It’s World Book Day, an occasion that is observed in 100 countries. As a side note, it is also National Talk Like Shakespeare Day, so if you have a book of Shakespeare’s writing, you could read aloud and kill two birds with one stone, a phrase that, sadly, was not coined by Shakespeare. Anyway, I thought I’d take this opportunity to tell you about what I’ve been reading.
As I shared in my 2016 National Book Lovers Day post, most of my reading is non-fiction and is in physical book form. Digital formats may mimic page turning, book marking, and underlining, but I’ll stick to the printed word for now.
I’ve finished two books in 2020 and am in the middle of two more.
Flash by Rachel Anne Ridge, was passed along by my sister. It is the story of a stray donkey who finds a home with a Texas family and inspires his owner to write humorous stories with underlying life lessons in each chapter. Yes, a book about a donkey that Publishers Weekly called “powerful and uplifting.” I began reading this months ago, but still have six chapters to read. Flash is easy to pick back up when I want some light reading. I will finish it.
IT’S UP TO US by John Kasich, is a book I referred to in my March 20 post Uncertainty. Kasich, a former governor of Ohio, first puts forth that Nothing Good is Lost, and then describes “Ten Little Ways We Can Bring About Big Change.” Not unlike Governor Mike Dewine’s current pattern of highlighting positive actions and examples in our state, Kasich tells stories of people of all ages and walks of life who have reached out beyond themselves to make a difference.
A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23 by W. Phillip Keller was recommended by readers of this blog after my June 2019 post My Five Word Testimony. After a dear friend told me how much she loved this book, I spotted an old edition of it in our church’s library. When I had consumed and returned it, I immediately ordered a paperback to keep. Written by an East African shepherd, a man who knows sheep and the Good Shepherd, It’s less than 175 pages and completely lives up to the rave reviews!
Praying The Ten Commandments by Cleddie Keith is a book that was purchased at Ollie’s in 2006 by a dear lady in my church. Cora Jewell, now in her 90s, was ordained as a pastor at 80 years of age and had accumulated MANY books over time. I visited her while she was giving them away and found this title intriguing. Have you ever thought of praying the 10 Commandments? I hadn’t either, but I’ll soon understand what Keith means by that. As I’ve read the first three chapters, noticing the pen-drawn stars in the margins and the phrases copied on page tops, I’ve begun adding my own highlighting of brilliant statements about why the 10 Commandments came to be. Now I’m ready for Chapter 4 – Praying the First Commandment, A God Deserving of Our Love.
All four of these books are available on Amazon.com.
Flash wins for the best cover.
How well he’s read, to reason against reading! – William Shakespeare