tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33009290843020528822024-03-13T16:04:44.038-07:00Rachel Reading ListI LOVE reading! Since it's not always easy to find people who want to chat about books to the extent that I do, I like to write blogs about the books I read. I read from MANY different genres; Christian Romance, Christian Suspense, Suspense, Sci-Fi, Fantasy, History, Classics, books for kids, young adults, mystery, adults, memoirs, Fiction/Non Fiction. Pretty much, I read anything set before me that contains words :)Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17593022212959727082noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3300929084302052882.post-37320880267772737702011-06-14T09:44:00.000-07:002011-06-14T12:55:35.773-07:00The Hole In Our Gospel, By Richard SternsThank God I'm done reading this book! This guy made some good points, but he is NOT a good writer! He just kept going on and on to make a simple point. It's not necessary to quote several famous people, several verses, and tell a few hundred stories to make your point! Really, he needs to read some Hemingway before he tries to write another book! A multitude of words does not necessarily make a better book.<br /><br />I also had an issue with the author's use of Scripture. I felt that some of his usage was out of context and it sometimes seemed like he was reaching to make a point. It was unnecessary there is plenty of Scripture that proved his point without him using it out of context. <br /><br />Regardless of the author's serious lack of writing ability he did make some great points and I learned some important things, like that a child dies every 5 seconds from hunger or related causes, that the resources to help the hungry and sick in developing countries is available but just not being directed correctly, and that the American Church is wealthy and has the funds to feed the hungry themselves. <br />You know, it's not Brad Pitt & Angelina Jolie's job to help these people it's the church's job. I am afraid for the judgement God must have in store for our greed and lack of compassion!<br /><br />I would recommend reading just the parts of the book that tell the facts, in other words skim and skip the author's life story. Then read the back section telling specific things that you can do right now to fight world hunger.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17593022212959727082noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3300929084302052882.post-25938620599074493292011-05-23T18:52:00.001-07:002011-05-23T20:19:25.751-07:00John Keats, Bright StarI've been reading Keats like crazy the last few weeks. I just got done reading the love letters he wrote to Fanny Brawne. I'm wondering what kind of writer she was, she must have been pretty good because the two of them fell in love mostly through letter writing & he didn't believe in love before her. With a sensitive soul like he had, devoted to beauty, I'm convinced she must have been pretty good with words to cause him to fall so in love with her. Sadly, all the letters she wrote him were buried with him so we can't know for sure. <br /><br />People say that Keats was courageous because he was intelligent & could have gone into medicine, he would have had a good income, but he gave it up to be a poet. Well, the last few days I've been questioning if that was actually a courageous choice on his part. I mean if he had gone into medicine he wouldn't have been walking in the cold, without a good warm coat, so he wouldn't have gotten consumption & he wouldn't have died. Couldn't he have gone into medicine & still wrote poetry as well? People say that he had exceptional talent as poet but died so young, that he was unable to develop his writing enough for us to know how truly great he could have become. So if he had lived longer, what would he have been? On the other hand, had he not been living the live of a poor poet, could he have become even as great a writer as he did become? I mean, first of all, it is known that his poetry improved the most, in the short time that he knew & loved Fanny Brawne so it could be argued that it was loving her that made him great, it was the experience of the great passion he felt for her. But had he not been living as a poor poet, would he have ever even come into contact with her to fall in love with her? If he had met her & fell in love with her he could have just married her & lived out his days with her, the Dr felt that his consumption was made worse by "love frustration", so even if he had gotten consumption, as a Dr married to Brawne he may have even lived longer because he wouldn't have been all stuck at home worried that she was going out to parties, dancing & flirting with other men. But would he have become a great poet without the torture of unfufilled love<div><br /></div><div>Could John Keats have been the greatest of the poets had he lived a different life? Or was he the great poet he was because he lived the life he did live? What do you think?<br /><div> <div style="clear: both; text-align: center; font-size: xx-small;">Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.8</div></div></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17593022212959727082noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3300929084302052882.post-70805719914698654682011-05-14T08:21:00.000-07:002011-05-14T12:58:44.280-07:00Reunion by Jeff Bennington<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkWCjVMir74Jc9dChZl0LbiLc3QDvgt0LJIN7gSbvAhO0EU7GetwUMwF7oGk6DypFF7x_wmlqgovknHrDa-1ItXlWqpmmPKuUzG1oxh26u6N8lgUs_LswaqQvtb3hY2EUPpIhsjSTZXv0/s1600/ReunionCover31B%2526N.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 280px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5606603297723515986" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkWCjVMir74Jc9dChZl0LbiLc3QDvgt0LJIN7gSbvAhO0EU7GetwUMwF7oGk6DypFF7x_wmlqgovknHrDa-1ItXlWqpmmPKuUzG1oxh26u6N8lgUs_LswaqQvtb3hY2EUPpIhsjSTZXv0/s400/ReunionCover31B%2526N.jpg" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvTXtyELnBCpBc5X_8Qkpze44Ypt8o3JC-9Jgj3EInbEcg7_l2Qz0PPuuPFX1oI6VBNlcdT2p7C45pwI_AU769GXD9PUNFAc9rpYihfXvOpQNGAuqsbggas4uelJ0489oUb8zKPB8hFuU/s1600/Thewritingbombprofile.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 391px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5606603416611901250" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvTXtyELnBCpBc5X_8Qkpze44Ypt8o3JC-9Jgj3EInbEcg7_l2Qz0PPuuPFX1oI6VBNlcdT2p7C45pwI_AU769GXD9PUNFAc9rpYihfXvOpQNGAuqsbggas4uelJ0489oUb8zKPB8hFuU/s400/Thewritingbombprofile.