Favorite Book (ish)

Linking up this week with Mama Kat for writer's workshop. The prompt I choose this week is "Write about a favorite book of all time." Though, I cannot boil books down to a single favorite (that's like picking my favorite child!) I will give you a couple of my "go to" book series. 

My first go to series is by Janet Evanovich, the "Stephanie Plum" novels. This series was recommended by a local bookstore back when I lived in Oregon. To this day I read these books. These books are also great in audiobook version. 

The main cast of characters include Stephanie, a bounty hunter working for her cousin. Described by Evanovich "incredibly average and yet heroic if necessary" She's not all that good at bounty hunting but makes it work with help and a lot of luck. Lula is her "sidekick" a former ho (her words not mine) turned records clerk for the bond agency. Then there are the two men in Stephanie's life: Ranger, the mysterious "Batman" and Joseph Morelli her on again off again boyfriend. Its complicated. There are more great characters. You can see a pretty detailed lineup on the Wiki page. 

My second go to series is the "In Death" series by JD Robb (a pen name for Nora Roberts). I have just loved these book since I picked up the first one. They are set in a mid-21st-century New York. Dallas is a homicide detective. There are numerous other characters that you just learn to love. All the details are here on the Wiki page. This is another series that is great on audiobook as well. 

Both of these series include books that stand alone, but the characters have ongoing story lines. That means you can read just one and read them out of order, but why would you want to!? 

What I'm Reading Next

Linking up again this week for writer's workshop. You can learn more by clicking the box at the bottom of this post. 

First prompt I choose this week: List the top 5 books on your list to read next. 

In no specific order. Links will take you to the Goodreads profile on the book. 

1. Anxious People by Fredrik Backman - I read one of his books, A Man Called Ove and loved the way he wrote. Looking forward to another book by him about something I'm familiar with. 

2. Mr. Penumbra's 24-hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan - This one just because of the title, a 24 hour bookstore, sign me up! Plus, according to the description it has just a bit of magic and mystery which I love. 

3. The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton - Just look at this cover! Beautiful! Plus it has the historical fiction that I have been loving lately. 

4. The Scent Keeper by Erica Bauermeister - After being enchanted by The Magic of Lost Things, this one caught my eye. The idea of scents being so important, something that resonated with me. Can't wait to see what a new scent evokes in these characters. 

5. The Star Mother by Charlie Holmberg - this was my kindle prime freebie for the month and it looks just magical. Plus another beautiful cover (I know, don't judge a book by its cover, but you know we all do!)

I just joined Scribd so many of these are from that "borrowing service." If you read or listen to audiobooks a lot, might be worth looking into. 

This post inspired by: 

Wordless Wednesday

Thankful Tuesday

Anyway, here are five things I am thankful for this week: 

1. I am thankful for my local library. I just checked out three books that I have been wanting to read. Love that I can read them for free and if I love them enough, buy them.
   -The Happiness Project (book that goes with the journal I am using already)
   -Vortex - book two in the Tempest series. Just finished book one last week and LOVED it.
   - This Star Won't Go Out - been on my list since 2014!
2. I am thankful for a cooking husband. He made us some awesome chili Sunday night. Something I have never been able to do. 
3. I am thankful for my rental home. Our heat/ac has problems and thankfully, the landlord takes care of that. My budget couldn't handle that and the brakes I had to replace this payday. 
4. I am thankful for a wonderful message at church that tied in wonderfully with the bible study I have been participating in. Love those God reminders that he sends more than once, because he knows me well. 
5. I am thankful for reminders that Mom is with me, even though she isn't on earth. I found a beautiful wall hanging (one of those wooden box ones) and it says "Always my mother, Forever my friend" Ezekiel 16:44. The christian book store I frequent sent me an email and it was in there. 

2015 End of Year Book Survey

I decided to link up with Jamie @ The Perpetual Page Turner along with Inge with @ Bookshelf Reflections. All links in the following post will take you to my review either on this blog or goodreads. I also picked and chose the questions I wanted to answer. The whole thing can be found at the blog above.

