As you all know, I love books. And I love to read. So I set myself a goal for 2014 of 24 books read, in addition to my Bible reading. We'll I'm happy to report, that as of 12/31/14 I read 38 books. Yes, I do keep a list. Now granted, when I'm at the beach/on vacation I read A LOT. I've been known to read 4 or 5 books in a week so that kinda skews the average of 2 per month. I read different kinds of topics by many authors. I'm going to share with you a few of my favorite books from 2014.
1. The Bungalow by Sarah Jio. This is the first time I've read any of her books. But I will read more. Loved this one.
2. Bridge to Haven by Francine Rivers. I love everything she writes.
3. Rhinestone Jesus by Kristen Welch. Her story of obedience is an inspiration.
4. The Aviator's Wife by Melanie Benjamin. I loved this story of Anne Morrow Lindbergh.
5. The Town that Came a'Courting by Ronda Rich. I'd had never read this book by our local author. When they movie came out in the Spring, I knew I wanted to read the book.
6. The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh. This one was a little hard to get into at first but by the end, I was hooked.
7. The Lavender Ribbon by Heather Burch.
8. I'm a big fan of Mary Kay Andrews, Dorothea Benton Frank, Karen White, Mary Alice Monroe and Adriana Trigiani. Combined this year, I read 10 of their books.
Okay, so that's some of what was on my list for 2014. If any of you have a Kindle please look into Kindle Unlimited. This is sort of like a library card for the Kindle. You can "borrow" up to 10 books for free and once you read them, you "return" them. It's great. I'm constantly checking on my Kindle to see what titles they have added. There is a big selection, not super recent titles, but still a decent selection by popular authors.
Happy reading. I already have my list of books ready for 2015. Yes, I am a book nerd. :)
Showing posts with label Books. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Books. Show all posts
Monday, January 5, 2015
Wednesday, July 9, 2014
On the Road Again ... to Amelia Island
I'm scheduling this blog post ahead of time because this is our travel day to Amelia for the Georgia Food Industry Association Convention. Like I've said before this is a big working trip for D and E so this will prove to be a jam packed 4 days for them. JandJ will participate in the Best Bagging Contest on Thursday night so that is always fun. Maybe we'll come away the winner for the state of Georgia! The Best Bagger Contest is combined with a fabulous silent auction. I can't wait to show you what the store's contribution was to this auction. It's awesome. This is the first time we have gone to The Plantation since it was purchased by the Omni Hotel Groups and has been renovated. I'll be giving updates over the next few days.
On a totally unrelated note, when I got home late Sunday night from Atlanta, a box was waiting for me. I had ordered these books a several days ago and was so excited to see them on my doorstep. I LOVE beautiful books and these two did not disappoint. I've just looked quickly but have them packed in my suitcase already preparing for my leisure time at the beach. Just in case you are needing some inspiration, need a new coffee table book or are like me and just love spending time with books like these, you'll want to check them out. They are scrumptious.
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Something that you may not know about me is that I'm somewhat of a book hoarder. Oh really, you didn't know? If I see a book that piques my interest, I go ahead and buy it for when I might get around to reading it. I have a stockpile ready at any time. So when a trip comes along I go to my bookcase and pull out what sounds good. These are the ones I'm taking with me. I know there probably couldn't be three more different books but my reading tastes are kinda eclectic. Let's see, we've got "Bossy Pants" by Tina Fey; "On Folly Beach" by Karen White; and "The Book Thief" by Markus Zusak. Also, I wanted to show you the devotion book that I'm loving by Beth Moore, "Whispers of Hope, 40 Weeks of Devotional Prayer." I mean I'm really loving it. I might do another post just about this book. It's that good.
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On a totally unrelated note, when I got home late Sunday night from Atlanta, a box was waiting for me. I had ordered these books a several days ago and was so excited to see them on my doorstep. I LOVE beautiful books and these two did not disappoint. I've just looked quickly but have them packed in my suitcase already preparing for my leisure time at the beach. Just in case you are needing some inspiration, need a new coffee table book or are like me and just love spending time with books like these, you'll want to check them out. They are scrumptious.
