What's On Your Nightstand: June Edition

Time for another What's On Your Nightstand over at 5 Minutes for Books!

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I might as well just laugh at myself and go with the flow of life as far as nightstand posts go. Life has been one big adventure of late with lots of family changes and activities. I'm totally loving it but it's not leaving me with all the time to read that I had before.

Which leads me to a bit of bloggy news:

For the immediate future, instead of five posts a week here at Reading to Know, I'll be switching to THREE posts a week, effective next week.

It's getting harder and harder to keep up a 5-a-week posting schedule and the summer promises to be full of family (a wedding and visiting!) and good weather (gardening and hiking!) and I've been investing more time with my kids (good things!) and so blogging is going to have to cut back a little. I even told myself that I don't have to write a review for every book I read. (Then I gasped and asked myself WHAT was I THINKING!? How will I remember what I thought about a book unless I write it out!??!) We shall see. I'm trying to give myself permission to relax on that point.

5-a-week post will resume when life allows. But for now, we'll stick to three days. I'm not saying which days because I like flexibility. So you'll just have to be surprised.

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Last month I mentioned on my nightstand post that I really wanted to spend May tackling review copies. I did a good job clearing off my shelves a bit and I plan on continuing to work at that during the month of June as well. I'd really, really like that stack to shrink!

The following "for review" books were read and each title is linked to my thoughts:

1. The Apple Orchard - I had high hopes but they were dashed.

2. Secret Storms - I had high hopes and they were realized.

3. The Sasquatch Escape - Ended up being a fun time.

4. Frozen in Time - Not a fun time for the individuals which this book is all about, and not a five-star read as far as I was concerned, but I did appreciate aspects of it.

5. I Am A Church Member - This one was read and reviewed over at 5 Minutes for Books and I'm linking it here specifically because I think it's a must, must, must, must, must read for Christians everywhere. Do check it out!

The only title I managed to get to from my personal reading stack was Island of the Blue Dolphins which I read in conjunction with the Reading to Know Book Club. My thoughts on that are forthcoming.


As for what I hope to "knock off" in the review department in the month of June?

The Shape of the Eye: A Memoir - This one is top of my stack at the moment.

Write This Book: A Do-It-Yourself Mystery (The Secret Series), by Pseudonymous Bosch - I really can't rightly say what I think about this one! We'll have to see. I'm curious!

The Keeper of Secrets: A Novel - Another modern novel which caught my attention and shows promise. Fingers crossed!

The Art Forger: A Novel - 'Nother one of those modern novels!

Paper: An Elegy - Because I'm just terribly curious.

I can barely mention my own personal reads in light of my stack of review copies (things are out of control there....I'm working on re-figuring things! I dislike not being able to get to my own reading stack!) but I WILL be re-reading Through Gates of Splendor in conjunction with the Reading to Know Book Club. Barbara from Stray Thoughts will be hosting the discussion for the month of June. Please feel free to join in and read this book with us if you like!

I will also be re-reading The Search for the Delicious with my in-town book club.

And generally, we will be staying busy with happy things, but distracting things!

Here's to goals, which we make for sanity sake, right?!

"Thanks, I'll pass."

This post is more on the behind-the-scenes of book blogging.

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I receive all kinds of book promos for this site. All of them are for new titles, of course, and as my regular readers around here know - I'm rather suspicious of new books. (To explain, I think modern novels use far, far too much foul language and include too many references to sex or sexual relationships that they become distasteful to me. You do not need to include such things to tell a good story. In fact, your story would be better by using more discretion!)

In general, novel or no, I try to be really picky about the books I accept. The more reading experience I have and less time to read in, the more choosey I become. In short, I value my time and I do not wish to waste it reading something that I feel doesn't carry much value. Once someone told me that they like it when I review more modern novels because it helps them know which to avoid and saves them time. Well, that's a happy thought but that's not why I read books or review them. I read for myself alone and I truly blog for myself alone. If I suddenly quit learning things from the books I read, I would stop reading (and therefore would stop blogging). Even over at 5 Minutes for Books, where I have more new releases offered to me, I'm still picky.

Lately, I've received some real doozies for consideration. Part of me hesitates to write this post and the other part of me (the part that likes to be bluntly honest at times) is suffering no hesitations. I don't pretend to know how and why publishing houses work as they do but I do wonder sometimes how certain books make it to print.

Some of you have asked me in the past whether or not I respond to publishers and what I say in response when I choose to decline certain offerings.

My answers vary, as follows:

Response Option #1 -

"Thanks, I'll pass." - Sometimes I'll pass simply because I don't care for the premise of the book for one reason or another. I don't necessarily dislike it - I have no enthusiasm for the book and so I'm going to give them the courtesy of the response but not accept the book.

And no, if I'm not going to read it for myself, I'm not going to feature or highlight it here. My policy for Reading to Know (and for myself, as an individual over at 5 Minutes for Books, is to only review or mention a title that I've read, am reading, or have immediate plans to read). I don't want to accidentally recommend something that I discover down the road to be horrible.


Response Option #2 -

"I'm halfway tempted but ultimately I'm going to take a pass." - I may have a spark of interest for the title which I cannot deny. I do have to spend time thinking about my valuable time and whether or not I wish to take a reading risk or not. When I accept a book for review, I want to be as sure as possible that I'll really like it and/or will gain something valuable by reading it. If I have the slightest doubt or hesitation, I've learned that it is better for me to decline than accept.

Response Option #3 -

"I'm not going to accept, but let me tell you why." - Sometimes I have a serious objection or reason for declining a certain book. I have to feel pretty strongly against a particular title to make me respond to the publisher offering my objections to it. I do think feedback can be helpful, giving the publisher or author reasons to think about their presentation, if nothing else.

Example: Once upon a time I received an offer for a book that an author wished me to consider reading. The cover art on this book was obscene and I was violently repulsed by it. Ultimately, I decided to let the author know that in no way could I consider reading the book because the cover art alone was offensive and I tried my best to clearly spell out why. As it turns out, the author's spouse had voiced the same objections and with my feedback, the author made the decision to change the cover art. (And that, I felt, was the least that could be done!) So constructive criticism is helpful.

