This is a great devotional which I started last November and finished almost within a year. It covers the entire book of Psalms, my favorite Bible booThis is a great devotional which I started last November and finished almost within a year. It covers the entire book of Psalms, my favorite Bible book. Even as I say that I feel that maybe we shouldn't have favorites but I do. The Kellers, Tim and Kathy, join together to create a devotional that does not get bogged down in illustrations. Each day has a passage from the Psalms, some days it is a whole Psalm, often a partial one, a short discussion of the verses, and a prayer.
I like to read a short devotional every day after my own personal devotions but I generally stick to old favorites such as Streams in the Desert or My Utmost for His Highest. This book will definitely go into the rotation....more
This is the first Ann Patchett book I have read. It was a solid 3-star book and I may even read some of her other books someday. Some say it is a rewoThis is the first Ann Patchett book I have read. It was a solid 3-star book and I may even read some of her other books someday. Some say it is a reworking of The Heart of Darkness and I can see that. ...more
This is a favorite family Christmas read-aloud. I just had a lot of fun reading it to my dog-loving students. There is one quick paragraph about 'brasThis is a favorite family Christmas read-aloud. I just had a lot of fun reading it to my dog-loving students. There is one quick paragraph about 'bras' which might causes blushes to some children but for the most part it is delightfully poignant and hilariously funny. ...more
I bought this on an impulse, about 2 seconds after seeing it on Audible. It met none of my usual audio book requirements such as price and length. It I bought this on an impulse, about 2 seconds after seeing it on Audible. It met none of my usual audio book requirements such as price and length. It is a very short book and I am sure all those memoir criticisms apply here, all that worry over cohesive thought and editors, and yet I can't help but feel that if you listen to a book non-stop for a couple of days and then think you might want to read it again after you finish the Gilmore Reboot then it deserves 5 stars.
This was a thoroughly enjoyable 6+ hours. I loved Lorelei Gilmore and I liked Sarah Braverman but I didn't think I would really have much in common with Lauren Graham. I was wrong. I now feel like we are best friends and could talk for hours and hours if we ran into each other. If you enjoyed Cary Elwes book about the making of The Princess Bride and you are a Gilmore Girls fan, you will probably enjoy this book too. I am still in shock that there are two such incredibly kind-hearted, cheerful people in Hollywood.
And let's hope Lauren is right about the cliff hanger!...more
**spoiler alert** Where to begin? I went into this assuming Dan Brown was at the very least a talented writer. In some ways I liked this book. The aud**spoiler alert** Where to begin? I went into this assuming Dan Brown was at the very least a talented writer. In some ways I liked this book. The audio was well done. The two main characters were likeable. I was not freaked out by the theme. And then it was just a season of 24 only even more implausible. I could have forgiven a good deal of implausibility but every time I thought he went over the top he went even further until I chided myself for continuing to read the book. I suppose because I did continue I should give this an extra half star. By the time, the big reveal came I was completely ashamed of myself. Seriously?? The anti-hero was born to a priest and nun through artificial insemination. This was considered a beautiful thing that allowed them to keep their vows while having a child. This "noblity" is so messed up I don't even know where to begin. Finally, I have no idea what happened in the helicopter. Oh, did I mention a man jumped out of a helicopter which was at an unusually high altitude and landed in the Tiber and lived. He was apparently extremely injured but within minutes he was taken to a hospital and minutes later he was on his way back to the Vatican. The next day he doesn't even appear to be sore as he is contemplating spending quality time with the main girl who is good in bed because she is good at yoga. On the other hand, the book was not generally sexually provocative but it was excessively and grotesquely violent.
