Kisses from Katie by Katie Davis

Kisses from Katie by Katie Davis

She was fresh out of high school.

She traveled across the globe and fell in love.

With a nation, a culture, a villiage, a people.

She decided to love extravagantly.

She gave it all up - the comfort, the family, the friends, the American dream.

She is the mother of 14 children...at the age of 22.
She does it all in the name of Jesus.

She is an example to us all.

This book is her story. Incredibly inspiring. Unforgettable.

Watch this short video about Katie and her life in Uganda.



Katie's blog: Kisses from Katie

Amazima Ministries Website
Amazima Blog
I just bought a bright necklace from the Amazima Shop to support women and children in a Kenyan village.

One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp

One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp

I cannot say enough good things about this book. I can't. So, to keep myself from sounding like a gushing fool (which I would if I tried to describe exactly how this book impacted me) I will keep this review short and quite simple:

This book is about gratefulness. About a revolution in the way we think about how God blesses us and, in turn, how we can go about our lives being a blessing to others. The writing is profound, with beautiful imagery and maybe frilly at times but absolutely perspective-shifting. Absolutely.

If you are at all interested in this type of a book buy it. Because you will love it and you will write in it and dog-ear its pages and read it again and again. And you will be changed by it.

Cue big statement: it may possibly be the most life-changing book I've read second to only the Bible.

Yep.

I'm a gushing fool.

Here is a post I wrote on Star-Crossed just touching a little on how this book has changed me.

That Summer in Sicily by Marlena De Blasi

That Summer in Sicily by Marlena De Blasi

When I closed this book today, after reading the last words, I sighed and said, "Now that was a real book."

My husband looked at me wearily and shook his head, "And all the others aren't?" He asked quizzically. If I didn't know better I'd think he was tired of my nose-in-a-book habits.

But really, this book was total magic. The writing was so solidly good (an understatement, but true) and the story was grand and sweeping and...epic. (At the risk of jumping on the bandwagon of abusing that perfectly good word.) De Blasi lives in Italy - Venice, I think - and her adoration for the place, the culture, the people, the food drips from every page.

I'm just so in love with it I think I'll read it again. FYI: I never read a novel twice. I attempted to read my all time favorite, Gone with the Wind a second time and only got 1/4 of the way through. Just couldn't do it. But give me a few years and I'm almost positive I will pick this one up again. And I will certainly be hunting down the rest of De Blasi's work and enjoying every sumptuous bit.

Get this one. Read it. Thank me later. Ciao.

The Slow Moon by Elizabeth Cox

The Slow Moon by Elizabeth Cox

I had never read anything by Elizabeth Cox but picked this one up at the book swap I hosted last year and was assured it was "a good one." And so it was. Very Jodi Picoult in style and subject with a bit less action in the courtroom - which I appreciated.

I would say pick this one up in the summertime and be prepared to have it as a constant companion for a few days, it's one of those you find yourself sneaking to read in those few moments of downtime.

Choosing to See by Mary Beth Chapman

Choosing to See by Mary Beth Chapman

The story of Mary Beth Chapman (the wife of Christian music star Steven Curtis Chapman) contains one of those nightmarish, I-could-never-live-through-that moments we all hope will never touch us. One of her daughters was run over by her teenage son in the driveway killing the preschooler and leaving the family reeling with disbelief, questions, and  - ultimately - faith in the God they knew had his hand in it all.

This memoir begins early in Mary Beth's life and follows her through struggles common to many women: the yearning to control, the desire for a comfortable and predictable life, the realization that God has plans different from her own and clinical depression. Mary Beth takes her readers through the details of her three Chinese adoptions - my personal favorite part - with such candor.

Though it may not be the most masterfully written book it is touching and real and brought me to tears so often I fear my pillow may be water-logged for a long time.  This book leaves you feeling stripped and raw and completely in awe of God's healing and life-restoring power in the lives of His people.



Bittersweet by Shauna Niequist

Bittersweet by Shauna Niequist

When one of my most precious friends texted me imploring me to read one of Shauna Niequists books because, "it reminded me of you" I couldn't resist.

She was right on. This book is right up my alley.

Thoughts on life depicted with just the right mix of flourish and realism.

There were so many moments when I found myself nodding emphatically and giving an empathetic, "Mmmm..." or proclaiming, "yes!" to one of Niequists beautiful insights.

Bittersweet looks at life and all of its flawed, exquisite nuances. We see how, in one of the darkest seasons of her life, Shauna finds the light. In a time when bitterness could have swallowed her, she sought out the sweetness of life.

This book made me want to throw a weekend-long soiree for my longest-lost girlfriends; it made me want to dine on wine and cheese under twinkle lights in the backyard; it made me want to order Chinese take-out and eat it on pillows on the floor. It inspired me to see my life in all of its facets...hard, unsure, funny, doubtful, sweet, delicious, confusing...and look at exactly what God is trying to teach me.

