This page is full of books and series that I recommend personally. Each book I have read or am reading now. "How can a working mom find time to read?" you ask. That's simple. I don't have much time to spare at all. I really don't read much, to be honest. But when I do have time, precious as it is, I love to read. Next to prayer and one on one time with my Lord and my family, reading is food for my soul. Being a teacher, I know I have vacations and long weekends off (what exactly is off when you're a mother?), so I have a choice:

I can relax and do things I enjoy. And sometimes, when I'm most over-whelmed, I sneak away to the tub and read a chapter or two of a good book. It's just enough soul food to keep me going.

If you're looking for a good book to read, or maybe have heard of one of these books, this page might help you to decide whether it's worth your precious time.

A truly remarkable story about enduring love against all odds. I don't want to give too much away. You will thoroughly enjoy this. Make sure to read this first and then read The Wedding. For an Amazon review, click here.


NEW! The Wedding
by Nicholas Sparks
When Wilson forgets his 29th wedding anniversary, he breaks his wife's heart. He spends the next year trying to refind the passion and love that he and his wife once shared. With a surprise ending, this incredibly romantic and sentimental journey will deeply move you--guaranteed. Make sure to have extra tissue on hand for this one. For an Amazon review, click here.


NEW! White Oleander
by Janet Fitch
Eleven year old Astrid's mother, Ingrid becomes involved with and falls for a man who breaks up with her. Infuriated that he ended their relationship, Ingrid goes crazy and murders him. This novel is the primarily the tale of what happens to Astrid as she goes from one Foster home to another. But it is also about her relationship with Ingrid and the ties that bind them. This is a very sad story. I have to say, if you are looking for something easy to read, light hearted and uplifting--this is NOT the book for you.
If you are interested in reading a heart-wrenching tale, full of imagery and incredible feeling--this is the book for you. After I finished the book, I was so sad for Astrid. I kept wanting a happy ending, but no, happy is not what I would describe it. Thankfully, it was not yet another tragedy, but the story does not leave you feeling uplifted. There is also a movie by the same title, which I have not seen. For an Amazon review, click here.


NEW! River's End
by Nora Roberts
This book begins when the daughter of 2 Hollywood stars, Olivia is 4 years old and sees her mother's brutally murdered corpse and her father standing over it. She is whisked away by her grandparents to the Olympic Rain Forest in Washington, where she grows up and is sheltered from anything that may bring her pain. When Noah Brady, the son of the investigating police officer in her mother's muder, wants to write a book about the murder, Olivia is forced to face her darkest fears and secrets. This book is excellent. Nora Roberts does a dynamic job combining mystery and romance in this one. Her character development brings you inside the story, making you feel like you're there. Shocking surprise ending! For an Amazon review, click here.


NEW! Or Give Me Death:
a Novel of Patrick Henry's Family
by Ann Rinaldi
This is an amazing story about Patrick Henry's family. While history does account for the basics of our founding fathers' lives and stories, not very much detail is given to how their families coped during the Revolution. Rinaldi takes an inside look at how Henry's family might have coped with the responsibility of caring for his wife, who was insane. Rather than keep her in an asylum, they kept her in a bedroom in the basement. They did the best that they could considering the times. She uses historically accurate information to create the background of the situation, but uses her own imagination and finesse to create a marvelous story of two sisters. For an Amazon review, click here.


NEW! Midnight Bayou
by Nora Roberts
It's New Year's Eve, 1899, young Abigail is brutally raped and murdered by her brother-in-law. Upon discovering what her son has done, Abigail's mother-in-law covers up the murder to makes it look like her daughter-in-law has run off with another man, leaving her husband and infant child forever. Next chapter, January 2002, Declan Fitzgerald moves from Boston, leaving his prestigious job as a lawyer and purchases Manet Hall, where these dreadful things occurred. Shortly after his arrival, he learns that the house is haunted and tries to uncover the mystery of what happened to Abigail. Warning: Hard to put down. This one kept me thinking for a while after. For an Amazon review, click here.


