I did not realize it, but I have not posted any reading logs since September. So, here is Oct - Dec, 2009. I did make my 100 - just squeaked by.
OCTOBER
73. Writings to Young Women: As Told By Her Family, Friends and Neighbors – Laura Ingalls Wilder – 4 – edited by Stephen W. Hines – collection of reminisces about the Wilders.
74. The Girl She Used to Be – 4.75 – great story – Melody has been in the witness protection program since her family witnessed a mob murder when she was 6 – now her worst fear has come true – a man knows who she really is, and has come to get her. And she goes with him. So many twists and turns – loved it.
75. The Prince Lost to Time – 4.5 – Ann Dukthas – excellent story – Nicholas Segalla, a mysterious man who never ages investigates the death/disappearance of the Dauphin of France, the son of Louis VXI and Marie Antoinette.
76. The Language of Bees – 4.75 – Laurie R. King – the last in the Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes series – and it is a cliffhanger! I hope she writes really fast!
77. The Apocalypse Code – 4 – Hank Hanegraaff – excellent book on eschaetology. My favorite Bible teacher.
78. Carry On, Mr. Bowditch – 4 – Jean Lee Latham- read aloud for SL core 3. It was not as good as Johnny Tremain
79. Aunt Dimity Goes West – 4 – Nancy Atherton – one of the better Aunt Dimity books
80. Plum Pudding Murder – 4 – JoAnne Fluke – light fluffy mystery. Just when I thought the series should be coming to an end, a new twist was thrown in!
NOVEMBER
81. Aunt Dimity: Vampire Hunter – 4.25 – Nancy Atherton – another fun Aunt Dimity mystery – this time Lori couldn’t be any more wrong as she leaps to conclusions and searches for the vampire (hidden by his vampire family, of course) that her boys saw in the woods near their home.
82. The Lost Art of Gratitude – 3 – Alexander McCall Smith – latest in the Sunday Philosopher Club series. Boring.
83. The Cold Light of Mourning – 3.75 - Elizabeth J. Duncan – Penny Brannigan, manicurist in a small village in Wales, solves the mystery of who killed the bride on her wedding day. Not as good as Aunt Dimity, along the same lines of Constable Evans (also set in Wales). Nice and interesting, but not really much fun.
84. Demon Ex Machina – 4.25 – Julie Kenner – 5th installment in the Demon Hunting Soccer Mom series. A lot of loose ends wrapped up. I really enjoy this series, sort of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, grown up with two kids and living in the suburbs.
85. A Measure of Mercy – Home To Blessing #1 – 3 – Lauraine Snelling – this is now the 4th series about the people in the town of Blessing, South Dakota. The first series of 6 books (Red River of the North) was excellent, as was the second series of three books (Return to Red River). The third series, Daughters of Blessing was good, but not as good. Each one was a romance story of one of the girls in the town. This next series is about Astrid, the daughter of the town founders. It was okay, but not great. Definitely not a “stand alone” book. I enjoy these books, but only because the first ones were so very good, and now after 14 books and 5 or so years I feel like I know the characters. But just on the merits of this book alone, it was not that great.
86. In The Time of the Poisoned Queen – 4.75 – Ann Dukthas – the last Nicholas Segalla mystery! At least I am assuming it is, as it was written in 1998 and no more have come since then. Very sad. Nicholas Segalla, the mysterious Jesuit/detective who lives forever is involved in the mystery surrounding the death of Mary Tudor. Is Queen Mary being poisoned? And if so, by whom….? Great story, great what-ifs.
87. The Lewis and Clark Expedition – 4 – read aloud with the older boys, Landmark Book about their journey. Very good.
88. What’s For Dinner, Mom? – 4 – Lorrie Flem – a food prep/freezer cooking/kitchen organizing/menu planning guide from Lorrie Flem, editor of TEACH magazine. Usually I don’t count cookbooks, unless I read all the way through them. But this was more of a guide than just a collection of recipes. Would be an excellent resource for someone just starting out with meal planning.
89. Where Do I Go? 5.0 – Neta Jackson – House of Hope Series, takes off where Yada Yada Prayer Group leaves off, focusing on Manna House, the shelter for homeless women.
