en-US Thu, 10 Apr 2025 10:30:28 -0700 60 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg 17572972 404 Wendell Berry 1619021986 Charity 5 4.51 2013
author: Wendell Berry
name: Charity
average rating: 4.51
book published: 2013
rating: 5
read at: 2020/12/24
date added: 2025/04/10
shelves: earth, poetry, currently-reading
review:

]]> 295 Treasure Island has never been surpassed. From the moment young Jim Hawkins first encounters the sinister Blind Pew at the Admiral Benbow Inn until the climactic battle for treasure on a tropic isle, the novel creates scenes and characters that have fired the imaginations of generations of readers. Written by a superb prose stylist, a master of both action and atmosphere, the story centers upon the conflict between good and evil - but in this case a particularly engaging form of evil. It is the villainy of that most ambiguous rogue Long John Silver that sets the tempo of this tale of treachery, greed, and daring. Designed to forever kindle a dream of high romance and distant horizons, Treasure Island is, in the words of G. K. Chesterton, 'the realization of an ideal, that which is promised in its provocative and beckoning map; a vision not only of white skeletons but also green palm trees and sapphire seas.' G. S. Fraser terms it 'an utterly original book' and goes on to write: 'There will always be a place for stories like Treasure Island that can keep boys and old men happy.']]> 352 Robert Louis Stevenson 0753453800 Charity 0 3.84 1882
author: Robert Louis Stevenson
name: Charity
average rating: 3.84
book published: 1882
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/10
shelves: read-as-a-child, currently-reading, children-s-literature
review:

]]> 41252565 Habits form us more than we form them.

The modern world is a machine of a thousand invisible habits, forming us into anxious, busy, and depressed people. We yearn for the freedom and peace of the gospel, but remain addicted to our technology, shackled by our screens, and exhausted by our routines. But because our habits are the water we swim in, they are almost invisible to us. What can we do about it?

The answer to our contemporary chaos is to practice a rule of life that aligns our habits to our beliefs. The Common Rule offers four daily and four weekly habits, designed to help us create new routines and transform frazzled days into lives of love for God and neighbor. Justin Earley provides concrete, doable practices, such as a daily hour of phoneless presence or a weekly conversation with a friend.

These habits are “common� not only because they are ordinary, but also because they can be practiced in community. They have been lived out by people across all walks of life—businesspeople, professionals, parents, students, retirees—who have discovered new hope and purpose. As you embark on these life-giving practices, you will find the freedom and rest for your soul that comes from aligning belief in Jesus with the practices of Jesus.]]> 204 Justin Whitmel Earley 0830845607 Charity 4 faith, mental-health 4.31 2019
author: Justin Whitmel Earley
name: Charity
average rating: 4.31
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/10
date added: 2025/04/10
shelves: faith, mental-health
review:

]]> 256018 269 John Wimber 0340561270 Charity 0 to-read 4.02 1985
author: John Wimber
name: Charity
average rating: 4.02
book published: 1985
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/09
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 146198 Hannah Coulter is Wendell Berry's seventh novel and his first to employ the voice of a woman character in its telling. Hannah, the now-elderly narrator, recounts the love she has for the land and for her community. She remembers each of her two husbands, and all places and community connections threatened by twentieth-century technologies.]]> 190 Wendell Berry 1593760787 Charity 5 4.39 2004
author: Wendell Berry
name: Charity
average rating: 4.39
book published: 2004
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/09
date added: 2025/04/09
shelves: earth, comfort-reads, interesting-fiction, rural-life, the-greats, favorites
review:
Beautiful reflections on gratitude, grief, family, farming, and so on.
]]> 48559782 In his classic Surprised by the Power of the Spirit, Jack Deere looked at the reason why many Christians (including himself at the time) struggle to believe in miraculous gifts, and he provided a groundbreaking biblical defense of the Holy Spirit's speaking and healing activities today.

In Why I Am Still Surprised by the Power of the Spirit, the former Dallas Seminary professor revisits his earlier subject matter with fresh insight and even stronger the Scriptures teach that God is healing and speaking today just as he did 2,000 years ago.

Having almost entirely rewritten Surprised by the Power of the Spirit, this new edition comes at a time when the theological landscape has dramatically changed, and most evangelicals do believe in all the gifts of the Spirit. But many of us are still unsure how to understand those gifts, and there is much confusion today on what it means to be filled with the Spirit.

This book is for those familiar with Deere's work and for newcomers alike. In it,


Explains the nature of spiritual gifts, defining each of them.
Offers sound advice on discovering and using spiritual gifts in church.
Tells documented stories of modern miracles and encounters with demonic powers.
Examines the New Testament use of the phrase "filled with the Spirit" to show why and how God still fills his servants with the Holy Spirit.
Introduces the newest literature defending and explaining the gifts of the Spirit.
With the care of a scholar and the passion of personal experience, this new edition builds upon the legacy of Surprised by the Power of the Spirit and the profound impact it's had among Christians of many traditions.]]> 307 Jack Deere 0310108136 Charity 0 to-read 4.43
author: Jack Deere
name: Charity
average rating: 4.43
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/09
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 214974527
In Becoming the Pastor's Wife, Barr draws on her 25 years of experience as a pastor's wife and her scholarship as a historian to trace the role of the pastor's wife, showing how it both helped and hurt women in conservative Protestant traditions. While they gained an important leadership role, it came at a deep cost: losing independent church leadership opportunities and strengthening a gender hierarchy that prioritized male careers.

Barr examines the connection between the decline of female ordination and the rise of the role of pastor's wife in the evangelical church, tracing its patterns in the larger history of Christian women's leadership. By expertly blending historical and personal narrative, she equips pastors' wives to better advocate for themselves while helping the church understand the origins of the role as well as the historical reality of ordained women.]]> 256 Beth Allison Barr 1587435896 Charity 0 to-read 4.59
author: Beth Allison Barr
name: Charity
average rating: 4.59
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/08
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 210137755 Do you really know the Holy Spirit? And what does the answer mean for your faith?

In The Familiar Stranger, Tyler Staton draws on Scripture, tradition, and spiritual practices to help you step into a genuine relationship with the Holy Spirit and discover a fully alive spirituality.

For a generation searching desperately for an experiential spirituality, there's good the Holy Spirit's indwelling presence to empower and transform is freely available. Yet, confusion and unfamiliarity surround the Holy Spirit, leading too many Christians either to sideline him or misunderstand what he means for their spiritual lives.

In The Familiar Stranger, Staton reintroduces this oft-neglected person of the Trinity, tracing the story of the Holy Spirit as it unfolds throughout the Bible, and inviting believers to close the gap between what Scripture reveals about the Holy Spirit and their lived experience. Along the way, readers

- dig into key biblical images and metaphors that reveal the Holy Spirit's nature, roles, and personality;
- learn about common misperceptions that keep believers and churches from experiencing the fullness of the Holy Spirit's power and presence;
- discover how the Spirit brings discernment and access to miraculous power to partner with God in the work he's doing in the world;
- reckon with the indispensable role of spiritual experience for walking with God; andunderstand how both Word and Spirit work together to draw people into a vibrant, intimate knowledge of God.

The Familiar Stranger will challenge, inform, and encourage believers from every background to become more deeply acquainted with the Person and work of the Holy Spirit - and experience his transformative, life-giving power in their lives.]]> 240 Tyler Staton 1400247705 Charity 0 to-read 4.70
author: Tyler Staton
name: Charity
average rating: 4.70
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/02
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 18248389 515 Charles Marsh 0307269817 Charity 4 europe, faith 4.25 2014
author: Charles Marsh
name: Charity
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2014
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/01
date added: 2025/04/01
shelves: europe, faith
review:

]]> 23546756 82 Jayson Georges Charity 0 to-read 4.38 2014
author: Jayson Georges
name: Charity
average rating: 4.38
book published: 2014
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/29
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 18912000 An inspiration for the creation of houses of prayer around the world, The Grace Outpouring is a captivating account of spiritual renewal on a Welsh hillside.ĚýWhen Roy Godwin turned his back on a lucrative consulting job to lead the quiet retreat center Ffald-y-Brenin in West Wales, he wasn’t sure what was next. Then God showed up. ĚýIn the years since the Godwins welcomed their first surprise guests to Ffald-y-Brenin, God has drawn thousands of seekers to this converted hill-farm with a tangible presence of healing and power.ĚýAlong with its accompanying study guide, The Grace Outpouring offers fascinating stories of God’s work on a remote hillside as well as inspiring insight into how God can work in readersâ€� own communities.]]> 223 Roy Godwin Charity 0 to-read 4.53 2008
author: Roy Godwin
name: Charity
average rating: 4.53
book published: 2008
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/29
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 26265664 256 John Eldredge 0718037510 Charity 0 to-read 4.28 2016
author: John Eldredge
name: Charity
average rating: 4.28
book published: 2016
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/29
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 39710472 242 Bill Randall Charity 0 to-read 4.26
author: Bill Randall
name: Charity
average rating: 4.26
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/29
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 74034 184 Neil Postman 014303653X Charity 3 learning 4.15 1985
author: Neil Postman
name: Charity
average rating: 4.15
book published: 1985
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/22
date added: 2025/03/22
shelves: learning
review:

]]> 121715
Addressing some of the most difficult issues we face in our day-to-day lives, C.S. Lewis's ardent and timeless words provide an unparalleled path to greater spiritual understanding. Considered by many to be his most moving address, "The Weight of Glory" extols a compassionate vision of Christianity and includes lucid and compelling discussions on forgiveness and faith.]]> 192 C.S. Lewis 0060653205 Charity 5 4.36 1949
author: C.S. Lewis
name: Charity
average rating: 4.36
book published: 1949
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/22
date added: 2025/03/22
shelves: the-greats, c-hearts-books, favorites
review:

]]> 171681821
A must-read for all parents: the generation-defining investigation into the collapse of youth mental health in the era of smartphones, social media, and big tech—and a plan for a healthier, freer childhood.

