Reading Challenge Update - 2015 Final

I didn't quite finish the pile. Just one book left, but it won't get finished. It is also a carry over from the 2014 Challenge. Some times I don't think I'll ever finish it, but it's actually a really good book.
I'm happy that I got most of the books read.

I won't be doing a TBR Pile Challenge in 2016, but maybe one day if my TBR pile gets some on there for a long time again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Now this challenge I did finish! Some books were hard to choose, but I did have fun.

I've given updates through the year, but I thought it would be fun to list them all here now.

• Takes place in your state or country: In All These Things by Marjorie Buckingham
• Makes you cry: Not My Will by Francena H Arnold
• You loved as a child: The Circus Collection by Enid Blyton
• Your best friend recommends: Knowing God by David Egner
• Has a great cover: Ghost Writer by Rene Gutteridge
• Features someone who shares your eye colour: The Promise by Jane Peart
• Is over 500 pages long: The Bible
• Begins a series: Buried Secrets by Irene Hannon
• Is in a genre you don't normally read: The Land Uncharted by Keely Brooke Keith
• Has a child main character: Swallow Me Now by Melissa Gijsbers
• Takes place in your favourite time period: My Brother's Crown by Mindy Starns Clark & Leslie Gould
• Is written by an author you've never heard of: Andrew Murray: Destined to Serve by Olea Nel
• Was made into a movie: The Christmas Candle by Max Lucado
• Reminds you of someone you love: Sisterchicks in Gondolas by Robin Jones Gunn
• Includes a Christmas scene: The Christmas Joyride by Melody Carlson
• Is a classic you've never read:  Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell

I'm still figuring out if I'll be doing any reading challenges for 2016, but if I do choose to do any I'll post it in the next few days.

Happy New Year and happy reading!

Reading Challenge Update 6

Just one more book to add this time, but that means I have only one book left to complete the challenge!!

• Hear Me When I Call by Charles Swindoll

was the book I finished this time, which puts me at 17 out of 18!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There is also just one for the Bingo Challenge this time:

• Takes place in your favourite time period: My Brother's Crown by Mindy Starns Clark and Leslie Gould

It has taken me a long time to figure out what my favourite time period is, but with this book I finally worked it out.

What I really like are books that combine contemporary and historical. These usually involve the exploring of family history and having the stories from ancestors intertwining with current events. This is just such a book.

For me, it doesn't really matter what the historical period is - this one was set in the 1600's; others have been set much later. I think I like this combination because I am very much interested in my family history (although I have not really been able to research it).

If you would like to read my book review for this book you will find it here.

Until next time ... happy reading.

Reading Challenge Update 5

I am racing through this challenge! I'm doing so well that there are just 2 books left on my list, and one of them I am in the process of reading right now.

Since the last update, the books I have read are:

• Let's Talk by Bill Crowder
• Moving Beyond Failure by Bill Crowder
• God's Mountains, Meadows and More by Robin Jones Gunn
• The Circus Collection by Enid Blyton

16 out of 18 is great, and there are still 5 months left of the year!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As you can see from my Bingo card, I'm getting those boxes filled! 2 columns done!

The 3 boxes that I filled since my last update are:

• Remind you of someone you love: Sisterchicks in Gondolas by Robin Jones Gunn
• You loved as a child: The Circus Collection by Enid Blyton
• Your best friend recommends: Knowing God by David Egner

As a child, who didn't want to run away to the circus?! I'm not sure that I did exactly, but going to see a circus was on my wish list (I have seen one since then). In The Circus Collection, Jimmy does just that! Joins the circus, along with his family.

As for the rest of the squares, you'll just have to wait and see!

Reading Challenge Updates 4

I'm doing really well with this challenge. It's now the middle of the year and I have only 6 books left to finish and 1 of those I am currently in the middle of reading.

The latest ones that I read are:

• Snow on the Tulips by Liz Tolsma
• 12 Questions to Ask Before You Marry by Clayton and Charie King
• From God's Word to a Woman's Heart by Janice Hanna

So 12 out of 18 puts me at 2/3 finished the challenge.

