An Honest Confession, plus reviews for books 2 and 3 of 2015

I dislike not finishing something when I start it, but I also am finding the older I get the more I want to invest in worth while things and not waste my time, money, life on pursuits that aren't worth it.  So, I tried, I really did.  I started reading Welcome to Fred, by Brad Whittington, but I just couldn't keep going. The story was interesting to a point.  It started with a young man going through his father's things upon his death and then beginning to reflect on his own life.  I'm sure from the reviews I read that some found it a riveting book.  I just didn't.  I was taking forever to read it, which for me is an indication that it just wasn't something I was interested in.  So, I finally decided to give myself permission to delete the book.  I had gotten it for free at some point on my kindle, so it wasn't costing me anything to get rid of it.  Except perhaps my pride for not finishing something I started, but really?!  Pride over reading something I wasn't enjoying, that's just silliness. I also deleted the sequel that I had also downloaded.  Finally, found the freedom in doing that and moving on.  If you do decide to read the books let me know what you think, I just could not get into them, and don't plan on trying again.

That being said I scrolled through my kindle and discovered the book
Confessions of a Prayer Slacker  by Diane Moody

I started this book and quickly got found myself looking for opportunities to read it.  The book focuses on the thing as Christians we often push aside and miss, true time with the Father, and why it is so important.  We think of it as something so formal, a time to make requests, but truly it is a time to get to know the Father, as a person, as a friend.  We, often as Christians, turn prayer into a ritual, something it shouldn't be or become and then we just bring it into our lives in quick little bursts instead of making it a part of who we are.  Diane admits struggling with this area of her life, and how she learned to turn prayer into spending time, in a sense over coffee, with her true friend.  This book is a great reminder to us all, to make our prayer life a priority. If it was a physical relationship with the person we loved we'd find a way to take the time. How can we continue to put it off? Diane offers suggestions for getting started, and truth about how it isn't an easy road at times to take. We allow the busyness of life to get in our way.  An honest reflection and worth the read for someone interested in growing their relationship with the Lord.

5 stars for this book

Next, I decided to read the book Sarah's Key by Tatiana De Rosnay, given to me by my friend Staci.

This book was incredibly hard to put down, and yet I wanted to push it aside, to not think of the horror the one character in the book had to live with.  She was just a child, but was living in 1942, a time when as a Jew she would face issues that no one should have to ever deal with.  This book traces her life, through those autrecities, and then follows the life of a journalist that has just discovered the story.  The journalist discovers a link between this child of the past and her family, that she can't believe.  She must then decide if she can walk away from the connection or if she needs to pursue it and find out the truth.  A riveting mystery, disturbing due to the horrible things that were done to the Jews, and yet causing you to keep turning pages to see the love and care that some did offer during this time. 

5 stars for this book as well, just be prepared to walk away reflecting on life.

What's next then?  I think continuing with my theme of non-fiction then fiction, I'm going to start a book that was recommended by several friends on Facebook. http://www.livingwellspendingless.com is the link for the book 

 This book goes along with my theme for the year of decluttering and getting rid of all the extras that we really don't need in our lives.  While we live within our means as a family, we like so many, spend more I'm sure then we should, and often take money for granted.  I'm looking forward to going through the book, and the corresponding workbook, which I was able to download for free when purchasing the book.

Happy Reading!!