“With tenacity and candor, Haidt lays out the consequences that have come with allowing kids to drift further into the virtual world . . . While also offering suggestions and solutions that could help protect a new generation of kids.� —Shannon Carlin, ,i>TIME, 100 Must-Read Books of 2024

After more than a decade of stability or improvement, the mental health of adolescents plunged in the early 2010s. Rates of depression, anxiety, self-harm, and suicide rose sharply, more than doubling on many measures. Why?

In The Anxious Generation, social psychologist Jonathan Haidt lays out the facts about the epidemic of teen mental illness that hit many countries at the same time. He then investigates the nature of childhood, including why children need play and independent exploration to mature into competent, thriving adults. Haidt shows how the “play-based childhood� began to decline in the 1980s, and how it was finally wiped out by the arrival of the “phone-based childhood� in the early 2010s. He presents more than a dozen mechanisms by which this “great rewiring of childhood� has interfered with children’s social and neurological development, covering everything from sleep deprivation to attention fragmentation, addiction, loneliness, social contagion, social comparison, and perfectionism. He explains why social media damages girls more than boys and why boys have been withdrawing from the real world into the virtual world, with disastrous consequences for themselves, their families, and their societies.

Most important, Haidt issues a clear call to action. He diagnoses the “collective action problems� that trap us, and then proposes four simple rules that might set us free. He describes steps that parents, teachers, schools, tech companies, and governments can take to end the epidemic of mental illness and restore a more humane childhood.

Haidt has spent his career speaking truth backed by data in the most difficult landscapes—communities polarized by politics and religion, campuses battling culture wars, and now the public health emergency faced by Gen Z. We cannot afford to ignore his findings about protecting our children—and ourselves—from the psychological damage of a phone-based life.]]> 400 Jonathan Haidt 0593655036 Charity 0 to-read 4.36 2024
author: Jonathan Haidt
name: Charity
average rating: 4.36
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/22
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 6969 The newest edition is here. Another alternate cover can be found here.

Emma Woodhouse is one of Austen's most captivating and vivid characters. Beautiful, spoilt, vain and irrepressibly witty, Emma organizes the lives of the inhabitants of her sleepy little village and plays matchmaker with devastating effect.]]> 474 Jane Austen 0141439580 Charity 5 the-greats 4.05 1815
author: Jane Austen
name: Charity
average rating: 4.05
book published: 1815
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/22
date added: 2025/03/22
shelves: the-greats
review:

]]> 43982455 "Who am I becoming?"

That was the question nagging pastor and author John Mark Comer. Outwardly, he appeared successful. But inwardly, things weren't pretty. So he turned to a trusted mentor for guidance and heard these words:

"Ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life. Hurry is the great enemy of the spiritual life."

It wasn't the response he expected, but it was--and continues to be--the answer he needs. Too often we treat the symptoms of toxicity in our modern world instead of trying to pinpoint the cause. A growing number of voices are pointing at hurry, or busyness, as a root of much evil.

Within the pages of this book, you'll find a fascinating roadmap to staying emotionally healthy and spiritually alive in the chaos of the modern world.]]> 286 John Mark Comer 0525653090 Charity 5 4.51 2019
author: John Mark Comer
name: Charity
average rating: 4.51
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/22
date added: 2025/03/22
shelves: c-hearts-books, faith, favorites
review:
Phenomenal. It is inspirational and convicted me, but also full of really practical tips and delivered in a way that motivates rather than blaming or discouraging.
]]> 3212606 La montagna dalle sette balze, pubblicato per la prima volta nel 1949 e tradotto in moltissime lingue, è considerato una sorta di breviario della spiritualità moderna.]]> Thomas Merton Charity 0 to-read 4.13 1948
author: Thomas Merton
name: Charity
average rating: 4.13
book published: 1948
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/17
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 203546585
Roseberry carefully outlines the roles of the “Anglican Trinity�: the rector, the vestry, and the bishop, and how each one partners with the others and contributes to the mission of the congregation.

Canon Roseberry brings the wisdom and experience of over 30 years of growing and leading a church from the ground up to become one of the most attended Anglican Churches in North America.

The First Edition, The Rector and the Vestry, is used for teaching, training, and orientation in hundreds of congregations and several seminaries. This expanded new 2nd Edition clearly explains the bishop’s role and relationship to parish leadership. This new book is an essential and comprehensive guide for its unique rectors, vestry members, and bishops.]]> 204 David Roseberry Charity 0 4.35
author: David Roseberry
name: Charity
average rating: 4.35
book published:
rating: 0
read at: 2025/02/17
date added: 2025/02/17
shelves:
review:

]]> 770267
The first major section of the book examines the postmodern, media-saturated, consumerist culture that makes worship difficult yet absolutely essential. The next section focuses on keeping God at the center of worship. Other sections of the book explore issues of taste, forming faith in children, word choices, hospitality in worship, and the challenges of "being church for the world." The book also includes nine Scripture-based sermons and questions for further discussion.

In contrast to writers who advocate worship for utilitarian purposes, Dawn concentrates on worship's royal dimension, its God-ward focus. A Royal "Waste" of Time amplifies Dawn's earlier argument that churches need to wrangle seriously with the true purpose of worship in order to employ the tools and forms that best enfold participants in the splendor of worshiping God. Only worship filled with the splendor of God, Dawn writes, will lead to genuine adoration of God and faithful formation of his people.]]> 377 Marva J. Dawn 080284586X Charity 0 to-read 3.94 1999
author: Marva J. Dawn
name: Charity
average rating: 3.94
book published: 1999
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/06
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 1116960 292 Teresa de �vila 1573832472 Charity 0 to-read 4.11 1983
author: Teresa de �vila
name: Charity
average rating: 4.11
book published: 1983
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/30
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 11245167 560 Kenneth E. Bailey 0830839348 Charity 0 4.32 2011
author: Kenneth E. Bailey
name: Charity
average rating: 4.32
book published: 2011
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/28
shelves: currently-reading, faith, seminary
review:

]]> 12970063 The Year's Best Fantasy & Horror, Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year, and The Secret History of Fantasy. Kij Johnson's stories have won the Sturgeon and World Fantasy awards. She has taught writing; worked at Tor, Dark Horse, and Microsoft; worked as a radio announcer; run bookstores; and waitressed in a strip bar.

Contents:
The Man Who Bridged the Mist (2011)
Wolf Trapping (1989)
The Empress Jingu Fishes (2004)
The Bitey Cat (2012)
Chenting, in the Land of the Dead (1999)
My Wife Reincarnated as a Solitaire—Exposition on the Flaws in my Spouse's Character—The Nature of the Bird—The Possible Causes—Her Final Disposition (2007)
Schrödinger's Cathouse (1993)
Names for Water (2010)
Fox Magic (1993)
Spar (2009)
The Horse Raiders (2000)
26 Monkeys, Also the Abyss (2008)
At the Mouth of the River of Bees (2003)
The Evolution of Trickster Stories among the Dogs of North Park after the Change (2007)
The Cat Who Walked a Thousand Miles (2009)
Ponies (2010)]]> 297 Kij Johnson 1931520801 Charity 0 4.05 2012
author: Kij Johnson
name: Charity
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2012
rating: 0
read at: 2025/01/25
date added: 2025/01/25
shelves: interesting-fiction, short-stories
review:

]]> 299451
Laird's book is not like the many presentations for beginners. While useful for those just starting out, this book serves especially as a guide for those who desire to journey yet deeper into the silence of God. The heart of the book focuses on negotiating key moments of struggle on the contemplative path, when the whirlwind of distractions or the brick wall of boredom makes it difficult to continue. Laird shows that these inner struggles, even wounds, that any person of prayer must face, are like riddles, trying to draw out of us our own inner silence. Ultimately Laird shows how the wounds we loathe become vehicles of the healing silence we seek, beyond technique and achievement.
Throughout the language is fresh, direct, and focused on real-life examples of people whose lives are incomparably enriched by the practice of contemplation.]]> 154 Martin Laird 0195307607 Charity 4 faith 4.07 2006
author: Martin Laird
name: Charity
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2006
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/24
date added: 2025/01/24
shelves: faith
review:
Some helpful anecdotes and practical advice for contemplative prayer.
]]> 203337138 From the New York Times bestselling co-author of Mad Honey comes an “inspiring� (Elle) novel about two women, centuries apart—one of whom is the real author of Shakespeare’s plays—who are both forced to hide behind another name.

Young playwright Melina Green has just written a new work inspired by the life of her Elizabethan ancestor Emilia Bassano. But seeing it performed is unlikely, in a theater world where the playing field isn’t level for women. As Melina wonders if she dares risk failure again, her best friend takes the decision out of her hands and submits the play to a festival under a male pseudonym.

