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The Sugar Queen

Sarah Addison Allen

Recommended by: Georgette (another great librarian from LLML, she is great with my boys)
Dates: 5/20 - 23 (fastest yet)

Twenty-seven-year-old Josey Cirrini is sure of three things: winter in her North Carolina hometown is her favorite season, she's a sorry excuse for a Southern belle, and sweets are best eaten in the privacy of her hidden closet. For while Josey has settled into an uneventful life in her mother's house, her one consolation is the stockpile of sugary treats and paperback romances she escapes to each night....Until she finds her closet harboring none other than local waitress Della Lee Baker, a tough-talking, tenderhearted women who is one part nemesis--and two parts fairy godmother...

Fleeing a life of bad luck and big mistakes, Della Lee has decided Josey's clandestine closet is the safest place to crash. In return she's going to change Josey's life--because, clearly, it is not the closet of a happy women. With Della Lee's tough love, Josey is soon forgoing pecan rolls and caramels, tapping into her startlingly keen feminine instincts, and finding her narrow existence quickly expanding.

Before long, Josey bonds with Chloe Finley, a young women who makes the best sandwiches in town, is hounded by books that inexplicably appear whenever she needs then, and--most amazing of all--has a close connection to Josey's longtime crush.

As little by little Josey dares to step outside herself, she discovers a world where the color red has astonishing power, passion can make eggs fry in their cartons, and romance can blossom at any time--even for her. It seems that Della Lee's work is done, and it's time for her to move on. But the truth about where she's going, why she showed up in the first place--and what Chloe has to do with it all--is about to add one more unexpected chapter to Josey's fast-changing life.

Brimming with warmth, wit, and a sprinkling of magic, here is a spellbinding tale of friendship, love--and the enchanting possibilities of every new day.


What I think:  I think it's an amazing, great, wonderful book!! I read it so fast and nothing got done around my house. But really I didn't care. I wish all books were is good. And I wish I could read them all so fast.

15 Down 15 To Go Half Way There

Praying in Color

Sybil MacBeth

Recommended by: (I'm cheating a little on this one) MomSense magazine May/June 2011
It took me 2 days to read it May 3 and 19 

Praying with the right side of your brain...
   Maybe you love color. Maybe you hunger to know God better. Maybe you are a visual or kinesthetic learner, a distractible or impatient soul, or a word-weary pray-er. Perhaps you struggle with a short attention span, a restless body, or a tendency to live in your head. (It's like they are writing about me!)
   This new prayer form can take as little or as much time as you have or want to commit. A minimum amount might be fifteen minutes. A half-hour works well. Any time of the day. Drawing is half the prayer, the other half is transporting the visual memories or actual images with you to pray throughout the day.
   "A new prayer form gives God an invitation and a new door to penetrate the locked cells of our hearts and minds," explains Sybil MacBeth. For many of us, using only words to pray reduces God by the limits of our finite words.

What I think: I almost didn't count this book because a person didn't recommend it. But a magazine is close enough because I really wanted to read it. :) Nice easy read. Took 2 days and now I love to pray  in color. I bought "good" pens and color away. I'm big on journals and this kind of feels like a visual art journal only about this and people I'm praying for.

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Captivating

Unveiling the Mystery of a Women's Soul
John & Stasi Eldredge

Recommended by: Kelli (the amazing lady who brought the

world pampering night)

Dates: 3/31-5/18 (sad I know)

Every women was once a little girl. And every little girl holds in her heart her most precious dreams. She longs to be swept up into a romance, to play an irreplaceable role in a great adventure, to be the Beauty of the story. Those desires are far more than child's play. They are the secret to the feminine heart.
    And yet--how many women do you know who ever find that life? As the years pass by, the heart of a woman gets pushed aside, wounded, buried. She finds no romance expect in novels, no adventure expect on television, and she doubts very much that she will ever be the Beauty in any tale.
    Most women think they have to settle for a life of efficiency and duty, chores and errands, striving to be the women they "ought" to be but often feeling they have failed. Sadly, too many messages for Christian women add to the pressure. "Do these ten things, and you will be a godly women." The effect has nit been good on the feminine soul.
    But her heart is still there. Sometimes when she watches a movie, sometimes in the wee hours of the night, her heart begins to speak again. A thirst rises within her to find the life she was meant to live--the life she dreamed of as a little girl.
    The message of Captivating is this: Your heart matters more than anything else in all creation. The desires you had as a little girl and the longing you still feel as a women--they are telling you of the life God created you to live. He offers to come now as the Hero of your story, to rescue your heart and release you to live as a fully alive and feminine women. A women who is truly captivating.

My thoughts: I don't have much to say really. It wasn't a bad book. I just could not get in to it. It took me almost 2 months to read it. I guess I'm not really soul searching. I do think it's a great book to read if any one is feeling blah and what should they be doing with their lives moods.I needed this book 2-3 years ago.

