Back in the saddle again...

I've started reading again... was in a funk for a while.  Well, a person does need to do other things...

Anyway, I've started this book... which, so far, is very interesting.  I attached the link so you could see what it's about.  I like how the main character goes back and forth between the present and her past memories that lead up to the events now taking place in her life.  I have to wonder how much of it is true to form as far as what really happened between Dickens and his wife... guess I'd have to learn more about Dickens to find out, huh?

It's been HOW long?

Yep.  Long.

Why?

Click here.

Might As Well Laugh About It Now, by Marie Osmond

Never did I ever think I'd read a book written by Marie Osmond.  It's not that I don't like her, I just never really knew much about her other than who she is.  I never thought I'd be interested in her life, but, then again, I never knew much about her life.  When I think of the name Osmond, I think of the classic Christmas album my dad would play for us every year and my sister and I doing our dance routine (cartwheels included) to "Sleigh Ride".  (Good times.)

My mother-in-law called me one day and told me I had to read this book.  So, I got it from the library and it sat on my shelf, patiently waiting it's turn.  This is a book I'll never regret reading.  I loved it! After reading it, I felt like I was able to sit down with Marie, herself, and have her tell me this story from her own mouth.  It's a compilation of her memories of life growing up as an entertainer, being the daughter of her wonderful parents, the sister to her awesome brothers, the mother to her amazing children, the wife of not one, but two different husbands.  She talks about her divorces, a house fire that devoured her memories and journals and things handed down to her from her mother when she passed away, issues with her weight and therefore her perception of herself, traveling, her career.  She shares lessons learned from other people, sharing moments of triumph and defeat with friends and family, and even laughs about fainting on national television.  She talks about her charity work, her doll collections and all the while keeping her faith and focus on what's most important.

I learned so much about her, about life, love, and happiness, about not sweating the small things, about determination, and about being human and accepting yourself.  She always remembered to laugh!

This book had me laughing, tearing up, sympathizing, and determining to see my life differently.  If you are a fan of Marie or just want an uplifting book to read and make you feel good, I recommend reading this one! 

Check it out HERE!

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne

I love Holocaust books, if you couldn't tell, but this is the first fiction one I read... and I have to say, I'm so glad it's fiction.

This book is from the point of view of a nine year old little boy who happens to be the son of a Nazi Commandant.  They move from their house and life in Berlin to live in a place he knows as "Out-with".  He's incredibly bored to begin with and can't understand the purpose of the large fenced area he can see outside his bedroom where all are men or boys and wearing the same striped pajamas.  It's so interesting to see, from what a child's point of view would be, the things that really did happen.  One day, he ends up walking along the fence and finds a boy who soon becomes his best friend.  Everyday they meet and talk but are always seperated by the fence.  They compare their lives and the things they like and don't like and soon find they actually have a lot in common when it comes to not liking where they live and things that go on in their lives.  Well, one day the german boy's mother decides she's had enough of the place and wants to go back home to Berlin.  So, as a final goodbye, they german boy dresses in some striped pajamas his friend acquired for him and crawls under the fence to have "an exploration" and some time to play with his friend whom he will greatly miss.  After over an hour of exploring, the german boy (who's name is Bruno, by the way) decides he better be getting back home.  At that moment, soldiers start rounding up hundreds of people in the area they're standing in and marching them.  Bruno doesn't like this but is trapped in the middle of this crowd.  They are then marched into a building where it is so crammed no one can hardly move.  He tells his friend (who's name is Shmuel) that he's his best friend for life, and holds his hand, not knowing what's about to happen next.  The story ends with one more chapter saying Bruno was never heard from again.

Having read many books on this subject before, it's sad to realize what happened to him, how he was marched into a gas chamber and, of course, the rest is history.  Bruno never knows what was going on in the camp, or that it was even a camp for prisoners.  He's envious of Shmuel because, from his point of view, he has lots of friends to play with, where he has none.  He sees and dislikes the soldiers that come in and out of his house.  He definitely doesn't like being in the camp once he's there, and even feels fear seeing the things he sees there.  He doesn't understand that "the Fury" who came to dinner and gave his father this important job at "Out-with" is Hitler, nor does he know why his mother doesn't like him or his grandmother, for that matter.  The innocence of a child is greatly portrayed in this touching story, and it opened my eyes to yet another point of view of this horrific time in history.

Reading this, I'd like to find a book from a Nazi's point of view, or even a german's point of view who went along with all of this to avoid death themselves. 

