Top Ten Books I’d Quickly Save If Our World Was Going To Be Taken Over By Aliens

Posted on February 21, 2012 by Ronnica

Hey, it could happen.

I’ve altered this week’s topic not to be about books I’d save from my house as I’m not particularly tied to my particular copies, and I don’t actually own many of my favorite books. Really, I’ve turned this into more of a deserted island scenario.

Top ten books I’d want:

1. My Bible. Okay, this probably should be a given, but I’d want my wide-margin Bible that I’ve been using to do my daily reading in for over 5 years. Or at least a Bible, preferably NASB. Though I’d choose a KJV Bible over no Bible, I wouldn’t find it particularly usable. I don’t live in 17th Century England.

2. Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. As much as you read, you bet I’d choose some long books if I could only have 10. This is one that I think I could read and enjoy over and over again, but would clearly provide lots of reading time at its size.

3. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy. I really do enjoy this story, but once again, it’s link adds to its suitability in this scenario.

4. Tom Jones by Henry Fielding. At its size, I’m not likely to re-read it given current non-alien conditions. But one plus of an alien invasion in this scenario is that I could re-read it.

5. Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment by Jeremiah Burroughs. Not a long book, but it’s meaty. Plus, I can imagine struggling with discontent if life as we know it was over.

6. The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom. There are situations worse than alien invasion, and it would be helpful to be reminded of someone else who had been through a tough situation and grew closer to God through it.

7. The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis. I’m counting this as one book, because you can’t stop me. Even better, can I get a complete works of C. S. Lewis?

8. 1984 by George Orwell. Because I know I enjoy reading it over and over again.

9. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. Ditto.

10. Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens. Might as well through in a Dickens, too.

Check out more top ten lists on Broke and Bookish

Introducing Reviewettes

Posted on February 15, 2012 by Ronnica

So, I haven’t been writing a lot of reviews in the last few months. In part because I didn’t read as much during unemployment as I do employed (yeah, that’s counter-intuitive) and in part because nothing has jumped out at me needing to be reviewed.

That said, I do have some thoughts about what I’ve been reading. So every few weeks or so (whenever I have three of these), I’m going to compile those post in a “Reviewettes” post. I’ll still occasionally write a full review when a book warrants it, but this will give you a short recap of what I’ve been reading and what I thought about them. I won’t mention every book I read (the full list can be found here, if you’re that curious), but will draw attention to the books that caught my fancy.

With that lovely introduction, here is the first set of reviewettes:

Lit: A Christian Guide to Reading Books by Tony Reinke ♥♥♥♥

As a reader, I enjoy about reading. Nerdy, I know. If you, too, like to read about reading, I would suggest this book. Or if you don’t like reading, I’d also suggest it.

One point that I took away from Lit is the idea that my personal reading helps the corporate body of Christ. I get this: friends are always asking me what I’m reading and what I got out of it. I don’t always have a good answer for them, but I should. I should be able to share with them a gold nugget that I found whenever asked. I’m going to be more intentional about this.

Counterfeit Gods: The Empty Promises of Money, Sex, and Power and the Only Hope that Matters by Timothy Keller ♥♥♥♥♥

I read Keller’s The Prodigal God last fall and was really impressed with his insights. He has some great things to say in Counterfeit Gods as well.

There is just something about Keller’s writing that feels incredibly accessible to non-churchy people, if that makes sense. In Counterfeit Gods he does a great job taking apart some common American idols and comparing them to God, where we can find true hope.

The Hidden Reality by Brian Greene (audio) ♥♥♥

The Hidden Reality is a popular science book about the possibilities of parallel universes. Greene walks the reader through various scientific theories that would support or even require multiple universes. I find this fascinating, but in the end, I really don’t think there are other universes out there. It almost feels like scientists like Greene want there to be other universes because it makes it seem less improbable that intelligent life would develop in their own.

That said, I would not be surprised at all if their were intelligent life forms on other planets within our own universe. Until we meet them (which I find unlikely), nothing can be proven either way.

For the record, this is the first author-read audio book I’ve ever enjoyed.

Book Review: Die Young by Hayley DiMarco and Michael DiMarco

Posted on February 6, 2012 by Ronnica

I know that it has been way too long since I’ve posted a book review here but nothing I’ve been reading lately has provoked me to blog about it. Perhaps Die Young will break the ice for me.

