.  I love fantasy as well as sci-fi.  I don’t know how I haven’t read this before now.  I actually listened to this during The Great Paint (my in-laws’ entire house, ceilings and 14 rooms.)  And there are many, many more sequels to this waiting on me.  Yay! 

The Distant Hours by Kate Morton. This book has made me a Kate Morton fan.  I can’t wait to read more of her books.  A book crossing generations, the daughter trying to learn about her mother, but learning much much more in the process.  It’s set primarily in a manor house, so what’s not to love?

A Perfect Mess by Eric Abrahamson and David H. Freedman. I’m messy.  A little mess is ok.  This book says so.  It’s easier and less time consuming to have important things near to hand, and out (messy) than to spend time putting away and finding (hyper organized.)  Hey.  Don’t look at me.  It’s science.  I didn’t write it, but I TOTALLY agree! Now, they do say that in moderation, messes are more efficient.  I’m not giving you permission to be on Hoarders. 

The Millennials by Thom and Jess Rainer. The generation born between 1980 and 2000 is the biggest generation America has seen.  This book studied and interviewed many Millennials to find out more about this generation.  This is a very interesting and eye-opening book regarding the American church and the biggest generation we’ve seen.  Hopeful, challenging, affirming to me personally, this was a great read.

 A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson. Probably my most challenging book.  It was LONG, and packed with so much info, that I had to check it out from the library twice on my kindle to finish it.  It is a secular (evolution) history.  But.  There was so much informative stuff.  And it wasn’t all about evolution.  It covers the Universe, Atoms, microbes, the Hadron Collider.  It also tracks the history of science and who discovered what when, and what led to that discovery, what that discovery led to, on and on and on.  It was long and technical, but not too much so, and it kept my interest.  Hence the second check out.  I had to finish it.  It really felt like an accomplishment when I did.  It also was my 75th book and ended my challenge, and this list.

I can honestly recommend all of these books. 

If you’ve read any of these (or any on my list), leave me a comment, please.  I just love to talk books!

Will read for money ~ what works for me

Now.  If you know me at all, you know that I’m a bookie.  I love books, reading, smelling, holding, downloading, listening, kindling.  Whatever form I can get my grubby paws on, I’m so there. 

My kids.  Well.  Let’s just say that books don’t really compete with the DS, Wii, Xbox, Netflix, and Disney Channel. 

They read every once in a great while. 

I’m changing all that.  Call me the Obama of reading.  Change!  And like Obama, I’m giving money away left and right.  Get it?  Left and Right?  Oh.  I kill me.

I have decided that reading is too important, and I will have no child left behind.  Instead of getting paid for doing chores, which they should be doing anyway to be helpful members of the family, they are getting paid to read. 

I’ll have a little staff of copy editors running around my house.

The deal is; one book = one buck.  No picture books need apply.  Chapter books only.  Age appropriate ones, of course and yes they can include pictures in the chapter book.  I know.  Fine print will get you every time.

I want my kids to be readers.  I learn so much just by reading.  And I will admit that my vocabulary is above par.  All because of reading. 

I’m not a rich gal, I don’t have money to just throw away.  But I believe in this enough to sacrifice other places to make this happen.

So what habit would you be willing to pay to foster in your children?

And, What Works For You Wednesday?  This post is linked up there.  Hop over and get tips and tricks for things that work.

What are you reading? I’ll go first.

 

 

"We read to know that we are not alone."
— C.S. Lewis

I read this just now.  He gets me.  Totally.

Right now I’m reading the following.

 

I love all types of genres.  You already knew that, didn’t you?  The first two are historical mysteries.  Fun stuff. 

The next is a futuristic fantasy.  The premise is that most of the human race has been wiped out by a monkey virus, and man has reverted back to not quite stone age technology.  They find a Bible, and a letter from the man who hid it. 

That’s all I know. 

I love fantasy.  I’m planning on working my way through the Lord of The Rings books.

And the last is my own personal crack.  I love travel/international memoirs.  Peter Mayle ruined me.

So what are you reading?  Pam’s probably elbow deep in some lovely textbooks. 

OH OH OH!! Did I tell you?

I have a Kindle now.  It’s beeee-yoo-teee-ful.  I adore that little hunk of techno-gear.  The Sword is the only one I’m reading at the moment on my Kindle.  I’ve read several books on it already.  I do find myself being less discriminating, reading on the Kindle.  There are all these free books, and I read them because they hey, who doesn’t like free.  Turns out some things are worth exactly what you pay for them.  I feel like I’ve wasted time and brain cells on a few books. 

I’ll just have to start buying more quality books. 

See?  You can solve almost any problem by just blogging it out.

O.  Back to the question.

I really want to know what you’re reading.  And if it’s any good.  I’m always on the lookout for something good to read.

