On This Day in Christian History – A Book Review

I had a hard time choosing between this book and another “this date in history” book titled The American Patriot’s Almanac. As I wanted to get better acquainted with the history of Christianity, On This Day in Christian History won. The tagline says “365 amazing and inspiring stories about saints, martyrs, and heroes.”

Unfortunately, I have not yet read this in full as I plan on using it as part of my devotional for 2011. I didn’t want to spoil too much of it! So, I read through the preface and the first five days of the year.

I’m excited about reading through this book next year! The very first story is about Ulrich Zwingli, born in 1484. He copied the entire New Testament by hand, making notes in the margins and memorizing Scripture. When he was done with this study, he decided to break tradition and preach through the New Testament verse by verse. This was during a time period when the sermons were decided by the church liturgy and weekly readings. But his local church loved the new sermon styles!

Not only was this man brave enough to break out of tradition, he studied the Bible as much as possible and attempted to live out what he had learned. I want to develop that type of passion!

I received a reader copy of this book from BookSneeze in exchange for an honest review.

What’s On Your Nightstand – December

What's On Your Nightstand It’s that time again! I haven’t read much this month and I probably won’t be reading much next month. As much as I want to finish the 2010 challenges, I find myself spending more time on learning Japanese, cleaning, and trying to finish a quilt before Christmas. Most of my reading has been sidelined…

So, this month I’m just going to continue working on my reading challenges. My number one priority is the Jane Austen challenge. I am slowly reading through Sense & Sensibility and am enjoying it, despite how long I’m taking to read it. Then I’ll be reading a S&S sequel – The Third Sister, by Julia Barrett. After that, I’ll be reading either Persuasion or Northanger Abbey.

If I read much more than that, I will be surprised. My reading goes in waves and I guess this is just a down time for me. As a plus, my Japanese studies have really taken off and I’m spending between one and two hours a day studying!

What’s On My Nightstand – November

What's On Your Nightstand I can’t believe it’s already time for the Nightstand post! I didn’t even read everything on last month’s list because I kept getting distracted by other books. Such is the life of a library addict…

For 2011, I’ve decided to skip reading challenges (we’ll see how long that plan lasts). Instead, I’m going to read a book from each of several genres every month. I haven’t decided which genres, but it will definitely include memoir, history, and Christian nonfiction. I am going to test out that idea this month and see how it goes.

Christian Nonfiction
The Surrendered Wife, by Laura Doyle

Biography
The Singular Mark Twain, by Fred Kaplan

Fiction – both of these are to fulfill challenges for 2010
Sense & Sensibility, by Jane Austen
A Blue and Gray Christmas, by Joan Medlicott

And of course I am going to continue The History of the Ancient World until it is due back at the library.

The Least Among You – A Movie Review

When I finished writing my last book review for Booksneeze, I immediately looked for the next book available. To my surprise, I found that Booksneeze was offering a movie for review! How fun.

From Amazon’s product description: Leaders are not chosen, they are called. Inspired by a true story. Richard Kelly (Cedric Sanders) is a black college graduate forced to serve probation at an all-white seminary after the 1965 Watts riots. Richard is encouraged by the seminary president, Alan Beckett, to break the color line. Richard nears his breaking point when he meets Samuel (Louis Gossett, Jr.), an elderly janitor who lives in the basement of his dormitory. As Samuel guides Richard through the trials of racism and the personal life that haunts him, Richard undergoes a transformation that forces him to choose between his dreams and his destiny.

A historical film, dealing with social issues, and based on a true story? Sounds like my kind of movie!

I asked my husband to watch the movie with me so that I could hear his opinion to help me construct my review. Unfortunately, neither of us cared for the movie. While I believe it had a good social theme (treating people with kindness regardless of their skin color) and a good spiritual theme (forgiveness and making the right decisions even in the face of difficulty), we thought the movie was poorly done.