I can't tell you why I'm so fascinated with this, but I am just the same.  This book was definitely a good one, and, even though it's fiction, still gives an accurate account of what happened to so many people.  I love that it was from the view of a child, of innocence.  It was written well and reads quickly.  If you're interested in the Holocaust, this is definitely one I'd add to your mind's library.

For a different review and perspective, click the link above or here.

My, oh, my! Christmas in April!

April 6, that is!!!

Richard Paul Evans is releasing his newest book, The Walk, this April 6th and I am just giddy! Usually, we RPE fans have to wait till October, give or take... but not this year, baby! Woohoo!

Check it out, here.  You can even read the first chapter.  And what's even more exciting, is that's it's the first of a series.  That is just so fantastically awesome!

Ahem.  Now back to life.  ;)

You've probably noticed...

I sort of abandoned the idea of finishing The Worst Hard Time.... it was due back at the library, anyway. 

It wasn't that it wasn't good, it truly was, I just got to reading other books and the zest for what happened next just left me. 

If you didn't know, it's about the Great American Dust Bowl, something I didn't care to learn about in school when I had the opportunity.  This book is a great way to learn about it because not only does it give the facts, it gives real people's perspective on what happened and how it affected them.  What I did read was so very shocking.  The way people basically robbed the land of all it's goodness then wondered why the severe dust storms were happening just blows me away.  Some of the dust storms started in OK and KS and blew as far as New York and even out to ships 400 yards into the sea.  Amazing, really.  What also baffled my brain is how this country suffered.  What it all boiled down to was someone was too greedy to lower their prices until no one had money to spend and all suffered greatly.  I fear that's where this country is headed even now, but to those who are prepared, no worries, I guess.  I found it interesting that banks took people's savings money and invested it, losing it all, of course, in the stock market crash.  It really was the worst hard time for America... a time I see us heading into again, if things don't start changing for the better.  *sigh*

One thing's for sure, my family and I are going to get some food into storage, money in our own safe keeping, and stay close to the Lord.  I don't want to be unprepared, that's for sure.

It's a very fascinating book... I hope no one uses the fact that I didn't finish against it.  In fact, now that I'm typing this, I'm going to put it on my list to re-check out and finish, because it really was a good read.  It didn't read like a history book, as it was the story of those who survived the Great American Dust Bowl. 

My mom used to say that those who don't learn their history are doomed to repeat it... this book is something we all should learn from, in my opinion.

On to the next!

The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom

This book was nothing short of amazing.  I loved it so much, I'm going to obtain my very own copy - and I don't do that with just any book.  I'm a library girl unless the book is RPE or something worth reading more than once.  This is definitely one of those books. 

As a Christian myself, this book meant a lot to me.  I have read several Holocaust survivor books before, but none of them came close to this one.  Yes, they were sad and it's unimaginable that someone could be filled with such hate and do such horrific things to other humans and it's beyond incredible that someone could actually survive that, but this woman and her family, her sister, especially, gave a whole new meaning to the phrase "triumphing over evil".  The most recent survivor book I read, the man turned his back on God.  This woman's faith and the faith of her family is so awesome.  She managed to see the smallest and sometimes most ugly things as blessings.  I'd like to think I have the ability to see the good in the bad, but going through what this woman and so many others went through, I wonder if I would still be able to come out of it with as strong a spirit? This woman did, and so much more did she accomplish in her life, I'm still trying to wrap my mind around it all.

Corrie ten Boom's story takes place in Haarlam, Holland, where she and her family live and own/run a watch/clock repair shop.  As the germans start to take over parts of Europe, including her part, she finds herself becoming the hub of an underground operation aiding the flight and hiding of many Jews.  She and her family have a special love for God's "chosen people" and have no hesitation in doing this great and dangerous work.  After a while, they're found out and are arrested.  She goes from prison to prison, somehow never being seperated from her sister, and finally ends up in a concentration camp.  She experiences the direst of circumstances but meets and befriends many along the way while sharing the word of God.  The miracles she encounters and the prayers she's been answered can only strengthen one's testimony that God's hand truly is in all things.  Even when Corrie fails to see Divine intervention (which was rare), her sister never fails to remind her.  I loved how things weren't so much a matter of faith with them, but a matter of fact.  It truly is an inspirational book and will stick with you and perhaps even strengthen your own spirit while giving you a strong dose of perspective.

If you haven't read it, do.  It's worth it.  You'll not regret it, I promise.

The First Gift of Christmas by Richard Paul Evans

This is a little book I picked up off a discount table once upon ten years ago... and I read it every year! I love it! (It's RPE, what's not to love??)

This little book can be read in 30 minutes or less, as it's more like a poem.  Each section is so beautifully worded, will touch your soul and leave you thinking.  It talks of the different parts of Christmas, such as the Advent, Christmas Eve, Christmas morning and Christmas night. 

