July Gems ~ my reading this month

I read some good books this month... thus the Gems in my title. I have been using illiteratrion in my titles for my monthly reading and goal updates. July and Gems don't start with the same letter but they do start with the same sound... so I'm counting it. I thought about "cheating" and spelling gems with a 'j' but I decided that was not necessary.

Now... On to the books!!

Mixed Signals by Liz Curtis Higgs
591 pp
Started Reading - Jul 02, 2013
Finished Reading - Jul 16, 2013

My rating:

I loved this book. I love Liz Curtis Higgs. I have seen a few of her videos and have a few of her non-fiction books.... LOVE her. This book was very good. Her first published fiction. It is definitely a romance. Clean romance... but plenty of it. There is plenty of God thrown in and a bit of radio talk, which should be expected from the picture on the cover. The book is about a bunch of people in a little town and one lady who moves to the town to join a new radio station with an old boss of hers. Relationships... with people and with God. That is what this book is all about.

a quote...

"David smiled to himself. Relax, buddy. God doesn't bite. Convict? Sure, when needed. Condemn? Only as a last resort and then not with pleasure.

I oughtta know..

The burden of his many sins - and one in particular - had pressed down on his shoulders for so long the weight had come to feel natural. A penance for his stupidity. Sitting there, surrounded by memories, he felt his past mistakes hovering nearby in the pine-scented air, threatening to crush him again.

I need you, Lord. Right here, right now." pg. 224

another quote...

"The solemn bells rang on as his heart sang the familiar carol. He longed to be counted among the faithful. Pastor Curt insisted he was. Every Bible verse he'd stumbled on assured him as well.

But here in this place, where recollections were stirred like cold ashes, his spirit yearned for assurance from the one he'd wronged the most." pg. 225

a last quote...

"Grace. Again, Lord. It had been raining grace every day since Christmas, falling in great, cleansing drops. He never lost his thirst for it, could never get enough."  pg. 576

I am working to notice the daily grace God gives me, I want to notice it and record it. I need to see Him working in my life.

Small-Town Reality (Tales From Grace Chapel Inn, #22)
Carolyne Aarsen
219 pp
Started Reading - Jul 17, 2013
Finished Reading - Jul 23, 2013

My rating:

Small-Town Acorn Hill. Are they ready for reality t.v.??? Maybe, maybe not. How about a new newspaper, a tabloid, written by an new resident of town??? How will the people handle that. Will people buy the paper? Or will it fold? What do the Christian residents think... especially the ladies of Grace Chapel Inn? How will they handle these problems.

Each new book has a new struggle for the ladies/town to deal with.

I love these books. If I need to catch up on reading I can always count on these. I get caught up and read them quickly. That sometimes happens with other books, but not always. These I can always count on to catch my attention and get read quickly.

I am still behind in my reading.. I guess I need to order a few more of these from the library.

One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are
Ann Voskamp
Started Reading - Jun 21, 2013
Finished Reading - Jul 28, 2013 

My rating:

I love this book. It has gotten me writing in more than one journal. I started my 1,000 gifts list on Dec. 3, 2012. Then in January I started joined the Joy Dare. Now I have 4 books where I am counting gifts. One for the Joy Dare where she gives you prompts each day, 3 a day for 365 days gives you more than a thousand. I have one notebook where I count my own gifts at home. I have one notebook for my purse, so I can write gifts down on the go, if I wait til I get home I will probably forget. And lastly I have one for counting gifts about my hubby. I have needed this last one. Especially with his unemployment going on so long. Stress can really affect a marriage and it is helpful to think and write about the good things and I like having the list to go back and look at on 'bad' days.

I highlighted a LOT of this book. I have it on my Kindle. I would love to have a hard copy of my own some day.

This book hits me right where I am. It discusses the hard things. It helped me, is helping me, to see God more in my daily life. To be more aware of the blessings. Even to be more thankful for the hard things. It is helping me have a better attitude, most days. I am not perfect, but this book was just perfect for me, right now. 

Picking one or 2 favorite quotes??? Impossible... So I will just pick a couple that jump out at me while I scan my highlighted quotes on my Kindle app.

"If it were up to me..." and then the words pound, desperate and hard. "I'd write this story differently." pg. 20

Amen. Yes, I would.

 its "just that maybe... maybe you don't want to change the story, because you don't know what a different ending holds." pg. 21

Ummm. Yup. So true. So Glad that God knows. I will HAVE to trust him since He is the only one with a complete and unending view of my life.

"As long as thanks is possible, then joy is always possible. Joy is always possible. Whenever, meaning - now; wherever, meaning - here. The holy grail of joy is not in some exotic location or some emotional mountain peak experience. The joy of wonder could be here! Here, in the mess, piercing ache of now, joy might be - unbelievably - possible! The only place we need see before we die is this place of seeing God, here and now." pg. 33

I need this. I need to give thanks. I need joy. Here! Now! In the hard times of 3 1/2 + years of unemployemnt.

One more...

"Being in a hurry. Getting to the next thing without fully entering the thing in front of me. I cannot think of a single advantage I've ever gained from being in a hurry. But a thousand broken and missed things, tens of thousands, lie in the wake of all the rushing... Through all that hast I thought I was making up time. It turns out I was throwing it away." pg 65

I LOVE this book. This year, the books I have been choosing have been such a blessing. It is such a God thing that I pick up just the book I need for that time. Another gift. A blessing to thank the Lord for. I could quote so much more. I could say much more. If you have not read this book I HIGHLY recommend you do so... soon!

According to Goodreads I have read 27 books toward my goal of 55 books. At my current pace, I'm 5 books (11%) behind schedule. My goal is 55 books.. that is one book a week plus a couple extra for the year. That is just over 4 books a month. This month I read 3 books... so that puts me further behind than I was last month. I am working hard, now that August is a week over and I am just getting this put up, to read more this month. I hope I make good progress and get caught up some.

note: my star reviews are out of a possible 5 stars

See my Goodreads book lists

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