We're having a great trip so far. The weather has been beautiful (until today), the food is great, and we are really enjoying our marriage retreat and sightseeing. We've made some new friends, done some shopping, and taken sooo many pictures that we can't wait to share! Hope everyone has a wonderful Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, and YAY GIANTS!!! Really looking forward to the Super Bowl now!!!
I've made quite a bit of progress on my book so far, and I hope to finish it up at the airport and on the flight home. I don't normally read much fiction, as you can tell from my book list and reviews, but I am really getting into this book (Tenth Circle). More to come when we're back in Germany tomorrow.
M
Monday, January 21, 2008
Monday, January 14, 2008
Almost unbelievable
I believe his account of his life as a child soldier in Sierra Leone, but Ismael Beah's story is almost unbelievable to someone who has never traveled to Africa or personally experienced war. Being married to a soldier myself, I know how war can transform a person, how hard it is for a soldier to talk about what he has seen or done in battle, and the many casualties of war, both civilian and soldier, on and off the battlefield. Beah's story opened my eyes so that I can only begin to imagine what he lived through. I think it took a lot of courage, on his part, to put his story into words and on paper. Beah wrote with such emotion and clarity, as if he had been keeping a diary through his entire experience. He wrote about painful memories, especially the loss of his family, his friends, and his childhood, and I really admire him.
Toward the end of the book (page 200), he is fifteen years old and returning from his first trip to New York where he spoke at the UN on his experiences as a rehabilitated child soldier, and he says, "Because if I was to get killed upon my return, I knew that a memory of my existence was alive somewhere in the world." Since then, Beah has done so much more than provide just a memory of his existence. Throughout the book, he ponders why he was the only person from his family to survive and why he was not killed during battle, and it is now clear that God had a bigger purpose for Ismael Beah. He was able to escape Sierra Leone and eventually make his way back to New York where he attended the United Nations International High School and then college. He spoke on the effects of war on children and works for children's rights. Beah is an inspiration and a source of hope for anyone who feels they are in an inescapable place or situation.
After such a graphic and heavy read, I thought it was time for a complete change of pace. Next, I will be reading a book by Jodi Picoult. I have heard so much (good stuff) about her, so we'll see if her writing lives up to her reputation. This is not a book I would normally read, but I got it off the freebie shelf outside the library, so we'll give it a try. My #24 book is The Tenth Circle, by Jodi Picoult.
Toward the end of the book (page 200), he is fifteen years old and returning from his first trip to New York where he spoke at the UN on his experiences as a rehabilitated child soldier, and he says, "Because if I was to get killed upon my return, I knew that a memory of my existence was alive somewhere in the world." Since then, Beah has done so much more than provide just a memory of his existence. Throughout the book, he ponders why he was the only person from his family to survive and why he was not killed during battle, and it is now clear that God had a bigger purpose for Ismael Beah. He was able to escape Sierra Leone and eventually make his way back to New York where he attended the United Nations International High School and then college. He spoke on the effects of war on children and works for children's rights. Beah is an inspiration and a source of hope for anyone who feels they are in an inescapable place or situation.
After such a graphic and heavy read, I thought it was time for a complete change of pace. Next, I will be reading a book by Jodi Picoult. I have heard so much (good stuff) about her, so we'll see if her writing lives up to her reputation. This is not a book I would normally read, but I got it off the freebie shelf outside the library, so we'll give it a try. My #24 book is The Tenth Circle, by Jodi Picoult.
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
#23/101
I received this book for Christmas, and I've been wanting to read it for a while. I am taking a class on Morality at church right now, and we've been talking about our responsibility to the human race, to the dignity of each person, and to acknowledge the suffering and pain going on in the world. I've made it one of my goals to pay more attention to what is happening in Africa, and this book will help me to learn more about what has happened in Africa and what is happening now... Here's my #23, A Long Way Gone, by Ismael Beah.
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Happy New Year!
My Top Five Books of 2007
Some of these are from before I started this blog, and others are already on here and reviewed. Either way, these are my top five for the year (in no particular order):
1. The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini
2. Dreams from my Father, Barack Obama
3. Full of Grace, Johnette S. Benkovic
4. A Thousand Splendid Suns, Khaled Hosseini
5. The Namesake, Jhumpa Lahiri
I just watched the movie that is based on The Namesake, and it was pretty good. There was a lot of the story that was left out, and I thought that detracted from the story. I watched the movie with my husband who has not read the book, and I found myself constantly explaining what was going on to him based on what I remembered from the book. So the book is great, the movie is okay. If you're going to watch the movie, read the book first. I think it'll make it much more enjoyable!
