Why I run

I have registered for my first 10K (a.k.a. 5mi uptown Oct 22, 2011), am getting ready to run the Dallas White Rock 5 person relay with 4 wonderful women, and I asked myself why? Initially I thought about running when my older daughter was about 18 months (she’s 9 now) and was bored with walking a stroller every day. Next, I wondered if I COULD complete a 5K—after all, I’m no athlete. Somewhere along the way I noticed some health benefits. I also came across a self-defense site (James R. Hannibal's self-defense site) that recommended running as a line of self-defense. The catch is having more endurance than your attacker. Suddenly, images from TV shows and movies of women running over various terrain away from their attackers replayed in my mind.

I’ve come a long way from only running down hill with a stroller and the Couch-to-5k-program. I don’t know if I’m classified as an athlete, but … Oh all right. I’ll admit it.

I AM A RUNNER!

So much better than I expected!

The Muir House by Mary E. DeMuth

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


The Muir House by Mary DeMuth is about a young, determined woman named Willa Muir who is looking for home and a missing year, a missing memory. She turns down a marriage proposal believing her life is too unstable with missing memories. Willa was starting to piece together some fragments when the house she was staying at in Seattle burns to the ground. She feels driven back to where she grew up—Rockwall, Texas. There she tries to sort through her feelings about her deceased father, her dying mother, her old boyfriend, the caretaker of Muir funeral home turned Bed and Breakfast, and the fractured memories that come back to her as she uncovers answers.





I appreciate that Willa is a strong-willing woman, undeterred by those who think the past should be left hidden, buried, or forgotten. There were moments when I wanted to keep turning pages to discover what happened next, but I had to put it down to chew on the concepts Demuth creatively wove into the storyline.





The Muir House includes mystery, suspense, romance, and healing in an order I did not expect. I would definitely recommend this book.





I received this complimentary copy from Zondervan to read and give an honest review.





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Summer Reading Challenger and an American Girl

My older daughter was a reluctant reader, but nothing seems to excite her more than the challenge of beating me—her mom. Our first true week of summer, she checked out the Kaya series—6-7 books—and I checked out a Clive Cussler. Ok, maybe I checked out a couple other books too that I was curious about and to give her a chance to beat me. I thought I was a fast reader.

She is no longer a reluctant reader. She beat me with no trouble at all. It might have something to do with these American Girl books. I decided to read one of these books my daughter was devouring. The Kaya series is well written and definite page turners. And I couldn’t stop at just one. I had to find out if Kaya returned to her family after being kidnapped. I wanted to know if she ever saw her sister Speaking Rain again when she had to leave her behind in a crisis. I had to keep reading to see if she was reunited with her beloved horse Steps High.

I love that the American Girls are about strong-willed girls 8-10 years old who have to deal with conflicts in their time periods. Because Kaya is a Native American Indian in 1764, the stories include the Nimiipu religious traditions but is done in such a way that it fits without trying to brain wash the reader in any way.

I think I will have to restructure the summer reading challenge, however, as my daughter is no longer a reluctant and is beating me too easily.

Cute, quick, fun read

Gossip From the Girls' Room: A Blogtastic! Novel by Rose Cooper

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I discovered this author via Facebook and Blogger when she was waiting for this book to arrive from the publisher. As she talked about a sixth grade girl named Sofia who wrote down everything in a journal that she thought was blog worthy. Sometimes she recorded hallway rumors and sometimes she learned interesting tidbits when she was unnoticed in a bathroom stall. She then posted to her blog—which is hosted by the school website—when nobody was watching. Sofia uses and assumed name and only her best friend knows the truth, but Sofia still dreams of popularity via her anonymous blog.



The pink and black cover and author’s doodling add to the irresistibility of this book. I checked it out to see if my older daughter (8yo) would be interested. Gossip is such a quick, fun read I had to pass it on to her. She couldn’t put it down! I highly recommend this to 8-12 year old girls. I think it is especially appropriate for the reluctant reader.



Per my 8yo: this was a really good book. Sofia is a really good character because she has a journal where she writes down everything she hears. It’s really cool that she has a blog on the school website because I don’t. I liked the weird jokes, when Sofia practiced writing her names different ways and when Nona’s tongue got stuck on the flagpole. I would recommend this book to other girls my age.





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New author Karsten Knight

Wildefire by Karsten Knight

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Life is tough enough when you’re adopted, your trouble-maker sister is expelled and runs away, and you look different from everyone at your school. Then your boyfriend cheats on you, you lose your temper, throw a few punches, your sister appears out of nowhere, and … you decide you need a fresh start at a boarding school where you discover your mood swings are more powerful than you thought. Ashline Wilde—Volcano Goddess. Karsten Knight does a great job of mixing folklore and legend across cultures. It reminded me of a cross between Harry Potter and X-Men. The language does get crude at times and there are some sexual situations. I still think it’s a great story and Knight is a talented writer. I would definitely recommend this book and hope to see more from this author.





I won this free ARC from Simon and Schuster.





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Too fast-paced, too honest

The Maverick Experiment by Drew Berquist

My rating: 1 of 5 stars


The Maverick Experiment by Drew Berquist is about a secret team of the best soldiers who act outside the rules. Though they are formed and hired by the CIA, they don’t really exist and nobody knows what they are doing where. While the idea is thrilling and exciting, the action becomes so fast-paced that it can be hard to follow. Is this supposed to be some far-fetched idea of the author as the only way to get certain things done? Or is Berquist giving us a peak into the way the government really works? Either way, I think the presentation is too much information, a little too honest. Once the men on this Maverick team are given a vague assignment, they seem to act through anger and passion in the heat of the moment rather than with logic. There is way too much crude language even for a war novel.





I discovered this as a free e-book and I’m glad the only thing I’m out is some time. I wouldn’t spend money on this book and I would not recommend it to anyone. In fact, if you’re interested in a military thriller, check out Michael Angley (Child Finder series) or James R. Hannibal (Wraith). Both are much better written and much cleaner.





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A fascinating read with beautiful historical illustrations

The Story of the Bible: The Fascinating History of Its Writing, Translation & Effect on Civilization by Larry Stone

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


The Story of the Bible by Larry Stone is a chronological account of how the Bible came about. It begins with the early days of record keeping via stone, copper, papyrus, and parchment. Next came the development of scrolls and then codex—the predecessors of the book. Stone describes the protocols and procedures that were put in place to ensure the accuracy of future copies of chapters and books of the Bible. As each ancient record is discovered, analyzed and placed in the historical time line the validity and accuracy of the scriptures is proven over and over. The original manuscripts of the Bible have survived raids, wars, washings and re-usings, fires—and yet there is still enough left for scholars to study and marvel at the consistency of the man-made copies. The locations of the discoveries show that copies were dispersed and circulated. The early church had to deal with false teaching without the benefit of an established Bible.





I’ll admit I have not finished reading this book. It is big and packed with information. The portion I have read is fascinating and I look forward to reading more, gradually and seeing more of God’s sovereignty revealed as He has obvious overseen the survival of so many puzzle pieces. I plan to make this a permanent part of my home library and I’m sure I will refer to it as I do various Bible studies.





I received this book free from Thomas Nelson to read and give an honest review.





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