Continuing With My Empty Shelf Challenge

28 Books so far.

Have you accepted the Empty Shelf Challenge?

How many have you read this year?

Saturday Night Widows by Becky Aikman

         

     This book was a surprise for me. It wasn’t at all what I thought I was buying. I thought I was getting a feel good book about friendships – which I enjoy reading.

    Instead I got a true book about six women trying to find their way after the death of a spouse. At first I was disappointed, but their lives drew me in and I learned from the book. Very well written and brings an understanding to the term “widow.”

     First and foremost, the “widow” can’t be put into a box. Not all are alike and not all can be treated the same. – Everyone, grieves in their own way and everyone is an individual.

“In her forties – a widow, too young, too modern to accept the role – Becky Aikman struggled to make sense of her place in an altered world.  In this transcendent and infectiously wise memoir, she explores surprising new discoveries about how people experience grief and transcend loss and, following her own remarriage, forms a group with five other young widows to test these unconventional ideas.  Together, these friends summon the humor, resilience, and striving spirit essential for anyone overcoming adversity.

   Meet the Saturday Night Widows: ringleader Becky, an unsentimental journalist who lost her husband to cancer; Tara, a polished mother of two, whose husband died in the throes of alcoholism after she filed for divorce; Denise, a widow of just five months, now struggling to get by; Marcia, a hard-driving corporate lawyer; Dawn, an alluring self-made entrepreneur whose husband was killed in a sporting accident, leaving two small children behind; and Lesley, a housewife who returned home one day to find that her husband had committed suicide.

   The women meet once a month, and over the course of a year, they strike out on ever more far-flung adventures, learning to live past the worst thing they thought could happen.  They share emotional peaks and valleys – dating, parenting, moving, finding meaningful work, and reinventing themselves – while turning traditional thinking about loss and recovery upside down.  Through it all runs the story of Aikman's own journey through grief and her love affair with a man who tempts her to marry again.  In a transporting story of what friends can achieve when they hold each other up, Saturday Night Widows is a rare book that will make you laugh, think, and remind yourself that despite the utter unpredictability and occasional tragedy of life, it is also precious, fragile, and often more joyous than we recognize.”              Synopsis from Amazon

I thought of my friend Debra many times while reading this book. She is a widow and meets with other widows when her busy life allows and I am glad. I've watched her adjust to a new life, while not at all “easy” she has done it. And done it gracefully.

A great book and one I hope you will take the time to read and share with others.

2 Great Books!

While I was dusting the book shelves (which I do once in a while! - whether they need it or not!) I ran across two books that I often reread and pulled them out to reread again!! I love both of them and highly recommend them.

“…And Ladies of the Club” by Helen  Hooven Santmyer was recommended to me by a very dear friend, Beth in 1980 something!  It was first published in 1982 and spans from 1868 to 1932. The author, Santmyer was 88 when her book was published.

The book tells the lifetimes of two women in a small Ohio town and the other members of the Waynesboro Ladies Literary Society. One time, when I hadn’t read it in years, I picked it up and thought, “I wonder if it’s as good as I think it was.”  I reread it – and it was! I could never get my book club to read it because the size was too daunting for a couple of them.

This hardback is a copy I found at an estate sale and I replaced my paperback with it. It’s a thick book so you have to commit to it! Every once in a while I want to pick up a book that will take me awhile to read. – you know, a thick one! And this one is that.

The next one, “The Ladies of Missalonghi” by Colleen McCullough is one of my favorites.




This book is very thin!! It was published in 1987. McCullough is also the author of “The Thorn Birds” – which I admit, I have never read.

“The Ladies of Missalonghi” is set before World War 1 in Sydney, Australia.

From the cover flap:

“Missy was a part of the Hurlingford clan and she was ‘manless’, she was bullied, pitied, exploited, patronized, and utterly unimportant in the clan’s scheme of things.

No sensible mentor would have dreamed of advising Missy to consult a wildly romantic novel for the answer to her plight. But luckily Missy’s mentor was a librarian with a taste for purple prose and a scandalous past, who understood that beneath Missy’s drab exterior there beat the heart of an enchanting and adventurous woman.”

This is a light hearted and warm book.

I enjoy old books. I enjoy new books. I just enjoy books!

Empty Shelf Challenge

I’ve started several book over the last few months that I just couldn’t get “into.” Trust me – it’s not the books – it’s the reader! 

