Tag Archives: reading

New Children’s Book about Elisabeth Elliot

Posted on by
7
Elisabeth Elliot children's book

My friend Susan recently shared that there was a new children’s book about Elisabeth Elliot: Elisabeth Elliot: The Brave Girl Who Chose to Love by Ellen Vaughn, who wrote a two-volume biography of Elisabeth a few years ago.

I’ve considered Elisabeth my “mentor from afar” for decades, so I was delighted to learn there was a children’s book about her. The story is written for 4-7-year-olds, though I am sure older children would enjoy it as well.

The book provides a very simple overview of Elisabeth’s life, from the time her parents hosted missionaries in their home, which inspired Elisabeth, to her marriage to Jim, their ministry in Ecuador, and the birth of their daughter, Valerie. Jim’s death is shared straightforwardly. The name of the tribe who killed him is shortened to “Wao” here. Elisabeth later decides to try to tell the tribe that Jim loved about Jesus, thinking maybe “they won’t be scared of a woman and a little girl.”

After a few years, Elisabeth and Valerie leave for the United States so Valerie could go to school. The rest of Elisabeth’s life is summed up in a couple of paragraphs.

The author shares Isaiah 43:2 at intervals as something Elisabeth leaned on when she was tempted to fear: “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you” (NIV).

At the end of the book are questions to think about, a timeline of her life, a world map that notes where significant parts of Elisabeth’s life took place, and a link to some printable pages that children can draw on or fill in.

The illustrations by Emma Randall are nicely done and not “silly.”

This is a great introduction to Elisabeth’s life for children, touching on themes of missionary service, forgiveness, and trusting God when afraid.

I can happily recommend this book.

I noticed it was part of a “Do Great Things for God” series by The Good Book Company. There are fifteen books in the series so far, on people like C. S. Lewis, John Knox, Susannah Spurgeon, Amy Carmichael, Corrie ten Boom, Joni Eareckson Tada, Queen Elizabeth, and others, some of whom I had never heard of. I’m excited to see these biographies being made available for very young children.

(Sharing with Between the Bookends)

Review: All Booked Up

Posted on by
3
All Booked Up

All Booked Up by Melody Carlson centers on Riva Owen, a widow in her early sixties. Her husband passed away more than a year before and left her with a lot of medical debts. She’s contemplating selling the Victorian home where she grew up. But one thing holding her back is her book collection in what she calls her library. She still has all her husband’s books there as well. She just can’t bear to get rid of them–they are like friends to her.

When a friend mentions that Riva could make good money renting out her upstairs rooms, Riva has to think long and hard about whether to take in boarders. Doing so would allow her to keep her house. But it would disrupt her quiet lifestyle. She finally decides to give it a try and ends up with four women renting out rooms in her home. She only knows one of them, Laurel. Windy is a new acquaintance with a hippie background, Kitty is Laurel’s hairdresser, and Fiona works at a nearby cafe.

Things start off well, but soon the different personalities clash. The rest of the book is taken up with the issues that come up and how they are worked out.

I enjoyed reading a book about “older” women. I think they were all in their sixties except Kitty. I liked the bookish references but felt there could have been more, given the title and description of the story. I also appreciated the discussions about grief.

Melody has written over 200 books, and I have enjoyed the few that I have read, mostly Christmas novels. But this book was a disappointment to me in some ways. I felt the book took a while to get where it was going, but then the ending seemed rushed. The resolution of the biggest “problem” housemate seemed unrealistic to me.

I got frustrated that everyone kept telling Riva she was repressed and inhibited, pulling her into experiences she really didn’t want to get into. I wanted her to stand up for herself and quit giving in and going to these outings where she then tried to sneak out early. She tells the group later that she was stuck after her husband’s death and thanks them for nudging her out of her comfort zone. True, it’s good to try new things some times. But I felt the friends would have been better to encourage and suggest rather than push and insist.

Two of the women like Windy’s brother, Marcus, and seem totally childish in their jealousies.

Though this is Christian fiction, anything of a Christian nature is only mentioned sporadically until near the end.

Some reviewers felt as I did, but others loved the book. So don’t let me discourage you from trying it. You might like it, too, and I’d love to hear what you think of it.

