2017 Book and Music Recap

Since my wrap-up post for 2017 was already extremely long, I decided my reading of 2017 and a list of my favorite songs could comprise a second post. To read my year's summary, you can click HERE. Now, on with the post.

 ~Music~

I'm generally not a big music-person, but as I've found better and better songs, I've come to look forward to putting on my music and praising the Lord. I generally only listen to Christian contemporary, so that's what all these are. Over the last few months, I've been listening quite often to K-Love, a Christian radio station. I've enjoyed almost every song they've played. The lyrics are absolutely incredible. To mention a few I'd recommend:

"When We Pray" Tauren Wells

"O Lord" Lauren Daigle

"Control" Tenth Avenue North

"Point to You" We Are Messengers

"Lions" Skillet

"Miracle" Unspoken

"Different" Micah Tyler

"Jesus I Believe" Big Daddy Weave

"Miracles" Audio Adrenaline

I've also enjoyed several songs by King and Country, the Newsboys, Jordan Feliz ("The River"), and Hawk Nelson ("Diamonds," "Words," "Drops in the Ocean"). "Courageous" by Casting Crowns is powerful. A Christmas song that really spoke to me this winter was "The Night Before Christmas" by Brandon Heath.

I could list a hundred more, but these will suffice for now. :) I'm eager to discover more great songs this year. I've already found a few!

~Reading~

Now for the best section of my 2017 recap. :) It's been a wonderful year as far as finding some fabulous authors. This marks my third year keeping meticulous track of the books I read. Often, I can tell my mood from each month simply by which books I read. Here are my reading stats:

15,600+ total pages

53 books

1300 average pages/month

294 average pages/book

4.4 average books/month

Best month: March (9 books; 2,633 pages)

Worst month: October (2 books; 749 pages)

Longest book: 486 pages (Exiles, Jaye L. Knight)

Shortest book: 108 pages (Befriending the Beast, Amanda Tero)

Number of rereads: only 3 (When Dreams Come True, Eric and Leslie Ludy; Dare, Tricia Mingerink; Deny, Tricia Mingerink)

Number of authors: 33

Fiction books: 50

Nonfiction books: 3

Here is the complete list of books I read.

January (1,894 pages total)

1. Red Rock Mysteries: Hollywood Holdup, Jerry B. Jenkins and Chris Fabry (208 pages)
2. Out From Egypt: Shadow of the Storm, Connilyn Cossette (346 pages)
3. The Blades of Acktar: Destroy, Tricia Mingerink (165 pages)
4. Adventures of the Northwoods: The Vanishing Footprints, Lois W. Johnson (156 pages)
5. Dragons in Our Midst: Tears of a Dragon, Bryan Davis (363 pages)
6. The Staff and the Sword: A Cast of Stones, Patrick W. Carr (428 pages)
7. Red Rock Mysteries: Wind Chill, Jerry B. Jenkins and Chris Fabry (228 pages)

February (1,135 pages total)

1. Land of Shining Water: The Icecutter's Daughter, Tracie Peterson (331 pages)
2. Chiveis Trilogy: The Gift, Bryan M. Litfin (407 pages)
3. Ilyon Chronicles: The King's Scrolls, Jaye L. Knight (397 pages)

March (2,633 pages total)

1. Out of Time: A Time to Die, Nadine Brandes (389 pages)
2. Circle C Milestones: Courageous Love, Susan K. Marlow (186 pages)
3. A Seven Wonders Novel: Shadow of Colossus, T. L. Higley (384 pages)
4. Left to Die, Ivy Rose (116 pages)
5. Martin Generations: Martin Hospitality, Abigayle Claire (386 pages)
6. Circle C Adventures: Andrea Carter and the Long Ride Home (expanded edition), Susan K. Marlow (195 pages)
7. Ranger's Apprentice: The Ruins of Gorlan, John Flanagan (249 pages)
8. Ranger's Apprentice: The Burning Bridge, John Flanagan (262 pages)
9. Ilyon Chronicles: Samara's Peril, Jaye L. Knight (464 pages)