 

My favorite room ever, even if it doesn’t exist

I was wandering around the interweb this morning and came across some photos.  It got me thinking. 

Y’all know about my love of books, right?  Well this started it all.

Look at that.  Being surrounded by books.  Oh.  My.  Bliss. 

Then I saw these.

Then I got to thinking about what my dream library would look like.  A wall of bookshelves like this.

With a sofa like this.

Then I remembered polyvore.  You can put together any kind of set.  Outfits, rooms, anything. 

So I did. 

This would be my dream library. 

Except there would be many, many more bookshelves.

 

Which would be your favorite room?  How would it look? 

If you set it up, or have it for reals, leave me a comment <pretty please>. 

And if you have a link, that too, please?  I’d love to stalk take a look at your favorite places.

 

 

Love,

 

your true blue looky loo,

Full-on Review (across the sky) What does it mean?

Recently, I posted a tidbit review of Mercury Falls, by Robert Kroese.  And I promised another, more in depth post with pics and links.

If you're wondering, this is that post.

I was going to tell you all about my history with this book, how I'm proudly in the world's first twitter-only rock band with the author (I'm on COWBELL!), and other such nonsense.  I'll refrain.  Let's just get to the book, shall we?

This book.  Oh this book.  It has been one of the most enjoyable in my recent past.  

Here's the synopsis from the back cover.

Christine Temetri is at her wits' end.  For years she's covered the increasingly bizarre activities of End Times cults for the Banner, a religious news magazine.  Yet Christine, who once dreamed of being a "real" writer, has nothing to show for the gig other than a regular paycheck and serious doubt that Armageddon will occur in time for her next deadline.  But after a mysterious man entrusts her with a locked briefcase and orders to "take it to Mercury," Christine finds herself face to face with a ping-pong playing angel by the name of Galileo Mercury.  It seems Mercury was sent from heaven to make preparations for Armageddon, yet became sidetracked by the earthly delights he discovered: Rice Krispy treats, table tennis, and beer, to name just a few.  Mercury's concern for the fate of mankind is middling at best, but he is happy to educate Christine on the details of the elaborate, if poorly organized, calamity to come.  When Christine inadvertently saves the Antichrist - an obnoxious, thirtysomething gamer who still lives with his mother - from celestial assassination, she begins an ambitious battle to stop the Apocalypse and save the world.  But the heavenly host is nothing if not persistent, and Christine, aided only by an apathetic angel and a reluctant Antichrist, has her work cut out for her.  Packed with outrageous characters, Mercury Falls is a viciously funny (and occasionally absurd) morality tale for the twenty-first century.

          -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"No worries," Mercury said.

"I think I've figured out a way for everyone to live happily ever after."

"Everybody?"

"Well, almost everybody.  And not so much happy as only mildly disgruntled."

"And the 'ever after' part?"

"Actually," said Mercury thoughtfully, "it's more like 'for the very short-term future.'"

Let me just tell you, the wordplay alone is worth the read.  But you figured that out with my last post, didn't you?

This book chronicles the Apocalypse.  Who knew such a weighty subject could be so funny? 

I only take issue with one bit of the back cover.  Occasionally absurd.  Well.  The whole thing is delightfully absurd in the best way possible.  I laughed my way through the Apocalypse.  

Now there's a tee shirt logo for you.

The title refers to when I posted this.  That was a preview-review.  This, of course is a full-on review.  And if you don't get that gag, well, I feel sorry for you.  (If you haven't read that preview sample, you really should, to understand this one.)  Well here's another conversation from the book that cracked me up.

Yes, it's all about prawns, too.

Perp snorted.  "These mortals.  They are mere prawns, being shoved about by -"

"Pawns," Mercury said.

"What's that?"

"The mortals are pawns.  I actually thought it was prawns, too, but it turns out that it's pawns."

"Are you sure?  I've been saying 'prawns' for...must be seven hundred years now."

"Yeah, I've got a friend who knows this kind of stuff.  Trust me, it's pawns."

"Pawns," said Perp, trying out the word.  "You're absolutely certain it's not prawns?"

"Quite," said Mercury.  "My friend is a writer.  I have total faith in her judgment."

"Well then," said perp.  "Pawns.  Such a strange word.  I suppose I'll get used to saying it though.  As I was saying, these mortals are mere pawns in a vast ocean, being shoved about by currents beyond the meager understanding of their tiny crustacean brains."

I adore silliness and absurdity.  Using these weapons to tackle such a controversial subject matter (the Apocalypse, not prawns, of course) is brilliant in my book.

Not that my book counts for much.  

But this is my blog, so it's one of the only two that count at all.

Ok.  

