Okay, so I am hooked on Francine Rivers' Lineage of Grace series. These books are completely awe inspiring and I have learned so much from each of them. The women of these stories are so important because they are apart of Jesus' genealogy. The latest one that I have read is "Unspoken : The Story of Bathsheba". Ms. Rivers tells how Bathsheba loves David since her childhood, her marriage to Davids trusted friend Uriah, Uriah's death, Bathsheba's marriage to David, and the cloud of shame and guilt they both must live under. If I rated the books I read, this one would rate a full 5 stars ! I think this paragraph sums it up quite well for it brought tears to my eyes :


"I know they will remember my sins, Lord, but when they look upon my life, let them see what You did for an unworthy woman. Let them see the hope from despair. If they must recount my sins, let them count Your blessings more so. You protected me. You raised me up. You gave me sons. Let my name be unspoken, Lord, for what am I that anyone should remember me? But, oh, Lord God of Israel, If they do remember me, let them open their mouths and sing praises for Your great mercy toward me. Let them see Your infinite grace and your boundless love. And let them....be encouraged.

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet

When I first started reading "Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet" I expected an awesome or possibly an epic love story. Something that would span the ages and take our emotions to amazing highs and lows. I was not quite awestruck and I felt that it fell short of being epic, therefore I was a bit disappointed and somewhat bored. What I found was a sweet story of a young Chinese-American boy (Henry Lee) and a young Japanese-American girl (Keiko Okabe) who, at the age of twelve, meet at the school where they are the only two Asian kids in an otherwise all white school. Their circumstances bring them closer together and a friendship develops which is fine with Keikos family but does not sit well at all with Henry's father who is harboring ill feelings against the Japanese because of the war between China and Japan. The story takes place  

during World War II in Seattle, Washington when the U.S. government was sending the Japanese to internment camps. 

The author tells the story from the point of view of a grown up Henry Lee as he slowly unfolds the story to his son after Henry's wife Ethyl passes away. Jamie Ford easily makes the story swing back and forth between the past and the present. All in all, even though I felt the story fell a little short of my expectations, I would not hesitate in recommending this book to anyone. I even think it would make a good movie. It's about time we learn more about what was done to our Japanese, and some of our German and Italian, citizens at this point in  United States history.

Book Swapping

Hey ! If your looking for some good book swapping wesites, check out www.paperbackswap.com and www.swaptree.com. At Swaptree, you can also swap cd's, dvd's, and games as well. I have saved a lot of money using these two sites.

The Heretics Daughter by Kathleen Kent

Martha Carrier was one of the first women to be accused, tried and hanged as a witch in Salem, Massachusetts. Like her mother, young Sarah Carrier is bright and willful, openly challenging the small, brutal world in which they live. Often at odds with one another, mother and daughter are forced to stand together against the escalating hysteria of the trials and the superstitious tyranny that led to the torture and imprisonment of more than 200 people accused of witchcraft. This is the story of Martha's courageous defiance and ultimate death, as told by the daughter who survived.

Kathleen Kent is a tenth generation descendent of Martha Carrier. She paints a haunting portrait, not just of Puritan New England, but also of one family's deep and abiding love in the face of fear and persecution.

For me, Kathleen Kent's tale of her ancestor brings to life what life was like back in the late 1600's. I am working on my genealogy and have traced some of my ancestry to Massachusetts and Maine. Reading this story has made me wonder what my ancestors were thinking of the witch hunts that were going on. I certainly hope they were not involved in putting any of these innocent people in prison. I did not see any of their names involved in this. Because of her book, I have learned more about this period of time than I have ever learned in school. A friend of mine thinks that times have not changed (and maybe she's right) but I really hope that we are no longer that barbaric. This is why we should all learn more about history so that we don't repeat events such as this one.

"Push" by Sapphire

"An electrifying first novel that shocks by its language, its circumstances, and its brutal honesty, Push recounts a young black street-girl's horrendous and redemptive journey through a Harlem inferno. For Precious Jones, 16 and pregnant with her father's child, miraculous hope appears and the world begins to open up for her when a courageous, determined teacher bullies, cajoles, and inspires her to learn to read, to define her own feelings and set them down in a diary."

That is an excellent description of a very moving, very poignant, story of young Precious Jones who works doggedly to reclaim the life that was stolen from her by her rapist father and her angry, abusive mother. At first I had a hard time getting into this story because it is told by Precious in her own guttural language derived from the culture she grew up in. She speaks almost phonetically, as in "muhver" and "fahver". But her story draws you in so quickly that before long you feel yourself feeling her anger, her pain and suffering, and her happiness. Precious is truly a remarkable character and is a wonderful example of courage and grace. I grew to love and admire Precious Jones.

