40. Elizabeth George - Life Management for Busy Women

Looking beyond the sugar, this is a typically efficient look at the main areas (spiritual, physical, home, financial, social, mental and ministry) of a Christian woman's life. Each area is given a list of ten disciplines which, according to George, are essential to successful living. Her style is bracing offset with sugar (my dear reading friend) but still readable and inspiring.

39. Lisa Bevere - Kissed the Girls and Made Them Cry

I’ve read most of Lisa Bevere’s books now and think this is the best to date. It’s a no-holds-barred look at female sexuality from a Christian perspective. Lisa covers everything from what the Bible has to say about piercing to oral sex. Although she says she is writing for young, unmarried women, there is a whole lot of wonderful information for every woman – no matter what sexual experiences they may or may not have had. This book has helped me immeasurably already and I’m looking forward to studying it further.

Spring Reading Thing

How many books can I read between now and June? That, my friends, is the question. I've decided to focus on Christian fiction and non-fiction and to find ten books of each kind from my own shelves. Generally I read books in the order in which the came into the house but, for this challenge, I've picked books that I really want to read for whatever reason. I'll also be reading cat books and general fiction/non-fiction but I want my focus to be on the 20 books I list here:

Christian Fiction

Veronica Heley - Master of the Hall
Marta Perry - Hunter's Bride
Deeanne Gist - The Measure of a Lady
Beverly Lewis - The Crossroad
Janette Oke - When Calls the Heart
Carolyne Aarsen - All in One Place
Judy Baer - Be My Neat-Heart
Melody Carlson - Back Home Again
Liz Curtis Higgs - Bookends
Judith Miller - Whisper Along the Rails

Christian Non-Fiction

J Matthew Sleeth - Serve God Save the Planet
Max Lucado - Cure for the Common Life
Joyce Meyer - How to Hear from God
Ruth Haley Barton - Longing for More
Rob Bell - Sex God
Chip Ingram - Love, Sex & Lasting Relationships
Elizabeth George - Life Management for Busy Women
Christine Caine - Stop Acting Like a Christian Just Be One
Lisa Bevere - Kissed the Girls and Made Them Cry
R T Kendall - Totally Forgiving Ourselves

What the Postman Brought

Stephanie Pearl-McPhee - Yarn Harlot
Jillian Hart - A Soldier for Christmas
Debbie Macomber - Christmas Letters

38. Leslie Ludy - Authentic Beauty

Aimed at ‘young ladies’, this book would be appropriate for any single, Christian woman. Using biographical detail, the author explains the way that society has stolen the femininity and purity of women while distorting masculinity into ‘jerksville’. It is a very American book and I found this jarring at times but the message is that if we build our lives around Jesus and keep ourselves ‘lily white’ for our future husband there is a happy ending for us all. Definately worth further study.

What the Postman Brought ...

George Eliot - Silas Marner
Corrie ten Boom - The Hiding Place
Josh McDowell - More Than A Carpenter

37. J John - Ten

This book, subtitled 'Living the Ten Commandments in the 21st Century', does exactly what it says on the tin. John works his way through each of the Ten Commandments of the Christian and Jewish faiths and applies them to the life of contemporary Christians. This is the first of his books that I've read and I found him to have a friendly, open style which I would like to see more of.

Books In, Books Out

M&D gave me some money for Easter with which I purchased:

Max Lucado - Cure for the Common Life
R T Kendall - Totally Forgiving Ourselves
Joyce Meyer - How to Hear from God
Leslie Ludy - Authentic Beauty

Did Not Finish

Penny Culliford - Theodora's Weding
DNF - I greatly enjoyed Theodora's Diary but don't really feel the concept was strong enough for a trilogy. This book seemed like the same old same old so I abandoned it in favour of something new.

Jared Diamond - Collapse
DNF - I read the Introduction and, finding myself less than impressed, decided not to wade through the next 500 pages.

Lee Strobel - The Case for Christ
DNF - I'm quite sure there's a lot of good information inside this book but I found it impossible to get past the author's rather unpleasant manner. Perhaps there are others who would not find him so abraisive.

Permanent Collection

Josh McDowell - Evidence that Demands a Verdict
DNR - This is a reference book rather than one to be read cover to cover. The author provides the outlines of various essays/arguments pertaining to the various branches of Christian apologetics.

Did Not Read

Penny Culliford - Theodora's Baby
DNR - The third in the 'Theodora' series mentioned above.