Number Of Books You Read: 92 (this doesn't include the children's books I have read for review purposes. That would take me well over 100)

Number of Re-Reads: 0

Genre You Read The Most From: young adult, mostly fantasy

Best Book You Read In 2015?  I think that would be How to be Brave. This book really touched me in a way I wasn't expecting.

Book You Were Excited About & Thought You Were Going To Love More But Didn’t? Somewhere in Between. I saw the cover, loved it, requested an advanced copy, read it. Wasn't all that impressed.

Most surprising (in a good way or bad way) book you read? I am going to go with the Lunar Chronicles. A bloggy friend of mine described it perfectly "When you tell people you are reading a story about Cinderella as a Cyborg... you are going to get strange looks. When you tell them you are becoming rabidly obsessed about a story about Cinderella as a Cyborg... yeah. It doesn't get much better, I'm afraid. But then curiosity might get the better of them, and they might read it, too. And when they become hooked, they will tell you - "I'm sorry I thought you were insane. This book is awesome."

Book You “Pushed” The Most People To Read (And They Did)? Honestly, I don't know. I know that I share a lot about the books I have read both here and in real life but I don't get a lot of feedback on if people actually read them.

Best series you started in 2015? Best Sequel of 2015? Best Series Ender of 2015? I would have to say The Selection series. Honestly, the review says it all: Not going to lie, when I first started this book I wondered what ask the hype was all about... I didn't love it at first page or even first chapter. Somehow, page by page, chapter by chapter it sucked me in.

Best book from a genre you don’t typically read/was out of your comfort zone? I would have to say it's the two autobiographies I have read this year: Yes, my accent is real and Bossy Pants. Loved them both!

Most action-packed/thrilling/un-put-down-able book of the year? Legend. Loved it so much that I immediately bought books two and three. 

Favorite cover of a book you read in 2015? Entwined. Didn't love the book as much as I love the cover.

Most memorable character of 2015? I keep coming back to this series, but I can't help it! Most memorable character would have to be Cinder from the Lunar Chronicles.

Most beautifully written book read in 2015? The Upside of Iris. This one is because of the amazing art as well. The story just pairs perfectly with the words. I loved this one

Most Thought-Provoking/ Life-Changing Book of 2015? The Girl in the Well Is Me. I thought this was such an interesting prospective and wonderful way to tell a story.

Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2015 to finally read? Lunar Chronicles. This one just blew me away. I'm sure you can tell from my reviews. If you don't believe me, check them out!! 

Favorite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2015? That would be the "hospital scene" in How to be brave:

And then, in the CCU

that last time:

the glare of the cold white walls

from the long fluorescent bulb

that fell hard against her 

grey skin

against the cold metal

and plastic wires. 

The mask on her face

the steady, careful pulse of machines, monitors,

mechanical boxes that lived for her

that sustained whatever was left. 

Her body was broken. 

She was like a butchered animal

with her arms limp 

and her chest heaving with the push of the machine. 

Her eyelids shifting, 

her feet trembling. 

Automatic responses, they're called. 

I wonder what was there, 

inside, 

the moments before her heart stopped. 

I wonder if she could hear what I said

how sorry I was

just so deeply sorry.

Book That Made You Cry Or Nearly Cry in 2015? That would be Pretending to Dance. Again. 

Book That Made You The Most Mad (doesn’t necessarily mean you didn’t like it)? Somewhere in Between. This one left me wanting much more. 

Books I read in 2015

I will preface this post by saying, I am a reader. I love to read and I am quick. I finished a LOT of books this year. I bolded the ones that I loved. There are reviews of all the books I have read on GoodReads and a few here under "book reviews"

Adult Fiction Books

1. Angels Burning 
2. The Word Game 
3. The Big Girls Guide to Buying Lingerie 
4. Whispers in the Reading Room 
5. The Bronte Plot 
6. Twisted Webs
7. The Sister Pact 
8. Webs of Power 
9. House Trained
10. Nikki Blue: Source of Trouble 
11. My Secret to Tell 
12. Pretending to Dance 
13. Taking Back Sunday 
14. The Sea Keepers Daughters 
15. Bathsheba 
16. Impossible Magic 
17. Under the Ice 
18. I've got you Under my Skin
19. Killer Cupcakes 
20. Ordinary Angels 
21. A Daughter's Inheritance 
22. Pink Balloons and Other Deadly Things 
23. The Deuce 
24. The Language of Sparrows 
25. For the Love of Livvy
26. Sunshine Hunter
27. Caught in the Middle