Nigella Lawson by Gilly Smith

Nigella Lawson by Gilly Smith

I find Nigella Lawson a completely fascinating woman. This book, sadly, did her no justice. The four chapters I read (forced myself to read...) were terribly boring. This "unauthorized biography" (hint: next time get authorization, Gilly) was an atrocious compilation of quotes from her books, columns and TV shows. I could do an Internet search and get this information.

Not a worthwhile read at all. I'll wait for the authorized biography, thankyouverymuch, and you should too.

Burnt Mountain by Anne Rivers Siddons

Burnt Mountain by Anne Rivers Siddons

I'm an avid ARS fan. I think I've said it before on this blog but one of my all time favorite books is Colony by her. Just. so. good.

Burnt Mountain, her newest, had all the trappings of her classic, Southern story. Family dramatics, intoxicating locations (I have a love-affair with the deep southeast), and captivating characters. I read this one in three days, quite out of the ordinary for me, I think I was spurred on by the knowledge that my school break lasts only for the weekend and I need to get this one read...fast.

What took this one down a couple of notches for me was the inclusion of so much mysticism. One of the central characters got much too caught up in his Irish folklore and went off the deep end at the climax of the book, causing quite a dramatic ending. Dramatics usually fit seamlessly in to ARS's masterpieces but this one just didn't ring true with me. Can't exactly put my finger on the reason why.

It was good. The writing was gorgeous. But it wasn't my favorite.

The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins

The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins

I hesitate to write my review on this one for a few reasons. One; a sweet online friend recommended it to me and I don't want to make her think I'm not appreciative or think she has terrible taste in books (neither of these things is true!). Two; it is supposed to be a literary masterpiece and going against that praise is probably going to make me look very ignorant. Three; I fear my dislike of the book has a lot to do with my stage in life and the fact that I am in the midst of nursing school and totally can't handle heavy leisure reading at the moment.

When I started this book (a few months ago? I know!) I really liked it. Loved the characters, the plot was interesting enough and there was mystery. Although it moved a bit slowly for my taste (as much 19th century literature tends to) I stuck with it thinking, "surely it will get more fast paced, it's a suspense novel, after all." And with the cult following that occurred when this book emerged in the 1800's - a lot like the Twilight phenomenon that is happening now, people naming their children after characters, women swooning over it, reading it multiple times - I thought it must be wonderful! I started out excited.

But...300 pages in and still not even half way through I started to get discouraged. (Like I said, it may have something to do with my semester of statistics and logic classes.) I was getting tired of the story and the snail's pace at which it was moving. But I didn't give up.

...not until page 650, when I didn't care even a little bit about what the big secret was, and whodunit. I didn't care. I was finished.

And so, with only 100-ish pages left in the book, I closed it and returned it to the library (after multiple renewals because I'd had it for nearly 2 months) with a sigh and an equal mixture of reader's guilt and reader's relief.

I gave up on a book with only 20% remaining to read. That's rare, people.

Take my review as you will.

Ravenous by Dayna Macy

Ravenous by Dayna Macy

I definitely fit into the category of "food lover." Just hop over to my regular blog to see...quite a high ratio of food-postings found there. So when I came across this free offering on my Kindle I didn't hesitate to push "buy." I'm always skeptical when it comes to free Kindle books. Usually they're trash, but this one had me by the first page.

I was taken with the language and flow of Dayna Macy's writing style. Her descriptions of food, her love for her California home and her candid way of speaking about food obsession were perfect.

The only thing I found lacking was the bit about her "assignment" to overcome her food addiction was confined by her book deadline (at least that's how it felt). She had a year to write Ravenous and so she fit it all in a perfect year and tied it all up in a perfect little bow by the end of that year...just in time to write the memoir. Hmm...something about it read as inauthentic. Can food addiction really be overcome or at least fully understood within a year? I feel like there needs to be a sequel entitled "Still Ravenous" or something along those lines.

That's my only complaint. Otherwise it was a delightful, sensory pleasing, food-for-the-soul type of book that I would recommend to other food-lovers. And, for the record, I would totally read "Still Ravenous" if it appeared in the future.

The 4-Day Win by Martha Beck



The Four Day Win by Martha Beck

I know, I know...a diet book. Roll your eyes. It has all of the signs and symptoms of being another gimmicky, short-term fad diet book. But its not. I promise you, it's totally not.

I wasn't familiar with Martha Beck before I picked this book up, but apparently she's done a lot of work in the health industry and most of it has been dealing with the way the American thought processes effect our weight-loss or...lack thereof.

This book is changing the way I think, not just the way I act...or try to act. So much of the time I set out to lose that "last 15" from my pregnancy days and try to will-power my way through some insane diet regime, only to fail miserably 2 or 3 days in.