I don't really know how to better describe to you this book.  

It's a fun read.  It draws you in from the first page and leaves you wanting more with the last.

As any good book should.

Go and buy.  And read.  And laugh!

~Jen

                       

It always comes back to books, doesn't it?

Howdy people!  I'm just firing off a quick post to let you know that I haven't forgotten this beloved world that is our blog.

My computer has taken ill.  It has a virus that won't let me do anything.  I can't even get to my anti-virus sofware to fix it.  I have to take the time to download a patch onto a disc from another computer and do a safe boot from there, but I just haven't had the time to fool with it.
I just know one of you people out there are comuter savvy, and want to help walk me through this, right?
Or are you all like me, getting all of your tech skills from our friend Google?

Well, this week has been a doozey, let me tell you.
I worked 5 in a row this week, and am definitely feeling the after effects.
Let's see.  What else is new?
I feel like this is becoming a place where I gripe about having to work.
Nobody likes reading that.  I'll stop.

Gabe is playing football and Livy wants to play the trombone.  The thing is as big as she is.  Well, that's hypothetical.  If we had one, it would be as big as her.  I'm going to have to figure out a way to get our hands on a trombone.  Anyone out there have one to donate to a lovely school girl wanting to learn to play a ginormous instrument?

Chirp, chirp.
Anyone?
Well, worth a shot, I always say.

I've been reading more lately.  Especially on my days off.  I sleep at night.  Until around 3 or 4.  Then I just can't sleep more.  So finally I figured that lying there was doing nobody any good, so now I get up and read in the quiet.
Let me say.  It is lovely.  I crave quiet these days and these mornings are a welcome answer to that.
I just finished reading a novel  (25 cent thrift store gem...hooray!) about the plague.  It was facinating.  I never knew that the "ring a rosy" plague sores were lymph nodes that had burst.
That was a bit depressing, wasn't it?  Sorry.

I'm starting Chocolat now.  I seem to be in a historical fiction kick right now.  Although I must say that historical fiction has always been a good friend of mine.
I haven't done a what's on your nightstand post in a while.  But mostly, what's on my nightstand these days is a Bible and the one book I'm currently reading.  So, that wouldn't be such a fun post.
I do try to keep my librarything.com widget up to date (little box over there somewhere-->.)  That way you can always know what I am reading at the moment.
That is, if you care to fill your mind with such useless information.  It's there for you.

I've had to start a new Book book.  My lovely pink suede one from the bestest BFF in the world is packed away somewhere.  And believe me, I have looked for it.  But I just started this new one and will transfer all of my books into it whenever we are officially settled somewhere.  Whenever that may be.

I said I'd not gripe anymore, didn't I?
Well, that ends now.

Love you all!
Jen

O Me of Little Faith ~ a review

I was sent a review copy of this book from Zondervan.  In return for the free book, I’ll post a review on this blog.  By the way, thanks Zondervan, for the free book!!!

This book is exactly what the title suggests.  It’s the recounting of one man’s journey with God and doubt. 

Jason Boyett is very forthcoming about his story.  I found this honest account of his ongoing battle with doubt refreshing. 

Too many times we either brush our doubt under a rug and pretend everything’s fine or just refuse to acknowledge it altogether.  At least that’s the case with me.  More and more I’m unable to ignore the doubts that creep up.  (Mom, don’t worry, that’s not a proclamation of leaving the faith.)  I have to meet them head on and either overcome them or learn to live with them, as the author does. 

The thing that I found so beautiful in this book was the choice that he makes to “believe” even when things are unbelievable.  That’s the hope that I came away with.  Even when you can’t wrap your head around a concept, you can still choose to have faith.

Choose to have faith.  That’s what I want.  That’s what I choose.  Every day.

I haven’t really given you a clear picture of the book.  I just sort of shoved an idea at you.  But I like that.  I want you to be intrigued and get this book and see for yourself this man’s journey.  I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

You can find this book at Amazon, B&N, CBD or Zondervan.

You can also follow Jason Boyett’s blog.  That’s how I found out about his upcoming book and Blog Tour. 

Different Eyes ~a review

Business first.  Zondervan tweeted that they were having a blog tour for this book and gave info to get a review copy.  I, being the lover of review books that I am, naturally responded.  They provided this book in exchange for my review here and at Amazon.

Now on to the fun stuff.

I didn’t really know what to expect, going in to the book.  The title and cover were intriguing.  What I didn’t expect was to be so moved by the book.  My copy has post it notes everywhere and is thoroughly underlined.  It’s that good.

This is from the back cover.  “How should those who follow Jesus live distinctly in a time of uncertainty?  How should the church respond to the moral dilemmas of our everyday lives?  In Different Eyes, Steve Chalke and Alan Mann examine the underlying motivation for Christian morality and provide an insightful guide to navigating the most challenging ethical dilemmas of our modern world in a way that is faithful to the story of God’s work in Jesus.”