NEW! The Silent Boy
by Lois Lowry
This book takes place in 1911, when a young girl meets and befriends Jacob, "the silent boy." Katy, the daughter of a doctor, narrates her adventures in a small town when the first phones and automobiles arrive, culminating on the night of her 10th birthday when her silent friend, Jacob and his sister's baby disappear. This is easy and quick reading. I enjoyed it. For an Amazon review, click here.


Odd Girl Out
by Rachel Simmons
This book is a startling look at the aggressive nature of girls. We raise our girls to be nice girls, but underneath it all, they can be very mean and not so nice at all. Simmons dares to do examine bullying in girls. This book will help teachers and parents of girls to better understand the hidden dark culture among girls. For an Amazon review, click here.


Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World
Finding Intimacy with God in the Busyness of Life
by Joanna Weaver
A wonderful book to help you draw closer to the Lord in the midst of it all. My MOMs Sunday School class did a Bible study using this book as the main text. This book challenges you to do less.

bringing up BOYS
by Dr. James Dobson
I've read the first five chapters of this book. This book interested me because I'm the mother of two boys, and being not just a woman, but also the only child, I thought this book would help me to better understand my little boys. This book makes perfect sense at many levels, about issues I never really thought of before. For example, Dr. Dobson discusses the importance of fathers in their son's life. Ok, sure, we all know that Dads are important, but how many of us have thought about "why?" In this book, Dobson explores the significance of father/ son relationships. The book has taken me on a rather interesting journey through what could otherwise be considered "boring". For example, why boys play with "boy toys" and girls play with "girl toys", and the dynamics of testosterone and adrenaline. The most compelling chapter so far discusses the crisis that our teenage boys face today--and what we can do about it. As I read more of this book, I will update this review. Dr. Dobson is a wonderful author and founder of Focus on the Family.

The Prayer of Jabez
by Bruce Wilkinson
A powerful little book about a powerful prayer.A MUST read! My Picnic Friends readied and studied this book and prayer together. We each had our own testimonies of how it affected our lives.

A Painted House
by John Grisham
Set in 1952 on a cotton farm in Arkansas, Grisham tells how one boy's life was changed by a series of events during picking season.
A totally different style novel by one of my favorite fiction authors. The action-packed legal stories have held my interest time and again, but this is something totally different. For an Amazon review, click here.

While I Was Gone
by Sue Miller
An intriguing novel about a woman who revisists her distant past. When she reconnects with a former house-mate, the memories of a past best left forgotten come to haunt her.
I have been thinking about the characters in this book since I read it. I keep pondering the choices Jo made and how they shaped her life; and about the relationships within her family. For an Amazon review, click here.

Drowning Ruth
by Christina Schwarz
An "Oprah Book Club" selection, Drowning Ruth is an intriguing mystery that unfolds in an early 20th century setting. I read this for purely entertainment purposes, not to learn or improve anything. It was thoroughly enjoyable. To read an Amazon review, click here.

What's So Amazing About Grace?
by Philip Yancey
Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound...but it's amazing how churches can often squelch (albeit unintentional) the very grace that we're supposed to administer. Yancey takes you through several Amazing examples of grace. I love Philip Yancey as an author. Other notable books by him are:
The Jesus I Never Knew and The Bible Jesus Read.

Left Behind
A 12 book series
by Tim LaHaye & Jerry Jenkins
I read the first book several years ago and was hooked. This is a good, fictional series about the End Times as if they were to happen today. The eleventh, and most recent addition is Armageddon. A caution to new readers of the series: Take your time reading them. This is a 12 book series (eleven have been released so far), each one has been hard for me to put down. They are like reading an action packed movie, you can't wait to see what happens next.
There is also a Kids series available, which I have not read. They recently released Left Behind and Left Behind 2: Tribulation Force the movies, starring Kirk Cameron as Buck. It was pretty good, but like I always say, the books are better.
The Official Left Behind Site


More book reviews coming soon.

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Updated 4/6/04

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