Intro

[themegchild.livejournal.com]

I must have missed the post where moredetails told us she was creating this community! I'm not sure how long it's been around, but I'm very glad to be a part of it now!

My name is Meg, and I absolutely love books. Next to natural and alternative health, books are one of my greatest passions. My husband and I have a library of somewhere around 600 books (or so we guess; we're working on cataloging them all and have made our way up to 346 so far), and are always looking to add to that number! We both have a particular interest in natural and alternative health books and theology books, but certainly enjoy the occasional dip into fiction as well (Christian and secular). Francine Rivers is one of our favorite authors! I'm also a particular fan of C.S. Lewis, though you wouldn't know it to look at the list of his works I've actually finished. One of my greatest weaknesses as a reader is getting distracted very easily. There are just so many good books out there, I can't seem to focus on just one long enough to finish it! 

This year I haven't read nearly as many books as I'm accustomed to reading -- it's been a crazy year with a move from Texas to Missouri, getting married, and all kinds of other life altering events.

One book my husband and I started together shortly after we were married though was The Sword of Shanara by Terry Brooks. If you've never read the Shanara books, I would highly recommend them (yes, even though I haven't finished them yet). They're action-packed fantasy novels, along similar lines as The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Set far in the future, the Shanara books take place after a nuclear holocaust has occured, which nearly wiped out the planet and mutated men into various races including men, elves, dwarves, gnomes, and trolls. The author acknowledges deriving some of his themes from authors like J.R.R. Tolkien who was big on ordinary people finding themselves in extraordinary circumstances.

Another book I re-read this year and really loved was Surprised By Suffering by R.C. Sproul. After losing my husbands grandfather suddenly, my father-in-law suffering a heart attack and subsequent by-pass surgery, losing three babies due to miscarriage, and my husband losing his job, among other things, it was just what I needed! To read this book that reaffirmed everything we knew, but needed to be reminded of about God's sovereignty and purposes, even through tragedy.... After my second miscarriage I was so depressed I could barely get out of bed each morning. Reading this book was an incredible encouragement to me, and my husband. Death and "tragedy" seems to be a recurring theme in everyone's lives, and keeping a right and Christian perspective can be the difference between experiencing a life full of joy, or sorrow. 

An extremely educational book I read earlier this year was Ina May's Guide to Childbirth by Ina May Gaskin. This book was chock full of helpful information if you're at the stage of life where babies are a possibility and you're wondering if you have any safe alternatives to giving birth in a hospital setting. As homebirths are becoming more and more popular these days, I'd recommend this book to anyone, purely for educational purposes. It helps to clear up the apparent confusion on issues of safety for both baby and mom during a homebirth, as well as educate you on the other benefits found in homebirthing.

I'd love to recap a few more of the books I read this year, but it's late and I think it's time to watch 30 Rock with my husband. :) 

Comments

[moredetails.livejournal.com]

Oh thanks, I appreciate the support! Holier-than-thou is the perfect way to put what I was saying...you expressed it better. :) Yeah, I guess I was afraid (and still am) of getting all sorts and then having to constantly monitor the conversation. Obviously I don't have to worry much about that since it's not incredibly active, but you never know, going into it, what will happen. I wanted more of a Christian atmosphere, plus I wanted to be able to discuss Christian books and even Christian standards for books with others and it seems like that requires a certain group of people (for the most part).

[themegchild.livejournal.com]

I definitely understand the fear -- but I think it's perfectly reasonable to want to keep a certain atmosphere within the community! I wouldn't worry about it or change the name or anything. But of course, that's just what I would do. tee hee.

[moredetails.livejournal.com]

I think you're right. :) I'll leave it for now. It's not like I want to spend money on a name token anyway.