I have read every single one of Ted Dekker's works, and all of Peretti's fiction for adults. This was not my favorite for either. I begin to feel as though Ted Dekker's characters all learn the same lesson. The story may be different, but you can guess how it will end because every other character has to learn the same thing. At least that's how it felt to me. If you like thrillers (I like suspense, not necessarily thrillers) then you will probably like this one. I've never read any Stephen King, but I would imagine it to be a similar genre. Truth be told, if these weren't Christian writers, I probably wouldn't have finished the book. Still, I'm glad I did read it, if only to know I need a break from Ted Dekker for a while.

Sometimes being a prolific writer isn't a good thing.

Believe it or not, I'm slowing down some on the reading. The last couple of days I haven't felt much like doing anything except lying in a dark room. I guess maybe because I'm desperate for sleep and desperately hoping to be somewhat rested before labour starts.

I did finally manage to finish book thirty three. I had a hankering for some Stephen Lawhead. Funnily enough, I've been wanting to read his book Patrick for quite some time. Several months ago I discovered it on our bookshelves and decided that since we owned the book, it only made sense that I must have read it. And so I never even picked it up. When I decided a few days ago that I felt like reading something by Lawhead, I did finally have a look at it. Glancing through the first few pages I really couldn't remember having read the book. So I decided that either I had read it but enough time had passed that it would be like reading it again for the first time, or else something very bizarre must have happened that we owned the book and I hadn't read it.

Turns out I bought it as a stocking stuffer for Andrew and graciously decided not to read it until he had...and then promptly forgot ever buying it. Yikes. Pregnant brain gets me BAD.

Lawhead tends to follow a set pattern in his books. Young, headstrong youth with oodles of potential is kidnapped by barbarians. Becomes slave. Meets the Cele De, and is obviously destined for great things within their group. Something happens and he is enslaved by Moors/Romans/vikings Many people die and he loses faith in God and humanity. He reaches bottom and cries out to God. Becomes priest/missionary/monk/saint. Despite this, he is an amazing story teller, and his books make me long to visit Ireland, Norway/Denmark, Italy, Byzantium (funnily enough, my mum just got some brochures on cruises that visit all of these areas. I'm so dying to go!)

Until this point, Byzantium had been my favorite book by Lawhead. I think Patrick has just equalled it in my estimation. Looking forward to his new trilogy which is coming out soon.

As a point of interest, Stephen Lawhead is most famous for his Arthur/Merlin series. I've tried reading several books on the whole Arthurian legend. For my taste, Lawheads stories were definitely the most readable.

At Costco the other day, I allowed myself to browse the book section. This is a dangerous practice, being I'm such a lover of books, and the prices there are so reasonable (for new books). I finally decided upon the P.D. James book, and reading the cover of a novel, found myself intrigued:

I don't remember exactly what the jacket said, but an old woman had kept a series of journals in a suitcase. Her daughter found them after her death, and realised that they were not, after all journals, but a novel the woman had written over the course of her life, based on her own experiences. Those notebooks comprised the novel in my hand.

Well, somehow between reading that description, and showing the book to my mum, I realised I had switched the books and bought something entirely different. What a lucky accident! The new book was The Russlander and I loved it. I've always been drawn to read about the period of time surrounding the revolution in Russia. This one tells of the Mennonite community in what is now the Ukraine...here's the description from the back of the book:
Katherine (Katya) Vogt is now an old woman living in Winnipeg, but the story of how she and her family came to Canada begins in Russia in 1910, on a wealthy Mennonite estate. Here they lived in a world bounded by thte prosperity of their landlords and by the poverty and disgruntlement of hte Russian workers who toil on the estate. But in the wake of the First World War, the tensions engulfing the country begin to intrude on the community, leading to an unspeakeable act of violence. In the aftermath of that violence, and in the difficult years that follow, Kathya tries to come to terms with the terrible events that befell her and her family. In lucid, spellbinding prose, Birdsell vividly evokes time and place, and the unease that existed in a country on the brink of revolutionary change...