April (1,283 pages total)

1. Ranger's Apprentice: The Icebound Land, John Flanagan (266 pages)
2. Red Rock Mysteries: Hidden Riches, Jerry B. Jenkins and Chris Fabry (249 pages)
3. Red Rock Mysteries: Dead End, Jerry B. Jenkins and Chris Fabry (235 pages)
4. The Blades of Acktar: Deliver, Tricia Mingerink (239 pages)
5. Ranger's Apprentice: The Battle for Skandia, John Flanagan (294 pages)

May (1,164 pages total + Romeo and Juliet)

1. Ranger's Apprentice: The Sorcerer of the North, John Flanagan (295 pages)
2. When Dreams Come True, Eric and Leslie Ludy (265 pages)
3. Ranger's Apprentice: The Siege of Macindaw, John Flanagan (293 pages)
4. The Omega Trilogy: Unbound, J. B. Simmons (311 pages)
5. The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare

June (947 pages total)

1. Steadfast Love: The Sound of Diamonds, Rachelle Rea (276 pages)
2. Dandelion Dust, Faith Potts (178 pages)
3. Outrageous Courage, Kris and Jason Vallotton (154 pages)
4. Out From Egypt: Wings of the Wind, Connilyn Cossette (339 pages)

July (1,471 pages total)

1. The Staff and the Sword: The Hero's Lot, Patrick W. Carr (437 pages)
2. The Atonement Child, Francine Rivers (372 pages)
3. The Homelanders: The Last Thing I Remember, Andrew Klavan (336 pages)
4. Michael Vey: The Prisoner of Cell 25, Richard Paul Evans (326 pages)

August (835 pages total)

1. Michael Vey: The Rise of the Elgen, Richard Paul Evans (335 pages)
2. Michael Vey: The Battle of the Ampere, Richard Paul Evans (320 pages)
3. Autobiography, Benjamin Franklin (180 pages)

September (1,469 pages total)

1. DragonKeeper Chronicles: DragonKnight, Donita K. Paul (393 pages)
2. Michael Vey: Hunt for Jade Dragon, Richard Paul Evans (319 pages)
3. Ilyon Chronicles: Exiles, Jaye L. Knight (486 pages)
4. Michael Vey: Storm of Lightning, Richard Paul Evans (271 pages)

October (749 pages total)

1. The Blades of Acktar: Dare, Tricia Mingerink (334 pages)
2. The Last of the Mohicans, James Fenimore Cooper (415 pages)

November (1,080 pages total)

1. The Blades of Acktar: Deny, Tricia Mingerink (328 pages)
2. Michael Vey: Fall of Hades, Richard Paul Evans (328 pages)
3. Michael Vey: The Final Spark, Richard Paul Evans (316 pages)
4. Tales of Faith: Befriending the Beast, Amanda Tero (108 pages)

December (949 pages total)

1. Heroes of Quantico: Against All Odds, Irene Hannon (332 pages)
2. Alaskan Courage: Submerged, Dani Pettrey (310 pages)
3. The Beautiful Pretender, Melanie Dickerson (307 pages)

If asked to choose a favorite book from the year, it'd be a difficult decision. The nominees are:

The Atonement Child, Francine Rivers
This is an extremely powerful, and well-written story. Rivers is among my favorite authors, and I'd highly recommend this book to all mature readers.

Dare and Deny, Tricia Mingerink
If you've kept track of my blog and favorite books for any length of time, you'll know that Mingerink is my top favorite author, thus why Dare and Deny absolutely had to make the favorites list.

Exiles, Jaye L. Knight
Book four in the series, Exiles was a fast-paced, thrilling fantasy that kept me turning the pages. Knight is also one of my favorite authors.

When Dreams Come True, Eric and Leslie Ludy
Another reread, the few books I've read by the Ludy couple are very well done and appealing to the intended audience. This particular book is the story of their courtship.

Martin Hospitality, Abigayle Claire
As Claire's debut novel, you can't tell it's her first publication. The story line is deep but written with a tasteful sense of humor. I'm eager for book two.

