#22--Reservations for Two by Anne Patrick

I was looking for a shorter read on my kindle and this happened to be on the first page and the shortest of the options listed.  This was a quick, easy read.  It was also your typical Christian romance, with the exception of the ages of the protagonists.  In my experience, typical Christian romances place the main characters in their twenties or thirties, and every once in a while you may have a character or two who have slipped into their forties.  In this case, the two protagonists were both retirees who had lost their spouses within the last 3-5 years.

62-year-old Maggie lost her husband of 39 years three years ago and she has traveled to New Mexico, where she and Joe took their honeymoon, to get some closure, as well as some good hiking in.  65-year-old retired judge Carson lost his wife to cancer five years ago and since his only daughter isn't speaking to him, he decided to finally take the trip across the country that he and Emily had always talked about taking.  Maggie and Carson cross paths when she falls while roller-blading and he helps her up.  The owners of the B and B where Maggie is staying encourage the romance, on both sides.  Things move rather quickly and eventually Maggie and Carson set out for her daughter's home in Texas for her grandson's birthday in Carson's RV.  Maggie's daughter is none too happy about this situation, while everyone else (her older brother included) are happy for Maggie.

Like most Christian romances, this one has a happy ending and all the loose ends are tied up by the end.  A year from now I probably won't remember it, but it is a light read, if that is what you're looking for.

Happy Reading!!

#16--A Night to Remember by Walter Lord

It is an established fact that I love history.  I am also fascinated by events in history where something went wrong and how people handled it.  Case in point, the Holocaust....so many wrongs and yet there were people who tried everything to make it as right as they could, in their limited capacity.  Other events, like disasters--the sinking of the Titanic and the Hindenberg disaster--are also fascinating to me for similar reasons.

Several years ago, while conducting a weed (to remove unused/out-dated materials from the collection) of the library, I came across a dilapidated copy of this title.  Because of its condition and age, it was removed from the collection.  (It was first published in 1955, so the author had had the good fortune to be able to interview survivors of the Titanic sinking.)  Because of my interest, I took the deleted copy home with me, in the hopes of reading it someday.  That someday finally has come.  I was recently on vacation and grabbed several weeded books to take with me (these are books that I don't worry about losing or misplacing--which makes them perfect for vacation).

The author thoroughly did his research and has recreated the events of that fateful night with as much accuracy as is possible.  While reading, I felt like I was with the people, experiencing the events right along with them.  Everyone knows how this one ends....the boat sinks, with hundreds of people on board.  However, the descriptions of the acts of heroism and courage (and stupidity/cowardliness) make the story come alive for the reader.

In the back of the book there are lists of each of the classes (first, second, and third/steerage) and who the survivors were.  The index also includes each person who is named, so you can find out more info about them.  The end-papers included a diagram of the boat itself and indicated on the boat the timeline of what happened, where, and when.

So much could have been different about this tragedy if little things had been done differently.  However, hindsight is usually 20/20.  And in the end, so much has been changed for the better because of this event: life boats are required for the capacity of the ship (as well as life-boat drills for the crew and passengers), 24-hour radio watch and distress rockets, the creation of an International Ice Patrol, and changes to how ships are designed.

Since we still have a copy of this title on the shelves at my school, I think I'm going to add it to my non-fiction book talk rotation this coming year, since I always have a few students who are fascinated by the Titanic.

Happy Reading!!

#24--Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain

Last week during small group my friend RuthAnn recommended today's read to me.  It was an audio book that she had checked out from the local library and said she flew through it.  Since I was going to be traveling to my parents' house for the long weekend, she offered it to me for entertainment on the drive.

The author discusses the differences between introverts and extroverts and how individuals who fall into either category can understand and work with someone of the opposite temperament.  In Western culture (and American culture, more specifically), it is considered abnormal to be introverted, to need quiet time to recharge, despite the fact that at least 20% of the population would be considered to be introverts.  Cain uses anecdotal evidence of a number of famous people who are introverts: Steve Wozniak, Albert Einstein, JK Rowling, Dr. Seuss, Charles Schultz, JM Barrie, Gandhi, and many others.  Throughout the course of the book, a number of scientific studies are referenced and discussed as well as her personal research.