I quite like P.D. James. Interesting crime stories. I think this one is my favorite so far.

Just finished Timeline by Michael Crichton.

Read it the first time a couple of years ago. Loved it. Saw the movie. Hated it. Decided to read the book again. Loved it even more.

Michael Crichton is one of my favorite modern authors.

nuff said.

twenty 8 and twenty 9

Andrew and I have had the A&E three video set of The Scarlet Pimpernel for five years. It's quite good. But nothing compared to the book. Though don't read it expecting it to be historically accurate, as the introduction says, it's a bit of theatrical fluff. But such good fluff. A bazillion times better than the video series.

Couldn't find a picture of the book, I have the Folio edition which is very nice, but apparently they're not selling it any more. If you have a hankering to read it, Baroness Emmuska Orczy wrote it. A funny thing about her writing career. She was hungarian nobility, whose family fled their estate after parts of it were burned by the townspeople (who didn't appreciate that her father wasn't much interested in farming...it's a long story) anyway, eventually they landed in England. One of the baroness' friends who "knew nothing of life and had never alked with anyone who might have taught her anything" had a story published. Her response?

"Here I am who have known so many brilliantly clever people, who have travelled and seen and appreciated so many marvels of this wide, wide world, who have studied art and music, history and drama, why shouldn't I try to write something, I woulud like to know."

And just finished Animal Farm by George Orwell. Another Folio book I've had for ages. I thought it would take ages to read, but it was only a hundred pages or so. Kind of a cross between Lord of the Flies and the conspiracy of 1984. Good though.

Now what to read next??T

Twenty Seven

Like I've said before, I get to read more when it's sunny out. I can't chase the kids, so they just have to play nicely. And when I'm not snapping millions of pictures of them, I read.

So here's 27. Katt's reading a mystery, made me crave one too. Found this one and decided to give it a try. Plus, once Tink eventually arrives, I probably won't get to read much for a while. Gotta do it while I can!!

Book 26. What was funniest about reading this book today was, as we were sitting outside having dinner, Davey was having hysterics at something Andrew was doing. Dave came out on to the deck upstairs and admonished us, "don't you know we have rules against having fun around here. No fun having." and turned to go back in. Hmnnnn this book really is applicable today...

Just finished reading Six Big, Big, Big Angels. It's about a little girl who fell of the top of the slide at her grandparent's pool on to the concrete patio below. The book was written by her grandmother and relates the girl's experiences when she was taken up to heaven (in between falling and hitting the patio) and subsequent visits to heaven.

Really hard to suspend disbelief at first (being a skeptical person). But wow. She was three or four at the time and describes so many things she couldn't have known in great detail.

As I mentioned before, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Possibly because I also enjoyed the movie and was able to apply some of Russel Crowe's character to Jack Aubrey. But it was well written and interesting, and I'm pleased that there are 19 other books in this series which I will endeavour to read over the next few years.

(oh, and that makes 24).

In case you can't read that teeny tiny book cover, the book is called "Eat to Live" and is by Dr. Joel Fuhrman. You can read more about him on his site.

Needed something fluffy to read this afternoon. This fit the bill.

After a looooooonnnnnnnng dry spell, I finally picked up a book again. Yah, another alien one. I just read what's in the house. But it was good. Totally reminded me of Michael Crichton, but with so many twists and turns and loops....it'll keep you guessin' fer sure.

Eighteen

Partying it up Edmonton-style

Done. Can't wait to start book three of this trilogy.

Need to buy this one. Got some great scriptures and advice for giving birth. Thanks Chad for turning me on to it!!

Sixteen and Seventeen

Partying it up Edmonton-style

Done. Can't wait to start book three of this trilogy.

