Wedgwood Gey

"Wedgewood Grey" by John Anderson

Alright, book number two, not quite as good as the first. It got good in the middle though. It added a few more characters and the previous main characters took a back seat. I think that is why it wasn't as compelling. But again I was amazed at the forces of darkness and the very real stance we need to take against them. "Don't waste today's fuel on yesterday's journey." This was a quote that I liked. So many times I spend today fretting or feeling guilty over yesterday. Yesterday is gone, move on and make today what it needs to be. Really, I only have enough energy for today anyway. I am looking forward to reading the last book but you will just have to wait as my mother has to finish it first. But trust me, I am breathing down her neck to hurry up!

Abiding Darkness

"Abiding Darkness" by John Anderson

This is the first in a three book series. The first chapter had me hooked! There should be a warning though as the first chapter is a little gruesome and if you are afraid of snakes you might not want to read it. But it is only the first chapter and it sets the stage for the rest of the book. This book is based in Mississippi in 1945. It is about a special little white girl and her black friend. They are smack dab in the middle of the first war, as in spiritual war. It opens your eyes to what really goes on in the spiritual realm and what we are up against. So often I forget. It is the author's first novel and very well written. I really couldn't put it down and I am already working on the second book. There is one main character that is in the midst of the spiritual war again and again. At the end of the book his angel said this, "The day is not far distant when he will be called upon to be stronger still." God calls us to be strong in the midst of the battle. We need to rely on Him for our strength because sometimes the battle seems too much, we are too weary. It is a powerful story and one that I guarantee you won't want to put down. Stay tuned for the other two books in the series.

The Help

"The Help" by Kathryn Stockett

Another good read. This book is about Mississippi in the 1960's. It is about the black maids that work for the white women. It is about how their lives are intertwined and how one white woman stands up to the lines that are drawn between the two races. It is a novel but the author grew up in Mississippi and had a maid that raised her and her siblings. (Oh, and by the way this is her first novel.) It is a very interesting book. I have always been fascinated with slavery and that era. I have wondered if I would be strong enough to stand up for the rights of all people or would have just gone on with the way things were. The author writes at the end that understanding is vital to our humanity. There is one line that she loves and it also stuck with me: "Wasn't that the point of the book? For women to realize, We are just two people. Not that much separates us. Not nearly as much as I'd thought." So very powerful. We may think we are better, more educated, have more money or are better parents. We may think we don't have as much, we aren't as holy, we aren't as good. Whatever it is but when we stop and think we are just people, all created in His image. Not that much separates us. Not nearly as much as we'd thought.

Twenties Girl

"Twenties Girl" by Sophie Kinsella

This was a fun book to read. It was a good break from all the serious books that I have been reading. Just a fun, light book. It is about a girl who is visited by a ghost, her 105 year old great aunt. She didn't know her aunt and throughout the story she gets to know her and all her history. Her aunt helps her see her life for what it really is and helps her through some tough situations. It is a funny book with lots of laughable moments. Here is a quote that I like, "It's easy to discount family. It's easy to take them for granted. But your family is your history. Your family is part of who you are." I think so often we take our families for granted, that they will always be there. Then one day they aren't and we find out we really didn't know anything about them. I want to pass on my family history to my girls but I can't do that if I don't ask those in my family who are older questions about their lives. Take the time, before you know it the times has gone and so has your family.

Bad (Good) Mother

"Bad -Good- Mother" by Aylet Waldman

Let me start out by saying don't read this, don't waste your time. I actually can't believe that I kept reading but when I pick up a book I have to finish, even when it isn't worth my time. The author is from Berkeley and she is everything you think of when you think of Berkeley, everything. All that said there were a few good chapters. The book is about how us mothers struggle with being "good" mothers. How everything we do is looked at as bad or good depending on who you ask. This is why I picked up the book, I struggle with the good mom bad mom syndrome daily. One chapter talks about how men do "men" jobs around the house and women do "women" jobs. I like this quote that says why she thinks this happens. "By surrendering certain skills, you are affirming your belief that the other person will remain there to care for you in that way." We all want to be taken care of in some way or another and by letting him take out the garbage we know he will be there to do it forever. I like that. Another chapter I liked was about what kind of mothers we think we will be and then what kind of mothers we really end up being. My world was rocked by my two girls and I can honestly say I never thought I would do/be some of the things that I have done/been. She says, "There are times as a parent when you realize that your job is not to be the parent you always imagined you'd be, the parent you always wished you had. Your job is to be the parent your child needs, given the particulars of his or her own life and nature." In other words, set aside your ideals and train your child the way they should go. Good stuff, stuff to live by.