Hello my lovelies.
A bit of a question for today.
I’m a voracious reader. I literally devour books, I’m even going to be giving a few away this month.. so stay tuned!
Now, my question is this..
What is your favorite book?
I am rapidly reading my way through our library and it’s disheartening to get a book and then have it turn out to be a dud.
I love Mysteries, Romance, Historical Fiction, True Crime, Autobiographies…. pretty much you name it, and I’ll read it. I would love to hear what y’all are reading, why you like it, what you recommend etc…
Now for part 2.
This is just for the ladies, really.
Have you done a mom centered/wife centered bible study that you just love? I’m in a wonderful bible study group right now, but the studies themselves have been less than scintillating. After talking to quite a few of the ‘girls’ we all agree that we would enjoy it so much more, and be apt to participate more, if the studies were more relevant. So I’m looking for great studies that revolve around being a wife and a mother and a woman of God.
I’d love to know what y’all have to say!! Thank you so much!!
Hey Rachel. I checked out those songs online and you were right. Beautiful.
As for the bible study. There are a ton of resources available out there. We have a Catholic women’s college down the street and our group often calls them for direction. You should call a college like that up and people are eager to share information with you.
Let me look through my stuff. That is a project in itself though. 🙂
Oh boy . . . The Kite Runner was fantastic, I love anything by Patricia Cornwell, Anne Tyler, or Alice Hoffman. You also might want to try out Wicked by Gregory Maquire (The Broadway play was based on it).
The only Bible study I’ve done was Max Lucado’s He Chose the Nails . . . so I’m afraid I’m not much help there. (also a great book)
Have you read Killer Angels? It’s historical fiction, the Civil War, and so excellent! And try Bill Bryson’s Short History of Nearly Everything. It is funny and absolutely fascinating. The Secret Life of Bees is wonderful too, if you haven’t read it.
For Bible study have you tried Sisters?http://www.sisters.cokesbury.com/
My favorite books are The Other Boleyn Girl and The Time Traveller’s Wife. I really like historical fiction the best! There’s this website called Shelfari which is a virtual bookshelf where you can check out what your friends are reading and see what they have to say about books. Let me know if you’re interested and I can send you an invite!
As far as bible studies, I’m just now doing my first one. But I would be very curious to see what you find out because I think that is an awesome topic!
The Book of Ruth by Jane Hamilton…my all time fave.
L.I.E by David Hollander…I worked with him…
The Other Boleyn Girl…Gregory
Thousand splendid Suns
I’m reading Birth House right now.
Hey, Rach…I like you, love to read just about everything. I just finished Twighlight by Stephanie Meyer…really good. Young adult, but reads well for an adult, like Harry Potter. They are making it into a movie this year.
I also love anything by Nora Roberts…Jennifer Weiner is hilarious.
I am giggling at the thought of you LITERALLY devouring books ;0) (ducks and hides)
I’ve written a few posts on my favorite books. Here is one post:
http://karlascrazylife.blogspot.com
/2007/09/i-like-these-here-books-
them-are-good.html
AND I just did a post asking for good womens studies. Read the comments here for ideas:
http://karlascrazylife.blogspot.com
/2008/02/question-for-you-
yes-you.html
xo ~ K
My most recent favorite books are Quaker Summer by Lisa Samson and Healing Stones by Stephen Arterburn and Nancy Rue.
My Bible Study group is just finishing The Power of a Positive Woman. When I heard what we were doing, I kind of blew it off and thought it wouldn’t be “enough”. I was so wrong! It is filled with great stuff for wives, moms, friends, etc. We did a chapter or 2 each week. There are not really questions at the end of the chapter, though. There is an assignment of some sort. It kept our group of 8 talking for an hour or so each week!!
Awesome start! Thanks y’all. Karla, thanks for the links.
Seems as if we all have similar interests in books 😉
My favorite book hands down is “A heartbreaking work of staggering genius” by Dave Eggars.
It made me laugh so hard I almost threw my back out, but it is also emotionally wrenching.
It was a Pulitzer finalist and the guy was only 28.
May not be your cup of tea, though.
My FAVORITEST author ever is Anne Perry. She is a genius of the mystery novel. Plus? They are all set in Victorian London which I love. There are eleventy hundred of them, too!
You can never go wrong with the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon. Scotland makes me swoon.
P.S.
Do you belong to Goodreads? I have found it amazing for checking out what people I like and trust are reading. It’s pretty awesome.
Loralee: Nope, I’m not.
I adored the outlander series. It made me want to quit everything, move to Scotland and go lean against big rocks.. I can dream right 🙂
I just read Water for Elephants. It was excellent. It’s written by a woman from a man’s point of view and I can’t believe what a fantastic job she did of it. FYI…there are some…ahem, coming of age parts (so to speak). So, if you blush easily, you might want to skip this book at your local library.
I am a member of a women’s prayer group, but not bible study. One great thing about being Catholic is our love for Mother Mary! We can have endless conversations about the pain and suffering she endured. We can all relate to pain and suffering!
I am reading the Red Tent right now and am loving it. I loved the Kite Runner also. I LOVE East of Eden! Traveling Mercies is a favorite, too.
Old fave: Angela’s Ashes
Bible studies.
Okay, are you ready…
I love most Beth Moore study which are VERY women focused. You can find any of her studies at lifeway.com. Depending on how intense you want the study to be. Most of them are video driven and about 30 minutes of homework for 5 days/week. There is one that is not a video and is shorter/not so intense. Email me if you want that name.
Proverbs 31 Ministries also has quite a few studies out there for women. What happens when a woman says Yes to God, is a good one.