To be fair, I am not generally a fan of thrillers. I do like puzzles but this one was too long and too silly for me to care....more
This was a fair to good story. The mind reading plot line seemed like a lazy device. Kinda like those movies where anybody's face can change at any giThis was a fair to good story. The mind reading plot line seemed like a lazy device. Kinda like those movies where anybody's face can change at any given moment. Cheap. The characters were likable. The narration excellent as expected from Kathleen Kellgren. The history felt weak. All in all it was an interesting enough story for two long drives to see my parents....more
It only took this book 20 years to move from my TBR pile to this. This whole series has been wonderful. I can see now that it is probably continued soIt only took this book 20 years to move from my TBR pile to this. This whole series has been wonderful. I can see now that it is probably continued somewhat in Churchill's books about the WWI and WWII. What a man Churchill was. What a way with words and thoughts. Highly readable and continually thought-provoking.
In this volume, there is quite a bit of American history especially Civil War battle history. You can see that Churchill was also in danger of 'loving war too much' as he remarks about Lee and Jackson. His perspective as an outsider makes this all the more thoughtful. I especially enjoyed hearing about the battles surrounding my town, Chattanooga....more
This is the first Inspector Maigret book by Georges Simenon. The plot was interesting and the writing good. It doesn't seem like a must-read but from This is the first Inspector Maigret book by Georges Simenon. The plot was interesting and the writing good. It doesn't seem like a must-read but from the other reviews, it sounds like the series gets better and better. I do not find myself liking Maigret at this point, nor disliking him either. It is yet to be determined if I will plunge into the whole series of novels....more
One of my favorite Great Courses! I thought it might just be a big debunking mess but instead I thoroughly enjoyed Stoler's take on American misconcepOne of my favorite Great Courses! I thought it might just be a big debunking mess but instead I thoroughly enjoyed Stoler's take on American misconceptions. ...more
This was a good book. I can see why some people loved it and perhaps if magic was an especial love of mine this book would have gotten another star frThis was a good book. I can see why some people loved it and perhaps if magic was an especial love of mine this book would have gotten another star from me. Certainly, the prose is towering and the history. Lord Byron even gets to bear some of the blame in the other England. The voice rings true to the age, at least it feels that way to me. It took almost the entire length of the book to feel I had entered the world but by that time I had lost interest in Lady Pole and even Arabella. The audio narration by Simon Prebble was superb. I do not think I could have made it through with a lesser narrator....more
I am not a fan of rewritings or abridgments and I HAVE read the original Pilgrim's Progress several times but I still can't help enjoying this retelliI am not a fan of rewritings or abridgments and I HAVE read the original Pilgrim's Progress several times but I still can't help enjoying this retelling. It is to Pilgrim's Progress what E. Nesbit's Beautiful Stories from Shakespeare is to Shakespeare's plays. As with the real Pilgrim's Progress, the first part is better but there are some wonderful highlights in the second half and we do come to love Mercy, Great Heart, and the boys in Part 2.
It is the kind of writing that could quickly become insipid and trite and yet it doesn't. This is not a book that will be loved by everyone but it is a great introduction for the 10 and under crowd to the stories from a great classic and it is not painful for adults to read either....more
I don't think this is quite as fun to read as The Princess and the Goblin but it is still a wonderful book. Perhaps its deeper lessons take away from I don't think this is quite as fun to read as The Princess and the Goblin but it is still a wonderful book. Perhaps its deeper lessons take away from the joy of the story. Nevertheless, it is a wonderful book. My recent student was quite put out that the history of Gwynytystorm ended so dismally. ...more
But Laura lay awake a little while, listening to Pa’s fiddle softly playing and to the lonely sound of the wind in the Big Woods. She looked at Pa sitBut Laura lay awake a little while, listening to Pa’s fiddle softly playing and to the lonely sound of the wind in the Big Woods. She looked at Pa sitting on the bench by the hearth, the firelight gleaming on his brown hair and beard and glistening on the honey-brown fiddle. She looked at Ma, gently rocking and knitting.
She thought to herself, “This is now.”
She was glad that the cosy house, and Pa and Ma and the firelight and the music, were now. They could not be forgotten, she thought, because now is now. It can never be a long time ago.”
Simply the best passsage of American prose. Never once read it without tears. This morning my student said, "Miss Cindy, are you crying?" I was supposed to finish the book on Tuesday but it was a rough day for me because of my dad and so I knew better than to read the last chapter on that day. ...more
Loading...
