I want to apologize for the delay in my posting. I have read a few books in during this time, but I have had to take some time to myself because of my mother’s illness and death at the end of February. I have two reviews ready to be written and I will get them off as soon as I can. Thank you so much for your patience!

I’ve decided to stop including the Amazon.com summary in the body of my reviews. It just makes the entry so much longer than it need to be. I’ll still include the link, though.

I’m thinking of deleting the summaries from all of my previous entries. Any preferences?

Okay, so you may have noticed my blog entries have slowed down. It can only mean one thing: School reading.

My schedule worked out so that my classes don’t start until the second half of the semester. I have a one-week intensive class before that, though, and we need to have the reading done before then. So far I’m pretty excited about what I’m reading, it just takes longer to read. That’s not to say I’m not reading for fun. Reading is too much a part of my life. It’s how I relax, disconnect, slip out of my own life so I can leave the stress for a little while. I’ve found that I have to have some “fun” reading or I get crabby (especially before bed when I have a tendency to think too much about what I have to do or problems in life). So while I still read, I just read it slower.

To keep my audience of two happy, though, I will try to add reviews of “books of days gone by” (although about a third of my postings have already been books I’ve read a while ago) and keep you up-to-date on my reading.

And in case you’re wondering, right now on my nightstand I have:

• “World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War” by Max Brooks. It sounds silly but it is amazing (Thanks Dave!). It’s done documentary style and while it sounds like it must be comic or horror, it is neither. It is a little haunting (seriously, no pun intended.).
• “The Soldiers of Halla” by DJ MacHale. This is the tenth and final book in a series. I have been waiting for years for answers and they have finally arrived. I expect to have this book finished rather soon. It’s a young adult series, so it is easier to read, but MacHale has a lot of wrapping up to do. So far I’m not disappointed.
• “Discipleship“ by Dietrich Bonhoeffer. This is the first of my reading for class. I thought this would be a chore to read. So many theologians tend to be too challenging to read unless you have to read it (say for a class). I expected this book to be challenging as well based on the fact that this book is a translation from the original German and thick. I was wrong. Bonhoeffer has such passion and love for God and how we as Christians are supposed to act… Well, I won’t review it here, but I suggest everyone who wants to know a little bit more read this.

So you can see why I’m a little slower right now (hey, no jokes! Yeah, I’m pointing at you). Reading theology text books, regardless of how good they are, require a little more brain work (apparently professors expect students to retain what they’ve read to discuss in class. Crazy, I tell you, crazy!). But I will try to add at least two books a week!

Don’t forget, your suggestions for books I should read are always welcome and I would love your input, too!

I am an avid reader. I have been for as long as I can remember. I have no doubt that I have read hundreds of books during my lifetime. But I got in a rut. I found myself reading the same genre of book by the same authors. I knew how the book was going to end before I was 100 pages into the book. Sigh.

So this summer I thought I’d try something different. I would just pick books that sounded interesting no matter the genre. I asked my friends for suggestions and I have a list that I take with me when getting books.

And I finally got a library card.

Okay, when I was a kid, I used to have a library card, but after college I moved out of state and never got a new one. Besides, Barnes & Noble is open late. Now, though, I’m a student pursuing my Masters degree and that costs money. And the kids needed something to do over the summer. So I finally got a library card. Besides, it’s easier to read something new and different when you don’t have to pay money for it!

But I want to remember these different books I’m reading, so in this day-and-age of over-sharing on the Web, what better way than to share my reading adventures online!

Feel free to make reading suggestions. Offer comments. Tell me I’m off my rocker because I didn’t like or really liked something terrible. Also, I plan to share my text books online. I am currently working towards my Master of Arts degree in Children, Youth and Family Ministry at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota.

So, I hope you enjoy this blog… at least a little bit.