What I'm Reading {On}

It has been a year since I got my first Kobo eReader. To be honest, I never dreamed that I would love it quite so much.

That is not to say that I never buy actual books anymore. Of the 14 books I have read so far, only six of them were read on my Kobo. But, of the 12 in the list to the left that I am currently reading, seven of them are on my Kobo.

I will always love paper, the smell of paper, the weight of it. I will always be interested in the fonts used, the bindings, the texture of the paper used in books. These things are constants and will never change.

But I do love the convenience of the Kobo. Of having 202 books at my fingertips whenever I have a few moments to read. Of being able to travel without backbreakingly carrying 12 books in my carry-on, as I did for last year's NYC vacation.

And then there is the fact that every few weeks, a whole new slew of free eBooks become available on Kobo. I have gotten some beautiful ones, including the one I wrote about last week, The Magician's Elephant by Kate DiCamillo, for absolutely nothing. These free books have introduced me to new authors and saved me money on ones I thought I would have liked, but ended up not. You've got to love anything that gets you free books. Seriously.

If you haven't tried eBook reading, I highly recommend that you do. And the beauty of it is that you don't actually even need to have an eReader to do so. Any smartphone, iPad, or computer will run the Kobo App, and you can have access to the free books any time. Give it a whirl, and let me know what you think.

It's been a good reading year. Happy anniversary, little friend!

"The Magician's Elephant" by Kate DiCamillo

Every once in a while, I come across a book that, even before I have turned the first page to the second, I know it will be pure magic. I know that I will hate for it to end. I know that it will be one of my favorites ever.

The Magician's Elephant by Kate DiCamillo is just such a book.

I have fallen in love with orphan Peter Augustus Duchene, the boy hero of the story, his missing sister Adele, an elephant whose name I wouldn't understand, and Leo and Gloria Matienne, the police officer and his wife who, while childless, have all the love in the world in their hearts to give .

Now, I could go on gushing, but that would do a disservice to this magical, beautiful, hope and wonder-filled book. But instead, I will let Ms. DiCamillo's words do the job for me. Here are some of my very favorite quotes...

"Leo Matienne had the soul of a poet, and because of this, he liked very much to consider questions that had no answers. He liked to ask, 'What if?' and 'Why not?' and 'Could it possibly be?'"

* * * * *

"Magic is always impossible," said the magician. "It begins with the impossible and ends with the impossible and is impossible in-between. That is why it is magic."

* * * * *

"Beyond the alley, past the public parks and the police station, up a steep and tree-lined hill, stood the home of the count and countess Quintet, and in that mansion, in the darkened ballroom, stood the elephant.

She should have been sleeping, but she was awake.

The elephant was saying her name to herself.

It was not a name that would make sense to humans. It was an elephant name—a name that her brothers and sisters knew her by, a name that they spoke to her in laughter and in play. It was the name that her mother had given to her and that she spoke to her often and with love.

Deep within herself, the elegant said this name, her name, over and over again.

She was working to remind herself of who she was. She was working to remember that, somewhere, in another place entirely, she was known and loved."

There are so many brilliant lines, so much magic in this book, that one really must experience it for oneself. Do yourself a favor: drop what you are doing right now, and go get yourself this book. If you have a Kobo, get it here, like I did. But whatever you need to do to get your hands on it, you won't be sorry.

What I'm Reading

Believe it or not, I am still on my way to having 60 books read this year.

That being said, I am a bit behind. Even for someone as numerically challenged as it am, i know that sixty books a year means five books a month. Given that we are more than halfway through May, the GoodReads widget to your left should say that I have 23 books read already.

Clearly that is not the case.

But given that summer—that most dreaded of all seasons for someone like myself—is just around the corner, I have a feeling that there will be no shortage of page turning coming my way as I attempt to hide from the heat, humidity and horrible glare from the sun.

One of my biggest struggles in attempting to read as much as humanly possible in a year is that many of the books I choose to read—most of which recommended to me or taken from the reading lists of people I admire—are books that cannot be read quickly. Some cannot be read quickly because they are designed so, such as the Rilke and Nouwen day books, meant to be read a bit every day. Others cannot be read quickly, because I so love the book, the last thing I want to do is read it quickly and have it end before I am ready. That would be tragic.

So here is what I'm reading right now...

The Thank You Economy {Gary Vaynerchuk} Someone in my Church Communications Group Tweeted that he was reading this book and that every Church Communications person out in the Twitterverse should read it. So I exercised my ever-growing Kobo Wi-Fi skills, and in moments, had it in my hot little eReader. I'm almost halfway through, and can tell you it is making me totally rethink how I do my job, and how it can be done so much better.

Walking On Water {Madeleine L'Engle} This one has been on the list for a while. It's one of those that I refuse to read quickly, simply because I don't want this time with Madeleine to end.

Harvesting Fog {Luci Shaw} A poetry book, again, designed to not rush through. I feel the need to go back again and again to each poem to get every drop of life in them.