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><div><br /><div><br /><div><br /><div><br /><div align="center"><strong>Interview with Jeff Bennington<br />Author of Reunion </strong></div><br /><br /><strong>1. I felt like the idea of questioning the long-term effects of someone who had been involved in a school shooting was a very interesting topic to ponder. What led you to start thinking about that? How did those thoughts form into a book?<br /></strong><br />Like many kids, I experienced my share of bullying, but certainly not to the extent that children do today. I understand the hurt it causes. My interest in bullying, for lack of a better phrase, was renewed in 1999 after hearing about the Columbine massacre. After Columbine, it seemed as if school shootings were commonplace. And the fact is, there have been more incidents of school violence in the U.S. after Columbine than there were in the 99 years prior.<br /><br />In 2007 I wrote a paper in a graduate class at Indiana University called Bullying in The Workforce. That spring Seung-Hi Cho killed 32 people and wounded many more on the Campus of Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia. At that point in my life I was considering taking my writing a step further and began writing fiction for the first time.<br /><br />While writing Killing the Giants in 2008, the idea of writing a book about the survivors of a school shooting reuniting just popped into my head—I don’t know when or where, but it stuck, and I’m sure it sprung from my paper and other thoughts on school shootings. Incidentally, 2008 was my 20th high school reunion (which I couldn’t attend) and so the idea of a twenty-year reunion made sense.<br /><br /><strong>2. I felt like the build-up to the shooting gave me a very surprising look at the possible life of a child who would grow up to be a murderer. I actually felt great sadness for the shooter, yet still anger for what he did & who he became. What kind of research did you need to do to write about his childhood?</strong><br /><br />Actually, I did far less research to develop David Ray than the others because school shooters come in every shape, size and socio-economic color. I learned a lot about victims of abuse when my wife worked for a child placement agency that specialized in cases where the parents gave up their parental rights to the state. She now has a degree in psychology and helped me with his profile.<br /><br />In my research, however, I learned that the U.S. Secret Service authorized a study that urged public schools NOT to profile their students. Why? Because they found that killers in the context of a school environment are not always the troubled kid with a poor home life. School shooters are often the ones no one would expect.<br /><br />As far as why I wrote David the way I did, I knew I had an opportunity to create a character that would show the world what really happens behind closed doors. David had it all: sexual and physical abuse, drug use, bullied by his peers, and the mother of them all, satanic ritual abuse. What could be worse?? It is sad. It is scary. When we think of a seventeen or eighteen year old criminal, we see them as an adult and forget that they were children who for whatever reason, lost their soul without their consent. That’s why I entered David’s past. I wanted to make him real, someone with his own pain and aching heart, a wounded spirit ready to strike like a badger backed into a corner.<br /><br /><strong>3. I’m curious about your characters, they each seemed to have strong enough personalities to make them seem like real people, as you wrote them did they take on a life of their own, or do you feel like you directed them?</strong><br /><br />I created them in a basic character sketch so that each one had a very specific outlook and characteristics. I didn’t want any doubles. After that, they sort of played out their role on their own…of course that’s where a good editor comes in. It can be difficult to keep six main characters straight.<br /><br /><strong>Do you feel like the characters were real to you as well?</strong><br /><br />Yes. I often cried while composing their lives. They’re all very broken people. When I entered their souls, I discovered some very dark places, some of which reminded me of myself.<br /><br /><strong>Did you feel empathic to the things that happened to them & the decisions that they made as if they were real people?</strong><br /><br />Yes. That goes back to why I chose to write this book. My wonderings were based on a bleak outlook for those who struggle with a traumatic past. I guess that’s why Nick played such a strong and crucial role in the story. He has it bad, as I imagine some victims do as well. You’ll notice that most of the survivors changed into someone much different from what they had planned. With Nick, I took that concept and twisted until you don’t know what’s real and what’s a dream, or if he’s good or bad.<br /><br /><strong>4. I’m curious if you knew the direction the book would take in the lives of the victims and the shooter before you started writing, or did they take on a life of their own as you were writing?</strong><br /><br />All I knew at the beginning was that I’d create a cast of characters that would represent a variety of students who would be drastically altered after experiencing the trauma of a school shooting and then attempt a class reunion twenty years later. The way their lives turned out evolved later after I wrote the first three chapters.<br /><br />Those early chapters, however, became the foundation upon which I developed the survivors, carefully steering them away from what their lives could have looked like. The details played out as the story unfolded. I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised at the results!<br /><br /><strong>5. As you wrote the build up to the shooting, with the teasing and torture in the life of the shooter, did you know who he would end up killing & or shooting before you wrote the shooting?</strong><br /><br />Yeah, pretty much. My character sketches were developed based upon whom I wanted to star in the show. But many of the supporting cast fell in or out of place on an as needed basis…like Nick’s brother and the sweet lady in the city archives!<br /><br /><strong>6. I appreciated how the spiritual aspect of a school shooting was addressed. Would you say that with any school shooting or murder of peers & family that there is a spiritual aspect that is at play?