Literary Junkies [v. 5]

I'm still not great at remembering to link up once a month with my fellow literary junkies. (Even though they send a reminder every month. I still forget...pretty lame, I know!) I don't think it helps I'm currently bogged down in reading for parenting/birth. I mean, it's not all the time people are looking to read books about birth...for real! Anyway, on to this month's questions...

1. What are you currently reading? Tell us a bit about it!

Well, I can tell you I just finished a really good book about grace, which I will be reviewing and having a giveaway for this Thursday. I have to admit as excited as I was about receiving this book to review, I had no idea just how much it would blow my mind out of the water. I don't want to say much here, because I want to save it for my post later this week, but I really believe Tullian has such an honest persepective of Grace vs. Law and communicates well how we've swung the pendulum too far to one side. Definitely worth reading!

2. What are your five most recent book purchases?

Well, I don't think many of you are going to care about my five most recent book purchases. Actually, one of my recent purchases is also a pretty good book. Also, I went back to check on Amazon what my most recent purchases were...let's just say we don't buy books a lot, because I am getting ready to read up on unmedicated child birth several of my purchases are to do with that, and also because of my last point I haven't had any desire to travel to the library to look for books for me. Plenty out there I want to read and probably would rather be reading, but this isn't really a list many are going to just jump on reading :) Plus, I have plenty of books here at home which I've not read. I'll start my list with my oldest purchase, up to my most recent:

1. Start by Jon Acuff (You guys, I bought this book for my husband for his birthday. His birthday was in April, or if you want to look at it another way, it's coming up again in April. Yeah...we haven't been spending money on books :/)
2. Ina May's Guide to Childbirth by Ina May Gaskin (I must say I'm kind of looking forward to reading this one as everyone who has ever given birth unmedicated talks about this book. Curious to see what she has to say.)
3. Husband-Coached Childbirth: The Bradley Method of Natural Childbirth (Fifth Edition) by Robert A. Bradley, M.D. (Also looking forward to this one as I hated Lamaze. Curious to see what he says. Plus, this is another highly recommended among those who have given birth unmedicated.)
4. The Birth Book: Everything You Need to Know To Have a Safe and Satisfying Birth by William Sears, M.D. and Martha Sears, R.N. (Maybe you think I'm crazy by now, but I'm also looking forward to this book as I love the way the Sears write. [I read their Attachment Parenting book after having Zoë and feeling at the end of my rope. Something in me didn't 100% understand and/or connect with Babywise. And the book was a god-send!])
5. Love Does by Bob Goff (Though, like most non-fiction religious texts, I don't agree with everything he says, I really loved the stories he shares and his heart behind everything. I think it is a great book worth reading.)

3. Have you ever named/nicknamed anything (person, pet or thing) after a character? Who and why?

We named our aloe plant Inigo. When it started growing a second plant I think we named the other one Fezzik (spelling?). Can you tell I married a man who loves The Princess Bride?

4. If you could live in one book, with all of its characters and in the town, which would it be?

Goodness...I have no idea. I love the places in Chronicles of Narnia, but they don't stay there forever. Then there is the stinking awesome world of Harry Potter. Who wouldn't want to live in a wizarding community? I also really love Karen Kingsbury's Baxter Family Drama and could see myself really enjoying being a part of the Baxter family or an integrated part of it. I think where I would want to be though would change on a consistent basis. Sometimes I like the more fairytale, not real life, aspect of stories and other times I really enjoy the more real-to-life stories, the ones which seem a bit more in reach.

5. Can you think of a book you read that taught you something concrete you've never forgotten? Tell us about it.

You guys, I know I have, but my mind is just not coming up with anything. I've stared at my bookshelf. I've stared at this computer screen. I've sat and just tried to conjure up one concept/lesson I've learned from the many books I've read. Nothing. If I can think of something later, and remember to update this post, then I will let you know. Let's face it, I'm pregnant. That just isn't going to happen, so sorry to have nothing for you, but I really can't think of anything right now. Part of it is likely what I learned was so concrete it's become integrated into my life, thus I don't remember I learned it from what I read.