Everything Belongs {Richard Rohr} Derek and Jennifer, my youngest brother and sister-in-law sent me this book off my Amazon wishlist for my birthday. Another one not meant to be rushed through, there is so much wisdom in the book on contemplative prayer, I can already tell that I will need to read it again!

Emma {Jane Austen} I've begun Emma many, many times in the past, but for some reason, this time I am still going. This may be my favorite of Jane's...

That is all I have for now. I'll have some favorite words to share with you later this week, some from the above books.

Review: The Watcher by Sara Davison

Too much of Kathryn Ellison's life has been defined by the words, "wrong place, wrong time". It all started with the brutal attack twenty years ago, that set everything in motion. Then, through the events of the aftermath, Nick Lawson walked into her life. While she could not deny the fact that there was something undeniable between them in their meeting, she was in absolutely no position to act on the impulse of her heart.

Now, all these years later, Nick knocks on her door once more, to see if perhaps there might be another chance for the two of them. But before Kathryn can move ahead, the memories and ghosts of the past must first be laid to rest. Unbeknownst to Kathryn, however, one of the 'ghosts' has just escaped from prison, and has only one thing on his mind, finishing what he didn't on that night twenty years ago.

Full of suspense with overarching themes of forgiveness and grace, and an unusual spiritual element, The Watcher is a good first novel for Sara Davison. While it took me a bit to get into the book, by the time I was halfway through, I was more than hooked, and ended up losing sleep in my need to know the outcome.

If you are a fan of suspense and mystery mixed with a bit of romance, you will enjoy The Watcher.

Book has been provided courtesy of Word Alive Press and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc. Available now from your favourite bookseller.

favorite words...

I had been wanting Luci Shaw's Harvesting Fog for a while, and it finally found its way into my home. While it is small, it is not a book to hurry through. There are some nights that I only get through one poem, and that one poem will not let go of me.

One such poem is this one. I hope that you enjoy it as much as I do...

Watchers
—Luci Shaw, Harvesting Fog, p. 26

Behold the fleck of ant
bearing with diligence his large
load of crumb down the long
mile of floorboard.

If, by observation, we become
part of an insect's life, is he
aware of us? What thread of vision
links antic and observant?
What false criterion of size?
And who is it who, watching us,
whispers Watch for Who it is
Who watches you?

Review: Devotions For Lent

Devotions for Lent from the Mosaic Bible is an excellent guide for the Lenten season. Divided into the six weeks that encompass the season, this little book belies its size by packing in more quotes, beautiful photos, poetry and inspiration than you can imagine. Even included are all of the scripture readings {in the back of the book}, so if you travel or commute, this one tiny little book can by your sole companion for all the whole season.

I have read other books on Lent, but this is definitely one of my favorites. Each of the six weeks is broken down by theme {Identifying Discontent, Dependence, God's Holiness & Grace, Sin & Death, Fasting, Hope}, and these themes are fleshed out in the words of Christ followers both ancient and modern {from Augustine to Lauren Winner} and Scripture. The combination creates a beautiful fusion that helps to prepare your heart as the days progress closer to the Holy Week, and Easter itself.

I am enchanted by the liturgical calendar, and how following it can enhance not only my relationship with God, but also prepare me for the spiritual rhythms of life. I love how even the ordinary days can be extraordinary when you pay attention.

But these are no ordinary days. This week marks the beginning of Lent. Having spent my early years in both Catholic school and the Catholic church, Lent is something that is ingrained in me as a time of deprivation. Time to give something up. but later in life, understanding how it fits into the liturgical calendar, Lent has also become a time of preparation for the celebration of Jesus' resurrection, Easter. I have come to understand that the deprivation is not an end to itself, but rather is to clear out your life to help prepare your heart, and better hear God.

Devotions For Lent is the perfect companion to do so. {oh, and because they come in packages of ten, you can share with your family, small group, or just bless random strangers!}


I have received a complimentary copy of the book for review purposes from Tyndale House.

favorite words {02.15.16}

sometimes life gets a bit crazy, and it takes a bit of catching up to get back on track. such is the last few days for me.

but last evening i got reacquainted with my life a bit, and got caught up on some reading, so now it's time to get caught up on some favorite words.

this is something from February 14's reading from Henri Nouwen's Bread For The Journey...

There is beauty and goodness right where we are. And only when we can see the beauty and goodness that are close by can we recognize beauty and goodness on our travels far and wide. There are trees and flowers to enjoy, painting and sculptures to admire; most of all there re people who smile, play, and show kindness and gentleness. They are all around us, to be recognized as free gifts to receive in gratitude.

Our temptation is to collect all the beauty and goodness surrounding us as helpful information we can use for our projects. But then we cannot enjoy it, and we soon find that we need a vacation to restore ourselves. Let's try to see the beauty and goodness in front of us before we go elsewhere to look for it.

this one has really hit home for me. since one of my words for 2011 is beauty, obviously there is that. but even more, given my day job as a graphic designer, too often do i use the beauty that surrounds me daily solely for my job, instead of to restore and renew myself.

i need to find a way for both...