Cold Tangerines

I felt like One Thousand Gifts was a book that really got me in a good state of mind.  So I had heard about this book on a few blogs and was interested in it.  So I ordered it from Amazon and it did not disappoint!

This is a book about finding God in the little parts of your daily life... in the good and the bad.  I felt like I was talking to a good friend when I was reading this book.  It's like Shauna Niequist has been inside me head.  I think that I loved this book so much because living in the present and finding God in the good as well as the bad, has been a theme for me this past year.

If you like the themes from One Thousand Gifts, but were not a fan of the prose, this may be just the book for you.  This book was like having a good chat with a girlfriend.  I even loved the font of the book...  totally random, but it just seemed to clean.

I recommend reading this one!  It is a fast read and just good.  I even have her second book which I cannot wait to read soon!

Read: July 2012
Pages:  235

One Tractor, A Counting Book

We picked this book out at the local library a few weeks ago.  It sat on James' bedroom floor for about a week before I picked it up and read it to him one night at bedtime.  Well let's just say that was a very sad week...  after the first night this was always the first book asked for at bedtime!

James loved every page of this book!  What's not to love:  tractors, cranes, pirates, a fire spewing dragon, boats...  It's every little boys dream {or at least mine ;)}.

I'll tell you what I loved: predictable, patterned sort of text, rhyming, a few pages without words that were good for talking about the book.  I loved it because it was only about four sentences per page and because it was fun and rhyming {I think this is why} James very easily memorized a few of the pages.  What a great confidence booster!  There was also so much to talk about that each reading we talked about different things.

I'd say this is a great book for any kiddo interested in boyish sorts of stuff.  ;)

James' age:  3 years 3 months

Sarai

I was at the local library recently and this book caught my eye in the new releases section. I'll be honest mostly because my name is Sarah. ;).

 This is the story of Sarai and Abram and the promises that God made them. I enjoyed this one quite a bit. I think a large part was because Sarai was relatable. She often didn't really trust that God was going to give her a child. How often do I doubt God. Embarrassing to say, but way to often.

 I recommend this book if you are interested in getting more "story" of the old testament.  It was a very easy and fun read.

Read: July 2012
Pages: 317

Someday

This is book four in the Sunrise series that I started last summer.  I took a break from these for a little while because as with many books in a series they are a bit repetitive and predictable.  I am happy to say that break made me really enjoy this one.

Book 4 is about Dayne and Katie each shooting movies across the world from each other as well as Luke Baxter's marriage problems.  In the end, everything turns out with a happy ending and I just really enjoyed the book.  :)

I am looking forward to reading the final book in the series in the near future.

Read:  July 2012
Pages:  250

The Secret of the Rosary

I bought this book forever ago when I needed a few more dollars spent to get my free shipping at Amazon.  It sat in my nightstand for a long, long time.  A lady at church mentioned this book and my interest was piqued.

So a few months (like March!) ago I started reading it at my weekly adoration time.  I loved it so much that I didn't want to finish it too fast!  I wanted to savor it.  That is unheard of for me.  This book was written a long time ago and I just loved what it said about the rosary.

I have always been interested in the rosary and just recently (the last 9 months) began to say it with regularity.  Wow is it a powerful prayer!  This book just really reaffirmed my love of the rosary.  It also gives some different ways to say it.  Which I know will be very helpful because I don't want to just say the words...  I want my prayer life and meditations to always grow.  I often use the Scriptural Rosary, which is also awesome, but I am excited to try these new meditation aids!

If you are Catholic or just interested in learning more about the rosary check this book out, you will not regret it!

Read: March-June 2012
Pages: 240

Stories I Only Tell My Friends

This is the July book club book.  I love a good biography, autobiography, or memoir.  {Let's be honest, I even like mediocre ones ;)}  So again I had high hopes.  Once again it lived up...  So in June I was 2/2!  Thank goodness!!

Anyway this is the story of Rob Lowe, from his childhood days in Ohio to life as an actor in Hollywood.  He just seemed so down to earth to me.  I have always thought that he's a hottie so maybe it was just easy to read about him {since he's also easy on the eyes!}  I did not realize that he has been married for 20+ years.  That's awesome in middle America these days... unheard of in Hollywood.  This was a fun peek into a world that is so foreign to mine and super easy to read.

If you want a fun summer read, and like Rob Lowe, I say go get this bad boy.  :)

Read: June 2012
Pages: 352