Did a lot of reading this month! Mostly due to the fact that
our first ministry only took up a few hours a day in a village in the middle of
nowhere and our second required an hour-long drive to get there, which I spent
reading (thankful every time that I can read in the car & not get sick!).
Also, we had a seemingly infinite amount of books to choose from at the YWAM
Phnom Penh base, so I got a little spoiled J
Enjoy!
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen- I had heard lots of
good things about this book from many different people, but I wasn’t really
impressed by it. I found it in the hotel lobby at the Prum Bayon and read it in
about 2 days…was waiting to get to the “good part” but it just seemed to be an
overdramatic young adult historical fiction book. Does anyone else feel this
way? I did like learning about the lifestyles of the circus people and the history
of it all, but it was still a disappointment. Maybe I was expecting too much.
The Road to Lost Innocence by Somaly Mam- Top 5 book
I have read on the Race. If you haven’t read this book, go find it at your
library, borrow from a friend, or buy it-it’s a must read! Somaly Mam grew up
in Cambodia before, during, and after the Khmer Rouge. She was thankfully saved
from the carnage because she lived in a rural area, but she had to go through
an equally sad experience…the life of being sold into sex slavery. The book is
a autobiography that chronicles her struggles, fears, ultimate rescue, and the
creation of her organization that takes women out of these situations. YOU MUST
READ THIS! If you are reading this blog, you’re probably not apathetic about
the issues of this world, and I ask that you educate yourself about the
worldwide problem of human trafficking.
The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas- I had
watched the film about a month before, and when I found the unabridged version
in the YWAM library, I decided I needed to read it! Not something I usually
say, but I think I liked the movie more than the book! The book threw in all
this extra, random storyline that seemed to slow everything down while the
movie kept me in the mood of suspense and revenge the whole time. I did enjoy
the book, though, don’t worry. You
should read it only if you have the time and energy to finish it, because it is
a big undertaking!
Not for Sale by David Batstone- found this one at the
YWAM library as well. I had heard of it before, but never really had a desire
to read about statistics and numbers of human trafficking (this is what I assumed
it was about). I was wrong-a great book about the ins and outs of slavery
around different parts of the world. The most exciting part of this book is
that my hometown was mentioned! That’s right, good ole Colleyville, TX!
Apparently there was an African children’s choir that came through to the First
Baptist Church, and one brave lady was smart enough to notice that their
manager was pretty much trafficking them. Even though people might say there is
human trafficking everywhere, it becomes very real when that kind of thing
happens in your hometown. READ THIS BOOK! Christians should be leading the
effort to eradicate slavery-are you doing your part??
[The following books
were found at the small library in the village we visited (or were held
prisoners in, however you want to look at it) our 2nd week in Cambodia.
They were mostly children’s books, so that’s why I read so many! Can you tell
we didn’t have any ministry to do until 7:30 at night??]
The Wedding Planner’s Daughter by CM Paratore- Quite possibly
the most cheesy book I have ever read. I know that it’s a children’s book, but
c’mon, kids have brains too! I guess I should try to write my own children’s
book before I go disapproving of this one, but I really don’t think any of my
brain cells were stimulated when I read through this in one night. Good effort though?
The Sheep-Pig by Dick King-Smith- the book that “Babe”
is based off of! A fun, simple read for kids…the film didn’t follow it exactly,
but I think that’s what makes the movie so good! I want to re-watch this movie
now, anyone want to come over and watch the VHS when I get home??
The Speckled Band and Other Stories by Sir Arthur
Conan Doyle- I had read most of the Sherlock Holmes stories back in Nepal, but I
enjoyed reading these mysteries again. I am always so impressed at mystery
writers because my brain does not work that way
George’s Marvelous Medicine by Roald Dahl- my
all-time favorite children’s author. I loved reading every one of his books as
a kid, and was really sad when I finally read the book jacket that said he had
died L
Great story.
[now I have come back
into civilization and found these at the YWAM base]
Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer- I was sucked into the
Christopher McCandless story back in 2009 when I watched Sean Penn’s movie of
the same title while working at Ute Trail in Colorado. We were pretty much
living in the middle of nowhere, so his whole situation was both inspiring and
terrifying to me. I had him on my mind for the majority of the summer, when I
finally obtained a copy of the book in early August at one of the used
bookstores in Gunnison. This was the moment when I fell in love with Jon
Krakauer’s detail-oriented writing style, and I have been devouring each of his
books ever since! (you should maybe start with Under the Banner of Heaven…crazy book!). I think I had a lot of
compassion and interest in Chris’ story, and reading the book finally put me at
ease about his death (spoiler alert, sorry). I really hope he knew the Lord
before he died. How could you not when surrounded by the beauty of Alaska?
Anyway, all the to say, I decided to re-read this book and I fell in love with
his story all over again. If you have ever had a healthy dose of wanderlust, I
recommend reading this.
Harvesting the Heart by Jodi Piccoult- Love me some
Jodi! I have enjoyed each of the books she has written, and love all the
in-depth research that she shares with the reader, which is mostly from the
legal or medical worlds that I don’t know much about. This book was super
intense and I did not see the ending coming (I never can with her books)! Good
read.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling-
I had been wanting re-read this since we saw the last movie in South Africa and
I had to stay up until 2am our last night to finish it, but it was totally
worth it! I will miss the adventures of Harry and his friends, but mostly I am
STILL disappointed at how the film portrayed the epilogue. So lame.
This blog was written
with assistance from music by Ross King, an international superstar that I
happen to know
