Book Review

I've added a few more books to my shelf over therer -------------------->>>>>>

BREAKING DAWN is the last in the Twilight series. I read it in a week. 754 pages. I do want to read this series again but have other books on my real shelf at home that I want to read.

Right after finishing Breaking Dawn, I had to get into another book.

THE SHACK was next. It's a selection for my book club. But I would have read it anyways. This is an amazing book. It's one to read and then read again and then again each year. It's just amazing.

Have I already started another book? Yes, I have. It's by an author who I really like. I'll tell you about it when I'm done.

Happy reading.

Eclipse

I am done. I finished Eclipse. I started on Saturday. It was so hard to put down. I devoured all 600+ pages of that book. Wow. It's amazing how these books just suck you into them. I can't wait to read Breaking Dawn. I'm borrowing it from my niece tomorrow.

Off to watch a movie now.

Happy reading :)

Mountains Beyond Mountains and a melting pot

I just added this to my shelf over here on the side ------------------------>

This was the month's selection for my book club. It took me awhile to read as I just don't have a lot of time to devote to reading lately. But a very brief synopsis: Paul Farmer is a medical doctor whose life's calling is to cure infectious diseases and to bring lifesaving tools of modern medicine to those who need it the most. The author trails along with him on his journeys to Haiti, Cuba, Russia, Peru and back to the states. Farmers dedication shows how one person can make a difference in solving global health problems.

Last night was the book club Christmas dinner. We met at the Melting Pot in Irvine. I have never been there and have been wanting to go. Have to say it was quite fun and the food was good. Pricey, but good for a fun night out. There were 6 of us and we split 2 of the big meals which was just perfect. Started out with 2 types of cheese fondues where we dipped bread, apples, carrots. Dinner was lobster, shrimp, salmon, chicken, fillet mignon, pork and cheese ravioli with veggies and 2 pots of tasty broth to cook up our food in. Then dessert, 2 pots of chocolate were set out and we could dunk strawberries, bananas, pound cake, brownies, cheesecake and marshmallows in the luscious chocolate. We were there for about 3 1/2 hours but it went by fast and was well worth it. :)

Now that I have finished Mountains Beyond Mountains (I had about 10 pages to go so finished it up after I got home last night) I've got to check out my book club list to see if I have the next selection. Then decide if I want to read the next book in the Twilight series, or the book club book. Hmmm, decisions. But first finishing wrapping presents, getting presents in the mail, and making sure things are ready for Christmas.

Now, onto another subject that I am sure I have mentioned and there is also a link on my blog. This is a cause that we help support , the kids help support it through their school, and also through our church. I have met this remarkable man and have gotten to know him over the years. If you are looking to send a donation in someones name this Christmas, or just out of the goodness of your heart want to make a donation to a worthy cause, click here to meet Father Marc and the kids of Project Hope in Haiti. Follow the blog for incredible pictures and stories. This once small orphanage is turning into it's own Village where the boys and a handful of girls are learning to be self sufficient, go to school, have a dry place to sleep, food in their tummies and a church to attend.

Now a P.S. I broke my camera last week. I dropped it on the nice new tile floor in the kitchen. Doh! The camera was on the counter, I picked it up not realizing the strap got caught on a knob and bam. Camera on the floor. The lens was stuck, not opening or closing. :( I called around to places seeking an ER camera doc.

was told over and over that my best choice was to buy a new camera due to the age of my camera. What?? I love this camera, I don't want a new one. I want this one fixed. Please.

