What's On My Nightstand \\ June 2012

School is out for the summer (for me, anyway), and in only a little over a week I have devoured four books. I'm trying to get used to not having anything to study, and books have been a good substitute. But since I have so much time on hand to read these days, I'm trying to choose the books I read more carefully. Of course, I'm still reading fun stuff, but I'm also adding in some books that will help me think a little more.

Here's the books I've read since last Nightstand's post. (The only thing I've started reading from my possibilities list on that post is One Thousand Gifts. A bit of a failure on that count.) All covers but The Crossing are linked to my reviews. I even did a little comparison between Divergent and The Hunger Games. (Divergent won.)

I was in a fiction sort of mood I guess. (Finals sent me there.) Fix by Force was my favorite of the four (seriously, read it), but Divergent was a close second.

So this is a picture of some books I've been reading and some I'm hoping to start in the near future. I think I can do much better at this list than last month's. Hopefully.

I've started Little Women as part of a Louisa May Alcott Summer Reading Challenge at In The Bookcase. I've been wanting to read this for far too long (I may have even started it at one point years ago) so I thought this was the perfect time. I even watched the Winona-Ryder-as-Jo movie version a few days ago. Still one of my favorites, though I'm thinking about getting a hold of the older movie version, just to see how it compares.

On my Kindle I'm reading One Thousand Gifts, which I'm also blogging about every week. I'm liking it much more than I thought I would. (This book is also on my Spring Reading Thing list.)

The Spanish book is there for a reason. I desperately want to learn to speak it fluently. (Well, maybe not that desperately since it hasn't happened yet.) This book leaped at me from the Barnes & Noble shelf because it has the word utterly in it. I should use that word more often.

Bonhoeffer has been on my list for a long while. I will read it this summer.

I've wanted to read The Mysterious Benedict Society since I read this review at Reading to Know. I picked it up at my library and will be getting into it shortly.

I also saw A Red Herring Without Mustard at my library and knew right away that I needed to continue Flavia's story. I haven't read a good mystery since, I think, my last encounter with Flavia in The Weed That String's the Hangman's Bag.

Seeds is a memoir. I got to meet the author a few weeks ago and I just know it will be a good book.

Out of this list I'm most looking forward to Bonhoeffer. I'm hoping to eventually get my hands on the follow-up to Divergent, Insurgent, and I've recently started listening to Sense and Sensibility while I exercise, which isn't exactly motivation, but it does keep me from getting bored. Also, I discovered some free ebooks I got for my Kindle a while back and randomly started reading Rain Song. It's kind of sleepy and slow at the moment, so I read a chapter or two before bed. (It isn't living up to its beautiful cover, I hate to say.)

I've also stopped to wonder recently if reading more than one book at a time is a good thing. I don't think I can help it. Right now I'm really just switching between Little Women and Rain Song. A classic, a contemporary. I think that's a good mix. And the Spanish book gives me non-fiction. Wow, you'd think I was talking about food pyramids (excuse me, it's a plate now).

Leave me a comment and I'll most definitely read your Nightstand post. (Because all I need is more suggestions!)

Happy reading!

ETA: I realize I just skipped over May, apparently. This should be titled May and not June, but, alas, if I change it now the link won't work over at 5 Minutes for Books. So, for now, it is June.

Review & Giveaway \\ The Secret Life of a Fool by Andrew Palau

And the winner is . . .  Sandra Stiles!

"People seem to want guys like me—son of a preacher man—to have some scandalous reason for all my 'mistakes.' But my scandal is less of what you might expect and more like something we all deal with: our dirty selves."

\\ About the Book \\ He spent his growing-up years living for himself-recklessly rebelling against his evangelist father's faith, numb to God and to the letters his father wrote him, immersed in the dark side of life. Until one intense night in the Jamaican Blue Mountains that allowed him to see himself in the mirror of grace, changing everything. The Secret Life of a Fool is Andrew Palau's unforgettable journey of running from God-and the crushing, freeing experience of coming back to Him. It is a story of getting high, burning up cars, being stranded in Europe, surviving a near-fatal plane crash, and utter despair overcome by simple grace-and a father's love, expressed in excerpted letters throughout this book.

"This book then is a peek into my life, but more than that, it's a story-arc that tells how a life that was discarded and broken can be gathered up again and remade." 

Honest. That's the adjective I think best describes Andrew Palau's new memoir, The Secret Life of a Fool: One Man's Raw Journey From Shame to Grace. It's a thoughtful testimony about an imperfect person's encounter with a perfect God. I love it.