Political Apologies

Oh my goodness ! I was just listening to a politician apologizing to President Obama for some slam he made about him. It seems our politicians have become very good at apologizing. It's quite a change since we have come out of an administration that never apologized for anything (but probably should have). First, we had Obama apologizing for to the world for the United States' behavior. Then, Joe Biden had to make a quick apology for telling a man to stand up and take a bow (the man was wheelchair bound). Governor Sanford, who cheated on his wife, apologized to his constituents for his behavior. I never heard him apologize to his wife. Now Harry Reid is apologizing for comments he made about President Obama concerning his "light" complexion and his lack of a "Negro dialect"What the heck is that ?!?!?! Oh well...I apologize for venting so much. Oh no ! There I go. I apologize for apologizing. Aw shucks, it's catchy. Now I'm apologizing for my apology while whining about apologizing political apologists ! Grrrrr.

April 1937

April 1st 1937 Thursday
temp 32 above zero
I got a letter from honey & baby
My temp at night 98 6/10 P 90

April 2nd 1937 Friday
temp 27 above zero
My temp at night 98 4/10 P 84

April 3rd 1937 Saterday
temp 26 above zero
got a letter from honey & baby
My temp at night 98 6/10 P 90

April 4th 1937 Sunday
temp 31 above zero
My temp at night 98 4/10 P 88

April 5th 1937 Monday
temp 32 above zero
got a letter from my honey & baby
My temp at night 98 6/10 P 80

April 6th 1937 Tuesday
temp 31 above zero
got a letter from honey & baby

April 7th 1937 Wensday
temp 39 above zero
I got a suit of Pajames from honey
got a letter from Pa up north

April 8th 1937 Thursday
temp 31 above zero
got a hair cut from Andy
My temp at night 98 6/10 P 84

April 9th 1937 Friday
temp 29 above zero
got a letter from honey
My temp at night 98 6/10 P 82

April 10th 1937 Sat.
temp 29 above zero
got a letter from honey & baby
My temp at night 98 4/10 P 86

April 11th 1937 Sun.
temp 32 above zero
My honey and Dave Pauken & Ma was down
My temp at night 98 6/10 P 84

April 12th 1937 Mon.
temp 43 above zero
Jazy goes on night duity
got a Montgomery Messengers Newspapers
My temp at night 98 6/10 P 81

April 13th 1937 Tues.
temp 43 above zero
got a check from insurance co. $2700
My temp at night 98 6/10 P 84

April 14th 1937 Wen.
temp 43 above zero
got a letter from honey & baby
My temp at night 98 4/10 P 86

April 15th 1937 Thur.
temp 35 above zero
My temp at night 98 4/10 P 84

April 16th 1937 Friday
got a letter from honey & baby
got a letter from conie Belin & pictures
Rainig all fornoon

April 17th 1937 Saterday
temp 43 above zero
got a letter from honey & baby
got air

April 18th 1937 Sunday
temp 49 above zero
My MaMa & baby & Dolly & Lampert see me

April 19th 1937 Wensday
temp 43 above zero
My temp at night 98 6/10 P 90

April 20th 1937 Thursday
temp 46 above zero
got a letter from honey & baby
My temp at night 98 8/10 P 92

April 21st 1937 Friday
temp 40 above zero
got a letter from honey & baby
My temp at night 98 4/10 P 92

April 22nd 1937 Thursday
temp 43 above zero
My temp at night 98 8/10 P 92

April 23rd 1937 Friday
temp 44 above zero
My temp at night 98 8/10 P 86

April 24th 1937 Saterday
got a letter from honey & baby
My temp at night 98 6/10 P 86

April 25th 1937 Sunday
temp 42 above zero
My MaMa & baby & Louis & Girl to see me
My temp at night 98 8/10 P 90

April 26th 1937 Monday
temp at 42 above zero
My temp at night 98 6/10 P 90
Breezy goes on night duity

April 27th 1937 Tuesday
temp 43 above zero
got a letter from honey & baby
My temp a tnight 98 8/10 P 86

April 28th 1937 Wensday
temp 40 above zero
My temp at night 98 8/10 P 80

April 29th 1937 Thursday
got a letter from honey & baby
MaMa & baby & Pa & Louis to see me
My temp at night 98 8/10 P 86

April 30th 1937 Friday
temp 54 above zero
My temp at night 98 4/10 P 82