Main issues – mediocre acting, underdeveloped characters, poor lighting, choppy scenes. Mr. Kelly decides that to orchestrate change, he is going to draft an amendment for the school by-laws with the required number of student and faculty signatures. What is the amendment about? Good question. It’s not very clear what Mr. Kelly was petitioning for, only that it was something about increasing the enrollment of black students and faculty.

Toward the end of the movie, Mr. Kelly undergoes a very confusing conversion scene. Immediately after, his fellow students change from hating him enough to burn a cross in Mr. Kelly’s room to wanting to support Mr. Kelly’s petition. Why? Why the sudden change?

My biggest complaint about this movie is that The Dove Foundation printed their seal of approval on the cover of this DVD, certifying it as “Family Approved.” I would not show this movie to any child under the age of 16, if even then. The movie is rated PG-13 for “some violence, thematic elements, and brief drug material.” They forgot about the main character taking the Lord’s name in vain, frequent smoking and alcohol use among school faculty, a scene showing a parent physically beating their child, and a girl’s dress being ripped off.

Hopefully the true events this movie was “inspired by” were more inspirational.

Disclaimer – I did receive a free copy of this movie from Book Sneeze in exchange for an honest review.

Masquerade – A Book Review

I’ve put off reviewing Masquerade by Nancy Moser. I wanted to like it. I like other books by the same author (Just Jane and How Do I Love Thee?). I think Moser’s books that are based on a real historical figure are better than those that are completely fiction.

When Lottie is told that she must marry an American whom she has never met in order to salvage what is left of her family’s reputation in Wiltshire, England, she sees all of her dreams of storybook love and romance crumble. Until she devises a plan. Heiress Lottie trades places with her longtime maid, Dora, and together they attempt to pull off the switch of a lifetime (from Amazon’s description).

Maybe it’s that I’m getting really tired of Christian historical fiction. The historical details and settings will vary from book to book, though almost everything I’ve read takes place in either Europe or North America and from around 1700 through 1900. Masquerade takes place in England and New York City in the year 1886.

However, the plot tends to be the same: Christian girl (who is always good looking) has weak faith. Girl meets boy (who is always good looking). She encounters difficulties in her life. She has a shallow, fairly unrealistic conversion scene. Troubles are solved. Boy and girl get together. I know that there are a only a few basic plots. But authors need to do something to break out of sameness!

The characters in this book were annoying. The only character I liked was Dora, the maid who pretends to be a lady in society. And my opinion of her dropped toward the end of the story when I saw how the romance aspect was going to be resolved.

Thank you to Bethany House for allowing me to read this book through the blogging program. Sorry, but I thought it was only a mediocre and forgettable read.

2010 Reading Challenges – 3rd quarter update

I meant to post this yesterday, but I didn’t finish updating the list soon enough. I’m doing well on some challenges and have even completed a couple. I’m also right on track to read 100 books in 2010.

Unfortunately, there are several challenges I am failing miserably on. It is more difficult than I thought to come up with titles that have colors in them! If anyone has any suggestions, I would be very thankful!

Christian Historical Fiction Challenge – COMPLETE!

1. Distant Dreams (Ribbons of Steel, Book #1) – Pella, Judith
2. The Outsider: A Novel – Gabhart, Ann H.
3. Bachelors Puzzle – Pella, Judith
4. Sister’s Choice – Pella, Judith
5. How Do I Love Thee? (Ladies of History, book #4) – Moser, Nancy
6. Just Jane (Ladies of History Series #2) – Moser, Nancy
7. Eighth Shepherd (A. D. Chronicles #8) – Thoene, Bodie
8. Her Mother’s Hope (Marta’s Legacy, #1) – Rivers, Francine
9. Michal – Smith, Jill Eileen
10. The Apothecary’s Daughter – Klassen, Julie
11. Lady of Milkweed Manor – Klassen, Julie
12. The Inheritance – Alexander, Tamera
13. A Lady Like Sarah (A Rocky Creek Romance, #1) – Brownley, Margaret
14. The Hope of Refuge: A Novel (An Ada’s House Novel, Book #1) – Woodsmall, Cindy
15. A Bride Most Begrudging – Gist, Deeanne
16. A Bride in the Bargain – Gist, Deeanne
17. Queenmaker: A Novel of King David’s Queen – Edghill, India
18. The Centurion’s Wife (Acts of Faith Series #1) – Bunn, Davis
19. Ninth Witness (A. D. Chronicles, Book 9) – Thoene, Bodie
20. The Hidden Flame – Bunn, Davis
21. The Courteous Cad – Palmer, Catherine
22. All the Way Home – Tatlock, Ann
23. A Measure of Mercy (Home to Blessing, #1) – Snelling, Lauraine
24. Masquerade – Moser, Nancy