</strong><br /><br />Yes, of course. The thing is, good and evil is not cut and dry like we’d wish it were. We are all good at times and evil as well, depending on how you define perfect goodness. Unfortunately, many people like to start the goodness gauge from their own life performance, and as a result, believe that all men are good. School shootings are a perfect example that the human race is marred and in need of redemption. What you’ll find in Reunion, however, is not a preachy, you must be saved message. What you’ll find is, a message that there is hope when things appear hopeless…even after experiencing something as hard to understand and contemplate as a school shooting.<br /><br /><strong>Do you have thoughts about the spiritual climate of our country possibly having a great deal to do with this kind of violence occurring? Do you have any thoughts of what could be done about this?</strong><br /><br />While researching for Reunion I learned a little bit about the history of school violence. I found it interesting that school violence as a whole had a rapid up-tick not long after prayer was banned from public schools in 1962. From that point on, the violence in public schools has gone from bad to worse.<br /><br /><strong>7. I felt like the book had a very honest look at spirituality and a person’s relationship and/or belief in God. How did you come to include that in the story?</strong><br /><br />If you remember the atmosphere after Columbine and even 9-11, you’ll remember watching a nation turn to God in desperation, searching for hope and answers. When terrible things happen that we don’t understand, people generally tend to turn to God or turn away from him. Nick and Tanner in particular fight against God as they try to make sense of their loss. I’m one who believes that it’s very much okay to be angry with God and wrestle with him. If I can’t get angry with God in my humanity at the risk of offending him…than he is a very small God. I think Reunion covers a variety of ways that people deal with trauma on a spiritual basis because that’s how people cope. Not everyone leans on God in times of disillusionment, but many people do. I couldn’t write Reunion without addressing the spiritual nature of tragedy.<br /><br /><strong>8. One of my favorite parts of the book was how you addressed the teasing & abuse that goes on in schools, & the divisions between different cliques. I remember seeing a lot of that when I was in school and I saw people that I cared about very hurt by it. I remember kids who went to school that could have turned into a David, I can remember a boy who rode my bus and can still see the emptiness in his eyes. When I first moved to that school, the other kids even told me not to sit by him because no one liked him. I always felt if other kids would stand up and be kind and friendly to everyone regardless of how they look or what they wear, school would have been a lot easier for everyone. Maybe the freak or nerd is actually the coolest person in the school, and no one even knows because they haven’t tried to get to know them. I really felt that this book clearly stated that sentiment! Do you think that if parents & teachers were to possibly have kids read Reunion that it would make a difference in how they treat other people in their lives?</strong><br />I hope so. I’m considering adding a teacher’s guide at the end because there are so many themes that could be discussed in a school setting that are so very relevant today.<br />What about the kids who are victimized, do you think that Reunion could possibly make a difference in how they choose to handle the pain from being tormented?<br />I think Reunion is a book that can show that the victims of bullying are not alone and that their pain is not overlooked. I also think that when they see someone like Tanner, an underdeveloped kid teased for being smart, grow into someone amazing, they can see that there is hope for them. David Ray’s demise is one that is not very glamorous. I hope that he is not a person anyone would hope to emulate.<br />Tanner and David had similar experiences at school. The difference is that Tanner held on to his family and friends and David withdrew to himself… a dangerous place to go.<br />If there is anything I’d like my readers to take away from Reunion, it’s that bullying and school violence is not about the moment when we see the horror of a school shooting played out on television. Reunion is about the danger of untold stories and how we treat each other based on superficialities. It’s also about how we deal with trauma, our personal fears and the things that scare us to death. The thing is, Reunion is told in the context of a ghost story, so the themes we’ve talked about are so under the surface that you barely know they’re there.<br />I’ve heard nothing but positive comments from the teens who’ve read this book. Is it creepy at times? Yes. Will you want to keep your light on at night? Yes. But you will also fall in love with the characters. A cute story: After reading Reunion while on vacation, my in-laws said that they felt so attached to the characters that they had the feeling they’d literally see them as if they were a part of their life.<br />I wonder if your reader friends are looking for a book like that?<br />-Jeff Bennington<br />Author of Reunion and other thrillers<br /><br /></div><br /><div align="center">Kindle Link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004S7AR0E<br /><br />Print: http://www.amazon.com/REUNION-Jeff-Bennington/dp/0615450865/ref=tmm_pap_title_0<br /><br />Nook: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/REUNION/Jeff-Bennington/e/2940012369024<br /><br />The Writing Bomb: <a href="http://thewritingbomb.blogspot.com/">http://thewritingbomb.blogspot.com/</a></div><br /><div align="center"></div><br /><div align="center"></div></div></div></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17593022212959727082noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3300929084302052882.post-54102079682508612032010-04-19T08:03:00.000-07:002010-04-19T09:09:03.819-07:00Nelson's Comp Book of Bible Maps & Charts 3rd Edition<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbuPgHkr-xLO1ailG2c59hozItwCwInJDulvdBtJXj8SnA0vYnkSTNzMj7kEPuSPe0gUI5br9JLIUystMMymmMsOl6XjFc8KGsFhnwD44SM7ohBRjF3Z1LXIyPbzXv55y9VwhNa5dhEE8/s1600/Nelsons+Complete+Book+of+Bible+Maps.