Clare- Chasers of the Light

#15 A book of poems

Angie sent me two books after my visit in Nebraska. She sent me my favorite poet and one of hers. Chasers of the Light is by Tyler Knott Gregson, who is one of Angie's favorites. I've seen him on pinterest before, and thought his work was beautiful. I'll share two of my favorites from this book first...

^^^ I really liked these two. I love his chosen medium. He types thought for thought on bits of discarded paper. I love that. The pages of this book are all beautiful.

However, often TKG's ideas and ideals of love are QUITE different than mine. I honestly found his poetry rather creepy sometimes, lol. This is not someone I'd want to meet. Here are two examples.

I joked with Angie about it... she was mostly unamused, lol. I know I'm probably being too hard on TKG... but for real though. Neither of these are examples of a love I would want. Jeepers!!!

Stats:

Angie: 6 books

Clare: 13 books

Total: 19 books

#26BOOKSwithBringingUpBurns

Clare- The World of Post Secret

#22 A book with pictures

Tonight my friend Naomi came over, and we went to Barnes and Noble found books and read them! I chose a Post Secret book. If you don't know Post Secret is a really cool social experiment that a guy set up where anyone can anonymously send a postcard with their deepest darkest secrets. Over the years, it has exploded from an idea to several books, an online community, and even an app! It's one of those beautifully unifying aspects of humanity: we all have secrets. This is one of those awesome cultural experiments that leaves you feeling less alone and less like a freak. I highly recommend you check it out either online or in print!

Stats:

Angie: 6 books

Clare: 12 books

Total: 18 books

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Clare- Jaws

In a sentence.... The movie WAS better than the book! (And I listened to the audio version... Too much elicit affair, not enough shark eating people.) I'll stick with Speilberg :)

Lol, this was my #14 A Book Set in Summer

Stats:

Angie: 6 books

Clare: 11 books

Total: 17 books

#26BOOKSwithBringingUpBurns

Clare- Bossy Pants

#18 A book with a blue cover

This is another book I listened to the full audio version on Youtube. It was Tina Fey reading it. I liked it for the most part. It was best in the beginning and end, when Tina was telling stories from her life. The middle was bogged down in an instruction manual of sorts of how to be a good boss. That didn't make for the most interesting listening. BUT Tina also included some sarcastic prayers and lists that were very witty. I truly enjoyed those.

Stats:

Angie: 6 books

Clare: 10 books

Total: 16 books

#26BOOKSwithBringingUpBurns

Clare- An Abundance of Katherines

#6- A book by an author you've never read before

John Green... he's become something of a household name. I kinda wanted to know what all the fuss was about. Angie read, cried, and told me about The Fault in Our Stars, but I was like, "meh." I found a display at Barnes and Noble advertizing which John Green book is right for you. So I bought and read An Abundance of Katherines.

I know I'm going to offend all of the John Green fans out there, but I still don't see what all the fuss is about. Disclaimer- please remember I am not a very big fan of fiction. The characters were alright, but they weren't real... They were just characters, and this was just a story. It was a bit chintzy too... So my first impressions were "meh", and sadly this book did nothing to change my mind... I'm still feeling very meh about John Green. Sorry John if you read this. I know you are a real person, and I don't want to insult you. You've got a big fan base; you don't need me, lol.

Stats:

Angie: 6 books

Clare: 9 books

Total: 15 books

#26BOOKSwithBringingUpBurns

Clare- Have a Little Faith

#2- A book that was made into a movie

Mitch Albom is one of my all time favorite authors. His style is like a father telling his college age children the things he has learned. I read my first Mitch Albom book in high school. I just picked up Tuesdays with Morrie on a whim, and it became probably my favorite book of all time.Since then, I have read every one of his books I could find. This book was no exception. I dog-earred several pages because I will go back and reread them. 

Mitch Albom writes mostly about death, but not in a depressing way. It's about learning peoples' stories and recognizing that our lives are short and unpredictable. It's about living our lives well, inspired by the ones we look up to. This book centers around two influential men in Mitch's life. One is his childhood rabbi. The other is a hard knocked, Detroit pastor of a church that is literally falling apart. Mitch examines these Men of God and faith, and begins to re-examine his own faith journey.

Annnnnddddd, apparently it has been adapted into a made for tv movie. I was going to use this book for #7, but now I can re-read one of his other books! Yay!

Here's a link to the movie info.

http://mitchalbom.com/d/film/7267/have-little-faith#node-7267

Stats:

Angie: 6 books

Clare: 8 books

Total: 14 books

#26BOOKSwithBringingUpBurns

Clare- Yes Please

#13 A Book With a Female Heroine

I love Amy Poehler! From Mean Girls to Parks and Rec. She is so endearing and full of life. I actually listened to the full audio book as read by Amy on Youtube.(A good way to work on this challenge while cleaning, eating, living my life!) I really enjoyed hearing Amy tell stories from her life. She had some special guest readers along the way. It was very witty. There were also some very valuable lessons about seeking forgiveness and being yourself. Amy is down to earth, and I feel wiser for having spent the time to listen to this.