(Sharing with Between the Bookends)

How to Read More for Less Money

Posted on by
22
How to read more books for less money

I strongly believe in paying full price for books. Authors work for months, sometimes years, to get their books finished and published. Most don’t make a living at writing unless they’re mega-best-sellers. The Bible says, “The laborer is worthy of his hire.” It’s good and right to reimburse them for the goods and services they provide.

Paying for a book is a good value. A specialty coffee drink only lasts an hour or so. A good book may cost twice as much but lasts ten-twenty hours.

Plus, selfishly, investing in authors we love enables them to write even more books. If I want them to keep books coming, I need to support them.

For many of us, however, our reading appetite outpaces our budget. We can read more books if we can find deals on them.

Here are some ways I’ve found to get more books for my reading dollar.

Free books. The library is a wonderful institution to make books available to the public. They may not always have what we want, or there may be a waiting list for the most popular books. But they are a good first resource. If they don’t have a book you want, many of them have a form you can submit to request it.

Project Gutenberg has the text of many older books online.

Librivox has audio versions of books in the public domain. Some are excellently done, but some are read by volunteers who don’t use inflections or character voices. But it’s easy to take a chance when the book is free.

Net Galley will send readers free books in return for an honest review. I haven’t tried them yet, but I am looking into them. I think there are similar sites that do the same thing. Sometimes authors will send out a few of their newest books for that purpose as well. The reviews don’t have to be all five-star–in fact, it looks a little suspicious if every review is the highest rating. Reviews also don’t have to be long and involved.

Sales. Yard sales, thrift stores, library sales, and used book stores will sometimes yield great books at good prices. They may have some damage or markings. Even Amazon will list some used book options. Most used books I’ve bought have been fine. There have only been one or two that were so damaged or icky that I regretted buying them.

Thriftbooks sells both used and new titles.

Some sites online will curate book sale listings. Gospelebooks.com and Inspiredreads.com list current Christian books sales for the Kindle app, but I mention them with caution. I would not agree with everything they recommend, so some discernment is needed. Tim Challies also curates a list of mostly Christian books but also a few general market ones. I’m much more willing to take a chance on a new author or a book I am not sure about when I can get it for a couple of dollars.

Of course, many booksellers have regular sales as well. Following them online or signing up for their catalogs or emails will keep you informed.

Also, if you follow your favorite authors on social media, they’ll often list when one of their books is on sale.

Pre-orders. There are a few authors (Amanda Cox and Amanda Dykes, to name a couple of my favorites) whose every book I buy. Since I have read all their books so far and loved them, there’s a good chance I’ll like their new books as well. I got both of their soon-to-be published paperbacks at 25% off plus free shipping for pre-orders. Publishers like pre-orders because it gives them some idea of how much interest there will be in the book, so they’ll often offer incentives like a discount price and/or free shipping or some little gifts if you order early.

Rewards. We have an Amazon credit card which gives me “points” every time I buy something with it–especially something from Amazon. Sometimes it will let me use my Amazon points for book purchases.

I’ve only ordered a few books at Thriftbooks, but apparently they have some kind of reward system, too.

Audiobooks. My Audible subscription is $14.95 a month, which nets me one credit, good for one book. However, they often have 2-book-for-one-credit sales on selected titles. They also rotate some titles for free in what they used to call their “Plus” catalog. Now, at the top of the Audible site, those books are listed under a tab titled “Included.” (I would suggest listening to the free audiobooks you choose right away, because when they are rotated back into the general circulation, they’ll no longer be available in your Audible app.) Plus, they’ll have many of their regular titles marked down if you want to buy them for cash rather than a credit. I save my credit for the more expensive books but occasionally buy audiobooks for a few dollars. I’ve found many classics there for just a dollar or two.

Audible also just started a rewards program. But even before that, they’d sometimes offer a $5 coupon for listening to three audiobooks within a certain time period.

I mentioned at the beginning the desire to support authors. Does it lessen their support to get books on sale or for free? As I said, I like to pay full price for books often. But I think many authors would rather their books be read on sale or from the library than not at all. Many offer sales on their own books at times. I’ve often started reading the rest of an author’s books after trying one that I found for free or on sale.

Plus, we can also support authors in other ways. Requesting and checking out their books at the library helps keep their books available there.