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 225px; height: 287px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbuPgHkr-xLO1ailG2c59hozItwCwInJDulvdBtJXj8SnA0vYnkSTNzMj7kEPuSPe0gUI5br9JLIUystMMymmMsOl6XjFc8KGsFhnwD44SM7ohBRjF3Z1LXIyPbzXv55y9VwhNa5dhEE8/s400/Nelsons+Complete+Book+of+Bible+Maps.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461881275859197298" /></a><br />Oh my, how I LOVE this book! As a Homeschool Mom, Teacher of Bible History, & Olympian Club Teacher I couldn't wait to get ahold of these maps. I was so happily surprised to find that the book also included detailed outlines of each book of the Bible, which has become invaluable in my Bible History Class. This resource is a great value considering that it also includes downloadable pdfs of each map! Each book of the Bible is covered with a section that informs about; the author, dates, themes & literary structure, & other important topics. I especially liked the tabernacle diagrams, the "Placement of Tribes in the Israelite Encampment", a chart describing the "Pagan God's of Egypt" (Which really helped my students understand the plagues at a different level!), detailed charts on "The Levitical Offerings", a chart on "The Harmony of the Gospels", and the various full-color pictures. This book has opened up Bible study to me in so many ways. The one con I did find, there some Scriptural inaccuracies, but if you are a careful reader you will catch them. My Dad, a Pastor, took one look through it and has already bought his own copy.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17593022212959727082noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3300929084302052882.post-77352548340631496092010-01-26T15:17:00.000-08:002010-01-26T15:33:50.868-08:00Kabul 24, By Henry O Arnold & Ben Pearson<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmMhH73Y_W63emH8fSRLy_RVPsUp5wUrCTzkYmaIKf9u49odddFNzDOdW1cOEkCAdANzyM1L3vwCAM9AbCyvY1HfWueHBGCQBtaMrndHr8bt4GpnqPSk6W-MyZYKh6hTZa7wXH_HT5Ics/s1600-h/Kabul24.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 140px; height: 210px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmMhH73Y_W63emH8fSRLy_RVPsUp5wUrCTzkYmaIKf9u49odddFNzDOdW1cOEkCAdANzyM1L3vwCAM9AbCyvY1HfWueHBGCQBtaMrndHr8bt4GpnqPSk6W-MyZYKh6hTZa7wXH_HT5Ics/s400/Kabul24.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5431195094672243058" /></a><br />Is God in control when His people are in enemies hands?<br /><br /><br /><br />Kabul 24 is the riveting story of Christians and some of their employees who were taken prisoner in Afghanistan just a month before the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. When these Christians, varying in age and nationality, left their homes to help the Afghan refugees they knew exactly what they were risking. Still it was terrifying when their nightmares came true and they were taken, not knowing if they would ever make it back safely to see their families again. First response was to turn to God in prayer, and He answered in miraculous ways!<br /><br />This book was impossible to put down. I simply had to know if the prisoners would make it home safe! I was afraid when I first received this book that it would be hard to read. I have read other books about Afghanistan under the Taliban’s power, and the evil that took place was hard to read about. Instead this book showed how prayer, faith, and endurance trumps the evil man will seek to do to those who love God! <br /><br />I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com <http://BookSneeze.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17593022212959727082noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3300929084302052882.post-87938605047435422322009-09-03T10:37:00.000-07:002009-09-03T10:40:20.504-07:00Thomas Nelson Book Review BloggersI just signed up to be a Book Review Blogger with Thomas Nelson! I am excited because I get free books and all I have to do is read them and then write a review & a blog, which I do most the time anyway! The first book they are sending me is Kabul 24, which is about Christians who were held prisioner by the Taliban. I am excited to get it and start reading. Please share by my blog with your friends who like to read and know about books!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17593022212959727082noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3300929084302052882.post-61846889048324134342009-07-06T20:07:00.000-07:002011-05-14T13:00:16.759-07:00What would Mark Twain think about texting?So, I have been reading about Mark Twain lately. I love how Twain seemed to have an opinion on everything, even though not all of his opinions would be ones I agreed with. Twain had thoughts about everything that happened around him, new and old trends in the society he was living in. I wonder what it was like to live in Twain's lifetime when change was happening all around. He was born into a slave state and was surrounded as a child by many enslaved people. People whose freedoms, freedoms given to them by God, were taken away by other men. Then he watched his rather new country nearly destroyed as they fought over what the freedoms, granted by God, and ensured by the Declaration of Independence, meant. He moved out west and saw the gold rush, the settling of the west. He was a major, maybe the most important author of a new kind literature which gave the United States their own literary voice. He built a home complete with 19 rooms, 7 bathrooms, flushing toilets, gas powered lights, & tubes that made it possible to talk to people in any other part of the house. He was one of the "Pilgrims" on what would be considered our country's first luxury cruise. He traveled to the "Sandwich Islands" (Hawaiian Islands). He came East. He worked in Washington DC, watching the politics, seeing up close, political dramas not much different from what we see today. I just got done reading about him buying a brand-new machine, a typewriter.<br /><br />I guess today we are seeing things change as well. The way news is given and spread has changed from just being what we read in the paper or hear on the news. The people who not very long ago controlled what news we heard, how we heard it, and when we heard it are now struggling to keep up with the exchange of information on Twitter and Facebook. I watch the news and hear reports on various people of interest's Facebook statuses, or recent Tweets. Really do I need the news at all? Couldn't I follow these people on Twitter or Facebook myself? Isn't the time I spend listening to people, on major network news, sit in pride as they "report" on statuses just wasted time? Still, even as I say that, I feel that there are certain reputable news agencies that actually give us really important information. Yet, again even as I say that, I know that my Dad just returned from Nepal. The first day he was there a church was bombed by Hindus. I am not really sure if anyone reported this information in the United States. I do know that I didn't hear about it, until he came home and told me, and he only knew because he was there! Shouldn't we as citizen's of the United States of America care about people who are being attacked for being Christians, no matter where they live in the world, Especially since we live in the country where freedom of religion was pioneered?