90. Aunt Dimity Slays the Dragon – 4 – Nancy Atherton – the last published (so far) Aunt Dimity book. In this one, a Renassance Fair comes to the village of Finch and Lori is investigating a suspicious string of events. Always fun, easy reads.
DECEMBER
91. The New Answers Book: Over 25 Questions on Creation/Evolution and the Bible – 4 – Ken Ham, editor
92. June Bug – 4.25 – Chris Fabry –June Bug and her father live in an RV and travel the country as nomads. One day she walks into a Wal-Mart and sees a picture of herself among the “Missing Children” posters. The rest of the story is her journey to find the truth about herself and her father, and where they came from. Read for church book club. Good, fast-paced story, so I gave it a high rating, but it didn’t leave any real lasting impression. Just an interesting story.
93. Day After Night – 4.5 – Anita Diamant – based on the true story of the rescue of Jews who were held by the British in internment camps in Israel after the end of WWII. It is told through the eyes of 4 young Jewish women who had survived the war – one a concentration camp survivor, a Polish Zionist, a Parisian beauty and a Dutch women who had been in hiding and betrayed. Excellent story.
94. The Mom & Pop Store: How the Unsung Heroes of the American Economy Are Surviving and Thriving – 4 – Robert Spector – a history of the small merchant in America, interwoven with the author’s family history (Russian Jewish immigrants and owners of a meat shop in New Jersey) and interviews around the country with small businesses making a go of it in America.
95. Who Do I Talk To? Yada Yada House of Hope Book 2 – 5 – Neta Jackson – I think I like this series even more than the Yada Yada Prayer Group books. Gabby finds herself homeless, and starts learning to follow God’s leading as opposed to her own plans. Read it in about 24 hours – can’t wait until 6/2010 for Book 3!
96. Christian Unschooling: Growing your Children in the Freedom of Christ – 3.5 – Teri J. Brown and Elissa M. Wahl- it was okay, mainly just a “What is unschooling” and then essays from unschooling families. I don’t see any connection (even after reading the book!) between Christianity or lack of it and unschooling. Apparently others do, though. I did notice that most of the essays that went on and on about the joy and freedom were mostly people with small children – duh, we can all unschool 2nd grade! There were fewer that had families in high school and lo and behold! Most of them were using some curriculum, at least for math. In essence, I think all methods can work for different people at different times in the homeschool journey, but I don’t care for the people (on either end) who get all dogmatic about it.
97. And Only To Deceive – 4.75 – Tasha Alexander – mystery series set in Victorian England society – I think in Emily Ashton I may have found a heroine to tide me over while I wait for the next Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes mystery from Laurie R. King. Emily is a young widow of noble birth who is beginning to think for herself and show independence in a tightly circumscribed society. Good mystery (though I did guess who dunit). I have the next in the series on hold at the library.
98. My Journey With Farrah: A Story of Life, Love and Friendship – 3 – Alana Stewart – basically the journal Alana Stewart kept during the 2 ½ years that Farrah Fawcett was battling cancer. I had a hard time with it, because Alana is very New Age-spiritual, trying anything and everything – but no mention of the Bible (other than Lords Prayer and Psalm 23, which she read out of a Christian Science book), or Christ. Anyway, reading about someone dying is always sad, but this also seemed empty. I do admire her love and devotion to her friend, though.
99. A Window to the World - 3- Susan Meissner – a disappointment, after Why The Sky is Blue and The Shape of Mercy. Jen and Megan are best friends. Then, when they are 8 years old Jen is abducted in front of Megan and disappears off the face of the earth. Just never really got into the characters, and the resolution was way too neat and tidy.
100. The Pioneer Woman Cooks – 4.5 – and yes, I am counting a cookbook as a book! Generally I don’t but I did actually READ the entire book. And, I needed it for 100 this year.
I decided it was okay to count it, because I read a few ebooks this year and didn’t count them, and read several chapter books (Magic Tree House, Beast Quest series, and all the My Father’s Dragon) to my younger boys that I did not count. My page volume of “uncounted books” was enough to put me over the top, imho. And there is probably at least one book that I missed writing down this year!
