Have you seen Callapidder Days and her “Fall Into Reading” challenge? I’ve decided I’m going to do it. If this interests you, sign up by Sunday evening to be eligible for the prize–a $10 Amazon gift certificate.
Here’s the list of books that I already own that I’d like to read this fall. (I’ll be adding more as I think of them.)
1. Raising An Emotionally Intelligent Child
3. There is No Me Without You (again!)
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I’d love to hear what books you’ve read lately and found worthwhile. In fact, I think I’ll make it my Opinion Saturday question. You have till Tuesday evening to describe a book you’ve read in the last year or so.
Tell me why you liked it and why you think I should read it. I’ll give the ‘Golden Keyboard’ to the person who is most convincing. (bonus points if you loan me the book! hehe)
Hit me with your best (book) thought!
I would recommend “Night” by Elie Wiesel. A difficult but very important read. Enjoy your books.
Unfortunately, I’ve been focusing on techie books, so am not taking this challenge right now. Kind of bummed by this, but very excited to be learning some new things right now, too.
Hi Mary – Thanks for joining in the challenge! Hope you get lots of good recommendations. I know that I have a whole new list of books I’d like to read, just from checking out everyone else’s lists!
I’m glad you’re “playing along, too.” I will have to check back here for the convincing books, too. This year, I just discovered Lisa Samson. She’s writes faith based fiction–not all happysmiley, but real people dealing with real issues with context. My first book was the Living End, which was such a beautiful story of the journey of faith. It was so sad in places, and funny and hopeful in others. It was a wonderful portrait of friendship, as well. I have her newest book on my list for Fall.
Am I allowed to describe two? Hope so, because I’m going to anyway!
One book that changed my life this year was “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” by Harriet Beecher Stowe. I’m in college, and was taking a course on American women writers of the 19th century, so of course we read Stowe. I had not been so inspired or cried so hard all year.
While there are moments that are 19th-century dramatic, this is a book about profound racial issues, real people’s responses to those issues, and a book about Christ. I had no idea that Stowe’s intent was to bring her readers to salvation, but I was truly and sincerely touched by the beauty of her writing and the depth of her ruminations on Christianity in America.
It reminded me of one of my church leader’s suggestions to read the books that our ancestors read, and to find uplifting literature of the past and take all we could from it.
Book #2: The Mommy Manual, by Barbara Curtis. I ordered it after reading enough recommendations on the book and have read it twice since it came a few months ago. It helped me to think about my childhood, about the childhood I want to give my kids, and brought up so many interesting issues to discuss with my husband that the intellectual stimulation alone was worth what I paid. Not to mention it inspired me to do better without making me feel guilty for my current and past failures. Perfect combination.
Whoa. Sorry for the novel–good thing I know you like to read!
Oh, reading for pleasure! I used to do that! Having a child with certain multiple special needs and evolving crises has a way of claiming all such time for itself. Nearly everything I read is practical, problem-oriented non-fiction– bleh! That said, I am happy to say that I recently accomplished the reading of an essay (actually a written sermon) — and then read it again! It was C.S. Lewis’ classic, The Weight of Glory. Loved it. When I get my hands on Melissa’s book, I will make that book my non-necessary goal.
Best book…ooooh, that’s a toughie because there are so many good ones out there. But one that I read over and over is “The Shell Seekers” by Rosamund Pilcher. It’s such a good story of grace, forgiveness, perserverence and joie de vivre. Love it!
I am presently reading a real page-turner “Under the Baner of Heaven” by Jon Krakauer. It’s an interesting read.
The last REALLY good fiction book I read was Vince Flynn’s “Consent to Kill”
I love books. Just don’t get much time to read.
Hi Mary,
I just finished reading Digging to America and liked it alot. I was crying within the first chapter during the adoption scene. It was really very sweet! This was my second Anne Tyler book, my first was Breathing Lessons. Breathing Lessons takes place within one day in a woman’s life. It is like a discovery that life made up of all the good and all the bad, you can’t really have one without the other.
Here are a couple of others worth reading:
Missing Mom (Joyce Carol Oates)
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (author–i don’t remember)
Night (Elie Wiesel)
Happy Reading!
I don’t think I’ve heard of any of the books on your list — there’s a lot of variety of tastes among all the folks taking this challenge!
I’ve just finished Alone With God: A Practical Plan for Dynamic Devotions by Jason Janz and What Do I Know About My God? by Mardi Collier, both on the subject of learning more about God by reading His Word and ways to do that and get more out of it. They are both good with a lot of good tips and material. Mardi’s book is an outgrowth of a notebook she started years ago. She wanted to learn more about God, and her husband suggested going through the Psalms and writing down everything they told her about God. She started a new sheet of paper with a new heading for each trait or characteristic she learned about Him, and that grew as she read more of the Bible, She tells about that process in the first part of the book, and then tells specific ways this has affected her in daily life in the second part. Very inspiring reading!
Interesting list – Ireland by Frank Delaney. This is a wonderful, wonderful book, full of stories within stories, history, myths, legends, etc… I have thoroughly enjoyed it.
The book I most think you should read though is Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers. It is a love story about Hosea and Gomer (different names in the book) from the Bible. It is set in the 1800′s. It really shows the love of God, has an excellent love story but is not mushy. It is one of the best books I have ever read.
Thanks for sharing this info. I linked this challenge from my blog. I’m looking forward to joining in and finishing some of the books that I have needed to complete….so I can start reading more, of course!