<br /><br />Anyway what would Mark Twain think about the exchange of news and information, which is nearly instantaneous on the internet? Especially considering that he worked for hours and hours, as a printer for a small town newspaper just to get each page slowly, and laboriously ready for the sharing of news. I think he would have appreciated that information was readily available, but it's just a guess.<br /><br />I wonder what Mark Twain would have thought of Texting. I know that he absolutely HATED grammatical errors. He had a great love of languages. He liked to learn about their make-up, and grammatical rules. (I really find him interesting and love many things about his writing, but I don't really get this interest! I hate grammar....Ugh how boring! I would much rather read about Huck floating down the Mississippi, Tom attending his own funeral, or a Connecticut Yankee in King Author's Court than study present participles, correct ending marks for sentences, and when to capitalize.) Personally, I feel like his love for grammar had a lot to do with his desire to feel like he was good enough, smart enough, and the fact that he fought with a fear of failure all his life. Unfortunately for me, I have never personally met Mark Twain (although, when I visited Hannibal I did meet a dude dressed up like him) anyway, I not really and truly friends with him, so that's just guess. I wonder if Twain, with his love for grammar would have hated the abbreviations used in texting? Would he have studied the grammatical "rules" of texting? Would he have bought a textionary? Would he have written a book in texting dialogue? I think so, I don't think he could have resisted satirizing texting! Maybe he would have done something like my mother-in-law. Once I was iming her and said, "ttyl" and "lol". So she wrote, "hoamihtgttbr". I was like "WHAT?!" And she said, "Hang On A Minute I Have To Go To The BathRoom."<br /><br />I know that Mark Twain kept many notebooks throughout his life. Today we blog. I know that he was a great man of letters. Throughout his life he corresponded with many people, friends, family members, women that he loved, and even with enemies and rivals. Many times the letters exchanged with enemies and rivals were shared via letters posted in newspapers for all to read! Today we write on each other walls, comment on notes, im, and complain about each other on our status.<br /><br />I do know that Twitter has nothing on Mark Twain! He was "tweeting" with literary greats long before computers or cell phones even existed. Many of the letters he wrote talked about people he had been "twittering" with. Back then it just meant they were discussing, chatting, and passing time. Guess that's what it means today, and it's not really all that much different from what they were doing back then! They just had to work harder to do it.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17593022212959727082noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3300929084302052882.post-78996545760915035362009-06-30T20:47:00.001-07:002009-06-30T20:47:38.075-07:00Reading about the year 1871 & feeling thankful for those women who fought for women to be able to have the right to vote!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17593022212959727082noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3300929084302052882.post-81818355049074771292009-05-05T12:55:00.000-07:002011-05-14T13:01:02.026-07:00Princess BennI didn't really know what to expect when I checked out this book; "Princess Benn" by Catherine Gilbert Murdock. The book looked a little interesting and so I decided to give it a shot. I have to admit that when I first started reading the book I almost didn't get past the first couple of pages. The book is written in first person narrative, and it is very lyrical. I really questioned if the book would be worth getting used to the weird way it was written. Turned out, I was so glad I gave it a chance because it turned out to be pretty good book.<br /><br />Most of the characters in the book turn out completely differently then I had expected, and best of all, it has a great message for young girls. I hate those books that teach kids that they have to find the perfect prince and then their lives will be happily ever after. I think girls should learn to be happy with themselves before they worry about finding a prince. Well, this book doesn't pull that stuff. I would definitely recommend this book to parents of younger kids.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17593022212959727082noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3300929084302052882.post-12497749466216384272009-03-03T12:21:00.000-08:002009-03-03T13:34:33.343-08:00Books by Robin Jones GunnToo Many Metaphors……<br /> <br />Just got done reading "Peculiar Treasures" and "On a Whim" by Robin Jones Gunn. I didn't realize when I first started this series that it is a series that goes with some other books this writer has written. It looks like she started with the Christy Miller series, then Christy and Todd; the College Years, Sierra Jenson, and then Katie Weldon Series. So, if you wanted to read them all, you would probably want to start with the Christy Miller. I don't know if I will bother to go back and read them all, since now that I started these I already know where Christy and Sierra have ended up so far. Still while this series goes along with the others, it stands alone just fine. She gives enough history to be updated and enjoy the books just fine. <br /> <br />My favorite part about the books was the main character, Katie Weldon. She is a fun, quirky, cute character. As well as being well-flawed. I like to read about a character that isn't perfect, does stupid things, loses a temper sometimes, has issues…because that is real. I feel like I can learn how to live better when I read about someone else who isn't perfect learning how to live better. I also liked some of the little qualities that the author gave to Katie, they were ones I could relate to. For instance, Katie is a big bargain hunter, I loved a part of the second book involving garlic-butter popcorn that she bought at garage sale! It cracked me up that she was going to feed her friend food that she bought a garage sale, without telling her! I have to say buying food a garage sale, maybe where I draw the line! It was a fun part of the book though. I got the feeling that the author really enjoyed and liked this character as she wrote her.