Response Option #4 -

No response.

Take for example the following title which I'm not going to link to because I'm just not going to:

Cocaine Zombies

Truthfully, I didn't even bother responding to that publicist because it is clear and obvious that they haven't spent anytime browsing Reading to Know whatsoever. If I can tell the e-mail I receive is a form letter in which Reading to Know is heralded as being a fantastic site but then I'm offered something like this, I feel like I've been bulk e-mailed and therefore I don't really need to respond.

Ultimately, I do think responding to the publicist or publisher is important. They took the time to e-mail me, so I figure the politest thing I can do is take the time to respond to them. (Furthermore, just because I don't like the particular title they are telling me about right now, doesn't mean I won't like the next one!) Even if my response is negative, I do think it appropriate to be as friendly in tone as possible and extend my best wishes for their ultimate success. Politeness, as you might have heard, never killed anyone. It also establishes a sense of respect between bloggers and publicists which I also think is very important.

It's definitely ok to "Say No" to certain books. I also think I should say no to some. In accepting or rejecting any book, it's important to make a wise response - and a respectful and useful one. I've learned that by declining or objecting to certain titles, or even dialoguing a bit over my reasons, can produce change in the industry in the smallest ways. By rejecting or accepting a title, you can effect change. So it behooves us to handle either answer to such an offer very well.

Blog Posts, Relationships and Taking a Couple of Days Off

You know what? I don't have a post for today. Not a "real" one anyway.

I felt pressured to read something fast and create something. But I just didn't have anything planned that I wanted to post today. I started reading a couple of books, but each one was kind of a dud and I didn't think you'd want to hear me tell you that a string of books were just "ok." (I tried out a book on marriage, a book on being a wife, and a book on general relationships and none of them struck me as gold. So I ditched them all pretty quickly.)

And so I have given myself permission to take the rest of the week off. Because it's summertime and because we have fun plans and because I just want to. How's that? I'm giving myself permission to ENJOY face-to-face relationships this week instead of *just* reading and writing about them.

Annette at Live, Learn, Love has a review/giveaway of Instructing a Child's Heart and I recommend you hop over there and check that book out (and enter her contest.)

Beyond that? Have a great rest of the week!

How to Start a Book Blog (Part II)

Subtitled: Questions People Ask Carrie About Book Blogging and How She Would Answer Said Questions

Yesterday I answered these questions about book blogging and today I thought I would address some a couple of specific questions I have received relating to publishers and the books I do and have received for review.

We'll just get right to the point today . . .

Question No. 1: How Do You Deal With Publishers and the Books They Offer Review Copies Of?

a.) I receive a lot of promos for various books. A lot. Daily. I may accept one out of every ten books for reviews but I do take the time to respond to each inquiry, regardless of my intent to accept. I think it's just polite to acknowledge the publisher or publicist who is taking time out of their day to approach me about a book. The least I can do is give them an answer.

b.) I do request certain titles but those requests are typically directed towards publishers who I have a long-standing relationship with and I trust their work. (Think: Crossway.) I only request titles that I feel about 95% sure that I will enjoy. I don't want to waste my time or the publishers money in having them send books that I think might be ok but aren't terrifically exciting.

c.) Yes, I do have contacts at publishing houses and no, I do not hand out that contact information. Yes, that may come across as snobby but I have some good reasons for not doing so. First, I worked hard myself to establish the contacts. I hunted down the information for myself and worked hard at developing good, trusted relationships with my contacts. The information was not dropped in my lap and, yes, it did involve work. Any serious book blogger should have to work for themselves, in my opinion. It's not just about the "free books." And here is another reason I say that: when developing relationships with contacts in the publishing industry, I frequently heard about individuals who would request a dozen or more titles at a time. Greed is obvious to the publishers and it makes them more hesitant to work with those of us who are genuinely interested in specific titles because of their apparent worth on the market.

I don't want to promote half-rate books. You don't want to read half-rate books. And when I approach a publisher, I want them to know that I think they have something valuable to offer and that I'm going to present the book in the most thoughtful way possible to my audience.

I also learned the hard way that people were taking my recommendations when I sometimes felt half-hearted about certain books. I've since refused all half-hearted attempts and will either tell you I don't think a book is "all that" or I won't review it at all.

d.) Yes, I still receive some books which I have not requested in the mail. They arrive all the time. (Less so now because I've been e-mailing the publishers asking them to e-mail me about books before they mail them to me.) It took me a long time to learn this lesson, but if a book comes unsolicited I do not feel the need to review it. The way I (now) see it - the publisher took a gamble in mailing me the book in the first place. They didn't know whether or not I would like it. Sometimes I do, sometimes I just really don't. (Most times I don't.) I just e-mail the publisher, thank them for sending it and tell them why I will not be reviewing it. A few times it's just been because I don't have the time to review it. It may be that I already have a stack of review copies sitting here and I know how long it will take for me to get the reviews all up. I'm not going to stick a book into the line-up that was not requested and showed up by surprise. It's not fair to the books that are awaiting my attention that I did request. (Think: Crossway.)

Question No. 2: Do you review books that you do not like?

It really depends. If I do, I now make it very clear that I did not like the book and I try to tell you why as best as I am able.

There are books that I think are poor excuses for books, or express bad or faulty theology (like The Shack for instance...or Love Wins or pretty much anything by Rob Bell) that I think SHOULD be written about because people should be warned of their existence. There are a lot of people more brainy than I who can attack bad theology. If bad theology is attacked by someone, I am happy. Tim Challies, for instance, is my Go-To Guy when it comes to being forewarned about such books. (Randy Alcorn runs a close second.) Sometimes I think Challies says it best and nothing more needs to be said. Other times I think large percentages of the Christian book blogging community should offer up a united front as to why certain books should not be accepted as beneficial reads. (I loved that there was a rising up of theologians across the board when Bell dribbled out his latest excuse of pop-theology. Speaking of bloggers "doing their part" - I really found Semicolon's review of Love Wins to be very interesting.)

