final reads from the year

my last post of the year..... the last books i read. i'll have to go back and see if i read any of the books i had wanted to read this year and start my list for 2010.....

supper of the lamb.

this is my favorite book of the year.

loved it.

loved it.

loved it.

husband gave it to me for my birthday and it took me the fall to finish it. it is the most unconventional

cookbook i have encountered. it is some recipes, some theology, some hospitality, some fun. he is a home cook, lover of food, and episcopalian priest. he tells the story of how to cook with some recipe entwined. some of it is just about the goodness of god's creation and sharing it with others. i highly recommend it for anyone, even if you don't think you like to cook.

the hunger games.

i have never been shy about my willingness to read just about anything. someone gave me this YOUNG ADULT fiction...... i devoured it. there is a sequel and i am plagued with the idea that my library may not have it and i may not be able to get it RIGHT AWAY!!! part fantasy, part adventure, a little romance, part future society, a little bit coming of age (not too much, i promise). loved it. fast moving, didn't take too much concentration. perfect for

sitting in a hotel room with toddlers and football games....and finishing on car ride home in between bottles, snacks, videos, traffic, potty breaks, and tears.

parenting is heart work.

found this book to be good but the title is terrible! i sort of recommend it with lots of caveats. while some of you might think it mere symantics, the difference with this book and others i have read (that i liked) is that the approach is parenting with biblical principles as opposed to biblical parenting. one of the major deficiencies that i found was in the address of wrong. when it addresses wrong behavior goes looks at a wrong heart/emotions/motives. from my parenting perspective it never addresses the actual issue of sin. the other major deficiency is that the authors never really address what the purpose of it all is. they discuss well-adjusted, happy, healthy kids that can deal with themselves/others/the world. i feel like my overall purposes in parenting is to have kids "glorify god and enjoy him forever" (catechism question). the things that the book deals with are important and i would hope to be by-products of them loving god but those qualities are not in themselves the goal of parenting. so all that to say.... i found it a helpful book IF you have a good foundation to why you are parenting the way you are. i love that they end each chapter with a prayer not only for your child but for yourself....so there you go.

happy reading in 2010.

i have just started:

girl with dragon tattoo (book club book)

grace based parenting

i have to finish:

orthodoxy

the unsettling of america

little house on the prairie series

plenty to keep me busy.

christmas posts to come!!!