I love it because the author doesn't try to build himself up in any way. Andrew Palau recounts his past in often vicious terms, refusing to, as he says in one chapter, consider his past mistakes as moments of "sowing wild oats."

I love it because, while reading The Secret Life of a Fool, I felt like I had just sat down with Andrew Palau to share stories and encouragement. I didn't feel like I was being preached to, but that someone who really cares wanted me to know I was not alone in my mess-ups, breakdowns, and all-around selfishness.

I love it because, unlike some memoirs, The Secret Life of a Fool ends in hope. There is a real-life happy ending here, and it is filled with the grace and peace that only God can give.

If you are curious about the Christian life, if you're a fan of memoirs, if you just want to know that someone else struggles to, this book is for you.

\\ About the Author \\ Andrew Palau, son of international evangelist Luis Palau, is an evangelist in his own right—organizing outreach events worldwide for the Palau Association and regularly sharing the gospel with tens of thousands. Andrew can be heard on the daily radio program Reaching Your World, which is on more than 850 radio stations in 27 countries. He and the Palau team have also been featured in some of the world’s leading media outlets including the Associated Press, Forbes Online, The Washington Post, CNBC Asia and USA Today. In addition, Andrew maintains his own website, which receives 5,000 visitors a month. He and his wife have three children and live in Portland, Oregon, close to the world headquarters of the Palau ministry.

Are you interested? Worthy Publishing has most kindly offered one of my readers a free copy of The Secret Life of a Fool! Leave your email address in a comment below and on April 19, 2012 a winner will be picked! Please enter; this is a great book. And before you go, watch the book trailer below.

\\ In Case You Were Wondering \\Title: The Secret Life of a Fool: One Man's Raw Journey from Shame to GraceAuthor: Andrew PalauPublisher: Worthy PublishingPublication Date: April 3, 2012Pages: 191ISBN: 193603476XMany thanks to the publisher for sending me a review copy!

Spring Reading Thing 2012 \\ The Start

March 20th - June 20th

Spring Reading Thing 2012 has arrived! Katrina at Callapidder Days is hosting once again with her challenge to make a few reading goals this Spring. It is a very low pressure challenge, as I can heartily attest to. If you're interested, click the button above, then add your link.
Five books. That's my goal. Since Spring covers about three months, I think I can manage it. I'll probably end up with more than five since I'm not counting the books for my English class in this list, but I thought I'd feel better if I set the bar a bit lower than usual. Some of these books I've already started, so I'm already a step ahead.

What can I say about The Pilgrim's Progress? It's a classic!

I've been meaning to get around to One Thousand Gifts for a long while. I'm going into it a bit wary; books with a lot of hype surrounding them make me suspicious.

On the mention of hype... I've had Mockingjay on hold at my library for the past few weeks and it finally came it. It's pretty popular, apparently (as if I hadn't noticed). My sis read this before me and I'm just upset that she knows how it ends before I do.

I like a memoir every now and then. The Secret Life of a Fool: One Man's Raw Journey From Shame to Grace looks intriguing.

I'm nervous about reading this book, because perfection is my enemy and letting go of it is a little difficult and unnerving for me. Letting Go of Perfect: Women, Expectations, and Authenticity will definitely be an interesting read for me.

Looking at the covers of these books excites me! I'm excited to dive into spring! (Though so far the whole allergies thing hasn't been kind to me.) I'm coming off a high after spring break, too, so I'll let you know how I'm doing in a few weeks when I'm neck deep in assignments.

Spring is here. It's the time to stand in the middle of a grassy field speckled with wildflowers, spread arms wide, and breathe deeply. Happy reading this Spring!

"The feathery kiss of destiny sent a shiver over her soul as the breeze rushing over the mountaintop tapped her legs."

The Wedding Dress by Rachel Hauck

Titles crossed out have been completed. :)

52 Weeks 52 Verses \\ Week Five

Oh these weeks are flying by! I'm not having too much trouble memorizing one verse per week. Trying to remember the Week One verse when it is already four weeks later...that's a little tough. My constant prayer:

May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart

be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.

Psalm 19:14

52 Weeks 52 Verses \\ Week Four

It's week four of 2012 already! I'm a little late in posting this, sadly. This past week I have been memorizing John 6:35.

Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life.

He who comes to me will never go hungry,

and he who believes in me will never be thirsty."

John 6:35

Why this verse? It says a lot to me about how Jesus is my very basic need. I need Him more than food or water. He is Life, and without Him I am dead.

What's On My Nightstand \\ Jan. 2012

I'm letting go.