Generally, if I intentionally plan on writing up a negative review of a book, I will purchase the book myself or check it out from the library. *I will never specifically request and/or accept a title from a publisher that I know I will not like.

(*I recently made an exception to this rule because I . . . just had to.)

I have been sent pitches for books which I know I have fundamental disagreements with and sometimes I will write the publicist back and tell them that I would rather like to read their book but that I know I will not agree with it so they could expect to see a negative review come out of it. That leaves the publicists with the decision of whether or not to send the book my way.

Most times though I just decline to accept books I know I will dislike. I'm pretty good about guessing as to what I will find pleasing. If I do receive a book I think I will enjoy and it turns out that I do not, I have been known to write to the publisher and tell them that I didn't care for it and I always try to tell them the specific reasons why. Sometimes I have been given the green light to write whatever I want. At other times the publicists tells me "thanks anyway" and I never mention their book around these parts. It all just depends.

There has been one specific instance where I received a pitch for a book which I thought was absolutely horrendous and I wrote the publicist back and told them what poor taste I thought they were displaying by publishing a certain book. I was very specific in stating what offended me about the book's cover art and the author wrote me back to say that my point was taken and understood and that they intended to change the cover art! (Personally I still wish the book had not have been written/published in the first place but if all I could change was the cover art, I'll go with it!) Blogging about books can change things and my deciding to write back my honest thoughts on that particular pitch taught me that.

I would caution tactfulness if you are book blogger who frequently receives pitches for books to review. But I would encourage honesty. You never know what you may be able to change!

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And that, my friends, is where I shall conclude this round of Q&A! If you have a question that I failed to answer, feel free to ask it (again?) in the comment section. I will not guarantee an answer but then again - I just may try!

How to Start a Book Blog (Part I)

Subtitled: Questions People Ask Carrie About Book Blogging and How She Would Answer Said Questions

Many a time I've been asked how it is that I am able to a.) read so much b.) blog so much and c.) how I handle particular issues relating to books and publishers.

I thought I would take a couple of posts to answer some of the more common questions and address some particular issues. I've divided up those questions into two separate posts so stay tuned tomorrow for Part II.

To be perfectly honest, I've rather shied away from answering these questions online, mostly because it is so easy to be misinterpreted when trying to explain the how's and why's of why any particular person writes a blog. Everyone has a different reason. Everyone has different habits and practices relating to how they write, when they write and what they write. This post is marked "personal" because my answers to the common questions are exactly that. These are my opinions and I blog in a manner that works entirely and specifically for me and for no one else. Got that? Ok, here we go.

Question No. 1: How Much Time Do You Spend Reading Each Day?

That varies. These days it varies a lot! Reading to Know has existed primarily during a time period when there were two children in our home and both took naps/had a quiet time from 2 to 4 p.m. every day. I always had a two hour time period in the afternoon to call my own. Frequently I would read. With the addition of our infant Bookworm3, my time is less my own and there's never any guarantee that she will follow her brothers' example and go to sleep at 2. Sometimes I read for 20 minutes a day and one day I even managed a whole hour. (!) Regardless, I do read every single day.

I should also admit that I have finally become a bathroom reader. I've never kept a book in that room before, but reading now sometimes consists of reading one chapter in the morning and one chapter in the evening as I am getting ready to start and end my day. It is what it is and it has to work for the moment.

Question No. 2: How Do You Find the Time to Read So Many Books?

Well. I've explained my time frame in question number one. I also read fairly quickly. I skim sometimes, perhaps more than I realize. Not enough to miss particulars but - say for example we're discussing the sewer system in Paris - I'll skim the descriptions. (My skimming tendencies make me want to skim Dickens in his entirety which is probably why I don't like him as an author.)

I also watch very little television, comparatively speaking. With the current exception of Castle or White Collar, I'm not obsessive about television shows. In fact, we do not have cable and therefore do not have tv. Almost everything we watch is on DVD and most of our favorite shows have been canceled long ago. (There's no rush to keep up with the latest episode of Dick Van Dyke, for example!) We can watch when we want and we usually will wind down the evening with a Fraiser or other 25 minute program. It doesn't really eat into our day.

I also am not a crafter. I do not sew or have little homey projects going on. I cook (almost) all of our meals, of course, but our meals are not all that terribly complicated. (Dinner maybe takes 30-45 minutes to put together on a complicated day?) I don't bake our own bread. (I've tried and failed a thousand times before. Jonathan kindly asked me to give up. So it's not like I'm homemaking everything under the sun!)

Question No. 3: How Do You Find the Time to Write Such Lengthy Posts?

I don't even know how to answer this one! =D It's incriminating! I like to talk!?!

I started writing this blog because I have a bad memory. Reading to Know was created for entirely personal reasons and it is still written for me personally. (Of course, I enjoy the blog readership and love the comments, discussion and dialogue that certain posts prompt!) But I still have a bad memory and I try to write enough details of a book down so that I can come back and read my own posts to see what I thought about the particulars of it. (Saves me from having to re-read the entire book if I've forgotten it!)

Now, blogging and the creation of a Reading to Know audience has certainly changed the way I write. As I've gotten to know some of you more personally, I know to add certain disclaimers about books. I know to give particular warnings on some subject matters that I know you might be sensitive to. You've asked enough questions and have questioned some of the things I've said in the past that I write in such a way as to hopefully answer your questions before you ask them - both for your sake and to resolve issues in my own mind. Having an audience is a good thing because it forces one to really question and evaluate the words that are coming out of one's mouth. Nothing we do is in secret anyway. The Lord can see everything we do and there is no secret thing which can be hidden from Him. But having people to remain accountable to is helpful. So - thank you for reading, for commenting and for questioning! You seriously keep me on my toes!

Question No. 4: Do You Get Paid for Writing About Books?

No. I do not get paid. Not a brass farthing. I do this solely for the love of reading and the love of books.

If you are thinking you'll start writing a blog to make money, I hope you aren't the type that gets hungry very often. You have to do it for love and love alone.

