What I'm Reading 01/26/09

We're going to finish up Velvet Elvis at The Living Room this week (that is unless it gets canceled due to the 4-8 inches coming tomorrow night) and it's bittersweet. I'm sad that it's wrapping up, but exciting to see what's next. I think I've learned, but more so I feel like it's helped me describe better what I've understood in my heart all along. 

I started The Truth Of Catholicism and i'm soooo bored. It makes me want to read more Twilight ;-) Such quick reads! (one of my students is bringing in Breaking Dawn tomorrow!) I'm sure it'll get better, but right now my main focus is the differences in Catholicism and Evangelicals not the differences in Christianity and the rest of the religions, so I'm ready to get into those messy details. I think that's a few chapters away.

What I'm Reading 01/24/09

Yes! Finally finished with book three & happy to report about a happy ending. I was so worried about what was going to happen. Like, i said, i'm obsessed i'm attached to the characters. I'm starting The Truth of Catholicism. I'm hoping to be finished by Wednesday. I've decided to educate myself on stuff that I'm curious about, but don't know enough about to really support my thoughts. I'm going to read books on Catholicism, conservatism, homosexuality, education, etc. I want to be able to learn more so that I can talk to others about my view points with supporting evidence. I really want to grow this year into a smarter person.

Stress

All the stress in my life this past week has prevented me from reading as much as i've wanted to. With the end of the marking period & all the fundraising i've been staying up too late. I start to read and fall asleep before I get too far. As I read Ecclipse, I start to get nervous. I'm at the point in the book where everything is building towards this final battle. I'm getting really really nervous. I think something is going to happen to Edward. If he dies, then I'll probably stop reading the series altogether. I can't understand how a 26 year old like me is so drawn to this teenage book. But I just love it!

Faith

Reflections on Velvet Elvis: It is important to have faith in God, but more importantly to know that God has faith in me...

The Shack

So I finished (finally) The Shack last night. I have mixed thoughts. It was good, but not great. It took me a while to see where the author was going. But I like where he went. It does make you think. What would it be like for me if I spent a weekend, with God, alone, in a cabin? What lessons would I learn? What would He show me? I only really ask these questions because I don't know if my experience would be anything like Mack's experience. I think he had a very warped view of God & religion. Not that anyone can really blame him, his life experience definetely shaped the view he had on God, the Father (Papa). But I guess part of the reason I didn't really like the book was because I don't think I took any new profound beliefs on God away from it. Not to say that I don't have more to learn or that my perception of God can't be 100% accurate. But I do know that God gives us a freedom and he loves us when we screw up, no matter what. He does not force His will on us because thats not what love is about. So I guess for me, based on my past, it wasn't hard for me to understand intimacy with God. But I think a lot of people struggle with seeing God as someone they can be up close and personal with. So i think in that way this was a good book. I think it reached a lot of people's hearts. I on the other hand was partly wanting to finish it up to move on to the next one. Judge me if you will, I'm okay with that...

All Twilight All The Time

So far, so good. I'm on track for a book a week. I may even finish my first 3 weeks of the new year tonight. Only 50 pages to go! However, thats going to be hard to do because the whole time I'm reading The Shack, i'll probably be dreaming about Eclipse.

Funny story, after my amazing Vermont weekend with The Living Room I couldn't wait to get my hands on the third twilight book. (Since when I did I become obsessed with Teen Fiction???) I asked my students in studyhall on Monday if anyone owned a copy. One of my students held up the book right then and there. However, she was still currently reading it. So I called around requesting people to bring it into school tomorrow. Hoping that someone would put an end to my misery soon. Well wouldn't you know that same student stayed up until 3 AM, finished the book, and remembered to bring it into me the next day. Awesome! I haven't had any time to read. I've been too busy with the return to work, Living Room last night, Team in Training stuff, etc. (oh and the return of 24! I heart Jack Bauer!)

I'm hoping tonight I can skip out of wings early and finish the shack (aka start Ecclipse)

Twilight

I had all these plans for all the non-fiction, educational, intellectual books I was going to read over the weekend. But that all went out the window when I was able to borrow the 2nd book in the twilight series from a co-worker. We went on a trip with The Movement to Killington, VT. We stayed in a sweet sweet cabin. While everyone was out enjoying the slopes a bunch of us stayed behind and enjoyed the day. I finished the book in 24 hours. Couldn't put it down. I'm not one for vampires. But the books are well written and I really enjoy trying to figure out what's going to happen next. I'm done with New Moon and looking forward to Eclipse. 

Obsessed

For some reason Moneyball has become one of my new favorite books. It's outstanding. I'm not really that huge of a baseball fan. But the book tells a great story. And I love looking at it from a statistical point of view. I find it fascinating. The way the GM of the Oakland A's looks at baseball compared to how the rest of the world looks at baseball is very different. I've found a new appreciation for math in the real world. And even though i won't give up my loyalty for the Yankees. I've come to appreciate the underdog. I wouldn't really consider them underdogs anymore.

What I'm Reading: 01/02/09

Happy New Year! I'm starting the new year off right! I finished Twilight on Christmas Eve, too bad that doesn't go towards my 50 books of 2009, it only took me a day and a half to read. I'm in the process of finishing up The Tragedy of Ameican Compassion & The Worm In The Apple. But I started 2009 by reading Moneyball. I'm halfway through it already! Next up: The Shack or What's So Great About Chrisitianity. I'll post some of what i've digested tomorrow.