Something that you may not know about me is that I'm somewhat of a book hoarder. Oh really, you didn't know? If I see a book that piques my interest, I go ahead and buy it for when I might get around to reading it. I have a stockpile ready at any time. So when a trip comes along I go to my bookcase and pull out what sounds good. These are the ones I'm taking with me. I know there probably couldn't be three more different books but my reading tastes are kinda eclectic. Let's see, we've got "Bossy Pants" by Tina Fey; "On Folly Beach" by Karen White; and "The Book Thief" by Markus Zusak. Also, I wanted to show you the devotion book that I'm loving by Beth Moore, "Whispers of Hope, 40 Weeks of Devotional Prayer." I mean I'm really loving it. I might do another post just about this book. It's that good.
Sunday, August 14, 2011
It's Me Again Margaret
Well, I could try to explain where I've been and what I've done but that would take too long and frankly, I would be exhausted and so would you. There's a lot in the my life right now that requires energy, time and truth be told, more smarts than I've got some days. But you know, if God gives it to you, I figure it's in my best interest to just go with it. All of that to say, that there's a lot on my plate of late. But you blog friends have never been far from my mind. I've missed you.
So let's go forward and discuss a few important subjects:
1. D and I went to see "The Help" and it was phenomenal. I had read the book last summer so I've been anticipating the release of this movie ever since I heard it was going to happen. Oh so very good. Let's just assume that we all know that the story line is awesome and discuss the fashion. The movie is set in the early 60s and let's just say, I should have been born in that fashion era. I adore everything these girls wore. I even like the hairstyles. You know big hair never gets old. Big hair and tiny waists. These girls had the tiniest waists of anybody I've ever seen. And you know that the camera adds 10 pounds so I can't imagine what their waists look like in real life. On second thought, maybe I am glad I'm not wearing the 60s fashion. I don't have the waist for it.
2. Our precious boy is back in Statesboro at Georgia Southern and couldn't be happier. We got him all settled in last Friday and he was just beside himself to be back with his buddies and to get on with school. We sure do miss him around here! My mother's heart yearns for this boy but I know that he is doing what he needs to be doing right now. I'm left here to pray for and encourage him. You better believe, that's what I'll be doing.
3. I get to see my Birthday Group girls tonight! Well, Yay and WooHoo! It's been a while since the whole group has been around the table together so I couldn't be more excited to catch up with them. These women mean the world to me and I am beyond blessed to have them in my life.
4. On Saturday, a group of us will go up to New Beginnings to love on those precious ladies. This is a quarterly trip for us to celebrate the birthdays for many whose birthdays don't even get a mention. We'll have cake and ice cream and then set up a little mini-salon and spa for hair cuts and hands/feet pampering. This is a blessing for all of us. I just cannot tell you how much more of a blessing we get by being in their midst. If you have time, please say a prayer for us as we go. For many reasons, I firmly believe that God has something big and huge planned for this Saturday. He has gone to great lengths to get us all together for this day specifically. We would appreciate your prayers.
5. While Mother was in the hospital (she's fine now but we had a rough couple of weeks), I read "The Noticer" by Andy Andrews. I highly recommend this book. It will blow your socks off.
6. We are having a giveaway on the What's for Supper? segment this week. This is only the second time we've done this and I just thought that it was time to share some more fun with the listeners. And it's a great giveaway - Southern Living's 1001 Ways to Cook Southern Cookbook. It's just over 900 pages. It was on my Christmas list last year and I have enjoyed it so much the past few months. Fabulous recipes and tips in this cookbook!
Well, how was that for a list of the most random things you've ever heard? I'm a little overwhelmed at the amount of things I could talk about since I haven't blogged in weeks so that was just what came to mind first. But no worries, I'll not stay away so long. I've missed you.
So let's go forward and discuss a few important subjects:
1. D and I went to see "The Help" and it was phenomenal. I had read the book last summer so I've been anticipating the release of this movie ever since I heard it was going to happen. Oh so very good. Let's just assume that we all know that the story line is awesome and discuss the fashion. The movie is set in the early 60s and let's just say, I should have been born in that fashion era. I adore everything these girls wore. I even like the hairstyles. You know big hair never gets old. Big hair and tiny waists. These girls had the tiniest waists of anybody I've ever seen. And you know that the camera adds 10 pounds so I can't imagine what their waists look like in real life. On second thought, maybe I am glad I'm not wearing the 60s fashion. I don't have the waist for it.
2. Our precious boy is back in Statesboro at Georgia Southern and couldn't be happier. We got him all settled in last Friday and he was just beside himself to be back with his buddies and to get on with school. We sure do miss him around here! My mother's heart yearns for this boy but I know that he is doing what he needs to be doing right now. I'm left here to pray for and encourage him. You better believe, that's what I'll be doing.
