#13 Lessons from the Road by Nigel James: Yes, I was a sheep and followed the herd by buying this book and was not disappointed.
This book goes behind the scenes of life on tour with Third Day and their Road Pastor. (YAY!) The devotions that Nigel has placed in the book are ones that he has shared while on the road with the guys. It allows us to see how a road pastor is able to encourage members of the group. I enjoyed reading the sections from each of the guys about the different things each of them faced and the how they dealt with them and the different aspects of living out their faith in front of the public. It also gave me much more respect for the guys, being devoted to God, their ministry as Third Day, their families, and various ministries throughout the world. And what a great reminder, found early on in the book, that "we are all soldiers for Christ".
I found myself both encouraged and challenged by this book and would recommend it to anyone.
Son of a Witch by Gregory Maguire. Son of a Witch picks up a bit after Wicked ends, after the Wizard of Oz falls from power. As the title tells us, it follows the life of Elphaba's son, Liir, whom we were introduced to in the latter part of Wicked.
#14 Outlander by Diana Gabaldon: I picked this book up as a recommendation from several peeps as something that would take the place of the Twilight series that I had just finished. I was told that these books were similar, but written more for an adult audience. Well, I kept reading and reading and finally got to the end, but no signs of a vampire or werewolf...not sure why someone thought that this was similar to Twilight...what can I say, I have weird friends!
This story takes place around 1945 and follows the life of Claire, a war nurse, and Frank, her husband. Claire, while picking flowers at a local henge, is transported to 1743 (okay, yes, that part was a bit wonky) where she meets an ancestor of her husband, Captain Randall, who turns out to be nothing like her husband, other than in looks. Rescued from her captor, she is taken in by the Mackenzie clan where, due to circumstances that endanger her life, she is forced to marry young Jamie. Jamie is very endearing, but being married already...in 1945...for Claire this is not the ideal marriage. Over the coming days, Claire finds herself town between her past and her future.
Pay attention to the beginning of the book, even though it's kinda slow. This information will fit into the book later. Aside from the graphic scenes, both of violence and intimacy, this book draws you in. The characters are very likable...most of the time. The language in the book - some of the conversations written to sound like Scottish talk - is difficult to get used to, but it seems to be keeping my attention much better than my #14 book. I really enjoyed this book and had a hard time putting it down, even at 1:30 in the morning!
I found myself both encouraged and challenged by this book and would recommend it to anyone.
Week 11 ------------------------------- August 22 - August 28, 2008
Son of a Witch by Gregory Maguire. Son of a Witch picks up a bit after Wicked ends, after the Wizard of Oz falls from power. As the title tells us, it follows the life of Elphaba's son, Liir, whom we were introduced to in the latter part of Wicked.
I'm only a little ways into it the book, but it unfortunately follows in Wicked's footsteps with not being easy to read. I'm not sure what it is about Maguire and the way he writes his books, but none of them are written in the same way and this "Oz" series just doesn't read well for me. Other than that, it seems to be an okay book, nothing spectacular as of yet.
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Outlander by Diana Gabaldon: I'm only a few chapters into it thus far, but enjoying it much more than I was Son of a Witch Week 12 ------------------------------- August 29 - September 04, 2008
#14 Outlander by Diana Gabaldon: I picked this book up as a recommendation from several peeps as something that would take the place of the Twilight series that I had just finished. I was told that these books were similar, but written more for an adult audience. Well, I kept reading and reading and finally got to the end, but no signs of a vampire or werewolf...not sure why someone thought that this was similar to Twilight...what can I say, I have weird friends!
This story takes place around 1945 and follows the life of Claire, a war nurse, and Frank, her husband. Claire, while picking flowers at a local henge, is transported to 1743 (okay, yes, that part was a bit wonky) where she meets an ancestor of her husband, Captain Randall, who turns out to be nothing like her husband, other than in looks. Rescued from her captor, she is taken in by the Mackenzie clan where, due to circumstances that endanger her life, she is forced to marry young Jamie. Jamie is very endearing, but being married already...in 1945...for Claire this is not the ideal marriage. Over the coming days, Claire finds herself town between her past and her future.
Pay attention to the beginning of the book, even though it's kinda slow. This information will fit into the book later. Aside from the graphic scenes, both of violence and intimacy, this book draws you in. The characters are very likable...most of the time. The language in the book - some of the conversations written to sound like Scottish talk - is difficult to get used to, but it seems to be keeping my attention much better than my #14 book. I really enjoyed this book and had a hard time putting it down, even at 1:30 in the morning!
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Guess it's back to reading Son of a Witch now. Is the reading club over yet? I don't even know....does anyone know?Week 13 ------------------------------- September 05 - September 11, 2008
This weekend my husband and I went to a parenting seminar, Shepherding a Child's Heart by Dr. Tedd Tripp. It was an excellent seminar and a great reminder of some things that we may have forgotten or let slide. Anyways, while there, I picked up a book...
#15 "Don't Make Me Count To Three!" by Ginger Plowman. This book is supposed to encourage and equip moms to reach pat the outward behavior of their children and dive deeply into the issues of the heart.