I hope everyone has a wonderful, blessed New Year! I plan on reading more, and I've already started my first book of the New Year. #22 is The How-To Book of the Mass: Everything You Need to Know but No One Ever Taught You by Michael Dubruiel, and it's actually really interesting. I am learning a lot of things about Mass and the Catholic Church that I look forward to bringing into my Sunday school class this year. I teach fourth graders, and I think they'll have fun learning the origins of the word "mass" and more. Dubruiel combines fun facts with doctrine and his real life experiences to present information about the Mass in a new and interesting way. I can't wait to read the rest!
Prayer for the New Year:
Dear God,
Bless our family and all its members and friends;
Bind us together by your love.
Give us kindness and patience to support each other;
And wisdom in all we do.
Let the gift of your peace come into our hearts,
And remain with us.
May we rejoice in your blessings for all our days.
Amen.
Some of these are from before I started this blog, and others are already on here and reviewed. Either way, these are my top five for the year (in no particular order):
1. The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini
2. Dreams from my Father, Barack Obama
3. Full of Grace, Johnette S. Benkovic
4. A Thousand Splendid Suns, Khaled Hosseini
5. The Namesake, Jhumpa Lahiri
I just watched the movie that is based on The Namesake, and it was pretty good. There was a lot of the story that was left out, and I thought that detracted from the story. I watched the movie with my husband who has not read the book, and I found myself constantly explaining what was going on to him based on what I remembered from the book. So the book is great, the movie is okay. If you're going to watch the movie, read the book first. I think it'll make it much more enjoyable!
I hope everyone has a wonderful, blessed New Year! I plan on reading more, and I've already started my first book of the New Year. #22 is The How-To Book of the Mass: Everything You Need to Know but No One Ever Taught You by Michael Dubruiel, and it's actually really interesting. I am learning a lot of things about Mass and the Catholic Church that I look forward to bringing into my Sunday school class this year. I teach fourth graders, and I think they'll have fun learning the origins of the word "mass" and more. Dubruiel combines fun facts with doctrine and his real life experiences to present information about the Mass in a new and interesting way. I can't wait to read the rest!
Prayer for the New Year:
Dear God,
Bless our family and all its members and friends;
Bind us together by your love.
Give us kindness and patience to support each other;
And wisdom in all we do.
Let the gift of your peace come into our hearts,
And remain with us.
May we rejoice in your blessings for all our days.
Amen.
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
Happy New Year!
Our company left yesterday after a wonderful two week visit full of great company, good food, and trips to Eastern and Southern Germany. Like I thought, I didn't get much reading accomplished while they were here, but it's a new year, our house is quiet again, and I plan on doing a lot of reading. I received several books for Christmas and will post soon when I decide what to read... I hope everyone has a happy, blessed New Year, and 2008 is filled with all the love and happiness you desire!
M
M
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Replaced
Ugh, I started reading Lost City Radio, and I realized that I have checked it out from the library before and not been able to get into it... So I'm took it back to the library this morning and picked up a book for our upcoming trip to the German Alps: The Land of Ludwig II by Peter O. Kruckmann.
Also, my inlaws arrive on Sunday, and then we're going to be crazy busy. Hopefully I'll find some time to read, but I am not counting on making too much progress until the new year...
M
Also, my inlaws arrive on Sunday, and then we're going to be crazy busy. Hopefully I'll find some time to read, but I am not counting on making too much progress until the new year...
M
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Taking a break from the books
Taking a break from the books to blog about Christmas, and it's a list of "101" things, so I figured it kind of fit in here. I borrowed this from Amy's blog and made a few revisions, including a new addition at the end! I know it's long, but at least skim through it, some of the ideas were new to me and things I'd like to try... 18 days until Christmas!