Friday, January 15, 2010
Baked Oatmeal
Baked Oatmeal
2 cups quick oatmeal
½ cup brown sugar
½ tsp. Salt
1 ½ tsp. Baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1 large egg, beaten
1/3 cup applesauce
¾ cup milk
Preheat oven to 350. Mix together the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, mix together the wet ingredients. Combine the wet and dry ingredients and pour into greased 8x8” pan. Bake 25-30 minutes or until done (mine was baked in a glass pan, and very done in 20 minutes) Serve with honey, maple syrup or blueberries.
A whole recipe is 27 WW points. I did use sweetened applesauce (all I had) but next time I will use some of my homemade chunky unsweetened, so that will remove a few sugar points. I also used skim milk. I think you could replace the brown sugar with Splenda Brown Sugar stuff, but I have not had good luck using Splenda in any baking, so I'd rather just have the real stuff and do the treadmill for a bit. We ate ours warm with a drizzle of honey. I think raisins would bake well in this, too.
2 cups quick oatmeal
½ cup brown sugar
½ tsp. Salt
1 ½ tsp. Baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1 large egg, beaten
1/3 cup applesauce
¾ cup milk
Preheat oven to 350. Mix together the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, mix together the wet ingredients. Combine the wet and dry ingredients and pour into greased 8x8” pan. Bake 25-30 minutes or until done (mine was baked in a glass pan, and very done in 20 minutes) Serve with honey, maple syrup or blueberries.
A whole recipe is 27 WW points. I did use sweetened applesauce (all I had) but next time I will use some of my homemade chunky unsweetened, so that will remove a few sugar points. I also used skim milk. I think you could replace the brown sugar with Splenda Brown Sugar stuff, but I have not had good luck using Splenda in any baking, so I'd rather just have the real stuff and do the treadmill for a bit. We ate ours warm with a drizzle of honey. I think raisins would bake well in this, too.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
September reading list
Books for September: some great, some only okay. I only have one more book left in the Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes series, and I am dreading it being over - it is one where I feel like I really know the characters.
I think I am going to make my 100 for the year....3 months left, and only need 27 more books, and I'll finish one today.
65. Justice Hall – 4.5 – Laurie R. King – the continuing adventures of Sherlock Holmes and his wife and partner in detective work, Mary Russell. This time they are trying to solve the mystery surrounding the death of the heir to a British dukedom in the aftermath of WWI. Always good.
66. Royal Flush – 4 – Rhys Bowen – 3rd book in the Her Royal Spyness series. Lady Georgiana is 34th in line for the British throne in the early 1930s. She comes from a noble but impoverished family. Toss in a cast of eccentric characters, some upper-crust British clichés, that American woman Mrs. Wallis Simpson and a dead body or two and you get a fun, easy murder mystery. Very enjoyable series.
67. The Secret Life of Becky Miller – 4.5 – Sharon Hinck – a few clichés stopped this from being a complete 5 – Becky Miller is a young mother of 3 who is trying (way too hard) to do Big Things For God. Should be required reading for all mothers of young children who find themselves on 18 bazillion committees at church.
68. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade – 2 - ? – junior novelization of the movie – whatever would we do WITHOUT Scholastic Books? It is good to read the books that movies came from, but books written AFTER the movie – not so good. Bedtime read aloud for the boys – it was Tony’s turn to pick. I finished it, and it took about 3 weeks, so I am counting it!
69. The Power of a Positive Mom – 3.5 Karol Ladd – pretty good, Christian book, just basic uplifting Mom stuff
70. The Game – 4.5- Laurie R. King – continuing adventures of Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes – this time in India, rescuing Kimball O’Hara (a grown-up Kim of Rudyard Kipling fame) – leaves a few loose ends.
71. The Locked Room – 4.5- Laurie R. King – ties up the loose ends for Russell and Holmes from the previous book
72. Run For Your Life – 3.5- Betty Swynford – read aloud to older boys – story of a German boy whose family hid Jews in the early days of WWII and the Jewish boy whose family was hidden – they are captured by the Nazis and it is the story of how the two boys escaped. Pretty good, the boys really enjoyed it.