3. I get to see my Birthday Group girls tonight! Well, Yay and WooHoo! It's been a while since the whole group has been around the table together so I couldn't be more excited to catch up with them. These women mean the world to me and I am beyond blessed to have them in my life.
4. On Saturday, a group of us will go up to New Beginnings to love on those precious ladies. This is a quarterly trip for us to celebrate the birthdays for many whose birthdays don't even get a mention. We'll have cake and ice cream and then set up a little mini-salon and spa for hair cuts and hands/feet pampering. This is a blessing for all of us. I just cannot tell you how much more of a blessing we get by being in their midst. If you have time, please say a prayer for us as we go. For many reasons, I firmly believe that God has something big and huge planned for this Saturday. He has gone to great lengths to get us all together for this day specifically. We would appreciate your prayers.
5. While Mother was in the hospital (she's fine now but we had a rough couple of weeks), I read "The Noticer" by Andy Andrews. I highly recommend this book. It will blow your socks off.
6. We are having a giveaway on the What's for Supper? segment this week. This is only the second time we've done this and I just thought that it was time to share some more fun with the listeners. And it's a great giveaway - Southern Living's 1001 Ways to Cook Southern Cookbook. It's just over 900 pages. It was on my Christmas list last year and I have enjoyed it so much the past few months. Fabulous recipes and tips in this cookbook!
Well, how was that for a list of the most random things you've ever heard? I'm a little overwhelmed at the amount of things I could talk about since I haven't blogged in weeks so that was just what came to mind first. But no worries, I'll not stay away so long. I've missed you.
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Books - I Love Them!
I shared recently that one of my goals in 2011 was to read two books to month. You'll be glad to know I have already reached that goal for this month. And not to brag, but I have also memorized my verse and read my chronological Bible every day. But don't go thinkin' I'm a success story yet - I haven't darkened the door to the gym; lost an ounce; or de-cluttered a single thing. I'm a work in progress you know.
But I've just got to share about the books I've read. I downloaded Mary Beth Chapman's book, "Choosing To See" to my Kindle over the weekend and I think I had it read in 24 hours. I could not put this book down. Mary Beth, wife of Christian singer-songwriter, Steven Curtis Chapman, tells the story of her faith throughout her life and especially through the tragic death of their five year old daughter, Maria. Oh, my word. Her writing is funny, transparent and poignant. I laughed and cried but didn't leave this book in a sad, depressed state. Her family's faith journey through this tragedy is nothing less than amazing. It's a path you pray you never have to walk. She has truly honored God with her testimony.
On the opposite side of seriousness coin, I read Janice Thompson's book, "Fools Rush In." She is a Christian fiction author who has written a series about Bella . . you probably guessed it, the wedding planner. It's really not that I set out to read novels about wedding planners but they just keep popping up. It was an easy read and I loved it.
Now, I want to share something that has been particularly meaningful to me. My third book, which I have put down and picked back up while reading the other two, is Lysa Terkeurst's new book, "Made to Crave. . . Satisfying Your Deepest Desire with God not Food." This book is speaking a word, a word I tell you, to me; this girl who has struggled all of her life with food issues. It's like she is talking straight to me. It's comforting in some twisted way I guess, to know that I'm not the only one on the planet who has rationalized and given in to food only to be caught in a guilt cycle later.
Here's a snippet:
"Losing weight is really about learning to tell myself no and learning to make wiser choices daily. . . Becoming a woman of self-discipline honors God and helps me live the godly characteristic of self-control. (Gal. 5:22) In the end, pursuing self-control does help my heart feel closer to Jesus and more pure to receive what He wants for me each day . . instead of clogged with guilty feelings over my poor choices.
Food isn't sinful. But when food is what Satan holds up in front of us and says, "You'll never be free from this battle. You will always bounce from feeling deprived when you're dieting to feeling guilty when you're splurging. Victory isn't possible. You aren't capable of self-control with food." We must see that its inappropriate consummation can be his lure to draw our heart into a place of defeat."
Lysa shares that she often prays this prayer: "I need wisdom to make wise choices. I need insight to remember the words I've read in Scripture. I need power beyond what I can find on my own." Well, amen and amen.
