I started 2009 with a goal of reading 13 books, one a month and one more. Since books for class don't count and I took three literature classes in 2009, that was a feasible goal. I read 14. So my goal this year was 17, and I hit 22. I think that means in 2011 I have to read 25...
1. Five Love Languages: Singles Edition by Gary Chapman
2. The Condition by Jennifer Haigh
3. June Bug by Chris Farby
My thoughts on books 4-9 and some more can be found here
4. In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez
A must-read if you like historical fiction and/or Latina America.
5. The Help by Kathryn Stockett
Historical fiction set in the Jackson, Mississippi, during the Civil Rights Era
6. The Wednesday Letters by Jason Wright
Laura, my dyslexic sister, devoured this book.
7. A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Houssini
Christina, my other dyslexic sister, is eager to read this book. It's a must read if you like historical fiction and Afghanistan.
8. Invisible I by Stella Lennon
Part of The Amanda Project
9. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
My boss asked me to read this book. I never would have done it on my own, but I enjoyed it!
10. Unspoken Lies by Darrien Lee
I went to Barnes & Noble looking for a short book and bought this one just because it fit that description. Honestly, the only reason I kept reading this book was because I liked the exposition. I was not impressed with the dialogue, storyline or ending. The whole story revolved around the characters having affairs and getting away with it, and the ending seemed like a cop out. I don't recommend it, sorry.
11. A Million Miles in a Thousand Years by Donald Miller
I read this book as a writer and it was good. I would love to go back and read it again, this time just as a person. My roommates and I have embraced his idea of filling life with memorable moments. Our first Memorable Moment was putting birthday candles in Amy and Melia's chicken breast instead of in their cake. I do recommend this book but take your time reading it. Let everything sink in before you move on to the next chapter.
12. Fearless by Max Lucado
I didn't realize how much control fear has in my life until I read his book on how to get rid of it. I love all Max Lucado books, but this is definitely one of my favorites. If you're going to try Max for just one book, pick this one.
13. Saving CeeCee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman
I was promised I would love this book. And I did. It did take me awhile to get into it, though, because I was coming off a long stretch of historical fiction books. All of my other thoughts about it are in a Writer's Notebook at school, sorry.
14. A Novel Idea
A writing book I highly recommend if you're interested in writing Christian fiction. I took notes.
15. "Unveiled," "Unashamed," and "Unshaken" part of A Lineage of Grace by Francine Rivers
They are three fictional short stories looked at the lives of nonfictional Tamar, Rahab, and Ruth. Francine Rivers brings Bible characters to life in a way I've never experienced before. I had a hard time getting into these stories at first, but I was disappointed I couldn't finish the book (I borrowed it and had to return it). Although, if you're going to read Francine Rivers you have to read Redeeming Love.
16, 17. Catching Fire and Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
Books two and three in The Hunger Games series. When I read the first book, I criticized Collins for dragging the story out through three books rather than just ending it. Maybe it's just my dislike for sequels. I still understand why I argued that, but I'm glad she didn't ask my opinion before writing books two and three. The books are considered young adult fiction, but I've heard of a lot of adults thoroughly enjoying them. Elizabeth and Andy kept pestering me to read and finish them so we could all talk about them. Catching Fire I read in one weekend, but Mockingjay I spread out over months just because it was that time in the semester. They're not hard reads, and Mrs. Mary says her seventh graders are devouring them. Maybe a good book for a middle schooler to read with a parent.
18. Cast of Characters by Max Lucado
This is kind of like Lineage of Grace in that it takes Bible characters and focuses in on their lives. The way Max (can you call the author by his first name when you've read 15 of his books?) brings the characters to life forced me to think about them in ways that had never crossed my mind before. It's also a devotional so you can see trends between their lives then and ours today. Are they really that much different?