 Non-Fiction Books 

1. Birdies, Bogeys & Bipolar Disorder
2. 10 Ultimate Truths For Girls 
3. Yes My Accent is Real 
4. Blessed, Blessed, Blessed
5. Daily Wisdom for Women 2016 Devotional 
6. Mama Needs a Do-Over 
7. Bossypants 

Early Reader Books 

1. Blue in the Face 
2. The Girl in the Well is Me 
3. Lydia's Enchanted Toffee
4. The Nine Lives of Jacob Tibbs 
5. Scrap City
6. Sorry I'm Not Sorry
7. The Firma Twins & The Purple Staff of Death 
8. Franny and Toby 
9. Seaside 
10. Aliens on Holiday 
11. The BFG 
12. Miss Petitfour 
13. The Rabbit Ate my Flip-Flops
14. The Rabbit Ate my Homework 
15. The Gecko's Gate
16. Teagon of Tomorrow 
17. Into Corina 
18. Elora of Stone
19. What If 

Young Adult Books 

1. The Golden Braid 
2. How to Be Brave
3. Legend 
4. Until We Meet Again 
5. Wishing for you
6. I wish 
7. The Last of the Firedrakes
8. Undertow
9. Somewhere In Between 
10. Untraceable 
11. Lost Princess 
12. Masque 
13. Followed by Frost 
14. State of Grace
15. Splintered
16. Grounded 
17. Feyland 
18. Hope(less) 
19. Fairest 
20. Cress
21. Cinder
22. Scarlet 
23. Everblue 
24. Entwined 
25. V is for Virgin
26. The One
27. The Selection
28. The Elite 
29. Ascend 
30. Torn 
31. Switched
32. Betrayal 
33. Forbidden 
34. Reckoning 
35. Redemption 
36. Caught in the Middle 
37. Twenty Eight and a Half Wishes 
38. Before I fall 
39. The Fallen Star
40. Rae of Hope 
41. Shades of Doon 

Another one!

We found another one!!

Little Free Library in Toledo Oregon. I just got pictures of each side, but it does have books in the front, view-able through a windowed door.

Quite beautiful I think. I hope to keep taking pictures of these as we find em!

A gift in red white and blue

• it is a gift to have a bunch of beautiful red strawberries to munch on this week.
• it is a gift to have a big white tent for shade, even though I still got sunburned. :-( 
• it is a gift to also have yummy blueberries to eat while we have been here. 

Almost Wordless Wednesday

Today, I did something I've never done before. I donated some books that I was done reading to two of my local "Little Free Library" locations. not sure where else in the country they are but here is their website. I am learning more about them now, it's a pretty cool program. Anything that allows people to have free access to books is wonderful and should be embraced. You should check out your city, see if they have one. My girls LOVE going to see what they have and we have taken a few books ourselves. Its ever changing and fun to watch. When we stumbled on the first one, we thought it was one of a kind, when we found the second I was very happy it wasn't!


1000 Gifts: 3 gifts close

• it is a gift to be growing even closer to my sister. 
• it is a gift to be close to my husband. He is my best friend and I love that we can talk about anything. 
• it is a gift to be close with both Stephen and my family and also the girls' dad's family. It's important that they know we are still a family, just a bigger one. 

Messy Beautiful Love Chapters 1-2

Awhile back I posted about being part of the launch party for Messy Beautiful Love: Hope and Redemption for Real-Life Marriages, sad thing is, I never got a chance to read it. My life has just been CRAZY! But I think this is important. I want to start my new marriage off on the right foot! To get me going, I am joining Time Warp Wife and Women Living Well in a book study. You can check it out here. This week we were to read chapters one and two. Below are some of my answers to the study questions.