So I’ve been rereading. That seems to be working right now. I started the year with Agatha Christie and then moved to “The Cat Who….” series and have read 10 of those. I’m comfortable with Qwill and his 2 Siamese cats so that’s what I’m reading right now. I’ve done many reviews on these books so am not going to rehash them here.

However, I do have a couple of quotes from “The Cat Who Sniffed Glue.”

Qwill was talking with a bibliophile and their conversation went like this:

Qwill: How many of these do we have to dust? (talking of a  HUGE personal library)

Eddington: I do a few hundred each time. I don’t hurry. I enjoy handling them. Books like to be handled.

Qwill: You’re a true bibliophile, Edd.

Later in the day:

Qwill: I’m amazed at your knowledge of books, Edd. I wish I could remember everything I’ve read and come up with a trenchant quote for every occasion.

Eddington: (looking guilty) I haven’t done much reading, I took Winston Churchill’s advice. He said, ‘It’s a good thing for an uneducated man to read books of quotations.’

Love both of these.

And remember your books like to be handled.

The Cat Who Could Read Backwards

by Lilian Jackson Braun

    

 “The world of modern art is a  mystery to many. But for Jim      Qwilleran, it turns into a mystery of  another sort when his assignment to  the art beat for The Daily Fluxion  leads down the path to murder. A  stabbing in an art gallery, vandalized  paintings, a fatal fall from a  scaffolding--this is not at all what  Qwilleran expects when he turns his  reportorial talents to art. But  Qwilleran and his newly found  partner, Koko the brilliant Siamese,  are back in their element--sniffing  out clues and confounding criminals  intent on mayhem and murder.”

Synopsis from Amazon

I’ve been a fan of Lilian Jackson Braun since my friend Kris introduced her to me many years ago. I had seen her books around for years but to be honest I thought they sounded “silly.” Then Kris recommended them so I tried one and was hooked.

I’ve done another review on Lillian Jackson Braun H.E.R.E.

If the first three seem v.e.r.y. different from the rest the reason is because Braun wrote the first three books between 1966 and 1968 then she disappeared from the publishing scene for 18 years. In 1986 a publisher reintroduced her books to a new generation of readers and within the next two years she wrote four more books. Her 29th book  was published in 2007.  She died at age 97 in 2011.

If you like cozies this is a great series. I’ve read them several times and will probably read them several more. – but I’m a rereader! – and I like cats! Especially the ones in Braun’s series.

The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie

I have been an Agatha Christie fan since the early 70’s.  I believe the first Christie book I read was “Murder On the Orient Express.” I was hooked. My favorites are the books with Miss Marple. I do have a secret crush on Hercule Poroit but Jane Marple – LOVE that woman.

In the past few months, I’ve had a hard time finding good books that keep my interest. (it's not the books - it's me.) This is a bit concerning to me because of my love of reading. So, I decided to revisit some of my old favorites that I have enjoyed in the past and I dubbed 2014 my year of “cozies.” I plan on revisiting some of my old favorite authors and introducing myself to some new ones.

Cozies are a sub-genre of crime fiction in which sex and violence are downplayed or nonexistent. The crime and detection take place in a small intimate community. I prefer cozies over the more graphic crime and detection books.

So, I began 2014 with “The Mysterious Affair at Styles” when Hercule Poroit was first introduced to the world. This book was first published in 1920. 

“The heiress of Styles has been murdered, dying in agony from strychnine slipped into her coffee. And there are plenty who would gain from her death: the financially strapped stepson, the gold digging younger husband, and an embittered daughter-in-law.

Agatha Christie's eccentric and hugely popular detective, Hercule Poirot, was introduced to the world in this book, which launched her career as the most famous and best loved of all mystery writers.”

Synopsis from GOODREADS.

 

One thing I enjoy about Christie’s books is that they move quickly. She doesn’t get bogged down in unnecessary information. She doesn’t over explain. Sometimes I can figure out who the murderer is – sometimes I can’t.

 

In “The Mysterious Affair at Styles” I was looking for a murderer that wasn’t too obvious. I was a bit surprised to find – Oh well, I don’t want to give it away. You may want to read it. So I’ll stop here.

 

"Every murderer is probably somebody's old friend," observed Poirot philosophically. "You cannot mix up sentiment and reason.” From “The Mysterious Affair at Styles.”

 

I hope you will try a few cozies this year. I think you will find them easy to read and fun.

