Books Finished in July, 2013

1. Pat of Silver Bush by L. M. Montgomery **
[Read from June 05 to July 12, 2013] 
One moment this seemed like a 1-star book, the next like a 4-star, so I give it something in between. There are too many stories in it about witches, fairies, and the like. Even though the witch is not a real one, Judy, the maid (who is more like a mother), encourages Pat to think witches and fairies are real and fascinating. (Witches are real, but not people to fool around with.) Some of that fades as the book goes on, and I enjoyed the beautiful, quaint descriptions of the people and outdoors and the love of home (although sometimes Pat almost idolizes home).

Then, there are a couple of brief romances in the book, which are pretty realistic and innocent. However, she should have been led by her parents and Judy to be more careful.

So, I liked parts of it, but not all. Here are a couple of quotes I like:

"No matter what dreadful things happened at least there were still cats in the world."

"How I loved to wake up in the night and feel that my husband and my children were well and safe and warm, sleeping peacefully. Life hasn't anything better to offer a woman than that, Patsy."

2.  Laura Ingalls Wilder's Prairie Wisdom by Yvonne Pope ***
[Read from July 02 to 12, 2013]
I really like the cute illustrations, and there are some good quotes . . . some not-so-good ones, as well. Overall I like it, and it's a really quick read. :)

3. Beyond Ordinary: When a Good Marriage Just Isn't Good Enough by Justin Davis, Trisha Davis ****
[Read from June 15 to July 21, 2013]
Even though I'm not married and have no immediate plans to be, I thought this might be a good book to read. I was right. At first, the authors, Justin and Trisha, seemed rather shallow and mediocre, and they did struggle in their marriage a lot. However, some of their advice is applicable even to single people, for our relationships with God and others. For instance, the everyday choices we make, whether they are selfish or sacrificial, and putting God first. There were many practical and good tips. No doubt it would be even more helpful for married couples to read. There were questions at the end of each chapter for those who are married to apply to themselves.

Caveat: some of the material in the book may not be to your liking to read about, especially if you're a younger single person, but everything was handed quite carefully.

Here are a few quotes which were helpful to me:

'We went from "I love you so much; how can I serve you?" to "If you loved me, then you would do this for me."'

'In order to move beyond ordinary, we have to be intentional. We have an enemy who is intentionally coming against our marriage relationships. We won't drift into extraordinary; we will have to fight for it.'

'Distorting truth and compromising truth often seems innocent and harmless, but it always comes with a price.'

'When we start expecting our spouses' words, behavior, or choices to fill parts of our hearts that only God can fill, we set ourselves up for ordinary marriages.'

'But much like the Israelites, we can easily stop focusing on the presence of God and focus instead on the presents of God.'

'The crossroads that all of us stand at every day is do I choose ordinary again today, or do I choose extraordinary?'

'Bitterness is like picking up a stone to throw and holding on to it so you'll have ammunition the next time you're wounded. We take our stones, hold them tight, and find comfort in them. But if we dwell in bitterness long enough, resentment is sure to follow.'

'I had tried to escape the crushing of teeth and the breaking of bones and in the process had also forgone the faithfulness and mercies and salvation and compassion of God.'

'When we do not live in the fullness of God's love, we are incapable of loving others fully.'

'Wherever sin lives, intimacy dies. That is true in your relationship with God, and it is true in your marriage. But the good news is that wherever intimacy lives, sin dies.'

'We sometimes confuse discipline with a lack of grace, but discipline is an extension of grace.'

4. Voyage with the Vikings (Imagination Station #1) by Marianne Hering, Paul McCusker ***1/2
[Read on July 22, 2013]
As an adult having never (except maybe once) listened to Adventures in Odyssey, I still enjoyed this little book. It's fast-paced, simply-put but informative, and has fun illustrations. Children will enjoy traveling back in time through this series, I'm sure. The children in the book are brave, helpful, and loving, without the bickering and name-calling you often find in kids' books.

The whole story is not resolved, which makes one more curious to read the rest of the series, but at least the one time period is finished.

5.  Mistress Pat (Pat of Silver Bush #2) by L.M. Montgomery **
[Read from July 15 to 31, 2013] 
I'm afraid this is no better than the first, really. I still enjoyed certain parts and the style of the writing. But there was a staggering number of suitors and were mostly shallow thoughts. 

The Book of 1 Corinthians - I need to write better reviews of the books of the Bible, but this is, as always, the Word of God, and helpful in so many ways! I remember being especially blessed by chapter 11, with the headship of man, etc.

The Book of 2 Corinthians