<br /> <br />There was something the author seemed to overdue that annoyed me a little, too many metaphors! Some of them bordered on silly. I am all for using literary elements such as this, but to a point, it can be overdone. In the first book, she used the metaphor of "Peculiar Treasures" and how we are a peculiar treasure to God, and how he puts peculiar treasures into our lives. This was a cool metaphor which she backed up with Scripture, it was the title of the book, and well-done. There was another that started off a little cool about an old Hawaiian proverb, and the "ripening" of a relationship. But it ended up with women in the book calling their husband "Gummy Bears" and their relationships with their boyfriends "Gummy" or "Not Gummy". That just went too far and made it really silly! There was like 3-4 pages at the beginning where Katie talks to her boyfriend about driving in the slow lane, switching to a fast lane, and turning on turn signals. This was all meant to represent the level of commitment in their relationship and how quickly their relationship was progressing. As I was reading it I was thinking that it was too silly. Then to make it worse the metaphor was carried on throughout the whole book! UGH! I am sorry but who really talks to their boyfriends like that? And what boyfriend actually sits there and participates in a conversation like that? If I started talking to my husband like that, he would soon by rubbing his temples, turning up the volume on the basketball game, and just nodding and saying "Mmm-uhm". It wouldn't be a long time at all before he would have totally turned off the volume on what I am going on and on about and would not be listening at all! Guys don’t think like that. I would like to see a writer, who decided to write about real men, who act like real men, and that's ok that they act like real men, why not? I think it would be refreshing. Not that it is not okay to read sometimes just for fun, about unrealistic men and relationships. But when the guys are constantly unrealistic I feel like it just puts ideas of how men and relationships should be in women's mind that aren't real. <br /> <br /> <br />Still, with all that said, I would recommend these books. The writer pointed out some really great Scripture references, made me think about a lot of different topics as far as Christian living is concerned, I learned a lot. On top of all this, it was a good piece of fiction, that was interesting and held my attention. They are definitely worth the read.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17593022212959727082noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3300929084302052882.post-88067838253690461352009-02-27T20:38:00.000-08:002011-05-14T13:01:20.967-07:00The City of EmbersCity of Embers<br />by Jeanne DuPrau<br /><br /><br /><br />Recently we watched the movie "The City of Embers" and it was so GOOD! I hadn't read the book yet, but the movie was so good that I had to go and get the book to read. Not to mention I also ended up having to buy the movie as well. If I would let him, Calvin would probably watch it like 5 or 6 times a day!!<br /><br />The books was pretty good, but I have to say that I noticed right away that the author wasn't only writing about a dying city, the writer was saying a lot more. So, I am going to break it all down, but I want to warn you first that this blog is going to contain major spoilers. If you haven't read the book, and want to be surprised then I would quit reading my blog, read the book, then come back read the blog, and tell me if you agree.<br /><br /><br />So<br /><br />Now<br /><br />I<br /><br />Am<br /><br />Going<br /><br />To<br /><br />Type<br /><br />One<br /><br />Word<br /><br />0n<br /><br />Each<br /><br />Line<br /><br /><br />That way people who don't want to see spoilers won't have, guess I'm just nice that way :-)<br /><br />The City of Embers is a post-apocalyptic city that was built underground, to protect people from disaster. The writer doesn't really say what kind of disaster destroyed the earth. I pretty much got the idea that it was many things; environmental disaster, wars, etc, etc. The Builders (of the city) left the people with only enough knowledge to survive. Deliberately leaving out knowledge of how to leave. The City of Embers is an underground city. Just image living, deep, deep, deep under the earth. The only source of light at all is electric light bulbs which are powered by a dying generator. A generator that no one in the city understands how to fix, they only know how to use it, not fix it. They don't even know what fire is, knowing how to make and control fire would provide a way to escape.<br /><br />The writer is really just talking about so much more then an adventure of two twelve-year-olds out to save a city. The writer is clearly trying to say some things about our own lives, society, governments, educational system, and most of all, our belief systems.<br /><br />CITY OF EMBERS OUR SOCIETY<br />Builders God<br />Darkness Why are we here? What is our purpose?<br />Believers Christians<br />Escape Survival/Purpose<br /><br /><br />I felt like the writer was saying that the builders of Ember put them in this city and then just left them there. I feel like the writer is saying that God created the earth, and then left us here to fend for ourselves.