Have you ever stopped to think that it was with food that Satan tempted Eve? Now don't you think that gives food a little validity as a victory-stealer? I should say so. Ladies, I do believe no one on this planet has wasted more thought time on weight issues than me. I am not proud of that fact. But Lysa's book and God's Word are beginning to change my thought process about food and how Satan wants me to stay in defeat about it. I so want to honor God with my self-control (which I certainly have not been exhibiting over the holidays) and not let Satan get the victory on this one. Satan knows my weakness but I'm determined to slap that 'ole boy silly with my reliance on God. Lord, help me.
But I've just got to share about the books I've read. I downloaded Mary Beth Chapman's book, "Choosing To See" to my Kindle over the weekend and I think I had it read in 24 hours. I could not put this book down. Mary Beth, wife of Christian singer-songwriter, Steven Curtis Chapman, tells the story of her faith throughout her life and especially through the tragic death of their five year old daughter, Maria. Oh, my word. Her writing is funny, transparent and poignant. I laughed and cried but didn't leave this book in a sad, depressed state. Her family's faith journey through this tragedy is nothing less than amazing. It's a path you pray you never have to walk. She has truly honored God with her testimony.
On the opposite side of seriousness coin, I read Janice Thompson's book, "Fools Rush In." She is a Christian fiction author who has written a series about Bella . . you probably guessed it, the wedding planner. It's really not that I set out to read novels about wedding planners but they just keep popping up. It was an easy read and I loved it.
Now, I want to share something that has been particularly meaningful to me. My third book, which I have put down and picked back up while reading the other two, is Lysa Terkeurst's new book, "Made to Crave. . . Satisfying Your Deepest Desire with God not Food." This book is speaking a word, a word I tell you, to me; this girl who has struggled all of her life with food issues. It's like she is talking straight to me. It's comforting in some twisted way I guess, to know that I'm not the only one on the planet who has rationalized and given in to food only to be caught in a guilt cycle later.
Here's a snippet:
"Losing weight is really about learning to tell myself no and learning to make wiser choices daily. . . Becoming a woman of self-discipline honors God and helps me live the godly characteristic of self-control. (Gal. 5:22) In the end, pursuing self-control does help my heart feel closer to Jesus and more pure to receive what He wants for me each day . . instead of clogged with guilty feelings over my poor choices.
Food isn't sinful. But when food is what Satan holds up in front of us and says, "You'll never be free from this battle. You will always bounce from feeling deprived when you're dieting to feeling guilty when you're splurging. Victory isn't possible. You aren't capable of self-control with food." We must see that its inappropriate consummation can be his lure to draw our heart into a place of defeat."
Lysa shares that she often prays this prayer: "I need wisdom to make wise choices. I need insight to remember the words I've read in Scripture. I need power beyond what I can find on my own." Well, amen and amen.
Have you ever stopped to think that it was with food that Satan tempted Eve? Now don't you think that gives food a little validity as a victory-stealer? I should say so. Ladies, I do believe no one on this planet has wasted more thought time on weight issues than me. I am not proud of that fact. But Lysa's book and God's Word are beginning to change my thought process about food and how Satan wants me to stay in defeat about it. I so want to honor God with my self-control (which I certainly have not been exhibiting over the holidays) and not let Satan get the victory on this one. Satan knows my weakness but I'm determined to slap that 'ole boy silly with my reliance on God. Lord, help me.
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Two Great Books
I love nothing better than a good book and I'm usually reading three or four at one time; some fiction, some non-fiction. Right now I'm reading two non-fiction books that I've just got to tell you about. The first is "Knit Together: Discover God's Pattern for Your Life" by Debbie Macomber. Mrs. Macomber is known mostly for her fiction works and I've read several of them, enjoying each very much. This particular one is a great read with this theme: God created us for a reason and when we come to recognize our deepest longing, we can discover His plan for our lives. A good word, indeed.
My second recommended read is Beth Moore's new book "So Long Insecurity, You've Been a Bad Friend to Us." Is there any woman that doesn't deal with insecurity in one way or another? And it can be crippling to our every day walk through life if we let it. Beth gives us some encouragement, reassuring that insecurity is understandable and curable. I haven't finished this one yet but so far, it has been extremely enlightening and valuable to my whole mindset. You might want to give these a look.
My second recommended read is Beth Moore's new book "So Long Insecurity, You've Been a Bad Friend to Us." Is there any woman that doesn't deal with insecurity in one way or another? And it can be crippling to our every day walk through life if we let it. Beth gives us some encouragement, reassuring that insecurity is understandable and curable. I haven't finished this one yet but so far, it has been extremely enlightening and valuable to my whole mindset. You might want to give these a look.
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