Beck promises to help you reinvent the way you think about food, to stop your weight-gaining thought patterns and turn you into a skinny person - for life. The kind of person that never worries about their weight again. I have to say, I was a skeptic when I read those promises...but I am a skeptic no more. Through the exercises put forth in this book I truly have found it within myself to stop overeating and eat only what my body needs. You guys...I love food...this is monumental. And you know what? I still love food as much as I did before I started the book...I love food and I've lost weight.

Now, my numbers aren't going to knock any one's socks off. I started the book about 10 days ago and I've lost 6 pounds. Six pounds that would. not. budge. in the last six months. I was running, I was dieting, I was freaking out and fretting and not a pound was coming off. I read this book, took some deep breaths, implemented the ideas that seemed like they would work for me and off came the pounds. If that doesn't sell you, I don't know what will.

Five stars for this little baby...I would give six if I could - one for each pound. : )

Heaven is for Real by Todd Burpo

Heaven is for Real by Todd Burpo

Where to start...this book has had an impact on me. The story is of an (almost) four-year-old boy who has surgery on his ruptured appendix. He comes through the emergency surgery and - after a few glitches - is released and has his health restored. The story surrounding his illness and hospitalization is enough to make anyone with faith in God believe that his return to health was a miracle.

But that's not even the half of it...

While Colton (the 4-year-old) was on the operating table, he was taken to heaven. For three minutes. Yep. Heaven. He saw it all. He met Jesus (I'm insanely jealous of this one, by the way), met his sister whom his mother miscarried and his deceased great-grandpa, saw rainbows and people with wings, he saw the throne of God.

These stories and many others came out in the few years following his hospitalization and his family was amazed at the way his stories of heaven lined up with what they knew about the Bibles descriptions of heaven. While Colton was a boy raised in the church and attended sunday school, the book of Revelation was not one that was on the curriculum list, so his family knew that the stories he was telling were first-hand, not just rote learning.

I had heard of this story a few times and seen it in the book stores...I was skeptical. Because there are a lot of quack books and stories about heaven out there. Ones that just have a ring of insincerity and obvious theological flaws. But this one? This one's different. This one feels real.

It brought me to tears a few times. The descriptions of Jesus' face, "his eyes, his eyes are so pretty!" and the insistence by Colton that Jesus loves the children so much. It was all I could do to swallow my emotions and dab at the tears (I was in public while reading...not my brightest idea).

This is a must read.

Come back and let me know if you read it...

(My "four star" rating was only because of the writing style. Todd Burpo used the term "upchuck" and a few other strange (nonliterary) devices that annoyed me, but he's not supposed to be a writer, he's just telling an amazing story. Content deserves a "five star" though.)

The Paris Wife by Paula Mclain

The Paris Wife by Paula Mclain

{Unabridged Audio Book Version}

This is the fictionalized story of Ernest Hemingway and his first wife (he had four, and its easy to see why from this account), Hadley. It tells of how they met in Chicago and corresponded long-distance between Chicago and St. Louis - interesting since these are two cities I am so familiar with. Their romance was short and sweet and then they married and moved pretty quickly afterward to Paris so Ernest could write - I guess that's what all of the serious "artists" were doing those days, flocking to Paris to do their work.

Honestly, it was quite a sweetly, melancholy story. Ernest was sort of a narcissistic, needy type; always needing to be reassured in some way or another about his manhood, his ability to write great literature, his place in Hadley's heart. (There are people in my life that remind me of him and his self-focused ways...not naming any names but, boy, would that be a hard type to live with!) I wouldn't have put up with it for 2 seconds, personally, but Hadley was an angel.

They travelled from Paris to Spain quite a bit. To mountains to ski and vacation and it was really quite a charmed life they were living if it hadn't been for the dysfunction.

When Ernest took a mistress (after much flirting and a few affairs with other women) about 4 1/2 years into their marriage, he fully expected Hadley to go along with the idea and for everyone to become one big happy family. To witness the falling apart of their marriage (via the novel) was heartbreaking and Mclain did a lovely job making it real and raw.

Room by Emma Donoghue

Room by Emma Donoghue

What a ride. This book was a wonder. It's the story of a 5-year-old boy, Jack, {told from his perspective} and his mother captive in an 11-by-11 foot room. No windows, no access to the outside world {other than television} and no hope of escape. Until Jack and his mother attempt an act of bravery that is unbelievable to me as a mother of a 5-year-old boy myself.

I'm not one of those marathon readers; picking up a book and plowing through it until I get to the last page. I tend to savor a book, reading little bit at time and taking days - sometimes weeks - to finish a book. And, with my crazy life, I can't afford the time commitment and absence it takes to get lost in a book.

