Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Summer Reading

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2:28 PM
This is second year of my personal reading challenge of 50 books. Since graduating high school and college, my required reading assignments ceased, so it was on me to continue to challenge myself as a reader. These 50 books a year challenges, usually done with a friend like Becca, are perfect to inspire me to branch out in my reading and attain new goals! Using an app called GoodReads also helps keep us on track and discovering new reads! So here's the books I've been reading [and loving] this summer!


 Insurgent by Veronica Roth. This action packed sequel is the followup to the bestseller, Divergent. It's a young adult dystopian novel [think, Hunger Games] that really grips you from page one. I flew through book 1 and was eagerly awaiting this release. I highly recommend this series for fans of the genre!




 Forgotten God by Francis Chan. I loved this book regarding the power of the Holy Spirit. It was exactly what I needed to read at the time. Francis Chan really tackled the topic of the Holy Spirit in our churches and in our lives today. I was personally uncomfortable, challenged, and inspired while reading this. He helped put some Scriptures in new context for me, and even backed up some things I'd already been thinking. If you struggle with accepting the presence and filling of the Holy Spirit, read this book! If you are confident in the Spirit, read this book! It's fab.


 A Study in Scarlet by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Consider it London prep. After becoming hopelessly addicted to the BBC series, Sherlock, I went back to where it all started, when Sherlock meets Watson and together they solve their first case in A Study in Scarlet. It's timeless, witty, and easily a classic.




The Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor. A new twist on the Alice in Wonderful story that we all know and love. In this re-imagination, Alyss Hart is the princess of Wonderland, and through a series of events caused by her evil aunt Queen Redd, she escapes into 1890's London where she finds a world unlike the one she left. When someone offers to tell her story, she is hopefully, but finds out this Lewis Carroll got it all wrong. Alyss' kingdom is at war, and she must get back to save her people and reclaim her throne. But how?


 The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence. This short read was a collection of letters by Brother Lawrence that read almost like a New Testament gospel. Full of encouragement, admonition and solid teaching, Brother Lawrence consistently conveys the benefits and importance of intimacy with God. It's rich and deep, causing me often to put down the book and reflect on my own relationship with Christ. Aren't those the best kinds of books?


 New York: The Novel by Edward Rutherfurd. This is my second Rutherfurd read. I first discovered him while researching London, when I read his 1100 page historical fiction narrative of the history of the great city. It was epic. And so when I saw he had written one on New York as well, I had to read it. I'm actually still in the middle of this one, and it's excellent. From the Dutch settling the colony of New Amsterdam in the 1600's, to the struggle for independence from Britain in the 1700's, to the rise of Wall Street and the financial district in the early 1900's, it's full of history, but told in a way that doesn't feel like a history book. Rutherfurd follows 6 families through their lineage in New York City. As the times evolve, so do these families. By the end, you feel as you know them better then your own family history. Now, will I read his series on Russia? Not sure yet....

So that's what I've been reading, and I have a few more great ones lined up that I can't wait to start like Gone Girl, the current best selling thriller, and Start Something That Matters, the journey of Blake Mycoksie, founder of TOMS shoes, and finally Never Fall Down which is a young adult fictional account of a child soldier in Cambodia.

Got any books you've read recently that you recommend? Let me know! I love a good book swap :)

About the author

Joy Muldoon is a full-time missionary and part-time blogger. Read about her travels, adventures, and missions here!

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