December, 2011 Reading Log

Some of these showed up in my Superlatives list, but here is the final and complete list for the year. 
74. Of Thee I Zing – 3.5 – Laura Ingraham – Political. Just a collection of her observations on our culture. Generally witty, often right-on, some I thought overly-critical, sometimes just awfully opinionated (but I guess that is the point!). I cannot believe she really goes up to strangers and is as rude as she says she is.

75. Sick of Shadows: An Edwardian Murder Mystery – 3.5 – Period mystery. Not a great as the first two. A lot of the storyline revolves around misunderstandings, messages being thrown in the fire instead of delivered, etc. That gets tiresome. Also, the way the bad guys got their comeuppance was way too contrived, and I just didn’t buy the backstory on the murderers. Lots of missing pieces. Something else I have noticed in these books – lots of typos. I admit to marking and correcting a couple in the last book (it was a library book, so I shouldn’t have, but I could not help it). In this book, though – someone beat me to it. Corrections penciled in. I think there are only 4 books in the series, and I have the 4th, so hopefully it wraps up the storylines and doesn’t just end with a cliffhanger.

76. Our Lady of Pain: An Edwardian Murder Mystery – 3.75 – Period mystery. Last in the series, and the loose ends all tied up!

77. The Best Christmas Pageant Ever – 5 – Barbara Robinson – Childrens book. one of my favorite Christmas stories ever. This year I got to share it as a read aloud with my younger boys. Hey! Unto you a child is born!

78. Lord Is It Warfare? Teach Me To Stand – 5 – Kay Arthur – Bible study on spirtual warfare. I did this over the course of about 6 months with a small group of ladies. Excellent, life-changing. I highly recommend, and look forward to doing more of her studies.

79. A Crimson Warning: A Lady Emily Mystery – 3 – Tasha Alexander. Period mystery. I think I may be done with Lady Emily. She is getting dull, and the story on this one got very convoluted.

80. As The Pig Turns: An Agatha Raisin Mystery – 3.5 – M.C. Beaton – Cozy mystery. Okay mystery, not one of the better ones.

81. Wonderland Creek – 4 – Lynn Austin – Christian fiction. Allie is a librarian in Illinois in 1936. Her whole world is books – to the point where she doesn’t have a real life. A few unexpected events lead her on an adventure to Appalachia to deliver donated books to a rural area. There she is stranded, and caught up in a completely unfamiliar life of feuds, closed coal mines, and lack of 20th century conveniences. An interesting story about living the life and doing the work that God has called you to do.

82. Chosen by God – 5 – R.C. Sproul – Theology. Explanation of the Doctrines of Grace. Took me a long time to get through, because it is not something you can skim – you have to pay attention. It also cries out for lots of highlighting and re-reading.