Literary Junkies [v. 4]

Oooi! I haven't done well continuing to link up with my Literary Junkies comrads here in the past few months. I'm not really sure why, but I really wanted to make sure I did for this months because I want to stay connected with my fellow "book lovers"! So I'm off to link-up with Taylor at Pink Heels Pink Truck and Lesley at By the Porchlight.

1. What are you currently reading? Tell us about it!

[via]

Ah...well, I'm trying to get myself into The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams. But did you notice I said trying?

I just can't seem to really pick up the feel of this book and though I pride myself on trudging through almost every book I've ever picked up (I couldn't finish Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison), I just am not sure that I could finish this one.

This would only make my "couldn't finish" number up to 2, out of I have no clue how many I've read. It just bothers me to start a book and not finish, unless of course you're given a bazillion books for College Lit and you only have to read excerpts. Then I'm ok with saying it's not really been "picked up" to begin with and will do so later in my life. When I feel like picking that particular book up.

[via]

I'm also slowly working my way through this book. Of course, this won't apply to everyone, but so far, I'm really enjoying this book.

I will say I generally don't buy parenting books. I may ask questions to people on Facebook or do some online research, but I'm not huge fan on just picking up every parenting book.

However, my mom bought this book for me and I thought I'd give it a shot. I come from a long line of yellers (don't worry, my mom would be the first to tell you). I mean we yell just to get someone's attention from across the house. But angry yelling also came into play at times. And I'm willing to bet our family isn't the only one like that. Or that we're the only family who it continues to travel down the line.

I'm not very far into this book, so really I'll have to let you know what I think once I'm either further in or completely finished...though I'm going to be the former will happen first. Ha!

2. What is one book you think every person should read at least once in their life? Why?

Oh dear. You know, I have to give a shout out to Melissa from Little Mrs. Married for my answer to this question. Had it not been for her recent post about this book, I'm likely to have forgotten how great it is, even though it's on my "I could and probably will definitely read this book again."

So you wanna know what it is?

[via]

Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers.

Oh you guys! Yes, this is an amazing Christian fictional work based off the book of Hosea from the Bible, but I'm willing to guess that anyone can enjoy this romance novel.

The story is one that pulls you in from the beginning and you just don't want to put the book down. It is full of a story of grace, unconditional love, and redemption. Just a truly beautiful piece of art! (After all, that is what literature is, right? Art?)

So so so good!









3. Do you think you could ever write a book? If so, what genre would it be?

Hmmm...I've thought I could. And I've started to write short stories. And then life happened. Or I've received some negative criticism that stuck with me from my teacher's in high school. Which I happen to keep playing over and over in my head.

But, maybe I should try again. And just see what happens as time progresses.

As for genre...I'm not really sure. It'd definitely be a fictional work. I'm not into history or anything of the sort.

4. Do you listen to audiobooks? Do you look for the same things in an audiobook that you do in one you'll read?

I have tried. I really struggle to stay awake and/or stay focused on listening. But honestly, if I'm going to listen to an audiobook, then I want it to be something that'd I'd read the hard copy of.

5. Can you suggest a book of each type for others to try:

Fantasy - Harry Potter Saga (Of course!) by J.K. Rowling and The Hobbit by J.R.R Tolkien

NonFiction - Columbine by Dave Cullen (Please note: this is a heavy, heavy read, but from the way it was written I think they're really telling the truth that Cullen took his time doing research. A lot of effort went in to shedding light on all that actually happened.)

Fiction - The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum

Romance - Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers falls into this category (Yep. I'm using it twice.)

Classics - The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

Young Adult - The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares

And that wraps up this months Literary Junkies. If you are a fellow book lover, feel free to hop on over and link up! Love to hear what you have to say about books you're reading or have read.

Literary Junkies [v. 3]

It's that time again!

Wait...