Chapter 1: Messy Beautiful Love
Darlene’s testimony illustrates the beauty and power of grace. Think back to a time when you were shown grace. Who was it, and what happened? I think the most recent time I was shown grace was when I forgot to pick up my friend's child. She ended up walking to my house and it was only about 15 minutes. But still, if it were my child, I would be ticked off. But her mom was so kind to me. Wasn't angry or upset. Made me feel even worse though, because it was undeserved. I feel like I deserved to be yelled at and she gave me grace instead.

What are some ways you can extend grace to others? Consider big and small ways. Not getting angry at the driver in front me. Not yelling when the kids do something naughty, but loving on them instead. Not complaining about what didn't get done, but praising what did.

The following verse is twofold. Why is that two-fold message important in both healing and building a marriage?

Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more. –John 8:11 (KJV)

I think this is important because it is telling us that Jesus didn't condemn her, neither should we be condemning each other. But he is also telling her not to sin anymore. I think the first half applies for any mistakes that come up in the marriage. We aren't supposed to be pointing fingers of blame at one another but we are to both work together on keeping our marriage pure and right.

Darlene’s father said, “God doesn't care about what you did yesterday. He’s concerned about what you’ll do today.” How can you apply that to your marriage? I think that is a really good thing for any situation, but especially in marriage. God doesn't care about the past, about the mistakes we have made, but he cares about what we are going to do today. He wants us to embrace the present and make a better future.

Have you ever felt like a failure? What does this chapter tell you about your ability to serve God? I frequently feel like a failure. My first marriage failed and I constantly wonder what I could have done to make it work. When my kids aren't doing well in school I feel like I have failed them. I see all the things I could have been doing to help them be successful. But in all this, God doesn't see me as a failure, he sees me and knows my worth. Knows that he can use me for his purpose. It is my goal to make sure that I am a mold-able and usable for him.

Tell one thing you love about your husband. Well one thing I love about my future husband (18 days!!) is that he always has something kind to say to me. Even when I don't feel very lovable, he tells and shows me that he loves me in spite of what I feel are my flaws and failures. Sometimes he shows and tells me that he loves me because of them!

Chapter 2: Walk in Compassion & Grace
Read 1 Corinthians 13:4-8. What is the difference between love and a loving feeling? I think the difference is the action. As they say, love is a verb. You have to live out your love. Whereas a loving feeling is just that, a feeling. It can be fleeting and not sustainable. But when you live out your love, you make it sustainable and lasting.

Have you ever walked through a fiery trial with your husband? What happened? With my soon to be husband, the only fiery trial I have been through is the loss of my mom. It is the hardest thing I have ever had to go through and he walked it right beside me. I think that without his support, I wouldn't have been able to keep it together and get the things done that needed to be done.

As the saying goes, “The best things in life don’t come easy.” What are some things you've achieved with hard work? One big thing I think about is my return to school. When I finally got started with my schooling, I found out I was pregnant. I still managed to get my degree while going through pregnancy, being a mom and working part time. It wasn't easy, but it was totally worth it.

Page 24 talks about a foolish woman seeking happiness anywhere she can find it. What’s the difference between that and seeking joy? I think when you are joyful it's a happiness that is deep inside. It's something you can't find anywhere else but in Jesus. Anything else that you find that makes you happy isn't going to be lasting. You have to find the joy in Jesus and let that lead you, that will give you a joyful, happy life.

How can we apply 1 Peter 1:7 to our marriage?

These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.

I think that in the same way as faith, your marriage is going to go through fire, but as long as we are faithful to that vow and to our partner, we will have a greater worth when Christ is revealed.

Have you ever faced a major trial in your marriage? Did it pull you apart or draw you closer? Since I'm not married yet, I haven't had one in this marriage. But in my first we had several times of trial. We made it through them, not sure if it brought us closer together or not because eventually he gave up on our marriage. This time around I am going to try really hard to make sure we are in constant communication through the problems we have so that I am not left wondering what happened.


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1000 Gifts: Three Gifts From Your Window

• The beautiful foothills I can see, no matter which window I am looking out. 
• The amazing sunrises I can see out my car window, never fail to leave me amazed at His handiwork. 
• The rain coursing it's path down my window. So grateful we live in an area where water isn't a concern. 

