FnFS: Warning! Christian Fiction Ahead!

 This week, Amy asks:

Do you recommend or lend your Christian fiction books to people who don’t share your faith? If you do, do you tell them in advance that the book is Christian fiction? Why do you or don’t you tell them?

I don’t always lend out my Christian books to people who aren’t Christians, as normally they don’t want to be “preached at”, and they feel that this is what’s going to happen in the Christian books — the Christian fiction genre has a bad reputation for that sort of thing. Thankfully, the books are getting better, but they still have that stigma, unfortunately. Mind you, there’ve been a few books, recently, that had almost no Christian content at all; they were just good, clean reads. I definitely passed these on!

I definitely have “warned” people in my reviews whether/not a book had Christian leanings. I’ve also told my non-Christian friends if a book I was recommending was “Christian”. Reason being, I know they’d want to know.

I, personally, prefer to know when a book contains foul-language, or excessive violence, so I appreciate when people mention that in their reviews, or when recommending a book to me. So, it’s only fair to extend the same courtesy to others.

 

Friday Finds (Nov.13)

What great books did you hear about/discover this past week? Share with us your FRIDAY FINDS!

 

My Finds:

       

“Field of Blood” by Eric Wilson

“Never Ceese” by Sue Dent

“Sarah’s Key” by Tatiana de Rosnay

“The House Church Book” by Wolfgang Simson

PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT with either the link to your own Friday Finds post, or share your ‘finds’ in a comment here (if you don’t have a blog). Thanks!

 

BTT: Too Short

 This week’s Booking Through Thursday question, suggested by JM, asks:

“Life is too short to read bad books.” I’d always heard that, but I still read books through until the end no matter how bad they were because I had this sense of obligation.

That is, until this week when I tried (really tried) to read a book that is utterly boring and unrealistic. I had to stop reading.

Do you read everything all the way through or do you feel life really is too short to read bad books?

I used to read every book all the way through. That was back in 2002. Then I got smart, and decided that, if a book wasn’t grabbing me by about page 50, I was going to set it aside and try something else. And, it was the best decision I’ve ever made.

Nowadays, I still follow my 50-page rule. And, if I end up struggling on past page 50 (for whatever reason), I’ll usually get to the middle of the book and figure it’s too late to turn back — I’ve already ‘wasted’ that much time on the book, so I might as well keep going.

Mind you, the “pressing on” doesn’t happen very often any more. I really do believe there are just too many books out there that I want to read, and not enough time to get to them all!

With review books, I really do try, though, to give them a fair chance. These are the exception to my 50-page rule. I try to keep going, even if I’m not enjoying it, in order to be able to say WHY I didn’t like the book. Still, though, I’m finding that this is forcing me to be much more careful in requesting review books (or accepting them), as I just don’t like running into this problem. I’d prefer to either enjoy the book, or have the freedom to set it aside if I’m not.

Oftentimes, there are books that I’m kind of enjoying, but not enough to keep reading at that point in time. So, I will set the book aside, and make a mental note to try it again later. I really believe that there is a “right” time for each book: Sometimes a book won’t be hitting you when you first try it, but if you set it aside and go back to it at a later date, you find that it totally –then– speaks to you where you’re at. You just had to be in the right time & place for it to share its message with you.

“So many books, so little time…”

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For more answers to this week’s question,
please visit the BTT blog!

 

WWW Wednesdays (Nov.11)

 To play along, just answer the 3 questions below!

• What book(s) are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?

 

 

 

What book(s) are you currently reading?

 

I’m currently reading “Can God Be Trusted?: Finding Faith in Troubled Times” by Father Thomas Williams. It’s a hard book to read, though, because it’s bringing up a lot of stuff I’ve struggled with for a long time. LOL.

I also — just last night — picked up Tracey Bateman’s “Thirsty“. I borrowed it from the local library, and when I got home, started reading. I couldn’t put it down! LOL. But, I forced myself to, as I needed sleep. It’s going to be hard to keep away from that one until I’m finished my other read! LOL.

 

 

What did you recently finish reading?

I recently finished “Finding Organic Church” by Frank Viola, and “Fit For My King” by Sheri Rose Shepherd. Click on the titles to read my reviews!

 

 

What do you think you’ll read next?

I’m pretty sure I’m not going to be able to resist digging back into “Thirsty” by Tracey Bateman. But, I’m also anxious to read “The Rhythm of Life” by Matthew Kelly — another book I recently borrowed from the library (this one was an interlibrary loan, though).

 

 

PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT with either the link to your own ‘WWW… Wednesdays‘ post, or share your answers in a comment here (if you don’t have a blog). Thanks!

 

Teaser Tuesdays (Nov.10)

 Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My Teasers:

“…many times what looks like a setback may actually be a gift in disguise, and vice versa. Trust in God allows us to accept the many ups and downs in life with the assurance that He has a bigger plan, and that He knows what He is doing.”

~ p.65, “Can God Be Trusted? Finding Faith in Troubled Times” by Father Thomas Williams

 

PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT with either the link to your own Teaser Tuesdays post, or share your 2 ‘teasers’ in a comment here (if you don’t have a blog). Thanks!

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((Remember…the link for the comments is at the TOP of this post! Thanks!))

 

Musing Mondays (Nov.9)

 This week, Rebecca asks:

Does your house have a communal bookshelf? If not, is your bookshelf centrally located so everyone has access to it?

Nope, not really. My husband has a shelf out in the computer room, but it’s just his books there. Mostly computer books & old textbooks.