<br /><br />Outside of the city everything is darkness. Just try and imagine the darkness, real darkness. I am so thankful that God has created this beautiful earth with light sources so that we are not stuck in darkness. I think about when we have visited caves, and it is complete blackness. If you literally had to live in a place like that, you would go crazy. In Ember every night the generator is turned off and the people are in complete blackness for the whole night. I can't even imagine, think if you had to get up and go to the bathroom, complete darkness. They don't have flashlights, they don’t have matches, they don’t even have fire. They have no traveling light. If they try to leave the city before long they are completely and utterly surrounded by the utter darkness! Now, think about the fact that the people know that the generator is dying, they know their clothes and fabrics that they have been using over and over by generations of people for ever 200 years (which by the way how many years old is United States) are wearing thin, they know that their food is running out. There are many different kinds of foods that they don't even have anymore, the little girl in the book had never even tasted pineapple it had run out before she was born. Their library is only filled with knowledge that will help them STAY in the city. What is a boat? They have heard the word, passed down by people that were in they city when it was built, but have no idea what it means. They have heard the phrase "All in the same boat" what could this mean, they can only guess, because they don't what a boat is. Clearly the darkness represents the question of why are we here? What is our purpose? What more is there after this life? I really feel the author asking why did God put us on this dying earth, with bad things happening all around us?<br /><br />The City of Embers has people called believers. The writers doesn't really give a specific answer as to what the believers believe. I got the impression that the believers believe in the builders, who were meant to represent God. When bad things happen they believers just sing and hope. The generator dies out in the middle of the day, leaving a city of people walking around in complete blackness. Getting separated from their families, children and wondering if the generator is going to turn back on this time, or will this be the end. Are they going to just slowly lose their mind, as they slowly starve to death in complete blackness? (The writer has definitely done a good job of making a picture of a hopeless situation) Meanwhile when these things happen the believers just say that the builders will come and save them. Is this really how the writer sees Christians? She gives no evidences, she just acts as if the believers have a silly, pointless, even lazy, and stupid religion. This is not what Christianity is. Now, I could sit here and tell you why what I believe is more then that. But instead, I will let the writer do that.<br /><br />In the book there is a part about a bean. She talks about how the bean looks dead on the surface. But inside there is life. And when the bean is put into some soil, the life pushes itself out. It grows in to a plant. How did the life get in there? Clearly something had to put life in there. So even deep down, in the scary, dying City that the people of Ember are trapped in, they can see that God is real, because only God could have put the life in that bean.<br /><br />There is another part where the boy finds a worm which he watches for awhile as it builds a cocoon and then turns into a moth then flies away. This also shows that even down in Ember, God is at work, creating, how else did the worm know how to do this?<br /><br />Finally, Escape. The kids have to find the way of escape. They find directions, and have to puzzle it together to find a way out of Ember. I felt like the writer was saying that we have to make our own way. We survive our own selves, despite God. Here's the thing though, even when the kids find a way of escape, it is with the help left behind by the builders. So even when the writer tries to make example of how we can survive despite God, she are still leaving you under God's power. Because deep down inside we cant escape God, because He is real, and He is in control of everything.<br /><br />While this book is pretty well written, and interesting. It is hard to make much good out of it. But when I read it, I couldn't help but think how thankful I am to know the real God. I know that God is not some heartless, compassionless being that created earth and then left us here to die. God created us to have relationship with Him. We choose to sin causing a rift between us and God. But God isn't a builder who left us here alone! Instead He is a loving creator who sent His only Son, Jesus, to die for our sins! Giving us a way to Heaven. A way to be saved from the darkness!<br /><br />One good thing about this book, is that it does make you appreciate that we should be good caretakers of this earth. God told us to take care of it!<br /><br />While the writer brought up many questions on many different topics. I have actually not even scratched the surface in the blog, btw. She doesn't really give any good answers to those questions she poses. There are parts of the book that I think aren't completely thought through. For instance, it would pretty much definitely be impossible for people to live underground for that long of a time. She writes about green houses. It would be possible for plants to grow and grow without the sun, using only electrical lights, for over 200 years. Living in a city of utter darkness, with only electrical lights that are turned on and off, at night and morning, people would literally go insane without the sun. It would not be possible for them to survive that long.<br /><br />I don't know if you will choose to let your kids read this book. I am going to let mine, and then I will discuss with them the book, much as I have in this blog. These ideas that are presented in this book are things that they will face in their own lives. I would rather have them learn to deal with them now with me, than to send them out blind and naïve into the world.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17593022212959727082noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3300929084302052882.post-52391879462577156892009-02-21T18:13:00.000-08:002011-05-14T13:01:31.618-07:00♥ Reading ♥So, I decided to start a blog completely devoted to journaling about the books I read. I thought that it might be fun, because I really enjoying blogging about all things, not just books but also general things like what my kids do, or something I that I found interesting during a Bible Study, maybe a weird dream that I had, and sometimes my imagination just starts wandering around, leaving forced to sit down and type up a completely randomly, pointless, and ridiculous blog for really no good reason. Which is fun, but I thought that maybe to organize my thoughts better, I should have blog that is solely devoted to what I read.