This book asks us to look at why we do the things we do as Christians and to investigate the motives behind them.  It takes careful examination of what Jesus did and the compassion that he had and the love he showed and to whom he did these things.  Confused?  Sorry. 

I have been on a journey for the last few years that has had me asking some pretty big questions.  For example, if the church is the Body of Christ, how do we have such a reputation for spewing hate and judgment?  And what do we do about that?  Ignore it?  Focus on showing more love?  Blame it all on the crazies? 

In Different Eyes, the authors look at not only Jesus words and actions, but the spirit in which he did everything.  It was all done in love.  Compassion, grace and mercy stemmed from that. 

I don’t want to leave you with a wrong impression of the book.  It covers so much more than this.  It is all woven skillfully together and beautifully done.

Here are some of the tough issues the book tackles.  War and Military Intervention, The Use of Wealth, Homosexuality, and Euthanasia and Assisted Dying.  Yeah, your every day conversation. 

Now, I’ll throw my disclaimer out there.  I didn’t agree with every point the book makes.  But do we ever?  Unless I’m the author, I’m probably not going to agree with 100% of any book, excepting the Bible, of course. 

I had many “Whoa!” moments while reading this.  Either it was something affirming what I’ve already been feeling or something convicting.  And like I said, my copy is underlined like crazy.

If you’d like to get a better idea of the book than I’m able to provide, they have a sample up here.  Read for yourself.  See if it’s something you’d be interested in reading. 

I’m grateful to have come across this book.  I’m developing my different eyes.  Join me.

So, what’s the most moving book you’ve read lately?

Multi-Site Church Road Trip ~ A Review

This video corresponds with this book:

I was provided a copy of this book from Zondervan in exchange for this review. Thanks to them for A Multi-Site Church Road Trip.

I again state that I’m no literary critic, so bear with me.

I suppose that I’m a bit behind the times, but I didn’t realize that Multi-Site is as popular as it is. I suppose I’ve been somewhat sheltered for the last few years. Spending the last decade in some form of rural Virginia will do that.

This was an all around education about Multi-Site, from concept to implementation and launching new campuses. I did a mad read over the weekend in order to finish the book before the blog tour this week. While I enjoyed it, I do feel like it was written for a more specific audience than the random curious mom of three willing to read/review books. (It does say Leadership Network Innovation Series on the cover.) It seemed to be a very helpful book for church leaders facing space issues and looking at options for expansion.

The purpose of the Multi-Site Church is to “instead of bricks and mortar, [Multi-Site Church] invests in technology to create more space for worshippers.”

It is not a fad, and it is becoming, quite possibly, the new normal. But, what exactly is a Multi-Site Church and how does it differ from what we are used to? They go into detail about the replication of the church DNA in the sites. Some churches use video to broadcast one message to each site, while others rely on Campus Pastors for the teaching, sharing common vision and mission for the church.

The desire to reach the lost and disciple newcomers to the faith is prevalent throughout the book. I love the idea that people are willing to look outside the box in order to “bring the church to the people.”

While reading this book, I kept thinking about the church I grew up in. This church is bursting at the seams and still growing. They have tried purchasing land to build a larger church, and when that didn’t work out, decided to expand on the property that they have now. I just kept wondering if this type of model would translate to this church. The problems they are facing are the kind you want, whatever the outcome. Those issues mean that lots of lives are being impacted, people are growing in Christ and introducing Him to others.

That’s a good problem, folks. And if you have to do church via internet (which, at this point in my life is verrry appealing) to get that done, so be it.

Hear No Evil ~ an attempt at a review

I get to be a part of the blog tour for this book’s release on Tuesday. Yay me!

I am not a literary critic. I am a voracious literary consumer, but critic, I’m not. That being said, I still get to review this book.

So, to cheat and copy from Bryan Allain’s format for book review, I shall cannarf. That is a rating system based on your expectations. 0 is even with expectations. -1 means it did not meet expectations. +1 means it exceeded expectations.

I really like this format for a book review and hope I don’t get stoned (see, that ups the Biblical value of it) for my “borrowing” it.

Book Name: Hear No Evil My Story of Innocence, Music, and the Holy Ghost by Matthew Paul Turner.

I’m Glad it Wasn’t Called: Funny Stories about Crazy Rules Regarding music with Lots of Love for Amy Grant Thrown in.

Book Synopsis in Twitteresque 140 characters or less: Matthew chronicles his lifelong relationship with music. Plus, he wanted to be the Michael Jackson of Christian Music.

