All the Road Before Me

the diaries of CS Lewis. Interesting reading. Nice to see that someone as revered and respected in modern literary culture had day to day struggles and problems to work through. I've been reading this off and on for about a month. I think I'm a little more than half way through it. Gives great insight into his personal and familial relationships. Also chronicles his schooling, fellowship and scholasticism. My favorite parts include his ever present writings and thoughts on what he's reading. Reading is a vital part of his daily routine and writing is a natural progression of reading. His frankness and honesty are appealing.

Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

This is a very easy read. I read this on my lunch breaks for about a week to finish it. I liked the story line, very interesting and unusual in the sense that it deals not only with the people who have lost a loved one, but the main character is the person who was killed and she is looking down from "heaven" on her family and friends, wishing she were there...pointing them towards clues of her murderer, etc. I liked her writing style and applaud her ingenuity in the idea and concept development. The only thing that I struggled with through the entire book was the language. The point of view is from a 13-14 year old. The language in this is not necessarily reflective of that. It seems that the book is closer to an adult thought process and perspective. This sometimes made the story hard to follow because it wasn't always believable that this is a young adult telling the story. It was interesting to see the concept of heaven that is portrayed, as well as what happens to us when we die. This was recommended by Kelly at work.

The Secret Life of Bees

by Sue Monk Kidd. A highly requested book at our bookstore. I usually don't like to follow the crowd or read every book that Oprah recommends, but a co-worker also recommended this one and I found it interested me from the beginning. A young girl loses her mother and runs away from home escaping her abusive father. She finds love and "home" in a place where society tells her she can't or shouldn't find happiness. It's a love story and a path of self-discovery and addresses social issues of the 50's and 60's. There are some controversial parts including their folk religion, but the story is inspiring and worth the read. Thin book, approximately 300 pages...could easily be read in a weekend. Recommended by Kelly at work.

Serendipity Books

The Serendipity books by Stephen Cosgrove are staple bound children's books with witty stories promoting values and morals in children. I discovered these quaint books while working in the children's section at work. I started to collect the original books printed in the 70's with psychadelic cover art. These are so adorable. The reprints just don't do as much justice to the art. There are at least 30 to 40 books in this complete series. Would recommend to any parent looking for creative ways to incorporate morality into your child's teaching.

Dee Henderson

Dee Henderson writes inspirational suspense that keeps you turning pages and burning the midnight oil. She has written a dozen or more books. I read the first in a series of Naval romances. This is a good easy read when you need a romantic thriller and a good cry. Get constant requests for any Dee Henderson from Christian women coming in to the bookstore.

School, Marriage, New Year

I will be starting school next week and dropping down to part time at work so that I can take more hours at school. Yay! I went and talked with an advisor at UNT yesterday who was exceptionally encouraging and had a completely different attitude toward me than the advisor at TAMU Commerce. (Reminder to write a letter).
Here are a few pictures from Kara and Tim Ellcey's wedding this past weekend. The two are quite well suited for one another and make a lovely pair! They are honeymooning in the Smokey Mountains. Also enclosed, a picture of our new doggie, Truffle!
Happy 2007!!