One of the best ways to support an author is to leave reviews of their books, especially on Amazon but also on sites like GoodReads or on our blogs. Even a mention on social media helps. Many book sales are generated by word of mouth these days. Not only do our reviews help promote books among other readers, but publishers look at them closely as well. I’ve read that Amazon doesn’t put a book in its promotional algorithm until that book has at least fifty reviews.

Have you found ways to read more books than you can afford? Please share with us in the comments.

(I often link up with some of these bloggers.)

Review: Playlist Theology

Posted on by
10

Several years ago, in a post I’ve lost track of, a worship leader told of being approached by an older woman at church who felt the musicians should not use drums on the older, traditional hymns. He told her she didn’t have a right to impose her preferences on others.

He didn’t seem to realize that he was imposing his preferences on her.

In similar articles I’ve read since then, that seems to be the running theme–the person with more conservative music standards who voices a concern, is written off as old, out of touch, domineering, or, worst of all, a legalist.

It’s true, a lot of people want to keep things the same way they have always been “just because” that’s what they know and feel comfortable with. But a lot of people are not operating from that point of view. They’ve been taught that certain kinds of music are right and wrong. And whether they’re correct or not, their consciences have been trained in a certain way.

I’ve read that the Bible contains over 500 references to music. But it doesn’t say much about styles. It tells how music can help people emotionally, physically, and spiritually, as it did when young David played for King Saul. But when Joshua and Moses came down from the mountain with the ten commandments in Exodus 32, Joshua thought he heard noise like war in the camp. Moses said, no, it’s not war: it’s singing. Considering the people were involved in idol worship with the golden calf, and the chapter says earlier “the people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play,” the sound was likely that of the wrong kind of revelry. So there is an indication of certain kinds of music going with certain kinds of behaviors.

The Bible tells us, “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31) and “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world” (1 John 2:15-16). There is a kind of music that appeals to the flesh–not just lyrics, but music. But exactly where are the lines between what’s worldly and what’s not? That takes some discernment. And some of it falls within the Romans 14 areas of differing convictions.

How much of our convictions about music are due to the culture we grew up with, to our consciences, or to the Holy Spirit’s leading? That’s what many of us wrestle with.

I recently came across Ben Everson’s book, Playlist Theology. He’s a “musical evangelist” from a conservative background who has given much thought to these issues. His book explores many of these questions in a careful, thoughtful, gracious way. He has the musical knowledge, experience, and vocabulary to discuss aspects of music in detail. He explores what Scripture says about music and how we can apply it.

I read one review of this book that brushed it off as saying music is amoral. That is not what Ben is saying. But he says certain aspects of music are not good or bad in themselves. The context and amount of their use can determine whether they are being used for good or bad purposes.

For instance, some people have a problem with syncopation. Ben explains what it is and names both classical music and some traditional old hymns that employ it.

Theologically, the mere presence of syncopation can’t be equated with sinfulness any more than dissonance in harmony can. Both are forms of tension that demand resolution. When tension resolves toward meaning, toward beauty, truth or praise, it becomes part of the art’s redemptive arc.

Where the moral question enters is what the tension serves. In worship, syncopation can mirror spiritual joy, spontaneity, or the exuberance of grace. . . In sensual contexts, the same rhythmic techniques can amplify bodily pleasure as an end in itself when all the other elements are bent toward lust (p. 118).

Some have trouble with the “beat” of rock music. All music has a “beat” It’s stronger in some kinds of music than others (like march music or children’s rhythmic songs). But a heavy rhythm can stir sensual feelings. (The main thing that made me throw out my rock albums as a teenager and new Christian was reading quotes from rock musicians themselves saying that their music–not just the words, but the music–was about sex and rebellion.) Ben suggests asking questions like whether the rhythm supports the melody or drives it, “What is this stirring in me? Is it leading my spirit or just exciting my body? Is it enhancing the message or overwhelming it?” (p. 142).

I have multiple quotes marked, but here are a few that stood out to me:

What’s taught in song is often remembered longer than what’s preached in a sermon (p. 34).

While the Bible doesn’t give us a list of forbidden styles, it does give us clear principles: music must glorify God, teach truth, be distinct from the world, stir the Spirit not the flesh, and flow from the heart (p. 36).

The same Bible that gives us freedom also gives us boundaries. The same God who created beauty also hates what distorts it. Discernment doesn’t mean endless openness; it means knowing where the lines actually are so we can hold them with integrity (p. 155).