Where I Bought It: I didn’t buy it! This book was provided for review by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group.*

Paid for With: What you are reading right now.

How Long it Took Me to Read: 4 days. I really related with this book, so it kept drawing me back in my free time. That + my being a slow methodical reader = 4 days.

Who I WOULD NOT recommend this book to: Anyone who does not like Amy Grant. Seriously. You will just be irritated with Matthew’s obsession…erm, I mean zealous love for her.

Who I WOULD recommend this book to: Anyone with a love for music. Anyone who enjoys a good memoir of faith. Amy Grant groupies.

What I used for a bookmark: The slightly ripped half sheet of paper stating the details of the blog tour that came with the book.

What were some interesting stories from the book: There were many. I loved his piano teacher who encouraged his imagination. I also enjoyed his being diagnosed with faith-based narcissism. My favorite story was about a mother. Her daughter with no talent got the chance to shine and it warmed Mom’s heart. “My little girl is happier that I’ve seen her in years, and it’s been a tall glass of mercy for me.” I just think that you never know how some small kindness will impact a person’s life. I’m glad that story was included.

What were some interesting stories NOT from the book: I don’t really know enough about the author to answer that. I follow his blog and twitter, so I know that he recently went to Uganda. I’m sure there are lots of interesting stories there. I know that he is the “Jesus Art” go to guy for the world wide web. There’s a lot of interesting stuff there.

What was the 1 thing I’ll take from the book: Imagination is not a bad thing. Being different from the norm often comes with creativity. To quote Ms. Lansing, Matthew’s piano teacher, “Without the imaginations of artists, the church will die or lose its ability to help people. I believe that.” I’m with you Ms. Lansing.

Expectations Going In: I expected it to be funny. I think I expected a laugh riot. Don’t get me wrong. It has many funny moments. It also has many thought provoking moments.

Cannarf Rating: It seems to me that there is a theme of grace and mercy throughout the book. It was a lovely read. It exceeded my expectations by giving me much to noodle over. And it brought the funny. What more can you ask for? The Rating: +2 cannarfs. (what’s a cannarf?)

*This is the disclaimer the Federal Trade Commission requires. There, I fulfilled that obligation. Here’s another. I’m supposed to link to this website in return for the free book.

This post is linked up at Matthew Paul Turner’s blog.

Thanks for reading this. Now, go read Hear No Evil for yourself.

To all the books I’ve loved before, well in the last 6 months

Edited to add: I linked this post up with Sarah at Real Life Blog's Your Life Your Blog.
Fun Fun Fun!!

I’m a big reader. You may be aware of this fact. You may not be aware that I hit publish with only a title in this post. Well, I did.

Other than that, this is turning out to be a brilliant post already. I can just feel it.

I’m listing all of the books in The Book of Books. It was named the book book before tonight, but I like the new name better. Here it is.

I love this little diary. My BFF, Pam gave it to me for my birthday last year.

I’m religious about writing a book in it once I’ve finished it. I have even started adding an “a” beside titles for audiobooks, and if I really like a book, I’ll make a note in this pretty little suede-bound journal. Look, even the pages are pretty!

I realize I’m awfully wordy. HA!!! I just made myself LOL. Wordy. In a post about books! Ahh. Sometimes I kill me.

I started keeping this log in June of 09.

This is what I read. ~My personal notes are in italics.

1. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak ~Excellent!
2. Little Heathens by Margaret A. Kalish
3. The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart
4. How Starbucks Saved My Life by Michael Gates Gill ~I want to work there now
5. Animal Vegetable Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver ~As Bridget Jones would note v.g. (very good)
6. Bridget Jones’ Diary by Helen Fielding ~v. f. (funny)
7. The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver ~v.g.
8. The Lost Painting (a)udiobook by Jonathan Harr ~liked the history
9. All Over But the Shoutin’ by Rick Bragg
10. A Parchment of Leaves (a) by Silas House
11. Booked to Die (a) by John Dunning ~good series
12. A Supremely Bad Idea by Luke Dempsey ~ARC (Advance Reader Copy) funny birder book
13. The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon ~v.g. mystery set in Spain
14. The Bookman’s Wake (a) by John Dunning
15. Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict by Laurie Viera Rigler
16. The Bookman’s Promise (a) by John Dunning
17. The Sign of the Book (a) by John Dunning
18. Fear the Worst by Linwood Barclay ~ARC
19. The Bookman’s Last Fling (a) by John Dunning
20. A Thousand Days in Venice by Marlena DeBlasi ~my crack (I adore destination memoirs)
21. Stalin’s Children by Owen Matthews ~ARC good history
22. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling ~great story-had to see for myself
23. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling
24. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling
25. Mad Church Disease (a) by Anne Jackson ~v. timely
26. Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand by Helen Simonson ~g.
27. Flickering Pixels (a) by Shane Hipps ~great book
28. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (a) by J.K. Rowling
29. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (a) by J.K. Rowling
30. Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling
31. Eragon (a) by Christopher Paolini ~g.
32. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling ~my favorite one
33. Inkheart by Cornelia Funke ~g.
34. Eldest (a) by Christopher Paolini ~g.
35. PJs Til Noon by two crazy BFF bloggers

This last book was my Christmas gift from my BFF, Pam. I must say she is a wonder. Here’s what she did that brought me to tears. Literal, falling down my face, weeping, sobbing tears.