Snow on the Tulips is set in Holland at the end of World War 2, and focuses on the work of the Resistance just before liberation. The story is actually based on the experiences of members of the author's family.

I had started 12 Questions to Ask Before You Marry several years ago as I was reviewing it for a blog tour (you can find my post here). It was good to finish it, and I plan to read it again when I am in a relationship heading for marriage.

I enjoyed From God's Word to a Woman's Heart. It is a devotional which I have been reading a section of each day for the past few months. I recommend this one for anyone contemplating marriage, and even if you don't ever marry, there are many things in it that can apply to life in general.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Just one more bingo square marked of for this challenge, but I am in the middle of reading 2 others.

One of those will mean I finish a line; and one I won't actually finish until the end of the year, so that will be revealed in my final challenge post!!

Begins a Series: Buried Secrets by Irene Hannon

This is the first book in her new Men of Valor series.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In other reading news, I am in the process of checking out some books that I have purchased for the kids at work. Some are from authors I have read and these books are junior fiction, while others sounded good so I'm giving them a go. There were also some that I read and loved as a kid that have been reprinted, so there was no need to re-read them.

It's a bit of a switch for me. Back when I was a kid, my Mum used to preview books for me - that is until I read so fast that she couldn't keep up. Every single book that she and Dad gave me as a gift or I got as a Sunday School prize, Mum would read to make sure it was suitable. I like it that my parents cared for me in that way - to make sure that what my mind would be dwelling on lined up with Philippians 4:8 "Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things." (NKJV)

Reading Challenge Updates 3

Since my last post I've done some reading that covers both of my challenges this year.

3 more books read to reduce my TBR pile (although I have just bought some more books to add to it, but they won't be part of the challenge this year).

• Before Amen by Max Lucado
• The Pledge by Jane Peart
• Hunter's Prize by Marcia Gruver

9 out of 18, takes me to half way through the challenge (and it's not even half way through the year).

I had read The Pledge years ago, so it was interesting to read it again, particularly since I was still a teen the last time I read it. This was also one of the books that I didn't get through in the 2014 Challenge, so I'm glad I've read it now.

Both The Pledge and Hunter's Prize are historical fiction, so they haven't been as appealing to me to read/ I'm not sure why or when I stopped being interested in historical fiction - it used to be what I read all the time. I guess all of us have times when our tastes in reading change, and for me that means I'm not interested so much in historical fiction. The main kinds of books I want to read at the moment are contemporary novels. I don't really want romance, but mystery and suspense are fine. I just don't want to only read those. What I'm really looking for are more books like the Sisterchicks series by Robin Jones Gunn. They aren't romance or mystery/suspense; but they are about women living their lives and doing some really interesting things.

Before Amen by Max Lucado is one of the best books I've read about prayer. I wish I'd had it years ago, It makes prayer seem like something I can do and it doesn't have to be flowery words or hours long. Some days it might just be that you call out God's name because your heart doesn't know what else to say. If there is just one book that you pick up to read this year, this is one that I recommend.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I also marked off 2 more boxes in the 2015 Bingo Reading Challenge.

• Is written by an author you've never heard of: Andrew Murray: Destined to Serve by Olea Nel
• Features someone who shares your eye colour: The Promise by Jane Peart

It's pretty hard to find a character with the same eye colour as me, and I was kind of stretching it with this book. My eyes are a greenish hazel, that change slightly depending on what I'm wearing or how tired I am. The character in this book has hazel eyes.

I have no idea which books to read to go on with this challenge, so you'll just have to wait and see.

Reading Challenges Update 2

I've been having fun with my 2015 Bingo Reading Challenge!

The hunt has been on for books to fit the categories and for some of them I still haven't figured out with book to read, but that's okay because it's still early in the year.