While listening to this book, I found myself often wanting to go back and re-read portions so that I could fully wrap my brain around the topic.  The narrator (Kathe Mazur) did a wonderful job with this book--the narrator can make or break an audio book--but there were times when my brain couldn't keep up with what she was saying.  This is a title that I would actually like to have in print so that I could go back and reread portions.

If you had asked me 20 years ago whether I was an introvert or an extrovert, I would have said that I was a little bit of both. Today, while I enjoy spending time with friends and family, I am much more an introvert than I ever was in high school.  This book provided me with insight into why I do some of the things I do and also gave me lots to think about as well.

If you are an introvert, you love an introvert, or even simply work with an introvert (and chances are you do), this book gives great insight into how an introvert thinks.  I would highly recommend this book!!!

Happy Reading!!

#21--Sex God by Rob Bell

If you just looked at the title and not the author, you may be wondering what kind of book it is that I'm actually talking about today....I was somewhat surprised when I received it as a gift, but it was from my sister, and I trust her judgement (and she is a minister, so she wouldn't be giving me one of those books).  It has been sitting on my shelf for a while now, but after a frustrating church service for me last week, she suggested I take it down off my shelf and read it.  The issue at hand was women in the role of pastor of a church....for me, it is a no-brainer--if a woman is called to that position, it is good and right.  And, I would feel this way even if my sister were not in this vocation. 

This is my first real encounter with Rob Bell, other than hearing him mentioned at conferences or in discussions with friends.  The premise of the book is that there is a connection between being a spiritual being and being a sexual being--and not necessarily of the having sex kind of being.  (That was a lot of "being"s to have in one sentence!)

The book was a quick read, in that it is less than 170 pages and lots of white space on said pages.  However, it is a book that I think I will be thinking about for some time.  Bell challenges the reader to examine their life and how well they know themselves--how naked (emotionally, that is) are you willing to get with yourself, and therefore, with others.

I will be ruminating on this book well into the future, as it has some heavy questions, but he also takes a light-hearted approach to much of the subject matter, injecting humor and vignettes as appropriate.  This one will definitely be staying on my shelf for future reference!  This would be a good read, whether you are married or single, searching or firm in your faith.

Happy Reading!!

#17--The Road by Cormac McCarthy

So, I've mentioned before that I have a problem with buying books....Saturday I went to my local library's used book sale, $5 for a bag of books, and walked out with 25 books for $10.  Not too bad in the financial sense, but it just makes my list of books I need to read even longer than before and my bookshelves groan with the thought of more weight....Oh, to be a speed-reader!!!  Fortunately, several of these books will be making the trip to my parents' house over Easter, so they will not all be taking up precious shelf space in my house.

When I posted this picture on Facebook, several friends commented on one title in particular, today's read.  I decided to start  with The Road since it was coming highly recommended.  I started Sunday afternoon and got a little over 1/3 of the way into it before I had to put it down and walk away for a little bit.  I finished it today after school and several hours later, I'm still not sure exactly what I think of it. 

The story takes place in the future after a post-apocalyptic event--that is never really defined--but most of humanity is gone, food and water are scarce--if not impossible to get, the world is covered in ash, and a man and his son (who I'm guessing is around 8-10 years old) are struggling to survive, with the ultimate goal to get to the coast.  The story is very harsh and stark.  One of my complaints is that there are no quotation marks anywhere in the book--and it is often difficult to keep track of who is talking.  I've only read two other books (that I can think of) that utilize the no quotes style, and I didn't really care for either of those books, so maybe it is a style issue I'm having here.  There were also no chapter markers, other than ellipses (...) in between paragraphs, so that also threw me off a little as well.

Some of the descriptions of were graphic, yet stark in their word pictures.  This is definitely an adult book due to these images.  This book was made into a movie starring Viggo Mortensen in 2008, but I haven't seen it in order to comment.  I would be curious to see how it compared and how some of the events were portrayed.  It may have to go into my Netflix cue...

I do think I need to digest this one for a little longer before finally determining whether or not I like it.

Happy Reading!