 

I recommend any books written by Agatha Christie.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Empty Shelf Challenge

Jon Acuff put a challenge on his blog that I love! It's "The Empty Shelf Challenge 2014." Read about his challenge H.E.R.E.  You can also check this out on Pinterest H.E.R.E.

The challenge is to empty a shelf in your home and as you read a book in 2014 place it on this shelf. 

This is my shelf.... I haven't put away Christmas decorations yet!! But, this will be my shelf for 2014! Then I will also have my Kindle "shelf."

I hope you will join me - and Jon Acuff for this reading challenge. I'm ready to start reading!!

Let me know if you are joining the challenge! 

Send me a picture of your shelf to share on my blog!

Expand your life - Read!

The Story

We are going through this study in our Life Group and it has been an excellent study. I highly recommend it for personal use, small group study, Sunday Schools, or sermon series. You can get the curriculum for all ages - from nursery through adult for all areas of your church. I would even use it for personal use.

I just want to share with you that this study has generated more good discussion than any study we have done. God is truly in this project and He truly speaks to those who study it.

This is what we bought for our Life Group:

The Story

“God goes to great lengths to rescue lost and hurting people.  That is what The Story is all about – the story of the Bible, God’s great love affair with humanity. Condensed into 31 accessible chapters, The Story sweeps you into the unfolding progression of Bible characters and events from Genesis to Revelation. Using the clear, accessible text of the NIV Bible, it allows the stories, poems and teachings of the Bible to read like a novel. And like any good story, The Story is filled with intrigue, drama, conflict, romance, and redemption – and this story’s true!” (from the back cover)  The forward is done by Max Lucado and Randy Frazee.

The Story, Adult Curriculum 31 Sessions

by Randy Frazee and Sherry Harney

The Story DVD by Randy Frazee

“The story video curriculum gives groups of all sizes the opportunity to learn, discuss, and apply what they have experienced during The Story 31-week church-wide experience. Pastor and author Randy Frazee presents 31 10-minute teachings on how the story of Scripture intersects with the story of your life, and this participant’s guide will help you record your journey and reflect on the powerful message of God’s story.

Through 31 video sessions, The Story will open your eyes to The Lower Story, our story, which is actually many stories of men and women interacting with God in the daily course of life; and the Upper Story, God’s story, which is the tale of his great, overarching purpose that fits all the individual stories together like panels in on unified mural.

Discover the heart of God’s Upper Story – his master-plan unfolding in the lives of the Bible’s characters as well as in your own life – and experience the joy that comes as you align your story with God’s.”  (from the cover of the Adult Curriculum)

I have read and studied my Bible most of my life – but I have enjoyed this study more than most others I’ve done. (maybe part of that has to do with our wonderful Life Group!!)

Each week we watch the DVD, then discuss the questions in our participants guide. I really have enjoyed the “personal application” questions that are included in each lesson.  These are very practical, doable and personal.

I ordered our two books with the DVD for small groups from amazon.com for $44.50. There is a web site that will give you more information on what’s available for your whole church plus kits you can purchase. You can find that H.E.R.E.

I will add again, I highly recommend this study.

The House Girl by Tara Conklin

"Virginia, 1852. Seventeen-year-old Josephine Bell decides to run from the failing tobacco farm where she is a slave and nurse to her ailing mistress, the aspiring artist Lu Anne Bell. New York City, 2004. Lina Sparrow, an ambitious first-year associate in an elite law firm, is given a difficult, highly sensitive assignment that could make her career: she must find the “perfect plaintiff” to lead a historic class-action lawsuit worth trillions of dollars in reparations for descendants of American slaves.

It is through her father, the renowned artist Oscar Sparrow, that Lina discovers Josephine Bell and a controversy roiling the art world: are the iconic paintings long ascribed to Lu Anne Bell really the work of her house slave, Josephine? A descendant of Josephine’s would be the perfect face for the reparations lawsuit—if Lina can find one. While following the runaway girl’s faint trail through old letters and plantation records, Lina finds herself questioning her own family history and the secrets that her father has never revealed: How did Lina’s mother die? And why will he never speak about her?

Moving between antebellum Virginia and modern-day New York, this searing, suspenseful and heartbreaking tale of art and history, love and secrets, explores what it means to repair a wrong and asks whether truth is sometimes more important than justice."

Reading about the underground railroad has always fascinated me. Conklin goes back and forth from the 1850's to 2004. When reading the chapters in 2004, I found myself wanting to get back to the 1850's. 