Dandelion Dust, Faith Potts
Also a debut author, I've been following Faith for several years on her blog. I was thrilled for her book's release, and thoroughly enjoyed the tale. Heart-wrenching as it is, Faith succeeded in making me cry. Excellent characterization and plot.

Submerged, Dani Pettrey
A new author to me, Pettrey's first book in her Alaskan Courage series was thrilling. A suspenseful romance, it was also a story of redemption that kept me flipping pages.

In my winning envelope is a tie between Mingerink's Dare and River's The Atonement Child.

I didn't have too many disappointing reads this year, but there were still a few that didn't quite tickle my fancy. I'd really been looking forward to Nadine Brande's A Time to Die, but the style just wasn't what I'm used to, and I felt the characterization and plot left room for some improvement. I found the ending of Dead End, the fifteenth and final book in the Red Rock Mysteries series by Jenkins and Fabry, to be a personally disappointing close to a wonderful series. And finally, Cooper's Last of the Mohicans was just too difficult for me to read style-wise. I've never been a big fan of the "classics."

On the other hand, my top three favorite series of the year would have to be the Blades of Acktar by Tricia Mingerink, Ilyon Chronicles by Jaye L. Knight, and Michael Vey by Richard Paul Evans. I read all seven books of the Michael Vey series this year and they were fantastic! Although not a Christian series as all the other books I've specifically mentioned so far have been, the series was still clean and greatly entertaining.

In addition to my favorite authors already mentioned above, some authors new to me who are now on my list include Faith Potts, Abigayle Claire, Ivy Rose, Richard Paul Evans, Melanie Dickerson, and Dani Pettrey. Another new author I found enjoyable was John Flanagan.

Top 5 favorite book covers:

This year, several books left me thinking and had quite an impact on me. The first was (once again) Francine River's The Atonement Child, which addressed the abortion issue. A similar novel was Martin Hospitality. Then Ivy Rose's story, Left to Die, kept me considering situations missionaries face in foreign countries. A nonfiction book that challenged me was Outrageous Courage about missionary Tracy Evans. I found her incredible story powerful and entirely inspiring. It's a great reminder of God's power in present, day-to-day life.

A giant thank-you to everyone who recommended books for me to read this year, and who gave me books for Christmas or my birthday. (My parents, grandparents, the Martin family, Alex, Samuel—thank you all!) It's because of you that I can keep reading and discovering amazing books and authors! :)

Be sure to pick a few of my favorite books from the year to add to your 2018 TBR list, and check out some of the songs! Have you read any of these? Or listened to these song artists? Thanks for reading!

2016 Bookish Recap Tag

Welcome to 2017! I can't believe it's already here. Kaitlyn from Twin Thoughts tagged me for this marvelous book-related tag started by Faith P. at Stories by Firefly. You know me, always ready to write about books. Thank you, Kaitlyn!

Rules

1. Include the above button in your post.
2. Answer the 11 questions.
3. Use as many book covers as you like.
4. Tag 5-10 people and notify them that they've been tagged.

 Questions

1. How many books did you read in 2016? (Exact if you know, or approximate if not.)

I do have an exact for this. I know what you're thinking: BOOK NERD! And you're right. :) The answer is 85 books.

2. Did you set a reading challenge for yourself and, if so, did you meet it?

 I had set a goal of 10 books a month, so 120 all year. But, life interfered.

3. What was your most read genre this year? Least read?

Most read: Fantasy (about 24) and historical fiction (about 20-25)

Least read:  Biographies (1) and romance (3)

4. What's five of your favorite books from 2016?

This is a terrible question. So I'll just pick my five top series. haha.

The Makilien Trilogy by Molly Evangeline

The Pirates and Faith series by Molly Evangeline

The Blades of Acktar by Tricia Mingerink

Ilyon Chronicles by Jaye L. Knight

Dragons in our Midst by Bryan Davis

Mark of the Lion Trilogy by Francine Rivers

What? I'm certain you counted wrong. There's only five series listed! :) Anyway, if you haven't heard of or read these series, you really need to. They're wonderful!

