summer reading list

now that all of our recent events have been blogged about, i thought i would take the time to discuss a recent accomplishment that i am pretty proud of. *disclaimer: i really would like your feedback...just wait until the bottom and you will know what i mean. :)

in high school, i hated summer reading lists and being required to read certain books when i just wanted to sleep in, hang out with friends, or go to the pool, and the books were probably destined to be terrible anyway. except they weren't...i.e. the great gatsby, to kill a mockingbird, the list goes on...many of these became some of my all-time favorites.

i love reading and love having the time to read. thankfully, this summer has provided plenty of time for reading. between moving and traveling and job searching, i have read SIX books. yes, six...just finished the last one yesterday. all of this brings me to the point of this rambling...i thought i would share my 6 with you along with a couple more that are awaiting their turn to be taken off the shelf and read.

1) Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and 2) Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (both) by J.K. RowlingIf you remember, I became quite engrossed in the Harry Potter saga a few months ago. Right before we moved, life got very busy with finishing class, ending my time at work, and packing so i had to take a break from the books. once i got back into them though, it was over. i think i read these two books in less than two weeks. amazing. can't wait for the last movies.

3) The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewisi love everything about The Chronicles of Narnia...at least everything about the books i have read so far. i have the big paperback book that has all the Narnia stories in one and decided to continue reading through when i unpacked it in july. Dawn Treader was next in line and did not disappoint (not that i expected it to...The Horse and His Boy is the only one that has done that). there is such a great metaphor for redemption and a new life in Christ. i won't spoil it for those that have never read it, but you really should read it. i do hope the movie is done well.

4) Dear John by Nicholas Sparksthis one was actually a re-read because (gasp) i actually forgot what it was about. even after reading the summary, nothing triggered my memory. this normally does not happen, especially with nicholas sparks' books, so i knew i needed to refresh my memory. a story of love at first, this one is a bit more realisitic perhaps than some of his other books because real life tries to interfere with the main characters. again, i will not give away any part of the story...read for yourself if you want...but i recommend it and all of his books. *his new book the last song comes out september 8!

5) My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoulti obviously knew the general storyline to this book before reading it since it came out on the big screen earlier this summer. i never had a chance to see the movie so i thought i would read the book and wait for it to come out on dvd. if i were an "OMG" user, then i would say something like, "OMG! this book is so emotional. get the tissues ready!" thankfully, i am not a user, but i would say it is a bit of a tear-jerker. i enjoyed the way the story was set up and how much backstory is given to fill in the present-day scenario. i may move on to some of the author's other books soon because i enjoyed this one, but i do not know if i will be seeing the movie after all. i hear the endings to the movie and the book are very different, fyi.

6) Love Walked In by Marisa de los Santosnow if any of you have heard of this one, i will be thoroughly impressed. i had never heard of it when it was given to me, and this is the author's first and only book out. sadly, this was actually given to me as a gift a couple of years ago. i read a couple of chapters but eventually forgot about it. however, i am very glad i gave it another chance because it proved to be quite a fun story. she references old movies via the main character and leads you down a path where you think you know the ending, or at least you hope you know the ending, but then throws a few surprises in along the way. it is not a typical love story, contrary to what you may think from the title. i highly recommend it and hope she gets another book out soon. *UPDATE while finishing this, i found that she does have another book out! just google her name.

Current Read: Crazy Love by Francis Chanwow. i could have written an entire post or more about this book alone. i heard chan speak a few years ago at the passion conference in atlanta, and i knew he was a great speaker. i had no idea just how thought-provoking this book would be though. not only thought-provoking, but life-examining too. lee and i are actually reading this together, taking turns on a chapter, underlining our favorite thoughts, and sharing some of our favorite points. the book has challenged us to think about how we are living our lives...are we really living for God with every ounce of our being? or are we just giving Him what we feel like giving Him at the moment? are we so in love with God that we desire to spend time with Him? give back what He has blessed us with? share His truth with others? serve Him wholeheartedly? i didn't mean to get so deep with this reading list, but the book is definitely worth reading. Chan does not have it all together perfectly, but God does seem to have used him through this book to remind us of some pretty important elements to having a relationship with Christ.

Next books on the list:
Same Kind of Different as Me by Ron Hall and Denver Moore
The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks
Love is an Orientation by Andrew Marin

what have been your favorite recent reads? do you have any recommendations for me or for both of us? i'd love to hear your suggestions!