Now, the way I see it, I would spend all my spare cash on books. I do receive books for review that I did not have to pay for (but I did have to put the time, effort and energy into reading, thinking and writing about.) I didn't have to plunk down the cash for the book and since books are my vice, this works for me. But does it pay? No.

Question No. 5: Do You Advertise?

No.

Question No. 6: What Advice Do You Have for a New Book Blogger?

Write for you. Write about what you care about and find your personality in your writing. Do not concern yourself with publishers, review copies, advertisers, followers, subscribers, Facebook or anything at all for awhile.

Periodically someone will leave me a comment saying, "I started following your blog so please follow mine." The chances of me actually following someone's blog because they ask me to is pretty slim to none.

I assume that if you are following Reading to Know in any capacity it's because you either know me and care about me, or you think that whatever it is I have to say is interesting. Or maybe you are just morbidly fascinated with my opinion. (Sometimes I follow people because I find them morbidly fascinating so I assume the reverse could be equally true!)

I will not ever follow or read a blog in which the author of the site is forever talking about how they wish people would leave more comments or follow them. The entire point and purpose of those types of bloggers seems to be in having an audience and I find it hard to be interested in their pursuit of numbers. I vastly prefer following a few quality blogs in which the writers are passionate about their subject matter and who express who they are through their writing.

Furthermore, you should know who I am if I follow your site and so I leave you lots of comments and let you know I'm reading. I care about you and your families and I'm interesting in your perspective (and frequently e-mail you on the sidelines for advice about life and subject matters you have written about!) I try out the recipes you post and I try to make real friends out of you.

Likewise, I really enjoy the people around here who comment consistently, letting me know who they are and who dialogue with me on a regular basis. This site is not about advertisers (I don't have any on purpose, nor do I ever plan on accepting any offers!) or free books (although they do come) but it is about thinking, reading, enjoying and processing LIFE. My life. Your life. It's about thinking through the Christian faith and making practical applications through the books we read and talk about. It is not about numbers.

And you should probably know that in real life I'm pretty much the same way: I prefer having just a few quality friendships as opposed to a quantity of acquaintances. If I call you "friend" I mean that. And you probably get real snail mail from me too.

Question No. 7: Why is Your Site Subtitled "Book Reviews from a Christian Worldview"?

Well, here's the long and short of it:

First and foremost - I am a Christian. I believe that everything I think, say and do should be examined in light of scripture. It follows that I think the books that we read, either for fun or for educational purposes, should be examined in light of scripture. I'm not saying I review books perfectly in that light, but that is my goal.

In 2010 I attended BEA and went to the Book Bloggers Convention following the event. They were talking about "branding" one's self to stand out in the bloggy crowd. Honestly, I had a hard time identifying. I wasn't at all sure how that was supposed to look for me. Then, at one point during the conference they had a speaker who stood up and spoke the most ridiculous nonsense I had ever heard relating to the publishing industry, book blogging and his personal worldview. His speech was dripping with false statements and it was all I could do to sit still and listen to him garble on. (I walked out eventually and called Jonathan and railed about the stupid things that this speaker said.) At this point I don't even remember the specifics of what the speaker was talking about, except I remember that my Christianity was at war with the words coming out of his mouth. I disagreed with his point of view entirely and I started thinking about how I didn't really know of any other book bloggers who very specifically "branded" themselves as a Christian book reviewer.

Now, that's not to say that there were not Christian book bloggers out there because there are a plethora of them and I follow their sites and enjoy them! But a lot of them blogs with family life mixed in with book reviews. I wanted to very intentionally start holding books up to scriptures - both for my own sake and for the sake of my children.

Then, quite simply, if my blog is indeed "branded" as such, you should know exactly what you are getting into and what to expect around here. (I guess I have a hard time even using the word "brand" in relation to a blog. I just am what I am and this is what it is.)

Question No. 8: Will you show us pictures and/or tell us the names of your little bookworms?

No, sorry. Unfortunately there are many a good reason these days why I don't think it's necessarily safe or wise to post very much information about our children online. Hence we refer to them only as Bookworm1, Bookworm2 and Bookworm3. I'll tell you their ages as it suits describing a book and I might occasionally post a photo wherein you can see them partially. But my trust in the general public is slim to none (that's what comes of having worked in a District Attorney's office, I guess!) and so we like to keep our children's identities private.

Question No. 9: What is the best way to network your book blog?

Well, personally I'm glad that my blog was not networked at all when I first started writing reviews. If you are just getting started - work on your writing first. I hate, loathe and despise my oldest posts and would happily delete them except they serve to remind me of the need to work on my writing skills (still.)

If and when you are ready to reveal your blog to the general public, participate in what other people are doing before you start anything new up on your own in terms of memes, etc. There are plenty of ways to join in the book blogging community, from Semicolon's Saturday Review of Books, to Amy's Read Aloud Thursdays posts, to the What's On Your Nightstand monthly carnival hosted by 5 Minutes for Books. There are a ton of established memes and reading challenges and I would say that you will make friends more easily by participating in things that already exist for such purposes.

Oh and here's a good rule of thumb: If you want people to leave comments on your blog, leave comments on theirs! (Pet peeve: those who clamor for comments and yet never leave them.) A blogger who wants friends must show themselves to be friendly. That sort of thing.

Question No. 10: How Do You Feel About Monitoring Comments?

I tend towards not monitoring them, although I will delete them if I find them offensive personally or to others, or distracting to the point of the post. If you are making use of the comment section simply to pick an argument or launch a personal attack of some sort, I will delete your remarks and have been known to click on the comment moderator to keep ill-bred comments off this site.

If people are polite and respectful, I'm happy to let them post their opinions at whim and fancy! Just keep it clean, respectful and to the point of the post.

I am also frequently asked about my habits of engaging with people in the comment section. Sometimes I will and sometimes I won't. There are certain subject matters which I avoid discussing online. I may choose to talk about them with people in an e-mail or in person if I know them. Some comments are left merely to pick a fight though. I'll let that comment stay, but I won't engage with the person. It just depends.

