love to paint

When I was a child, I remember reading many Newberry Award winning and honor books.  I loved Cynthia Voigt's books, including Dicey's Song which won the Newberry Award.  But, I lived a life very different than the one my children are living.  I was public schooled, watched television (which at the time wasn't filled with crass humor and cuss words as it is today), read books new and old alike, and grew up.  For some reason, I gravitated even then to older books. I loved the Nancy Drew books, Anne of Green Gables series, Betsy book series (both the series by Carolyn Haywood and the other series by Maud Hart Lovelace).  I read a few Sweet Valley High books, but read more Canby Hall books, which weren't as caught up in the popularity and romance parts of high school.  My mom didn't filter what I read.  Unfortunately, my grandmother introduced me to adult fiction books as a teenager that I shouldn't have read.  The likes of Danielle Steel and Barbara ...

Be Careful Who You Read... I was reading the introduction to a book tonight online because I wanted to know what it was about.  I was trying to give the author another chance.  I'd read a book by him a few years ago and had a pretty severe reaction to it.  Well, actually, it was more than severe.  It made me very upset!  The book was one that several friends at the time agreed with and so I wanted to read it as well.  I remember reading the first page, literally, and the hairs on the back of my neck standing up on it!  There did happen to be a personal connection to the information on that page. I had just completed a semester teaching at a homeschool high school.  It was the only job that I have ever sort of been fired from.  I wasn't actually fired.  I quit.  "I resigned" would be a kinder way of putting it, I suppose.  The principal of the school stated that she had no education training, or any education administration ...

Last year, I read a book titled Chasing Sunsets by Eva Marie Everson.  My review is here .  I was impressed that the author would engage with me about her book and discuss my concerns about the content of her book. She brought out points that I hadn't considered as I was reading and reviewing the book.  After the discussion, my mind had not changed about her book (though I definitely understood her points), but I did want to read the second book in the series. A few weeks ago, the second book in Ms. Everson's Cedar Keys series arrived.  Waiting for Sunrise.  I was excited to see what it held in store for me.  It was a huge improvement over the first book in the series for me.  My concerns with the first book centered primarily on some of the language she used to describe the relationship between the main characters.  It went much more into the realm of Harlequin romances than I think is wise for Christian fiction.  This second book didn't g...