I don't want to tell too much because, really, words cannot describe the wonderful feeling one gets from reading it, so I'm hoping you'll add a little more "spirit" to your Christmas and find a copy for yourself.  In fact, I just looked at Amazon.com and you can purchase this glorious book for !!a penny!! used, with only $3.99 shipping! I'd do it, folks, it's totally worth it. 

If you only wish to check it out through your local library, I highly recommend it.  :)

Christmas Jars, by Jason F. Wright

If you haven't read this book, you should.  It's a quick read and oh-so-good.  I cried a little - well, maybe more than a little, and even thought of starting my own Christmas jar.

***WARNING:  SPOILER***

This book starts out with a single woman having her annual dinner at a local fast food joint when she notices a baby in the bench behind her, alone.  There's a note that says something to the effect of whoever holds my baby next, she's now in your care.  This woman takes the child into her life, names her Hope, adopts her legally, and raises her.  When Hope is five, her mother reveals why the bench is so special and that her real mother loved her so much and wanted a better life for her.  She supports her in her ambition to become a news reporter and they are so happy together. One year, the mother reveals to her daughter that she has cancer.  She doesn't live long after that, and dies on Christmas Eve.  One year later, the daughter's out at the chicken place where her mother found her, the same place they eat every year at that time and comes home to her apartment to find out it's been robbed.  During the investigation, she finds a jar left inside her door, but doesn't know who it's from.  It's full of money.  As an aspiring reporter for small columns in the local newspaper, she decides to investigate further, as she's found she's not been the only recipient of such a miraculous jar and she thinks this would make a great story, the one that will get her on the front page.  She finds several families who refuse to give much information, wishing to leave the giver as an anonymous angel of sorts, until she finds the family that started it all.  She tells a little lie to get into their lives and have her questions answered, and ends up falling in love with the family, and them with her.  She finds out that they originally started the Christmas jar as a way for them to save money for Christmas presents every year.  One year, though, while at the bank to cash in their coins, their daughter notices a woman crying on the curb outside and offers to give her their Christmas jar.  The parents tearfully allow it, which is what the woman needed, as her abusive husband took all her money and left her pregnant with nothing.  After that, they just kept giving Christmas jars every year and more and more people started to partake in the tradition.  Hope thinks she's on to something big when a spotlight is run on her in the paper.  She fears her secret of who she really is is out and the family will be angry as they think she's a college student writing a paper about their small family business, so she goes months without talking to them.  One day, she finds herself in someone else's office looking for a package of jelly when the phone rings.  It's a man who wants to run an obituary.  She finds out it's the patriarch of this beloved family that has died and is heart-broken.  Not knowing how to get back in touch with them to offer her condolences, she runs a front page article on this great man and a small piece of the legacy he and his family left behind with their very own Christmas jars.  She then goes to the funeral, and then back to the family's house to see if she has been forgiven.  They embrace her without any hesitation and confess that they hid the article from the father so he never even knew who she really was.  Relieved a little, she leaves to have her annual dinner at the chicken place.  After her departure, the family receives many visitors who saw the article and were touched by a Christmas jar of their very own, bringing a jar to the family who started it all.  After all the visitors are gone, their front porch is covered in jars filled with money.  Then, one final visitor knocks on the door.  It's a woman with a very special story.  After all is told, the family realizes she was the first woman they ever gave a Christmas jar to, the woman at the bank.  She tells a story of leaving her precious baby on a bench in a chicken restaurant.  Realizing who she is, they drive her to the chicken place to create a joyous and happy reunion with Hope, her daughter. 

It's a sweet story that is very inspiring and touching to the very end.  I'm glad I cheated a little and took the time to read it this Christmas season.  :)

Cheating

So.... I've decided to take a break from the book I've been reading... and start another book... hee hee! I hate doing that because my OCD (self-diagnosed) flares a little in that something I started wasn't finished.  It's almost as if I'm betraying the book... lol

Anyway, the book I've been philandering with is Christmas Jars by Jason F. Wright.  Not only is it a short book, but the one I ended up with from the library has large print, so I should be done in no time.  (My other book will hardly notice my absense!)

So far, it's very good... slightly tear-jerking, very simple, yet, very entertaining.  :) I'll keep you posted.  ;)

I'm also doing a reading group with some church ladies about a book called The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom - another survivor story of the Holocaust - so, I may have to have a double affair.... ;)  Oooh! Feel free to read it with us! Our deadline is January ummmm.... something.... I think the second or third Tuesday in January.  Probably the third... I guess I should find out for sure.