filling my patch of sky

Current Reads

By the Light of a Thousand Stars, Jamie Langston Turner (f)

The Incomparable Christ, J. Oswald Sanders (nf)

Welcome to the Story: Reading, Loving, Living God’s Word, Stephen Nichols (nf)

Longing for God in an Age of Discouragement: The Gospel According to Zechariah, Bryan Gregory (nf)

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2012 Reads

A Disruptive Faith: Expect God to Interrupt Your Life, A. W. Tozer (nf)

Word Pictures: Knowing God through Story & Imagination, Brian Godwa (nf)

The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins (f)

One Thousand Gifts, Ann Voskamp (nf)

A Million Miles in a Thousand Years: How I Learned to Live a Better Story, Donald Miller (nf)

Some Wildflower in My Heart, Jamie Langston Turner (f)

Foreign to Familiar: A Guide to Understanding Hot and Cold Climate Cultures, Sarah Lanier (nf)

A Horse and His Boy, C. S. Lewis (f)

Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman, Robert Massie (nf)

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2011 Reads

Kisses from Katie, Katie Davis (nf)

City of Tranquil Light, Bo Caldwell (f)

Half the Church, Carolyn Custis James (nf)

Acedia & Me: A Marriage, Monks, and a Writer’s Life, Kathleen Norris (nf)

Immanuel in Our Place: Seeing Christ in Israel’s Worship, Temper Longman III (nf

Synonyms and Antonyms, Ann Heinrichs (nf) | A.R.K.S. 2011 selection

Similies and Metaphors, Ann Heinrichs (nf) | A.R.K.S. 2011 selection

Prefixes and Suffixes, Ann Heinrichs (nf) | A.R.K.S. 2011 selection

Skippyjon Jones: Lost in Spice, Judy Schachner (f) | A.R.K.S. 2011 selection

Little Pea, Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Jen Corace (f) | A.R.K.S. 2011 selection

Little Hoot, Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Jen Corace (f) | A.R.K.S. 2011 selection

Little Oink, Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Jen Corace (f) | A.R.K.S. 2011 selection

My Name Is Picasso, Eva Bargallo and Violeta Monreal (nf) | A.R.K.S. 2011 selection

My Name Is Leonardo da Vinci, Antonio Tello and Johanna Boccardo (nf) | A.R.K.S. 2011 selection

Creative Lives: Frank Lloyd Wright, Haydn Middleton (nf) | A.R.K.S. 2011 selection

Goldilicious, Victoria Kann (f) | A.R.K.S. 2011 selection

Moonwalking with Einstein, Joshua Foer (nf)

Enchantment: The Art of Changing Hearts, Minds, and Actions, Guy Kawasaki (nf) | High Calling Blogs book club

Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide, Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn (nf)

Princess Charlotte and the Birthday Ball, Vivian French (f) | A.R.K.S. 2011 selection

Seaglass Summer, Anjali Banerjee (f) | A.R.K.S. 2011 selection

A Long Walk to Water, Linda Sue Park (f) | A.R.K.S. 2011 selection

The Three Pigs, David Wiesner (f) | A.R.K.S. 2011 selection

Bridge to Terabithia, Kathleen Paterson (f) | A.R.K.S. 2011 selection

What Good Is God? Philip Yancey (nf)

Verbatim: From the Bawdy to the Sublime, the Best Writing on Language for Word Lovers, Grammar Mavens, and Armchair Linguists, Erin McKean (nf)

Humility: The Journey Toward Holiness, Andrew Murray (nf)

TrueFaced: Trust God and Others with Who You Really Are, Bill Thrall, Bruce McNicol, and John Lynch (nf)

A Fragile Stone, Michael Card (nf) | Food for Thought book club

Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream, David Platt (nf)

A Meal with Jesus: Discovering Grace, Community, and Mission around the Table, Tim Chester (nf)

Son of Hamas: A Gripping Account of Terror, Betrayal, Political Intrigue, and Unthinkable Choices, Mosab Hassan Yousef and Ron Brackin (nf)

The Lexicographer’s Dilemma: The Evolution of “Proper” English, from Shakespeare to South Park, Jack Lynch (nf)