In 1581, young Emilia Bassano is a ward of English aristocrats. Her lessons on languages, history, and writing have endowed her with a sharp wit and a gift for storytelling, but like most women of her day, she is allowed no voice of her own. Forced to become a mistress to the Lord Chamberlain, who oversees all theatre productions in England, Emilia sees firsthand how the words of playwrights can move an audience. She begins to form a plan to secretly bring a play of her own to the stage—by paying an actor named William Shakespeare to front her work.

Told in intertwining timelines, By Any Other Name, a sweeping tale of ambition, courage, and desire centers two women who are determined to create something beautiful despite the prejudices they face. Should a writer do whatever it takes to see her story live on . . . no matter the cost? This remarkable novel, rooted in primary historical sources, ensures the name Emilia Bassano will no longer be forgotten.]]> 528 Jodi Picoult 0593497228 Charity 0 to-read 4.12 2024
author: Jodi Picoult
name: Charity
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 204640582 Renowned motivational speaker, teacher, and diversity trainer Brit Barron offers a path to holding onto our deepest convictions without losing relationships with the people we love.Brit Barron knows that the people who hurt us with bigotry and ignorance are often the very people we friends, parents, grandparents, religious leaders. And we want to see them grow, not unpersoned by an online mob. But how do we strive for justice without giving up on these relationships or causing new harm? According to Barron, the only way forward is to create a gracious and difficult space for people to forming relationships where we can practice difficult truth-telling, boundary setting, forgiveness, and sharing stories of own failings. This way forward begins by examining ourselves.In Do You Still Talk to Grandma?, Barron draws readers into this tension between relationship and painful accountability, sharing experiences from her own life, like her parentsâ€� divorce and a church community that sided with the forces that dehumanize BIPOC and LGBTQ+ folks. Barron illuminates the challenges and hope for these relationships, showing that the best research points towards humility, self-awareness, and an openness to learning and to remembering that others can learn too.BarronĚýenvisions a redemptive way of being that allows progressives to love people who say or believe problematic things without sacrificing themselves, their values, or their beliefs. Provocative, charming, and vulnerable, Do You Still Talk to Grandma? is an essential read for anyone struggling to live compassionately without giving up on conviction.]]> 160 Brit Barron 0593594347 Charity 0 to-read 3.80 2024
author: Brit Barron
name: Charity
average rating: 3.80
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 25
Delivering the brilliant comic musings that are a Bryson hallmark, I'm a Stranger Here Myself recounts his sometimes disconcerting reunion with the land of his birth. The result is a book filled with hysterical scenes of one man's attempt to reacquaint himself with his own country, but it is also an extended if at times bemused love letter to the homeland he has returned to after twenty years away.]]> 304 Bill Bryson 076790382X Charity 0 3.90 1998
author: Bill Bryson
name: Charity
average rating: 3.90
book published: 1998
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/20
shelves: comfort-reads, funny, to-finish
review:

]]> 29
From its mongrel origins to its status as the world's most-spoken tongue; its apparent simplicity to its deceptive complexity; its vibrant swearing to its uncertain spelling and pronunciation; Bryson covers all this as well as the many curious eccentricities that make it as maddening to learn as it is flexible to use.

Bill Bryson's classic Mother Tongue is a highly readable and hilarious tale of how English came to be the world's language.]]> 270 Bill Bryson 0380715430 Charity 0 learning, to-finish 3.91 1990
author: Bill Bryson
name: Charity
average rating: 3.91
book published: 1990
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/20
shelves: learning, to-finish
review:

]]> 187609597 224 Wendell Berry 1640096396 Charity 4 earth, poetry, rural-life 4.39
author: Wendell Berry
name: Charity
average rating: 4.39
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/13
date added: 2025/01/13
shelves: earth, poetry, rural-life
review:

]]> 18499994 103 Gordon T. Smith 0830835792 Charity 5 anglican, faith, seminary 4.17 2014
author: Gordon T. Smith
name: Charity
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2014
rating: 5
read at: 2025/01/10
date added: 2025/01/10
shelves: anglican, faith, seminary
review:

]]> 32332862
At a time when America’s population is being turned toward the benefits of small, local farming practices on our health and our environment, Kline’s daybook offers a striking example of the ways in which we are connected to our environment, and the pleasure we can take in daily work and stewardship.
]]> 224 David Kline 1619029243 Charity 4 earth, rural-life 4.44
author: David Kline
name: Charity
average rating: 4.44
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/31
date added: 2024/12/31
shelves: earth, rural-life
review:

]]> 1534314 256 Michael Ende 3522176502 Charity 0 deutsch 4.29 1960
author: Michael Ende
name: Charity
average rating: 4.29
book published: 1960
rating: 0
read at: 2024/12/31
date added: 2024/12/31
shelves: deutsch
review:

]]> 121732 Surprised by Joy: The Shape of My Early Life is a partial autobiography describing Lewis' conversion to Christianity. The book overall contains less detail concerning specific events than typical autobiographies. This is because his purpose in writing wasn't primarily historical. His aim was to identify & describe the events surrounding his accidental discovery of & consequent search for the phenomenon he labelled "Joy". This word was the best translation he could make of the German idea of Sehnsucht, longing. That isn't to say the book is devoid of information about his life. He recounts his early years with a measure of amusement sometimes mixed with pain.

However, while he does describe his life, the principal theme of the book is Joy as he defined it. This Joy was a longing so intense for something so good & so high up it couldn't be explained with words. He's struck with "stabs of joy" throughout life. He finally finds what it's for at the end. He writes about his experiences at Malvern College in 1913, aged 15. Though he described the school as "a very furnace of impure loves" he defended the practice as being "the only chink left thru which something spontaneous & uncalculating could creep in." The book's last two chapters cover the end of his search as he moves from atheism to theism & then from theism to Christianity. He ultimately discovers the true nature & purpose of Joy & its place in his own life.

The book isn't connected with his unexpected marriage in later life to Joy Gresham. The marriage occurred long after the period described, though not long after the book was published. His friends were quick to notice the coincidence, remarking he'd really been "Surprised by Joy". "Surprised by Joy" is also an allusion to Wordsworth's poem, "Surprised by Joy-Impatient As The Wind", relating an incident when Wordsworth forgot the death of his beloved daughter.]]> 185 C.S. Lewis 0006280838 Charity 4 the-greats, faith, memoirs 4.07 1955
author: C.S. Lewis
name: Charity
average rating: 4.07
book published: 1955
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/31
date added: 2024/12/31
shelves: the-greats, faith, memoirs
review:

]]> 146199 134 Wendell Berry 0865473315 Charity 4 4.01 1988
author: Wendell Berry
name: Charity
average rating: 4.01
book published: 1988
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/30
date added: 2024/12/30
shelves: rural-life, interesting-fiction
review:

]]> 227274 "Few novelists treat both their characters and their readers with the kind of respect that Wendell Berry displays in this deeply moving account . . . The Memory of Old Jack is a slab of rich Americana." � The New York Times Book Review]]> 170 Wendell Berry 1582430438 Charity 5 4.32 1974
author: Wendell Berry
name: Charity
average rating: 4.32
book published: 1974
rating: 5
read at: 2024/12/30
date added: 2024/12/30
shelves: interesting-fiction, rural-life
review:
This was so engaging I read it in a day. A thoughtful, gentle retelling of a day in the life of an old man losing his memory, and an excellent addition to Berry's Port William work.
]]> 45833077 160 J.I. Packer 143356677X Charity 5 4.55
author: J.I. Packer
name: Charity
average rating: 4.55
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2024/12/30
date added: 2024/12/30
shelves:
review:

]]> 469571 302 Cormac McCarthy 0679744398 Charity 4 4.04 1992
author: Cormac McCarthy
name: Charity
average rating: 4.04
book published: 1992
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/27
date added: 2024/12/27
shelves:
review:

]]> 205436021 A profound exploration of the Bible's Christmas story that delivers surprising insights to reawaken the ancient wonder of the holiday season.Christmas, of all seasons in the year, should be the time where true meaning can be found. However, by the end of December many attest to experiencing exhaustion rather than significance, stress rather than joy, and more consumer debt than spiritual abundance.Is this really what the Christmas story offers the world? Pastor AJ Sherrill does not think so. RediscoveringĚýChristmas will help youĚýdiscover there is more meaning and mystery to the Christmas story than we ever imagined.In this enlightening work, you will scriptural insights to reawaken deeper meaning for the Christmas seasonan exploration of different biblical characters that corresponds to Advent or Christmas, including Mary, Joseph, the non-existent inn keeper, Zechariah, John the Baptist, Gabriel, the shepherds, Magi, Herod, Caesar, Simeon, and Annaan evergreen story to which you will return annually to refresh your mind about the wonder of ChristmasĚýdelightful perspectives to rekindle your heart as to how to receive God’s greatest gift as the day of Christ’s return approachesa window into the wider field of God’s love, empowering you to participate in the new creation story launched at Christmas and extending far beyond December 25 into the rest of the yearcreative line drawings that invite you to visually enter the narrative of each chapterRediscovering Christmas will reacquaint you with the story you thought you knew and encourage you to ponder the true meaning of the season.]]> 224 A.J. Sherrill 0593445538 Charity 4 anglican, faith 4.61
author: A.J. Sherrill
name: Charity
average rating: 4.61
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/27
date added: 2024/12/27
shelves: anglican, faith
review:

]]> 65353 192 Wendell Berry 1582430373 Charity 5 4.39 1998
author: Wendell Berry
name: Charity
average rating: 4.39
book published: 1998
rating: 5
read at: 2022/03/10
date added: 2024/12/27
shelves: poetry, earth, rural-life, to-finish
review:
Short and sweet. I like the Mad Farmer.
]]> 174845 122 Dietrich Bonhoeffer 0060608528 Charity 5 faith, europe, seminary 4.27 1939
author: Dietrich Bonhoeffer
name: Charity
average rating: 4.27
book published: 1939
rating: 5
read at: 2024/12/27
date added: 2024/12/27
shelves: faith, europe, seminary
review:

]]> 17861515 Book of Common Prayer, which first appeared in 1549. Like the words of the King James Bible and Shakespeare, the language of this prayer book has saturated English culture and letters. Here Alan Jacobs tells its story. Jacobs shows how The Book of Common Prayer--from its beginnings as a means of social and political control in the England of Henry VIII to its worldwide presence today--became a venerable work whose cadences express the heart of religious life for many.


