I seem to go in spurts with my reading. I'll have a bunch of other things going on and will neglect my stack o' books, and then I'll read a few one right after another. I often have more than one book going at a time. Maybe a nice little fiction novel, something Bible studyish, perhaps something related to homeschooling, and usually at least one gardening or photography magazine in the stack. A few of my recent reads are:
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith. (Thanks for the suggestion, Kim!) It's not an exciting storyline, and it isn't the most well-written book I've ever read, but for some reason I really enjoyed it. I think's it's because I enjoyed being immersed in the main character's life as she grows up in the poor area of Brooklyn in the early 1900's. It's fiction, but based loosely upon the author's own childhood.
The Gate of Heaven by Gilbert Morris. It's a fictional account of the life of Jacob, and part of a series about the great patriarchs of the Old Testament. I love historical fiction, especially good Biblical fiction. Though much creative license is used in the story, these "coulda happened" scenarios get me thinking of Biblical folks as real people with emotions and lives beyond what God chose to include in His Word. It gets me looking up passages in my own Bible, to clarify what is actually in the Bible and what has been added to the story. In The Gate of Heaven, for instance, Dinah's story continues beyond what we learn of her in the Bible. As I re-read the passage about her in Genesis, I realized that I'd missed quite a few details previously!
No Other Gods by Kelly Minter. Loved it. I like something deep with some humor thrown in. (Along those lines: If you've never read Dave Crowder's Praise Habit, I encourage you to do so; he switches from the hilarious to the profound fast enough to give you whiplash. I literally laughed out loud reading that book!) Anyway, Kelly's book had me giggling a few times, but the main reason I loved it is that it's really got me thinking about whether or not I've truly surrendered every part of my life to Christ. I love this line in the last chapter:
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith. (Thanks for the suggestion, Kim!) It's not an exciting storyline, and it isn't the most well-written book I've ever read, but for some reason I really enjoyed it. I think's it's because I enjoyed being immersed in the main character's life as she grows up in the poor area of Brooklyn in the early 1900's. It's fiction, but based loosely upon the author's own childhood.
The Gate of Heaven by Gilbert Morris. It's a fictional account of the life of Jacob, and part of a series about the great patriarchs of the Old Testament. I love historical fiction, especially good Biblical fiction. Though much creative license is used in the story, these "coulda happened" scenarios get me thinking of Biblical folks as real people with emotions and lives beyond what God chose to include in His Word. It gets me looking up passages in my own Bible, to clarify what is actually in the Bible and what has been added to the story. In The Gate of Heaven, for instance, Dinah's story continues beyond what we learn of her in the Bible. As I re-read the passage about her in Genesis, I realized that I'd missed quite a few details previously!
No Other Gods by Kelly Minter. Loved it. I like something deep with some humor thrown in. (Along those lines: If you've never read Dave Crowder's Praise Habit, I encourage you to do so; he switches from the hilarious to the profound fast enough to give you whiplash. I literally laughed out loud reading that book!) Anyway, Kelly's book had me giggling a few times, but the main reason I loved it is that it's really got me thinking about whether or not I've truly surrendered every part of my life to Christ. I love this line in the last chapter:
"And that is the ultimate purpose of tracing our actions and emotions to our idols, discovering them, and turning from them--not so we can merely be idol-free, but so our lives may be spacious places for God to dwell and move. It is all about making room for him."
Amen! I want to give God access to every nook and cranny of my heart, but having just one teeny, tiny idol will keep that from happening. The author has also written a "Living Room Series" Bible study by the same name, and I want to check into doing that study with a group of friends sometime soon.
I always welcome more good book suggestions, both fiction and non-fiction!
I always welcome more good book suggestions, both fiction and non-fiction!