I’ve realized over time that some of what I was taught about music, especially Christian music, as a young adult may have gone beyond what the Bible actually says. But I also didn’t think that meant “anything goes” now. Ben’s book was a great help to me in learning discernment about where problem areas in music are beyond “I know it when I hear it.”

I realize that for some of you, this whole conversation is totally foreign. You may have grown up with rock music and contemporary Christian music and never had a problem with it. Part of what I wrote at the beginning of this post was to try to help explain why that’s not true for everyone and hopefully encourage a little tenderness and understanding and less judgment on both sides.

____________
(To those who receive these posts via email: the last couple of times I’ve used the “quote” block in my blog posts, the quotes haven’t shown up in the email version. It was suggested to me that it might work better to use shorter quotes. I’ve done that here, so hopefully everything will come through. If it looks like something is missing, I invite you to click through to read the whole post.)

(Sharing with Between the Bookends)

Review: David Copperfield

Posted on by
David Copperfield

Charles Dickens’ David Copperfield is a comfort read for me. I’ve read it at least twice, if not more. I’ve had a hankering to listen to the audiobook, but I waited to finish my project of reading the other Dickens’ novels that I had not yet encountered.

David Copperfield is a coming-of-age novel, based in part on Dickens’ life. The novel begins with his birth to a young widowed mother. She and Pegotty, who acts as maid and companion to David’s mother and nurse to David, bring him up in a loving home.

When David is seven, his mother marries the stern Mr. Murdstone, whose sister, Jane, also comes to live with them. The Murdstones tyrannize the household. When he tries to whip David for failing in his lessons (because David is so intimated he can’t think straight), David bites him. Murdstone sends him away to a harsh schoolmaster, where he is picked on by the boys until their leader, James Steerforth, stands up for him.

When David’s mother and baby brother die, Murdstone pulls David out of school and sends him to work at a wine factory.. In that day, such labor was considered lower class. David lamented not being able to continue in school. But his landlord, Mr. Micawber, is kind, if loquacious and constantly in financial difficulties.

David eventually runs away to find his only known living relative, Miss Betsey Trotwood. Though she comes across as formidable at first, she has a sensible and kind heart.

She finds David a better school, and he boards with her financial adviser, Mr. Wickfield and his daughter, Agnes. Wickfield has a clerk, Uriah Heep, who constantly proclaims his “humbleness,” yet hides an avaricious heart.

Through the rest of the novel, these lives and others intersect back and forth, some with grace and some tragically.

I mentioned in my Bookish Questions post that Mr. Peggoty, brother to David’s nurse, is one of my favorite secondary characters. An old sea captain, he has no family of his own, but took in a niece, nephew, and the widow of his business partner. When one of them gets into trouble and runs away, he spends years looking for her. I mentioned this inexpensive print I got years ago reminded me of him

Mr. Pegotty

Another is Tommy Traddles, one of David’s schoolmates, who is in love with “the dearest girl in the world,” as he often says. Dickens always has a couple or more characters like this, good, salt-of-the-earth people.

The book ends, not with David becoming an adult, but with his coming to maturity and a settled life.

I wondered if I might be a little bored with the story, since I knew the basic plot. But there were scenes and characters I had forgotten. And I looked forward to the parts I did remember.

I also caught a lot of foreshadowing that I may have missed in earlier readings.

One thing that stood out to me in this reading was David marriage to Dora Spenlow, his boss’s daughter, who is pretty and sweet, but not much else. When David tries to help her learn to keep accounts or cook, she gets upset and David gets frustrated. David wites,

I did feel, sometimes, for a little while, that I could have wished my wife had been my counsellor; had had more character and purpose, to sustain me and improve me by; had been endowed with power to fill up the void which somewhere seemed to be about me; but I felt as if this were an unearthly consummation of my happiness, that never had been meant to be, and never could have been.

And later,

‘There can be no disparity in marriage like unsuitability of mind and purpose.’ Those words I remembered too. I had endeavoured to adapt Dora to myself, and found it impracticable. It remained for me to adapt myself to Dora; to share with her what I could, and be happy; to bear on my own shoulders what I must, and be happy still. This was the discipline to which I tried to bring my heart, when I began to think. It made my second year much happier than my first; and, what was better still, made Dora’s life all sunshine.