The book's chief maker, Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury, created it as the authoritative manual of Christian worship throughout England. But as Jacobs recounts, the book has had a variable and dramatic career in the complicated history of English church politics, and has been the focus of celebrations, protests, and even jail terms. As time passed, new forms of the book were made to suit the many English-speaking nations: first in Scotland, then in the new United States, and eventually wherever the British Empire extended its arm. Over time, Cranmer's book was adapted for different preferences and purposes. Jacobs vividly demonstrates how one book became many--and how it has shaped the devotional lives of men and women across the globe.]]> 256 Alan Jacobs 0691154813 Charity 5 4.24 2013
author: Alan Jacobs
name: Charity
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2013
rating: 5
read at: 2024/12/27
date added: 2024/12/27
shelves:
review:

]]> 3690
In his introduction, John Updike calls The Power and the Glory, "Graham Greene's masterpiece�. The energy and grandeur of his finest novel derive from the will toward compassion, an ideal communism even more Christian than Communist."]]> 222 Graham Greene 0142437301 Charity 0 to-read 3.99 1940
author: Graham Greene
name: Charity
average rating: 3.99
book published: 1940
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/11/23
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 4965
Through Anna's eyes we follow the story of the fateful year of 1666, as she and her fellow villagers confront the spread of disease and superstition.

As death reaches into every household and villagers turn from prayers to murderous witch-hunting, Anna must find the strength to confront the disintegration of her community and the lure of illicit love.

As she struggles to survive and grow, a year of catastrophe becomes instead annus mirabilis, a "year of wonders."

Inspired by the true story of Eyam, a village in the rugged hill country of England, Year of Wonders is a richly detailed evocation of a singular moment in history. ]]> 304 Geraldine Brooks 0142001430 Charity 0 to-read 4.00 2001
author: Geraldine Brooks
name: Charity
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2001
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/11/23
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 249014 What Are YouĚýMissing?
Peter Scazzero learned the hard way: you can’t be spiritually matureĚýwhile remaining emotionally immature. Even though he was pastorĚýof a growing church, he did what most people do:
Avoid conflict in the name of Christianity
Ignore his anger, sadness, and fear
Use God to run from God
Live without boundaries

Eventually God awakened him to a biblical integration of emotionalĚýhealth, a relationship with Jesus, and the classic practices of contemplative spirituality. It created nothing short of a spiritual revolution, utterlyĚýtransforming him and his church.
In this book Scazzero outlines his journey and the signs of emotionallyĚýunhealthy spirituality. Then he provides seven biblical, reality-testedĚýways to break through to the revolutionary life Christ meant for you.“The combination of emotional health and contemplative spirituality,â€� heĚýsays, “unleashes the Holy Spirit inside us so that we might experientially know the power of an authentic life in Christ.”]]> 227 Peter Scazzero 1591454522 Charity 0 to-read 4.20
author: Peter Scazzero
name: Charity
average rating: 4.20
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/11/23
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 1607694 Robert Mapes Anderson 0195025024 Charity 0 to-read 4.00 1979
author: Robert Mapes Anderson
name: Charity
average rating: 4.00
book published: 1979
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/11/23
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 1363743 Donald McCaig 0813917751 Charity 4 rural-life 3.68 1992
author: Donald McCaig
name: Charity
average rating: 3.68
book published: 1992
rating: 4
read at: 2024/11/23
date added: 2024/11/23
shelves: rural-life
review:
This book starts out a bit slow, but by the end I couldn't put it down. A mix of thought-provoking stories about farming life, animals, and neighbors; as well as incisive comments on contemporary agriculture. If you like Wendell Berry, you may like this.
]]> 26702833 Blackberries, Blackberries and Water Street comes an astonishing new novel. A lyrical exploration of love and loss, The Birds of Opulence centers on several generations of women in a bucolic southern black township as they live with and sometimes surrender to madness. The Goode-Brown family, led by matriarch and pillar of the community Minnie Mae, is plagued by old secrets and embarrassment over mental illness and illegitimacy. Meanwhile, single mother Francine Clark is haunted by her dead, lightning-struck husband and forced to fight against both the moral judgment of the community and her own rebellious daughter, Mona. The residents of Opulence struggle with vexing relationships to the land, to one another, and to their own sexuality. As the members of the youngest generation watch their mothers and grandmothers pass away, they live with the fear of going mad themselves and must fight to survive. Crystal Wilkinson offers up Opulence and its people in lush, poetic detail. It is a world of magic, conjuring, signs, and spells, but also of harsh realities that only love-and love that's handed down-can conquer. At once tragic and hopeful, this captivating novel is a story about another time, rendered for our own. The first title featured in Wiley Cash's Book Club!]]> 216 Crystal Wilkinson 0813166918 Charity 4 4.09 2016
author: Crystal Wilkinson
name: Charity
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at: 2024/11/23
date added: 2024/11/23
shelves: mental-health, rural-life, interesting-fiction
review:

]]> 29483100 This eBook includes the full text of the book plus an exclusive additional chapter from Chip and Joanna that is not found in the hardcover!

Are you ready to see your fixer upper?

These famous words are now synonymous with the dynamic husband-and-wife team Chip and Joanna Gaines, stars of HGTV’s Fixer Upper. As this question fills the airwaves with anticipation, their legions of fans continue to multiply and ask a different series of questions, like—Who are these people?What’s the secret to their success? And is Chip actually that funny in real life? By renovating homes in Waco, Texas, and changing lives in such a winsome and engaging way, Chip and Joanna have become more than just the stars of Fixer Upper, they have become America’s new best friends.

The Magnolia Story is the first book from Chip and Joanna, offering their fans a detailed look at their life together. From the very first renovation project they ever tackled together, to the project that nearly cost them everything; from the childhood memories that shaped them, to the twists and turns that led them to the life they share on the farm today.

They both attended Baylor University in Waco. However, their paths did not cross until Chip checked his car into the local Firestone tire shop where Joanna worked behind the counter. Even back then Chip was a serial entrepreneur who, among other things, ran a lawn care company, sold fireworks, and flipped houses. Soon they were married and living in their first fixer upper. Four children and countless renovations later, Joanna garners the attention of a television producer who notices her work on a blog one day.

In The Magnolia Story fans will finally get to join the Gaines behind the scenes and discover:

-The time Chip ran to the grocery store and forgot to take their new, sleeping baby
-Joanna’s agonizing decision to close her dream business to focus on raising their children
-When Chip buys a houseboat, sight-unseen, and it turns out to be a leaky wreck
-Joanna’s breakthrough moment of discovering the secret to creating a beautiful home
-Harrowing stories of the financial ups and downs as an entrepreneurial couple
-Memories and photos from Chip and Jo’s wedding
-The significance of the word magnolia and why it permeates everything they do
-The way the couple pays the popularity of Fixer Upper forward, sharing the success with others, and bolstering the city of Waco along the way

And yet there is still one lingering question for fans of the show: Is Chip really that funny? “Oh yeah,� says Joanna. “He was, and still is, my first fixer upper.”]]> 217 Chip Gaines Charity 3 4.15 2016
author: Chip Gaines
name: Charity
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2016
rating: 3
read at: 2024/11/23
date added: 2024/11/23
shelves:
review:

]]> 83817455 Ěý
“One of the most important books I have read in a decadeĚý. . . If we would all follow in this way,Ěýour lives would change and the world would change.”—Jennie Allen, author of Get Out of Your Head and Find Your People
Ěý
We are constantly being formed by the world around us. To be formed by Jesus will require us to become his apprentice.Ěý

To live by what the first Christian disciples called a Rule of Life—a set of practices and relational rhythms that slow us down and open up space in our daily lives for God to do what only God can do—transforms the deepest parts of us to become like him.Ěý
Ěý
This introduction to spiritual formation is full of John Mark Comer’s trademark mix of theological substance and cultural insight as well as practical wisdom on developing your own Rule of Life.
Ěý
These ancient practices have much to offer us. By learning to rearrange our days, we can follow the Way of Jesus. We can be with him. Become like him. And do as he did.]]> 288 John Mark Comer 0593193822 Charity 5 faith 4.57 2024
author: John Mark Comer
name: Charity
average rating: 4.57
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2024/11/23
date added: 2024/11/23
shelves: faith
review:

]]> 55789067
Julian Jessop, an eccentric, lonely artist and septuagenarian believes that most people aren't really honest with each other. But what if they were? And so he writes--in a plain, green journal--the truth about his own life and leaves it in his local café. It's run by the incredibly tidy and efficient Monica, who furtively adds her own entry and leaves the book in the wine bar across the street. Before long, the others who find the green notebook add the truths about their own deepest selves--and soon find each other in real life at Monica's café.