Well, I continued my search and this lead me to Best Buy where I purchased my camera, maybe 4 years ago. The nice Geek at the Geek Squad told me the same thing I had been told over the phone. So, I plod my way to the camera department, ask the nice sales guy if he as a twin for my poor outdated broken camera. No, but, there is this one which is comparable and has more zoom, more pixels, more..., and it's on sale for only....... . Ok, doing quick math, it's really not much more than what I would pay to fix the old one. So, I broke down and bought the new one. That was Monday. During he pouring rain. It's still in the box, in the bag, in the other room. I need to open it, set it up, put in the scan disc, and download the ton of photos that I didn't down load before the incident. Need to get used to this camera before next week and I take 300 pictures of Christmas. I didn't get photos of our cookie baking or decorating. :(

So, wish me luck with my new camera. Then I'll get some pictures on here again. I didn't get a picture of the snow on Saddleback Mountain (can see it from the kitchen) or the rain pelting down the street.

Have a fun day, stay warm, stay dry, stay safe (It's raining again today!!)

Shelfari

I have seen this around on other blogs and today I added it to mine. It took a little time but it was fun. I couldn't find all the titles of books I have read but that's ok.They are not in the order I have read them and that is also ok with me. It will be fun to add new. I just have to figure out how to. But I have not finished my latest book today so that's ok.

Thanks Melanie :)

update: I checked back to check on a book and my book shelf didn't show up on the blog. Well, ummmm, don't know what to say. Maybe it's bein dusted and will be there tomorrow. I'll reload it again if it's not showing up. I am technically challenged with these things.

If you want to make your own, check out Shelfari right here.

History

I have to admit that I am a history buff. I secretly enjoyed history in school. In 7th grade history I did every single extra credit project I could, even made a replica flag of the first flag made by Betsy Ross. I even was able to dig it out for Evelyn to use when she portrayed Betsy Ross in the Walk Through America in 5th grade.

I love reading historical books as well as historical fiction books.

I finished reading Lewis and Clark. This was a summary of their 2 year expedition following the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean. 2 years! Both Lewis and Clark kept journals with drawings and details of their expedition. They met Indians (remember their Indian guide Sacajawea?), they built forts and survived many hardships on their journey. And I can say that I have been to Fort Clatsop in the state of Oregon. This is where the Columbia River meets the Pacific Ocean. The explorers spent the winter of 1805 here preparing for their return trip.

Here is Lewis



Here is President Jefferson

Here is Clark

How fun it would be to spend a week or so with Meriwether Lewis and William Clark on their expedition. To see what they saw. To venture through the newly purchased Louisiana Territory and through the Oregon Territory which was not yet part of the USA. Then to return home and sit with President Jefferson and discuss your journey and findings.


Lewis was a friend of Jefferson and in fact was his private secretary. Clark was Lewis' commanding officer in the Army. When they began the journey, Meri was not even 30 and Will was just over 30. They gathered supplies, made boats (most of the journey was by boat), acquired trinkets to trade with Indians and picked 14 qualified men as part of their expedition. When they returned to St. Lewis on September 23, 1806 they had traveled roughly 8,000 miles. Wow!


Other eras of history that intrigue me are the Civil War time. I would love to spend some time with President Lincoln. I have walked through the battlefields of Gettysburg PA. Benjamin Franklin is another person I would love to meet. I have been to Independence Hall where the Declaration of Independence was signed. I even have touched the Liberty Bell.

President Abraham Lincoln

Mr. Benjamin Franklin

Signing of the Declaration of Independence

Liberty Bell

Now for something only a handful of people know. Laura Ingalls was my hero when I was a young girl. I wanted to live on the prairie with her family. I was devoted to the Little House on the Prairie tv show. I envied Melissa Gilbert because she got to play Laura Ingalls. I have read all the Little House books, even some biographies of Laura Ingalls. Hey, I was even her for Halloween one year, complete with bonnet and prairie dress.

Mary, Laura and Carrie (date of photo is not known)


For now, I read as much as I can about eras in history that interest me. As you can see from my reading list: historical England and Scotland, American History even the Amish. Now I've got to dig through my book shelves and find another good book to get lost in. I have been consolidating books. Keeping them all in one place. Before I had books all over the house dispersed over many bookcases. Now mine are in one place. I like to sit in front of the book case and flip through books deciding which one to read next. I have a few in mind and need to pick one, today.


