What About Reading?

Top Ten Tuesday

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Today’s Top Ten List as suggested by The Broke and the Bookish is the Ten Bookish People You Should Follow on Social Media.

As much as I love to read, I must admit that I don’t follow too many “bookish” people because I am a writer, I follow “writer” people.  So I can list Four Bookish People that I think you should Follow on Twitter and one on Facebook:

Twitter:

  1.  Glenn Soucy @GlennSoucy1
  2. Faydra Deon @faydra_deon
  3. Readers Gazette @ReadersGazette
  4. Gary Lindberg @gary_lindberg

Facebook:

1.  Mindy Detweiler

Now, since writers write good books for the bookish people and because writers are bookish people too, here are five writers that I follow on Facebook that I think you should follow:

  1.  Grace Greene
  2. Jeanette Lavellie
  3. Shelley Adina
  4. Mike Dellosso
  5. Marsha Hubler

Top Ten Tuesday

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Today’s Top Ten Tuesday’s list as suggested by The Broke and the Bookish is: Ten of my Most Recent 5 Star Reads.

I have written reviews of all of these books on Amazon.com.  However, I wouldn’t say that all of these are “recent” as I do not give out “5 Star” reviews easily.  To me, 5 stars are for books that are outstanding, in their story line, in having well developed characters that I love and care about and hate to say goodbye to and in the quality of the writing.

The last book on this list, I read and reviewed in September of 2013, #9 I read and reviewed in December 2014, #’s 1-3 are the most recent – I read and reviewed those in 2016, all the rest I read and reviewed in 2015.

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Top Ten Tuesday

/ kellyfbarr / 4 Comments

Today’s Top Ten Tuesday’s theme is “Ten Books I Really Love But Feel Like I Haven’t Talked About Enough/in a While” as suggested by The Broke and the Bookish.

  1.  

I love the entire Chronicles of Narnia series, but The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is my absolute favorite.  This story is a wonderful story of faith, loyalty, love, sacrifice and redemption.  I love Lucy, Mr. Tumnus, Mr. and Mrs. Beaver, and Aslan.  I love to share this series with my children.  It is a story that left a strong impact upon me.

2.  

This incredible story is filled with French history, sometimes more than you desire as it distracts you from the actual story line at times when reading the unabridged version.  The story is filled with characters that invoke strong emotions, both positive and negative, as you read the story.  This, too, is a wonderful story of redemption, and, though I love the British soundtrack, I prefer the move drama adaptation starring Liam Neeson.

3. 

This story has such a strong message, more than one actually.  The characters are wonderfully written and they capture your heart.  There are wonderful lessons to be learned throughout this story as Atticus defends a black man in the old, deep south and as he must deal with the anger and dislike aimed at him and his family because of it.  Atticus also teaches his children some valuable lessons throughout the story, both through his words and his actions.

4.  

This is a true story about what happened to one family during the holocaust.  The story shows God’s protection of this family even in the concentration camps in unexpected ways.  It is an amazing story of faith, even in severe adversity.

5.  9781938314148: Fire & Water: A Suspense-filled Story of Art, Love, Passion, and Madness

This book has amazing characters who grab your heart and don’t let go.  The story can be quite intense at times, but you never stop cheering for Jake Bloom and Kate.  You long for Jake to find peace, and when the story ends, you will forever be changed by Jake’s story.

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This is one of my favorite romance stories of all time.  It includes a medieval knight who accidentally ends up in 20th century United States just when Dougless Montgomery needs rescuing.  What happens from that moment on will keep you turning pages until the very end.

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This is my favorite book that includes a dog as a main character.  After reading this book, I wanted a dog just like Einstein.

8.  

The Negotiator is the first book in the O’Malley series by Dee Henderson.  Dee creates wonderful characters in this series; characters you grow to know and love so much that when you reach the series end, you want more.  You don’t want to leave these characters,  you want the story of the rest of their lives (at least I did).

9.  

If you have never read this original story of Bambi, and the only Bambi you are familiar with is the Disney Bambi, you don’t know what you are missing.  I found this book in one of my elementary classrooms where the teacher had us choose a book from the shelf, read it and do a project of some kind on it.  After reading this book, Bambi took on much more meaning to me.  I am a huge animal lover.  I grew up watching and loving t.v. shows like “Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom” and “The Adventures of Grizzly Adams”.

10.  LOVE UNEXPECTED Read Online Free Book by Jody Hedlund at ReadAnyBook.

I love historical romance novels (that’s why I am writing them).  Anyway, I read the prequel to Love Unexpected and then couldn’t wait to get my hands on Love Unexpected.  They have made me a big fan of Jody Hedlund and I cannot wait to read the rest of Jody’s historical novels.

All of the stories on this list have made a big impact upon me.  If I can remember a story’s basic plot line and its characters for many years, that means it has made a big impact upon me, and the stories on this list will live on in my memory.  Their characters are like good friends.

Author and Blogger, Jody Hedlund

/ kellyfbarr / 2 Comments

Today I would like to introduce you to one of my favorite authors, Jody Hedlund!

Jody Hedlund. Web - Copy

I found Jody’s blog a little less than a year ago, when I was looking for good writers’ resources online.  I have been reading her blog faithfully ever since.  She posts on her blog every Tuesday and always has great writing tips and advice to share.  I began reading her blog before I ever read any of her books.