The Authenticity Project's cast of characters--including Hazard, the charming addict who makes a vow to get sober; Alice, the fabulous mommy Instagrammer whose real life is a lot less perfect than it looks online; and their other new friends--is by turns quirky and funny, heartbreakingly sad and painfully true-to-life. It's a story about being brave and putting your real self forward--and finding out that it's not as scary as it seems. In fact, it looks a lot like happiness.

The Authenticity Project is just the tonic for our times that readers are clamoring for--and one they will take to their hearts and read with unabashed pleasure.]]> 400 Clare Pooley 1984878638 Charity 4 3.88 2020
author: Clare Pooley
name: Charity
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2024/11/23
date added: 2024/11/23
shelves:
review:

]]> 4071177 288 David A. deSilva 0830835180 Charity 4 seminary, faith, anglican 3.95 2008
author: David A. deSilva
name: Charity
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2008
rating: 4
read at: 2024/11/23
date added: 2024/11/23
shelves: seminary, faith, anglican
review:

]]> 61349261 208 Laura Tremaine 0310359953 Charity 5 learning 3.74
author: Laura Tremaine
name: Charity
average rating: 3.74
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2024/11/23
date added: 2024/11/23
shelves: learning
review:

]]> 56377192 June Jones emerges from her shell to fight for her beloved local library, and through the efforts and support of an eclectic group of library patrons, she discovers life-changing friendships along the way.

Lonely librarian June Jones has never left the sleepy English village where she grew up. Shy and reclusive, the thirty-year-old would rather spend her time buried in books than venture out into the world. But when her library is threatened with closure, June is forced to emerge from behind the shelves to save the heart of her community and the place that holds the dearest memories of her mother.

Joining a band of eccentric yet dedicated locals in a campaign to keep the library, June opens herself up to other people for the first time since her mother died. It just so happens that her old school friend Alex Chen is back in town and willing to lend a helping hand. The kindhearted lawyer's feelings for her are obvious to everyone but June, who won't believe that anyone could ever care for her in that way.

To save the place and the books that mean so much to her, June must finally make some changes to her life. For once, she's determined not to go down without a fight. And maybe, in fighting for her cherished library, June can save herself, too.]]> 336 Freya Sampson 0593201388 Charity 4 3.70 2021
author: Freya Sampson
name: Charity
average rating: 3.70
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2024/11/23
date added: 2024/11/23
shelves:
review:

]]> 60693285 Prayer is the source of Jesus's most astonishing miracles and the subject of Jesus's most audacious promises, and yet, people find prayer to be boring, obligatory, or confusing. Join Tyler Staton, author, pastor, and national director of the 24/7 Prayer movement, as he invites you to discover the incredible gift of prayer.

Within the pages of Praying Like Monks, Living Like Fools, Staton addresses common roadblocks to prayer and gives you the confidence to come to God just as you are. Through timely biblical teaching, powerful storytelling, and insights on historic Christian practices, Staton gives you the tools you need to:

- Express your doubts and disappointments about prayer
- Discover and practice multiple postures of prayer, including silence, persistence, confession, and more
- Understand and embrace the wonder and mystery of prayer in everyday life
- Open or reopen the line of communication with your Creator and experience afresh his divine power on earth

If you're feeling disheartened, disappointed, or distracted in your prayer life, let Praying Like Monks, Living Like Fools be your guide as you learn to enjoy prayer in its purest form: a vital, sustaining, powerful connection with God that is more real and alive than you could have ever imagined.]]> 272 Tyler Staton 031036535X Charity 5 faith 4.58
author: Tyler Staton
name: Charity
average rating: 4.58
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2024/11/23
date added: 2024/11/23
shelves: faith
review:

]]> 108518873 215 Tiffany Eberle Kriner 0802882900 Charity 0 to-read 4.00
author: Tiffany Eberle Kriner
name: Charity
average rating: 4.00
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/11/23
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 17842961 1258 Dietrich Bonhoeffer 0800698398 Charity 0 to-read 4.43 1996
author: Dietrich Bonhoeffer
name: Charity
average rating: 4.43
book published: 1996
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/11/23
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 76802 Godric "retells the life of Godric of Finchale, a twelfth-century English holy man whose projects late in life included that of purifying his moral ambition of pride...Sin, spiritual yearning, rebirth, fierce asceticism--these hagiographic staples aren't easy to revitalize but Frederick Buechner goes at the task with intelligent intensity and a fine readiness to invent what history doesn't supply. He contrives a style of speech for his narrator--Godric himself--that's brisk and tough-sinewed...He avoids metaphysical fiddle, embedding his narrative in domestic reality--familiar affection, responsibilities, disasters...All on his own, Mr. Buechner has managed to reinvent projects of self-purification and of faith as piquant matter for contemporary fiction [in a book] notable for literary finish...Frederick Buechner is a very good writer indeed." � Benjamin DeMott, The New York Times Book Review

"From the book's opening sentence...and sensible reader will be caught in Godric's grip...Godric glimmers brightly." � Peter S. Prescott, Newsweek

"Godric is a memorable book...a marvelous gem of a book...destined to become a classic of its kind." � Michael Heskett, Houston Chronicle

"In the extraordinary figure of Godric, both stubborn outsider and true child of God, both worldly and unworldly, Frederick Buechner has found an ideal means of exploring the nature of spirituality. Godric is a living battleground where God fights it out with the world, the Flesh, and the Devil." � London Times Literary Supplement

"With a poet's sensibly and a high reverent fancy, Frederick Buechner paints a memorable portrait." � Edmund Fuller, The Wall Street Journal]]> 178 Frederick Buechner 0060611626 Charity 4 faith, interesting-fiction 4.17 1980
author: Frederick Buechner
name: Charity
average rating: 4.17
book published: 1980
rating: 4
read at: 2024/09/07
date added: 2024/09/07
shelves: faith, interesting-fiction
review:

]]> 99329

ĚýĚýĚý•ĚýIncludes a chronology, suggestions for further reading, notes, glossary, and an appendix of Fielding's revisions
ĚýĚýĚý•ĚýIntroduction discusses narrative tecniques and themes, the context of eighteenth-century fiction and satire, and the historical and political background of the Jacobite revolution
For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.]]> 975 Henry Fielding 0140436227 Charity 0 currently-reading 3.75 1749
author: Henry Fielding
name: Charity
average rating: 3.75
book published: 1749
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/07
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> 69094 256 N.T. Wright 0060507152 Charity 4 faith 4.03 2006
author: N.T. Wright
name: Charity
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2006
rating: 4
read at: 2024/09/07
date added: 2024/09/07
shelves: faith
review:

]]> 156008168
Parenting seems harder these days, and Millennials and Generation Z don’t seem up for it. Why? It’s easy to blame cost or selfishness, but kids have long been an economic drag, and adults have always been selfish. The question What’s changed? The answer is culture. Our culture is less friendly to parenting that it used to be, and should be.

When we were kids, no one was watching us every moment. That was a good it meant our parents felt confident in the society around us.

That was the past. Today, the mode of parenting is about hypercontrol. Kids must constantly be cosseted, entertained, trained, scheduled, and catechized as little activists and influencers. Timothy P. Carney argues that we need to lighten up and return to the virtues of old-fashioned parenting. We need to give kids space to both fail and succeed, to have adventures and gain unexpected knowledge and enjoy unscheduled time.

This means escaping the travel-team trap, abandoning helicopter parenting, strengthening communities, changing the workplace, and ultimately restoring the belief that humans—adults, kids, and babies—are good.

It’s no wonder birth rates have dropped, and that our kids are suffering unprecedented anxiety and depression. Our culture sets unreasonable standards for parents, diminishes the value of family, and makes us feel bad for existing.

Drawing on rigorous research—both as a reporter and as a dad of six—Carney demonstrates why modern parenting is so misguided. The high standards set for modern American parenting are unrealistic and setting parents—and our kids—up to fail.]]> 363 Timothy P. Carney 0063236478 Charity 0 to-read 4.00 2024
author: Timothy P. Carney
name: Charity
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/01
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 54479 252 Jules Verne 014044906X Charity 0 read-as-a-child 3.95 1872
author: Jules Verne
name: Charity
average rating: 3.95
book published: 1872
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/08/29
shelves: read-as-a-child
review:

]]> 29056083
It was always difficult being Harry Potter, and it isn't much easier now that he is an overworked employee of the Ministry of Magic, a husband, and a father of three school-age children.

While Harry grapples with a past that refuses to stay where it belongs, his youngest son, Albus, must struggle with the weight of a family legacy he never wanted. As past and present fuse ominously, both father and son learn the uncomfortable truth: sometimes, darkness comes from unexpected places.