I think I am going to make my 100 for the year....3 months left, and only need 27 more books, and I'll finish one today.
65. Justice Hall – 4.5 – Laurie R. King – the continuing adventures of Sherlock Holmes and his wife and partner in detective work, Mary Russell. This time they are trying to solve the mystery surrounding the death of the heir to a British dukedom in the aftermath of WWI. Always good.
66. Royal Flush – 4 – Rhys Bowen – 3rd book in the Her Royal Spyness series. Lady Georgiana is 34th in line for the British throne in the early 1930s. She comes from a noble but impoverished family. Toss in a cast of eccentric characters, some upper-crust British clichés, that American woman Mrs. Wallis Simpson and a dead body or two and you get a fun, easy murder mystery. Very enjoyable series.
67. The Secret Life of Becky Miller – 4.5 – Sharon Hinck – a few clichés stopped this from being a complete 5 – Becky Miller is a young mother of 3 who is trying (way too hard) to do Big Things For God. Should be required reading for all mothers of young children who find themselves on 18 bazillion committees at church.
68. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade – 2 - ? – junior novelization of the movie – whatever would we do WITHOUT Scholastic Books? It is good to read the books that movies came from, but books written AFTER the movie – not so good. Bedtime read aloud for the boys – it was Tony’s turn to pick. I finished it, and it took about 3 weeks, so I am counting it!
69. The Power of a Positive Mom – 3.5 Karol Ladd – pretty good, Christian book, just basic uplifting Mom stuff
70. The Game – 4.5- Laurie R. King – continuing adventures of Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes – this time in India, rescuing Kimball O’Hara (a grown-up Kim of Rudyard Kipling fame) – leaves a few loose ends.
71. The Locked Room – 4.5- Laurie R. King – ties up the loose ends for Russell and Holmes from the previous book
72. Run For Your Life – 3.5- Betty Swynford – read aloud to older boys – story of a German boy whose family hid Jews in the early days of WWII and the Jewish boy whose family was hidden – they are captured by the Nazis and it is the story of how the two boys escaped. Pretty good, the boys really enjoyed it.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
MAID RITE SANDWICHES
MAID RITE SANDWICHES
There are Maid Rite shops in Iowa (where Nevin is from) and he says these taste like them. The shops serve the meat on sliced bread – I use buns. These are the “loose meat” sandwiches Roseanne and her sister Jackie sold (remember the Roseanne show??)
1 ½ lb ground beef
½ med onion, diced fine
1 can chicken broth ( I cannot remember the size – I use the Swansons, I think it is about 15 oz)
Brown meat in large skillet. Add in chopped onions and broth. Cook until broth is absorbed. Serve on buns (like a sloppy joe) with pickles, ketchup, mustard.
I think they taste a little like White Castles
You can also use chicken boullion cubes made into broth, but the canned stuff tastes better - probably the liberal additions of salt and artificial chicken flavoring! Artificial chickens must be tasty!
There are Maid Rite shops in Iowa (where Nevin is from) and he says these taste like them. The shops serve the meat on sliced bread – I use buns. These are the “loose meat” sandwiches Roseanne and her sister Jackie sold (remember the Roseanne show??)
1 ½ lb ground beef
½ med onion, diced fine
1 can chicken broth ( I cannot remember the size – I use the Swansons, I think it is about 15 oz)
Brown meat in large skillet. Add in chopped onions and broth. Cook until broth is absorbed. Serve on buns (like a sloppy joe) with pickles, ketchup, mustard.
I think they taste a little like White Castles
You can also use chicken boullion cubes made into broth, but the canned stuff tastes better - probably the liberal additions of salt and artificial chicken flavoring! Artificial chickens must be tasty!
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Apple Orchard Bars
These are very good, and very easy - I got the recipe from a Hannah Swenson mystery by JoAnn Fluke - I don't know which one, one of the earlier ones. The first in the series is Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder - good, fun, light mysteries with lots of recipes!
Anita and Erin really liked these, and Nevin and Ben gave them a thumbs up, too!
Apple Orchard Bars
Preheat oven to 375
1/2 cup melted butter (1 stick)
1/2 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
2/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
2 beaten eggs
1 cup peeled and chopped apples (I used two med. Granny Smith, and it was closer and 1 1/2-3/4 cup)
1/2 cup rolled oats (oatmeal, but not instant!)