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If you are a seasoned blogger and have some additional suggestions or tips to leave, feel free to do so in the comment section. If you disagree with something I've said, feel free to say so (nicely, of course!)

In the meantime, tomorrow I will address some specific questions relating to publishers and the books I accept for review. Stay tuned (if you find this at all interesting!)

Blogger Issues and Contest Comments

Well, as many of you are aware, Blogger has had some issues the past few days. Thankfully I didn't lose any posts, but I did lose comments. Specifically, I lost comment entries for the In the Land of Believers contest. If you were interested in being entered to win a copy of In the Land of Believers, click on the title to follow the link to my original post and leave another comment. (So sorry about that! I find this annoying, personally.)



In the meantime, before anything happens to other entries, I thought I'd let you know that Alison won the contest for the Space Day books.

And Amy at Hope is in the Word won the copy of God's Priorities for Today's Women.

(Both winners selected by random.org)

Congrats ladies!

The contest for In the Land of Believers will now be open through Friday, May 20th.

Year End - 2010

Ahhh, it's time to wrap up another year. Semicolon is hosting a "Wrap-up" edition of the Saturday Review of Books so if you'd like to see what other people are thinking about their past year of reading, or planning for the next, hop on over on Saturday the 1st to Semicolon Blog.

As for me, I glanced through my list of titles read last year which I keep a running tab on over on the Master List. (If you ever want to know what I've read or how many books, I keep The Master List linked on my side bar.) This year I read 142 books, besting my 2009 reading self by 10 titles.

Only this year I think I'm less excited by any particular book I read than I was in 2009. (The year of The Great Mysterious Benedict Society Addiction!) I think too many review copies bogged me down and got in the way of my reading books that I honestly would find more beneficial. Not to say I didn't enjoy myself! I DID! Thoroughly. I read a great deal for fun and entertainment purposes and I achieved that goal. But when I look back, I see very few things that I find very memorable. Which is kinda sad in some ways (but not in others!).

If I had to list my most influential reads, I would have to point to Charles Swindoll's Great Lives Series where I learned the following things:

1. I am created for a purpose (David);
2. God will work that purpose in His time frame (Esther);
3. God will work in ways that may be painful, but He will teach me to live in the pain, through the pain and beyond it and can work in me a tender heart as a result of it (Joseph);
4. God honors faithful obedience (Moses);
5. God moves us into periods of quiet solitude where we can be alone with Him, in order to mature us (Elijah); and
6. It is not for me to compare my journey to the journey of others (Paul);
7. I should be careful how to discuss and discern the journey of others (Job); and
8. God has great lessons to teach each individual person, and frequently He'll use us to teach others (Forgotten Lives); and
9. I have a lot to learn (Jesus.)

(Names all linked to my reviews/thoughts.)

That was a particularly awesome and meaningful series for me to pick up on in 2010.

As for what I think the next reading year will look like - I do not think I will speculate on it much. I will say this:

1. In January I'll be hosting the Third Annual Lucy Maud Montgomery Reading Challenge. Click on the link to find out more about that!



This challenge starts next week so get ready!

2. In July I will be hosting the Third Annual Chronicles of Narnia Reading Challenge.




3. I am also committed to Reading My Library again, noting admirable and notable picture books that my children and I have discovered at our local library. You can click on the button below to find out more about that! I'd kinda dropped the ball on that challenge for morning sickness reasons and lack-of-time sake but I kinda missed exploring new titles with my boys. Personally, I've already found my prior library explorations useful when my sons became interested in various topics. I know of book titles now that they will find particularly enjoyable! So the challenge is paying off for my family and it gives us a reading project to do together! Anyway, if you want to find out more about the library picture book reading challenge, follow the links!



4. In conjunction with the Reading My Library Challenge, I will also be participating in Hope is in the Word's weekly Read Aloud Thursday meme in which we share what we've been reading with our kids. I prefer to participate in this meme over at Reading My Library, since that is where a huge stack of our reading materials come from. But from time to time you might see a Read Aloud Thursday post pop up around here.




5. I'm joining Amy at A Faithful Journey by committing to read at least ONE Jane Austen book during 2011. (Surely I can do that, right?) Amy is hosting a Jane Austen Challenge which begins January 1, 2011 and lasts the entire year! You'll have plenty of time to participate, should you choose to do so. Sign up to participate and you'll be able to win a few prizes (none of which are shabby, I must say!) Learn more by visiting this post at A Faithful Journey.


*Update: After thinking it over, I believe I will re-read Sense and Sensibility and watch the movie (Emma Thompson). Also, I'm kinda curious to re-read Emma. So, those will be my plans.

That, my friends, is about all I'm going to say as to my purposes and plans for the next year. I'm looking forward to hearing what all of you are planning on reading in 2011 and then, of course, I'm looking forward to diving on in!

Christmas Vacation & Lucy Maud Montgomery Reading Challenge Alert!

I think it's a good time for a mini break around here - just in time for the Christmas holidays and all the things that we have planned to enjoy it!

I hope that all you have a fantastic, wonderful and happily memorable Christmas holiday.

I'll plan on seeing you on the other side of it, when you should be expecting to hear a great deal more about the next Lucy Maud Montgomery Reading Challenge which starts January 3rd. I'll have a bit more information about it immediately following Christmas but if you want to start planning what you want to read or watch (that is Montgomery, of course!) and spread the word, now's a good time!



Here is the button code, if you'd like it:

<a href="http://www.readingtoknow.com/2009/12/lm-montgomery-reading-challenge-2010.html"><img alt="L. M. Montgomery Reading Challenge" src="http://www.bluecastlephoto.com/misc/lmm-challenge.gif" border="0" /></a>

In the meantime - MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Fall Into Reading Challenge Conclusion

It's time again (well, next week anyway!) for another Fall Into Reading adventure hosting by Katrina at Callapidder Days

This coming week is the conclusion of the Fall Into Reading Challenge which is hosted by Katrina at Callapidder Days. It is therefore time to see how far we got in our own personal fall reading challenges.