19. One Foot in Eden by Ron Rash
I love Ron Rash. I'm a little biased because I've met him twice but that's besides the point. I prefer Serena, but I enjoyed One Foot in Eden, too. It doesn't have the "typical Rash body count" (Rash); only a handful of (creative) deaths. Every section is written from a different character's POV and in their voice. I liked the overlap, hearing the same story told in two different points of view. If I wrote it, I would have ended it one section sooner. Actually, if I get to meet Rash again, I want to ask why he did it the way he did.
20. Grace: For Those Who Think They Don't Measure Up by Bob Lenz
Another author I've heard speak many times. Bob writes just like he talks which was a bit of a deterrent for me since I am a writer. The tangents he takes in real life work well. The same principle doesn't work as well in writing. I started reading this book years ago and just now finally finished it because I'm not his target audience. It is a great book for youth struggling with the ideas of grace and faith. Not so great for a 20-something confident in her faith.
21. Flight
Not a published book yet but when it does become published you can say I told you about it. One of my friends send me the novel of another friend and asked for my feedback. I enjoyed it, I learned from it, and I gave constructive criticism. I look forward to seeing it on a shelf in Barnes & Noble one day.
22. The Bible
For the second year in a row I did a "Read the Bible in a year" thing. If you've never read the Bible in a year (or ever), I recommend using this one. It's challenging but doable. For me, I wasn't very diligent about getting into the Word but this helped a lot. I did spend a lot of time behind but (unless something changes in the next two days) I'm finishing on time. I don't know if I'm going to do it again in 2011 just because after two years it's kind of assignment-like rather than a desire to seek Him. We'll see if I can dig in without the accountability...
What have you all been reading lately?
I'm ringing in 2011 with a moving bookmark in A Love With Giving (Max Lucado) and How the Garcia Girls Lost the Accents (Julia Alvarez). What else should I add to my list?
<>< Katie
Showing posts with label Ron Rash. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ron Rash. Show all posts
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Wacky Wednesday
"If life is worth living, then it is worth recording."
Classmate: What is that?
I glanced down at the brown bottle in my hand.
Classmate: That's kind of bold.
Katie: Well I am from the North. No, actually, it's root beer. They're serving it in the caf for Oktoberfest.
Mom: I'm bored. I want to eat, but I shouldn't. Maybe I'll just go to bed.
Katie: Read a book, that's what you always told me. Did you ever finish Three Cups of Tea?
Mom: No. I lost it.
Katie: You lost it?
Mom: Maybe it's in my music bag, but I'm not really sure. It might be in my van. No, I know it's not in my van. I think it got swallowed by a log cabin magazine.
Katie: The only thing I can actually throw is a pen.
Chelsea: That's the sign of an English major.
Ron Rash: Galloway, who has already killed the typical Rash body count of about a dozen...
[about his amazing book Serena]
Nikki: Chloe told me to feed my cat. I don't have a cat.
Allyson: What if fish were mini-giraffes swimming around? How different would our world be if all our pets were shaped differently.
Isaac [age 3]: There's a Ternanisarus Rex out the window. See it? Do you see any other ones?
Katie: No, I only see one.
[All of the other adults at the table laughed at me]
Elizabeth [to her boyfriend Andy]: It hurt last time you bit me.
Michael: I tend to not put my mouth on things that can electrocute me.
Caitlin: That's why my hair is curly.
[really the outlets exemplify sound if you're anywhere near them]
Dr. Jones: Bekah's carrying a friend to the hospital.
Katie: That's going to take awhile.
Amy: My goal for this year: to understand Katie.
Katie: Good luck.
Uncle: We just scored in the opening kick off and we've got mini-screen!
Dad: Sarah!
Mom: I'm taping my hockey game. Just a second.
Dad: Rewind!
Katie: At my house we have an actual cheese cutter.
Nikki: What's an actual cheese cutter verses a metaphorical cheese cutter?
Katie: An actually cheese cutter stinks up the place and a metaphorical cheese cutter makes a lot of noise.
Katie: My head hurts.
Jennifer: Take medicine.