The Spirit of Food: 34 Writers on Feasting and Fasting Toward God, edited by Leslie Leyland Fields (nf) | High Calling Blogs book club selection

The True Vine, Andrew Murray (nf) | my devotional for the next month or so

Heaven, Randy Alcorn (nf)

The Reason for God, Timothy Keller (nf)

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2010 Reads

Havah: The Story of Eve, Tosca Lee (f) | Food for Thought Book Club selection

Cold Tangerines: Celebrating the Extraordinary Nature of Everyday Life, Shauna Niequist (nf)

Invitation to the Jesus Life: Experiments in Christlikeness, Jan Johnson (nf) | my devotional for the next few months

Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God, Francis Chan (nf) | Food for Thought Book Club selection

Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die, Chip Heath and Dan Heath (nf) | High Calling Blogs book club selection

Sarah’s Key, Tatiana de Rosnay (f)

Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business, Neil Postman (nf)

Creative Prayer, Chris Tiegreen (nf)

One Thing You Can’t Do in Heaven, Mark Cahill (nf)

The Prodigal God: Recovering the Heart of the Christian Faith, Timothy Keller (nf) | study with my lodge ladies

For All the Tea in China: How England Stole the World’s Favorite Drink and Changed History, Sarah Rose (nf)

Crazy Like Us: The Globalization of the American Psyche, Ethan Watters (nf)

The Magic Pomegranate: A Jewish Folktale, Peninnah Schram (f) | A.R.K.S. selection | summary post

Dearly, Nearly, Insincerely: What Is an Adverb? Brian Cleary (f) | A.R.K.S. selection | summary post

How Much Can a Bare Bear Bear? What Are Homonyms and Homophones? Brian Cleary (f) | A.R.K.S. selection | summary post

The Bill of Rights, Norman Pearl (nf) | A.R.K.S. selection | summary post

The U.S. Constitution, Norman Pearl (nf) | A.R.K.S. selection | summary post

The Hole in Our Gospel, Richard Stearns (nf) | SJC selection | summary post

Christless Christianity: The Alternative Gospel of the American Church, Michael Horton (nf)

The Elephant Whisperer: My Life with the Herd in the African Wild, Lawrence Anthony (nf)

Quirky, Jerky, Extra Perky: More About Adjectives, Brian Cleary (f) | A.R.K.S. selection | summary post

Stop and Go, Yes and No: What Is an Antonym? Brian Cleary (f) | A.R.K.S. selection | summary post

A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23, W. Phillip Keller (nf) | summer study at my church

The Right to Write: An Invitation and Initiation into the Writing Life, Julia Cameron (nf) | High Calling Blogs book club selection

A Swiftly Tilting Planet, Madeleine L’Engle (f) | A.R.K.S. selection | summary post

Connected: The Surprising Power of Our Social Networks and How They Shape Our Lives, Nicholas Christakis and James Fowler (nf)

A Good Talk: The Story and Skill of Conversation, Daniel Menaker (nf)

A Wind in the Door, Madeleine L’Engle (f) | A.R.K.S. selection | summary post

Marie Curie, Kathleen Krull (nf) | A.R.K.S. selection | summary post

The Grasshopper’s Song: An Aesop’s Fable Revisited, Nikki Giovanni and Chris Raschka (f) | A.R.K.S. selection | summary post

Anne Frank: Beyond the Diary, Ruud van der Rol and Rian Verhoeven (nf) | A.R.K.S. selection | summary post

Milo Armadillo, Jan Fearnley (f) | A.R.K.S. selection | summary post

A Closer Look, Mary McCarthy (f) | A.R.K.S. selection | summary post

Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed, Mo Willems (f) | A.R.K.S. selection | summary post

The Words of Martin Luther King Jr., Coretta Scott King (nf) | A.R.K.S. selection | summary post

Beatrice Doesn’t Want To, Laura Numeroff (f) | A.R.K.S. selection | summary post

Inch by Inch, Leo Lionni (f) | A.R.K.S. selection | summary post

Little Leap Forward: A Boy in Beijing, Guo Yue and Clare Farrow (f) | A.R.K.S. selection | summary post