So the books for the next squares are:

• Makes you cry: Not My Will by Francena H Arnold
• Has a child main character: Swallow Me, Now! by Melissa Gijsbers
• Is a classic you've never read: Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell

I'm currently reading one more (you'll have to wait for my next update), but then I'm all out of ideas, at least for now.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I've also made a little progress on my 2015 TBR Pile Challenge.

3 more books have been read for this with another in progress and one about to be started.

• Spoken For by Robin Jones Gunn and Alyssa Joy Bethke
• It's Just You and Me, Lord by Marion Stroud
• The Spotlight of Faith by Bill Crowder

This takes me to 6 of 18 read - I'm 1/3 through the pile related to the challenge. My TBR pile did grow recently with a purchase of books during a recent sale at my favourite book store.

Reading Challenges Update 1

Yes! I've been reading books. Not all for challenges, but a few. Some I'm still getting through, but they will be read before the year is out.

I thought I'd do an update for both challenges - 2015 TBR Pile Challenge and 2015 Bingo Reading Challenge.

First up is the 2015 TBR Pile Challenge.



I'll get on with what I've read shortly, but there has been one change. Two books on the pile have been removed from the challenge. My sister read the books before I did, and recommended that I don't read them. Her opinion is one that I highly value and listen to, so I won't be reading Strong and Stubborn by Kelly Eileen Hake and An Honest Heart by Kaye Dacus. This means there are now a total of 18 books for the challenge.

So far I have finished 3 books and am currently in the process of reading 3 others (those 3 are all non-fiction and at least 2 are devotional books that I read a small section of each day).

The 3 books I have finished are:

• Light Force by Brother Andrew and Al Janssen (this one was one that I didn't read in last year's challenge)
• Finding Spiritual Whitespace by Bonnie Gray
• The Land Uncharted by Keely Brooke Keith

I found Light Force to be really interesting. It is a sequel to Brother Andrew's first book - God's Smuggler - and talks about what he has been doing since the publishing of that book made it impossible for him to continue his ministry in Europe. I found it most interesting the way his ministry focus has changed to focus on Palestinians - both Christians and Muslims - and the way his life has impacted world leaders and the influence he has had on the way Palestinian Christians have outreached to their own community, particularly in the face of war and terrorism.

Reading Finding Spiritual Whitespace has become part of a study for me, this year, on what true spiritual rest is. Over a few week I was often left with the thought that rest was important in my life and wanted to discover how I could rest in the middle of a busy life. Many people have a word for the year, and this year my word is REST. I'm not talking about getting enough sleep (although that is important), but true rest that is offered by God. The journey is not over, even though I have finished this book - there is still much more to learn on this topic.

So with these 3 books read and 2 books off the list for good, I'm at 3 out of 18 read.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And now for the 2105 Bingo Reading Challenge.

My Bingo card has just one book read, but I'm working on how to read a few more. I will have one other square filled soon (thanks to a book I got to review).

The book I read for a genre that I don't normally read was The Land Uncharted by Keely Brooke Keith. It was a science-fiction book, and that is something I really don't usually read, but you might have read the blog tour and review post I did about it. Yes, it made it on both of my challenges for the year! But that's not against the rules.

So that's where I'm at with my reading challenges this year. Stay tuned for further updates, reviews and whatever else I think about and post!

2015 Bingo Reading Challenge

I found this challenge at the Bethany House Fiction blog and thought it would be a bit of fun.

"For those of you up for a novel dare, here is the Unofficial 2015 Bethany House Reading Challenge! Print it out, keep it on your fridge, tuck it in your ereader, share it with your friends! I’m going to give it a try myself.

A few rules (since this is such a serious and official endeavor): You may re-read books for this (but try to make at least half new books). You don’t have to read just BHP books. And a book may only fulfill one category. So, for example, if you read Les Miserables, which made you cry and has been made into a movie and is way more than 500 pages, and you’re from France and don’t normally read in that genre…it still only counts once. Nice try."

I think I'm going to have a lot of trouble finding a character with the same eye colour as me - mine are on the green side of hazel!

So jump on board and have some fun!