One Sentence Reviews

Books are completely and utterly magical, the feel of them, the smell of them, and the way they transport us into another word, there is nothing else that can quite replace a good paperback book. Books are magical though, not because of the way they make us feel but because they make us think in a way that we haven't thought of before. Though I have to admit I reread a lot, I love reading new books. Over the last couple of months I have read some new books and I wanted to share them (even the bad ones) and what I thought of them and also what their rating is ( 10 means amazing, life-changing experience and anything below 5 means don't even go there). Also I decided to give me a challenge I would only write one sentence on them and what I thought of them.

Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf

I like the book purely of the language, which maybe isn't a good reason but I just love words too much.

Rating: 6.5 out of 10

Anne of Avonlea by L. M. Montgomery

I was basically reliving the blissful childhood memories I never had by reading the children's books that I have never read.

Rating: 6.5 out of 10

Call the Midwife by Jennifer Worth

Midwifes, nuns, England post WWII, slums and the stories of the people who used to live there, what is not to like?

Rating: 7 out of 10

The Foundling by Georgette Heyer

The book (and there are many others) are set in Jane Austen era but these books are less than romance (though there is always a romance) than they are a comedy of manners, very witty and enjoyable.

Rating 7 out of 10

The Last Boat Home by Dea Brovig

The characters and the town that they live in were told beautifully, the climax was huge, surprising and I hated the climax, so without further ado.

Rating: 5 out of 10 ( I wouldn't go there again-I'm allowed to not forgive a book...I think)

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

This is the type of book that is unforgettable, moving, constantly interesting and is now a personal favorite.

Rating: 9 out of 10

So that is the list of books I have read in the last couple of months (Lister's gonna List) and let me know if I suck or not suck at one sentence reviews.

A Reminder

So here is a question for you. When you learn something or hear something or see something that really moves you-and I'm not talking about hearing a nice story and going "oh that is so nice and inspirational" and going on with the rest of your life being the same old you- I'm talking about the things that are true, things that maybe scare you, things that are hard to hear but things that you needed to hear, what do you do with them?
I understand that I need to learn and I want to learn, the problem I have with learning hard things is when I am in the midst of learning them. I'm all for learning and growing until I am actually in the midst of it because I'm a fickle and stupid human being and learning is hard. This is what I do when I'm learning the big lessons and often it's hard because I am forced to come up with the uncomfortable version of myself. It isn't comfortable. I have been thinking about something and that is maybe the small lessons add up to big lessons. Small reminders add up to the big reminders.
Last weekend I went to the Calvary Chapel Woman's Retreat here in the UK and I was looking forward to it, If you read my last post then you would have guessed that I was a little bit stressed and worrying a little bit. I went to the woman's retreat with nothing to lose really, or that is how I felt and I needed the break. When I found out that the theme was 'To Know Him' based on Philippians 3:10, I didn't think about it much, but it was exactly what I needed to hear.
I needed to be reminded that my purpose is to know Jesus.
I needed to be reminded that the right perspective comes by knowing Jesus.
I needed to be reminded that I needed to dethrone the fears that were ruling over me and also my control that are trying to control my life and realise that Jesus needed to be on the throne in my life.
I needed to be reminded that the answer is not in loving ourselves but in knowing and trusting in Jesus.
There was something that the speaker Cheryl Broderson said that really struck me and she said something along the lines of this. " I have needed every affliction and every trial that I have ever gone through because every trial and affliction has grown me and brought me closer to my Jesus." oh man, that was a big one. That really struck me, the thing about all of these things , I already had head knowledge of them, I mean come on I'm a pastor's kid + I grew up in Calvary Chapel which = lots of Bible Knowledge. However God really spoke to me there, while I was surrounded by lots of people and it felt good. It felt good to hear God speaking to me, it felt good to be encouraged by the sermons, by the woman in my church, by some of the pastor's wives who I know who are practically family away from family. It was good to be reminded again. I forgot that I needed reminding of my Jesus. My precious Jesus who I so easily forget, guys I am learning that even though I have no clue what the next step is, that knowing Jesus is the center of my life, is the purpose of my life. Fear, Insecurity, Hopelessness, and Not Belonging, those demons have no place, no foundation in my life, that doesn't mean that I don't feel them because I do, I do everyday but they are not the center of my life and I don't need to put them on the throne for a second, not when the King of kings is calling me to come and worship Him. Something that I need to be reminded on more often, He calls me to worship and to know Him.