Die Young is all about the importance, difficulty, and benefits of dying to self. Thus the title: Die Young is written to young adults.

I definitely appreciate the message of Die Young as it really doesn’t take a light and fluffy approach to the Gospel. I think we are doing our youth a disservice when we act like becoming a Christian is easy. In one sense it is (we aren’t doing the work), but in another, we ‘re giving everything we have and are back to God. So before we encourage a youth–or anyone–to take the first steps to follow Christ, we need to encourage them to count the costs.

Will this keep people from coming to Christ? Yes and no. We’ll definitely get less numbers to report: less people “walking the aisle.” Yet the ones who do make a decision are more likely to be sincere.

There were a few nit-picky things that I didn’t like about Die Young. The biggest thing was that I thought that their picture of true contentment was short-sighted. The reason why a Christian can be content with little/nothing (Philippians 4:11-13) is because they’re content in God not in what they have or where they are. When we put our eyes on God, everything else truly does grow dim.

I appreciate books like Die Young for going deeper than traditional youth group material. However, I do think that there is a better book out there on the topic, and I’d recommend Do Hard Things by Alex and Brett Harris first.

Disclaimer: I received an advanced reader copy of Die Young in exchange for this review.

Top Ten Books I Think Would Make Great Book Club Picks

Posted on January 31, 2012 by Ronnica

I enjoy discussing books that I’ve read. Unfortunately, some of the books that I most wanted to discuss haven’t been read by anyone I know. Here are 10 that I have or would love to discuss:

1. They Thought They Were Free by Milton Mayer

This book was absolutely worth the trouble it took for me to get my hands on it (I had to use inter-library loan). A good book to talk about what it would have been like to have been an average citizen in Hitler’s Germany and how he rose to power, leading to discussion of how we can avoid a Hitler to arise in our own culture.

2. The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom

Still one of my favorite autobiographies, one that I think about regularly.

3. Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood

I think dystopian books can make for great discussion.

4. Sister of My Heart by Chitra Divakaruni

I actually did read this for a book club, and we really enjoyed reading and discussing it.

5. Life of Pi by Yann Martel

While perhaps this is a little a-few-years-ago, it is a great discussion starter!

6. Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand

Okay, I probably wouldn’t want to discuss this with any book club that really wanted to discuss this (I’d rather not discuss it with people that have totally bought into Rand’s philosophy). Still, I think that Rand brings up some excellent critiques of America and some interesting (although unrealistic) solutions.

7. The Picture of Dorian Grey by Oscar Wilde

What an interesting, illustrative tale.

8. Animal Farm by George Orwell

1984 might be my favorite, but Animal Farm would possibly make for a better discussion.

9. “Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?” by Beverly Daniel Tatum

This really helped me to think about race issues in a new light.

10. Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde

An under-appreciated dystopian book that I think is a creative take on the genre.

For more Top Ten Tuesday lists, visit Broke and Bookish

Top Ten Favorite Book Quotes

Posted on January 24, 2012 by Ronnica

I love quotes. So much so, that I created a blog just to collect my favorite quotes (that I’ve not been updating lately, but still, all my older favorite quotes are there).

Here are my 10 of my favorite quotes from books. If only I could write this well!

1. “He wondered for a moment if it was Mars he was looking at; then, as his eyes took in the markings better, he recognised what they were–Northern Europe and a piece of North America. They were upside down with the North Pole at the bottom of the picture and this somehow shocked him. But it was Earth he was seeing–even, perhaps, England, though the picture shook a little and his eyes were quickly getting tired, and he could not be certain that he was not imagining it. It was all there in that little disk–London, Athens, Jerusalem, Shakespeare. There everyone had lived and everything had happened; and there, presumably, his pack was still lying in the porch of an empty house near Sterk. ‘Yes,’ he said dully to the sorn. ‘That is my world.’ It was the bleakest moment in all his travels.”

- Out of the Silent Planet by C.S. Lewis, p. 96

2. “Arraigned at my own bar, Memory having given her evidence of the hopes, wishes, sentiments I had been cherishing since last night–of the general state of mind in which I had indulged for nearly a fortnight past; Reason having come forward and told in her own quiet way a plain, unvarnished tale, showing how I had rejected the real, and rabidly devoured the ideal–I pronounced judgment to this effect:–That a greater fool than Jane Eyre had never breathed the breath of life: that a more fantastic idiot had never surfeited herself on sweet lies, and swallowed poison as if it were nectar.”

– Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, p. 169

3. “Whereever you are, you should always be contented, but especially at home, because there you must spend the most of your time.”

– Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen, p. 294

4. “As a general rule, people, even the wicked, are much more naive and simple-hearted than we suppose. And we ourselves are, too.”

– The Brother Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky, p. 17

5. “As will be the case throughout your life, no matter how long or brief [the urge], the choice is, in the end, yours. Simply bear in mind that most every choice will have consequences, and in this instance those consequences would likely be quite grave.”

– Everything Matters! by Ron Currie, Jr., p. 4

6. “I remembered thinking how hard it was to contemplate death from a comfortable chair.”

- The Host by Stephenie Meyer, p. 127

7. “Large numbers of books always depressed her, as did people who liked to read large numbers of books.”

– Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell, p. 159

8. “…you must also own Religion in his rags, as well as when in his silver slippers; and stand by him, too, when bound in irons, as well as when he walketh the streets with applause.”

– Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan, p. 92

9. “And know this: people who seek only happiness never find it.”

– Blue in Snow by Orhan Pamuk, p. 350

10. “ ‘Ignorance is not a tragedy,’ said Anton, ‘merely an opportunity. But to know and refuse to know what you know, that is foolishness.’ ”

- Shadow Puppets by Orson Scott Card, p. 91

For more Top Ten lists, visit Broke and Bookish

Top Ten Books I’d Recommend to Someone Who Doesn’t Read Classics

Posted on January 17, 2012 by Ronnica

I’ve heard it before by both adults and youth: “Classics are HARD!” Yes, they require some work. People of yesteryear weren’t accustomed to the instant entertainment we think is normal. They were willing to put in a little work…and benefited from it because of it. We can, too!

I think part of the problem is the common misconception that classics are stuffy and somber. Some are, sure, but many are actually quite light and funny once you get past the dusty cover.

Here are the top 10 classics I’d recommend to a newbie. There are others that are my favorites, but they’re not necessarily the most accessible. For instance, I didn’t put Tom Jones, Atlas Shrugged, or anything by a Russian author on this list, as much as I might like them.

For the sake of this list, I’ll use the word “classic” to mean any book written before 1950. Of course, just because a book is old doesn’t make it good, but if you’ve heard of it, there’s a good chance there’s a reason that it has stood the test of time.

1. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

There are two 5th grade girls in my life I’m trying to get to read this. I think many adult women have loved and read it, but if you haven’t, you should. It is incredibly easy to get into, and you immediately come to love the characters. I listen to the audio every year or so.

2. Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens

I really do enjoy Dickens, but he can be a bit much. I tend to find his ramblingness funny, but many just find it annoying. But if you’re going to try Dickens for the first time, this is a good place to start. And though we’ve come to think of Oliver Twist as a children’s story, the book was definitely not written for children.

3. Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell

Though this falls under my definition of “classic,” I hardly think of it in those terms. Still, I really enjoy it, especially in audio form. Actually, I recommend all classics in their audio versions.

I’m not sure why I like this so much considering I can’t stand Scarlett or Rhett. Perhaps it’s such an interesting picture of where we get when we allow our selfish desires to rule us.

4. Rebecca by Daphne duMaurier

I only first read this this past fall. I’ve had it on my shelf for years and just knew I would love it, and I did.

5. House of Mirth by Edith Wharton

This is one of my favorite classics of all time, and it’s probably for some of the same reasons why I love Gone with the Wind.

6. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Okay, this is a bit cliché, but there is a reason why Jane Austen is popular today: we relate. If you’ve not seen any of the movies, I’d actually rather recommend Sense and Sensibility, but if you’ve seen Pride and Prejudice, it’d be easier to get into the book.

For a teen, though, I’d recommend Northanger Abbey as their first Jane Austen.

7. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith

This book is so perfect in its simplicity about a simpler era. It’s easy to see how it was popular during WWII when people wanted an escape.

8. 1984 by George Orwell

Okay, so this is one of my all-time favorite classics, too. Also a frequent re-read. I’ve probably read it a half dozen times, and only this last time was I able to keep myself from tears when listening to the end.

9. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

I think the fact that the Frankenstein monster is in popular culture would make this a bit more accessible, but the book is probably nothing like what you’d expect. I hesitated putting it on this list, but I still think it’s a fairly comfortable place to start with the classics though it can get a bit bogged down in the details.

10. The Man Who Was Thursday by G. K. Chesterton

It’s been a couple years so I can’t exactly remember why I enjoyed it so much, but I know I did. As classics go, it’s not too long and it’s a bit more contemporary which makes it easier. This is high on my “to re-read” list, but I’m having a harder time since my library doesn’t have the audio of it.

For more top ten lists, visit Broke and Bookish

Top Ten Books I’m Excited To Read in 2012

Posted on January 3, 2012 by Ronnica

I received a lot of books for Christmas which adds to my reading excitement!

I really hope that The Journal is on your list of top ten books you’re excited to read about this year. If it is (or even if it’s not!) check out the giveaway where you can enter to win a $25 Amazon gift card!

My book reading doesn’t follow closely to when books actually come out. There are very few authors that I just have to have their latest, and those aren’t usually the type that come out with a new book every 6 months. That’s why most of these books have been out for a while. Regardless, these are the top 10 books I want to read right now:

1. Die Young: Burying Your Self in Christ by Hayley and Michael DiMarco

I have a review copy of this that I hope to get to any day. It looks really good.

2. The Shackled Continent: Power, Corruption, and African Lives by Robert Guest

I have this on my Nook from the library, so I hope to get to it very soon.

3. Counterfeit Gods by Timothy Keller

Ever since I read Prodigal God this fall, I’ve been wanting to read more from him.

4. The Geography of Bliss: One Grump’s Search for the Happiest Places in the World by Eric Weiner

I’m going to get this from the library for my Nook soon.

5. Earthen Vessels by Matthew Lee Anderson

My view of the physical body has definitely not been biblical, so trying to explore the idea more.

6. Insurgent by Veronica Roth

Okay, this one is actually coming out in 2012, and I’m excited for it!

7. Relationships: a Mess Worth Making by Timothy A. Lane and Paul David Tripp

I think this will be a good read to help me think more clearly about what it means to live in community with others.

8. Crossed by Ally Condie

I hope to get this in audio, though I did read a paper copy of the first.

9. Think: The Life of the Mind and the Love of God by John Piper

It’d be no surprise to most people that I’d want to think rightly about thinking.

10. Lost in the Middle: Midlife and the Grace of God by Paul David Tripp

You can never read enough Paul Tripp. I actually got this audiobook for Christmas from a dear friend. I laughed at first (look at the subtitle), but this book will be good for me right now as I face some life changes as well as a resource as I minister to others.

The Journal is Here

Posted on December 26, 2011 by Ronnica

After over a year of writing, editing, and more editing, The Journal is finally ready for mass consumption.

The Journal is available in hard copy on Amazon, and hopefully soon will be available at other online retailers as well. Like any other title, it’s eligible for free shipping with a $25 purchase.

You can also download The Journal in any standard ebook format from Smashwords. Even if you don’t have an ereader, this might be an affordable option for you as it’s only $4.99, and you can read the book on your computer.

Hope you enjoy! I appreciate you all for taking the time to read my blog and can’t believe there would be people who would pay to read my fiction.

Top Ten Books I Hope Santa Brings

Posted on December 20, 2011 by Ronnica

And by “Santa” I totally mean Mom and Dad…

I couldn’t narrow down what books I wanted to ask for for Christmas, so I didn’t. There are 26 books on my list. Hey, that works out to one every other week, so it’s not that much of overkill, is it?

Since I couldn’t narrow it down then, I definitely can’t narrow it down now. So these are the 10 b00ks on the top of that list (that wasn’t necessarily in any order)…

1. Relationships: a Mess Worth Making by Paul David Tripp and Tim Lane

2. Broken Down House by Paul David Tripp

3. Counterfeit Gods by Tim Keller

4. Heart for Community by John Fuder

5. Earthen Vessels by Matthew Lee Anderson

6. Mortification of Sin by John Owen

7. Dug Down Deep by Joshua Harris

8. Feeling and Faith by Brian Borgman

9. Gospel and Kingdom by Graeme Goldsworthy

10. Red Letter Christians by Tony Campolo

Ignorant Historian

"by a partial, prejudiced, and ignorant historian," – Jane Austen

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