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THE BIRTH ORDER BOOK
By: Dr. Kevin Leman

Recommended by: Shaunna ( a great lady form church and bible study)

Took me forever and a day to read: 4/3-5/10

ARE YOU BORN TO WIN? TO AVOID CONFLICT? TO CHARM THE BIRDS OUT OF THE TREES?

Your birth order - whether you were born first (or are an only child), second, or later in you family--powerfully influences what kind of person you are, who you marry, the job you choose, and the kind of parent you'll be.

Now you can discover:

• How to pick out the first born in any group
• Why the baby in the family gets away with everything
• How to help middle children feel less squeezed and more loved
• Ways to overcome your worst inborn tendencies
• Which career suits you best
• How to make the perfect marriage match

                                                 and much, much more...

You've seen him on television and heard him on the radio. Now internationally known psychologist Kevin Leman reveals an exciting new way to better understand yourself and those you love.

My thoughts: Good book! It's a little dated being written in the 80's. But very right on. At least I thought so. I like how he says not everyone fits the mold and if your not in the right "birth order match" for marriage, it doesn't mean it won't work. But the book is very interesting. A great read. Took me so long because I'm not good at reading more then one book at a time. This was my evening read and by then I'm falling asleep. But great book!

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A Women After God's Own Heart

Elizabeth George

Recommended by: Laura (my Life Group leader)

Dates: 2/2-4/27

Make His desire your own...
Become the woman of excellence God designed you to be
Genuine peace and joy come when women follow God in every area of their lives-and become women after His heart. With warmth and grace, Elizabeth George shares practical, scriptural insights on how you can pursue God's priorities concerning:
   > your husband-foster a deep commitment to serve and honor him
   > your children-pray faithfully for them and teach them God's Word
   > your home-create a nurturing atmosphere and a tapestry of beauty
   > your walk with the Lord-grow through love of Scripture and in discipleship
   > your ministry-learn to reach out and become an encourager
Let God fulfill His greatest desire for you. Allow Him to transform you by preparing you hear and mind to embrace His incredible work. You'll find lasting joy and peace in a life of prayer, a life of priorities, a life as
 A Woman After God's Own Heart

My Thoughts: I enjoined this book very much. It was the study for my life group at church. We read 2 chapters a week then got together and talked about it. It got a little overwhelming at the end, I'm still trying to "work" on my husband and then clean my house. This book would be good to pick up every now and then to review. To work on it always. God has a great plan for everyone. This book really tells you that. God says "Well done" at the end of each day. I love that.

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Weddings Can Be Murder

Christie Craig

Recommended by: thegoaliegirl (from http://www.bookcrossing.com/)

Dates: 3/17-3/27

Till Deaths Do You Part...
Katie Ray was about to marry a man she didn't love-- and who didn't love her. Even losing her $8,000 engagement ring wasn't enough of a sign to call things off. What did it take? Being locked in the closet with a sexy PI, and being witness to murder.
... Or They Bring You Together
Carl Hades hardly wanted to be shackled with another man's soon-to-be wife, especially when the gorgeous redhead stirred emotions he'd avoided for years. He'd been hired by an elite Houston wedding planner to investigate some missing brides. When those brides turned up dead, Carl saw where the whole situation was headed: just like Katie's wedding ring and her ceremony, right down the toilet. Because, while Katie was suddenly and delightfully available, he had a feeling she was next in line to die. And before he could ask her to say "I do," he had to know who would say "I did it."

My thoughts: Loved it! After some serious read this so mindlessly good. More on the mystery side then romance side, which was nice.Not much else to say. Good book. :)

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Jesus Why the World is Still Fascinated by Him

Tim LaHaye coauthor David Minasian
Recommended By: Staci (One of the clever craft ladies at MOPS)
Time it took to read: 2/9- 3/17

Jesus. Love Him of hate Him, He's everywhere. On our T-shirts, bumper stickers, and even the covers of leading news magazines, year after year. We see Him on the silver screen, in the headlines crawl on the TV news, and on the homemade signs held up at ball games. Hotly debated, He remains the most conspicuous figure of all time, even twenty centuries after His inglorious death.
Best-selling author Tim LaHaye and coauthor David Minasian look back through history and peer into the prophetic future to show us why the world's "Jesus fascination" should come as no surprise; every generation since Christ has grappled with the question, Who was He? What does He mean to us  here, today?
After reading about Jesus' life, legacy, and pervasive influence, you may find yourself connecting the dots of your own spiritual journey and answering the timeless question that came from the lips of Jesus Himself: Who do you say that I am?

My thoughts: I found this book to be very interesting, but a very long read for me. Could be timing. I think I was wanting mindless read and this is NOT mindless. Written very well and makes you think. The history is good. I've heard LaHaye's other books are very good.