Biblical Fiction Challenge

1. Eighth Shepherd (A. D. Chronicles #8) – Thoene, Bodie
2. Michal – Smith, Jill Eileen
3. Queenmaker: A Novel of King David’s Queen – Edghill, India
4. Ninth Witness (A. D. Chronicles, Book 9) – Thoene, Bodie
5.
6.

Christian Non-Fiction Challenge – COMPLETE!

1. How Women Help Men Find God – Murrow, David
2. Cult Insanity: A Memoir of Polygamy, Prophets, and Blood Atonement – Spencer, Irene
3. 3:16: The Numbers of Hope – Lucado, Max
4. Radical: Take Back Your Faith from the American Dream – Platt, David
5. Intimate Issues: Twenty-One Questions Christian Women Ask About Sex – Dillow, Linda
6. Jesus on Death Row: The Trial of Jesus and American Capital Punishment – Osler, Mark
7. Loving Your Man Without Losing Your Mind – Davis, Susie
8. Love Is A Flame: Stories of What Happens When Love Is Rekindled – Bell, James
9. Love & Respect: The Love She Most Desires, the Respect He Desperately Needs – Eggerichs, Emerson
10. The Jesus You Can’t Ignore: What You Must Learn from the Bold Confrontations of Christ – Jr., John F. MacArthur

Jane Austen Challenge

1. Emma
2. Emma & Knightley: The Sequel to Jane Austen’s Emma – Billington, Rachel
3. Pride and Prejudice
4. Mrs. Darcy’s Dilemma – Birchall, Diana
5.
6.
7.
8.
Extra – (Related, but doesn’t count toward the challenge) Jane Austen’s Guide to Good Manners: Compliments, Charades & Horrible Blunders – Ross, Josephine
Extra – The Jane Austen Handbook: A Sensible Yet Elegant Guide to Her World – Sullivan, Margaret C.
Extra – Just Jane (Ladies of History Series #2) – Moser, Nancy

Colorful Reading Challenge

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.

Memorable Memoir Challenge – COMPLETE!

1. Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman’s Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia Gilbert, Elizabeth
2. A Year in Provence Mayle, Peter
3. Sweet Mandarin: The Courageous True Story of Three Generations of Chinese Women and Their Journey from East to West Tse, Helen
4. Cult Insanity: A Memoir of Polygamy, Prophets, and Blood Atonement Spencer, Irene
Extra – A Thousand Days in Venice – de Blasi, Marlena
Extra – Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life – Kingsolver, Barbara
Extra – Between Two Worlds: My Life and Captivity in Iran – Saberi, Roxana
Extra – Grand Obsession: A Piano Odyssey – Knize, Perri

South Asian Author Challenge

1.
2.
3.

Chunkster Challenge

1.
2.
3.

Support Your Local Library Challenge – Almost every book I read is from the local library. If I read one that isn’t, I’ll mark it with a * in the list below.