What am I saying? I haven't really participated in the link-up for Literary Junkies that frequently. I've only done it two other times. So I don't think I'm entitled to start with the sentence I was going to.

Anyway, I am going to be linking with Taylor and Lesley for the LJ post this month. And since I've got a brand, spankin' new library card, I think I may join in on their book club if I can nab a copy of the book their reading, though who knows if I'll actually be able to read through the books. I may be up for the challenge. I'll let you know!

1) What are you currently reading? Tell us about it.

[source]

Well, I'm going to be s.l.o.w.l.y. working my way through The Power of  Praying Wife by Stormie Omartian. If you follow my blog, you already know this. For newcomers, you can read the posts I've written so far by going here. 

Oh and by slowly, I mean I won't be finished with it until the end of November.

However, it's worth it to me as it's encouraging me to commit myself to praying for husband on a daily basis with a focus for each week.

I love how Stormie writes because if she isn't sharing her own story she's sharing someone elses. It helps remind me that I'm not the only one who needs her words to help jump start my lacking prayer life for the hubs. (Honestly, in general.) She gives some very practical, down-to-earth advice on what to focus on within each topic. And it is all biblically based, which is of utmost importance to me. I love how she saturates what she's bringing to the table with it. Good stuff.

I'm also reading...hang on...I can't remember the title becauase I never looked at it except for when I downloaded it.

...

...this:

[source]

I had liked a facebook page for Gospel eBooks a while back. My older sister had told me they daily post great deals on Christian literature along with free books, too. This book happened to pop across my feed one day so I decided to download it.

It if a farely easy read, but it has completely captured my attention. I'm not sure if it's the stubborn, hot-tempered Madeline or the sweet, going-against-the-grain Devlin who have captured me more, but whoever it is, I find myself wanting to pick up my Kindle even when my inner being is crying for me to hold paper. Though it is farely predictable, I'm ok with that as my daughter and I are finally on the other  side of mending from being sick off and on between the two of us for almost a month now. And even with its predictability, I find that the characters invite you in, making you feel as though you are the fly on the wall, which I love. Entering another world is one of the many reasons I enjoy reading and this book offers just that.

2) Summer is just ahead and my fav thing to fantasize is laying in a hammock with a good book. What are you top 3 fav "summer" reads?

Oh my. I'm such a reader that I'm not certain I'd really go back to reread anything. Even if I loved it. So I'm going to pick the first three that come to my head.

First up, is Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis. I just love how he wrote from the standpoint of Satan's workers trying to lead astray a Christ-follower. Plus, C.S. Lewis has so many great insights scattered throughout and the way they are said captivates my mind.

The next book that comes to mind would be The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver. Very interesting book. It's been a while since I've read this one so I can't really give you a synopsis on it, but if I reread books, I'm know this would be in my stack.

And finally, but most certainly not least of any of these, Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky. It's also been forever since I've read this one. I know that it follows a criminal and essentially gives you a look into his thoughts. Aside from that, I can't really remember. I just know I am continually telling my husband how much I enjoyed reading it in High School, would love to read it again, and that he needs to read it because he never has. So there. Ha!

3) What are your top 3 summer "to-reads"?

Ummm...

I have no clue.

If I had to guess, I will say these three, in no particular order:

     1) She's Gonna Blow by Julie Ann Barnhill - Yes, I struggle with anger. Yes, I find myself working over-time to keep from taking it out on my child. No, I'm not joking. Yes, I'm going and doing something about it. No, I've never harmed my daughter, but I know that if I don't do something about it, I am just as capable as any other human to lose their temper and doing something I would deeply regret. Only by God's grace. And I know I'm not the only one who struggles with it. (Hence, the book. I think if I was the only one, I wouldn't have that book for help.)

     2) 1000 Gifts by Ann Voskamp - I'm waiting on the copy I recently won to arrive in the mail. I cannot wait to read this book as I've heard nothing but great things about it. I also love that it's entire point is to hone in on all the gifts we are surrounded by and how they all point back to a God who loves to lavish us, even in the seemingly trivial and small things that we take for granted. (Heck. I take for granted the roof over my head. That is not small or trivial. But I digress.)