Based on an original new story by J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne, and John Tiffany, a new play by Jack Thorne, "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" is the complete and official playscript of the original, award-winning West End production. This updated edition includes the final dialogue and stage directions, a conversation piece between director John Tiffany and playwright Jack Thorne, the Potter family tree, and a timeline of events in the wizarding world leading up to "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child."]]> 343 J.K. Rowling 0540027340 Charity 0 3.42 2016
author: J.K. Rowling
name: Charity
average rating: 3.42
book published: 2016
rating: 0
read at: 2024/08/26
date added: 2024/08/26
shelves:
review:

]]> 85635 Mansfield Park deals with money and marriage, and how strongly they affect each other. Shy, fragile Fanny Price is the consummate "poor relation." Sent to live with her wealthy uncle Thomas, she clashes with his spoiled, selfish daughters and falls in love with his son. Their lives are further complicated by the arrival of a pair of witty, sophisticated Londoners, whose flair for flirtation collides with the quiet, conservative country ways of Mansfield Park.

Written a decade after her previous novel, Mansfield Park retains Austen’s familiar compassion and humor but offers a far more complex exploration of moral choices and their emotional consequences.]]> 427 Jane Austen 1593081545 Charity 3 the-greats 3.80 1814
author: Jane Austen
name: Charity
average rating: 3.80
book published: 1814
rating: 3
read at: 2020/04/19
date added: 2024/08/22
shelves: the-greats
review:

]]> 199846815
In this second volume, Port William faces the disappearance of farms and farmers in the decades after World War II, while Andy Catlett resolves to remain in the Membership

Set along the banks of the Kentucky River in America’s heartland, fictional Port William, Kentucky, is an agrarian world is peopled with memorable and beloved characters collectively known as the Port William Membership. For more than 50 years, Wendell Berry has told Port William’s history from the Civil War to the present day, recapturing a time when farming, faith, and family were the anchors of community and the ligaments that bound one generation to the next.

Now Library of America continues its definitive edition, prepared in close consultation with the author and published for his 90th birthday, presenting the complete story of Port William for the first time in the order of narrative chronology.

This second volume contains 23 stories and 2 novels that span the years 1945 to 1978, as the town faces the forces of mechanization and the looming possibility of its own disappearance. As the generation that came of age after the Civil War disappears, the younger generation increasingly chooses to leave and not return; one of the only exceptions is Andy Catlett, who resolves to remain in and to maintain the Membership.

This definitive edition of Wendell Berry's complete fiction includes detailed notes, endpapers featuring a map of Port William and a Membership family tree, and a chronology of Berry's remarkable life and career.]]> 800 Wendell Berry 1598537768 Charity 5 4.64
author: Wendell Berry
name: Charity
average rating: 4.64
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2024/08/19
date added: 2024/08/19
shelves:
review:

]]> 181736 With an introduction on using the principles of The Servant in your life and career, this book redefines what it means to be a leader.In this absorbing tale, you watch the timeless principles of servant leadership unfold through the story of John Daily, a businessman whose outwardly successful life is spiraling out of control. He is failing miserably in each of his leadership roles as boss, husband, father, and coach. To get his life back on track, he reluctantly attends a weeklong leadership retreat at a remote Benedictine monastery.To John's surprise, the monk leading the seminar is a former business executive and Wall Street legend. Taking John under his wing, the monk guides him to a realization that is simple yet The true foundation of leadership is not power, but authority, which is built upon relationships, love, service, and sacrifice. Along with John, you will learn that the principles in this book are neither new nor complex. They don't demand special talents; they are simply based on strengthening the bonds of respect, responsibility, and caring with the people around you. The Servant's message can be applied by anyone, anywhere—at home or at work.If you are tired of books that lecture instead of teach; if you are searching for ways to improve your leadership skills; if you want to understand the timeless virtues that lead to lasting and meaningful success, then this book is one you cannot afford to miss.]]> 187 James C. Hunter 0761513698 Charity 0 to-read 4.01 1998
author: James C. Hunter
name: Charity
average rating: 4.01
book published: 1998
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/08/12
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 136251
In this final, seventh installment of the Harry Potter series, J.K. Rowling unveils in spectacular fashion the answers to the many questions that have been so eagerly awaited.]]> 759 J.K. Rowling Charity 5 4.61 2007
author: J.K. Rowling
name: Charity
average rating: 4.61
book published: 2007
rating: 5
read at: 2024/08/07
date added: 2024/08/07
shelves: c-hearts-books, children-s-literature, comfort-reads
review:

]]> 1 652 J.K. Rowling Charity 5 4.57 2005
author: J.K. Rowling
name: Charity
average rating: 4.57
book published: 2005
rating: 5
read at: 2024/08/07
date added: 2024/08/07
shelves: c-hearts-books, children-s-literature, comfort-reads
review:

]]> 2
Harry has had enough. He is beginning to think he must do something, anything, to change his situation, when the summer holidays come to an end in a very dramatic fashion. What Harry is about to discover in his new year at Hogwarts will turn his world upside down...]]> 912 J.K. Rowling Charity 5 4.50 2003
author: J.K. Rowling
name: Charity
average rating: 4.50
book published: 2003
rating: 5
read at: 2024/08/07
date added: 2024/08/07
shelves: c-hearts-books, children-s-literature, comfort-reads
review:

]]> 6 734 J.K. Rowling 0439139597 Charity 5 4.56 2000
author: J.K. Rowling
name: Charity
average rating: 4.56
book published: 2000
rating: 5
read at: 2024/08/07
date added: 2024/08/07
shelves: c-hearts-books, children-s-literature, comfort-reads
review:

]]> 3950967
Additional notes for each story penned by Professor Albus Dumbledore will be enjoyed by Muggles and wizards alike, as the Professor muses on the morals illuminated by the tales, and reveals snippets of information about life at Hogwarts.

A uniquely magical volume, with illustrations by the author, J. K. Rowling, that will be treasured for years to come.]]> 105 J.K. Rowling 0747599874 Charity 0 to-read 4.03 2008
author: J.K. Rowling
name: Charity
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2008
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/08/07
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 44441888 Finally: an introduction that captures the excitement of the early Christians, helping today's readers to think like a first-century believer while reading the text responsibly for today.

The New Testament in Its World is your passageway from the twenty-first century to the era of Jesus and the first Christians. A highly-readable, one-volume introduction placing the entire New Testament and early Christianity in its original context, it is the only such work by distinguished scholar and author N. T. (Tom) Wright.

An ideal guide for students,ĚýThe New Testament in Its WorldĚýaddresses the many difficult questions faced by those studying early Christianity. Both large and small, these questions include:


What is the purpose of the New Testament?
What was the first-century understanding of the kingdom?
What is the real meaning of the resurrection in its original context?
What really were the Gospels?
Who was Paul and why are his letters so controversial?
As twenty-first-century people, how do we recover the excitement of what it was like to live as Christians in theĚýfirst or secondĚýcenturies?
In short, The New Testament in Its World brings together decades of ground-breaking research, writing, and teaching into one volume that will open readers' eyes to the larger world of the New Testament. It presents the New Testament books asĚýhistorical, literary,Ěýand social phenomena located in the world of Second Temple Judaism,Ěýamidst Greco-Roman politics and culture,ĚýandĚýwithinĚýearly Christianity.Ěý

Written for both classroom and personal use, the benefits of The New Testament in Its World include:


A distillation of the life work of N. T. Wright on the New Testament with input from Michael Bird
Historical context that situates Jesus and the early church within the history, culture, and religion of Second Temple Judaism and the Greco-Roman world
Major sections on the historical Jesus, the resurrection of Jesus, and Paul's chronology and theology
Surveys of each New Testament book that discuss their significance, critical topics like authorship and date, and that provide commentary on contents along with implications for the Christian life
Up-to-date discussions of textual criticism and theĚýcanonization of the New Testament
A concluding chapter dedicated to living the story of the New Testament
Available Video and Workbook companion resources to enhance learning and experience the world of the New Testament
Illustrated with visually rich pictures, maps, charts, diagrams, and artwork; plentiful sidebars provide additional explanations and insights]]> 992 N.T. Wright Charity 0 seminary, to-finish 4.45 2019
author: N.T. Wright
name: Charity
average rating: 4.45
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/07/11
shelves: seminary, to-finish
review:

]]> 5 435 J.K. Rowling 043965548X Charity 5 4.57 1999
author: J.K. Rowling
name: Charity
average rating: 4.57
book published: 1999
rating: 5
read at: 2024/07/11
date added: 2024/07/11
shelves: c-hearts-books, children-s-literature
review:

]]> 15881
And strike it does. For in Harry’s second year at Hogwarts, fresh torments and horrors arise, including an outrageously stuck-up new professor and a spirit who haunts the girls� bathroom. But then the real trouble begins � someone is turning Hogwarts students to stone. Could it be Draco Malfoy, a more poisonous rival than ever? Could it possibly be Hagrid, whose mysterious past is finally told? Or could it be the one everyone at Hogwarts most suspects� Harry Potter himself!]]> 352 J.K. Rowling Charity 5 4.42 1998
author: J.K. Rowling
name: Charity
average rating: 4.42
book published: 1998
rating: 5
read at: 2024/07/11
date added: 2024/07/11
shelves: c-hearts-books, children-s-literature
review:

]]> 42844155 An alternative cover for this ASIN can be found here

"Turning the envelope over, his hand trembling, Harry saw a purple wax seal bearing a coat of arms; a lion, an eagle, a badger and a snake surrounding a large letter 'H'."

