What are you reading

Restfinder

If you get Hoopla, Carole, you can listen to these biographies for free - there are a bunch of them by Geoff and Janet Benge, I believe it's through YWAM.

cmsienk

I read about CS Lewis in high school. Besides The Chronicles of Narnia, I've read Mere Christianity and The Screwtape Letters

Restfinder

All of those were mentioned in this biography! He wrote all of the Chronicles of Narnia (Narnia Chronicles was what he called them, but his publisher changed it) books in two years. He showed THE LION, THE WITCH, AND THE WARDROBE to Tolkein and he hated it. It almost went on a shelf and was forgotten, but a friend sent it in and it was accepted. He had to remember he wrote it for children and they liked it! I also didn't know that he died the same day that John F. Kennedy was assasinated! Oh, and the CS has nothing to do with his real name, he was called Jack throughout the biography. When he was being considered for some position in the poetry department at the university, another man was also up for it. The other man was CD Lewis, and on the voting ticket they had CD Lewis and CS Lewis!

I finished the CS Lewis biography and downloaded a KU book Mile-High Missionary: A Jungle Pilot's Memoir by James Rush Manley. I don't have any more Hoopla downloads and this one is a little over 700 pages long, so it should last me several days!
I finished a fantasy that I was reading as well.

connierandel

I know that it is a novel, but was based on CS Lewis and wife: Becoming Mrs. Lewis: The Improbable Love Story of Joy Davidman and C. S. Lewis by Patti Callahan. I read this a few years ago and was so disappointed in the life it portrayed that I kind of lost the respect I had for him. I had read Mere Christianity when I was in Bible College and it was a reference that I used in a lot of papers that I wrote. I haven't read all of the Narnia books, but Bill and I listened to several while on vacation one year.

Anyway, I hope that the biography you read did not leave you with that discontent.

I just finished a new anthology that was pretty good. As much as I am a Cara Putman fan, I was disappointed in her portion. I thought it desperately needed more development....in other words, not a novella. It followed a gold locket through the family.
Across The Shores - Libby
MORE THAN GOLD by Carolyn Miller - 4* New South Wales
THE VEIL by Kelly J Goshorn - 4* Maryland
RUNNING FROM LOVE by Angela K Couch - Alberta, Canada 3.5*
LOVE ALONG THE SHORES by Cara Putman - North Carolina 3.5*

I am currently listening to VIVA VERMONT! by Melody Carlson. I needed a Vermont book and a Nevada book and there are two in the series fitting. I had read the first ones, so this worked well even if they are YA books. If the Vermont book gets on my nerves, I will not read the Las Vegas book.

Restfinder

Connie, I wasn't sure what to feel about it. I think that both were pretty shallow Christians. They married simply so she could stay in England, but eventually fell in love. When he called in the "pastor" who had the gift of healing and he prayed for her and he ended up getting sick and she ended up in remission - not sure about all of that! Yes, I do believe in God's healing someone, but not transferring it to someone else. I never really believed that he had much of a relationship with Jesus, but he did have some Christianity in his Narnia series, and according to the biography, that wasn't something he was even aware of doing! I think I read three of the Narnia books of his and that's pretty much it.

I'm re-reading two fantasies, CHOSEN by Jada Fischer and DRAGONQUEST by Donita K Paul. I'm also listening to a story about a missionary pilot, but so far I'm not getting into it. I downloaded another book about a girl who finds Jesus while a prisoner in South Korea.

connierandel

I finished:
VIVA VERMONT! by Melody Carlson (YA)
LOST IN LAS VEGAS by Melody Carlson (YA)

Current:
NEW YORK DEBUT by Melody Carlson (YA)
And
THE MEASURE OF KATIE CALLOWAY by Serena B Miller (historical) Michigan

I am enjoying both books.

cmsienk

I'm reading HARVEST ISLAND by Lissa Raines. It's different.

Here's the book synopsis: "An Anguished Daughter and a Determined Police Detective Must Unravel the Secrets of Her Father’s Disappearance or Suffer the Deadly Consequences".
Not mentioned in the synopsis are allegorical dreams (or visions?) she's having while searching for her biological father. She meets characters like Him Who Does His Bidding (an angel), who refers to The Maker and The Book of Truth,
as well as Philip Phony, George Godless, Harry Hardhearted, WallyWorks, Barb Beauty and more.

Also, I've come across a couple of areas that make me wonder if this book was edited by AI or at the very least a computer program.... here's one such instance:


You wield a baseball bat, you don't wheel it...

I'm about a third of the way through and I'm withholding judgement

cmsienk

... spelling mistakes too

connierandel

That looks like it hasn't been edited at all!

I started reading NOT UNTIL FOREVER by Valerie M Bodden. I decided to get started on the series. I just got started.