5. What's five of your least favorite books from 2016?

 Nobody kill me as I know these are some favorites.

Uncle Tom's Cabin, Harriet Beecher Stowe

Silas Marner, George Eliot

Shane, Jack Schaefer

Seal of the King, Ralph Smith

I personally wouldn't recommend any of these books to anyone. These were pretty much my only disappointing books throughout the year.

6. What new favorite author did you discover? (Not necessarily that the author is 'new', but that they became new to you this year.)

This was a very good reading year. I found my new favorite author—Tricia Mingerink, and for all intensive purposes I found my second-favorite author—Jaye L. Knight/Molly Evangeline. I actually found MANY new authors but these two are by far my favorites.

7. What's five of your favorite book covers from the year?

There were some really good ones! Here are a few.

Resistance, Jaye L. Knight

Courage, Molly Evangeline

The Pirate Daughter's Promise, Molly Evangeline

Deny, Tricia Mingerink

Defy, Tricia Mingerink

What? I'm not biased! Why would you say that?

8. How many books did you purchase for yourself in 2016? (Exact if you know, approximate if not.)

I bought more books for myself this year than any other year prior. That being said, I'm not sure. I got several of them free on Kindle and bought all my favorites in paper-back. Still, many of them were given to me for Christmas and my birthday. I'd have to say that I bought at least 20.

9. What's the longest book you read in 2016?

Unfortunately, it was also one of my least favorites. Ironic, I know. Seal of the King by Ralph Smith was 749 pages. Yes, you read that number correctly. The longest book I've ever read!

10. What's the shortest book you read in 2016?

Probably Jesseca Wheaton's Beyond the Horizon at 72 pages. I also read a few others that might have been slightly shorter.

11. What's your reading goal for 2017?

I'm not going to push myself since I have a super busy schedule, but I'm going to aim for last year's goal of 120. We'll see how I do!

I Tag

You! If you are reading this and have done the tag, leave me the link to your post and I'll go read it. If you haven't done this and don't have a blog, go ahead and leave me a comment with your answers! I love learning about your reading adventures!

I would say that this year, most of the books I read ranged from 300-400 pages, and I'm very happy with that number. So, while I didn't read quite the number of books I'd hoped to, I read plenty of pages. Here's the complete list of what I read if you are interested. Before you go, be sure to either answer the questions or recommend a book to me. Thanks!

My Reading Year

 

January (2,946 pages total)

1. Makilien Trilogy: Courage, Molly Evangeline (478 pages)

1. Makilien Trilogy: Trust, Molly Evangeline (331 pages)
2. Circle C Milestones: Heartbreak Trail, Susan K. Marlow (166 pages)
3. 'Nama Beach High: New Girl in Town, Nancy Rue (170 pages)
4. Pirates and Faith: The Pirate Daughter's Promise, Molly Evangeline (217 pages)
5. Pirates and Faith: Every Tear, Molly Evangeline (458 pages)
6. Circle C Milestones: The Last Ride, Susan K. Marlow (175 pages)
7. Red Rock Mysteries: Instant Menace, Jerry B. Jenkins and Chris Fabry (234 pages)
8. Red Rock Mysteries: Escaping Darkness, Jerry B. Jenkins and Chris Fabry (218 pages)
9. Uncle Tom's Cabin, Harriet Beecher Stowe (499 pages)

February (2,010 pages total)

1. Daughters of the Faith Series: Shadow of His Hand, Wendy Lawton (148 pages)
2. What About Cimmaron?, Lauraine Snelling (84 pages)
3. Sierra Jensen Series: In Your Dreams, Robin Jones Gunn (140 pages)
4. Forbidden Doors: The Guardian, Bill Myers (170 pages)
5. Red Rock Mysteries: Windy City Danger, Jerry B. Jenkins and Chris Fabry (234 pages)
6. Adventures of the Northwoods: The Disappearing Stranger, Lois W. Johnson (142 pages)
7. The Black Stallion: The Blood Bay Colt, Walter Farley (307 pages)
8. The Island Stallion: The Island Stallion's Fury, Walter Farley (190 pages)
9. Pirates and Faith: A Captain's Heart, Molly Evangeline (365 pages)
10. Golden Filly: The Race, Lauraine Snelling (123 pages)
11. Golden Filly: Eagles Wings, Lauraine Snelling (107 pages)