Need to buy this one. Got some great scriptures and advice for giving birth. Thanks Chad for turning me on to it!!

fifteen

the book is called Nephilim by Lynn Marzulli. A fictional account of how Satan could use aliens (or rather, humans belief in aliens) to further his end time strategy. A good read if you're looking for a good fictional book. If you look at all the scriptures he uses, and think about how Satan can twist things to suit his purposes, it's actually kind of scary how believable this whole theory is...butcha hafta read it yerself.

(I'm reading book two, The Unholy Deception, right now).

Agatha Christie: The Man in the Brown Suit

Agatha was brilliant. Case in point: "of course there is really nothing a woman enjoys so much as doing all the things she doesn't like for the sake of someone she does like. And the more self-willed she is, the more she likes it...that's why there are so many unhappy marriages. It's all the fault of the men. Either they give way to their women - and then the women despise them - or else they are utterly selfish, insist on their own way and never say "thank you". Successful husbands make their wives do just what they want, and then make a frightful fuss of them for doing it".

I think there's a lot of sense in that.

The book though, was one of her spy-mystery novels. Part of the Colonel Race Chronology, though he really only had a minor role. Nothing like a good AC novel to pass an afternoon.

Wow. A full seven days to read one book. In my defense I have to say that the weather has been lovely and I certainly haven't wanted to spend one more minute inside than necessary!

If you like PD James' Adam Dalgliesh Mysteries, you'll like this one.

Book Reviews

Ludlum, Robert The Prometheus Deception:
The ultimate spy. After fifteen years as a brillian master spy, Nick Bryson has disappeared into anonymity as a professor at an exclusive college in western Pennsylvania - until he's suddenly lured back into the game.
The ultimate threat. Recruited by the CIA, he's been comissioned to track the moves of the Directorate. Once, the ultra-secret intelligence agency was Bryson's training ground. Now it's a multinational terrorist conspiracy bent on global domination.
The ultimate deception. But to eliminate the core of corruption means plubing into his own past, investigating the motives of a beautiful stranger who may be his greatest downfall, and infiltrating a secret nexus of power called Prometheus that holds the terrifying clues to his past - and the even more terrifying possibilities of his future...

Andrea's verdict: think Robert Ludlum meets Alias. This is one of Ludlum's earlier works, so in my opinion the writing wasn't that great. The story had enough twists and turns that I had to finish it and find out what was going on. A fluffy, action piece for a rainy day.

Crichton, Michael A Case of Need:
Was it murder? Was it a horribly botched surgery - accidental malpractice? Was someone in the great Boston medical center violating the Hippocratic oath? No one knows exactly...Only one doctor is willing to push his way through the mysterious maze of hidden medical data and shocking secrets to learn the truth.

Andrea's verdict: This book was written in '69, in the days before ER, House, and the countless other TV shows that have made the average person medical experts. It's full of explanations of basic medical terms. The jacket is a bit misleading. This story is about doctors who decide to perform abortions despite the fact that it's illegal. The daughter of a prominent family dies after a botched abortion and a witch hunt ensues. One doctor decides to try to untangle the mystery surrounding her death and find out what really happened the night she died. Again, an interesting read...but that's about it.

Horn, Thomas and Nita The Ahriman Gate:
Alternative researcher Zecharia Sitchin spent more than twenty years interpreting thousands of Sumerian cuniform texts. The result was the wildly popular Earth Chronicle series, in which Sitchin linked various ancient myths and calendars - such as Stonehenge and Tiahuanacu in Peru - to the Sumerians.
Sitchin claimed the Sumerian texts were a record of visitation of earth by Nibiruans, a.k.a. the Anunnaki and Nephilim of Old Testament fame. He further claimed the alien visitors accelerated human evolution by enhancing hominid DNA, creating Homo sapiens.
In the new supernatural thriller The Ahriman Gate, Tom and Nita Horn (National Spokesperson for Cloud 10 Pictures Movie 'Deceived') tell the incredible fictional story of a young Marine and his sister who discover information connecting the U.S. Government with UFOs, the Face on Mars, and Sitchin's Anunnaki.

