Enter the drawing!

[moredetails.livejournal.com]

Hello, Readers.

I'm going to have a little drawing for a great prize, donated by one of the community members. But to enter the drawing, you need to post to this community. It can't be a post that just says, "Hi," or whatever. It needs to be a real post. Here are some ideas on what it can be:

• Your December book list (as long as you read some books - no posts simply saying, "I didn't read any books this month."), which should include a few thoughts on each book you read. I'm sure you're familiar with the typical format of book lists that people post here.


• Your 2008 book list (this doesn't have to include writeups on every book but might include some thoughts on favorites, unless it's a small list of less than 10 books)


• Thoughts on a few of your favorite books from the year


• A discussion related to reading/books/movies made from books/etc.

See? Not too complicated, but I felt I must give you some ground rules to clarify. :)

When I see you post, I will write down your name. I will gather up all the names of those who posted between now and January 2nd at 11:59pm (PST), and I will draw one name from them sometime shortly after that (hopefully that weekend, but I'm moving so things might get a little hectic for me).

The winner gets a $25 gift certificate for Amazon.com!

Since there are currently only 22 members here, your chances are pretty good. The posting is to help stimulate discussion and activity in this community, not just to amuse me. :) Okay, start up the posts!

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. :) 

Bookish Goals for 2009:

[bellawilfer.livejournal.com]

I've been working on a list of books I want to read in 2009. The following is my current list, but in no order of importance.

- Artscroll Siddur
I'm interested in Jewish liturgy, mostly from a Messianic perspective, but since we're still waiting on a Messianic version (although I hear First Fruits of Zion has one in the works), I've turned to this version. I've heard it is the best version out there at the moment.

- Pickwick Papers, by Charles Dickens
A friend recommended it to me, hence its addition to the list. I'm told that bits of take place in Bath, England and since I visited that very same place in November of 2008, it should make it all the more interesting! And it's been a long time since I actually finished a Dickens, so all the more reason to add it to the list.

- Boy Meets Girl, Josh Harris
Curiosity. :-)

- Don't Waste Your Life, by John Piper
This one has been sitting on my shelf and it's about time I read it. If I add it to the list, I figure it will give me a bit more of a reason to start it sooner rather than later.

- Boundaries: When to Say Yes, How to Say No to Take Control of Your Life, by John Townsend, Henry Cloud
Because I don't know how to say no to anyone.

- Sunshine, by Robin McKinley.
I've gradually been reading most of McKinley's novels throughout the last couple years and this is the next one that I hope to try. I haven't read much as far as vampire fiction goes, so we'll see how I like this one!

- For Women Only: What You Need to Know about the Inner Lives of Men - Shaunti Feldhahn
My mom stole this one off my bookshelf about a year ago and mailed it to a friend of hers. Since then, I've meant to repurchase another copy and read it...now that I've added it to the list, I intend to read it!

Any other suggestions?