MOPS.org also has tons of studies just for women/moms. They are specifically geared toward mothers.
HeartsforHome.org is another site to check out for studies specifically for women.
Email me if you need more help finding any of those sites and good luck. I love and lead our women’s studies at our church. It is really so fun for me!
I just read The Other Boleyn Girl and am now reading The Queen’s Fool by the same author.
I have Water for Elephants on hold at the library. Have you read The Mermaid Chair? It’s really good.
As far as classics, I love Gone with the Wind, Love in the Time of Cholera, and To Kill a Mockingbird.
I love, love to read, but don’t do it as much as I used to (hmmmmm could it be the computer time?) Nah. 😉
Oh, I’m so glad that The Red Tent got a mention. That is one of my all time favorite books. I also loved A Year of Wonders (although the beginning is a real tear jerker). Time Traveler’s Wife is a must read as well as Missing Mom by Joyce Carol Oats. Abide With Me by Elizabeth Strout is a good read. Looking for Mary is informative and a quick read, too.
Haven’t had time to read much lately, but the last few I read and would recommend were 1000 Splendid Suns (KiteRunner author, forget the name) The Glass Castle, Digging to America (although more fluffy than the previous two.) They are kind of mainstream, so you probably already know about them, but thought I would offer them up anyway. Other good reads in the past: “Drowning Ruth,” “Lovely Bones,”
Bible Studies – I have done three women focused studies. I have also done two Beth Moore studies that I would highly recommend, but wouldn’t call them women/mom focused per say (Jesus the one and only and Beloved Disciple) Beth Moore studies are extremely challenging, life-changing, and time-consuming. there is about 5 nights of homework at about an hour or so a pop. She has you all over the Bible to back it up, so it is awesome, but man, did it take time!
I did and recently dropped out of “Peeking into a Box of Chocolates” – temptations women face – I DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS. It is not very deep and does not muster up much conversation.
“The Excellent Wife ” by Martha Peace – very good and challenging. She is UBER CONSERVATIVE in her instruction, but I like that because it is not as much what you hear taught by men pastors these days (afraid to approach it, I think) and it is more convicting and challenging. I thought it was great.
“Lies Women Believe and the Truth that Sets them Free” by Nancy Leigh DeMoss. I thought it was good, too and echoed MUCH of what the Excellent Wife taught.
Both of the above studies that I recommend are books and have accompanying study guides. They require about 3-5 nights of homework per week. It could take an hour if you got heavily involved or down to 30 minutes.
Hope that helps a bit.
KEEP BELIEVING
Francine Rivers is my favorite Christian fiction author. Redeeming Love and The Mark of the Lion Series seem to be her most popular books. As for Bible Studies, I loved doing Beth Moore’s studies on David and Paul. Have fun!
Sorry Chicky, I don’t know when I would find the time to read a book…Wait, do Photoshop books count?
I have read exactly one really good book in the past year and I cannot, for the life of me, remember it’s name. Sorry!
Have you read Eat, Pray Love? That was really good.
I am into 1850s British stuff–my all time favorite is George Eliot’s Middlemarch. But that may not be your thang!
East of Eden is the best book ever written. But I loved The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns. Anything by John Le Carre. I despise most Chick Lit authors so I can’t help you with the romance stuff.
Bible Studies- I agree with the Beth Moore studies and even though it is forever old, The Power of a Praying Wife is an incredibly powerful study.
In Cold Blood & Ulysses.
Best books ever written, IMO
I read tons! I love anything Patricia Cornwell, Margaret Atwood, Anne Tyler, Jane Austen!
I have recently finished the Mitford series by Jan Karon. It was wonderful. It is a great story with characters familiar to Southerners. I loved it.
Also, I love all things Jane Austen.
As for Bible studies, a group of ladies in my church participated in a book/Bible study called “Intimate Issues.” It deals with, yes, sex in your marriage from a Biblical point. It was a good lesson in humility and understanding that men and women are different physically AND emotionally. And as wives we MUST consider our husbands’ needs but also voice our own needs. It has “homework.” However, 5 pregnancies came out of that class, so you might want to read the book first before suggesting it to your group;)
Have you read Widow of the South? I can’t remember who wrote it, though. Great book, taking place during the Civil War in Tennessee.
Right now, I’m going through a couple’s Bible study, but the book would work well with a women’s group, also. The book is The Life You’ve Always Wanted by John Ortberg. Very relevant to everyday life.
SBM:
Love the Mitford series. Own the Mitford series and have read it several times!
Awesome suggestions. Y’all are so wonderful!!
Told you I’d be by: Okay books. Have you read any of these: The English Patient (better, if that’s possible than the movie), Pompeii, Outlander, Dances with Wolves (also better than movie). If you want more, I’ll keep going, just twit or email me.
The Other Boleyn Girl by Phillipa Gregory or any of her Tudor period books. Anything by Jodi Picoult. Also, something you may consider is getting a kindle. I got mine from Amazon a few weeks ago and I absolutely adore it!
I have so many book suggestions for you but, alas, I am at work at the moment and can’t remeber titles or authors. I’ll be back…I promise!!
The Thirteenth Tale, The Historian, Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follet. All three of those are excellent. Anything by Janet Evanovich is hilarious. Kathy Reichs is another really good one for forensic fiction.
Hey there!! How are you long time no see!! or at least I see you but its been forever since i have actually talked to you!! My favorite book is the Good Earth By pearl Buck. An oldie but a goodie. I also eat a book a week. right now I’m reading the controversial oprah recommended a new earth shhhh don’t tell Lynde…LOl Gimmie a call lets play! Cristal