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Mar. 25, 2008 • Winter Reading Challenge Wrap-up

It's time for the Winter Reading Challenge Wrap-up. Thank you to Trish at A Joyful Heart for hosting this. Congratulations to Gretchen, who won the $25 Amazon gift certificate!

I tend to read several books at a time, so I knew my list was probably a little ambitious to actually finish. I never started What is Form Criticism?, by Edgar V. McKnight. Otherwise, I did okay, considering the length and content of some of my book choices. My original post is here.

Little Dorrit, by Charles Dickens (free online): I really enjoyed this one, although I have only come across one Dickens book that I haven't liked (and I didn't finish it, so it really doesn't count). :-)

Cranford, by Elizabeth Gaskell (free online): As soon as I started this I realized that I had already read it! I read it again anyway. It is quite different from other Gaskell novels that I have read, but the characters grow on you, especially Miss Matty.

The Practice of the Presence of God, by brother Lawrence (free online): I highly recommend this one. Brother Lawrence almost seems too good to be true, but his insights on focusing on God (really "praying without ceasing) are invaluable. His humility really captured me.

Families at the Crossroads, by Rodney Clapp: This is another one I highly recommend, although many American Christians will be offended by some of what Clapp has to say. This book caused me to take a good look at how much American culture has impacted my thinking (and I thought I already had a pretty good grip on that). If you decide to read it, make sure you read the whole book to get the big picture.

Life Skills for Kids, by Christine M. Field: This is a great book to help you plan teaching some of the skills your children will need. Some of the author's ideas about preparation for adulthood seem a little bit over-planned for me, but that is a very natural reaction from the way she was raised. I found the book to be very helpful. It would be a great reference to keep on hand.

Martin Chuzzlewit, by Charles Dickens (free online): This one hasn't been a favorite for me, although the satire is brilliant (of course). I'm plugging away at it though. I'm almost halfway through it.

Awakening Youth Discipleship, by Brian J. Mahan, Michael Warren, and David F. White: This short book is pretty scholarly, so I have to read it when I can really focus on it - not too often around here! I'm only about a quarter of the way through this book, which I had hoped to finish.

Deep Justice in a Broken World, by Chap Clark & Kara E. Powell: I skimmed through "Deep Justice," as we will be using it for a youth/family book study. I still have to go through the book and do a thorough reading. This book is addressed to youth leaders, but it is very practical for anyone with children. It's another book that is probably controversial among American Christians, but, in my opinion, the book is an excellent tool for youth leaders and/or parents who would like to introduce their children/students to some of the wrongs in our culture and do something about them. It's all about serving the hurting.

Soul Searching, by Christian Smith with Melinda Lundquist Denton: This book has been on my shelf for quite a while, and I still haven't made much of a dent in it. I added it to my book list, but it is one that I will keep plugging away at in between other books. The subtitle is "The Religious and Spiritual Lives of American Teenagers." As you can see from that, it is mostly statistics and commentary on those statistics. I'll be finishing it, but it probably won't be for a while.

~Andrea

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