1. Volunteering at school or participating in a literacy program
2. Putting on a Christmas play to be performed at retirement center3. Baking a pie with your Children for a lonely neighbor
4. Saying I love you-even to someone who isnt acting loveable at the moment!
5. Sending a card to a dear friend or relative.
6. Giving a a message to special someone.
7. Caroling in your neighborhood to benefit a nonprofit.
8. Giving flowers to the person in your life who will least expect them!
9. Making dinner for a friend in need.
10. Buying a pointsetta and taking it to church
11. Giving sweets on a special occasion either homeade or store-bought
12. Holding hands with your spouse, children, or another loved one
13. Traveling somewhere new, either far away or nearby bed and breakfast
14. Decorating your home for the holidays
15. Going for a walk in the snow or making a snow angel.
16. Learning how to say Merry Christmas in a new language.
17. Making hot cocoa and savoring every drop!
18. Vising a nursing home with your children.
19. Reading a child a bedtime story.
20. Going to a christmas tree farm and cutting down your own tree to decorate
21. Making a wreath from outdoor greenery.
22. Driving a sick realative to see the wonder of Christmas lights
23. Taking a child to a reindeer farm
24. Handing out candy canes on your way to work
25. Building a snowman
26. Taking children to see Santa
27. Volunteering to wrap presents for someone else
28. Serving food to a homeless at a church mission program.
29 Donating old jackets the needy.
30. Taking eggnog to the postman.
31. Mailing a fruitcake to someone.
32. Tying a christmas card to a balloon and letting it go.
33. Giving your pet a special treat.
34. Forgivng someone especially if its hard.
35. Wearing a Santa hat and jingle bells
36. Going for a sleigh ride
37. Pulling children on a sled or go sledding yourself!
38. Baking a Turkey to share with others
39. Hanging Mistletoe
40. Decorating your co workers desk
41. Picking up trash on your street
42. Giving your employees a bonus.
43. Throwing a holiday party
44. Sending a singing a email
45. Writing a surpise love note
46. Going ice skating with a friend
47. Serenading someone on the subway.
48. Offering to help carry bags for someone
49. Babysitting for friends
50. Wearing a holiday tie
51. Putting Christmas lights on your lawn
52. Giving up your seat on the bus.
53. Putting a present under your tree
54. Treating a friend for his or her favorite meal
55. Being part of a community cereomony
56. Making paper snowflakes
57. Painging a picture of your family5
8. Going to a pageant or another Christmas performace
59. Making a video and showing it your friends.
60. Giving a complimenta day.
61. Having a snowball fight
62. Giving someone a Christmas cactus
63. Lighting a candle at Church
64. Spraying a pine scented air freshner
65. Seeing a favorite holiday movie
66. Offering to shopping for an eldery person
67. Celerbrating the true spirit of Christmas with your family
68. Making Christmas cards wfor your friends
69. Giving someone a hug
70. Telling someone a secret
71. Giving an admirer a kiss on the cheek
72. Putting up a Nativity scene
73. Making tin foil stars and hanging them around the tree
74. Buying balloons for a child
75. Helping deliver presents.
76. Calling distant family members
77. Buying a Christmas tree for someone who dosent always have one
78. Sharing Bible verses
79. Building a fire in the fireplace in and outdoor firepit.
80. Listening to Christmas songs
81. Wearing holiday jewlery
82. Faxing a holiday greeting
83. Baking cookies to share with any teachers you know!
84. Buying your dog a holiday sweater or reindeer antlers.
85. Helping a friend decorate her house for her party
86. Putting on icicle lights to dnagle from the roof.
87. Hnaging stockings on the mantle
88. Putting out cookies and milk for Santa!
89. Remembering to have an apple or a carrot for Santa's Reindeer
90. Taking someone to a Christmas candlelight service
91. Making bows for presents
92. Shooting fireworks
93. Wearing glittery makeup or getting a new makeover!
94. Making a friend a holiday sweater.
95. Knitting a scarf for a friend
96. Giving a co-worker a basket of fruit
97. Shoveling's someone's driveway
98. Putting fake snow on the windows.
99. Buying a Pointsetta for your mother in law or lonely neighbor.
100. Smiling more often-it will bless everyone around you.
101. Leave me a comment on this blog to brighten their day!
1. Volunteering at school or participating in a literacy program
2. Putting on a Christmas play to be performed at retirement center3. Baking a pie with your Children for a lonely neighbor