I was blessed, about two months ago, when a friend handed me one of Jody’s books and said I could read it.  She said that she had read on my blog that I hadn’t read any of Jody’s books yet.  I devoured that book, which is pictured down a little way in this post, Love Unexpected.  I became hooked and recently picked up a copy of The Doctor’s Lady which I look forward to reading soon.  I hope to read all of Jody’s books eventually.

I have found that, though, Jody is a very busy lady:  homeschooling her children, writing, traveling to research her writing, and I’m sure the list has more on it, she cares about her readers and other writers and really wants to be available to them.  She has contact information on her website and on her blog, and she will email you, if you email her.  I have emailed her twice to ask questions and she has been kind enough to respond with information that was very helpful to me.

 

An Uncertain Choice

It is also my pleasure to introduce you to Jody’s newest book — her first YA book! (Pictured above).  It is a story set in medieval times.  She is currently hosting a give away on her blog, where she will be giving a signed copy away!

The following is the description of the book on Amazon:

Due to her parents’ promise at her birth, Lady Rosemarie has been prepared to become a nun on the day she turns eighteen. Then, a month before her birthday, a friend of her father’s enters the kingdom and proclaims her parents’ will left a second choice–if Rosemarie can marry before the eve of her eighteenth year, she will be exempt from the ancient vow.

Before long, Rosemarie is presented with the three most handsome and brave knights in the land. But when the competition for her heart seemingly results in a knight playing foul, she begins to wonder if the convent is the best place after all. If only one of the knights–the one who appears the most guilty–had not already captured her heart.

I am not a YA reader, but I think I would still like to read this book!  I’m also certain that this would be a wonderful story for you to suggest or give to a young adult lady in your life.

 

Jody also has one historical book published.  It is:

Luther-Katharina

It is a story about Katharina escaping from a cloister and finding refuge with Martin Luther.  She seeks his help, but a war is about to break out and Martin Luther doesn’t think he has much time.  It is one of the greatest love stories in history.

 

Jody has written three historical romance series so far.

Love Unexpected

Love Unexpected is the first book in the Beacons of Hope series, but this book was preceded by an enovella that introduced the series, which I also read.  It is Out of the Storm, which is currently available for free here.

Her other series include:  The Michigan Brides collection and The Hearts of Faith series (The Doctor’s Lady is the second book in this series).

Her stories have well developed characters.  The women in her stories are strong, though they may not know it.  Her stories are romantic and inspirational and you may even learn some history you are not aware of as you read her books.  I have found her books hard to put down, and in Love Unexpected, I grew to love Emma and Patrick so much that it was sad to reach the end of the story and have to say goodbye to them.  I wrote a book review on this book here.

If you’re not familiar with Jody and her books, I encourage you to click one of the links in this post and find our more about her or download her free novella and introduce yourself to her writing.  If you are a writer who is still working toward becoming published or just want to learn more about writing, I encourage you to join me in reading her blog.

Is it Really Okay for Your Child(ren) to Read Anything?

/ kellyfbarr / 1 Comment

I know, I’ve been posting a lot about reading and how reading affects us in different areas and different ways.  This will be the last post along these lines for now.

I recently heard a Christian parent claim that her twelve-year-old didn’t like to read, and this really bothered her because she, herself, has always been an avid reader.  She went on to say that a few years later, her daughter took an interest in the Twilight series and, apparently read that series, and she was happy that her daughter had found books that she enjoyed reading.

I couldn’t believe that she was okay with this!  The Twilight series are not something that I think any Christian should be reading.  I think that too many Christians have become lax in being wary of the things of this world.  The Bible tells us to guard our hearts!  I think we get so wrapped up in life here on earth and are so busy, that we often don’t think about the eternal consequences of our actions.

I Corinthians 15:58:  “Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm.  Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.”

I Corinthians 16:13:  “Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong.”

Wrong thinking, wrong ideas, and wrong actions all begin subtly.  Evil creeps in subtly, slowly, inch by inch, and it is easy for it to go unnoticed until it has grown large and you are ensnared.  That is why it is so important to be careful of whatever we read, watch, listen to, and what activities we participate in.  You may think, or be convinced by a friend or relative, that something is harmless, when it is, indeed, evil.

The Twilight series is not the kind of thing that I nor my children will be reading.  It takes just a tiny piece of something to get in to your heart and/or mind to lead you down the wrong path.

Remember, the Bible tells us in Philippians 4:8 tells us, “Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable — if anything is excellent or praiseworthy — think about such things.”

You may disagree with what I have written here, but I have a friend whose daughter was reading a book, and my friend noticed that her daughter began to be more disagreeable and disobedient than she had been, and my friend asked her about the book she was reading and found that the book included characters that were disrespectful and disobedient to their parents.

I apologize if this post sounds a bit preachy for my blog, but sometimes I feel the need to take a stand on something, and I do NOT agree that as long as your child finds something they like to read, that’s a good thing.  By the way, we can encourage our children to learn to enjoy reading by reading aloud to them.  I have done this with my children from little on up, and they love it.  Even my teens still like to hear me read aloud occasionally, and all of my children love to read.  Reading the right books help us to learn and grow.  They support our creativity and imagination and take us on wonderful adventures.  But not everything in print or ebook is acceptable reading.