About Carmen

Wife, mother, and avid reader

Unplugging my ears

Posted on December 13, 2012 by Carmen

I’m currently listening to Theresa Flores’ The Slave Across the Street

When I think of human trafficking, I think of children and women in other countries. Theresa tells her story of sexual slavery in the U.S. This is hard listening. I wanted to plug my ears and believe that such evil doesn’t exist in my country. Or in any country, for that matter. But it does.

You can watch Theresa’s story here:

I encourage you to listen, watch, read, and learn more about human trafficking. Here is Theresa’s site, a good place to start

Traffickfree.com

I never thought I’d enjoy an E-reader

Posted on December 13, 2012 by Carmen

but I love it! Thanks Josiah.

Josiah and I opened our presents early, and he gave me a Kindle. I’ve been loving it.

Here are some reasons why:

I can read in bed while Josiah sleeps WITHOUT turning on my lamp
I can take it along on a trip and have plenty of reading material at my fingertips
I can get free books! I have started reading through some classic literature, and a lot of those books are free. There are also many other free books online. I’ll try to post later on how to find them.
I don’t need a bookmark – my place is automatically saved
If I were to buy new books, the Kindle version is usually cheaper
I can use overdrive.com and borrow library books without taking my active toddler inside the doors
My book collection is easier to deal with on moving day

Now, I still LOVE hard copies of books. I don’t think I will ever stop enjoying visiting libraries and bookstores and flipping through pages. I love picture books for children. I’m afraid I’d mess up my Kindle if I tried to use it while cooking. And I don’t think e-readers are very compost-able. . .

Finally finishing a book. . . 5 years later

Posted on December 13, 2012 by Carmen

Yes, I’m embarrassed that it took me that long to read a book.

This was obviously not a quick read, but I’m still posting about it because I value the content.I have been forcing myself to finish reading all the books on my shelves and I am so glad that I re-discovered this book.

Dallas Willard is a theologian and scholar, but don’t be frightened away. The book is readable, but it is the type of book that I can’t read while David is awake. I’m considering getting another of Willard’s books –The Spirit of the Disciplines: Understanding How God Changes Lives but I will focus on this book today:

The Divine Conspiracy: Rediscovering Our Hidden Life In God

This book looks at how to live with Christ in the here and now, and how Jesus’ life and teachings are not just about giving us life in heaven after we die, but showing us how to live with God NOW.

I just finished the chapter entitled “On Being a Disciple, or Student, of Jesus.” So good. I can’t believe it took me this long to get around to reading this book. I found myself underlining phrases, sentences, and even paragraphs, and hoping that David would take a long nap!

Here are some direct quotations for you to chew on:

A disciple is “simply someone who has decided to be with another person, under appropriate conditions, in order to become capable of doing what that person does or to become what that person is.” (p. 282)

“As long as one thinks anything may really be more valuable than fellowship with Jesus in his kingdom, one cannot learn from him.” p. 293

Ouch, Lord, this is challenging to read. Help me to BE with you more – to recognize you around me, and to be ravished by the treasure that you are. You are of greatest value – help me to orient my life with that perspective.

My (Current) Top 5 Children’s Christmas Books

Posted on December 6, 2012 by Carmen

I love children’s books. Sometimes I think I should have been a children’s librarian. But that’s a whole other blog post. For now, I want to share some of my (current) favorite children’s books for Christmas. These are ones I found on my own bookshelves. I’m sure if I went to our local library, I would pick 5 OTHER books as my favorites!

1. Who Is Coming to Our House? by Joseph Slate and Ashley Wolff

In this book, the animals in the stable get ready for some special visitors: Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus. The rhyming text does use some old words (1980s!) but it is still appropriate for a small child. David loves this board book, even though he just moo’s through the whole story.

2. The Christmas Day Kitten by James Herriot, illustrated by Ruth Brown

I loved this book as a child, probably because I love cats. Unfortunately I discovered I am allergic to them, but I can still enjoy this book. Written by a veterinarian, this book has no ties to the biblical narrative, but it still gives me warm fuzzies when I read it. Because of its length, it is more suitable for an older child with a longer attention span. (Sorry David)

3. The Little Drummer Boy – by Ezra Jack Keats

I have trouble not singing the song as I read this book. For those of you who are not familiar with the song or book, a little boy plays his drum for baby Jesus. I know that this is not necessarily based on the Bible, but I do appreciate the message: do what you do well for Jesus, and that will probably make Him smile.

4. This Is the Stable – by Cynthia Cotten and illustrated by Delana Bettoli

I found this treasure at some yard sale or thrift store, where I find most of my books. Simple rhyming text tells the story of Jesus’ birth. Young children enjoy reciting the repetitive words.

5. Song of the Stars: A Christmas Story by Sally Lloyd-Jones and illustrated by Alison Jay.

Wow. I saw this in a bookstore and bought it at full price – it is that good! If you’re familiar with The Jesus Storybook Bible, then you may recognize the author’s style. All of creation is waiting and getting ready for the birth of Christ. I love how Sally Lloyd-Jones ties Jesus as baby and Jesus as co-creator together in this story.

What are your favorite children’s Christmas books?

Why nourishing?

Posted on November 20, 2012 by Carmen

When I think of the word nourishing, I think of something that is nutritious and good for you. I love reading good books just as much as I enjoy eating good food; I have discovered that for me personally, a healthy diet of books feeds my mind and heart. Some people eat an apple a day for health, I read a book every couple of days for health.

On this blog I will try to share books that have been good for me to read – whether because they were encouraging, thought-provoking, or changed my life and perspective in some way. I am a Christian, so some of the books will feed my faith in a more overtly “Christian” way, and other books will not include the faith component. I enjoy reading a wide variety of books, so I will not limit this blog in that regard.

If for some reason, you read some of the books that I feature, and you cannot stand them, or you have a completely different opinion than me, by all means share your opinion courteously! I look forward to your feedback.

And now, because of my love and interest in food, (and to continue to work through the tutorial that is teaching me how to make posts), here is a video to watch on Nourishing Traditions. This is a recent interest of mine and Susan Godfrey did a good job of explaining.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xA8Xn-tlkg0

What is nourishing reads?

Posted on November 16, 2012 by Carmen

I’m starting this blog for multiple reasons, but most importantly, because I love to read. People frequently ask me for book recommendations, so I believe that this can be a way to track what I read (I’m forgetful!) and give my personal comments. I also enjoy learning new things and I see blogging as a new, fun thing for me to figure out. I’ll share more about my blog title later.

I also enjoy using Goodreads as I way to track my reading and find new books. You can also find what your friends are reading. I find it kinda fun.

My son D also loves books. This makes me happy.