March Book List

The Spiral Staircase by Karen Armstrong
This is the story of a woman who became a nun at the age of seventeen, and left the convent eight years later. She's written other books about the nun part of the experience. This is the part in which she enters the secular world, has lost all ability to live in it, loses her faith completely, and then reclaims it. Sounds interesting and inspiring, right? This was all I knew of the book when I checked it out of the library. A lot of it is fascinating, but what they don't tell you is that the faith she "reclaims" is total universalism. She spends the whole last part talking about how the three Abrahamic religions are really the same, and how Christianity by itself is so limiting, blah, blah, blah. (I can see why she's becoming more of a presence in the media.) Basically, I don't know whether to recommend this book or not, based on the sheer annoyance of the last forty or so pages.

The Whitney Chronicles by Judy Baer
I loved this! Chick lit that's also good for the soul. I owned all of the Cedar River Daydreams books, and I'm really impressed with Judy Baer for writing a real, flawed, funny, non-extreme character (unlike her CRD caricatures, who were either Perfect Christians or Hopelessly Adrift). This book actually inspired me to make some changes in my life. A plus.

How Sweet the Sound by Richard Allen Farmer
I came across this one randomly - it wasn't on my to-read list - and it's a nice, refreshing book, especially at Easter time. It's a deeper look into many well-loved hymns, looking at the lives of the hymn writers and the Scriptures that the hymns were based on. Good stuff.

Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
This was my "classic" for the month, and I read it on the weekend that the TV movie was broadcast, without even knowing it was going to be on. Isn't that weird? Anyway, I liked it. Beautiful writing, interesting story.

Wicked by Gregory Maguire
I've waited forever to read this, so I was very, very, very excited to find it this month in the Shelving stack. :) I thought it was about Glinda and Elphaba's friendship when they were young, but that's only a sidebar. The real story is political and philosophical, and really interesting. It totally changed my perception of Oz from the movie, but it might be more in line with the feeling of the original books - which I've never read.

The Priest by Francine Rivers
This is the first in a new series about men of the Bible. Since I love her five "Un" books, :) I was happy about this book focusing on Aaron. As usual, she gets tons of material from the Biblical text and really makes it come alive. What a great writer.

The Reptile Room and The Wide Window by Lemony Snicket
I read both of these yesterday so I could give them back to Lawson today. For those of you who haven't read the Unfortunate Events books, they're very well-written. Now I'm caught up on the movie books, so from here on it'll be a fresh story.

Do You Think I’m Beautiful? by Angela Thomas (BOOK OF THE MONTH)
canticles recommended this book about a year ago, but I couldn't find it at the library. Now I'm recommending it to every woman I know. Ladies, you must read this book. It is the Gospel presented in a very powerful way. It is life-changing. There's nothing I could say that would do it justice. Just read it!

March Book List

The Spiral Staircase by Karen Armstrong
This is the story of a woman who became a nun at the age of seventeen, and left the convent eight years later. She's written other books about the nun part of the experience. This is the part in which she enters the secular world, has lost all ability to live in it, loses her faith completely, and then reclaims it. Sounds interesting and inspiring, right? This was all I knew of the book when I checked it out of the library. A lot of it is fascinating, but what they don't tell you is that the faith she "reclaims" is total universalism. She spends the whole last part talking about how the three Abrahamic religions are really the same, and how Christianity by itself is so limiting, blah, blah, blah. (I can see why she's becoming more of a presence in the media.) Basically, I don't know whether to recommend this book or not, based on the sheer annoyance of the last forty or so pages.

The Whitney Chronicles by Judy Baer
I loved this! Chick lit that's also good for the soul. I owned all of the Cedar River Daydreams books, and I'm really impressed with Judy Baer for writing a real, flawed, funny, non-extreme character (unlike her CRD caricatures, who were either Perfect Christians or Hopelessly Adrift). This book actually inspired me to make some changes in my life. A plus.

How Sweet the Sound by Richard Allen Farmer
I came across this one randomly - it wasn't on my to-read list - and it's a nice, refreshing book, especially at Easter time. It's a deeper look into many well-loved hymns, looking at the lives of the hymn writers and the Scriptures that the hymns were based on. Good stuff.

Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
This was my "classic" for the month, and I read it on the weekend that the TV movie was broadcast, without even knowing it was going to be on. Isn't that weird? Anyway, I liked it. Beautiful writing, interesting story.

Wicked by Gregory Maguire
I've waited forever to read this, so I was very, very, very excited to find it this month in the Shelving stack. :) I thought it was about Glinda and Elphaba's friendship when they were young, but that's only a sidebar. The real story is political and philosophical, and really interesting. It totally changed my perception of Oz from the movie, but it might be more in line with the feeling of the original books - which I've never read.

The Priest by Francine Rivers
This is the first in a new series about men of the Bible. Since I love her five "Un" books, :) I was happy about this book focusing on Aaron. As usual, she gets tons of material from the Biblical text and really makes it come alive. What a great writer.

The Reptile Room and The Wide Window by Lemony Snicket
I read both of these yesterday so I could give them back to Lawson today. For those of you who haven't read the Unfortunate Events books, they're very well-written. Now I'm caught up on the movie books, so from here on it'll be a fresh story.

Do You Think I’m Beautiful? by Angela Thomas (BOOK OF THE MONTH)
canticles recommended this book about a year ago, but I couldn't find it at the library. Now I'm recommending it to every woman I know. Ladies, you must read this book. It is the Gospel presented in a very powerful way. It is life-changing. There's nothing I could say that would do it justice. Just read it!