A Wrinkle in Time, Madeleine L’Engle (f) | A.R.K.S. selection | summary post

Pinwheel Days, Ellen Tarlow (f) | A.R.K.S. selection | summary post

Max & Mo Go Apple Picking, Patricia Lakin (f) | A.R.K.S. selection | summary post

The Mammoth Academy, Neal Layton (f) | A.R.K.S. selection | summary post

Tuesday, David Weisner (f) | A.R.K.S. selection | summary post

Same Kind of Different as Me, Denver Moore and Ron Hall (nf)

Cries from the Cross: A Journey Into the Heart of Jesus, Erwin Lutzer (nf)

Reading the OED: One Man, One Year, 21,730 Pages, Ammon Shea (nf)

Holy Subversion: Allegiance to Christ in an Age of Rivals, Trevin Wax (nf) | post 1 | post 2 | post 3 | post 4

When a Nation Forgets God: 7 Lessons We Must Learn from Nazi Germany, Erwin Lutzer (nf)

Animal Farm, George Orwell (f)

Prayer: A Holy Occupation, Oswald Chambers (nf)

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: Creating Currents of Electricity and Hope, William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer | SJC selection | post

Knowing Scripture, R. C. Sproul (nf)

He Is There and He Is Not Silent, Francis Schaeffer (nf)

What Jesus Demands of the World, John Piper (nf)

Discovering Soul Care, Mindy Caliguire (nf) | winter Bible study at church

Blue Covenant: The Global Water Crisis and the Coming Battle for the Right to Water, Maude Barlow (nf) | SJC selection | post

Quest for More: Living for Something Bigger Than Yourself, David Tripp (nf)

American Nerd: The Story of My People, Benjamin Nugent (nf)

The Book Thief, Markus Zusak (f) | SJC selection | post

Five Cities That Ruled the World: How Jerusalem, Athens, Rome, London, and New York Shaped Global History, Douglas Wilson (nf)

Forgotten God: Reversing Our Tragic Neglect of the Holy Spirit, Francis Chan (nf)

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2009 Reads

Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God, Francis Chan (nf) | reading with my hubby

Naked and Not Ashamed, Dan Scott (nf)

Breath for the Bones, Luci Shaw (nf) | this fall’s blog-based book club

Franny and Zooey, J. D. Salinger (f)

The Responsive Heart, Kirkie Morrissey (nf) | fall Bible study at church

Messiah: Jesus—The Evidence of History, Paul Barnett (nf)

Toning the Sweep, Angela Johnson (f) | A.R.K.S. selection | summary post

Day of Tears, Julius Lester (f) | A.R.K.S. selection | summary post

Yertle the Turtle, Dr. Seuss (f) | A.R.K.S. selection | summary post

The Sheep in Wolf’s Clothing, Helen Lester (f) | A.R.K.S. selection | summary post

Frog and Toad Are Friends, Arnold Lobel (f) | A.R.K.S. selection | summary post

Grow: A Novel in Verse, Juanita Havill (f) | A.R.K.S. selection | summary post

The Egg Tree, Katherine Milhous (f) | A.R.K.S. selection | summary post

Three Sacks of Truth, Eric Kimmel (f) | A.R.K.S. selection | summary post

J. M. Barrie: The Magic Behind Peter Pan, Susan Bivin Aller (f) | A.R.K.S. selection | summary post

Fireflies in the Dark: The Story of Friedl Dicker-Brandeis and the Children of Terezin, Susan Goldman Rubin (nf) | A.R.K.S. selection | summary post

Scaredy Squirrel, Melanie Watt (f) | A.R.K.S. selection | summary post

Alice in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll (f) | A.R.K.S. selection | summary post

Past Perfect, Present Tense, Richard Peck (f) | A.R.K.S. selection | summary post

The Giver, Lois Lowry (f) | A.R.K.S. selection | summary post

Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck (f)

A Crooked Kind of Perfect, Linda Urban (f) | A.R.K.S. selection | summary post

Flotsam, David Wiesner (f) | A.R.K.S. selection | summary post

Esparanza Rising, Pam Munoz Ryan (f) | A.R.K.S. selection | summary post

Waterless Mountain, Laura Adams Armer (f) | post | A.R.K.S. selection | summary post