If you were around when I started, you'll remember that I said I wanted to really plow through my review copies so that I could start off 2011 free and clear. Especially given the fact that we have a new baby on the way, and considering that there are a great number of titles on my home book shelf that are sitting unread, I wanted to free up my time to read whatever I wanted whenever I wanted. It's not working for me to have so many deadlines looming over my head.

To that end, I attacked my review shelf and took care of a great number of titles, all of which I'm listing below (all are linked to my reviews):

• The Faithful Parent
• When Molly Was a Harvey Girl
• The 12 Days of Christmas Cookbook
• The Agency: The Body at the Tower
• Sir Quinlan
• Arthur of Albion
• Resources for Biblical Living
• Louisa May Alcott: The Woman Behind Little Women
• Loving God With All Your Mind (DVD series)
• God's Mighty Acts devotionals
• Everything Christmas
• Cookie Swap
• Pioneer Girl
• Loving the Church
• In the Company of Others
• Aesop's Mirror

I opted not to read the following titles, which I had mentioned to you at the beginning of the challenge:

• Fame: What the Classics Tell Us About Our Cult of Celebrity (I started it but just couldn't understand where the author was ultimately going with it.)
• Jane Austen and Marriage (Which honestly still has some appeal, but I couldn't bring myself to it.)

Despite my reading "work" - I still have a few titles left dangling as I go into the next year. But I have declined what feels like a billion offers for more as I really would like more freedom in my reading life. I do LOVE reading books and reviewing new titles. I'm certainly not saying I'm going to stop cold turkey from doing that. I'll still take review titles but I am being much more selective than I have ever been before. I think there are some really awesome titles and subjects out there that I am curious to read. But there are also a lot of older titles that I'd like to be able to give more attention to.

Like, for example, I intend to kick off 2011 with my FAVORITE older titles, all written by Lucy Maud Montgomery for the 2011 Lucy Maud Montgomery Challenge. I'll be hosting that challenge in January and I'm glad to have a fairly clean slate so that I can spend some quality time with one of my favorite authors without a lot of "reviewers guilt" hanging over my head.




I feel pretty good about what I was able to get to this fall and I'm happy with my reading "load" a I go into 2011. Participating in the Fall Into Reading Challenge really motivated me to set myself up well for the start of a new reading year and for that I am most grateful to Katrina! Thank you for the motivation!

1,000th Post

Yup, folks. This is my 1,000th post!

And I can't think of a better way to use this space.




Ladies and gentleman, you have an opportunity . . .

Fall Into Reading Challenge (which causes me to make some decisions!)

It's time again (well, next week anyway!) for another Fall Into Reading adventure hosting by Katrina at Callapidder Days. I wasn't able to participate in her Spring Reading Thing Challenge because I wasn't in a position to do so, but I'm ready to play this fall!

The goal - set some reading goals to accomplish during the fall (September 22 - December 20th, 2010.) Here is my goal, roughly and simply stated:

Finish reading my books received for review so that I can start out the new year with a clean slate!

I've been thinking on it a great deal lately and I'm less inclined to read new titles coming out than I am in reading (and re-reading) books chosen for my own pleasure (most of which are not considered new releases. ;) Not to say that reading review copies of books isn't fun and a sometimes a terrifically pleasurable experience. But accepting review copies does tend to dictate what I read and when and I'm feeling a bit more burdened by that these days. I miss the freedom to pick up what I want, when I want, without thinking that I need to hurriedly get to a particular title in time for a release date or to meet a publisher's expectations. Again, not that that's a bad thing - but it is constricting.

With a new baby on the way, I'm not quite certain how much reading time I'll have in the spring and so I want to make sure that whatever reading time I have is devoted to books I have chosen and/or love for the sake of me, myself and I. (That sounds so selfish. But reading IS my vice and so I kinda feel like I can be kinda selfish about it. Kids go down for a nap and I read. That's the way it works.)

I've actually been plugging away at review copies the past few months and I have only accepted a handfull of titles to read throughout the fall but this is my goal. Here are some of the ones I accepted and am looking forward to reading during the Fall Into Reading 2010 challenge:






All of them captured my attention in some way or another and I AM looking forward to giving them a read. But then I'm looking forward to starting January off as free and clear as possible so that I can pursue things like:

• The Lucy Maud Montgomery Challenge
• Books that Disney films were Based On
• Lots of C.S. Lewis
• Some Harry Potter that I've been thinking I'll go ahead and read
• Classics that I've wanted to read but haven't found time for
• Books that I've been longing to re-read

So that's my plan. There are plenty of books out there and I just find myself in a position now where I want to pursue things by whim and fancy - and as my time permits.

Thanks, Katrina, for hosting this Fall Reading Challenge as it really made me focus on my long term reading goals, which is something I rather needed to do!

Where I'm Goin'

At first I wasn't going to use this particular image to make my point but in the end, I decided it suited me just fine and, in a strange way, I rather find humor in it.

When I left Queen's my future seemed to stretch out before me like a straight road. I thought I could see along it for many a milestone. Now there is a bend in it. I don't know what lies around the bend, but I'm going to believe that the best does. It has a fascination of its own, that bend, Marilla. I wonder how the road beyond it goes--what there is of green glory and soft, checkered light and shadows--what new landscapes--what new beauties--what curves and hills and valleys further on."
- Anne, Anne of Green Gables

At the end of each year we typically pause to look back (which I did yesterday) and then to look forward (which I'm doing right now). Yesterday I alluded to the fact that I wanted to read (/live) differently this coming year. I don't know about you, but the books I read have direct impact on my life. Priorities have shifted around a bit since starting this great ol' reading blog back in 2006 and in 2010 I want to redirect and refocus my reading energies a bit.

To that end, I do want to state that the number of review copies I'll be taking will be dramatically decreased. Last year I had lots of fun reading new titles, and I definitely am still interested in reading around the new. However, I'd like to spend some quality time with the old. I'm not going to try to predict anything, because if I tried to set up a reading system I'd fail miserably. =) I'll just mosey along. But it is my desire to read more classics and spend time purging my bookshelves, by reading, re-reading, tossing, sanctifying, etc., etc., etc.

I have owned and half read one particular series that I want to go through this coming year . . .