2 cups flaked coconut
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
Melt butter, add the sugars and stir. Add baking soda, salt, baking powder, vanilla, cinnamon and beaten eggs. Mix well. Add chopped apple, oats and 1 1/2 cup coconut (reserve 1/2 cup for topping). Add the flour and mix thoroughly.
Grease a 9x13 cake pan. Spoon the dough in and smooth with a rubber spatula. Sprinkle the 1/2 cup coconut evenly on top.
Bake 375 for 25-30 minutes, or until slightly browned on top.
Let cool and cut into bars like brownies.
Anita and Erin really liked these, and Nevin and Ben gave them a thumbs up, too!
Apple Orchard Bars
Preheat oven to 375
1/2 cup melted butter (1 stick)
1/2 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
2/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
2 beaten eggs
1 cup peeled and chopped apples (I used two med. Granny Smith, and it was closer and 1 1/2-3/4 cup)
1/2 cup rolled oats (oatmeal, but not instant!)
2 cups flaked coconut
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
Melt butter, add the sugars and stir. Add baking soda, salt, baking powder, vanilla, cinnamon and beaten eggs. Mix well. Add chopped apple, oats and 1 1/2 cup coconut (reserve 1/2 cup for topping). Add the flour and mix thoroughly.
Grease a 9x13 cake pan. Spoon the dough in and smooth with a rubber spatula. Sprinkle the 1/2 cup coconut evenly on top.
Bake 375 for 25-30 minutes, or until slightly browned on top.
Let cool and cut into bars like brownies.
Monday, September 7, 2009
Reading Logs for July and August
I did not realize that I had not posted anything for July!
JULY
55. Aunt Dimity and the Deep Blue Sea – Nancy Atherton – 3 – Lori, Bill and their children receive death threats and Lori and the boys are hidden away in a Scottish castle. Where there is a mystery to solve. I didn’t like the end, I would have liked there to be some actual clues leading up to who the stalker was. But it was okay. Once again, she did not throw herself at the handsome man, perhaps Lori is growing up.
56. The Beekeeper’s Apprentice – Laurie R. King – 5 – imagine a 15 year old girl at the beginning of WWI, who meets up with the real Sherlock Holmes. This is the first book in a series about the partnership between Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes. Excellent, excellent book. Mary reminds me of an older Flavia de Luce (Sweetness At the Bottom of the Pie, from last month).
57. The Monstrous Regiment of Women – Laurie R. King – 4.75 – 2nd in the series, not quite as good as the first, but just barely.
AUGUST
58. A Letter of Mary – 4.5 – Laurie R. King – not quite as good as the first two. Holmes and Russell solve the murder of an archeologist friend.
59. Shanghai Girls – 3.5 – Lisa See – nowhere near as good as Snow Flower and the Secret Fan. Spoiler – the end is a cliffhanger, so there is a sequel. I hate that when I’m not expecting it! A quick read, and interesting, but I never could connect with the characters.
60. Making Children Mind Without Losing Yours – 5 – Kevin Leman – a re-read, but it’s been a few years, and I desperately needed it. He uses reality discipline, as in, let the natural consequences be the discipline. When I remember it (as opposed to yelling) it works really well. I like this book because it TELLS you what to do with the screaming 3 year old in Wal-Mart, it is not just theory.
61. The Moor – 4.25 – Laurie R. King – the 4th Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes adventure. A very good book, not as good as the first two.
62. Prairie Tale – 2 – Melissa Gilbert – I upped it from a 1 to a 2 because at least it was fast-paced. The first part of her childhood and early years on Little House was interesting, but the rest was sludge. Basically, after she had sex once, then she had sex with lots of different men, some more famous than others – all very matter-of-fact (with no remorse shown, ever) and she names names, talks about her drug use (again, no remorse) and her alcoholism (only remorse – that it made her a bad mother). Lots of self-righteousness, lots of “therapy talk”. It definitely was not what I was expecting. It was like a really long story from Star or The Enquirer. The writing was not quite up to People. Definitely needed a good editor. I read it because I am a fan of all things Laura Ingalls Wilder – except, now, this book. Melissa is not fit to wear Laura’s hoopskirts, even in a Lifetime made-for-tv movie.