Isn’t she the best? I don’t have to tell you which book is my favorite, do I? Sheesh. Harry Potter doesn’t stand a chance. Could you read the title? No?

Diary of a Friendship

Oh, and this was on the wrapping paper. “To make a permanent record of our 15 minutes…. Everybody deserves to be published!”

And that’s just what she did. She published our blog. How cool is that?

This book lives on my nightstand.

I love it, and I love you BFF Pam!

My Copy of Jen's Post!

I must briefly start this post by saying I was thrilled with the chance for some face-to-face BFF time today! Jen and her family popped into the area for a couple of hours--what fun!

Now if you missed the previous post, you can catch up here. My total looks a little slim compared to Jen's but still I beat the predicted six. I will have to preface my numbers by saying that only about five of the books were my choice to read. The others were required reading in school but I still enjoyed them.

Except all of the Steinbeck books and unfortunately all of my teachers felt his very depressing books were necessary to my education. If you haven't read them, just skip them please unless you enjoy depressing books with unhappy endings, especially The Pearl and...well, really all of them. But honestly after typing this it makes me want to go to the library and check them out. I wonder if I'll still dislike them 20 years later?

So here's my list! Jen's are marked with an X, and mine have an & (and yes, I know it's an ampersand..so take that BBC!)


1. Pride and Prejudice – Jane Austen -X &
2. The Lord of the Rings – JRR Tolkien-
3. Jane Eyre – Charlotte Bronte -X
4. Harry Potter series – JK Rowling-
5. To Kill a Mockingbird – Harper Lee – X &
6. The Bible – X &
7. Wuthering Heights – Emily Bronte – X
8. Nineteen Eighty Four – George Orwell -X &
9. His Dark Materials – Philip Pullman –
10. Great Expectations – Charles Dickens -X

Jen’s Total: 7 Pam’s Total: 4

11. Little Women – Louisa M Alcott – X &
12. Tess of the D’Urbervilles – Thomas Hardy – &
13. Catch 22 – Joseph Heller
14. Complete Works of Shakespeare -
15. Rebecca – Daphne Du Maurier -
16. The Hobbit – JRR Tolkien –
17. Birdsong – Sebastian Faulk -
18. Catcher in the Rye – JD Salinger – X &
19. The Time Traveler’s Wife – Audrey Niffenegger - (on the wait list w/ my family)
20. Middlemarch – George Eliot-X

Jen’s Total: 3 Pam’s Total: 3

21. Gone With The Wind – Margaret Mitchell - &
22. The Great Gatsby – F Scott Fitzgerald -X &
23. Bleak House – Charles Dickens -
24. War and Peace – Leo Tolstoy -
25. The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy – Douglas Adams -
27. Crime and Punishment – Fyodor Dostoyevsky-
28. Grapes of Wrath – John Steinbeck - &
29. Alice in Wonderland – Lewis Carroll – X &
30. The Wind in the Willows – Kenneth Grahame -X

Jen’s Total:3 Pam’s Total: 4

31. Anna Karenina – Leo Tolstoy –
32. David Copperfield – Charles Dickens -
33. Chronicles of Narnia – CS Lewis -X
34. Emma – Jane Austen – X
35. Persuasion – Jane Austen -X
36. The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe – CS Lewis –X &
37. The Kite Runner – Khaled Hosseini -X
38. Captain Corelli’s Mandolin – Louis De Bernieres -
39. Memoirs of a Geisha – Arthur Golden -
40. Winnie the Pooh – AA Milne –

Jen’s Total: 5 Pam’s Total: 1

41. Animal Farm – George Orwell – &
42. The Da Vinci Code – Dan Brown –
43. One Hundred Years of Solitude – Gabriel Garcia Marquez -
44. A Prayer for Owen Meaney – John Irving -
45. The Woman in White – Wilkie Collins -
46. Anne of Green Gables – LM Montgomery – X
47. Far From The Madding Crowd – Thomas Hardy - (think I read this in school but unsure)
48. The Handmaid’s Tale – Margaret Atwood -
49. Lord of the Flies – William Golding – &
50. Atonement – Ian McEwan -