100+ Reading Challenge

1. All Through the Night – Bunn, Davis
2. Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman’s Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia – Gilbert, Elizabeth
3. Distant Dreams (Ribbons of Steel, Book #1) – Pella, Judith
4. A Year in Provence – Mayle, Peter
5. The Outsider: A Novel – Gabhart, Ann H.
6. Jane Austen’s Guide to Good Manners: Compliments, Charades & Horrible Blunders – Ross, Josephine
7. The Jane Austen Handbook: A Sensible Yet Elegant Guide to Her World – Sullivan, Margaret C.
8. The Swiss Family Robinson – Wyss, Johann D.
9. Bachelors Puzzle – Pella, Judith
10. In the Time of the Butterflies – Alvarez, Julia
11. Sister’s Choice – Pella, Judith
12. Shanghai Girls – See, Lisa
13. June Bug – Fabry, Chris
14. How Do I Love Thee? (Ladies of History, book #4) – Moser, Nancy
15. The Wisdom Of Eleanor Roosevelt – Wigal, Donald
16. Sweet Mandarin: The Courageous True Story of Three Generations of Chinese Women and Their Journey from East to West – Tse, Helen
17. In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto – Pollan, Michael
18. How Women Help Men Find God – Murrow, David
19. Mona Lisa in Camelot: Jacqueline Kennedy and the True Story of the Painting’s High-Stakes Journey to America – Davis, Margaret Leslie
20. Barack and Michelle: Portrait of an American Marriage – Andersen, Christopher P.
21. Now and Always – Copeland, Lori
22. Cult Insanity: A Memoir of Polygamy, Prophets, and Blood Atonement – Spencer, Irene
23. Knit the Season: A Friday Night Knitting Club Novel – Jacobs, Kate
24. Emma – Jane Austen
25. Emma & Knightley: The Sequel to Jane Austen’s Emma – Billington, Rachel
26. Just Jane (Ladies of History Series #2) – Moser, Nancy
27. A Thousand Days in Venice – de Blasi, Marlena
28. Beguiled* – Gist, Deeanne and Bertrand, J. Mark
29. The Silent Gift – Landon, Michael
30. 3:16: The Numbers of Hope – Lucado, Max
31. Radical: Take Back Your Faith from the American Dream* – Platt, David
32. Pride and Prejudice – Austen, Jane
33. Eighth Shepherd (A. D. Chronicles #8) – Thoene, Bodie
34. Intimate Issues: Twenty-One Questions Christian Women Ask About Sex – Dillow, Linda
35. Mrs. Darcy’s Dilemma – Birchall, Diana
36. Her Mother’s Hope (Marta’s Legacy, #1) – Rivers, Francine
37. Michal – Smith, Jill Eileen
38. The Apothecary’s Daughter – Klassen, Julie
39. Lady of Milkweed Manor – Klassen, Julie
40. The Perfect Match (Deep Haven Series #3) – Warren, Susan May
41. The Inheritance – Alexander, Tamera
42. Jesus on Death Row: The Trial of Jesus and American Capital Punishment – Osler, Mark
43. The Inheritance – Alexander, Tamera
44. A Lady Like Sarah (A Rocky Creek Romance, #1) – Brownley, Margaret
45. The Hope of Refuge: A Novel (An Ada’s House Novel, Book #1) – Woodsmall, Cindy
46. A Bride Most Begrudging* – Gist, Deeanne
47. A Bride in the Bargain* – Gist, Deeanne
48. Loving Your Man Without Losing Your Mind – Davis, Susie
49. An Amish Gathering: Life in Lancaster County – Wiseman, Beth
50. Sarah’s Garden (Patch of Heaven Novel) – Long, Kelly
51. Queenmaker: A Novel of King David’s Queen – Edghill, India
52. Blind Hope: An Unwanted Dog and the Woman She Rescued* – Meeder, Kim
53. Love Is A Flame: Stories of What Happens When Love Is Rekindled* – Bell, James
54. The Centurion’s Wife (Acts of Faith Series #1) – Bunn, Davis
55. How Sweet It Is – Wisler, Alice J.
56. How to Read a Book – Adler, Mortimer J.
57. Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life – Kingsolver, Barbara
58. Leah’s Choice: Pleasant Valley Book One – Perry, Marta
59. The Guinea Pig Diaries: My Life as an Experiment – Jacobs, A.J.
60. Ninth Witness (A. D. Chronicles, Book 9) – Thoene, Bodie
61. The Well-Educated Mind: A Guide to the Classical Education You Never Had – Bauer, Susan Wise
62. Love & Respect: The Love She Most Desires, the Respect He Desperately Needs – Eggerichs, Emerson
63. Cooking Basics for Dummies – Miller, Bryan
64. The Hidden Flame – Bunn, Davis
65. Real-Life Homeschooling: The Stories of 21 Families Who Teach Their Children at Home – Barfield, Rhonda
66. The Courteous Cad – Palmer, Catherine
67. All the Way Home – Tatlock, Ann
68. Between Two Worlds: My Life and Captivity in Iran – Saberi, Roxana
69. The Jesus You Can’t Ignore: What You Must Learn from the Bold Confrontations of Christ* – Jr., John F. MacArthur
70. A Measure of Mercy (Home to Blessing, #1) – Snelling, Lauraine
71. Grand Obsession: A Piano Odyssey – Knize, Perri
72. Masquerade* – Moser, Nancy
73. The Proper Care and Feeding of Husbands – Schlessinger, Laura
74. The Great Conversation: The Substance Of A Liberal Education (Great Books Of The Western World, Volume 1) – Hutchins, Robert Maynard
75.
76.
77.
78.
79.
80.