63. Writings to Young Women from Laura Ingalls Wilder Volume 1 “On Wisdom and Virtue” – 4.5 - edited by Stephen W. Hines. Collected writings from some of Laura’s newspaper columns. I am always inspired by her simple good sense.
64. O Jerusalem – 4.25 – Laurie R. King – Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Mary Russell. This one takes place chronogically during the first book, and puts some pieces in place for books 2-4.
JULY
55. Aunt Dimity and the Deep Blue Sea – Nancy Atherton – 3 – Lori, Bill and their children receive death threats and Lori and the boys are hidden away in a Scottish castle. Where there is a mystery to solve. I didn’t like the end, I would have liked there to be some actual clues leading up to who the stalker was. But it was okay. Once again, she did not throw herself at the handsome man, perhaps Lori is growing up.
56. The Beekeeper’s Apprentice – Laurie R. King – 5 – imagine a 15 year old girl at the beginning of WWI, who meets up with the real Sherlock Holmes. This is the first book in a series about the partnership between Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes. Excellent, excellent book. Mary reminds me of an older Flavia de Luce (Sweetness At the Bottom of the Pie, from last month).
57. The Monstrous Regiment of Women – Laurie R. King – 4.75 – 2nd in the series, not quite as good as the first, but just barely.
AUGUST
58. A Letter of Mary – 4.5 – Laurie R. King – not quite as good as the first two. Holmes and Russell solve the murder of an archeologist friend.
59. Shanghai Girls – 3.5 – Lisa See – nowhere near as good as Snow Flower and the Secret Fan. Spoiler – the end is a cliffhanger, so there is a sequel. I hate that when I’m not expecting it! A quick read, and interesting, but I never could connect with the characters.
60. Making Children Mind Without Losing Yours – 5 – Kevin Leman – a re-read, but it’s been a few years, and I desperately needed it. He uses reality discipline, as in, let the natural consequences be the discipline. When I remember it (as opposed to yelling) it works really well. I like this book because it TELLS you what to do with the screaming 3 year old in Wal-Mart, it is not just theory.
61. The Moor – 4.25 – Laurie R. King – the 4th Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes adventure. A very good book, not as good as the first two.
62. Prairie Tale – 2 – Melissa Gilbert – I upped it from a 1 to a 2 because at least it was fast-paced. The first part of her childhood and early years on Little House was interesting, but the rest was sludge. Basically, after she had sex once, then she had sex with lots of different men, some more famous than others – all very matter-of-fact (with no remorse shown, ever) and she names names, talks about her drug use (again, no remorse) and her alcoholism (only remorse – that it made her a bad mother). Lots of self-righteousness, lots of “therapy talk”. It definitely was not what I was expecting. It was like a really long story from Star or The Enquirer. The writing was not quite up to People. Definitely needed a good editor. I read it because I am a fan of all things Laura Ingalls Wilder – except, now, this book. Melissa is not fit to wear Laura’s hoopskirts, even in a Lifetime made-for-tv movie.
63. Writings to Young Women from Laura Ingalls Wilder Volume 1 “On Wisdom and Virtue” – 4.5 - edited by Stephen W. Hines. Collected writings from some of Laura’s newspaper columns. I am always inspired by her simple good sense.
64. O Jerusalem – 4.25 – Laurie R. King – Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Mary Russell. This one takes place chronogically during the first book, and puts some pieces in place for books 2-4.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Reading Log for June, 2009
I didn't read much in June, and have not finished ONE book yet in July. I keep starting things and putting them down, or reading magazines, and I've been falling asleep as soon as I sit down to read in the evening. Something has got to change around here......probably the amount of time I spend on the computer!
49. The Unlikely Disciple: A Sinner’s Semester at America’s Holiest University – 4.5 – Roose – excellent book. A journalism student from a liberal family enrolls at Liberty University for a semester to learn how Evangelical students tick, and about that culture. I thought it was written very objectively and respectfully – not a hatchet job on Jerry Falwell
50. Celebutards: The Hollywood Hacks, Limosine Liberals, and Pandering Politicians Who Are Destroying America – 3 – Andrea Peyser – entertaining, but more of the same, a series of short chapters on different celebrities (Sean Penn, Susan Sarandon, et al) and their moronic behavior.
