Christy Awards

I read. A lot. When I can. I was a voracious reader as a child, even into high school. I remember in the 6th grade being allowed to go into the junior high/high school library because I had pretty much read everything in the elementary side of the library. Somewhere along the way, I stopped. I guess life got in the way, and I didn't make time for reading. Even though I was an English literature major in college, reading for pleasure was an unavailable luxury. I'm still a very busy person, but instead of watching TV with my husband, I'll grab a book and head off to a different time and place. It's much better than watching the 40,000th rerun of MASH or yet another battle on the History channel.

I'm a fiction reader. I've never much cared for biographies or self help books. I pick up what looks interesting. If I like it, I like it. If not, I give it 100 pages before I allow myself to put it down. By then, I feel obligated to finish the book, so I have been known to finish some that probably weren't worth reading.

Selecting books for the Faith & Fiction Book Club has been daunting. While I enjoyed the books, who's to say that my preference in reading material is worthy? I could have some strange, warped sense of literary style? Luckily, others who have read the novels have enjoyed them too (or so they claimed. . .).

While surfing the 'net, I decided to Google the Christy Awards, since I didn't really know much about them. The Christy is an award given to Christian novelists . . . sort of like the Emmys or Oscars of Christian fiction.

Whew! It appears my worries about my literary proclivities were for nothing . . . I was so surprised to see Levi's Will on there, since we read it, as a 2006 Christy Award Winner. Also, Whence Came a Prince was a 2006 Christy winner and Fair is the Rose is a 2007 nominee (both are part of the Thorn in My Heart cycle by Liz Curtis Higgs, which we read this spring).

If you are looking for some good books to read this summer, you need look no further than the Christy website! I'll keep reading, and hopefully, those of you in my group won't think me too "weird" . . .

Ready for Summer?

I am certainly ready for the summer break. Only five school days left with students. My garden is growing, growing, growing -- along with the grass. Tulips are done blooming and irises are budding. Hopefully in between curriculum development, research for my master's degree, helping my husband, digging my desk out from under the paper mountain I need to file (no time to do that while teaching!), landscaping our patio, etc., etc., I'll have some time to Oh, perhaps read a book this summer?

I continue to add books to the recommended reading list as I read them or as I remember them. There are so many good ones, and I know I've forgotten many. I am also working on selecting books for the next round of Faith and Fiction, starting in the Fall of 2007. I'm 95% certain that Rapture of Canaan by Sheri Reynolds and CHRIST THE LORD: Out of Egypt by Anne Rice (yes, that Anne Rice!) will be on the list for the fall, if you'd like to read ahead.

I owned the Reynolds book before it was an Oprah Book Club book (I usually don't read those, don't know why?). I just love Southern Fiction with its quirky characters and twisting plots, so this continues to be a favorite I'd like to share with others.

I've never been to into Anne Rice and her vampire stories, and thought it a strange leap for her to make. However, she returned to her Christian (Catholic) heritage some years ago. CHRIST THE LORD is a fantastically researched, extremely well written account of Christ's early years, based on New Testament and scholarly research. Not dry at all, Rice presents a complex young Yeshua, trying to figure out who he is in the grand scheme of life. A sequel is in the works for release in the near future as well.

If you have any suggestions, please reply to this posting! I know I'm always looking for a good read, as are others! Happy Summer & God Bless!