My shelves are almost all in my room (there’s just one cupboard –with glass doors– out in the computer room… a built-in), and they are all full of just my own books. No one else is allowed to take books –not without asking, anyway. I’m really anal about how my books are treated, so I don’t like anyone just grabbing them.

Shelf-ish? Yep. Maybe. But, I have to keep those books looking nice!

 

The Sunday Salon (Nov.8)

 I’ve been continuing on this crazy reading streak, and have finished another slew of books this week!

“Pagan Christianity?” by Frank Viola & George Barna

“Finding Organic Church” by Frank Viola

“Fit For My King” by Sheri Rose Shepherd

Then I started into “Can God Be Trusted?” by Father Thomas Williams, and am about 1/3 of the way through that, so far.

It’s been a little heavy on the nonfiction side, though, so I’m starting to crave a good story. Luckily, I have a few fiction titles that should be in at the library, right shortly:

• “Living Dead in Dallas” by Charlaine Harris
• “Shade: A Novel” by John B. Olson
• “Thirsty” by Tracey Bateman

I’m starting to get anxious for next year’s reading challenges! I love starting over fresh with the new lists! I’m planning to really cut back, though, on the number of challenges I participate in. I think I’m currently in about 14… next year I really only want to do 4 or 5.

I’m going to continue running my Original TBR (To Be Read) Challenge, and its sister, the TBR *Lite* Challenge. I’m also going to do a second year of both the “Read’n'Review” Challenge, and the RYOB (Read Your Own Books) Challenge. Of course, I can’t give up on the Book-a-Week group/challenge… I’ve been with them since March 2002.

I’m really torn on whether or not to actually play in my TBR challenges, again, though. They’ve been up and running — well, the original has, anyway — for 2 years now. And I’ve never succeeded in finishing that one. The RYOB challenge is similar, and easier for me to complete. So, I may just stick with that one.

I’m also planning on still continuing with my perpetual challenge, Raved-About Reads. I’ve read 11 of my 73 books, so far!

Anyway. You can find all of my challenges (that I run) at http://readerchallenges.wordpress.com . And, to see what challenges I’m participating in (and how I’m doing with them), please check out my Challenged2Read blog!

Happy Reading, this week!

 

REVIEW: “GodSightings: The One Year Companion Guide“

This book really helps you to dig deeper in your Scripture reading, and it asks you to apply what you’ve read to your daily life.

I love that it asks you to doodle, as well as write, your answers to the daily journaling questions. And, I loved the occasional quotes from real people ~ how they answered that day’s question.

I think this book is a fantastic resource that will really help people get more out of their daily Bible reading, and that it will help them to be more aware of God’s hand in their lives.

Recommended!

Rated: A+

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Thank you to Audra, at The B&B Media Group, for having a copy of this book sent to me!

 

FnFS: What Makes a Book Stick?

 This week, Amy asks:

 Sometimes it’s not the big package that makes a book meaningful, but all of the little treasures inside as well. I will never get over this amazing mystery of reading, that the simple turn of a phrase can open up understanding or meaning to something.

What about you? What makes a book memorable long after you’ve turned the last page? The characters? The surprising plot? The spiritual truth? The gorgeous writing?

What makes a book memorable for me is often the way the characters are drawn. Oftentimes, their personalities will stay with me (if they’re written well). It’s also those little truths that resonate with me that end up sticking, too — if I relate to something the character says or does, that will stay with me long after I close the book.

For example, I recently read a secular title called “The Kommandant’s Girl” by Pam Jenoff. And, the character of Emma Bau/Anna Lipowski has really stayed with me. She went through a lot (the book was set in the time of WWII, and Emma was a Jew), and other parts of the story, too, really hit me.

A lot of these books — the “sticky” ones — end up on my Top 10 lists. In fact, a while back –at the prompting of a fellow book-blogging friend– I made up a list of my top 15 “sticky” books… books that have left a lasting impression on me. Those fifteen were:

1. The Calling of Emily Evans – Janette Oke*
2. Ebony Moon – Reg Grant*
3. The Moon Below – Barbara Bickmore
4. Twilight – Stephenie Meyer
5. Losing the Moon – Patti Callahan Henry
6. Great With Child – Debra Rienstra
7. Visible Amazement – Gale Zoe Garnett
8. Gifted Hands – Dr. Ben Carson with Cecil Murphey*
9. Writer Ferrets – Richard Bach
10. The Genesis Code – John Case
11. Rainbow Garden – Patricia St. John
12. The Overseer – Jonathan Rabb
13. Ramses (series) – Christian Jacq
14. The Weigh Down Diet – Gwen Shamblin*
15. Boy-Crazy Stacey (BSC#8) – Ann M. Martin

((those with a red asterisk -*- after them are Christian titles))

All of these books had at least some element that really stuck with me, be it the character, or some part of the “message” of the book, or whatever.

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For more answers to this week’s question,
please see Amy’s blog!

 

REVIEW: “Fit For My King” by Sheri Rose Shepherd

 Available November 2009 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.
 

This book sets out a 30-day diet plan where you fast off of the “whites” (flour, sugar, corn, potatoes, etc) and all artificial foods & sweeteners. You also make sure to exercise 5 times a week, and get enough water & rest.
 
There are 30 days of devotions on topics like anger, self-image, forgiveness, divine appointments, etc. And, the back of the book has a bunch of recipes.
 
I’m no longer a fan of diets (see here for what I am a fan of), especially ones that ask you to cut stuff out. But, this book would certainly be helpful for some. I definitely recommend this one to those dealing with the eating disorder of bulimia, as Sheri has struggled with this, and she shares about overcoming that in this book.

Rated: B-