Katie: I did.
Jennifer: Take more.
Andy: So are we going to the store or what?
Elizabeth: Yes. We need medium trash bags.
Amy: Medium trash bags.
Andy: Medium trash bags.
Elizabeth: Medium trash bags.
Amy: And Katie needs new Scrabble Cheeze-its.
Elizabeth: No she doesn't. We haven't played with hers yet.
Nikki: Roommie, don't be rude and play Banangrams on the floor with Katie's Scrabble Cheeze-its on then put them back into the box. Be considerate and lick all of the germs off of them before you put them away.
Random man on the phone: I'm not shaving my chest hair. Yeah, it's getting really long. It grew a millimeter already.
[Sign Choir practice]
Amber: We could have one or even two Jesuses...
Katie: Sign Choir goes polytheistic... at least we have Jesus in our songs.
[Ten minutes later]
Girl: Wait, how many Gods?
Queen Emily: Religion 1-0-1: One God!
Jake: SURE! The lactose intolerant girl brings cheesecake!
Katie: Brain fart: what's it called when there's a need and you make it go away.
Nikki: Satisfy.
Jennifer: To.
Katie: You to the need?
Jennifer: Yeah, like the number "two."
Amy: Don't let me forget, I have to mail my Compassion child tomorrow.
Katie: DON'T PUT YOUR COMPASSION CHILD IN THE MAIL! Who do you think she is? Flat Stanley?
Jennifer: WHY is there hair in the microwave?
Elizabeth: It goes there, Jennifer; it makes everything more tasty.
Keith: Katie, I'm cold. And I have that exact same sweatshirt.
Katie: Are you asking me to give you the sweatshirt off of my back?
[Keith nodded sheepishly]
Jennifer: I think Allyson's cough is getting to her ears. I said, "Your phone rang," and she thought I said, "Your padre." It was her dad who called, but I didn't know that.
Katie: Where is my phone?
Andy: In your eye.
Katie: EWW! That would be so germy!
Nikki: Don't point out the cell phone in her eye until you remove the laptop from your own eye.
Katie: It didn't work.
Nikki: It would have worked if I had done it.
Katie: That's right because you're better than me at everything.
Nikki: Except being skinny, using random German words and pretending they're English, writing really long blog posts, sanitizing light switches, and not licking things on impulse.
Shellie Warren: But as you mature, hopefully, you will encounter men of character and quality. The bad news is that they may not be your husband. The good news is that they very well could bring you one, two, or ten steps closer to him.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Reading My Summer Away
Of course, now it looks like I'm just copying Keith. I'm not. It's time to give an update on what I've been reading lately.
Native Son by Richard Wright
My adivsor has this habit where almost every day in class he says, "Every English major should read this book" and then lists a book or two (or ten or twelve). Well, Native Son is a book I believe all people must read. The historical fiction book takes a look at the enslavement of Bigger Thomas in Chicago in the early to mid-1990s. It looks at the social constraints, personal choices, and repercussions Bigger faces being a black man in a white-dominated society. Definitely a must read but not for young audiences.
Serena by Ron Rash
This is a dark book with bizarre injuries and a lot of murders. I don't normally like those kinds of books, but I liked this one. I will admit I am a little biased, but this fictional novel about forestry in NC/TN in the 1920s and 1930s is just starting to become popular and I want to be the first to tell you about it. Serena is a malicious woman who has literally burned her past and looks forward in life, aiming for complete domination of the lumber industry, worldwide. She's will to do anything she can to get there. I'd venture to say she and her counter-part, Galloway, are sub-human. She and her husband Pemberton eventually become the sole owners of Boston Lumber Company. The darkness and pacing Rash has written in this novel will keep you reading all the way through the end and vital coda. Read it!
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
Hosseini exposes readers to a world many of us know little about: Afghanistan from the 1970s to the present. He follows Mariam and Laila through a variety of different situations, most of them unpleasant, as the government changed incessantly. I got lost in this book, the womens' struggles, and the culture differences. Due to the horrific experiences the characters had, I cannot call this a "great book" but it is definitely worth your time.