March (2,047 pages total)

1. Silas Marner, George Eliot (202 pages)
2. Golden Filly: Go for the Glory, Lauraine Snelling (126 pages)
3. Golden Filly: Kentucky Dreamer, Lauraine Snelling (130 pages)
4. Golden Filly: Call for Courage, Lauraine Snelling (122 pages)
5. Dear Enemy, Jack Cavanaugh (288 pages)
6. The Kingdom Series: Kingdom's Dawn, Chuck Black (145 pages)
7. Blessed Child, Ted Dekker and Bill Bright (349 pages)
8. Left Behind: Desecration, Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins (405 pages)
9. The Kingdom Series: Kingdom's Hope, Chuck Black (138 pages)
10. Adventures of the Northwoods: The Hidden Message, Lois Walfrid Johnson (142 pages)

April (2,016+ pages total)

1. The Blades of Acktar: Dare, Tricia Mingerink (334 pages)
2. Golden Filly: Shadow Over San Mateo, Lauraine Snelling (119 pages)
3. The Anne of Green Gables Novels: Anne of Green Gables, L. M. Montgomery (308 pages)
4. Song of the Desert, Katie Grace (307 pages)
5. Christian Heroes: Then and Now: Jacob Deshazer, Janet and Geoff Benge (219 pages)
6. The Hobbit, J. R. R. Tolkien (330 pages)
7. The Blades of Acktar: Deny, Tricia Mingerink (328 pages)
8. Kressler Kids Mysteries: The Mystery of the Midnight Tresspasser, Hosanna Emily (_ pages)
9. Golden Filly: Out of the Mist, Lauraine Snelling (116 pages)

May (1,428+ pages total)

1. The Oneness: Hive, Rachel Starr Thomson (__ pages)
2. The Oneness: Exile, Rachel Starr Thomson (230 pages)
3. Pirates and Faith: Finding Faith, Molly Evangeline (277 pages)
4. The Blades of Acktar: Defy, Tricia Mingerink (__ pages)
5. Shane, Jack Schaefer (151 pages)
6. Ilyon Chronicles: Resistance, Jaye L. Knight (478 pages)
7. Bonnets and Bugles Series: The Gallant Boys of Gettysburg, Gilbert Morris (168 pages)
8. Golden Filly: Second Wind, Lauraine Snelling (124 pages)

June (388 pages total)

1. The Revelation Chronicles: Will's Purpose, Randolph Kay (388 pages)

July (2,314 pages total)

1. Cedar River Daydreams: Unheard Voices, Judy Baer (140 pages)
2. Mark of the Lion: A Voice in the Wind, Francine Rivers (507 pages)
3. Golden Filly: Close Call, Lauraine Snelling (128 pages)
4. Mark of the Lion: An Echo in the Darkness, Francine Rivers (442 pages)
5. Golden Filly: The Winner's Circle, Lauraine Snelling (127 pages)
6. Mark of the Lion: As Sure as the Dawn, Francine Rivers (473 pages)
7. Adventures of the Northwoods: The Creeping Shadows, Lois Walfrid Johnson (160 pages)
8. Out from Egypt: Counted With the Stars, Connilyn Cossette (337 pages)

August (1,230 pages total)

1. A Seven Wonders Novel: City of the Dead, T. L. Higley (380 pages)
2. Cedar River Daydreams: Trouble with a Capital “T”, Judy Baer (139 pages)
3. Cedar River Daydreams: Journey to Nowhere, Judy Baer (126 pages)
4. Cedar River Daydreams: More Than Friends, Judy Baer (122 pages)
5. A Question of Honor, Jesseca Wheaton (150 pages)
6. Ilyon Chronicles: Half-Blood, Jaye L. Knight (130 pages)
7. And the Bride Wore White: Seven Secrets to Sexual Purity, Dannah Gresh (183 pages)

