Here’s a peek into another corner of my literary life. These books are conveniently by the fireplace, near the comfy couch and hubby’s large screen plasma tv.
FAMILY ROOM BASKET
Pagan Christianity, by Frank Viola and George Barna
Walking out of the library, I spotted this bold cover. Clever design. I picked it up, and am completely intrigued by it. The premise is that Christianity in practice has deviated significantly from the first-century. The authors pose that many of the customs actually have pagan roots. My take is that they actually have “human” roots, which the pagans used. We’ll see as I read more.
The Great Emergence, by Phyllis Tickle
This book was right with Pagan Christianity, and I’d heard of the author. So I picked it up, intent on getting to it before the books are due back.
Obsessed, by Ted Dekker
This one has made it into my hands–and my mind. The fun thing about reading Ted Dekker is that you think a bazillion different things, guess at the plot, even get some of it right, and then get a total shock when he finally reveals the details. I found him through this guy’s blog, College 101.
Wonder Time Magazine
I just received my first issue of this magazine. I’m looking forward to getting to know it. I want to say it was free, but I’m not sure. I ordered it along with Family Fun Magazine through a fundraiser for a friend’s child’s school.
Maryland Life Magazine
This I asked for for Christmas. I just love it! It’s chock-full of all kinds of historical and sociological tidbits from my home state. As much as I say I want to move south, I love the Chesapeake Bay. My mom ordered Maryland Life and Chesapeake Life for me for Christmas. Thanks, Mom!
O Magazine
Oprah fell off the wagon. For the first time in my life, I’m having to get on the wagon. I’m hoping learning from her decades of struggles with weight, I’ll avoid a few of her mistakes. I don’t agree with her on a whole host of issues, and I don’t watch her show any longer, but I’d like to see if she has any advice on staying healthy. (A library find.)
Shop Smart Magazine (from Consumer Reports)
I’ll admit it–hubby was gearing up to watch the NFL playoffs, and I needed a few things to read. So I picked up this magazine (and a whole host of other books) at the library, after realizing I only had 2 more Anne Tyler and 1 more Elizabeth Berg novels to read. Gotta save those for special times. This magazine is great–but I think I’ll save money by checking out past issues from the library.
3 comments
Comments feed for this article
January 15, 2009 at 3:12 pm
Shauna McAllister
I pick up maybe 5 to 6 books a year to read, but I got a copy of Kiss by Ted Dekker and Erin Healy. It is I have to say a great read. Dekker’s work is always good but with first time author Healy, this book is outstanding. I had to make myself put it down because I was not doing any work at my office (I was getting stares from my coworkers).
Publisher’s Weekly sums it up like this:
Master of evangelical Christian suspense, Dekker (Thr3e; Blink; Skin) joins first-time author Healy in this thriller, no less fast-moving than the Christy Award–winning author’s solo prose, but also more gripping as it plunges into the life of a woman with frayed and painful family relationships. When a tragic auto accident leaves Shauna McAllister’s brother brain-damaged and erases her recent memories, she discovers she has a paranormal ability to steal memories from others, a capability that will either get her killed or unveil hidden sides of the very people she thought she could trust. Against this background, she attempts to uncover the ugly truth about her father’s dark secrets and to upend his run for president of the United States. True to Dekker’s penchant for twists that keep you guessing till the very last page, Kiss also attempts to return to snappier dialogue and more logical plotting than Skin. A psychological suspense thriller that shines light into black-market child trafficking, Dekker’s latest will satisfy Christian fiction lovers who want complex characters and who believe in the stark realities of true good and heinous evil. http://www.thelostkiss.com/buzz
January 16, 2009 at 10:41 pm
twilightspath
Ah! Yes! I see that book on the top =) I can’t remember if I told you that I ended up reading one by E. Berg a while back, “The Art Of Mending” Definitely a change of pace, but still pretty good
January 25, 2009 at 1:29 pm
Jill
The sequel to “Pagan Christianity?” is out now. It’s called “Reimagining Church”. It picks up where “Pagan Christianity” left off and continues the conversation. (“Pagan Christianity” was never meant to be a stand alone book; it’s part one of the conversation.) “Reimagining Church” is endorsed by Leonard Sweet, Shane Claiborne, Alan Hirsch, and many others. You can read a sample chapter at http://www.ReimaginingChurch.org . It’s also available on Amazon.com. Frank is also blogging now at http://frankviola.wordpress.com/ .