The Help by Kathryn Stockett
Apparently I was on a historical fiction kick. This book looks at race relations in Mississippi in the early 1900s. It raises a lot of questions. Can a white woman accurately represent/ write from the point of view of two black women (and a white woman)? I would be willing to say yes. Is Miss Skeeter just another white woman trying to make a buck off of a blacks? I would say no. Read the book, look at the culture, and see how (if) things have changed.
In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez
Another historical fiction book that takes a look at life in the Dominican Republic in the 1950s and 1960s, under the reign of Trujillo. The Dominican author wrote the novel in English (with periodic Spanish words thrown in) to enlighten the English speaking world to the horrors Dominicans faced under Trujillo and to glorify some of their national heroines, the Butterflies. These three sisters fought against Trujillo and the novel talks about their plight, fight, jail time, and death. Switching points of view between the three Butterflies and the fourth sister, the novel provides several different glimspes and thus opinions on these challenging times. Another book not for young audiences but definitely worth your time.
The Shack by William Paul Young
Another book I'm a little biased about. It was written just for Young's kids in order to attempt to explain how his brain works. No one would publish it, so his friends started a garage publishing business and boom. I think it shows God in a way He (She?) has never been shown before. It may not be the answer to everything, but a lot of the things Young writes are Biblically accurate. Be prepared to cry, laugh, think, and ponder. Also be prepared to read it all the way to the end.
Redefining Beautiful by Jenna Lucado with Max Lucado
I stopped reading this book halfway through. Not because it was bad or anything but because I didn't fit the target audience, but my sister did. This book is aimed at preteen and teenage girls in order to help them realize that they are beautiful, inside and out. Since I didn't read it all the way through, I don't know if it was clean or not, but I'd say it's worth the of teenage girls (and maybe their parents).
Invisible I by Stella Lennon
Part of The Amanda Project, another young adult literature book. This one is radically changing the way people look at literature. Each book in the series is written by a different author and told from a different character's perspective. Readers also get the opportunity to write their own endings to the story through the interactive website. Great for younger readers and (as far as I can remember) clean.
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
I was worried about this book simply because I'd read a review and expected it to be graphic. Then I remembered I watch House and read Harry Potter, I could probably handle it. It wasn't as graphic as it could have been, which I respect Collins for since it's a young adult book and therefore her target audience doesn't need to be exposed to nastiness. However, I don't like the way Collins ended it, but the book is part of a series. Personally, I would have made it a single book and been done with it. I did find parts predictable, but there were unanticpated twists, too. If you like young adult fiction (or are a young adult), I'd read it. There is some kissing and a romantic relationship, but it's mostly clean.
The Wednesday Letters by Jason Wright
This tells a very sweet, romantic story about a husband's love for his wife. It also promotes the importance of forgiveness and family. As a writer, I'm not really sure who the protagonist of this novel is, but I did enjoy the third person omniscent POV. Laura absolutely LOVED this book. It's an easy read, too.
What have you all been reading lately? My bookshelf is getting empty and I see a trip to Barnes & Noble in the near future. Anything I must read?
Back to the books!
<>< Katie
Native Son by Richard Wright
My adivsor has this habit where almost every day in class he says, "Every English major should read this book" and then lists a book or two (or ten or twelve). Well, Native Son is a book I believe all people must read. The historical fiction book takes a look at the enslavement of Bigger Thomas in Chicago in the early to mid-1990s. It looks at the social constraints, personal choices, and repercussions Bigger faces being a black man in a white-dominated society. Definitely a must read but not for young audiences.