I THINK there are 9 in the series. I have five of them and shall have to collect the rest as I go along. But I plan to spread those out throughout the year. One of them is about the life of Jesus. My plan is to spend January - August reading every book in this series EXCEPT the one about Jesus. September & October I would like to spend re-reading another book on my shelf, that I love dearly, Gleanings in Joshua by A.W. Pink. I would also like to read Gleanings in Genesis, also by Pink. Then in the months of November and December, I would like to spend time with Swindoll's book on Jesus.

Another book I intend to revisit in 2010 is Choosing Gratitude (click on the title to read the review).

Beyond those things, I'm rather anxious to re-read some of my favorite Children's Classic Mystery books in conjunction with the challenge we're hosting over at 5 Minutes for Books. Will you join in? It's so easy. You can read as many (or as few) of your old friends (i.e., Nancy Drew, Trixie Belden, Dana Girls, Cherry Ames, Encyclopedia Brown, Boxcar Children, etc., etc.) as you wish! Introduce and involve your kids! We'd love it if you did and shared about the experience. I can't wait until my kids are old enough to share in these old favorites but in the meantime, I'm re-browsing them myself and intend to fully enjoy this journey!

Naturally, the year will be started by kicking off the Lucy Maud Montgomery Reading Challenge. At the present moment, I'm inclined to read Anne and enjoy her again. We'll see what I actually end up doing, but that's the company I'm presently longing for. Last year I spent most of my challenge time learning about Montgomery herself. This year I'm anxious to be entertained more than anything else.

In July I also intend to revisit Narnia with the Chronicles of Narnia Reading Challenge (and I'm so anxious to do it, too!).



I'd like to finish reading The Faerie Queen (finally) but I'm not terribly, terribly motivated at this present moment. That's just something I feel like finishing mostly for the sake of finishing it. (So far I've only read Book I and Book II.)

Those are my general plans and in between I'll sprinkle in books that (I hope) I think are really worth spending the reading time on.

Reading is still a joy and a passion and I want to keep it so. I want Reading to Know to be a reflection of who I am and where I'm at in life. I want it to be honest and true. So I'll do a bit of purging and rethinking and see where it takes me. No predictions. Just hopes!

Green Books Campaign: Stormy Weather

1 Day, 100 bloggers, 100 green books, 100 reviews

What's this particular post all about? I was contacted asking if I wanted to participate in a blogging campaign to raise awareness of the importance of using recyclable and sustainable materials when publishing books. This campaign is being organized by Eco-Libris, a green company working to green up the book industry. A full list of participating blogs and links to their reviews is available on Eco-Libris website.

I've talked before about how I really think that each family is responsibility to decide how they can best take care of that which they have dominion over. I don't think that everyone, everywhere should be forced to think like I think, and do what I do. And I really don't find it very practical to "plant a tree for every book I read." I don't have enough yard space for that!

That said, I DO think it's a good idea to use recyclable materials in the publishing industry if it is at all possible. I know there are various factors to consider, but one option worth considering could be using such materials, could it not?

With those thoughts in mind, I agreed to participate. So at this exact moment, 100 bloggers from around the world are posting their book reviews of green books (those that are meeting the "green" criteria (recycled or FSC-certified paper). We got to select titles of our choice and so I thought I'd check out a children's book title.




Stormy Weather by Debi Glori (published by Bloomsbury) focuses on bedtime rituals and assuring little ones that even though it may be a bit stormy outside, they are safe inside with their parents. It's a cute book to read with kids who perhaps aren't all that keen on thunderstorms (maybe like mine!). It is told in rhyme and the words swirl around the illustrations which gives it a whimsical feel.

Then should the oceans roar and rise
and dark clouds race across the skies
I'd hold you tight and close and warm
and keep you safe all through the storm.

It's definitely a cute book and we enjoyed it. Definite thumbs up on the complimentary illustrations.

But the real point of the post is just being conscious of what materials publishers are using within the industry. Again, I think it's a good idea to be conservative with the materials that we have available to us and to 'take dominion' of the earth by caring for it as best as we can with the resources that God has given us. I'm not interested in cracking the whip and making demands by any stretch of the imagination. I'm not for more government regulations in this area. Rather, I'd rather we, as fully capable human beings, figure out the best way to care for that which is under our control.

I'm not on a bandwagon. But I am for thought and consideration. So here ya go! Something to think about. Have you ever thought about how the publishing industry could change to become more green? Quite frankly, I'm more for them finding environmentally friendly printing materials over offering books in a .pdf format. I will die on whatever hill I have to, arguing for having a good old fashioned book in hand to read and enjoy. I can be for green and still be for an actual book....let me just make myself clear here. (ha) Book. In my hand. That I can feel. And smell. Just sayin'.

*******

If you'd care to learn more about this topic, it might be helpful to begin at the beginning (in this country anyway). I have a children's picture book to review and giveaway on John Muir: America's Naturalist (Fulcrum Publishing). Hop on over to THIS POST to read my review of John Muir and to enter to win a copy.

Fear + Trepidation + Obsession = New Blog

We interrupt our regular broadcast for a fleeting moment to unveil you to the latest project and reading goal.

Spread the word and join the club!

Reading My Library



(It's all Amy's fault, really.)

I've already brought my first stack of books home and I'm on a roll!

And no, this does not mean I'm leaving Reading to Know in the lurch. I'll still be doin' my thing here as well.

April 1st

This was Jonathan's favorite April Fool's Joke of the day.



Here is the original source, if you are wandering.

Then there's the non-joke of the day which really sounds like a joke (to me). Despite my utter lack of interest in doing the "Twitter Thing" and despite my fighting against adding the "Followers" application to my personal site here -- I've succumbed to both. I think it's fitting that I added the Followers application ON April 1st. Joke's on me sort of thing. At any rate, some of you have faithfully followed even though I had previously not acknowledged that. Thank you. I now officially tip my hat and bless you. (Your picture can be found on my sidebar.) But now that I HAVE added the Follower application, if some of you were previously hesitant to say anything, well don't be shy! I'll notice you.