A couple of favorite quotes:

The days sported by us, as if Time had not grown up himself yet, but were a child too, and always at play.

“I never thought, when I used to read books, what work it was to write them.” “It’s work enough to read them, sometimes,” I returned.

This audiobook was narrated by Richard Armitage, who played John Thornton in North and South and Thorin Oakenshield in The Hobbit trilogy a few years ago. He did a superb job. Dickens always has a lot of characters, and I can’t imagine a narrator trying to keep all the voices different. But Armitage did them well.

I thoroughly enjoyed visiting with David Copperfield again.

Review: Jose’s Zulo

Posted on by
Jose's Zulo

Roy and Lou Ann Keiser were missionaries in the Basque region of Spain for several decades. The church we attended in SC supported them, and I got to know Lou Ann through correspondence in connection with a couple of ministries I was involved in. Then we read and commented on each other’s blogs. Somehow, we never met in person. Once when they visited our church, I was home sick.

Recently retired from the field, Lou Ann has written her debut novel set in the Basque region that she loves: Jose’s Zulo.

Jose works as a machinist by day. At night, he provides a zulo, or hiding place, for boxes from a group known only as the Organization, which fights for independence of the Basque region from Spain. Jose doesn’t know what’s in the boxes–it’s better not to.

Meanwhile, he lives for fun–time with his friends, pursuing Mirren, who becomes his girlfriend.

After months of receiving boxes, Jose gets a call that it’s time to deliver them to a clandestine location. Weeks later, a bomb goes off in telephone company, and one woman is killed. Jose is racked with guilt, knowing that the bomb came from materials he delivered.

Then his father dies. Jose’s guilt and sorrow lead him to search for truth.

When his contact with the organization calls again with another assignment, Jose knows he can’t participate. But he also knows the Organization won’t let him simply quit. Even though his part has been small, he still knows too much. In his desperation, he becomes a fugitive.

Jose’s story is the main one, but intersecting with his life are a few others. Lupe had fled from a stalker in Honduras and ended up in Spain. She works as a housekeeper for an older man, Cipriano, who is not entirely disabled but needs assistance. Lupe is a Christian and wants to share her faith with Cipriano, but knows he can only take a little at time. Yet he’s not getting any younger or healthier.

Olatz is Jose’s sister was studying at a university in Germany when their father died. She comes home to help. Jose’s situation affects her when the Organization pressures her to tell them where Jose is, which she doesn’t know.

I love the double meaning of zulo that Lou Ann works into the story, but I’ll leave it to you to discover what that is.

I think the book cover is gorgeous, wrapping around from front to back with the Basque countryside. Lou Ann says the artist who created the cover did a great job depicting a young Basque man, even down to the hoop earrings they wear.

Lou Ann assures us in her notes that she has never actually met a sleeper terrorist. She shares what is true and what is fictional from the story as well as some background information of the region and definition of Basque and Spanish terms.

Though there were a few places that I wish had been a little more developed, overall, I enjoyed the story. I’m looking forward to the sequel.

12 Fun Bookish Questions

Posted on by
12 Fun Bookish Questions

Reading is my favorite hobby, but it is more than just a hobby. It feeds my mind and my soul. Paula at Between the Bookends had a fun questionnaire about reading habits recently. I enjoyed it, so I thought I’d borrow her idea with some of the same questions and some different ones. I’d love to see your answers in the comments.

1. Bookmarks or dog-ears?

I hate to see dog-eared pages. I have bookmarks all over the house, but I can rarely find one when needed. I often use whatever scrap of paper is at hand: a receipt, a Post-It note (folded so the sticky part is inside), a piece of (ahem) toilet paper. Do you have a favorite bookmark? What’s the most unusual thing you’ve ever used as a bookmark?

2. Book accessories?

I have a book light that’s supposed to clip on the top of the book, but I’ve never used it–I think because if I am reading someplace dark, like in the car, I have the Kindle app on my iPad mini, which has a built-in light. Probably my favorite book accessory is a book weight (called a weighted bookmark in some places), which holds a book open for you. It’s great when I am reviewing a book for the blog.