September (1,707 pages total + X)

1. The Seventh Dimension: The Door, Lorilyn Roberts (231 pages)
2. The Lost Girl of Astor Street, Stepanie Morrill (345 pages)
3. Failstate: Failstate, John W. Otte (426 pages)
4. Dragons in Our Midst: Raising Dragons, Bryan Davis (371 pages)
5. Dragon Keeper Chronicles: Dragon Spell, Donita K. Paul (334 pages)
6. X (Courtship book)

October (1,319 pages total)

1. Follower of the Word: Daughter of Light, Morgan L. Busse (376 pages)
2. Light of Loian: A Light in the Darkness, Heather Sutherlin (215 pages)
3. Dragon Keeper Chronicles: Dragon Quest, Donita K. Paul (349 pages)
4. A Seven Wonders Novel: Guardian of the Flame, T. L. Higley (379 pages)

November (2,271 pages total)

1. Montana Skies Series: McKenzie, Penny Zeller (314 pages)
2. Dragons in Our Midst: The Candlestone, Bryan Davis (388 pages)
3. Dragons in Our Midst: Circles of Seven, Bryan Davis (434 pages)
4. The Wanderer Series: Seen, Heather Sutherlin (139 pages)
5. Thrilling Action and Adventure Fiction Book: Seal of the King, Ralph Smith (749 pages)
6. Cedar River Daydreams: Never Too Late, Judy Baer (121 pages)
7. Cedar River Daydreams: A Special Kind of Love, Judy Baer (126 pages)

December (1,077 pages total)

1. Madman, Tracy Groot (316 pages)
2. Men of the Saddle: The Drifter, Lori Copeland (279 pages)
3. Beyond the Horizon, Jesseca Wheaton (72 pages)
4. Chiveis Trilogy: The Sword, Bryan M. Litfin (410 pages)
   
   
   Thanks for reading! Have a blessed week!

Favorite Books

A huge group of bloggers are participating in a book party at Rebekah Morris's blog "Read Another Page." It goes on until this Friday, the 30th. Six blogs (including Rebekah Morris's) are posting their top five favorite books in two genres each day. Every day they offer a prize, and to top it all off, there is an amazing grand prize. You can enter in numerous ways. I'm having a blast at the party so far, and I'd highly recommend heading over there to join in the fun!

Since this has thrown me into a bookish mood (which I'm always in anyways), I'm going to post a few of my favorite books in the mystery, historical fiction, and spiritual warfare genres. Enjoy and be sure to enter the giveaway!

For the longest time, mystery was my favorite genre. Lately, historical fiction and fantasy have overruled it, but I still love to immerse myself in a great mystery novel. I am, however, struggling to find good, clean, mysteries for teen readers such as myself. I love ones that keep you guessing and send shivers up your spine. Any recommendations? Following are some of my favorites from a few years ago.

The "Red Rock Mysteries" series by Jerry B. Jenkins and Chris Fabry are wonderful adventures full of twists and turns. I've thoroughly enjoyed each one I've read; my only complaint is that they are over too quickly!

Another series I re-read repeatedly when I was younger was the "No Place Like Holmes" books by Jason Lethcoe. They keep you flipping pages and are just the type that I described above. I wish they were written for my age level!

Yet a third series of delightful mysteries is the "Adventures of the Northwoods" by Lois Walfrid Johnson. They also qualify as historical fiction, set in Wisconsin. I really had fun with both the mystery, and the struggles of the times.

An abundance of these novels decorate my shelves. I can't get enough of good historical fiction. I don't have a specific time period that I enjoy most; I'll read whatever time period I can get my hands on!

At the end of 2015, I discovered Molly Evangeline and her first series, "Pirates and Faith." They are an exciting series set in the Caribbean Sea, 1702. I also appreciated the length of each book; there's nothing better than a good, long book that you can escape to!

Recently, I discovered book one in the "Out From Egypt" series by Connilyn Cossette. Counted With the Stars follows an Egyptian woman through the plagues and the Exodus. It contains a very unique perspective that I enjoyed. I don't agree with all the aspects of the book, but for the most part, it was in sync with the Biblical account.

