"The Convent" by Panos Karnezis

The Convent by Panos Karnezis is an excellent read that I really enjoyed!  It is about an order of Nuns in a remote convent whose lives are dedicated to prayer and our Lord.  Then one day, a baby is left on their doorstep and everything changes.  The thing I liked most about this book is how the reader finds out about all the Nuns’ past lives a little at a time.  It is only 212 pages but once you are into it, it’s almost impossible to put down!  Give it a shot--I’m really glad I did! (9 stars)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

Tuesday Teaser: "Dogwood" and "The Convent"

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should  Be Reading. Anyone can play along, so I thought  I  would play for fun! Just do the following:          

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on  that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away!   You don’t  want  to  ruin the  book for others!)
• Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can  add the book to their TBR  Lists  if they  like your teaser. 

Karen's:

I wanted to crumple the paper and write something else, something about her counting the days until I was free.  But that wouldn't be fair to either of us, and I knew, like with the farm kittens I held as a child, the more you cling to an animal, the more it wants its freedom.  I have claw marks in my memory to prove that.

Taken from p. 68 of Dogwood by Chris Fabry.  (I just finished this so the review will be up Thursday)

Gerard's:

When she was alone, she sat on the edge of the bed and continued to watch the sleeping baby in silence. This was one of the rare occasions in her life when she did not know what to do.

Taken from p. 3 of The Convent by Panos Karnezis. An excellent read. I just finished it and my review will be up tomorrow.

Meet Us On Monday

We thought you might like to get to know us better so we will do this meme now and then hosted by Never Growing Old. Here's the questions from last week because I work so don't have time to do these posts on Monday mornings.

Questions:

1.  Do you have any New Year's resolutions?
2.  What food item are you craving right now?
3.  When is your birthday?
4.  What were you doing an hour ago?
5.  Last thing you cooked?

1. Our New Year's resolutions are:

• Read 100 books each in 2011. Last year Gerard read 98 and Karen read 89.
• Do something fun every week--preferably every day but want to keep this doable.
• Try two new things, go to 4 new places in 2011.
• Donate $25 to sponsor a dog at Best Friends on a bi-monthly basis.
• Work out at least three times a week.
• Karen: Take more breaks from the computer. I sit entirely too much which isn't healthy. Gerard is always on the go, he walks around all day at work. (When I do read on breaks at work, I walk as I read.)
• Give up the donuts.
• Be a blessing to someone each day.
Here's how we did last year: How Did You Do On Last Year's Resolutions?

Christmas Dinner 2010

2. I'm not craving any food at the moment. I just had cereal two hours ago.

3. Our birthdays are both the first half of December, just 10 days apart.

4. An hour ago, Gerard was walking our dog, Abby and Karen was working on our blogs.

5. Last thing Karen cooked was scrambled eggs in the microwave and Gerard last cooked sloppy Joes for our Christmas dinner.  Karen bought those reindeer double-decker cookies with the chocolate frosting. We usually don't cook.

"The Way Back To Mayberry—Lessons From A Simpler Time" by Joey Fann

The Way Back To Mayberry—Lessons From A Simpler Time by Joey Fann is a nostalgic trip back to the “Andy Griffith Show” from the 60s, but with lessons we can learn from 30 different episodes to apply to our life today.  The author, Joey Fann, uses specific episodes to illustrate a point and take it further to reflect on how God can be at work in similar situations in our lives today by sharing from his own experiences.  Each episode is connected to some scripture which the author has included to give each lesson a spiritual application.  Some churches throughout the country have used Finding The Way Back To Mayberry as material for informal Bible classes. 

For those unfamiliar with the show, Mayberry is a small, quiet town and Andy is the Sheriff.  The show was just about everyday life and experiences that happened in the small town and in the lives of the different characters.  Andy’s son, Opie, is often the one to learn the lessons, but also is the one who is first to “get” it. 

Here is a quote from one of my favorite episodes, “What’s Your Hurry?”:

Consider .. . consider how we live our lives today.  Everything is run, run, run.  We bolt our breakfast, we scan the headlines, we race to the office.  The full schedule and the split second:  these are our gauges of success.  We drive ourselves from morn to night.  We have forgotten the meaning of the word relaxation.  What has become of the old-fashioned ways, the simple pleasures of the past?

I don’t know about you, but this sure sounds a lot like our life.  The chapters are short so this could easily be used as a family devotional book.  This was a fun read for me because I used to watch the show.  Goober, the auto mechanic in the show, wrote the foreword.  I think anyone who enjoyed the "Andy Griffith Show" would like The Way Back To Mayberry—Lessons From A Simpler Time and those who haven’t seen the show would find this book wholesome and inspirational. 

(Karen's review)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

"Insane Train" by Sheldon Russell -- A Wild Read

I enjoyed the ride!  Insane Train by Sheldon Russell tells the story of a detective named Hook, whose job it is to safe guard a train of patients from an insane asylum to Oklahoma.  As you can imagine, not everything goes as planned.  This is a fun mystery that will keep you guessing who the killer is.  I enjoyed it.  I give it 7 stars.  Did you see my teaser for this one?

Have you read this one? What did you think of it?