Radical Womanhood, Carolyn McCulley (nf)

The Beautiful Ache, Leigh McLeroy (nf)

No Graven Image, Elizabeth Elliott (f)

When People Are Big and God Is Small, Edward Welch (nf)

Jesus Among Other Gods, Ravi Zacharias (nf)

Come Along, Jane Rubietta (nf)

Far from the Madding Gerund and Other Dispatches from the Language Log, Mark Liberman and Geoffrey K. Pullum (nf)

Telling Secrets: A Memoir, Frederick Buechner (nf)

Maybe Life’s Just Not That Into You: When You Feel Like the World’s Voted you Off, Martha Bolton and Brad Dickson (self-help spoof)

The Legacy of Sovereign Joy: God’s Triumphant Grace in the Lives of Augustine, Luther, and Calvin, John Piper (nf)

Into the Wild, Jon Krakauer (nf)

The Excellent Wife, Martha Peace (nf) | Bible study at my church

Pierced by the Word, John Piper (nf)

Gulliver’s Travels, Jonathon Swift (f) | review

The Genius of Language: Fifteen Writers Reflect on Their Mother Tongues, Wendy Lesser (nf) | review

Finally Alive, John Piper (nf)

Epic: The Story God Is Telling and the Role That Is Yours to Play, John Eldredge (nf)

The Apprentice: My Life in the Kitchen, Jacques Pepin (nf) | review

A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier, Ishmael Beah (nf) | review

A Prayer for Owen Meany, John Irving (f)

Lies Young Women Believe, Nancy Leigh DeMoss and Dannah Gresh (nf) | a book study w/my nieces (who are young)

Not Buying It, Judith Levine (nf)

Peacemaking Women: Biblical Hope for Resolving Conflict, Tara Klena Barthel and Judy Dabler (nf)

31 Girl, Mary Simpson (nf)

Lover of My Soul, Alan D. Wright (nf)

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2008 Reads

The Tale of Despereaux, Kate DiCamillo (f)

Savage Peace, Ann Hagedorn (nf)

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows (f)

The Gift of Pain: Why We Hurt and What We Can Do About It, Paul Brand and Philip Yancey (nf)

Ana’s Story: A Journey of Hope, Jenna Bush (nf)

Literally, the Best Language Book Ever: Annoying Words and Phrases You Should Never Use Again, Paul Yeager (nf)

A Fragile Stone, Michael Card (nf)

Victorious Christian Living: Studies in the Book of Joshua, Alan Redpath (nf)

Imagine . . . God’s Blogs, Lanny Donoho (nf)

Closer, Jane Rubietta (nf)

Three Cups of Tea: One Man’s Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Time, Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin (nf)

King Leopold’s Ghost, Adam Hochschild (nf)

Empty, Christie Pettit (nf)

Prince Caspain, C. S. Lewis (f)

Holiness, Nancy Leigh DeMoss (nf)

Make Room for God: Clearing Out the Clutter, Susan K. Rowland (nf) | post

Putin’s Russia, Anna Politkovskaya (nf) | post

Never Say Diet, Chantel Hobbs (nf) | post | author comment

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2007 Reads

Um . . . Slips, Stumbles, and Verbal Blunders, and What They Mean, Michael Erard (nf) | post | post | author comment

Battling Unbelief, John Piper (nf) | Bible study materials

Suite Francaise, Irene Nemirovsky (f) | brief review | post

Mr. Darcy Presents His Bride, Helen Halstead (f)

Freakonomics, Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner (nf)

Inside My Heart, Robin McGraw (nf)

Grace Eventually, Anne Lamott (nf)

Jesus Mean and Wild, Mark Galli (nf)

Freedom of Simplicity, Richard Foster (nf) | brief review

The Death of Right and Wrong, Tammy Bruce (nf) | brief review

Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte (f)

Keeping a Quiet Heart, Elisabeth Elliot (nf)

The Way of the Heart: Connecting with God Through Faith, Henri Nouwen (nf)

Prayer: Does It Make Any Difference? Philip Yancey (nf)

Ruthless Trust, Brennan Manning (nf)

Can’t Buy My Love, Jean Kilbourne (nf)