Andrea's verdict: if you like Frank Perretti's books, you'll love this one! I did.

Thoene, Brock and Bodie The Zion Legacy Series:
I've already read the first Four books in this series, so I just read books five and six (Stones of Jerusalem and Jerusalem's Hope) The series starts off continuing the stories of several families in Old Jerusalem just as the city falls (in the 1940s). The first three books "thrill readers with their action-packed, dramatic portrayal of the heroic, yet perilous battle for Jerusalem in 1948. In an exciting twist to the series..." the last three books "take the story back in time to tell an ancient tale of love, faith and redemption."

Andrea's verdict: I'm a big fan of the Thoene's war series (Zion Covenant, Zion Chronicles, Shiloh Legacy and the Zion Legacy Series) so it's no surprise I loved these two books. Though when I first bought books 1-4 a few years ago, I was really mad that at book four the Thoene's suddenly switched gears from talking about the situation in 1948 to talking about completely different characters from the time of Jesus. Coming back to the story now though, I really loved this storyline and I'm looking forward to finding the A.D. Chronicles to continue this one...

Dekker, Ted Three:
Kevin Parson is driving his car late one summer day when, suddenly, his cell phone rings. A man who identifies himself as Slater speaks in a breathy voice, "You have exactly three minutes to confess your sin to the world. Refuse and the car you're driving will blow sky high."
Kevin panics. Whho would make such a call? What sin? Kevin ditches the car. Precisely three minutes later, a massive explosiong sets his world on a collision course with madness.

Andrea's verdict: Some friends of mine who also read Dekker warned me that they didn't really enjoy this book, so I wasn't sure what to expect. Spoiler alert: the plotline is kind of a cross between Phone Booth with Collin Farrell and Fight Club. Being an avid fan of psychological thrillers, I loved it. And three is my favorite number, so that clinched it for me!

Dekker, Ted Black; Red; and White
Black is an incredible story of evil and rescue, betrail and love, pursuit and death, and a terrorist's threat unlike anything the human race has ever known. A virulent evil has been unleashed upon the people of the earth, an unstoppable force bent on the destruction of all that is good. Only Thomas Hunter can stop it, and he has been killed. Twice.

The books red and white continue the story.

Andrea's verdict: If any of you have read Stephen Lawhead's books, this trilogy kind of reminded me of them. Almost sci-fi with the parallel universes, and an exciting, fast paced plot. Ultimately though, I think the story is about God's romantic love for his people, and the ultimate sacrifice he made for his love.

Jane: I own all the Ted Dekker books, and you're welcome to borrow those. I have the first four books in the Zion Legacy series. The rest I borrow from the library (I LOVE that you can "order books" online and then pick them up when they're in. They do all the work of finding them, pulling them off the shelves, and holding them for you to pick up! It's like amazon only free!) My favorites have to be the Ted Dekkers, the Thoenes, and the Ahriman Gate.

twelve

11

Ten

Nine

This book was written in 1969. The only thing that really gave it away for me was that there were so many footnotes and explanations of medical terms. At first it was really bothering me, like does he think his readers are so stupid that we don't know what DOA means? And then I realised: This book was published in the days before ER, House and all the other shows that have made us all medical experts. Interesting...

Does anyone else out there have a hard time deciding what to read? I love reading, but I rarely have time to find out what books are out there. And then on the rare opportunities I have to go into a used book store or library, I find the sheer volume of books so overwhelming I wind up leaving with nothing.

I know this is totally lame, but any of you who watch the Gilmore Girls know that Rory is supposed to be a voracious reader, AND that she's supposed to read things that smart people read. On the show's website they have what they call Rory's Book Club, and there's a massive list of two kinds of books: hot new reads and old school faves.

It's a starting place at least. Specially since I'm done with new books and well, I've read all my books a hundred times each already. But I welcome recommendations...