     3) START. by Jon Acuff - I am already in love with this book. You see, my sister had a Blissdom exclusive copy when I went to visit her early in April. (I actually like her copy more than my husbands because its my favorite type of paperback binding. Weird? Maybe. But I'm not a big fan of hardback. Anyway...) And so while I visited her just a few short weeks before it was released to the less fortunate (aka those who didn't go to Blissdom), I found I just. couldn't. put. it. down. Seriously. She was always finding me with it in my hands if there was any silence to be spared. Or even if a ruckus was being made. I was trying to soak up as much of its goodness as could be. I didn't have enough time to finish it, but since I pre-ordered my hubs copy, we also have a eBook copy. SCORE! Oh you bet that sucker is being read before summer is over. Can. not. wait!

4) What book do you wish they'd make a movie of?

None.

Seriously.

Though I know they've made some great movies that do a decent job of capturing the book and I love (read: Harry Potter), I never have found myself sitting around hoping they will make a movie based off of a book. Because, generally speaking, the book wins. Every time. And many times, after I've read the book, I can never watch the movie again (ie Born Identity). It's a rare case for me to watch the movie again. And so I don't have any books I wish they'd make into movies. 

The end.

5) Has your favorite author published a book lately or going to publish a book soon? Tell us about it.

I'm not sure who my favorite author is.

But since I can definitely pin point my favorite children's author, that is for young children, ages 0 to 5/6, I will share that with you.

Our favorite children's author is Sandra Boynton.

Oh, and I had to ask Ben what her age range is. His answer: "0 to 85." She's that good guys. They're catchy, so they're extremely easy to memorize.

You think that last piece of info is bad? It isn't when you have a toddler who turns the page every .5 seconds. You can recite the entire book as she flips through it 10 times in a sitting.

Plus, they are either plain silly, silly with a good lesson to learn or way to teach a topic (letters, numbers, opposites, animals, etc), or a cute way to teach a lesson. Wait. They're all kind of silly. But either way, they're all stinking cute! I find myself hoping that Zoë brings me any of the Boynton books we have. Ha!

Now, back to adult convo...favorite author...

You know, I'm just going to go with Karen Kingsbury because I own a ton of her books. And honestly, I wouldn't have a book to give you guys if I didn't choose someone current because my other favorites have long sinced passed away. (Fyodor Dostoevsky and C.S. Lewis. I seriously love both of their writing.)

And she just released a new book:

[source]

Since I know absolutely nothing about it, I'm going to copy and paste the synopsis up on her website (the source for the image takes you there):

"The Chance is a heartwarming story about childhood friends, broken lives, and a long ago promise that just might offer the hope of love for today. In The Chance, Karen delves deeply into a theme that resonates with us all: It’s never too late for those willing to take a chance.

Years ago, the day before Ellie moved from Georgia to California, she and her best friend Nolan sat beneath the Spanish moss of an ancient oak tree where they wrote letters to each other, and sealed them in a rusty old metal box. The plan was to return eleven years later and read them. But now, as that date arrives, much has changed. Ellie, bereft of the faith she grew up with, is a single mom living in a tired apartment trying to make ends meet. Sometimes she watches television to catch a glimpse of her old friend —Nolan, now an NBA star, whose terrible personal tragedies fueled his faith and athletic drive in equal measure. But Nolan also suffers from a transcendent loneliness that nothing has ever eased.

In their separate lives, as Ellie and Nolan move toward the possibility of a reunion at the oak tree, Kingsbury weaves a tale of heart-wrenching loss, the power of faith, and the wounds that only love can heal."

Knowing how much I always find myself sucked into her books, I'm guessing this one will be nothing less.

I'm a bit surprised at how much I was able to crank out for this post. I guess if you get me talking about books, I can go for a while. Only proves that I love them!