Harry Potter has never even heard of Hogwarts when the letters start dropping on the doormat at number four, Privet Drive. Addressed in green ink on yellowish parchment with a purple seal, they are swiftly confiscated by his grisly aunt and uncle. Then, on Harry's eleventh birthday, a great beetle-eyed giant of a man called Rubeus Hagrid bursts in with some astonishing news: Harry Potter is a wizard, and he has a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. An incredible adventure is about to begin!]]> 333 J.K. Rowling Charity 5 4.47 1997
author: J.K. Rowling
name: Charity
average rating: 4.47
book published: 1997
rating: 5
read at: 2024/07/11
date added: 2024/07/11
shelves: c-hearts-books, children-s-literature
review:

]]> 17150 219 Willa Cather 1583485090 Charity 5 3.81 1918
author: Willa Cather
name: Charity
average rating: 3.81
book published: 1918
rating: 5
read at: 2024/07/11
date added: 2024/07/11
shelves: fiction-worldwide, immigration-and-refugee-related, interesting-fiction, rural-life, the-greats
review:

]]> 2156 249 Jane Austen 0192802631 Charity 5 the-greats 4.15 1817
author: Jane Austen
name: Charity
average rating: 4.15
book published: 1817
rating: 5
read at: 2024/07/11
date added: 2024/07/11
shelves: the-greats
review:
Better the second time around and a few years later. A lovely, slow romance!
]]> 38509184 what one reads but how one reads that cultivates virtue. Reading good literature well requires one to practice numerous virtues, such as patience, diligence, and prudence. And learning to judge wisely a character in a book, in turn, forms the reader's own character.

Acclaimed author Karen Swallow Prior takes readers on a guided tour through works of great literature both ancient and modern, exploring twelve virtues that philosophers and theologians throughout history have identified as most essential for good character and the good life. In reintroducing ancient virtues that are as relevant and essential today as ever, Prior draws on the best classical and Christian thinkers, including Aristotle, Aquinas, and Augustine. Covering authors from Henry Fielding to Cormac McCarthy, Jane Austen to George Saunders, and Flannery O'Connor to F. Scott Fitzgerald, Prior explores some of the most compelling universal themes found in the pages of classic books, helping readers learn to love life, literature, and God through their encounter with great writing.

In examining works by these authors and more, Prior shows why virtues such as prudence, temperance, humility, and patience are still necessary for human flourishing and civil society. The book includes end-of-chapter reflection questions geared toward book club discussions, features original artwork throughout, and includes a foreword from Leland Ryken.]]> 272 Karen Swallow Prior 1587433966 Charity 0 currently-reading 4.36 2018
author: Karen Swallow Prior
name: Charity
average rating: 4.36
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/07/11
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> 176443237
In the midst of a historic "birth dearth," why do some 5 percent of American women choose to defy the demographic norm by bearing five or more children? Hannah’s Children is a compelling portrait of these overlooked but fascinating mothers who, like the biblical Hannah, see their children as their purpose, their contribution, and their greatest blessing.

The social scientist Catherine Pakaluk, herself the mother of eight, traveled across the United States and interviewed fifty-five college-educated women who were raising five or more children. Through open-ended questions, she sought to understand who these women are, why and when they chose to have a large family, and what this choice means for them, their families, and the nation.

Hannah’s Children is more than interesting stories of extraordinary women. It presents information that is urgently relevant for the future of American prosperity. Many countries have experimented with aggressively pro-natalist public policies, and all of them have failed. Pakaluk finds that the quantitative methods to which the social sciences limit themselves overlook important questions of meaning and identity in their inquiries into fertility rates. Her book is a pathbreaking foray into questions of purpose, religion, transcendence, healing, and growth—questions that ought to inform economic inquiry in the future.]]> 400 Catherine Pakaluk 1684514576 Charity 0 to-read 4.40 2024
author: Catherine Pakaluk
name: Charity
average rating: 4.40
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/07/06
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 766917 The comic genius of Robert McCloskey and his wry look at small-town America has kept readers in stitches for generations!

]]> 149 Robert McCloskey 0140309276 Charity 4 4.09 1943
author: Robert McCloskey
name: Charity
average rating: 4.09
book published: 1943
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2024/06/15
shelves: read-as-a-child, children-s-literature
review:

]]> 31456669 95 Walter Brueggemann 0664261698 Charity 4 faith 4.19
author: Walter Brueggemann
name: Charity
average rating: 4.19
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2024/04/04
date added: 2024/04/04
shelves: faith
review:

]]> 32510946 336 Lynn H. Cohick 080103955X Charity 4 women, seminary, faith 4.28
author: Lynn H. Cohick
name: Charity
average rating: 4.28
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2024/04/04
date added: 2024/04/04
shelves: women, seminary, faith
review:

]]> 36578942 The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared has charmed readers across the world.]]> 396 Jonas Jonasson Charity 3 funny, fiction-worldwide 3.84 2009
author: Jonas Jonasson
name: Charity
average rating: 3.84
book published: 2009
rating: 3
read at: 2024/04/04
date added: 2024/04/04
shelves: funny, fiction-worldwide
review:

]]> 39671001 0 Kerry Wood Charity 0 faith 3.75
author: Kerry Wood
name: Charity
average rating: 3.75
book published:
rating: 0
read at: 2024/03/02
date added: 2024/03/02
shelves: faith
review:

]]> 36989096 World-renowned New Testament scholar offers a straightforward examination of what the Bible says about the Holy Spirit.

Who exactly is the Holy Spirit? What does he do in our lives? How can we know him more deeply, and is it possible to tap into his power? Should we pray to the Holy Spirit? Is it possible to be aware of his promptings and speaking into our lives? Dr. Scot McKnight answers these questions and more in this comprehensive examination of what the Bible says about this divinely important, but often confusing member of the Trinity.

This is the third work in a three-part series examining some of the supernatural components of the Christian faith. Scot's The Heaven Promise examines the afterlife. The Hum of Angels elucidates the Bible's teaching on God's supernatural messengers and protectors. Now, The Holy Spirit examines the most mysterious member of the Trinity.

Scot blogs at Patheos, a large multi-perspective blog format. It serves many influential voices from many faith and non-faith traditions. Scot's blog draws primarily a Christian readership; one that is looking for intellectual engagement and thoughtful analysis of Scripture, Theology, and Culture.]]> 221 Scot McKnight 1601426348 Charity 4 faith, pentecostalism 3.97
author: Scot McKnight
name: Charity
average rating: 3.97
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2024/03/02
date added: 2024/03/02
shelves: faith, pentecostalism
review:

]]> 175630 117 Unknown 0141026391 Charity 1 3.52 1000
author: Unknown
name: Charity
average rating: 3.52
book published: 1000
rating: 1
read at:
date added: 2024/01/30
shelves:
review:

]]> 22014893 29th printing in English 168 Leonard Ravenhill Charity 4 faith 4.38 1959
author: Leonard Ravenhill
name: Charity
average rating: 4.38
book published: 1959
rating: 4
read at: 2019/03/23
date added: 2024/01/08
shelves: faith
review:

]]> 18915137 180 Leonard Ravenhill Charity 0 to-read 4.64 1959
author: Leonard Ravenhill
name: Charity
average rating: 4.64
book published: 1959
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/01/08
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 42853080 With a new afterword by the author, and a sneak preview of Sandy Tolan's new book, Children of the Stone

In 1967, Bashir Al-Khayri, a Palestinian twenty-five-year-old, journeyed to Israel, with the goal of seeing the beloved old stone house, with the lemon tree behind it, that he and his family had fled nineteen years earlier. To his surprise, when he found the house he was greeted by Dalia Ashkenazi Landau, a nineteen-year-old Israeli college student, whose family fled Europe for Israel following the Holocaust. On the stoop of their shared home, Dalia and Bashir began a rare friendship, forged in the aftermath of war and tested over the next thirty-five years in ways that neither could imagine on that summer day in 1967. Based on extensive research, and springing from his enormously resonant documentary that aired on NPR's Fresh Air in 1998, Sandy Tolan brings the Israeli-Palestinian conflict down to its most human level, suggesting that even amid the bleakest political realities there exist stories of hope and reconciliation.]]> 400 Sandy Tolan Charity 0 to-read 4.29 2006
author: Sandy Tolan
name: Charity
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2006
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/12/27
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 30024726
The radical search for the simple life in today’s America.

On a frigid April night, a classically trained opera singer, five months pregnant, and her husband, a former marine biologist, disembark an Amtrak train in La Plata, Missouri, assemble two bikes, and pedal off into the night, bound for a homestead they've purchased, sight unseen. Meanwhile, a horticulturist, heir to the Great Migration that brought masses of African Americans to Detroit, and her husband, a product of the white flight from it, have turned to urban farming to revitalize the blighted city they both love. And near Missoula, Montana, a couple who have been at the forefront of organic farming for decades navigate what it means to live and raise a family ethically.Ěý Ěý

A work of immersive journalism steeped in a distinctively American social history and sparked by a personal quest, The Unsettlers traces the search for the simple life through the stories of these new pioneers and what inspired each of them to look for -- or create -- a better existence. Captivating and clear-eyed, it dares us to imagine what a sustainable, ethical, authentic future might actually look like.]]> 336 Mark Sundeen 1594631581 Charity 3 earth, rural-life 3.75 2017
author: Mark Sundeen
name: Charity
average rating: 3.75
book published: 2017
rating: 3
read at: 2023/12/27
date added: 2023/12/27
shelves: earth, rural-life
review:

]]> 52892857 Read the original inspiration for the new, boldly reimagined film from producers Oprah Winfrey and Steven Spielberg, starring Taraji P. Henson, Danielle Brooks, and Fantasia Barrino.