Jen’s Total: 1 Pam’s Total - 2

51. Life of Pi – Yann Martel-
52. Dune – Frank Herbert -
53. Cold Comfort Farm – Stella Gibbons -
54. Sense and Sensibility – Jane Austen – X
55. A Suitable Boy – Vikram Seth -
56. The Shadow of the Wind – Carlos Ruiz Zafon –
57. A Tale Of Two Cities – Charles Dickens - & (it was the best of times, it was the worst of times..sigh...)
58. Brave New World – Aldous Huxley - &
59. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night–Mark Haddon –X
60. Love In The Time Of Cholera – Gabriel Garcia Marquez-

Jen’s Total: 2 Pam’s Total: 2

61. Of Mice and Men – John Steinbeck – &
62. Lolita – Vladimir Nabokov
63. The Secret History – Donna Tartt –
64. The Lovely Bones – Alice Sebold – X
65. Count of Monte Cristo – Alexandre Dumas –
66. On The Road – Jack Kerouac –
67. Jude the Obscure – Thomas Hardy -
68. Bridget Jones’s Diary – Helen Fielding – X
69. Midnight’s Children – Salman Rushdie
70. Moby Dick – Herman Melville -

Jen’s Total: 2 Pam’s Total: 1

71. Oliver Twist – Charles Dickens -X
72. Dracula – Bram Stoker -
73. The Secret Garden – Frances Hodgson Burnett – X
74. Notes From A Small Island – Bill Bryson -X
75. Ulysses – James Joyce -
76. The Inferno – Dante -
77. Swallows and Amazons – Arthur Ransome -
78. Germinal – Emile Zola -
79. Vanity Fair – William Makepeace Thackeray -
80. Possession – AS Byatt -

Jen’s Total: 2 Pam’s Total: Goose egg

81. A Christmas Carol – Charles Dickens –
82. Cloud Atlas – David Mitchell -
83. The Color Purple – Alice Walker – X
84. The Remains of the Day – Kazuo Ishiguro
85. Madame Bovary – Gustave Flaubert -
86. A Fine Balance – Rohinton Mistry -
87. Charlotte’s Web – EB White -X &
88. The Five People You Meet In Heaven – Mitch Albom -
89. Adventures of Sherlock Holmes – Sir Arthur Conan Doyle – X
90. The Faraway Tree Collection – Enid Blyton -

Jen’s Total: 3 Pam’s Total: 1

91. Heart of Darkness – Joseph Conrad –
92. The Little Prince – Antoine De Saint-Exupery -
93. The Wasp Factory – Iain Banks -
94. Watership Down – Richard Adams - &
95. A Confederacy of Dunces – John Kennedy Toole -
96. A Town Like Alice – Nevil Shute -
97. The Three Musketeers – Alexandre Dumas -
98. Hamlet – William Shakespeare – X (also unsure of this one)
99. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – Roald Dahl –
X 100. Les Miserables – Victor Hugo –

Jen’s Total: 2 Pam’s Total: 1

Jen’s Final Total: 30/100
Pam’s Final Total: 19/100


I'm currently not reading any fluff trying to gear up for my College Comp class which starts on Tuesday!!! I'm so nervous!!!

The BBC can take a hike! (Not really, I love their Pride And Prejudice & Clatterford! )

The BBC believes most people will have read only 6 of the 100 books here. How do your reading habits stack up?

I cannot believe that this is true.  I mean, I have 7 out of the first 10.  But then, I attend weekly meetings of Bookworms Anonymous (at the Library!)  haha.

I copied this from Longbrake Living.  I couldn’t resist doing this myself.  How do you measure up?

Instructions: Look at the list and put an ‘x’ after those you have read.

1. Pride and Prejudice – Jane Austen -X
2. The Lord of the Rings – JRR Tolkien- 
3. Jane Eyre – Charlotte Bronte -X
4. Harry Potter series – JK Rowling- 
5. To Kill a Mockingbird – Harper Lee – X
6. The Bible – X
7. Wuthering Heights – Emily Bronte – X
8. Nineteen Eighty Four – George Orwell -X
9. His Dark Materials – Philip Pullman –
10. Great Expectations – Charles Dickens -X

Total: 7

11. Little Women – Louisa M Alcott – X
12. Tess of the D’Urbervilles – Thomas Hardy –  
13. Catch 22 – Joseph Heller -
14. Complete Works of Shakespeare -
15. Rebecca – Daphne Du Maurier -
16. The Hobbit – JRR Tolkien – 
17. Birdsong – Sebastian Faulk -
18. Catcher in the Rye – JD Salinger – X
19. The Time Traveler’s Wife – Audrey Niffenegger -
20. Middlemarch – George Eliot-X