Literary Junkies [v. 2]

*Disclaimer: I was not paid in any form or fashion to advertise anything I did in this post. Everything is truly my 100% bonified opinion with no incentives for giving it.*

I'm sure the adage of my blog is making circles around one word: time.

I'm always finding myself saying, "It sure has flown!" or "I can't believe we're already here (whatever here may mean at that moment)." And right now is just another one of those moments.

Last month I found a link-up entitle "literary junkies". And I knew I would be linking up as long as they hold it. Even though I rarely get to read as much as I would like to these days, I still love to read as much as I possibly can.

I also set a goal that I would complete SSMT 2013. This is huge for me because I've always had a burning desire to memorize more scripture, partially got onto myself way too much about how little I have done this in my adult years versus my childhood (AWANA = an awesome program for children to learn about Christ and memorize scripture), and always found myself defeated when I would try probably because I beat myself up too much. (Yes, I just admitted how much I struggle with continually punishing myself for my mistatkes rather than learning from them and also learning to forgive myself for them. An ever present way Christ is changing me and working in my life to become more like Him. I can confidently say I am not where I was with this a year ago and He continually helps me daily. So thankful for His unfailing love and never ending grace to see me through!)

And that both are here again for me, well, I told you whatever adage I could adopt is making laps around Time.

So, without further ado, my Literary Junkies post for January 2013. (I decided to do two seperate posts, because I would like to post the scripture by itself. And then if I have any thoughts on it, well then I won't have one ridiculously long post :]) If you would like to join in, please feel free to do so! I'm sure Lesley and Taylor would love if you did.

1. Which book could you read over and over? Why?
My answer may seem very cliché and/or very much "the right Christian answer" to some, but honestly, the first book that popped into my head and the one I couldn't get away from was this: the Bible. I can even bonify that with a good story: My freshman year of college I lived in an all freshman door. (You know, a bunch of very mature people. hehe) I had stayed up late studying for a huge test and as such, ended up going to be at some 2 or 3 am. I don't think it was long after that I woke up to what I thought was my alarm. However, that was not the case. Some genius had decided it would be funny to pull the fire alarm. And by golly, how I confused that with my alarm clock on testifies to how stinkin' tired I was. That thing was BLARING loud! I'm pretty sure it was right outside my door. Anyway, when I finally came to enough to know I had to leave my room, I began to walk out with everyone else. Just before I made it through my door way, I ran back in because I realized I was leaving my bible and I was not about to let it burn should there be an actual fire. True story. Anyway, I know that wasn't completely pertinent to the question. Just felt I should share so you know I'm not using this as a cop out. I truly love...well, sometimes it makes me angry but God always has a way of bringing back full circle to where I love scripture. I don't always set a goal to read through it in it's entirety every year, but I have before and know I will again. I'm always learning something new, being changed for the better, healed in the moments I think I can't go anymore, refreshed with whispers that He makes me feel are for my heart alone even though I know He's used them to speak to many. To me, it is my love letter from the Lover of my soul and that is a very vague encompassing of why I could read it time and time again. 2. If you could be any character from any book you've read, who would you be?
Oh geez. (I guess mom has rubbed off on me so much, Linds, that I think it even when I'm typing...oh boy!) Well... For now, the one character who keeps popping into my head is Lucy Pevensie. I would want to be her because of her child-like trust and wonder. I also can highly relate to her in the way she doubts herself when she has seen something or knows Aslan has shown her something. I miss both of those in myself and continually ask God to restore both to me, especially knowing that is how He wants me to relate to him. He repeatedly spoke of how we should be like little children or how the Kingdom is theirs. That is how I want to follow Him, the way Lucy followed Aslan. 3. Do you ever put a book down because you can't get into it? Or do you stick it out to the bitter end? Any examples?
Ooi. I think generally I stick it out until the bitter end, but I have put down a book or two that either I just absolutely didn't like, for whatever reason, or couldn't get myself to drag through the beginning to see if it picked up. The one example I can think of is Love and Respect by Dr. Emerson Eggerich. I know a lot of people who absolutely love that book, but to me it was him trying to talk about what a woman has to do to make the marriage better. And I read through at least half way. To me he kept talking about respect and how love and respect go hand in hand but I never could get myself to see if he talked about both. Maybe I need to give it another go, except my problem here is this: we got rid of the book. And I just asked Ben who we gave it to. His response, "The trash." Apparently, I highly disliked that book. HA! I would have thought I could say I never throw a book in the trash. But apparently, I'm wrong. I'm dying laughing thinking I would have ever thrown away bound paper that someone else might have found very useful. OMG! That just is so not like me! And yet, here we are...I did that. Bahahahaha *ok...I'll stop that now. hehe. sorry* Ahem... 4. Show us your book shelves! Do you have one designated spot in your house for all your books? Do you scatter them around?