I'm letting go of this feeling that I must devour every book in sight. Because I no longer feel that knowledge can only be found in books. (I never completely thought that, thankfully.) Because a book should be something someone wants to read, not something someone thinks she has to read. (I know, this completely screws up school's assigned reading.) A book is a gateway, not an anchor. And even if books continue to accumulate unread on shelves, if I can't seem to read them all, it will be okay. Because even if I don't read it, someone will someday. I'll make sure of that.

Voltaire by Candide. I recently finished this one for a class I'm taking, but I really enjoyed it. It's satirical and philosophical, and it was most definitely interesting.

Emily of New Moon by L.M. Montgomery. My initial desire to participate in Carrie's challenge was great, but I have yet to get into this one and the challenge is almost over! I'll read it nevertheless. (And I've just heard about a Laura Ingalls Wilder challenge in February and I'm trying to be level-headed about it, but I may give in and join anyway!)

Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad. I have absolutely no idea of what this book is about. It's for my class as well.

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien. You know the movie adaptation is coming out Winter 2012, right? I'm almost done with this one. One word: enchanting.

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. Another one for my class. (If you haven't noticed this particular class is an English course, the theme of which is, in essence, a musing on whether or not a person can gain too much knowledge. Makes for interesting discussion.) I've read Frankenstein before and enjoyed it very much. I'm excited to re-read and see what I missed. (I'm recovering from the belief that re-reading a book when there are so many unread books out in the world is idiotic. I'm starting to think it is pretty nice.)

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien. Of course I'll have to read the trilogy after I finish The Hobbit. I picked this up at a cozy used bookstore that I discovered (oh dear) and though "used" the spine isn't even bent. Yay for me!

I edited this after further thought to mention that my local library just got digital downloads of audio books, of course for free. Oh, I love it. I just started listening to Lynn Austin's A Woman's Place and I'm listening to Frankenstein when I'm on the way to school (I have over a half hour commute). It's wonderful!

And now for a parting quotation from Frankenstein:

"How dangerous is the acquirement of knowledge and how much happier that man is who believes his native town to be the world, than he who aspires to be greater than his nature will allow."

52 Weeks 52 Verses \\ Week Three

The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; 

your love, O Lord, endures forever—

do not abandon the works of your hands.

Psalm 138:8

52 Weeks 52 Verses \\ Week Two

"Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen." ~ Ephesians 4:29

The second week of January is nearing its end. My memory verse for this week is a message that I am forever trying to remember. I've read this verse a million times but I never got around to memorizing it. As someone who likes to talk, I often find myself in sticky situations involving toothpaste and the inability to stuff the gunk back into the tube. Though the old saying "sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me" still floats around, the truth of the matter is that words are powerful, and we are each called by God to use them wisely.

52 Weeks 52 Verses \\ Week One

This year I'm participating in a challenge to memorize one Bible verse a week throughout the whole of 2012. Every Friday I'll post the verse I have been memorizing that week, and a little about why I want to learn it. Click the button to find out how you can join in!


This week I've been memorizing:

"My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart
and my portion forever."

Psalm 73:26

This verse held a lot of meaning for me in 2011, but I never really memorized it. I've struggled with some health issues in the past few months, and this verse reminds me that no matter my physical state, God will always be near.

2012 \\ Books I Must Read

I like lists. Lots and lots of lists. 2012 is here and instead of seeing the glaring pile of BOOKS I HAVE NOT READ dwindling, I see it ever growing. So many books, so little time, yes? These are a few books that I really want to read/complete in 2012.

• Bonhoeffer by Eric Metaxas. A little Christmas gift to me and I can't wait to start it.
• Les Miserables by Victor Hugo. I will finish this book before I die!! (I hope.)
• The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
• Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen.
• Made to Crave by Lysa TerKeurst.
• The Maid of Fairbourne Hall by Julie Klassen.
• North and South by Elisabeth Gaskell.
• A Red Herring Without Mustard by Alan Bradley.
• My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers. Let's see if I can finally keep up with a daily devotional.

I will be adding to this list, I am sure. What are some books that you must read this year?

Challenge \\ Lucy Maud Montgomery Reading Challenge 2012

It's January 2nd and the Lucy Maud Montgomery Reading Challenge has just begun. Carrie at Reading to Know is kindly hosting once again. The rules of this challenge? Read as many of Montgomery's books as you like, or as many books about the author as you like.

I'm making a small goal this year, simply to read Emily of New Moon, the first book in the Emily series. Last year I read Anne of Green Gables and I think it would be fun to compare the two fictional characters.

Click the button to find out how you can join in. I'm so looking forward to getting lost in another of Montgomery's stories!