Total: 3

21. Gone With The Wind – Margaret Mitchell -
22. The Great Gatsby – F Scott Fitzgerald -X
23. Bleak House – Charles Dickens -
24. War and Peace – Leo Tolstoy -
25. The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy – Douglas Adams -
27. Crime and Punishment – Fyodor Dostoyevsky-
28. Grapes of Wrath – John Steinbeck -
29. Alice in Wonderland – Lewis Carroll – X
30. The Wind in the Willows – Kenneth Grahame -X

Total:3 

31. Anna Karenina – Leo Tolstoy – 
32. David Copperfield – Charles Dickens -
33. Chronicles of Narnia – CS Lewis -X
34. Emma – Jane Austen – X
35. Persuasion – Jane Austen -X
36. The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe – CS Lewis -X
37. The Kite Runner – Khaled Hosseini -X
38. Captain Corelli’s Mandolin – Louis De Bernieres -
39. Memoirs of a Geisha – Arthur Golden -
40. Winnie the Pooh – AA Milne – 

Total: 5

41. Animal Farm – George Orwell –
42. The Da Vinci Code – Dan Brown – 
43. One Hundred Years of Solitude – Gabriel Garcia Marquez -
44. A Prayer for Owen Meaney – John Irving -
45. The Woman in White – Wilkie Collins -
46. Anne of Green Gables – LM Montgomery – X
47. Far From The Madding Crowd – Thomas Hardy -
48. The Handmaid’s Tale – Margaret Atwood -
49. Lord of the Flies – William Golding – 
50. Atonement – Ian McEwan -

Total: 1

51. Life of Pi – Yann Martel-
52. Dune – Frank Herbert -
53. Cold Comfort Farm – Stella Gibbons -
54. Sense and Sensibility – Jane Austen – X
55. A Suitable Boy – Vikram Seth -
56. The Shadow of the Wind – Carlos Ruiz Zafon – 
57. A Tale Of Two Cities – Charles Dickens -
58. Brave New World – Aldous Huxley -
59. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night–Mark Haddon –X
60. Love In The Time Of Cholera – Gabriel Garcia Marquez-

Total: 2

61. Of Mice and Men – John Steinbeck – 
62. Lolita – Vladimir Nabokov
63. The Secret History – Donna Tartt – 
64. The Lovely Bones – Alice Sebold – X
65. Count of Monte Cristo – Alexandre Dumas –
66. On The Road – Jack Kerouac – 
67. Jude the Obscure – Thomas Hardy -
68. Bridget Jones’s Diary – Helen Fielding – X
69. Midnight’s Children – Salman Rushdie
70. Moby Dick – Herman Melville -

Total: 2

71. Oliver Twist – Charles Dickens -X
72. Dracula – Bram Stoker -
73. The Secret Garden – Frances Hodgson Burnett – X
74. Notes From A Small Island – Bill Bryson -X
75. Ulysses – James Joyce -
76. The Inferno – Dante -
77. Swallows and Amazons – Arthur Ransome -
78. Germinal – Emile Zola -
79. Vanity Fair – William Makepeace Thackeray -
80. Possession – AS Byatt -

Total: 2

81. A Christmas Carol – Charles Dickens – 
82. Cloud Atlas – David Mitchell -
83. The Color Purple – Alice Walker – X
84. The Remains of the Day – Kazuo Ishiguro
85. Madame Bovary – Gustave Flaubert -
86. A Fine Balance – Rohinton Mistry -
87. Charlotte’s Web – EB White -X
88. The Five People You Meet In Heaven – Mitch Albom -
89. Adventures of Sherlock Holmes – Sir Arthur Conan Doyle – X
90. The Faraway Tree Collection – Enid Blyton -

Total: 3

91. Heart of Darkness – Joseph Conrad – 
92. The Little Prince – Antoine De Saint-Exupery -
93. The Wasp Factory – Iain Banks -
94. Watership Down – Richard Adams -
95. A Confederacy of Dunces – John Kennedy Toole -
96. A Town Like Alice – Nevil Shute -
97. The Three Musketeers – Alexandre Dumas -
98. Hamlet – William Shakespeare – X
99. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – Roald Dahl – X
100. Les Miserables – Victor Hugo –

Total: 2

Final total:  30/100

I think that’s not too bad.  I was hoping for more.  But I’m keeping this list and checking them off as I read them.  Maybe I’ll post in the future how far I’ve gotten. 

What are you reading right now?

At the moment I am reading an Advance Reader Copy of A Supremely Bad Idea by Luke Dempsey.  It’s a very funny book about birdwatching.  I never in a million years thought I’d put those two words together.  But there they are.

Alright folks.  Get reading & get telling me about it!