What’s On My Nightstand – October

What's On Your Nightstand I’ve read quite a bit this month but most of the books are more challenging than my normal reading. Thus, I’ve not read quite as many titles. I have a feel October will be like that as well.

This is what I’m going to attempt in October, but I know I will not complete all of these.

These are not all of my books. The open book is my husbands as he is learning C#. No idea what that is, but he calls it “light reading!” He also has a couple of other art and computer books in that stack, so I’m not completely insane!

My priority books:
The Importance of Being Earnest – I have seen two movie adaptations of this play and I loved them both. It’s time I read the play!

How to Read and Why – I’ve read How to Read a Book and I’ve heard How to Read and Why is also very good.

The History of the Ancient World: From the Earliest Accounts to the Fall of Rome – I don’t plan on reading this entire book, but I do want to start it. Even though I progressed through the normal history classes in elementary and high school, plus another year or so in college, I feel ignorant. I want to match up Biblical history with the rest of the world, to gain an idea of what else is going on during the time of Abraham, David, and Christ. I want to put the Bible in context!

The Jesus You Can’t Ignore – A Book Review

I received The Jesus You Can’t Ignore (John MacArthur) awhile ago for review but it took me weeks to finish it. There is so much information packed into the book that I kept stopping to take notes or ponder what had been written.

The introduction states why this book is so important.

“Of all the things you might ever study or reflect on, nothing could possibly be greater than God. So your view of Him automatically has more far-reaching ramifications than anything else in your belief system. What you think of God will automatically color how you think about everything else – especially how you prioritize values; how you determine right and wrong; and what you think of your own place in the universe. That in turn will surely determine how you act” (xvii-xviii, emphasis his).

With this view in mind, that our beliefs about God have the farthest reaching ramifications in our lives, it is very important to have an accurate picture of Christ. This book tackles a side of Christ not often portrayed, presented by the subtitle what you must learn from the bold confrontations of Christ.

Chapter 1 is titled “When It’s Wrong to be ‘Nice.'” This chapter covers why Christ had so many confrontations with the Pharisees. During Christ’s ministry, not much is said about political power. Instead, Christ attacks the religious power of the day. MacArthur writes about the Pharisees: “Their religion was their whole life. It even took precedence over God Himself” (10). The Pharisees were teaching that their views of religion had more authority than God Himself. MacArthur warns that:

“Enemies of the gospel have always been (and still are) most formidable when they are religious. The more successful they are at convincing people they are within the circle of orthodoxy, the more effective they will be at undermining the truth. The more deeply they can infiltrate the community of true believers, the more damage they can do with their lies. The closer they can get to the sheep and gain their trust, the more easily they can devour the flock” (13-14).

