I want to let you in on a little secret... I'm a reader again!!! As a child I rarely was without a book in my hands. I read The Baby-Sitters Club series up to book #112 or so. Then in jr. high and high school, reading turned mostly into the books required for assignments... A Tale of Two Cities, The Scarlet Letter and Julius Caeser stand out as the major ones I remember. Then in college I started reading Biblical books or things assigned. My favorite class was Children's Literature and my favorite book we read was Bridge to Terabithia... still cry and have not seen the movie. Once I got married the reading stopped completely unless it was a picture book for school. About 6 years ago, I started doing Bible Studies with some of my friends, so I would read the Bible Study books and my Bible. I often would say, "I'm too tired to read and if I am going to attempt to read, it will be only the Bible." So for the last 6 years all I read was the Bible - which I am NOT knocking! After all, it is the best book ever written, hands down my favorite book and full of things that I read over and over again and still do not understand all of it's pages. And even though I am now reading other books, I promise not to stop reading this one too! :)
That brings me to May 2008... we stopped at Lacie's house when we were coming home from DFW and she said that she had a series of books that she thought I would like to read. Then she dropped the bomb... "I will not talk to you until you have read the first one." NO PRESSURE!!!!! So on the drive home I began ... and I could not put it down! She ended up mailing me the next 2 and sending one via Trey to Jason over a work thing so that I could finish the series. What was the series... the Canadian West by Janette*Oke. I fell in love with Canada of the 1910s. I think that Elizabeth was me! She was a school teacher and loved her job... but loved her family more. And that Wynn Delaney! Oh my! What a love story!!! I officially became a reader again.
Then that pesky Ike hit and we were back in DFW and we were back at Lacie's house and she gave me another series. This time she gave me all 5 of the Abram's Daughters series by Beverly*Lewis. Let's just say, I read all 5 in exactly one month! My mom told me that I was reading too much! It reminded me of my elementary school years! hahaha This series was so wonderful!!! It is set in Amish Pennsylvania in the 1940s and ends in the 1960s spanning 3 generations of the same family. As I read the last pages of the last book I wept! Leah Ebersol and her dedication to her family, true love and God was very inspiring. I was intrigued by the Amish customs and confused by the web of secrets that was spun. At one point I was tempted to make a chart of who knew what... it reminded me of The Young and the Restless Amish style. The characters and plots still resonate in my mind. I recommend them highly!
And then Holly shared the latest book with me... These is My Words by Nancy*Turner. It was set in Pioneer Arizona and told the story of Sarah Prine. It took me a little longer to "get into" the story, but by the end I could not put it down and was crying again at the end!!! I recommend it too.
So now I am a reader!!! For my next series I am tackling a childhood favorite of many that I never read... Little House! I think that since my mom wanted me to read it I was being a stinker and refused to! Oh well, if that was my worst rebellion that is nothing to talk about! hahaha
What are you reading?!??!?!
7 years ago
6 comments:
Long live The Babysitter's Club!! I'm not reading anything worthwhile right now, but a few of my recent faves are A Thousand Splendid Suns, Chasing Harry Winston, The Street of a Thousand Blossoms (I think that's the right title), and Unaacustomed Earth. I've been into a lot of foreign books lately. I love to read, but I hardly ever have the time!
I wish my reading list was as biblically inspired as yours, but, I have been addicted to the "Outlander" series by Diana Gabaldon. I just finished book #4 and started book #5. And let me tell you, these books are not for the faint of heart! Each one is roughly 800-900 pages. The setting is 1940's in Scotland, Claire accidentally goes through a circle of magic stones and ends up in the same place, but 200 years earlier, the 1740's. She doesn't know how to get back, is taken as a prisoner, falls in love with Jamie, and on and on. The adventures are always spectacular and clever and it doesn't get old at all. She does end up going back at one point, but it doesn't end there...
Full of Scottish history and politics of that time. Really interesting.
Now I gotta go read!
Right now I'm reading The Blue Castle by Lucy Maud Montgomery (the author of Anne of Green Gables series, etc.--which I also plan to read-can't believe I never did).
I am sooooo happy you are a reader again and that we can dish about all our good reads. Oh! You should join Goodreads.com now.
I just finished a triple-series by Karen Kingsbury about the "Baxter" family. The first series is the "Redemption" series, which she co-wrote with Gary Smalley. The second is the "Firstborn" series. The third is the "Sunrise" series. It's uplifting and really easy reading.
However, I ALWAYS recommend Francine Rivers. If you like pioneer-type stories, read her book called, "The Scarlet Thread". You will love it. It is about a present-day woman who finds out about her ancestor that travelled on the Oregan Trail, and how closely their lives match.
Happy reading!!
just finished Tom Sawyer. You will probably love the Little House books. I never read them as a kid, but read them to my kids several years ago. we all enjoyed them. though we didn't like the later series (Rose) as well...
if you ever want another stand alone book that you can read fairly quickly, try Tuck Everlasting. It's a pretty good one!
my nephew just recommended The Museling's to me, so I gotta try that one next
Karen Kingsbury
Francine Rivers
Lorianne Snelling (I think that's the spelling)
Dee Henderson (christian mysteries)
Terri Blackstock
Okay, these are some great authors. Enjoy your reading!
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