Winner of the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award

A powerful cultural touchstone of modern American literature, The Color Purple depicts the lives of African American women in early twentieth-century rural Georgia. Separated as girls, sisters Celie and Nettie sustain their loyalty to and hope in each other across time, distance and silence. Through a series of letters spanning twenty years, first from Celie to God, then the sisters to each other despite the unknown, the novel draws readers into its rich and memorable portrayals of Celie, Nettie, Shug Avery and Sofia and their experience. The Color Purple broke the silence around domestic and sexual abuse, narrating the lives of women through their pain and struggle, companionship and growth, resilience and bravery. Deeply compassionate and beautifully imagined, Alice Walker's epic carries readers on a spirit-affirming journey towards redemption and love.

â€Áč±đ˛ą»ĺľ±˛Ô˛µ The Color Purple was the first time I had seen Southern, Black women’s literature as world literature. In writing us into the world—bravely, unapologetically, and honestly—Alice Walker has given us a gift we will never be able to repay.â€� —Tayari Jones

�The Color Purple was what church should have been, what honest familial reckoning could have been, and it is still the only art object in the world by which all three generations of Black artists in my family judge American art.� —Kiese Laymon]]> 287 Alice Walker 0143135694 Charity 5 4.40 1982
author: Alice Walker
name: Charity
average rating: 4.40
book published: 1982
rating: 5
read at: 2023/12/27
date added: 2023/12/27
shelves: learning, let-justice-roll-on-like-waters, racism, women
review:

]]> 146191 The Unsettling of America has been recognized as a classic of American letters. In it, Wendell Berry argues that good farming is a cultural development and spiritual discipline. Today’s agribusiness, however, takes farming out of its cultural context and away from families. As a result, we as a nation are more estranged from the land—from the intimate knowledge, love, and care of it.
Sadly, as Berry notes in his Afterword to this third edition, his arguments and observations are more relevant than ever. We continue to suffer loss of community, the devaluation of human work, and the destruction of nature under an economic system dedicated to the mechanistic pursuit of products and profits. Although “this book has not had the happy fate of being proved wrong,� Berry writes, there are good people working “to make something comely and enduring of our life on this earth.� Wendell Berry is one of those people, writing and working, as ever, with passion, eloquence, and conviction.]]> 246 Wendell Berry 0871568772 Charity 5 4.34 1977
author: Wendell Berry
name: Charity
average rating: 4.34
book published: 1977
rating: 5
read at: 2023/12/27
date added: 2023/12/27
shelves: earth, let-justice-roll-on-like-waters, rural-life
review:

]]> 61723770 128 Tish Harrison Warren 1514000180 Charity 0 anglican, faith 4.50
author: Tish Harrison Warren
name: Charity
average rating: 4.50
book published:
rating: 0
read at: 2023/12/27
date added: 2023/12/27
shelves: anglican, faith
review:

]]> 21936846 208 N.T. Wright 0062334344 Charity 5 faith, missions-ministry 4.24 2015
author: N.T. Wright
name: Charity
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2015
rating: 5
read at: 2023/12/27
date added: 2023/12/27
shelves: faith, missions-ministry
review:

]]> 50405198 The Must-Have Guide for Renters and Small-Space DwellersRental Style, which doubles as a decor piece and handy design guide, shows readers how to decorate and organize small, rented spaces on a budget. The book will cover all home development stages from searching for a rental home to decorating and organizing it. Many people are reluctant to design their spaces due to renter restrictions, which leaves homes bland and boring. Rental Style will erase that unease and demonstrate how you can turn a rented space into a home using temporary, creative tricks that won’t drive landlords crazy. ĚýRental Style will demonstrate how to “renovateâ€� a rental through clever design and budget-friendly tips and hacks on the following Beating the stress of finding a homeItems to switch out when moving into a rentalFurniture to invest in when living in a small homeDecorating to maximize small spacesMyths many renters believeRemovable products meant for rentersIncorporating more seating into your smaller homeCombating limited storageWays to “renovateâ€� a rental kitchenHosting in a very small homeAnd more! The budget and time-friendly tools, tips, and advice in this book will give readers the ability to stand out among the rest andĚýrevamp their rental spaces!]]> 164 Chelsey Brown 1510758143 Charity 4 3.37
author: Chelsey Brown
name: Charity
average rating: 3.37
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2023/12/27
date added: 2023/12/27
shelves:
review:

]]> 20702311
His adopted son, Dooley, wrestles with his own passions—for the beautiful and gifted Lace Turner and his vision to become a successful country vet. Dooley’s brother, Sammy, still enraged by his mother’s abandonment, destroys one of Father Tim’s prized possessions. And Hope Murphy, owner of Happy Endings bookstore, struggles with the potential loss of her unborn child and her hard-won business.
All this as Wanda’s Feel Good Café opens, a romance catches fire through an Internet word game, their former mayor hatches a re-election campaign to throw the bums out, and the weekly Muse poses a probing inquiry: Does Mitford still take care of its own?

Millions of fans will applaud the chance to spend time, once more, in the often comic and utterly human presence of Jan Karon’s characters. Indeed, they have never been more sympathetic, bighearted, and engaging.Ěý]]> 511 Jan Karon 0399167447 Charity 5 comfort-reads 4.26 2014
author: Jan Karon
name: Charity
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2014
rating: 5
read at: 2023/12/26
date added: 2023/12/26
shelves: comfort-reads
review:

]]> 24875378 Ěý
Over the course of ten Mitford novels, fans have kept a special place in their hearts for Dooley Kavanagh, first seen in At Home in Mitford as a barefoot, freckle-faced boy in filthy overalls.
Ěý
Now, Father Tim Kavanagh’s adopted son has graduated from vet school and opened his own animal clinic. Since money will be tight for a while, maybe he and Lace Harper, his once and future soul mate, should keep their wedding simple.
Ěý
By the way, it’s a pretty casual affair, so come as you are and remember to bring a tissue or two. After all, what’s a good wedding without a good cry?]]> 287 Jan Karon 0399167455 Charity 4 comfort-reads 4.14 2015
author: Jan Karon
name: Charity
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2015
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2023/12/26
shelves: comfort-reads
review:

]]> 7932176
In the Company of Others is a moving testament to the desperate struggle to hide the truth at any cost and the powerful need to confess. Of all her winning novels, Jan Karon says this "dark-haired child" is her favorite-a sentiment readers everywhere are certain to share.

Another stirring page-turner about Father Tim—this time set in County Sligo—from the bestselling author of At Home in Mitford, Somebody Safe with Somebody Good, and other books in the Mitford Series.]]> 399 Jan Karon 0670022128 Charity 4 comfort-reads 3.90 2010
author: Jan Karon
name: Charity
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2010
rating: 4
read at: 2023/12/26
date added: 2023/12/26
shelves: comfort-reads
review:

]]> 1471061 People). They learned quickly that after you've spent time in Mitford, you'll want to come back (Chicago Tribune). Millions eagerly awaited the publication of each novel, relishing the story of the bookish and bighearted Episcopal priest and the extraordinary fullness of his seemingly ordinary life.

Now, Jan Karon enchants us with the story of the newly retired priest's spur-of-the-moment adventure. For the first time in decades, Father Tim returns to his birthplace, Holly Springs, Mississippi, in response to a mysterious, unsigned note saying simply: Come home. Little does he know how much these two words will change his life. A story of long-buried secrets, forgiveness, and the wonder of discovering new people, places, and depth of feeling, Home to Holly Springs will enthrall new readers and longtime fans alike.]]> 356 Jan Karon 0670018252 Charity 5 4.17 2007
author: Jan Karon
name: Charity
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2007
rating: 5
read at: 2023/10/20
date added: 2023/10/20
shelves:
review:

]]> 71783 The eighth novel in the beloved Mitford series, by the bestselling author ofĚýAt Home in MitfordĚýandĚýSomebody Safe with Somebody GoodĚý

Millions of Americans have found Mitford to be a favorite home-away-from-home, and countless readers have long wondered what Christmas in Mitford would be like. The eighth Mitford novel provides a glimpse, offering a meditation on the best of all presents: the gift of one's heart.Since he was a boy, Father Tim has lived what he calls "the life of the mind" and has never really learned to savor the work of his hands. When he finds a derelict nativity scene that has suffered the indignities of time and neglect, he imagines the excitement in the eyes of his wife, Cynthia, and decides to undertake the daunting task of restoring it. As Father Tim begins his journey, readers are given a seat at Mitford's holiday table and treated to a magical tale about the true Christmas spirit.
Ěý]]> 365 Jan Karon 0142004855 Charity 3 comfort-reads 4.25 2003
author: Jan Karon
name: Charity
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2003
rating: 3
read at: 2023/10/20
date added: 2023/10/20
shelves: comfort-reads
review:

]]>