This time we have all ratings except for one star in one post! And a book has to be REALLY terrible for me to give one star. Even for me to give two stars, a book has to be pretty awful, as one of these books was. So it’s another eclectic mix!

This was next on my shelf, and it’s been a very long time since I read through it. It’s definitely a classic for a reason! And while a few of the fables are very well-known, such as of course the Tortoise and the Hare, most of them aren’t.

What is there to say? It’s full of thought-provoking word pictures, stories that powerfully portray all kinds of moral values and life lessons. It will definitely be getting another re-read in the next few years.

I found this while randomly scanning the library shelves one evening, and I picked it out for two reasons: I had heard someone at church mention the practice of Lectio Divina and was curious about it, and the author’s name was Pennington!

It had a much bigger impact on me than I was expecting. Prayer is something I struggle with on many levels, and I loved the practical and Bible-centered approach laid out in this book. I’ve implemented many aspects of it into my own prayer life. The only reason it got one star knocked off is for some theological and political differences that I had with the author in a few places. But I would definitely recommend reading this one, with discernment.

This was a book club book, and I hated it. At first, I got the hard copy from the library, but the punctuation and grammar was so absolutely terrible I couldn’t stand it, so I switched to the audiobook, which helped. But still, I hated it.

It’s bleak to the point of despairing with barely any redeeming qualities. Several parts are outright disturbing or disgusting. It never really leads anywhere, and there is no sense of anything greater than itself. I also found the dialogue repetitive to the point that it kept taking me out of the story. The only good thing I found in it was the absolute love and devotion of the father for the son, which is all that saved this one from getting a one-star rating. Do not recommend.

I bought this because my husband loves the movie but I don’t watch things with nudity so I can’t watch it. I’m not sure the book was really better on the content front, though. There was quite a bit of language and some really graphic parts I skimmed over.

Ultimately I enjoyed it because it’s clever and I love a good twist ending. But other than a fun ride, there wasn’t anything really redeeming about it. I ended up getting rid of it because I don’t see myself reading it again.

Continuing to read through Rachel’s Red Rain series… This one was brilliant. It really freshens up the series, with some big twists and new information that changes a lot of things we thought we knew. Watching Philidelphia evolve as a character is enjoyable, though at times painful in the best way. This truly is a coming-of-age story.

And having read more of the books since, I can testify that this book is an important step on the road to things that come afterwards…

That’s all for now! Going to keep cranking these out. Wish me luck. And please, do let me know your thoughts on any of these that you’ve read!