Favorites of 2009

by Carol11 Comments
I wanted to share a few of my favorite reads from this past year. Top 5: The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom I had never heard of Corrie ten Boom before reading this book, but found her story truly inspirational. The Probable Future by Alice Hoffman This was a touching story of three special women who learn to see the world and each other in different ways. They also learn about love, both for family and for the men in their lives. The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins I reviewed this just a couple of days ago, discussing how I enjoyed all the characters and the twisting plot. I also really liked how each section was narrated by a different person. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis This children's classic is still magical for me, and it was nice to share it with Amber this time around. She Walks These Hills by Sharyn McCrumb I loved this one. It was a blending of Appalachia's present and its...
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Hearing from God Each Morning by Joyce Meyer

by Carol3 Comments
Hearing from God Each Morning by Joyce Meyer I'm looking forward to reading these daily devotionals, starting tomorrow. A new year, a fresh start, a new habit. I probably won't be reading them first thing in the morning, since I'm useless before my shower, and too busy trying to get out the door on time. Just typing that makes me think, well, I could actually just wake up ten minutes earlier and take a short time out from the hectic morning, sit down with a cup of coffee and start the day on a positive note. If you are too busy for time with God, then you are definitely too busy! (p. 327) Browsing through the book, I see topics dealing with listening to God and making time for Him, faith and trust.  Each devotional is only a page long, but they seem powerful. The cover says the book offers "reminders of how to reconnect with His plan and persevere through common obstacles...
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2009 A to Z Challenge Wrap-up

by Carol3 Comments
I didn't complete this one, but I'm giving it another shot next year. Here's the list of what I did read. Authors My Goodness: My Kids by Nesta A. Aharoni The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry Eggs in Purgatory by Laura Childs Baron Thinks Dogs Are People Too! by Laurie Dean The Case of the Night-Stalking Bone Monster by John R. Erickson One Hundred Butterflies by Harold Feinstein Master by Colette Gale The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway Turning Angel by Greg Iles The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster Phantom Limb by Theresa Kishkan The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Steig Larsson Phenomenal Girl 5 by A. J. Menden N. O. Second Glance by Jodi Picoult I Thee Wed by Amanda Quick Charlie and Mama Kyna by Diana Rumjahn The Reader by Bernhard Schlink Some Danger Involved by Will Thomas U. Companions of the Night by Vivian Vande Velde Surprise Island by Gertrude Chandler Warner X. Briar Rose by Jane Yolen Nine Princes in Amber by Roger Zelazny Titles The Art of Compassion by Martin Smith et al The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath The Case of...
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U is for Unclean

by Carol4 Comments
Vicki of Reading At The Beach hosts A-Z Wednesday. Today's letter is U. Apparently I don't read many books whose titles begin with U. I only found one that I've read since I've been keeping track, and it wasn't one I enjoyed much, so I'm pulling one from the never-ending to-read list. Unclean Spirits by M. L. N. Hanover In a world where magic walks and demons ride, you can't always play by the rules. Jayné Heller thinks of herself as a realist, until she discovers reality isn't quite what she thought it was. When her uncle Eric is murdered, Jayné travels to Denver to settle his estate, only to learn that it's all hers -- and vaster than she ever imagined. And along with properties across the world and an inexhaustible fortune, Eric left her a legacy of a different kind: his unfinished business with a cabal of wizards known as the Invisible College. Led by the ruthless Randolph Coin, the Invisible College harnesses...
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