Blest be the Lord

From Psalm 124 as found in the Trinity Hymnal
"Blest be the Lord who made us not their prey: 
As from the snare a bird escapeth free, 
Their net us rent and so escaped are we: 
Our only help is in Jehovah's Name, 
Who made the earth and all the heav'nly frame."

Happy Belated Birthday, Keely!

Merry Belated Birthday to one of my best friends. What fun we have together! I'm so blessed to have you as a friend. :)

Authors and Such to Avoid

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

Twilight was required reading for the Adolescent Fiction English class of my senior year at college. To my chagrin, I read it. I can confidently state that it is a poorly-written, trashy romance. Presenting a selfish heroine and hero, Stephanie Meyer has left the reader with no one to admire. Idolatry and immorality run rampant throughout her fictional world. Is this something we want our teens to read? This reviewer thinks not. Not recommended.

Perusing Goodreads today, I stumbled across Twilight. I couldn't resist posting the above review, even if it meant admitting that I had read it. And this got me thinking about my experience with young adult literature. So much of the genre is absolute rubbish. Why would you expose your teen to it? Since I read some portion of this genre, I'm sharing a list of authors and books that are junk. And you can benefit from my unfortunate experiences.

This is just a list. I'm not planning on posting the content in order to preserve the innocence of some of my younger readers.

The Bad, the Worse, and the Downright Abhorrent

• The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
• The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier
• Tears of a Tiger by Sharon Draper
• Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
• American Shaolin by Matthew Polly
• Weetzie-Bat by Francesca Lia Block

By way of further information, the content of Weetzie-Bat is so abominable that I did not finish the book.

They're Alive

My blog seems to focus on the printed word more and more. I cannot help it; books are my passion. Almost one year ago, I blogged this video. I loved the stop-motion photography aspect and, of course, the subject: books. A friend on Facebook posted this video the other day. And it was designed by the same couple as the last video. And it's even better. Divertiti!

New Website

My dear friend, Kiri, told me about a new, book website. Good Reads. I cannot communicate my total, complete excitement over this website. You can rate books, review books, recommend books, project a book goal for 2012, and track your progress. (Check out the widget on the sidebar.) Doesn't this sound like a perfect fit for me?! Check it out. :)

Picture Credit: Google Image Search

Must-Read Article

Mises

When I first heard of Ludwig von Mises, I was a sophomore in college engaged in a macro economics course. The grad student teaching the course impressed upon us Mises' excellent refutation of socialism and centrally-planned economies; in his work, Mises demonstrated the folly and destruction Keynesian economics. From this description, I knew that I had to learn more about this man. In the years since, I have purchased essays and books by Mises. (And the ones I have read live up to the praise!) Word of my love for Mises got around and a documentary about Mises was given to me (also worth it). And I learned of the institute named for him. From this, I found the Ludwig von Mises Institute page on facebook. This page shares intelligent, libertarian articles on a variety of issues. And the following is right up my alley...

In Praise of Homeschoolers

Picture Credit: Google Image Search

Booklist: December 2011

I, Pencil by Leonard E. Read (Booklet)
Eragon by Christopher Paolini

Total for 2011? 47 books (including booklets). Not a momentous stack, but overall I'm pleased. For 2012, my goal is fifty books. We'll see if I make it. Maybe I should start numbering my booklist? How many books did y'all read in 2011?

Education in the Scripture

Education is a topic about which I could never tire discussing. Having been homeschooled myself, I cannot take the subject of education for granted. Homeschooling nurtured my relationship with family and developed within me a Christian worldview. God is so good! In this vein, I was pleased to find this sermon. And I hope it encourages you to take the education of covenant children seriously. Enjoy.

Happy Belated Birthday, Daniel!

Happy 21st Birthday to the best brother for whom a girl could ever wish!