Through A Glass Darkly

Through a Glass Darkly by Karleen Koen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book took awhile to get into, it moved slowly through the beginning. Very detailed descriptions, which I appreciated later as I think it saved me some confusion during later events. I thought the characters were great. The plot was dark with a bit of light around the edges, making it an enjoyable read without becoming depressing. It was a lengthy book, which at some points made it intimidating. The historical fiction was dead on, between the rebuilding of France and the collapse of England's economy, the fashion and ethics of the time were on target.

Synopsis: Karleen Koen's sweeping saga contains unforgettable characters consumed with passion: the extraordinarily beautiful fifteen-year-old noblewoman, Barbara Alderley; the man she adores, the wickedly handsome Roger MontGeoffry; her grandmother, the duchess, who rules the family with cunning and wit; and her mother, the ineffably cruel, self-centered and licentious Diana. Like no other work, Through a Glass Darkly is infused with intrigue, sweetened by romance and awash in the black ink of betrayal.


Recommended Reading:
Now Face to Face by Karleen Koen
From a Distance by Tamera Alexander
Ross Poldark by Winston Graham
Making Waves by Lorna Seilstad
Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins

The Story

The Story: The Bible as One Continuing Story of God and His People by Anonymous
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

My adult Sunday School class read this over the year. I was a little hesitant about reading this, I guess I thought I knew the bible. Turns out there was a lot I had forgotten, or just didn't know.

I really enjoyed reading this. It was a well setup book and especially meaningful with the DVD accompaniment. My class had lots of interesting discussions and I learned so much. Reading this started a fire within me, I found my faith again because of this book. I can't wait to read it again, this time alongside my bible.

Synopsis:
'THE GREATEST STORY EVER TOLD' IS MORE THAN JUST A CLICHE.
God goes to great lengths to rescue lost and hurting people. That is what The Story is all about---the story of the Bible, God's great love affair with humanity. Condensed into 31 accessible chapters, The Story sweeps you into the unfolding progression of Bible characters and events from Genesis to Revelation. Using the clear, accessible text of the NIV Bible, it allows the stories, poems, and teachings of the Bible to read like a novel. And like any good story, The Story is filled with intrigue, drama, conflict, romance, and redemption---and this story's true!

From the foreword by Max Lucado and Randy Frazee:
'This book tells the grandest, most compelling story of all time: the story of a true God who loves his children, who established for them a way of salvation and provided a route to eternity. Each story in these 31 chapters reveals the God of grace---the God who speaks; the God who acts; the God who listens; the God whose love for his people culminated in his sacrifice of Jesus, his only Son, to atone for the sins of humanity.'
Features:
• The story of the Bible---in its own words. Selections from the NIV Bible with short transitions to connect the reader to the continuing story.
* Events, characters, and teachings of the Bible arranged chronologically
* Timelines of Bible events
* New International Version (NIV) Bible text Church families around the globe can now embrace The Story for a full ministry year through worship services, small group studies, and family activities. Learn more about this whole-church experience at TheStory.com.

March April and May Update

I'm only slightly behind on book reviews and updating the blog in general. Life has been a mad crazy rush the last few months. This summer I promised myself and the CofC that we would take things a little easier. Hopefully that also includes more time to read!

I briefly debated abandoning the blog all together - simply because well, time. As in I didn't have time to write a review, and when I did... it took FOREVER because of my outdated laptop. Well, both problems have come to pass, so here I am, on a rainy Saturday morning, catching up the blog.

I know you're excited.

I am.

So... a brief recap: I'm staying on track for my books read goal. Keeping the TBR list down has been a challenge. And by challenge I mean that I haven't really tried. I have been trying to mix-up my reading list between old books, new books and ebooks. I've been on a bit of a short story kick on the ebook side of things. Partly because they are more affordable and partly because one of my favorite authors published a couple shorts.

There might be a book purge coming in the next few weeks, maybe not. I don't feel inclined to get rid of anything right now. I think a lot of focus will simply go into getting ahead of the reading plan so maybe I can fit in a Diana Gabaldon or Harry Potter re-read.

So as I catch up on the book reviews, hang out, drink some coffee... read a book :)