DItto on the Uncle Tom’s Cabin. There’s a life-changing book for you. But the one that I have to recommend is Hold on to Your Kids, by Gordon Neufelt. It’s about all the things that we sense are wrong about ‘socialization’, but we just couldn’t articulate. It is the most validating book about the decision to homeschool without ever mentioning homeschooling. Powerful.
Becca, I completely agree about “Hold On To Your Kids”. WONDERFUL book!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Mary
I have to recommend something we read in our book club this past year…Dinner with a Perfect Stranger. A scenero of a man who receives an invitation to have dinner at a posh restaurant by…Jesus. It is a wonderful book for anyone who is “searching”…yet all of us in the group who are Christians were completely touched by it!
I hope to get my Fall into reading posted tomorrow! I’m more of a fiction reader…reading is my chance to escape…but I sometimes love a good non-fiction.
Happy reading!
Here’s my pick: The Paradox of Choice: Why More is Less by Barry Schwartz (this guy loves subtitles, apparently, because there’s another one: “How the Culture of Abundance Robs Us of Satisfaction”). Schwartz begins by acknowledging that choice is essential to human happiness and the rest of the book explores the “bu-u-u-u-t.” Using a lot of marketing research, Schwartz points out that too much choice can be paralyzing and decreases our satisfaction in the choices we do make: for instance, one study showed that people are less likely to buy jam if they are offered more than six flavours to choose from.
Probably the biggest methodological flaw in the book is Schwartz’s assumption that what is true of choosing jam or blue jeans can be mapped neatly onto the task of choosing who to marry or whether to have children. But that’s a huge part of the book’s entertainment value as well: I found it constantly amusing to see how Schwartz could take studies done by and for marketers to help them convince us to buy more and more, and used this research to launch a devastating critique of our consumeristic, choice-mad culture.
Beware, though: this book may make you an obnoxious person who begins far too many conversations with, “Well you know, in the book I’m reading right now…”
My favorite book I have read lately is actually a play- by Stephen Adly Gurgis called “the Last Days of Judas Iscariot” But its not for the faint of heart- its full of foul language – and that is probably an understatement- so if you don’t watch HBO or see R rated movies- don’t read this play- But If you can read it and know its is art- cuz it is…then it was one of the best things I have read in a long time- amazing play where Judas goes on trial in purgatory– characters appear like St Mathew, Freud, Mary Magdalene, satan , etc etc…there is an amazing monologue from Jesus. Maybe I will post his monologue on my blog- except I have to wait to get the play back from my friend.
2 on Afghanistan I read and enjoyed this summer:
“The Bookseller of Kabul.” Written by a Norweigan journalist who spent 3 months living with the bookseller’s family. SHe was initially attracted to him by what she thought was his Westerness and openess to change, but saw a different, traditional side of him in how he ran his household, wives and children. I like how she portrays him as a real person–she shows both sides and how both can co-exist. I know so many people like this that I appreciated the accuracy of the view, and I also liked how she didn’t make him a 2-D cartoon figure when she saw his traditional side, which unfortunately can be the reaction of Westerners to Arabs.
“The Kite Runner” It’s a disturbing but ultimately encouraging book, incredibly written, on the effects our actions have on our own characters, as well as on others. Ultimately a story of redemption. Really powerful. Fiction.
I’m not going to join the Fall into Reading. I brought back a lovely stack of books this summer, and so did several other friends, and I’m currently reading 4 of them. My problem is to manage my time and read LESS, not more
I recently read Painted Shadow: The Life of Vivienne Eliot, T.S. Eliot’s First Wife by Carole Seymore-Jones. This was mindblowing! Truly! I’ve always found her fascinating (Vivienne Eliot) and thought she got the (very) short end of the stick in her relationship with Eliot. I find T.S. Eliot repulsive as a person for locking up his wife as mentally inadequate when, really, she was just going through menopause. Yet, a great poet (to the credit of Vivienne, really) It’s a heavy read, with lots of background info, but great insights into her own life, and how she was the true force behind his triumphant writing.
Highly recommend!
My recommendation is “Monster” by Frank Peretti. He’s the same guy who wrote “This Present Darkness”. My husband (who usually only reads BORING computer books) was reading this book at night before bed. One night, when I could barely see straight I was so tired, he insisted on reading a chapter to me. Fine, that’ll put me right to sleep. Well…..when he finished, I was sitting bolt upright in bed. Couldn’t sleep. What happened, what happened? He wouldn’t tell me. He wouldn’t let me near the book until he finished. He still wouldn’t tell me. So, I got it away from him and started reading. Unbelieveable. You can ask me all you want…….but I’m not telling. You’ll have to read it.
ok if that last one by fiddledeedee doesn’t make you want to run out and get that book- I don’t know what would—when I am that tired- I can’t imagine anything making me sit bolt upright in bed!
I’d like to recommend “Ribbon of Years” by Robin Lee Hatcher. It’s a life journey of a woman who started as a rebellious teen and then gave her life to the Lord and the legacy she left behind. It’s a wonderful read that really encourages those who think their lives are not influential. This book gave me encouragement, hope and vision and a sense that what I do each day in the little things could actually change somebody’s life. That’s a lot to get out of a fiction novel.
[...] Also, this morning I’ve picked my Opinion Saturday winner. (Here’s the original post with comments: Fall Into Reading) [...]
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