4. Saying I love you-even to someone who isnt acting loveable at the moment!
5. Sending a card to a dear friend or relative.
6. Giving a a message to special someone.
7. Caroling in your neighborhood to benefit a nonprofit.
8. Giving flowers to the person in your life who will least expect them!
9. Making dinner for a friend in need.
10. Buying a pointsetta and taking it to church
11. Giving sweets on a special occasion either homeade or store-bought
12. Holding hands with your spouse, children, or another loved one
13. Traveling somewhere new, either far away or nearby bed and breakfast
14. Decorating your home for the holidays
15. Going for a walk in the snow or making a snow angel.
16. Learning how to say Merry Christmas in a new language.
17. Making hot cocoa and savoring every drop!
18. Vising a nursing home with your children.
19. Reading a child a bedtime story.
20. Going to a christmas tree farm and cutting down your own tree to decorate
21. Making a wreath from outdoor greenery.
22. Driving a sick realative to see the wonder of Christmas lights
23. Taking a child to a reindeer farm
24. Handing out candy canes on your way to work
25. Building a snowman
26. Taking children to see Santa
27. Volunteering to wrap presents for someone else
28. Serving food to a homeless at a church mission program.
29 Donating old jackets the needy.
30. Taking eggnog to the postman.
31. Mailing a fruitcake to someone.
32. Tying a christmas card to a balloon and letting it go.
33. Giving your pet a special treat.
34. Forgivng someone especially if its hard.
35. Wearing a Santa hat and jingle bells
36. Going for a sleigh ride
37. Pulling children on a sled or go sledding yourself!
38. Baking a Turkey to share with others
39. Hanging Mistletoe
40. Decorating your co workers desk
41. Picking up trash on your street
42. Giving your employees a bonus.
43. Throwing a holiday party
44. Sending a singing a email
45. Writing a surpise love note
46. Going ice skating with a friend
47. Serenading someone on the subway.
48. Offering to help carry bags for someone
49. Babysitting for friends
50. Wearing a holiday tie
51. Putting Christmas lights on your lawn
52. Giving up your seat on the bus.
53. Putting a present under your tree
54. Treating a friend for his or her favorite meal
55. Being part of a community cereomony
56. Making paper snowflakes
57. Painging a picture of your family5
8. Going to a pageant or another Christmas performace
59. Making a video and showing it your friends.
60. Giving a complimenta day.
61. Having a snowball fight
62. Giving someone a Christmas cactus
63. Lighting a candle at Church
64. Spraying a pine scented air freshner
65. Seeing a favorite holiday movie
66. Offering to shopping for an eldery person
67. Celerbrating the true spirit of Christmas with your family
68. Making Christmas cards wfor your friends
69. Giving someone a hug
70. Telling someone a secret
71. Giving an admirer a kiss on the cheek
72. Putting up a Nativity scene
73. Making tin foil stars and hanging them around the tree
74. Buying balloons for a child
75. Helping deliver presents.
76. Calling distant family members
77. Buying a Christmas tree for someone who dosent always have one
78. Sharing Bible verses
79. Building a fire in the fireplace in and outdoor firepit.
80. Listening to Christmas songs
81. Wearing holiday jewlery
82. Faxing a holiday greeting
83. Baking cookies to share with any teachers you know!
84. Buying your dog a holiday sweater or reindeer antlers.
85. Helping a friend decorate her house for her party
86. Putting on icicle lights to dnagle from the roof.
87. Hnaging stockings on the mantle
88. Putting out cookies and milk for Santa!
89. Remembering to have an apple or a carrot for Santa's Reindeer
90. Taking someone to a Christmas candlelight service
91. Making bows for presents
92. Shooting fireworks
93. Wearing glittery makeup or getting a new makeover!
94. Making a friend a holiday sweater.
95. Knitting a scarf for a friend
96. Giving a co-worker a basket of fruit
97. Shoveling's someone's driveway
98. Putting fake snow on the windows.
99. Buying a Pointsetta for your mother in law or lonely neighbor.
100. Smiling more often-it will bless everyone around you.
101. Leave me a comment on this blog to brighten their day!
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Back Online!
Our internet is finally back up at home. Living abroad and not speaking enough of the language, especially technical words and phrases, makes it hard to call tech support when your internet goes down! It is back up though, and (((fingers crossed))) that it doesn't happen again!
I'm still reading Full of Grace, but I also picked up another book at the library yesterday and started reading it this morning. So #21 is Daniel Alarcon's Lost City Radio, set amidst a civil war in South America.
With the holidays quickly approaching, I am trying to get some reading in before things get really busy. My inlaws will be here to visit in less than two weeks, and they will be here through the end of the year. I'd really like to finish twenty-five books by the end of 2007. We shall see...
This is what Amazon has to say about the two books I am currently reading:
Full of Grace: Women and the Abundant Life - Godly womanhood and femininity are the focal points in this book by Benkovic, founder and director of a Catholic communications ministry called Living His Life Abundantly. Using Mary, the mother of Jesus, as her prime example, Benkovic shows how Mary's faithful example of obedience provides a model for the spiritual lives of women today.