<br /><br />Sometimes I will find a book that sounds good, start reading it, get a little of the ways through it, and find I have already read it!! This way, I can go back and see what I read, and whether it is worth the time to read again ;-) I hope that I can find time to blog about all the books that I read because it will be fun to have this record as time goes on.<br /><br />Mainly, I am excited about this new blog idea because I just LOVE tearing to pieces books that I read and talking about them. Unfortunately for me, not too many people want to sit and talk to me about all the little teeny-tiny details of books for hours. (And for those of you who do, "I LOVE YOU!") I am going to love having a blog to "talk" to about all my books! If you choose to read this blog, and have thoughts to share on books that I talk about, oh, please, please, please comment!! I would really love to talk to you about books!<br /><br />Just to let you know what kind of books I like to read, I read books from all kinds of genres, fiction, non-fiction, adults, young adults, teens, all the way down to children's book. I am not embarrassed at all to admit this, Yes, I do love to read kids books, too! (I especially like that one, "The True Story of the Three Little Pigs". I check that out of library all the time, under the guise of wanting to read it to my children, but really I'm the one who wants to read it.) I feel a lot better reading books that my kids are going to be interested in reading, because then I know more about what they are going to be learning, and whether or not it's something that I want them to read. You learn so much from what you read, and writers can be very sneaky putting their own agendas into the books. I like to know if there is something I want to warn my kids about when they pick up a book.<br /><br />I like to read Contemporary books as well as the Classics, Romance to Mystery to Sci-Fi (sometimes) to fantasy, to ANYTHING! I just love all books. The books I have read throughout my life have definitely helped to shape me into the person I am today, and the writers feel like old friends. That is not weird for me to say that, by the way, a good writer puts a little bit of themselves into their story, so really when you read someone's work, you get to know them at least somewhat. And you know what; I think that is SO AWESOME!<br /><br />Quick rundown of some my writing heroes, in no official order;<br /><br /><strong>Laura Ingalls Wilder</strong><br /><strong><br /></strong>She is so special to me because she taught American women how to be strong. She was a strong woman, without being manly, overly feminist, or disrespectful to her husband. She understood that women were to be a "helpmeet" to their husband. That means you help, not that you are brainless sap. She was a strong woman who was always a lady, which is really probably the best way to define strong women. She knew what she expected from life and her family. She knew what to expect from her love interest. I think one of my favorite parts of her books was when she told Almanzo that he was NEVER to drive Nellie Olson home again, that is if he wanted to drive anywhere with herself! Girls today could do with paying attention to how she demanded that he treat her as she deserved to be treated! She was confident that she was worth being treated like the gift she was, the gift all strong women are! She always wanted to learn new things. She never gave up during trials. She went through trials that would have destroyed most, and she never gave up through it all! She was hardworking and earned all that she had with her own sweat, blood, and tears, working alongside her husband. In other words, she didn't expect things in life to be given to her, she knew what she wanted, and expected to work for it. She had no sense of entitlement, how refreshing! I love the fact that when you read her books, you are getting one of the finest histories of our country's Pioneer backgrounds, her writings are so important to knowing what has shaped our country, and to remind us of values that we are tending to forget in today's society. I think that they are invaluable history lessons! I think all kids and adults should read her works!<br /><br /><strong>Lucy Maud Montgomery</strong><br /><br />She describes her stories so beautifully that I feel like I have been there. Anne and Gilbert are one of the greatest love stories of all time.<br /><br /><strong>Jane Austin</strong><br /><br />Another strong women…I love how well she observed the relationships of people around her and was then able to write about it. Also, she was so beautifully sarcastic!<br /><br /><strong>Mark Twain </strong><br /><strong><br /></strong>Oh, I just love him so much!!!!!! He just told things the way he saw it.<br /><strong><br />Jack London</strong><br /><br />I read "The Call of the Wild" innumerable times. His books were so exciting and thought-provoking.<br /><br /><em>Others; Colleen Coble, Beverly Lewis, Meg Cabot, JK Rowlings, Janette Oke, Christopher Paolini, Gene Stratton Porter, Cervantes, some of the non-fiction I love to read are books about Queen Victoria , and I especially love reading books she wrote herself, and her journals.<strong><br /></strong></em><br />But my most favorite writer of ALL time is <strong>CS Lewis</strong>. He is definitely my hero of writing heroes! I remember the first time I started reading one of his books, the first one I read was, of course, "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe". I started reading the books, here the kids were playing hide and seek on a rainy day, in a big unfamiliar house, and before you know it Lucy accidently enters a whole other world while trying to hide in the back of a wardrobe. I was so excited! I remember thinking; this is just exactly what kind of book I want to read! This is just exactly what I wish could happen to me. How wonderful would it be to be able to explore a whole different world! I have read that Lewis wrote the Chronicles of Narnia because when he wanted to read stories to children, he couldn't find any that were the kind of stories he wanted to read, so he just wrote them himself. How cool is that?! Also, he said that his stories weren't really "allegories" as much as "suppositories" (I don't know how he spelled it) . In other words, "Suppose that there are other worlds"…"Suppose that in the other world God comes in the form a lion?"…Suppose…Suppose…Suppose…How I love to Suppose…Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17593022212959727082noreply@blogger.com0