Book Eight

Which is too bad, cause I'm liking this whole image for the book thing.

Book 8: Bloodlines

Completely Unrelated:
I was sitting in Cary's office today and happened to glance at my feet. Apparently not something I do a whole lot.

The soles of both feet were split. Right where my feet bend. Split right through. Both feet. Like what are the chances of that happening.

So tonight, after dinner, I found myself wandering the mall trying to find a pair of shoes for work.

I used to love shoe shopping. I was the queen of shoes. I'd routinely buy four pairs on my dinner break when I worked in the mall. The I got fat, had a baby and my feet grew a size and a half. I can't find shoes to save my sole.

tonight I visited Sears, Soft Moc, The Shoe Warehouse, Ronsons, Transit, Dudek and The Bay. I finally found a pair of shoes in my size at The Bay. On clearance for $24.99 which was nice, but they're neither particularly stylish or particularly comfortable. That was my last stop.

On the other hand, at The Shoe Warehouse I found the most incredible pair of Merrel mules. They were like pillows for my feet. Stylish, comfortable...and unfortunately brown and way to expensive for our budget.

Bummer.

Well that's enough kvetching for this night. Me and book number 8 have a date. later...

Currently reading books Six and Seven

Book Number Five

Recently Marco posted a list of the books he read in 2005. Love that idea, if only so I have a rough idea of how much I've read and the quality of it. However, I don't keep track of my books at all. On myspace.com you can post a "currently reading/listening" entry at the top of your blog. Cool feature. Except you can only add authors/artists in their database.

When David was born, I tried reading while I was feeding him. But I don't know, something about having a book balanced on his head and trying to stay focused while I tried to turn pages annoyed him enough that I gave that idea up pretty quick. When we finally got past the three hour feeding marathons (that continued with only short breaks in between...I REALLY hope NB is a faster eater!) I really didn't feel much like picking up books.

However, sometime this summer I tried to read Anna Karenina. Always felt like I ought to read some Tolstoy. I made it about 2/3 of the way through and decided I should just read the end.

On our trip to Ontario last June, I managed to read a Francine Rivers book and three Robert Ludlums.

When we went to Osoyoos I read a few Agatha Christies, a Ruth Rendell and one of those typical UK shopaholic books.

And of course on our big road trip I polished off a few more books. I think more Francine Rivers.

For Christmas, Andrew bought me Black by Ted Dekker. In the 10 days since then, I've read Red and White (also TD) stopping only to read a Robert Ludlum while I waited for my copy of White to arrive from Amazon. I'm currently working on Body Clutter by the Fly Lady and Captivating by John and Stasi Eldridge. I'm not very good with non-fiction. Don't know why...I can read books on Financial Planning with careless abandon...but anything else...ungh.

Anyway, all of this to say, I like to read. Would love to keep track for a year and see how many pages I can fit in in 365 days. Before Andrew and I even started dating, we had a conversation about reading Dostoevsky. Somehow it came up that I was a fast reader. Andrew was very condescending and commented that I couldn't possibly be as fast as him. That boy almost ruined his chances with me!! Obviously wasn't aware of how competitive I am, or how proud I am of that fact that I won the speed reading award every year at my highschool (Yes, I was also a member of the library club. What's your point?)

Wow, another rabbit trail. Back to the beginning of my last paragraph. My new year's resolution is to try to keep track of what I read this year, and to intersperse the fluffy reading with something I might actually learn from. Phew!

What Kind of Book are you?

You're Babar the King!

by Jean de Brunhoff

Though your life has been filled with struggle and sadness of late,
you're personally doing quite well for yourself. All this success brings responsibility,
though, and should not be taken lightly. Life has turned from war to peace, from damage
to reconstruction, and this brings a bright new hope for everyone you know. These hopeful
people look to you for guidance, and your best advice to them is to watch out for snakes.
You're quite fond of the name "Celeste".


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at the Blue Pyramid.