Lost City Radio - Set in a fictional South American nation where guerrillas have long clashed with the government follows a trio of characters upended by civil strife. Norma, whose husband, Rey, disappeared 10 years ago after the end of a civil war, hosts popular radio show Lost City Radio, which reconnects callers with their missing loved ones. So when an 11-year-old orphan, Victor, shows up at the radio station with a list of his distant village's "lost people," the station plans a special show dedicated to his case and cranks up its promotional machine. Norma, meanwhile, notices a name on the list that's an alias her husband used to use, prompting her to resume her quest to find him. She and Victor travel to Victor's home village...
I'm still reading Full of Grace, but I also picked up another book at the library yesterday and started reading it this morning. So #21 is Daniel Alarcon's Lost City Radio, set amidst a civil war in South America.
With the holidays quickly approaching, I am trying to get some reading in before things get really busy. My inlaws will be here to visit in less than two weeks, and they will be here through the end of the year. I'd really like to finish twenty-five books by the end of 2007. We shall see...
This is what Amazon has to say about the two books I am currently reading:
Full of Grace: Women and the Abundant Life - Godly womanhood and femininity are the focal points in this book by Benkovic, founder and director of a Catholic communications ministry called Living His Life Abundantly. Using Mary, the mother of Jesus, as her prime example, Benkovic shows how Mary's faithful example of obedience provides a model for the spiritual lives of women today.
Lost City Radio - Set in a fictional South American nation where guerrillas have long clashed with the government follows a trio of characters upended by civil strife. Norma, whose husband, Rey, disappeared 10 years ago after the end of a civil war, hosts popular radio show Lost City Radio, which reconnects callers with their missing loved ones. So when an 11-year-old orphan, Victor, shows up at the radio station with a list of his distant village's "lost people," the station plans a special show dedicated to his case and cranks up its promotional machine. Norma, meanwhile, notices a name on the list that's an alias her husband used to use, prompting her to resume her quest to find him. She and Victor travel to Victor's home village...
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Catching Up
Our internet is down again, and I can't access Blogger from the library anymore, so I haven't been able to post in a little while. Fortunately, our neighbor offered her computer, so I am taking this time to get caught up...
The Book Thief (#18) - It took me a few chapters to get used to the idea of "Death" narrating a story about the Holocaust, but once I did, I could hardly put the book down. I read through the 500+ pages in just a few days.
After The Book Thief, I read Babylon's Ark (#19) by Lawrence Anthony. It was about the wartime rescue of the Baghdad Zoo, and I found it really interesting. I was actually a little disappointed in myself at the end... After Katrina, the first thing I did was make a donation to the Humane Society to help rescue animals, and I even offered to foster or adopt some of the animals displaced by the storm... And when my husband was deployed to Iraq, he had a pet cat that I sent food, toys, and treats to, but... I didn't think of the animals in Iraq during the invasion. These animals were in the middle of Baghdad, trapped in their cages, kidnapped by looters to sell on the black market, and without water and food for weeks. Anthony did a really good job telling their story and his story about his role in helping get the zoo back open.
Now I am reading Full of Grace (#20) by Johnnette S. Benkovic. It is about women's spirituality, and I thought it was a good choice to kick off the Advent season that started on Sunday and lasts through Christmas.
The Book Thief (#18) - It took me a few chapters to get used to the idea of "Death" narrating a story about the Holocaust, but once I did, I could hardly put the book down. I read through the 500+ pages in just a few days.
After The Book Thief, I read Babylon's Ark (#19) by Lawrence Anthony. It was about the wartime rescue of the Baghdad Zoo, and I found it really interesting. I was actually a little disappointed in myself at the end... After Katrina, the first thing I did was make a donation to the Humane Society to help rescue animals, and I even offered to foster or adopt some of the animals displaced by the storm... And when my husband was deployed to Iraq, he had a pet cat that I sent food, toys, and treats to, but... I didn't think of the animals in Iraq during the invasion. These animals were in the middle of Baghdad, trapped in their cages, kidnapped by looters to sell on the black market, and without water and food for weeks. Anthony did a really good job telling their story and his story about his role in helping get the zoo back open.
Now I am reading Full of Grace (#20) by Johnnette S. Benkovic. It is about women's spirituality, and I thought it was a good choice to kick off the Advent season that started on Sunday and lasts through Christmas.
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