51. The Sweetness At the Bottom of the Pie – Alan Bradley – 4.5 – fun mystery, set in 1950’s England. Flavia de Luce is 11 years old, and loves chemistry – particularily poisons. When she finds an almost-dead body on her family’s estate, and her father is charged with the murder she sets out to solve the crime. Flavia is an incredible hero – smart, sarcastic, resourceful. Looking forward to the next in the series.
52. Young, Restless and Reformed: A Journalist’s Journey with the New Calvinists – 4.5 – Collin Hansen – very interesting. From the back, “Collin Hansen invites us on a voyage of discovery, learning how our restless youth are discovering anew the great doctrines of the Christian faith. Weary of churches that seek to entertain rather than teach, longing after the true meat of the Word, these young people are pursing doctrine. Discover how God is moving among the young, the restless and the Reformed.” He interviewed people such as Josh Harris (I Kissed Dating Good-bye, son of Chris Harris and older brother of Brett and Alex (The Rebelution)); John Piper, Mark Driscoll, Al Mohler and R.C. Sproul. I found it particularily interesting as the SBC currently has a movement within it (led by people like Al Mohler) to return it to its’ original Reformed heritage. The book does go into some brief explanation of doctrine, but its’ main focus is on the movement of young people.
53. Aunt Dimity and the Next of Kin – 3.5 – Nancy Atherton - one of the better ones in the “cozy” Aunt Dimity mysteries. Lori doesn’t fall all over the attractive man for a change!
54. The Borrowers – 3 – Mary Norton – classic story of the little people who live inside the house and survive by borrowing from the humans. Bedtime read aloud with the boys.
49. The Unlikely Disciple: A Sinner’s Semester at America’s Holiest University – 4.5 – Roose – excellent book. A journalism student from a liberal family enrolls at Liberty University for a semester to learn how Evangelical students tick, and about that culture. I thought it was written very objectively and respectfully – not a hatchet job on Jerry Falwell
50. Celebutards: The Hollywood Hacks, Limosine Liberals, and Pandering Politicians Who Are Destroying America – 3 – Andrea Peyser – entertaining, but more of the same, a series of short chapters on different celebrities (Sean Penn, Susan Sarandon, et al) and their moronic behavior.
51. The Sweetness At the Bottom of the Pie – Alan Bradley – 4.5 – fun mystery, set in 1950’s England. Flavia de Luce is 11 years old, and loves chemistry – particularily poisons. When she finds an almost-dead body on her family’s estate, and her father is charged with the murder she sets out to solve the crime. Flavia is an incredible hero – smart, sarcastic, resourceful. Looking forward to the next in the series.
52. Young, Restless and Reformed: A Journalist’s Journey with the New Calvinists – 4.5 – Collin Hansen – very interesting. From the back, “Collin Hansen invites us on a voyage of discovery, learning how our restless youth are discovering anew the great doctrines of the Christian faith. Weary of churches that seek to entertain rather than teach, longing after the true meat of the Word, these young people are pursing doctrine. Discover how God is moving among the young, the restless and the Reformed.” He interviewed people such as Josh Harris (I Kissed Dating Good-bye, son of Chris Harris and older brother of Brett and Alex (The Rebelution)); John Piper, Mark Driscoll, Al Mohler and R.C. Sproul. I found it particularily interesting as the SBC currently has a movement within it (led by people like Al Mohler) to return it to its’ original Reformed heritage. The book does go into some brief explanation of doctrine, but its’ main focus is on the movement of young people.
53. Aunt Dimity and the Next of Kin – 3.5 – Nancy Atherton - one of the better ones in the “cozy” Aunt Dimity mysteries. Lori doesn’t fall all over the attractive man for a change!
54. The Borrowers – 3 – Mary Norton – classic story of the little people who live inside the house and survive by borrowing from the humans. Bedtime read aloud with the boys.
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