What a refreshing look at how to redirect children to examine the motivations of their hearts. This book teaches about discipline and reproof and how to balance the two. It also works through several situations and the proper way to deal with them. It examines the world's view -vs- a biblical view of spanking and the need for it. While this book might not be for everyone, and what parenting book is, there is much that you can take from this book even if you don't agree with everything. I really enjoyed reading it.
Still reading Son of a Witch...not really enjoying it too much thus far. I'm just not "getting into it".
#17 Dark Lover by JR Ward While on hiatus from reading Son of a Witch I read this book...Yes, another vampire book, seems to be a theme tor me this summer.
This book is the first book in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series, the story of Wrath, the vampire king. Ward has a little different take on the Vampire world that I really like. They are a different species that can't turn others to be their kind. They exist along side the humans without allowing knowledge of their species. Ward also creates the Lessening Society. This is a brilliant addition to her book because this society's goal is to eliminate the Vampires. So, there are real tensions and threats to the Vampire's existence that gives the story so much depth. The Brothers are...fun, sexy, interesting, and intelligent. I'm ready to read the next book now.
Still reading Son of a Witch...well, not really, it's just sitting there. I just picked up Beyond the Spiderwick Chronicles: A Giant Problem, so I plan on reading it right after I finish the next in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series, Lover Eternal. I'll have to get back to Son of a Witch when they're finished.
#17 Lover Eternal by JR Ward: This is the second book in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series. This is the story of Rhage, a vampire who has been cursed with a "beast" inside of him that makes him keep his temperament in check at all times, and Mary, a human who is struggling with cancer. Rhage falls for Mary very early on in the book and tries for what seems like forever to convince Mary of it...which gets a bit annoying at times, but understandable since she doesn't know what her future holds because of the cancer. This book gives you a bit more info on some of the others in the Brotherhood, as well as setting everything up nicely for the next book...which I'm off to see if they have at the library.
#18 Beyond the Spiderwick Chronicles: A Giant Problem by Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi: Our story begins where The Nixie's Song left off. Nick and Laurie are learning how to kill the giants before they destroy the entire state. Along the way, they capture an entertaining little creature and find that Taloa has left her pond in search of her sisters by herself. That being the least of their problems right now, Nick and Laurie must figure out how to get rid of the giants first. Without giving anything away, this book has a nice little twist at the end that will have you waiting for the final book in this series...for your kids to read, of course. :)
#15 "Don't Make Me Count To Three!" by Ginger Plowman. This book is supposed to encourage and equip moms to reach pat the outward behavior of their children and dive deeply into the issues of the heart.
What a refreshing look at how to redirect children to examine the motivations of their hearts. This book teaches about discipline and reproof and how to balance the two. It also works through several situations and the proper way to deal with them. It examines the world's view -vs- a biblical view of spanking and the need for it. While this book might not be for everyone, and what parenting book is, there is much that you can take from this book even if you don't agree with everything. I really enjoyed reading it.
Week 14 ------------------------------- September 12 - September 18, 2008
Still reading Son of a Witch...not really enjoying it too much thus far. I'm just not "getting into it".
#17 Dark Lover by JR Ward While on hiatus from reading Son of a Witch I read this book...Yes, another vampire book, seems to be a theme tor me this summer.
This book is the first book in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series, the story of Wrath, the vampire king. Ward has a little different take on the Vampire world that I really like. They are a different species that can't turn others to be their kind. They exist along side the humans without allowing knowledge of their species. Ward also creates the Lessening Society. This is a brilliant addition to her book because this society's goal is to eliminate the Vampires. So, there are real tensions and threats to the Vampire's existence that gives the story so much depth. The Brothers are...fun, sexy, interesting, and intelligent. I'm ready to read the next book now.
Week 15 ------------------------------- September 19 - September 25, 2008
Still reading Son of a Witch...well, not really, it's just sitting there. I just picked up Beyond the Spiderwick Chronicles: A Giant Problem, so I plan on reading it right after I finish the next in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series, Lover Eternal. I'll have to get back to Son of a Witch when they're finished.
#17 Lover Eternal by JR Ward: This is the second book in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series. This is the story of Rhage, a vampire who has been cursed with a "beast" inside of him that makes him keep his temperament in check at all times, and Mary, a human who is struggling with cancer. Rhage falls for Mary very early on in the book and tries for what seems like forever to convince Mary of it...which gets a bit annoying at times, but understandable since she doesn't know what her future holds because of the cancer. This book gives you a bit more info on some of the others in the Brotherhood, as well as setting everything up nicely for the next book...which I'm off to see if they have at the library.
#18 Beyond the Spiderwick Chronicles: A Giant Problem by Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi: Our story begins where The Nixie's Song left off. Nick and Laurie are learning how to kill the giants before they destroy the entire state. Along the way, they capture an entertaining little creature and find that Taloa has left her pond in search of her sisters by herself. That being the least of their problems right now, Nick and Laurie must figure out how to get rid of the giants first. Without giving anything away, this book has a nice little twist at the end that will have you waiting for the final book in this series...for your kids to read, of course. :)
