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Thursday, September 20, 2012

I've been reading...I promise!



Granted....time has passed and there's been no proof that I have read a single line of a single book up to this point.  But, I promise you - the lack of proof is not for lack of effort behind the scenes.  All of my creativity of late has gone into science experiments, endless flipping of math flash cards, gentle (and sometimes not so gentle) encouragement when one or both of the girls is frustrated, or hormonal, tired or homicidal.  (Believe me friends, I fall into each of those categories myself at one point or another.)

But there is blessed relief in the pages of my beloved books.  There is a certain irreplaceable satisfaction to putting another book on the stack after the "whump" of the back cover hitting the hundreds of pages behind it; that signal a finality as well as of a new beginning.

And I'm here to report on the four times I've done just that in the past weeks...

Book #17 was indeed "The River of Doubt."  I now believe, without doubt, that my husband is in some way related to Theodore Roosevelt - both never seem to know when to quit and get a bigger grin on their face the bigger the upcoming challenge.

Book #18 was "Soul Detox" - a reminder that everything in our day-to-day lives has potential to steer us away from our Father and His plans for our lives - and the importance of shedding our spirits of these things for our own good.  Easier said than done for me personally, but it was definitely an "eye-opener" kind of book and one that I plan to store in my library for future reference. (With up-and-coming teenagers who will be oblivious to the World's "charms" but will think they already have life figured out, I see lessons galore in these pages.)

Book #19 was a repeat but was necessary for a future reading.  I re-listened to "A Discovery of Witches" by Deborah Harkness.  "Huh?" you're saying...didn't we just hear about "shedding our spirits" of things like that?  Listen, I loved Harry Potter, I love Vampire and Witch and Werewolf stories.  Do I plan on going out and joining the Occult?  No.  This author, like Rowling, and others tell a GREAT story. They involve facing adversity, and the power of love, friendship and loyalty...good things.  So, I'm not going to classify this one as anything other than an awesome read.  Ms. Harkness has now come out with the second book of her trilogy...and I'm hoping it's as much of a page-turner as this one.

Book #20 was James Herriot’s “All Creatures Great and Small.” After years as a vet tech, I could relate to so much of what he wrote about.  His descriptions of the care he gave to both animal and their owners was not only a look into the life of a veterinarian with the day-to-day craziness (and sometimes grief) they face, but also was a reminder of the gentleness and wisdom one can find in the strangest and most unexpected of places.  It was the perfect read right before bed…

So, I am still terribly far behind on my goal to read 39 books this year.  I think I’m supposed to be on book #30 or something like that – but I’m not going to give up. 

Next one up…”The Betrayal” by two of my favorite historical novelists – Kathleen O’Neal Gear and W. Michael Gear.  It’s an “alternative look” at the historical life of Jesus…sure to stir up some mental juices!

Who KNOWS what book will fall into my lap after that! (I know I'm supposed to be following my "list" - but as a human being (I know, hard to believe, right?) and, might I add, the RULE MAKER ....I'm deviating.  :)



Onward and Forward!

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