3. Are you a fast or slow reader?

I think I must be slow. I always had trouble getting my required reading done in college. Unfortunately, many quizzes and tests included the question, “Did you complete the required reading,” resulting in my losing a few points. I don’t like the idea of speed reading, unless it’s something purely informational, like an instruction manual. I feel that speed-reading through a novel or some nonfiction books is going to miss some nuances. But I might skim over boring parts of a book.

4. Have you ever written to an author?

I don’t remember doing so, but I may have. I once wrote to Elisabeth Elliot’s husband, Lars Gren, to ask in which book she used a particular poem in reference to widowhood (“To a Waterfowl” by William Cullen Bryant). He misunderstood my question and sent me a copy of the poem. 🙂 Later, I found the excerpt from the poem in her book, The Savage My Kinsman.

5. Have you ever met an author in person?

Yes! I heard Elisabeth Elliot speak in person a couple of times. I didn’t have the nerve to stand in line to speak to her the first time. The second time, my pastor asked me to take his copy of one of her books and ask her to sign it. I spent much of the time in line wondering what to say. When I finally got to her, all I could come up with was, “How do you find time to write all these books?’ She said, in her no-nonsense way, “You don’t find time; you make time.”

I also met Beverly Lewis at a bookstore near where we lived in Spartanburg, SC. She was very gracious. Hers were the only Amish novels I read, before that genre became so big, because her early stories stemmed from her family.

That bookstore used to host a lot of great author events. One time they had a panel including Ted Dekker, Karen Kingsbury, Terri Blackstock, and a few others. The bookstore owner fielded questions from the audience. Then each author went to a different table in the bookstore to sign books. I still wasn’t bold enough to meet any of them then, though I would have no trouble doing so now.

6. Do you have a favorite character who is not the main character?

One of my favorites is kindly Mr. Peggoty, an old sea captain in David Copperfield by Charles Dickens. Peggoty is the name David’s nurse goes by. When his mother remarries, Peggoty takes David to her brother’s house, made from a grounded boat, in Yarmouth. Mr. Peggoty had no wife or children of his own, but took in his niece and nephew when their parents died as well as his business partner’s wife when she was widowed. When his niece runs away and gets into trouble, he searches for her for years. I got this print, which I think was $5 at K-Mart years ago, because it made me think of Mr. Peggoty.

7. Do you have any bookish merchandise?

Lots! This tote bag:

bookish tote bag

This mug:

Bookish mug

This planter, which I just got for Mother’s Day:

bookish planter

This pen-holder, based on Austen’s Sense and Sensibility, also a Mother’s Day gift. I haven’t decided whether to put pens or flowers in it::

bookish pen holder

And I have mentioned previously a couple of bookish Lego sets, gifts from my husband.

Jane Austen Lego set
bookish Lego set

And this little book nook, a gift from my son:

miniature book nook

8. Favorite book from childhood?

We had Dr. Seuss and Little Golden Books around as long as I can remember, but I don’t remember reading those until I had children. The first book I remember loving was A Child’s Garden of Verses by Robert Louis Stevenson. I especially remember the poem “Bed in Summer,” where he laments having to go to bed when it is still daylight.

The first novel I remember reading was Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. I’ve reread it many times since then.

9. Do you read one book at a time, or several?

I am usually in three or four at a time, but they all have to be different, or else I’d get them mixed up. I often read a commentary or companion book to whatever book of the Bible I am in. I’ll have one audiobook going, usually a classic, biography, or novel. I keep a book at a time in the bathroom. And I’ll have one in my Kindle app.

10. Favorite genre?

I like classics, biographies, and Christian fiction. A lot of my Christian fiction is historical fiction–not because I necessarily like that better than other genres, but some of my favorite authors write in that genre.

11. Genres you don’t care for?

Horror, erotica, and westerns. I’m also not especially fond of romances, though I’ll read one occasionally.

12. Best movie based on a book? Worst?

One of the best book-based movie series ever were Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings series several years ago. Kevin Sullivan’s first Anne of Green Gables starring Megan Follows movie was wonderful and got me started reading the book series. The second was okay, and the third, Anne of Green Gables: The Continuing Story was awful, going almost completely away from Lucy Maude Montgomery’s story.

I also liked the 1995 series of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice with Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle and Sense and Sensibility, also made in 1995, with Emma Thompson, Kate Winslet, and Hugh Grant.

The recent Masterpiece Theatre series of The Count of Monte Cristo was great, too.