WW: What I'm Reading

Linking up with Mama Kat again this week for writers workshop. If you want to learn more about it, click the link at the bottom of this post. The prompt I chose this week is: Something you're reading.

I always have a few books that I am reading. I try and make sure they are all different enough to not get mixed up, but it doesn't always happen. Right now I am reading two vastly different books. The first is a sci-fi teen fiction book. Doesn't take much thinking and it was a freebie on amazon. If you are interested, it's called Winter's Awakening by Karen Luellen. I have only been reading it two nights and am almost finished. It's a quick read and interesting.

The other one I am a bit more excited about, it's called Walking in White by Jolene Hodder. It is all letters from a missionary to her family back home while serving in Kenya. The awesome part about this book (to me) is I know these people! The author's husband actually was the pastor who married Jimmy and I. AND her brother is our current pastor. It's so fun to see Africa from her eyes and read the passion she has for the work she is doing. She also blogs on a fairly regular basis if you want to check that out, you can see it here.

This post inspired by:

Thankful Tuesday

Another week, another opportunity to count my blessings.

1. I am thankful for the wet weather we have been having lately. As much as I dislike being out in the rain, we do need the moisture. Hopefully we won't be in a "drought situation" this summer. 
2. I am thankful for my girls' new friend. She lives a couple doors down and has been keeping my girls playing outside more. We brought her along with us to church on Sunday and she was really excited. I'm glad my girls have someone to share that with. 
3. I am thankful for google docs. I was able to create a family calendar so that Jimmy and I could both have access and edit it. This way we can coordinate things for the girls so we are always on the same page. I have also been able to create a budget and calender for my bills so I know what needs to be paid when. 
4. I am thankful that I keep a little pad of paper and some pens in my purse. It is great for those Sundays you forget your bible (and notebook). If I didn't have them in my purse, I wouldn't have been able to take notes Sunday, and I am so glad that I did. I think I learned just as much writing the blog post about what I learned as I did actually listening to the sermon! 
5. I am thankful for the book "When Happily Ever After Shatters: Seeing God in the Midst of Divorce and Single Parenting." The first chapter had me hooked and although her story has some serious differences from mine, it's close enough that I feel like I can learn through her experience. I have only been reading about a day and am about halfway through it. 

Currently on my Bookshelf

So, most of you know I am a big reader. I have a lofty goal to read 100 books this year including 12 non-fiction. I read 96 last year, so it isn't too lofty! You can keep up with my goal and also what I am currently reading on my goodreads profile, but I thought it would be nice to show you what I am reading and what I am thinking about them so far.

Emerald Green by Kerstin Gier is the third in the Ruby trilogy. This one has been on my "to read" shelf for awhile, it's taken me MONTHS to finally get it from my hold list at the library. My buddy Angel already finished it and told me to be prepared to cry. I am just a few chapters in and am excited. If I could only quit falling asleep while reading I would be a lot farther.

Make Any Divorce Better! by Ed Sherman - Enough said. It's got tips for me. I'm not planning to be the one to file, but I think it's important to be educated. I'm getting through it slowly.

Putting Children First, a guide for parents breaking up by Hanna McDonough & Christina Bartha - Just started this one. I think this is THE most important thing that I am reading right now. Honestly, nothing else matters but them. It is my absolute priority to make sure they get through this with as little scarring as possible.

The Normal Christian Life by Watchman Nee - Also just started this one. I joined a new women's study group, started by my friend Erika over at Overflow. I'm pretty excited to get more into it and start discussing it with a group. This will be my first study with these ladies and I'm looking forward to it!

Container Gardening for Dummies - Just got this one from the library this weekend. I'm pretty bummed we won't be able to have the garden we did last year, but I am pretty excited to grow something again. This is my solution. Hopefully I can learn something and make it work. I loved my garden fresh veggies last year.

So, what are you reading?
Are you on goodreads?

