october reading material

Now that I'm not buried in riveting reading material such as Corporate Finance and Business Law, I've rediscovered my love for reading.  I've got quite the stack going on next to my nightstand.

Yep, I really took a picture of my nightstand for you.

In case you're looking for some reading material, here's what I've been reading, in no particular order:

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
This book is a good mix between 1984 and The Giver, both of which I count in my all-time favorite books.  Basically, the United States is now divided into the Capitol and 12 regions and each year, each region picks two tributes (all children) that have to fight it out to death.  I'm not doing this one justice.  But it's good.  Go over to Amazon or BN.com to read a review there.  I've moved on to the second book in the series, Catching Fire, so it was good enough to continue reading.

Weird by Craig Groeschel
This is a Christian book, and talks about how Christians should strive to be weird....in giving, in spending time with our families, etc.

Auschwitz by Miklos Nyiszli
My nook has a list of the NYT bestsellers.  I'm pretty sure this is an older book, but somehow made it on the list years later...and was only $1.99.  Anyway, Nyiszli is a doctor and was used by Mengele in Auschwitz, so this book presents a much, much different point of view than I'd ever read before.  As many of you know, I was a history major in college and the period that I love to study is WWII, so I was pretty geeked out by this book...but this one isn't for everyone.

Kisses from Katie by Katie Davis
Hands down one of the most interesting books I've read in awhile.  Katie is only 22, and at 18 years old, she left Tennessee to move to Uganda.  Since then, she adopted 14 (fourteen!) girls and has started a thriving non-profit, Amazima Ministries, and did I mention she's 22?  Anyway -- it's a wonderful story of what all God is doing through her, and it's by far one of the best books I've read in awhile.  (Yes, I already said that.  But it's worth repeating.)

Harry Potter & the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling
Yes, I've read it numerous times.  No, it doesn't get old.

Keeping the Republic by Mitch Daniels
I wouldn't be a good little conservative if I didn't read this, would I?


If you've read a good book lately, please leave me a comment.  I'm always, always up for a new book (even if I never finish it).

summer reads

I don't get a whole lot of reading done -- I'm not, at least, while I'm finishing up this thesis -- but for vacation, I loaded up my nook with a lot of good reads and I thought I'd pass along my recommendations, in case you're looking for something new to pick up.

I ended up having the first two books on my list to read while we were on vacation, but ended up plowing through them the week before I left (instead of, you know, studying).

In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson
This one is actually non-fiction, which I typically don't read, but I found it fascinating.  Basically it's the story of the U.S. Ambassador to Germany in the 1930s, the relationships he built, and the problems he experienced.  (It probably didn't help that his 20 or 30-something year old daughter was a little more than friends with senior Nazis.)  Bottom line:  You should probably be a history geek to enjoy this one.

The Last Time I Saw Paris by Lynn Sheene
Claire is an American socialite who basically gets mad and on a whim, goes to France to find a former lover....but it's the late 1930s/early 1940s and she was clueless about the Vichy regime and the Nazis.  Claire gets involved with the Resistance movement, takes in some Jewish girls, works in a flower shop -- not necessarily in that order.  I loved this one.

Quitter by Jon Acuff
I read Stuff Christians Like by Acuff last year and I thought it was hilarious and spot on.  Acuff now works for Dave Ramsey's team and wrote a book about keeping a job he didn't like for so long just so he could prep for his dream job, which is where he's at now.  I don't know as I thought this was going to be my aha! moment in regards to me figuring out what my dream job is, but it definitely gave me a lot of food for thought.  I also recommend this one, especially if you're looking for a new job, you're transitioning into your new job, or you're trying to figure things out.

I also squeezed in the latest Sookie Stackhouse book while I sat on the beach, but that was just mind candy and nothing more.

I started Major Pettigrew's Last Stand on vacation but didn't finish before starting my thesis.  If I end up liking it, I'll review it later.

Happy reading!