I can’t even begin to cover the depth of material presented about Christ’s ministry and how He dealt with those who opposed Him. Instead, I’m going to share two more quotes that really spoke to me.

Toward the end of the book, MacArthur says:

“That’s why Jesus’ preaching heads the list of things that make Him impossible to ignore. No preacher has ever been more bold, prophetic, or provocative. No style of public ministry could possibly be more irksome to those who prefer a comfortable religion. Jesus makes it impossible for any hearer to walk away indifferent. Some left angry; some were deeply troubled by what He had to say; many had their eyes opened; and many more hardened their hearts against His message. Some became His disciples, and others became His adversaries. But no one who listened to Him preach for very long could possibly remain unchanged or apathetic” (162).

The book concludes by sharing this advice:

“If Christ Himself devoted so much of His time and energy during His earthly ministry to the task of confronting and refuting false teachers, surely that must be high on our agenda as well. His style of ministry ought to be the model for ours, and His zeal against false religion ought to fill our hearts and minds as well” (208).

This book is worth the time to read and really contemplate the image of Christ that is presented. The image of God presented here does not jive with the image that is commonly presented, of a meek and mild Christ who only spoke words of love. One reading is not enough; I want to set this book down for awhile, then return to it later to study it in depth.

Disclaimer – I did receive a free copy of this book from Book Sneeze in exchange for an honest review.

What’s On My Nightstand – September

What's On Your Nightstand I am very excited to be reading again. I read few books this summer and nothing that was challenging. This fall, just in time for back to school, I am challenging myself to learn something. I have some thoughts on educating myself, what excites me about learning, and my goals for education. All will be posted another day.

For today, here’s what is on my nighstand, er, coffee table.

It’s a huge pile of books and there is no way I will complete them all before they are due back at the library. Some of them are my husband’s books and others are reference material. For instance, I borrowed a chronological study Bible just to see what it’s like. At first glance, I love it. If I still like it after reading a bit, I’m going to purchase one.

Top priority books:
Lies Women Believe and the Truth That Sets Them Free – I’ve seen this one highly recommended around the blogsphere and thought it was worth checking out.
The Jesus You Can’t Ignore: What You Must Learn from the Bold Confrontations of Christ – I received this as a review copy and need to finish reading it this weekend.
Love & Respect – Another book that was highly recommended to me. So far I keep saying “yes, yes, I do that.” But I’m almost half way through the book and I want to know what I’m supposed to do about it. More later.
The Well-Educated Mind – I’ve actually finished reading this book but I marked a few spots where I need to go back and take notes. I need to finish up quickly, as it’s a very popular book at my library and I’m sure I won’t be able to renew it.
Canterbury Tales – My husband keeps challenging me to read a classic, so I asked him to pick one out for me. I’ve never read Chaucer, so I’ll be interested to see how I do with this massive piece of literature.

What are you reading this month?

Love Is a Flame – A Book Review

From the advertising blurb: If you want to improve or revive your marriage, you need more than just theories of marriage from experts. You need shared experiences, to hear other couples say I’ve been there and to see the unique, creative, and practical solutions they have found to restore the vibrancy of their marriages.

Love Is a Flame is full of short stories of couples who turned their marriages around with God’s help. Some of the stories made me laugh and others made me cry. It was a quick read, easy to cover just a couple of the short stories in one sitting. Each story included a one or two paragraph application by the compiler.

The downside of this book for me is that the stories are so short. I really felt that unless I only read one story and pondered on the application for awhile, I’m not going to get anything out of this book. It’s like reading the Chicken Soup books – heartwarming stories that are easily forgotten.

I wanted to like this book, but I felt it wasn’t something I’d ever come back to or even remember much of a month after finishing it.

Disclaimer – I did receive a copy of this book from Bethany House in exchange for an honest review.