Serena by Ron Rash
This is a dark book with bizarre injuries and a lot of murders. I don't normally like those kinds of books, but I liked this one. I will admit I am a little biased, but this fictional novel about forestry in NC/TN in the 1920s and 1930s is just starting to become popular and I want to be the first to tell you about it. Serena is a malicious woman who has literally burned her past and looks forward in life, aiming for complete domination of the lumber industry, worldwide. She's will to do anything she can to get there. I'd venture to say she and her counter-part, Galloway, are sub-human. She and her husband Pemberton eventually become the sole owners of Boston Lumber Company. The darkness and pacing Rash has written in this novel will keep you reading all the way through the end and vital coda. Read it!
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
Hosseini exposes readers to a world many of us know little about: Afghanistan from the 1970s to the present. He follows Mariam and Laila through a variety of different situations, most of them unpleasant, as the government changed incessantly. I got lost in this book, the womens' struggles, and the culture differences. Due to the horrific experiences the characters had, I cannot call this a "great book" but it is definitely worth your time.
The Help by Kathryn Stockett
Apparently I was on a historical fiction kick. This book looks at race relations in Mississippi in the early 1900s. It raises a lot of questions. Can a white woman accurately represent/ write from the point of view of two black women (and a white woman)? I would be willing to say yes. Is Miss Skeeter just another white woman trying to make a buck off of a blacks? I would say no. Read the book, look at the culture, and see how (if) things have changed.
In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez
Another historical fiction book that takes a look at life in the Dominican Republic in the 1950s and 1960s, under the reign of Trujillo. The Dominican author wrote the novel in English (with periodic Spanish words thrown in) to enlighten the English speaking world to the horrors Dominicans faced under Trujillo and to glorify some of their national heroines, the Butterflies. These three sisters fought against Trujillo and the novel talks about their plight, fight, jail time, and death. Switching points of view between the three Butterflies and the fourth sister, the novel provides several different glimspes and thus opinions on these challenging times. Another book not for young audiences but definitely worth your time.
The Shack by William Paul Young
Another book I'm a little biased about. It was written just for Young's kids in order to attempt to explain how his brain works. No one would publish it, so his friends started a garage publishing business and boom. I think it shows God in a way He (She?) has never been shown before. It may not be the answer to everything, but a lot of the things Young writes are Biblically accurate. Be prepared to cry, laugh, think, and ponder. Also be prepared to read it all the way to the end.
Redefining Beautiful by Jenna Lucado with Max Lucado
I stopped reading this book halfway through. Not because it was bad or anything but because I didn't fit the target audience, but my sister did. This book is aimed at preteen and teenage girls in order to help them realize that they are beautiful, inside and out. Since I didn't read it all the way through, I don't know if it was clean or not, but I'd say it's worth the of teenage girls (and maybe their parents).
Invisible I by Stella Lennon
Part of The Amanda Project, another young adult literature book. This one is radically changing the way people look at literature. Each book in the series is written by a different author and told from a different character's perspective. Readers also get the opportunity to write their own endings to the story through the interactive website. Great for younger readers and (as far as I can remember) clean.
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
I was worried about this book simply because I'd read a review and expected it to be graphic. Then I remembered I watch House and read Harry Potter, I could probably handle it. It wasn't as graphic as it could have been, which I respect Collins for since it's a young adult book and therefore her target audience doesn't need to be exposed to nastiness. However, I don't like the way Collins ended it, but the book is part of a series. Personally, I would have made it a single book and been done with it. I did find parts predictable, but there were unanticpated twists, too. If you like young adult fiction (or are a young adult), I'd read it. There is some kissing and a romantic relationship, but it's mostly clean.
The Wednesday Letters by Jason Wright
This tells a very sweet, romantic story about a husband's love for his wife. It also promotes the importance of forgiveness and family. As a writer, I'm not really sure who the protagonist of this novel is, but I did enjoy the third person omniscent POV. Laura absolutely LOVED this book. It's an easy read, too.
What have you all been reading lately? My bookshelf is getting empty and I see a trip to Barnes & Noble in the near future. Anything I must read?
Back to the books!
<>< Katie
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