This is a blog for book reviews. I keep it in conjunction with our family blog at www.blogspot.courtneysix.com. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/lcourtneymom/ en-us Homeschool Blogger Sun, 1 Nov 2009 12:40:00 -0600 Sun, 1 Nov 2009 12:40:00 -0600 Now that I have found author Lisa Samson, I have been devouring her books.  I just finished two more-  The Moment I Saw You and The Living End. The Moment I Saw You was different from the two Lisa Samson books I had read previously.  It was not written in first person, and it was not as "deep" (for lack of a better word).  It was more of a Christian romance novel, but it still explored some deeper issues.  Natalie St.John is a business woman who has a hard time trusting any man because of the absence of her father in her life.  As she leaves her big business job and begins running a small country inn, she learns the value of trust and love and forgiveness and finds out the truth about the father she's been missing all these years.  She also finds love along the way. The Living End was difficult for me to read in the beginning.  The deep sadness of Pearly, the main character, is so striking.  But, as I read, it became lighter, almost as if I were making Pearly's journey with her.  Pearly is an older woman who loses her husband very suddenly.  They never had children, and she is very antagonistic toward the Lord- unlike her husband who was a strong Christian. So, when Joe is gone, Pearly feels totally alone and sees no reason to go on.  She determines to complete a "wish list" that Joe write before his death and then commit suicide.  But, as she pursues this goal, she meets many people and learns that her life means more than she ever thought.  I think one reason this book is so compelling is because it brings to light the struggle we all face to find meaning and purpose in life. I'm off to read one more Lisa Samson book from the library. To see all the books I've read this year, you can go here. To see my current To Be Read list (which I've pretty much been ignoring), you can read here. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/lcourtneymom/741184/ Sun, 1 Nov 2009 12:40:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/lcourtneymom/741184/ This is the second book I've read by Lisa Samson. I reviewed The Passion of Mary Margaret.  I'm still not sure how I never found this author before!   Her books are very compelling with very well-developed and believable characters who strive to "act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God."  Embrace Me is a book of people who need forgiveness and need to forgive.  They all come together one winter in a small seaside town and experience God's grace, mercy, and the blessings of forgiveness in a powerful way. Lisa Samson has a powerful way of making her characters come alive and providing twists and turns that are reminiscent of real life.  Her books make me want to be more "real" in my Christian walk. To see other books I've read this year, read here. To see my current To Be Read list (which I'm obviously not getting to as I read all these other books) read here. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/lcourtneymom/738007/ Wed, 21 Oct 2009 18:50:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/lcourtneymom/738007/ The Passion of Mary Margaret was absolutely one of the best books I have read in a long time.  I don't remember if I have read anything by Lisa Samson before, but I certainly will now! The book is written in first person- not usually my favorite.  But, it is written as a memoir.  Mary Margaret is a nun- or religious, as she prefers to be called.  She wants to follow God's leading and thinks she knows what it is.  But, she finds out that our plans are not always God's plans.  When she submits to God's leading, God uses her mightily in the life of a dear long-time friend. This book was a sweet love story and a touching story of what it is to know God and to trust Him implicitly, This was not on my TBR list, but you can check out the books on my list here. You can also see the books I've read this year here. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/lcourtneymom/735944/ Tue, 13 Oct 2009 20:14:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/lcourtneymom/735944/ While we were at the beach last week, I had lots of time to read.  It was wonderful!  I've listed what I read at the beach and reviews of some of them. Deep in the Heart of Trouble- Deanna Gist- a sweet romance.  I enjoy Deanna Gist's books! The Measure of a Lady- Deanna Gist Waiting for Morning- Karen Kingsbury- As always, Karen Kingsbury deals with the triumphs and tragedies of life, always pointing readers toward God.  This book was familiar.  I think I may have read it before, but I enjoyed it anyway.  The book dealt with forgiveness and trusting god through bad times as well as good. Growing Creative Kids- Sharpe(NF)- I receieved this book through a homeschool book swap.  I was eager to read it because I don't feel that I am  a very creative person, but I was hoping to get some ideas to nurture creativity in my children.  The book did give some good ideas for creative activities to do with children.  But, I didn't like the focus on increasing self-esteem and on labeling children as "gifted", "talented", "creative", etc. The Tenth Stone- Thoene- the most recent in the Thoene series of historical fiction dealing with the life of Christ.  I always enjoy these books.  They bring the Bible times alive to me, and help me to really see what it would have been like to live when Christ lived.  After reading these books and The Chosen (which I finished recently) I think I'd like to study Torah! Ticket to Tomorrow- Cox Happily Ever After- Susan May Warren- another of my favorite sweet romance writers The Lord of the Flies- Golding- This was a classic recommended in A Thomas Jefferson Education, and I had never been required to read it for a class.  I knew the general idea of what the book was about, so I wan't really surprised.  I'm glad I've read it, and I will probably have my kids read it and discuss it as they get older.  I really felt like it was an accurate picture of the depravity of natural man without the hope of redemption.  I don't think I would add it to the list of books I "like", but I do think it is a valuable read. Well, there's my list.  I conquered some of my TBR pile, but, of course, I added some new books also,   What's a trip to the beach without some new books to read? To see my current TBR list, read here. To see what other books I've read this year, read here. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/lcourtneymom/728963/ Mon, 21 Sep 2009 12:58:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/lcourtneymom/728963/ <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/547094.I_Am_Legend" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img alt="I Am Legend" border="0" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51%2BzXgYbuHL._SX106_.jpg" /></a> <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/547094.I_Am_Legend">I Am Legend</a> by <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8726.Richard_Matheson">Richard Matheson</a><br/><br/> My rating: <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/70186290">1 of 5 stars</a> This was absolutely one of the weirdest books I've ever read.  I obviously had no idea what it was about when I started.  I really like Will Smith movies and had wanted to see him in this one.  So when I saw the book on the bargain rack at Barnes and Noble, I bought it.  First of all [spoiler warning here:] it is about vampires!  What!  I thought it was supposed to be sci fi, like aliens had taken over the planet or something.  But, vampire?!!! Next, I'm still not really sure how it ended.  After I decided to keep reading to find out what happened, I never really found out what happened. [Another spoiler:]  He takes these pills to kill himself before he is tortured by the vampires and then... Nothing.  The book changes to these short horror stories.  It was like watching the old Twilight Zone shows.  I kept reading because I thought surely it must tie back in somehow.  But, nope.  This was one of those books that I finished and just thought, "What?!" Definitely NOT a Good Read! <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/1841895-leah">View all my reviews >></a> To see the books I've read this year, read here. To see my current To Be Read list, read here. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/lcourtneymom/724294/ Sat, 5 Sep 2009 20:12:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/lcourtneymom/724294/