Happy reading. It's good for you. Reading brings knowledge. Knowledge is Power (I think I read that somewhere) I think I have a book club meeting this week. Better check. I tried to read the book but couldn't get into it. Oh well, some books just don't intrigue me. What do you like to read?


Have a great week and stay safe if you are in fire areas.

Twilight

You must read it. It's a great book. Read it for my book club. I didn't want to get sucked into another series of books as I have others I am trying to get through before I turn 80. But I can't wait to get absorbed in the rest of this series. I can't wait to see the movie.
Check out http://www.stepheniemeyer.com/ to see more.

I really can't believe I read all those books this year! I finish one, and pick up another. I could read 20 hours a day if I had the time.

Greg told me one day, as I was reading (waiting for his soccer game to start), "all you do all day is sit at the computer or read". well, I thought before I spoke, it's true. So, I replied "young observant son, yes I really do sit at the computer all day. And I do read. I work all day and my work is mainly on the computer. I do read when I get a chance as I LOVE to read. Maybe you should read more. You like to read and you are a good reader. AND, I do more than just sit at the computer and read. I do laundry, I take you places, I clean house, I cook, blah blah blah....." I had lost him by then. I hope I got my point across, especially about reading more. (and like Julie says, oh, I also sit and eat bon bons all day - or maybe just cookies)

Now take Evelyn. Miss I don't like to read. Well, she is so engrossed in her books this year. It's great. Middle school (at our school) doesn't have to do the reading counts program the lower grades have to do. This means Evelyn can read books she wants to. The ones she liked were not always on reading counts. The kids have to do a big book report each tri mester. And I do mean a big book report. This one involves making a movie poster, writing reviews like the movie (book) is being reviewed in the newspaper and a whole list of other things. We should have already started and by golly, I think we will today.

If you have a few days to spare, pick up Twilight and start. Some gals read it in a day. I could have if I had a day to devote to reading. I started Friday and finished the last 20 pages this morning. I normally am not interested in this subject matter, but.... This one sucked me in.

Bye now. Have a great day. Happy reading :)
My phone lines are now fixed. Guess I better get to the phone. One other thing I do all day. If my cough would just go totally away, it would all be better.

Oh, I did say Bye now, and this time I really do mean it :)

Chai tea latte!!

We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures.
— Thornton Wilder

Book review

I just finished another wonderful book by my best friend in the entire world.. Liz Curtis Higgs. This book is "Grace in thine Eyes". It's the last book in the series that I read out of order. I actually read this book about a year or more ago and loved it just as much reading it the second time.

Visit my friend Liz. Oh she is a wonderful author. I signed up for her newsletters and she sent me a ton of stuff in the mail and a personally signed card :)

Read on, dear reader:

Examine the Genesis 34 story of Dinah through a 19th-century Scottish lens...
Davina McKie is a bonny lass of seventeen, mute since childhood and fiercely guarded by her belligerent twin brothers, Will and Sandy. When the lads are forced to depart the glen, Jamie McKie escorts Davina to the Isle of Arran, where her lively cousins, Catherine and Abigail, make her welcome at the manse.
One moonless eve Davina blithely entertains the gentry of Arran with her grandfather’s fiddle, unaware of the dramatic turn her life is about to take.
A story of passion and revenge, of lost innocence and shattered dreams, Grace in Thine Eyes explores the sorrow of unspeakable shame and the gift of immeasurable grace.
A young woman trapped by shame.Two brothers bent on revenge.Can her father rescue her?Or is there only One who can set her free?
P.S. If you've read Thorn in My Heart, Fair Is the Rose, and Whence Came a Prince, I hope you'll enjoy meeting the next generation of the McKie family. But if a series isn't your style, here's good news: Grace in Thine Eyes is a stand-alone novel, written with new readers in mind. If that's you, sis, get ready for Grace!
From the Publisher, WaterBrook Press...Grace in Thine EyesA timeless tale of passion, revenge, and redemption When Liz Curtis Higgs emerges from her writing studio after long months absorbed in 19th-century Scotland, she’s often surprised to find modern cars in place of carriages and falling leaves instead of the blooming spring flowers she’s just left in her imagination.Critics are impressed by the emotional intensity and depth of research found in her historical novels, based on biblical stories and reset in 18th- and 19th-century Scotland. Readers of her three recent bestsellers have embraced Grace in Thine Eyes, a stand-alone novel introducing the next generation of the McKie family, even as it parallels the tragic, yet compelling account of Dinah from Genesis 34.Pitied by some commentators as a victim, chastised by others as a disobedient daughter, the biblical Dinah is a woman whose story is cloaked in mystery. Was it defiant curiosity that made her stray from home, seeking out the “daughters of the land,” or was it simply youthful innocence? When her brothers exacted their revenge, was Dinah greatly relieved or deeply grieved? Did she live in shameful seclusion or was she restored to society? Does her story end in disgrace…or grace?Not one of those questions is answered in the biblical account, in part because neither Dinah’s voice nor her viewpoint appears in the narrative. Grace in Thine Eyes explores those unanswered questions from Dinah’s story, yet without tampering with Scripture, moving this dramatic tale to the Scottish Lowlands of 1808.

And here is what I started reading this afternoon. The last book in the Bad Girls of the Bible series. I have already read the other ones, last year. Liz takes bad girls of the bible and puts them in a modern day setting and then goes back to the discuss them in biblical times. You can see them all on her website.

Happy Reading :)

Another book and more on the way

Well, just finished "Embrace Grace" by Liz Curtis Higgs. Another great book. Remember her website? http://www.lizcurtishiggs.com/.

(copied from the website)
The forgiven life. The grace-filled life.
It begins with an embrace.
Wherever you are spiritually, whatever you have been through emotionally, you are already enfolded in the arms of One who believes in you, supports you, treasures you.
He is waiting for you to embrace him in return. To accept the gift he’s offering you. To listen for the whispered words you’ve longed a lifetime to hear:
You are loved. All is forgiven.

And today, I got an email from Amazon that my books have already shipped. And this is even with the free shipping. Very fast! But I am in a dilemma as to what book to read first. "Thorn in my Heart" or "Whence Came a Prince". The book before or after the one I already read....hmmmmmm. Well, I think I know my answer and you will just have to wait and see.

One more week of school for the kids. Hip Hip Hooray!

No practice today so the kids and I dashed to the Sandlot so Greg could smack some balls, Old Navy for a bathing suit for Evy and back home too make dinner. Evy and Tom head to Campland at Mission Bay tomorrow for the last AP outing of the year. Greg and I have to miss it due to baseball.

Well my friends, Thursday nights are Misday nights for me. I'm already late with my date with CSI.

GO Lakers!!

GO NMVLL All Stars!!

I love this author

I just love this author~~~~~~~Liz Curtis Higgs. check out her website here.

It started with "Grace in Thine Eyes", then onto "Bad Girls of the Bible", "Slightly Bad Girls of the Bible","Unveiling Mary Magdaline". Then I had to get "Fair is the Rose" which I just finished and "Embrace Grace" which I just started reading.

I was so caught up in "Fair is the Rose". I had a hunch that "Grace in Thine Eyes" was part of a series so I took a peek at what I had already read and it did have some of the same charcters. Well, then I realize there are 2 other books which preceed "Fair". These are "Thorn in My Heart" and "Whence Came a Prince". So, again, I am reading a series out of order. Oh well. Who says things have to be done in order.

This evening, Greg had practice at 6. After an early dinner, we dashed Greg to practice. Then Evy and I dashed to the library as she needed to get a poetry book for school. Seems we are always dashing. LOL!!!After we found her book with the help of a very nice library lady, I quickly dashed to the my section of the library to look for Lizzy. Nope. These books were not on the shelf. So, I dashed to the computer to check the library list. Could not find them at a library close to us.