Conklin also fascinated me with the relationship of Josephine and Lu Anne. I found myself wondering if there were actually many slaves and owners that had a relationship like they did. I hope so. I always feel so helpless when reading about the slaves. 

The story line is very good but the book dragged for me in a few places. I did like it though and would recommend it.

"Tara Conklin is a writer and lawyer currently living with her family in Seattle, WA. Most recently, she worked as a litigator in the New York and London offices of a corporate law firm but now devotes herself full-time to writing fiction. Prior to law school, Tara worked in a variety of jobs in a variety of locales. She dealt cards at a casino in Costa Rica, planned events at a press center in Moscow, taught English at a school in Madrid and waited tables at a hotel in Montana.  Her short fiction has appeared in The Bristol Prize Anthology and Pangea: An Anthology of Stories from Around the Globe. Tara was born in St. Croix, USVI and grew up in Massachusetts. She holds a BA in history from Yale University, a JD from New York University School of Law and a Master of Law and Diplomacy from the Fletcher School (Tufts University)."

From her website that you can find here:  http://www.taraconklin.com/ 

The Harbinger by Jonathan Cahn

I read "The Harbinger" a couple of months ago and have hesitated to do a review because I'm not sure I can do this book justice.

"Is it possible... 

That there exists an ancient mystery that holds the secret of America s future?

That this mystery lies behind everything from 9/11 to the collapse of the global economy?

That ancient harbingers of judgment are now manifesting in America?

That God is sending America a prophetic message of what is yet to come?

Before its destruction as a nation, ancient Israel received nine harbingers, prophetic omens of warning. The same nine harbingers are now manifesting in America with immediate ramifications for end-time prophecy.

Hidden in an ancient biblical prophecy from Isaiah, the mysteries revealed in The Harbinger are so precise that they foretold recent American events down to the exact days. The revelations are so specific that even the most hardened skeptics will find it hard to dismiss or put down. It sounds like the plot of a Hollywood thriller with one exception... IT S REAL.

The prophetic mysteries are revealed through an intriguing and engaging narrative the reader will find hard to put down. The Harbinger opens with the appearance of a man burdened with a message he has received from a mysterious figure called The Prophet. The Prophet has given him nine seals, each containing a message about America s future. As he tells of his encounters with The Prophet, from a skyscraper in New York City, to a rural mountaintop, to Capitol Hill, to Ground Zero, the mystery behind each seal is revealed. As the story unfolds, each revelation becomes a piece in a greater puzzle the ramifications of which will even alter the course of world history." Back of book

I didn't read this book in a day or two. It took me awhile. I thought it was very well written, keeps your attention - because of the subject matter - but I did get bogged down once in a while.

It can be a life changing book. It compares America to the struggles of the Israelite's. Some will argue that America is not in a covenant with God whereas Israel was. However, in referring to America, Cahn is going upon the belief system of our founding fathers and what they intended for their country.

I have read many reviews of this book. I have come to the conclusion that "Christians" can be the most critical group of people on this earth. We shout loud and long about the persecution we receive from the secular world, then we turn around and do the same to one another.

I am a believer in accountability but I also like fiction and this was written as a fiction book. - no matter how much it parallels with our world today.

I did like the book. I liked the research Cahn has done to write the book. I think it gives much to think about and to ponder.

Most Christians will agree with me that Jesus is returning - and He is returning soon. We have no idea when this will be but we should be living each day as if He is returning in 2 hours.

Good book. Challenging Book. Controversial Book. I liked it and I recommend it.

"Jonathan Cahn is President of [Hope of World Ministries,] Senior Pastor and Messianic Rabbi of the the Jerusalem Center/ Beth Israel in Wayne, New Jersey. He is also the author of the best selling book ["The Harbinger."] His teachings are broadcast daily over hundreds of radio stations throughout the United States and the world and on television.  He ministers, as did the first Jewish messengers of the Gospel, sharing the message of Messiah to Jew and Gentile, Israel, and the nations.  He has ministered before mass gatherings in India, Nigeria, Cuba, Mizoram, Honduras, Haiti, & throughout the world.  His teachings are widely known for revealing the deep mysteries of God’s word and for the restoring of the new covenant message to its original biblically Jewish richness and power."

found here: http://www.bethisraelworshipcenter.org/aboutjonathan.htm

 Here is Jonathan Cahn's website: http://www.hopeoftheworld.org/