Francine River's series, "The Mark of the Lion" is powerful! I did a post on how it affected me that you can read HERE. This is set a little after the time of Jesus in Rome and Ephesus. It is graphic, but an amazing series nonetheless.

On a lighter note, I also had fun reading the "Black Stallion" series by Walter Farley, and am now re-reading it with my sister. For anyone who loves horses, these novels are a must!

I've had a great time reading all of Susan Marlow's novels. She has several series for various age groups. Each series is centered around tomboy Andrea Carter living in Fresno, California in the 1880s. My favorite of her series is "Circle C Adventures."

Lastly, Lauraine Snelling wrote a short novel taking place during the Mount St. Helens eruption called "What about Cimmaron?" I enjoyed the unique perspective of the characters.

I don't think that this is technically a "genre," but for my purposes it is. I haven't read too many of these, but I'll share the ones that I have because I've loved them!

Rachel Starr Thomson has a series called "The Oneness." While I've only read the first few, I've been intrigued by the way that the author portrays the spiritual realm.

I've read multiple books by Josh McDowell that are also jam-packed full of the spiritual. To name a few in "The Powerlink Chronicles:" Under Siege, The Deceivers, and Truth Slayers. All were very challenging. I'd recommend all three for teens and adults—mostly teens.

Perhaps this has helped you find more books to add to your to-be-read list. I hope so! If you have read any of the above mentioned books, I'd enjoy hearing your thoughts on them. What are your favorite books in these genres? I'd love to hear your input and make sure you go enter that giveaway right away!

Summer Days and Lost People

Quite an interesting title, I know. How do they relate? They really don't. :) So please, bear with my rambling.

I am not overly fond of summer. It gets hot. Where I live in central California, temperatures are usually anywhere from the 90s to the one hundred and teens.  And I don't particularly enjoy heat. Give me rain and cold any day.

Of course, there are benefits to the season. Our pool is often like a jacuzzi. And naturally, no school. :) Most of our summer is busy nonetheless, but there are those days when you have practically nothing to do. Yesterday was one of those days. I read about 500 pages! I read nearly all day, and let me tell you—it felt wonderful. Just lounging around, immersing myself in another world, another time period, another land. It is an escape from reality, but in some cases, also a call to face reality.

So it was with one of the books that I read most of yesterday. An Echo in the Darkness by Francine Rivers is the second book in the Mark of the Lion trilogy. It is set in ancient Rome and Ephesus shortly after Jesus walked the earth. Reading Books One and Two of this series was very enjoyable, but it also a bit depressing at times.

Whenever Rivers described the cities, I felt as though she was discussing America today. Tolerant of everything, all lifestyles, all sins. It opened my eyes to how many people are searching for answers but don't know where to look—or they do but won't humble themselves. They worship whatever god they need at the time, and then move on to the next idol. Their lives are purposeless, without meaning. They engage in anything to please themselves, without thought to consequences or right and wrong. Their motto is live for today. Whatever is right for you is right for you. Supporting and praising sin. Abortion. Transgender bathrooms and locker rooms. Not staying pure until marriage.

I know that America is only one of many countries who have fallen into deep sin. Reading this novel and the first one made me look around. How could I help these lost people? Many times I wonder if anything I do could even make a difference. How can one person change lives? Again, this book helped me see how much difference one person can make, even when he/she doesn't think they are making a change. In this book, Rivers actually used a non-Christian character to convert someone! Talk about God working in mysterious ways.

Okay, I think that's enough for now. To sum this all up: we live in a world headed for destruction. But God has placed each of us in a specific place for a special purpose. Don't neglect that purpose or forget that no matter our circumstances, God has a plan and you can always reach out to others. He will use difficulty to bring others to know Him through us. By trusting God in all things and sharing Him with others, each one of us CAN make a difference in a lost and dying world.

And just a reminder, don't forget to check out my new summer blog design and enter the writing challenge! The deadline is July 22. Thank you!