I'm sure a lot of people have heard of this before, but I just stumbled on it. Wow. Talk about raw emotion. Check it out.

The Long Awaited Book List

This list is a compilation of all the books I read for personal pleasure over the past year. I left off the ones I didn't like, or found to be poorly written or just average (for example, a Nicholas Sparks spree that I went on right after school got out last year.) The books in bold are the ones I especially loved.

Bel Canto (Ann Patchett)
Cold Mountain (Charles Frazier)
The Lovely Bones (Alice Sebold)
The Secret Life of Bees (Sue Kidd Monk)
Mariette in Ecstasy (Ron Hansen)
Girl Meets God (Lauren F. Winner)
Atticus (Ron Hansen)

The House Where the Hardest Things Happen (Kate Young Caley)
Beyond the Bedroom Wall (Larry Woiwode)
Silent Passengers (Larry Woiwode)
The Pact (Jodi Picoult)
The Undiscovered Country (Samantha Gillison)
Beloved (Toni Morrison)

East of Eden (John Steinbeck)
Brokenness (Nancy Leigh DeMoss)
Black, Red, White—a trilogy (Ted Dekker)
The Read-Aloud Handbook (Jim Trelease)
Drowning Ruth (Christina Schwarz)
Breathing Lessons (Anne Tyler)
The Bean Trees (Barbara Kingsolver)
Peace Like a River (Leif Enger)
Anna Karenina (Leo Tolstoy)
Saint Maybe (Anne Tyler)
Back When We Were Grownups (Anne Tyler)
The Amateur Marriage (Anne Tyler)
Object Lessons (Anna Quindlen)
Blessings (Anna Quindlen)
Ella Enchanted (Gail Carson Levine)
The Other Side of the River: The Story of Two Towns, A Death, and America’s Dilemma (Alex Kotlowitz)
The Chosen (Chaim Potok)
Gilead (Marilyn Robinson)
Blessed Child (Ted Dekker)

A Man Called Blessed (Ted Dekker)

I am the Cheese (Robert Cormier)
Heaven’s Wager (Ted Dekker)
When Heaven Weeps (Ted Dekker)
Prodigal Summer (Barbara Kingsolver)
Sex, Art, and American Culture (Camille Paglia)
The Poisonwood Bible (Barbara Kingsolver)
The Magician’s Assistant (Ann Patchett)
Ladder of Years (Anne Tyler)

Sorry about the weird spacing. I don't know what's up with that. Looking back on all those books, it's hard to believe I've read that many in one year. And that's not counting all the books I had to read for class. So there you go, Julie and Lindsey, and anyone else who's interested. I'll keep posting recommendations as I keep reading.

So I'm a crappy blogger. What can I say--the absence of internet will do that to a person. Sorry Sam. Hope you're still watching--look! I'm finally posting!

New Scary things:

• -moving to Florida
• -Being a teacher. For real.
• -paying bills.
• -trusting the Lord for everything.
• -renting an apartment.
• -people telling me, "So, you're a real adult now."
• -living a life of comparative luxury. would I give it up if He asked?

Currently:

• -just finished reading Ladder of Years by Anne Tyler.
• -listening to Sevina Yannatou's Sumiglia. If you like ethnic music, this is an awesome album. Greek music with fantastic improv. Rather different, but cool.
• -trying to get up the gumption (as my grandma would say) to go for a walk.
• -making a list of all the things I still have to do before I move next month.
• -thinking about how awesome Barabara Kingsolver is. I just finished reading The Poisonwood Bible again. Prodigal Summer is a wow as well.
• -before Ladder of Years I read The Magician's Assistant by Anne Patchett (Bel Canto). Very good.

Wishlist:

• -a new digital camera
• -20 pounds shed like snakeskin
• -the urge to write poetry. i feel like my inner monologue is currently silent, which sucks.
• -a free ticket to Bismarck, North Dakota.
• -more discipline.

Julie, I'll try to get my booklist online soon. Maybe even later today.