Currently reading/just finished...

- The Man Who Was Thursday, G. K. Chesterton-- this was for book club. I really like it. Still working my way through parts of it-- I didn't exactly read it linearly... Anyway it's very very good for discussion. Our group liked discussing how each "anarchist" represented a slightly different view of atheism, which corresponded by contrast to what was actually created on that day of creation. We also found it telling and convicting to watch the character Sunday go from being perceived by us as supremely evil, to being seen as a sort of representation of God-- actually good-- we only thought He was evil and against us because we didn't know the whole story. A bit difficult to read at times, due to a disjointed style, and overwhelmingly poetic prose. GREAT quotes, but a bit thick to slog through for probably most. So, 3.5 stars. :)

- Faithful Women & their Extraordinary God, Noel Piper-- for our church ladies book study. Wow. SO helpful. I loved how each chapter was separate and distinct, allowing me to put it down and pick it up as needed around chores and travel. The direct quotes from each of the women studied were gold mines, and Noel Piper's editing draws application without forcing anything. I think this will fit into my "top-5-books-to-give" list. 5 stars.

- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Audiobook), J. K. Rowling-- the more I read, the more I see!! JK Rowling is the queen of narrative misdirection; I can see why she loved Emma (Jane Austen), which is a book ALL ABOUT thinking you know where the characters and plot is going, and being totally wrong. This book is amazing at that! For any who haven't read the sequel I won't spoil anything, but I will say that this book does a wonderful job making you lean one way, and then letting go so you fall over. :) So full of mercy and lessons on trust. But really, this is incomplete without book 7!! 5 stars

- The Last Olympian (Audiobook), Rick Riordan-- the Percy Jackson series wraps up without disappointment. The good guys win, and are rewarded, Percy chooses doing the right thing over immortality, and of course gets the right girl. I liked seeing the gods' personalities develop over the series, turning them from cardboard mythological characters to real people. Which is a great talking point for parents: the gods in this book are just very-big, very-old, very-powerful people. Nothing divine or Different in them; they're just stronger and older. How much better is our Holy God, who does not sin, does not change, never is capricious or confused! The bottom line of this series seems to be to give everyone a place to belong (lest you hurt many and they turn into enemies of the good!), and to be loyal to your friends and family above all else, no matter how broken and sinful they are. By loyal, the series doesn't mean indulgent or tolerant of sin, but rather to love them and plead with them to do what is right even if they seem too far gone, and you have to fight against them to the death in the end. 4 stars-- good rollicking fun, best writing of the series, and somewhat fuzzy morals.

- The Spiderwick Chronicles 1-5 (Audiobook-- for our trip)- we really enjoyed these! They seemed to read like one longer book instead of 5 very short ones, so I recommend bringing home 3 at a time at least. The world Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black create is very real. It is original working of familiar fairy material. It also really sounds like it's coming from the perspective of a 9 year old boy; childishly simple at times. The treatment of divorce is sensitive while still showing the deep pain and even havoc it brings to children's lives. 3.5 stars

- The Wisdom of Father Brown, G. K. Chesterton-- I enjoyed this on our trip to Denver. It made me realize, once and for all, that I really like Chesterton's writing!! He provides quips and narrative insights much like his similarly-initialed friend & fellow Inkling, C. S. Lewis, adding wisdom and humor to the point that I stopped and read aloud to Ryan at several spots. 4 stars.

- The Great Divorce, CS Lewis (read aloud to Ryan in preparation for the Hutchmoot)-- wow. I loved this. Quotes from here keep popping out everywhere I write or think. In no way is this meant to be an actual picture of Heaven & Hell-- I found it most helpful, though, as a way of looking at the choices people are making for Heaven or for Hell, here and now. 5 stars.

- Lilith, George MacDonald- again, preparation for the Hutchmoot. --still in process.

- Harry Potter's Bookshelf, John Granger-- wow. This is the book which culls back through the "compost pile" of J. K. Rowling's personal literary experience out of which she wrote her books, and traces elements found in them back to previous literary sources. I could (and maybe one day will!) craft a year-long literature course with this as the overarching textbook, assigning students every book it mentions. What a great way to get teenagers into classics! What a great way to get me out of my literary comfort zone, to try out some genres or authors I'd never have tried on my own! As for this book itself, I am learning so much about the English literary tradition, and appreciating just how steeped in Christianity it has been, and how much I've taken for granted. Alchemy is intriguing to both Ryan & I, and I look forward to learning more specifically about that. I also admire Rowling more and more as I see just how many layers her works have. I feel that at times Granger over-writes, but that's my only complaint. 4 stars.

- Systematic Theology, the Attributes of God chapters, Wayne Grudem- very devotional, which I didn't expect from a textbook.

- Mister Monday, Garth Nix (Audiobook--while piecing quilts)

- My Sister's Keeper, Jodi Picault-- my younger sister lent me this while we were on the cruise together. A gripping page turner, for sure. Basically a younger sister conceived for the purpose of saving her sister's life (through her umbilical cord blood) and constantly turned to for blood, platelets and bone marrow, sues her parents for the rights to her body when they ask her to donate a kidney at age 13. Talk about an ethical dilemna. A tear-jerker full of surprises. I kept wanting to just share Christ with all of the characters-- they are each selfish in their own ways! Problems with the book: while each chapter is told from a different character-- her guardian ad litem, her lawyer, her best friend and dying sister, her dilinquent older brother, each parent, and the protagonist hersel-- both my sister & I felt that the chapters sounded like they came from one character instead of many; the author speaks too distinctly as herself, preventing the characters from finding their voices. There is cursing (I thought gratuitous) and sex; not overly graphic but definitely not something I'd hand a kid. Anna & I found the book over-stated, with too many witticisms and perfect coincidences... Nevertheless, this would be a great discussion-topic, and is certainly well-researched. 3.5 stars

- Harry Potter y la piedra filosofal, J. K. Rowling, trans. into Spanish- workin' on it

- Spiritual Depression, M. Lloyd-Jones-- far more than a spiritual diagnosis tool, this is a handbook for daily soul-care. I'm still working through it, but am finding it so rich, so insightful, so balanced. 4.5 stars (so far).