I am listening to MARRY ME COWBOY by Willow White. This is a lot like a Jessie Gussman book. I'm enjoying it, but the narration (on YouTube) is definitely not as good as Jay Dyess (Jessie's narrator).

cmsienk

Saturday night I finished HARVEST ISLAND by Lissa Raines. Between the non-editing, spelling mistakes and misleading synopsis (it also suddenly wrapped the ending up in one chapter), I give it 3.5/5 stars.

Then I read a shorter story by Janetta Fudge Messmer - WALTZING WITH A GREASE MONKEY. It was pretty good, but had no real character depth to it and also seemed to wrap up quickly, with no build up to the end. Another 3.5/5. Maybe it's me, but I've been a little disappointed in my last two "reads'.

pianolady831

Connie, I read that fiction book about C. S. Lewis some time ago and didn't care for it at all. I knew very little about him personally going into it, and maybe had higher expectations than I should have.

I started reading MURDER OF AN AMISH BRIDEGROOM by Patricia Johns the other day. Johns writes a lot for Christian publishers, but this was a cozy mystery by a mainstream publisher. Still clean, but a few things seemed a little off. For one thing, a police detective took an Amish lady around with him as he investigated, helping him understand the Amish culture, and that wasn't realistic to me. And for another, the victim was a boyfriend, not a bridegroom. Anyway, I quilt reading because I wasn't enjoying it all that much. At this point in my life, I'm only reading what I greatly enjoy.

Now I'm reading WHERE THE BLUE SKY BEGINS by Katie Powner and it is a fantastic, character driven story. More about it later.

connierandel

Cindy - I really enjoyed Janetta Fudge-Messmer's Early Birds series, but have been a bit disappointed in her other books. I read the series at the time I was getting ready to retire and we were camping a lot. The Early Birds series was about two couples that decided to retire and take off in an RV. I think it just resonated with me, and they were funny.

I enjoyed the Willow White series on YouTube. The narration was "canned" and not as good as many of the canned narrations, but that's okay....about the same as using text-to-voice on my ebooks.

Currently listening to THE SOLDIER'S SISTER by Debby Giusti (LIS).
Currently reading: NOT UNTIL THIS MOMENT by Valerie M Bodden

cmsienk

Connie, I remember when you read and posted about that Early Bird series and picking it up myself (probably on KU). I do think it was much better than this last one I read.

I remember liking NOT UNTIL THIS MOMENT, but I do think the character situations and spiritual context get a little better with each subsequent book. I think 7, 8 and 9 were my favorites. One of them had me tearing up.

Restfinder

I'm still listening to the Jungle Pilot. Some parts are kind of boring and other parts very interesting. I have to wait until next month to get more Hoopla download - sigh!

connierandel

I am now on NOT UNTIL YOU by Valerie M Bodden. I am enjoying the series. I don't have an audiobook going right now.

cmsienk

Last night I started reading PAPER DOLLS by Kara R. Hunt. (It's book 1 of the Habakkuk series.) I didn't even get through the first chapter - my eyes were so tired. I'm going to read a little more while I drink my coffee, then I have to get ready for today's job. I don't have to be there until noon, so I'm enjoying a slower morning

connierandel

I finished the first 3 Valerie Bodden books, but didn't start on the next volume of books 4-6. I had a library book that I needed to read before the time ran out.

Currently reading" CHASING THE HORIZON by Mary Connealy (hist) - Every time I get started on it, I get a text or phone call....so tired!
Listening: LETHAL MOUNTAIN PURSUIT by Christy Barritt (LIS)

Restfinder

Mary Connealy has some rapscallion characters in her stories! I loved the series with the three sisters who grew up with their grandparents on a mountain - they thought that the story book their grandmother read to them was the Bible! When they meet other people for the first time and they tried to tell them it wasn't - oh boy! Of course, they all fall in love!

I read a quick book about 5 Single Missionary Women. Some of the information came out of the Benge's biographies and was pretty much what I had already heard about them. I have another one to read that is 7 CLASSIC MISSIONARY BIOGRAPHIES. There are one or two missionaries in the series I've been reading in this book, but I hope it will give me more information on them. I also have another short one on Biddy Chambers.

I dumped a book I was reading because I ran into a cuss word. I'd tried to read it before and remembered the cuss word when I came across it - duh!
I really liked the first book in a fantasy series, so will begin on book two soon.
I'm working through another fantasy and need to read the ARC one that I have, THE FOURTH SCROLL. I want to spend more time on the biographies than the fiction though, so it will take more time to get through something.

connierandel

I haven't had time to read or listen today. Just too much going on!

Still working on Mary Connealy book. It's good, but a bit more serious than some of hers. I was listening to the Christy Barritt book on sleep timer when I went to bed last night and immediately fell asleep. I need to backtrack before I start listening again.

cmsienk

Still reading PAPER DOLLS by Kara R. Hunt.