After several more dashes, I dashed into the office, straight to the computer and to http://www.amazon.com/. Oh, Lizzy, there you are my favorite author, my bestest friend. So, I could not resist and ordered a few more books o'hers as well as some others. Why not. I can't wait to start reading. But for now I am reading "Embrace Grace"

So, this series is set in Scotland in the 1700's. I just love historical books. Oh, and it's about Jamie and Rose and Leana and their families....... I won't give away too much. But she loves him and he loves her,. and now her loves her and she loves him, and she is her sister and will they ever forgive each other? and he is a dashing sheep herder, and their cousin, and he is married to her, but really to her, and their father is a crotetchy scrooge, and...................... well, you will just have to read it yourselfs.

Like I said, it's in 1700's Scotland. Oh, to go back in time for a while. And to listen to the dialect. Oh, I would love it. I have been to Scotland and can imagine the beautiful countryside there. Aye!

Jus' a teaser for ye:

"Are ye sure ye won't come hame wi' me, Miss McBride?" Willie tuggd off his wool bonnet and worked it around his hands while his wet boots dripped on the cottage's flagstone floor."They'll be sairlie missin' ye at Auchengray. Truth is, I hate tae think o' ridin' up tae the gate wi'oot ye. Mr. McKie will niver let me groom Walloch again."

Aye, och, tae, dearie, sairlie, luve, ye, tis, wi'..........

Get the book. Now. Or you can borrow mine.

The Real Story (taken from the website)

Once again this novel brings to life the tumultuous stories of Jacob, Leah, and Rachel. In Thorn in My Heart the emphasis was on Leana’s (Leah’s) journey, found in Genesis 29. In Fair Is the Rose the triumphs and tragedies that befall Rose (Rachel) take center stage, as described in Genesis 30.

Research, as you might imagine, is an important part of my writing process. I studied fourteen translations of the Genesis account and ninety nonfiction books and commentaries to make sure I understood every dimension of the biblical story, plus I consulted six hundred books on Scotland’s history and culture to get the Scottish details right. My goal is never to weigh down the story with too much information, but I do like to get the facts straight!

May Fair is the Rose take your heart on a memorable journey through the Lowlands of Scotland and the depths of God's love!

A must read book

I am in this super fabulous book club at the kids school. Great group of mom's who all love to read. Over the last few years have read some great and some not so great books and some books I never would have picked up.
We started off this year with "I know this much is true" by Wally Lamb. Ok. had it's moments.
We also read "Digging to America" author name escapes me at this moment. This book had it's moments.
"Travels with Charley" by John Steinbeck was ok. I find it hard to read Steinbeck. I did read "East of Eden" last year and will admit there are pages that I just skimmed through. Read "Grapes of Wrath" in college and would like to read it again.

Now here is the book that is a must read. It's long, 973 or so pages but don't let that scare you away. You get hooked and so caught up in the book. I did. The book is by Ken Follett, "Pillars of the Earth". Written in the 1100's and mainly about church builders. The guys that built these huge cathedrals and churches. Could take 15 years or so to build. Of course there are the stories of the Kings,royalty,earls, knights, the monks and Bishops who run some of the villages where the churches are to be built and the stories of the lives of the builders and their families. Life was not always that easy back then. But they sure drank a lot of beer and wine and ate a lot of horse bread.

If you are looking for a great read go out and get this book! Now before it leaves the shelves!!

Currently reading: "Eat, Pray, Love" by Elizabeth Gilbert. you may have seen her on Oprah a month or so ago. Now this book is only 334 pages and I am on 44. Maybe I can finish it up this week as I will have some down time in the evening when I am gone these few days.

Happy reading! If you have any recommended books, please let me know. My book case is overflowing but I always welcome a good book recommendation.