I got lost in Room. I read all it in a matter of 36 hours. {Broken up, but still...} And yeah, the reading was very easy and quick given that the perspective was from that of a preschooler. But it was so so good. A must-read. And will most definitely be my favorite for May.

Have you read this one? What did you think? I'd love to get a bit of a discussion started in the comments...

The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister

The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister

After reading this book I am hungry. Or maybe not...maybe I'm totally fulfilled...

Do you find that there is a fine line between the two? I do. Because sometimes when you've been completely filled up there is this delicious subtle yearning. That's what this book does.

This is the story of a cooking class and its seven students. Each chapter centers around one of the students lives and circumstances bringing them to the cooking class. The vignettes of lives lived are poignant and beautifully written. The descriptions of food leave you with a watering mouth and inspired to hit the kitchen in a new way. {I swear I created some of the best split pea and sausage soup because of reading this book...and ate it while I read a chapter...perfection.}

If you are a lover of food - I am...hopelessly so - you will adore this book.

It looks like Bauermeister has another coming out this summer promising to be just as magical. Check out the details at her website here.

Radical by David Platt

Radical by David Platt

This book. Life-changer. Perspective-shifter. Game-changer. It's a must-read for every Christian in America.

I felt that I already had a broad view of God and what His purpose for me (and, more broadly, Christianity) was. I did have a grasp on it all...but a very very loose one. God isn't a God of the American dream, He doesn't believe in it. He designed us for something radically different. A life of service to other people. A life of sacrifice. A life of total abandonment to our own earthly desires to bring other people hope. It's so big. It's so much bigger than me and it makes me scared but it's also comforting. Comforting to know that its not about me. My life isn't supposed to center around me...what a meaningless existence! It's supposed to orbit around Him and His purposes and His glory.

I'm ready to change some things; things I focus on and deem worthy of my time and energy. I'm ready to get a little bit radical...

A Year in the World by Frances Mayes

A Year in the World by Frances Mayes

I've just gotten back from the most breathtaking trip. The Greek isles, Morocco, the Turkish coast, Spain, France, Italy and, my surprising favorite, Portugal. It was sumptuous and sweeping; the food a living, breathing entity on its own. The vistas and architecture and history all giving me abundantly more than I could have thought, yet leaving me wishing for more...more...more...

I didn't even leave Missouri. I just picked up Frances Mayes' travel memoir and got lost in the world. I wish I didn't have to be found again.

This book is the height of "armchair travel," that interesting genre of material that takes you places in your mind and makes you feel like you've almost been there. Fantastic. If I didn't have the travel bug before (and I did) then I surely have it now.

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

I finished this book a few days ago and I miss the series...

The third book in the Hunger Games series was so different from the first two, but it wrapped up the story so nicely. All of the characters, circumstances and plot lines were tied up with a nice little bow. And the heroine ended up with the right guy...and that's what matters in YA literature, right?

I'm looking forward to the movie coming out in 2012...

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

This is the second book in The Hunger Games series (Book #1 reviewed HERE) but I'm sure you already know that. You need to be living under a rock not to know about this trilogy.

I loved The Hunger Games last month. I loved Catching Fire this month. Fluff reading, I'll totally admit - which is funny in light of my uber heavy read I just reviewed - but exactly what I've been needing.

This was a worthy sequel to The Hunger Games. Catching Fire had the same elements that drew me into the first book and some new elements and characters to keep it fresh. My only (minuscule) complaint would be that it ended so abruptly. I just wasn't feeling the big cataclysmic build up to the end. Yes, it was surprising. But I just didn't feel that "the end is near" feeling that you're supposed to get with these books. Maybe because the entire book is so "the end is near" that there's not much room for a climax.

You're not going to get a spiritual jolt from this one, or even learn huge life lessons (I suppose you could...) but it sure is a fun read.

(Note: I'm on to Mockingjay - #3 in the series - and not loving at much as the first two...time will tell.)

Desiring God by John Piper

Desiring God: Meditations of a Christian Hedonist by John Piper

Phew. It's taken me quite the stretch of time to get through this book. Heavy. It wasn't the most riveting reading, didn't keep me itching to crack the cover and read a few more pages - not like C.S. Lewis does - but I'm so glad I read it.

The ideas in Desiring God are the crux of Piper's ministry and as such a respected pastor and speaker (his church is Bethlehem Baptist in the Twin Cities) I have been meaning to read some of his writing for years.

I have to be honest, the term "christian hedonist" sort of threw me and I'm still a little jarred by the terminology - the two words together are supposed to be an oxymoron - but I completely understand where Piper is going with it. I'm not going to presume I can eloquently state what exactly he means by christian hedonism, it takes an entire 300+ page book to explain, so if the byline has peaked your interest I encourage you to read this book.

Be sure to have your study tools handy: highlighter, notebook and granola bars...it's going to be a long road.