Load of books being delivered today!

By Elizabeth Prata

I've mentioned that I joined the Tim Challies 2019 Christian Book Reading Challenge. Challies lists genres and types of books ("A missionary biography"; "A Commentary"; "A Book Written by a Puritan" and so on) and the reader chooses their preferred books based on the types listed. Challies lists 4 different levels, each more numerically challenging than the last. I chose the second level, Avid Reader, which is 26 books this year or 1 every two weeks. I added several of my own books to the list, ones I've wanted to read for a while but haven't gotten around to. I dislike the 'haven't gotten around to', not just for books but for everything. So I added some classics on my own.

I love the Valley of Vision a book of Puritan prayers. They are incredible. They are so incredibly written and convicting and beautiful, I keep giving my copy away to anyone who says they never heard of it. I press them into their hands and urge immediate reading! LOL. That leaves me without a copy for long periods until I can buy another one for myself.

I decided to remedy the Valley of Vision problem. I bought the copy that is leather bound. I love leather bound books and journals and with this one being special and more expensive I'll keep it on my own shelves for my own edification. Sometime soon I'll buy another paperback copy to give away to the next person. I firmly believe that with the Bible being the number 1 book ever, the next to bestselling and amazing contributions to the faith were Pilgrim's Progress and Valley of Vision.

I also won a book! Yay! Allen Nelson IV wrote "From Death to Life" and I entered a draw and won it.

I'm a fan of dystopian books and there are many classics out there to read along those lines. I've read "Alas, Babylon", Carol Balizet’s "The Last Seven Years", and a newer book that became an instant classic due to its fearful accuracy about the effect of an EMP on America, William Forschten's book William Forschten called "One Second After".

So here are the extra books I bought for the challenge and just to have on my shelves:

Sinclair Lewis wrote one of my favorite books, Elmer Gantry. That was a tremendous and horrifying book about religious hypocrisy. It was so incendiary when it was published that it was banned in Boston and other places. It caused a controversy from coast to coast.

It Can't Happen Here is a Lewis book about the rise of a president who turns dictator.

"Heart of Darkness", according to Amazon synopsis is "a complex exploration of the attitudes people hold on what constitutes a barbarian versus a civilized society and the attitudes on colonialism and racism that were part and parcel of European imperialism." I'm not so much a fan of the cover art, and I do believe one can partially judge a book by its cover, (I mean do I want that scary evil looking cover on my shelves to look at forever?) but oh well.

EM Forster is more well known for his books "A Room with a View," and "A Passage to India" but less well known is "The Machine Stops". A pescient dystopian book, it "posits a technology-dependent humanity now living underground, its every need serviced by machines. But what happens if--or when--the machines stop? "The Machine Stops" was named one of the greatest science fiction novellas published before 1965 by the Science Fiction Writers of America."

Stephen King was writing so many books for a while that his editors told him to write under a pseudonym so that he wouldn't weary his readers and it would help diminish the glut. So under the name Richard Bachman comes The Running Man, "A desperate man attempts to win a reality TV game where the only objective is to stay alive in this #1 national bestseller." It is considered one of his best works.

Martin Luther's "A Simple Way to Pray" is a short book, more of a pamphlet. The synopsis states,

When asked by his barber and good friend Peter Beskendorf for some practical guidance on how to pray, Martin Luther responded by writing this brief treatise, first published in 1535. This edition is a modern translation that brings us Luther's practical instruction, using his ITCP method:

1. Instruction

2. Thanksgiving

3. Confession

4. Prayer

I'm on the way to finishing Disciplines of a Godly Woman by Barbara Hughes, and I borrowed Mrs. Pollifax #5 from the library. That one is CHallies' "Read a Book in a Weekend". I guess I better get going on my day so I have time to read all these lovely books! And a hearty THANK YOU to those who gifted me the Amazon Gift Certificates!

The order also includes 5lb of peanuts. I eat nuts for protein and fiber, and also make granola a lot, which calls for peanuts. I've been relying on Dollar General peanuts even though they aren't the best tasting. Usually the taste can be hidden as I add spices and honey and bake the peanuts into the granola. But the last batch was so off-putting I now abandon the Dollar store peanuts forever. I mean it! Sometimes price isn't everything, you have to actually enjoy what you're eating. Quality counts too.

I've gotten this order once before and the peanuts were fresh and large and GMO free, roasted no salt peanuts. Sometimes ya gotta bite the bullet and go for it.

For meals this week my main dish is going to be split pea soup. It seems a hearty dish for the cooler weather that's come in and the bright and crisp winter skies. And of course, granola. Beyond that I'm sort of in a rut. I've gotten a grocery store roasted whole chicken each week for the last three weeks so I'm kind of over chicken for a while. I like the shrimp, salmon fillet, and tilapia fillet I've been getting but I am ready for a change. I need to look up some recipes and expand my repertoire.

We have received so much rain over the last thee weeks it's ridiculous. Finally it stopped last night, it chilled down and got windy. We are supposed to get clear weather for the next week so I hope the ground eventually dries! Mud everywhere, rivers rising, ugh, gloomy weather begone!