Now. If you want to follow me on Twitter - you may. Only I can promise you that the only thing I will ever Twitter is exactly what you see here on this blog so you kinda don't need to. But if you want to because you'd just like to - well you can find me @Readingtoknow. Yes, you can.

I will now attempt to live as if I know nothing of this new technology, crawl back in my bubble, and fondly remember the old Blogger template that didn't let you do anything other than type and post.

Thank you very much and goodnight!

500th Post (and a bit of Housekeeping)

Yesterday was my 500th post. So today I thought I'd just take a quick opportunity to take care of some housekeeping items. This past week has been INSANELY hectic and I'm all out of steam and haven't had the opportunity to sit down and read anything that didn't have to do with the Reconstruction Era or FDR's New Deal. I'm growing a little weary of having my reading so focused on one subject! (But I passed my American History exam yesterday - YAY!)

At any rate, we're taking another little family vacation (to attend a friend's wedding) and I'm not going to think about ANYthing but "relaxing" for a few days.

In the meantime, given the fact that I'm in History Mode, I thought I'd take a bit of time to reflect on the History of My Blog. It seems rather fitting, wouldn't you say?

It all began back on July 25, 2006. The main catalyst for getting this site off the ground was the encouragement of my friends Calon Lan, eLrj and a little online bookclub we started called Bookfest. Although Bookfest was dissolved by the winter of 2008, a few members of the club have created spin off book review sites, Calon Lan and myself included. Bookfest definitely provided the momentum and Semicolon Saturday Reviews provided the encouragement to keep going. (I had to read at least ONE book a week so that I could link up to the Saturday Review!)

Now, I have a very black and white personality and when I started writing reviews that was clear to see. I possess very little gray and, quite frankly, I have a hard time seeing it. Usually it has to be pointed out to me (which I'll describe in more detail in an upcoming book review). As I continue to pursue grace (application and acceptance!), my blog has changed along with me. If you've been around with me for the past 2-going-on-3 years I hope you'll have noted the change. As much as I have always loved to love books, I have also loved to hate them. Is this such a bad thing? I truly don't think so. Some books are unworthy of love, in my opinion, and ought not to be read or disseminated. Should they not be printed? Well, sometimes I think that a truly discerning book publisher should have passed a few books up.

My opinion of books that Ought Not to be Read stems from the very basic fact that books wield a whole lot of influence. The wrong book in the wrong hands can produce disastrous effects. I'm not into book banning or book burning so much as I'm into book discerning. Not every personality needs to read every book. At any rate, I haven't always been even THAT well thought out. (And that's not saying much, I realize.) Anyway, a few books I've loved to hate over the past couple of years:

Worst book for children:

A Bad Beginning, by Lemony Snicket

Worst book for adults:

The Shack, by William Young

Now, I will continue to come across books that I love to hate. And I will have my say on them. However, I'm working on adding in a little bit more grace as I go. Sometimes I succeed and othertimes not so much! No, I'm not working towards watered-down thoughts on books so much as I'm working towards Biblically accurate thoughts and that requires a bit of love mixed with justice. Anyway, there have also been quite a few books I have loved to love!

Book I have most enjoyed either reviewing or discussing:

The Count of Monte Cristo, by Alexandre Dumas which I first read with Bookfest. We'll be reading it as part of our Classics Bookclub over at 5 Minutes for Books in August and I'm looking forward to revisiting it then!

Les Miserables by Victor Hugo which, of course, was just read for the Classics Bookclub this past month.

Getting Serious About Getting Married, by Debbie Maken


I've also grown to learn to love focusing on a particular author or series. I had a FABULOUS time in December 2008 reading through the Narnia books by C.S. Lewis. I began my Narnia journey with an overview of my opinion of the series and summarized my week here. I also learned that one week in Narnia can just about kill you. I plan to do a Narnia Challenge this coming December so if you want to come back and join in with me then, please do! More details about that will be forthcoming -- in time, of course.

Then, of course, there was the Lucy Maud Montgomery Challenge where I also got to enjoy the fellowship of the community of book bloggers. We'll call this The Golden Age of Fellowship wherein it was discovered that many people had not really read very much of Lucy Maud Montgomery's works and rectified the situation. Or maybe we should call THIS the Progressive Period in which everyone bettered their reading condition? (Nah.) Many of you joined the challenge and sounded as if you enjoyed it, which means, of course, that I will make it an annual affair. (I learned a few things myself making this challenge a success for me as well.)


Of course, the biggest change for me and this site since 2006 was joining the review team at 5 Minutes for Books. That probably did more for my focus and reviewing habits than anything else. When Jennifer sent me an e-mail asking if I'd be interested in joining the team, she said that I could take some time to pray about it. I responded that I didn't need to pray about it for more than just a couple of seconds because I knew what the obvious answer was already. I responded quickly because I didn't want her to change her mind! And this is what it all pretty much boils down to: my involvement in 5 Minutes for Books has spawned a serious of thoughts, ideas, heart attitudes and actions that are molding and shaping me. I'm not sure if what lands on your computer screen reflects what I'm personally thinking through or not but behind every post is a thought of some sort that is directing how I view the world. If I thought for even one second that I wasn't learning or growing spiritually anymore through the Reading to Know site or 5 Minutes for Books, I would drop them both like hotcakes. But the fact of the matter is, even when it doesn't seem like I'm going anywhere with what I'm doing - I am! Book by book, paragraph by paragraph, sentence by sentence, my mind is always whirling about what authors are saying and what influence any particular book is having on me or my family. So long as that is happening I will keep blogging. When it stops, so will I. It's as simple as that.

If I HAD to pick a scripture that would say what I think the strongest message I am receiving from my personal efforts, it would be Jeremiah 29:11:

For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

God knows I love to read and He teaches me things in every book that I pick up - whether or not it appears to have anything to do with Him on the surface. I am encouraged and built up, motivated to grow and to learn more and to learn how to accurately apply truth. There IS a hope in the printed worth, bound up in various ways and under various covers. Books are beautiful and as long as I think so, I'll be right here for you to find me.