36. Lloyd Jones - Mister Pip

This book packs a lot into 200-odd pages. It is the story of Matilda, a black girl who grows up on a Pacific island. It is also the story of Mr Watts, the only white man on the island. And it is the story of Great Expectations, the only book in the school where Mr Watts teaches. It's also a story of violence, storytelling and acceptance. Confusing in parts it is a haunting read.

35. Shauna Reid - The Amazing Adventures of Dietgirl

This is the true story of a woman who lost half her bodyweight (starting at 25 stones). It traces the reasons why she was so overweight, to what she did about it, to how she finally found happiness within herself. I feel I have a lot in common with her and I've noted several subjects I'd like to blog on. The tale is told with warmth and humour - I feel a deep admiration for the author.

Lucky Dot!

Lucky Dot!
Originally uploaded by laura0141

Aren't I lucky? Look what a friend sent me ...

34. Jill Briscoe - Spiritual Arts

Jill Briscoe offers an examination of what I would call 'character traits' such as tenacity and generosity using Phillipians as her guide. An educational and sometimes dense read.

A Little Bit of Shopping ...

I did not intend to buy books today. I didn't even intend to go to a bookshop. Or the mall where the bookshop is. But I was overtaken by events and am now the proud owner of:

Clare Chambers - The Editor's Wife
Lloyd Jones - Mister Pip
Jojo Moyes - Silver Bay

Aren't 3for2 offers terrible? I'm going to read Mister Pip first as it's the store's book club's read for this month. If I like the book and my mother's doing well then I may go along to the club and see what is to be seen.

Meantime, today the postman brought:

David Llewellyn - Eleven

It'd been out on a BookRing and has now returned to Mt TBR.

Richard J Foster - Celebration of Discipline

I found this book to be inaccessible and unappealing and have decided to let it go.

33. Patricia Davids - His Bundle of Love

When I saw the cover of this book, I really wasn't sure I'd enjoy it. I'm childfree and the cover features a baby's hand grabbing a man's finger. However, I was very pleasantly surprised to find myself devouring the pages. The characters were likeable and engaging and, while the situation was overblown, there was enough reality to form a very moving tale. Indeed, this is the first Love Inspired to have me wiping a tear from my eyes!

Lisa Bevere - You Are Not What You Weigh

I was looking for a 'how-to' going beyond her previous work and didn't really find it. Bevere's focus in this book appears to be the way that the media has led so many women (and presumably also men) to form an idol out of their appearance and, especially, their weight. She does recount her own journey through overweight, anorexia and bulimia and speaks strongly in favour of fasting (if not from food then from something).

Geralding Brooks - People of the Book

A fictionalised account of an ancient, illuminated, Jewish manuscript this is an engaging and well-crafted novel. Brooks writes from several perspectives giving us several snatches of the book's history all tied together with a modern-day account of it's restoration. There is sadness, romance and intrigue as well as a great understanding of the cultures represented.

Great Excitement!

The postman has just called. He had a new book for me. One I've been waiting for:

Lisa Bevere - You Are Not What You Weigh.

I'm so looking forward to reading it!

What the Postman Brought ...

Joanne Harris - Five Quarters of the Orange

Tracey Bateman - Catch a Rising Star - DNF

So far as popcorn books go, this one was fine. The central character is amusing and the story sufficiently far removed from my reality to make it good escapism. Unfortunately the plot brought me to a hospital waiting room where a character invites her sister to a party while their father is recovering from a triple heart bypass ... Hospital rooms are very much my reality at the moment and I cannot conceive of inviting anyone to a party! So I decided to stop - there's only so much popcorn I can handle.

What the Postman Brought ...

These are the books I've received over the past few days ...

Harrison Weir - Our Cats and All About Them
Patricia Davids - His Bundle of Love
Maggie Righetti - Knitting in Plain English
Max Lucado - Turn
Judith Miller - Whispers Along the Rails
Kristin Billerbeck - What a Girl Wants
Maeve Binchy - Tara Road
Jaye Buxton - Lessons in Duck Shooting

Another Page, Another Blog

Hmmm. I really like the name I've chosen for this blog - 'Not Just Reading.' Because when does any reader 'just' read? When I read I look at the letters and words, I scan up and down to check things as I go, I think. I'm aware of sounds around me, the cat in my lap and the cup of coffee at my elbow. It's not just reading. And neither is this blog. I think. Because it's only a baby blog yet and who knows what it might grow up to be?