These are the children's books we have. Quite a good start for having none just a little over 10 months ago. And yes, they get pulled down every. single. day. BUT I love that Zoë loves to look at them. And that she loves for me to read with her. (Yes, she's brought me books off the shelf before.)

This bookshelf is to your right when you walk into Ben's and my room.

And this beauty is straight in front of you when you walk into our room.Visible as in this photo from our bed. And I love seeing them. :)

So for the most part, all our books are in one place. Zoë's are definitely all in one place.

I say for the most part because we have a scarce few out in our living room on one of the couch end tables. Aside from that, our books reside on these shelves. However, once we start having the ability to invest in book again, I'm not sure what we'll do as both book shelves are packed full. No room to budge!

Well, that wraps up this link-up. It ended up being a bit more personal than I thought it would be, but I don't mind one bit. Just goes to show how something so simple can shine a light into the deeper places.

Oh...

And I must share with you, because I'm oober excited: my older sis (the blogger I linked earlier in this post) designs blog pages and is working on mine :) She showed me what's she's got so far and I cannot wait for you guys to see it! It's gonna look so good! Eeeeek!

Just wanted to let you in on my joy of anticipation!

Literary Junkies [v. 1]

So I missed it by a day, but yesterday I dedicated my post to the Sandy Hook victims and didn't want to post anything else. Glad I found this link-up because I absolutely love to read. You can ask my sister, Lindsey. Pretty sure she used to make fun of me for how much I read :)

1] What are you currently reading? Tell us about it.
I am currently finishing of LOTR: Return of the King.  So. good.  I will admit, I'm not an avid Tolkien fan, but then again I say that comparing myself to my husband who is an over-the-top LOTR fan, to the point he knows, loves, and frequently visits The Encyclopedia of Arda for funsies. This book has taken me the longest to read of probably any book I've read in years. I think because he is constantly painting word pictures, I struggle to read through it as quickly as say a Karen Kingsbury book. However, I like it none the less and hope to soon be finished.
2] If you could choose any author in the world to write a story based on your life, who would you choose? Why? Hmmm...probably Karen Kingsbury. Or Francine Rivers. Because I love the way they weave their stories. And as far as Kingsbury goes, she already does that on a pretty consistent basis with others lives through her "Forever in Fiction". 3] Tell us about your favorite place to read. Well, the answer to this honestly depends on my mood. Some days I long to be inside a Starbucks Coffee or some other coffee house with a good cup of jo. Then there are times I want to be snuggled under a blanket tucked into the corner of my couch with natural light seeping in through my windows. Still others I love to grab a blanket and head to the park to find a nice space either next to or close to trees. And which one all depends on my mood. Though these days, the couch usually has to suit me because I don't feel like packing up myself and a baby to get out. Takes too long :)
4] What books would you buy for lovers of a) suspense/mystery, b) chicklit, c) comedy, d) literary fiction, e) nonfiction, f) classics, g) biography? (You can choose how many of those subcategories you want to talk about.) My mind is a bit fried and the only thing I can come up with right now is probably my favorite classic that I've read to date:

[image source here]

And that's all I have for you guys.