Why I Stayed

If any of you were into the Ted Haggard fallout a few years back, I recommend the book Why I Stayed, by his wife, Gayle Haggard. She writes honestly, and it's an interesting and well-written inside look at the circumstances leading up to, surrounding and following the whole thing. Initially I started reading the book because I truly was (cynically) curious why she did stay. But then I got hooked on the story and found that it is a real picture of God's grace and power in the middle of a very dark time.  Recommended!

New Francine Rivers novel!

I just picked up Francine Rivers' latest novel, Her Mother's Hope, last night at B&N. I had no idea that she was even coming out with another book anytime soon, so when I saw it, I was excited. I read till 2am last night and have been trying to sneak a little in here and there today. Set at the turn of the 20th century, the book is actually two stories. The first half follows Marta, a young girl growing up in Switzerland, emigrating to Canada and then the US. The second half is the story of her daughter, Hildemara, growing up in the US... and since I've just started the second half, I don't know much more. It is written in typical F. R. style and explores the mother-daughter relationship model over three generations, (not unlike Leota's Garden.)

I also recently finished a loan from Shel, Same Kind of Different as Me, by Ron Hall. I'd seen and heard a lot about the book going into it, and although I liked the story, I am not a big fan of the writing style. It's a good story, but for some reason I felt like it just lacked something. (Maybe that's just part of being a true story, though, and not a novel-- you can't just rearrange events and facts to make a better read.)

I also just finished (sorry, guys, I'm wrapping it up here ;)) The Wednesday Sisters by Meg Waite Clayton. This was my book club's read this month, and it was decent. I don't know that I would totally recommend it... it was interesting-- about five women in the 1960's who start a writing club-- but also had a few gritty parts (sexually graphic-- but not in a good way) that I could've down without. I did tackle some interesting issues though-- cross-cultural racism, infertility, and fidelity. If you are looking for a quick read, it's not bad.

A Measure of Mercy

I recently finished this book, A Measure of Mercy by Lauraine Snelling. It is the first book in the "Home to Blessing" series, which, if any of you read the Red River of the North series, is the second series to follow that. It picks up with Astrid Bjorklund as an 18 yr. old medical student.

Unfortunately, I can't say that I really recommend the book. It's typical-for-this-genre light reading, but I felt like the story dragged along, and by the end of the book, very little had actually happened plot-wise. It is the first in a series, though, which might explain why it read more like the first few chapters of a similar book might.

Corey's comments on Ex Mex

Corey just posted his comments on Ex Mex: From Migrants to Immigrants by Jorge G. Castaneda on his blog.

Check it out here

I found his comments very informative. He thinks a lot like me.

More on Books and Movies

The other night Dan and I watched Fool's Gold, the new Matthew McConaughey/ Kate Hudson chick flick. It was ok but not really that great. Not that there was anything bad... it was just kind of lame. So I don't really recommend it.

I was looking online for the author that most of us have read, Naomi Ragen, (Sotah is one of hers I think we all have read,) and I saw that she has a lot more books that I haven't read yet! (Yay! :)) I'm listing all her books below, in case any of you want to request them at your libraries or order them. (I use half.com for buying a lot of my books; unless it's a brand new book, you can find most titles for around $5-8.)

Sotah (1994)*
Jephte's Daughter (1995)*
The Sacrifice of Tamar (1996)*
The Ghost of Hannah Mendes (1998)*
Chains Around the Grass (2002)
The Covenant (2005)
Women's Minyan (2006)
The Saturday Wife (2007)

* I own these, and if you are interested in borrowing one or more, let me know before our next get-together and I'll bring it along!

I know Duke mentioned this already, but if anyone reads a good author, please post about it. I am always looking to expand my author horizons. :)

A Great Movie and Book

Last night Dan went out quading with Anj and a friend, so I decided to catch up on laundry (5 loads!) and watch a movie. I watched Les Miserables (the 1998 version w/ Liam Neeson and Uma Thurman) and I really enjoyed it.

I've never read the book or seen the play (or seen any other version of the movie!) so it was totally new for me, which was fun. I really recommend it. The story is of a ex-convict and his parole officer and takes place over about about 30 years. I found myself thinking several times during the movie that I had no clue how it was going to end! So big props for that movie-- it was clean and very well done.

I also just re-read The Wedding by Nicholas Sparks. I am not a huge NS fan, (the sex scenes and occasional swearing irk me) but this one is one of my favorites, and if you are looking for a fun, easy, clean summer read, I recommend it highly. :-)