Recent Readings

As you know if you  have been reading my blog for long, I am a big reader. I made a goal this year, stepping out of my comfort zone, to read at least 12 non fiction books. I am working on numbers 11: God Has a Dream for Your Life by Sheila Walsh and 12: Confident Parenting by Jim Burns. I am not very far in either of those, but they are both more of a "self help" type. If you click on the book titles it will take you to goodreads. This has quickly become one of my favorite book websites. I use it to find books when I am looking for something new. I even have the app on my kindle. If you are on there, look me up; NAMsMommy is the username.

The last non fiction book I finished was ChiRunning by Danny Dreyer. I was looking for a book on how to keep myself from getting injured while running and thought this was worth a look. I will admit that parts of it felt a little "hooky" like making sure your pelvis is straight so you don't spill your chi, but it made me really think of the way that I am aligning my body in general. This in turn affected my running. By making myself more aware, I was listening to my body's cues telling me when/if something wasn't quite right. This one is actually now on my wish list to buy. It has so much that you can re-read in it and I really would love to take notes and mark up the parts that are super important for me. I figure I will find it for a steal at a garage sale sometime or cheap on amazon.

The other books I have been devouring are non fiction. Would you believe I have already finished almost 60 fiction books just during 2013?! Anyway, I have been reading through a few different series. The first is the House of Night novels (this is the first one, this is the one I am currently reading.) Basically those are about a vampire school. They are for teenagers but I have been loving them. Like I finished most of the series in less then a week. I think I have two left that have been published and I don't even know if they are done writing. Seriously addicting books!

Ruby Red started me on another trilogy, but at least I know how many of these books there are. It's about a family of time travelers. The first book was good enough for me to devour in about two days then I immediately put the second two on reserve at the library. Book two is also on my "currently reading" list. I enjoyed Ruby so much that I handed it over to a friend to read and now she is hooked too! She already finished Sapphire Blue, the second book and now I am just waiting to finish the book I am in the middle of to start it.

Last series I got hooked on is about angels who walk on earth, the first book is Unearthly. They are basically here for a specific reason, to carry out a specific purpose. I really liked that this one wasn't so much about fallen angels but more about families who have "angel blood" in them. The main character is a teenage girl and feels so "normal" with just an added twist to her life. I have books two, three and four in my stack to read. Just praying I can get through them before the library tells me I have to have them back. Funny thing about this series is that my sister in law had already read book one so when I mentioned it she was like "I've read that one!" lol So, I loaned her my loaner from the library and will read it when she's done. =)

I am just gonna stop there because this could get REALLY long if I get into all the books I have read, even if I just limit it to October. Lets just leave you with one trivia question: the final series I was going to write about is also a trilogy, I finished the first two books but the third won't be released until today. What series am I writing about? 

What about you; Are you a reader? What is currently on your reading list? Any recommendations for me?

Book Review

I just finished "Praying Circles Around Your Children" by Mark Batterson. I read it as part of my new year's goal to finish 12 non fiction goals. I was lucky enough to find this one FREE using one of my new favorite sites (Gospel eBooks.net) They post almost daily with really great deals on christian ebooks. I love getting a great deal, and I love even more being able to have good christian (fiction and nonfiction!) reading right on hand. My kindle is nice and loaded with a bunch of them!!

Anyway, on to the review. I didn't expect this book to be like it was. I guess I was expecting more of a how to. This gave me more of why I should pray circles around my children. I know it is important to do so, they are the future of our world, and they are entrusted to me while on this planet. This book made me see that I not only need to be praying for their futures, but for the present. For the children they interact with and the teachers and staff who influence them. The book went on to give me practical ways to use scripture to pray over them. As I am reading the Bible, I am looking for verses that I can use to pray over my kids.

I think this is an excellent book. It was pretty short (only about 113 pages on my kindle.) I finished in less then two weeks of reading a chapter a night. If you are interested, you can click the link above to see it on amazon.com. And because this post is part of my project 365 I have included an adorable picture of Liv sleeping. The sweet girl told me she was tired and wanted to sleep downstairs tonight, sure enough she grabbed her blanket, her pillow and her Violet and laid on the couch. Two minutes later this is what I see:

 

Love that kid! Plus, looks like me when I have had a long day! Sometimes even with my kindle still in hand, thankfully I have a wonderful husband who puts it safely on my side table, even plugs it in for me!