I had some other questions, but this is probably more than enough. I’d love to read as many of your answers as you have time and interest for!

(I often link up with some of these bloggers.)

Reading Plans for 2026

Posted on by
Reading plans

I like to set some goals for my reading year. If I mean to read more of a certain author, or get to particular titles, those things don’t happen unless I plan for them.

But I also like having flexibility to read a new find or pick up something I am in the mood for or feel the need to read about.

Some of my reading goals this year:

  • One Dickens book I’ve not read yet.
  • A couple of classic books.
  • One C. S. Lewis book I’ve not read yet.
  • A book about writing.
  • A book about productivity, time management, or organization.
  • At least one biography, autobiography, or memoir.
  • A Bible study book.
  • A Christian living book.
  • A book related to midlife or aging.
  • Some of the unread books on my shelves or in my Kindle.

I like reading challenges that help me reach my goals and expand my horizons. Plus, reading challenges are a fun way to share about books we love. But I don’t like being involved in too many because of the record-keeping involved.

These are the reading challenges that best intersect with my goals:

Mount TBR challenge

Bev at My Reader’s Block hosts the Mount TBR Reading Challenge, where we set a goal to read a certain number of books we already own. Details and rules are here. Bev has set the challenge up in increments of twelve, each set represented by a particular mountain. Last year I read 31 books from my shelves and Kindle app. This year I’m aiming for Mt. Blanc again, which is 24 books.

NF reading challenge

Shelly Rae at Book’d Out hosts the Nonfiction Reader Challenge. This can be done one of two ways. Shelly has twelve books in different categories that we can aim for. Or we can be a “Nonfiction Grazer” and make our own goals. Although I might hit a few of her categories, I’ll go the grazer route and incorporate the nonfiction goals mentioned above.

Finally, The Intrepid Reader hosts the Historical Fiction Reading Challenge. A lot of my fictional reads fit this category. I’m going to aim for the Medieval level at 15 books.

Do you make reading plans or participate in reading challenges?

Wrap-Up of Reading Goals for 2025

Posted on by

In January, I listed a few goals for my reading this year. Here’s how they shook out:

I signed up to read 60 books for the GoodReads challenge and finished with 65. Unfortunately, they sent this graphic showing only 59 before last year ended. But except for the wrong number, I like the graphic.

Goodreads challenge

Some of the other challenges I signed up for:

Bev at My Reader’s Block hosts the Mount TBR Reading Challenge, where we set a goal to read a certain number of books we already own. Bev has set the challenge up in increments of twelve, each set represented by a particular mountain. I aimed for Mt. Blanc again, which is 24 books. In my list of all the books read this year, the ones I already owned are marked (MTBR) for the Mount TBR challenge. I had signed up to read 24, so I was happy to pass that goal an finish 30.

TBR 25 in '25

The TBR 25 in ’25 Challenge hosted by Rose City Reader dovetails nicely with the Mount TBR challenge. It’s the same idea—to read books you own but haven’t read it (though rereads count, too), only everyone aims for 25 since the year was 2025. I’m happy to have passed that goal by five.

Nonfiction Challenge

Shelly Rae at Book’d Out hosts the Nonfiction Reader Challenge. Shelly has twelve books in different categories that we can aim for. Or we can be a “Nonfiction Grazer” and make our own goals. I chose the grazer route and incorporated the nonfiction goals mentioned above. I ended up reading 18 non-fiction books, listed on my post of total books read this year.

Historical Fiction Reading Challenge

Finally, The Intrepid Reader. hosts the Historical Fiction Reading Challenge. A lot of my fictional reads fit this category. I aimed for the Medieval level at 15 books but finished with 26. Here my list of historical fiction books in alphabetical order:

How did you do with your reading goals and challenges this year?

Books Read in 2025

Posted on by
Books read in 2025

I enjoyed an eclectic reading year, with some classics, some contemporary; some hot off the press, some that had been on my shelf for decades; some fiction, some nonfiction. I ended up with 65 books finished this year.

Titles link to my reviews. “MTBR” behind a title indicates this is a book I owned before this year and am counting it for the Mount TBR (To Be Read) Reading Challenge,.

Nonfiction

Classics

Christian Fiction

Other Fiction

Next up: my top picks from this year’s reading.

How was your reading year?