Stats:

Angie: 6 books

Clare: 7 books

Total: 13 books

#26BOOKSwithBringingUpBurns

Angie: Tattoos on the Heart

#26 A book based on a true story

                                      

When Clare was visiting last week (I miss her and wish she'd come back), we made a trip to Half Price Books in town. Clare and I have very different taste in books. She loves anything based on a true story. I don't dislike nonfiction; I just really enjoy fiction. When we got there, I knew I'd have to find her the nonfiction section. Half Price Books has this section labeled nonfiction/memoirs. The title of this book caught my attention. I picked it up to read the synopsis and realized I used to have this book on my Amazon wish list a few years ago. It sat on my wish list but was never purchased. I decided that because it caught my interest on more than one occasion it was going to be worth reading. Let me tell you that this book is definitely worth reading. 

      

This book is a mixture between a nonfiction and a memoir. It's written by Father Gregory Boyle who writes about his experience working in Los Angeles in an area with the highest concentration of gang activity. But he also shares stories about the lives of the people he's called to help. He has a calling to work with the individuals in the community to help them work together and gain mutual respect for one another. He lovingly calls them "Homies" and "Homegirls". They in return lovingly call him "G" or "G-dog". He starts an organization called "Homeboy Industries". His organization helps people find jobs and collaborate together. 

   

I almost didn't use this book for #26. I almost used it for book #17: A book that will make you smarter. This book is amazing. "G" is an amazing human being. The people he meets and works with are amazing. I wish I could share some of the incredible stories he writes about in this book. I won't because that will rob you of the joy of reading them for yourself when you sit down with this book. It truly is a story about "the power of boundless compassion". There is sadness mixed in with all the goodness, but isn't that how life is? Have the tissues ready. I cried at least once during every chapter. 

Stats:

Angie: 6 books

Clare: 6 books

Total: 12 books

#26BOOKSwithBringingUpBurns

Clare- The Wednesday Letters

#4 A Book Your Friend Loves

I'm sitting in Angie's living room right now (what, what!!!) We've got to spend the last week getting up to whatever shenanigans we wanted. Trust me, we are having a blast. We had really loose goals for this week. Two of the most important were to read our #4 book for this challenge and get our long planned and awaited best friend tattoos.

As I was packing to fly out to Nebraska, I sent her pictures of my favorites: all my Mitch Albom books, Sense and Sensibility, Little Women, Jane Eyre, etc. She picked The Five People You Meet in Heaven, I brought Tuesdays with Morrie anyway ;) She told me she'd pull some out and I could pick when I got here. She had a big stack herself, but she seemed most excited about this one.

I really enjoyed this book. It was well written and paced. Of course, I was mad when the old couple died in the first chapter, but Angie joked, "That's the whole premiss, Clare!" It is, but I wasn't thrilled early on. A sister and her two brothers lose both their parents in one night, and as they are gathering back together, they discover thousands of letters their father wrote their mother over the years. He wrote her one letter a week, each Wednesday beginning with their honeymoon. In these letters were funny stories and a HUGE family secret.

I didn't want to put this book down. I was on the edge of my seat about how each of the characters' stories would be resolved, and I wasn't disappointed... although, I didn't guess right either, lol. This was an inspiring love story, not just focused on marital love, but family love and Christian love too. I really enjoyed reading it. Especially while enjoying the luxury of sitting across from Angie on the couch and sharing a blanket.

And... yes, we did get those aforementioned best friend tattoos as well :)

 

Selfie time!!!

Angie's is on her shoulder.

Mine is on my thigh.

It's been a GREAT week! I love my friend :)

Stats:

Angie: 5 books

Clare: 6 books

Total: 11 books

#26BOOKSwithBringingUpBurns

Angie: Tuesdays with Morrie

#4 A book your friend loves

                           

Well first I have to start off by saying that I am sorry I have been absent from the blog and my reading. School ended in May, and my life has just been nonstop. Clare came to visit me this past week!! (Woo hoo!!) We've been doing lots of fun things and one of those things was giving each other one of our favorite books to read. I originally wanted to read The Five People You Meet in Heaven which is also by Mitch Albom. Clare loves Mitch Albom because a lot of his books are based on true life stories. Tuesdays with Morrie is no exception. Morrie was one of Mitch Albom's professors in college. Mitch promises to stay in touch with Morrie after graduation. But life happens. 16 years pass when Mitch learns that Morrie is sick. Morrie is diagnosed with ALS. Mitch and Morrie begin meeting weekly, on Tuesdays, to discuss life. 

      

This book is so heartwarming and gut wrenching. My emotional self held back the tears until the very end. Morrie was full of so many life lessons, and he was a teacher till his very last breath. Tuesdays with Morrie is one of those books that you pray sticks with you for the rest of your life. You don't want to lose what you learned. I know I definitely don't. This is a book that you can share with any friend or family member. Who doesn't have a thing or two to learn about life? Morrie was constantly changing even knowing that his life was coming to an end. His never changing mantra was "Love each other or perish". We will constantly need others in our lives. You are not alone, and you don't have to do life alone. 

                

Stats

Angie: 5 books

Clare: 5 books

Total: 10 books

#26BOOKSwithBringingUpBurns

Clare, Red Scarf Girl

#26 a book based on a true story

This book fits into sooooo many of the categorgies. If you are also participating in this challenge and need a #3, 6, 9, 10, 13, 16, 17, or 26, I highly recommend this amazing book. Ji Li Jiang writes about her experiences as a child during the Chinese Cultural Revolution. It's all told from her 12-14 year old perspective as things go from good to bad, from bad to worse, from worse to unbearable. It's the story of a girl who had to grow up too fast trying to help hold her family together and her head high.

I'd never read anything about the Chinese Cultural Revolution. I picked up this book because it reminded me of the girls I taught in China last year. But Ji Li lived in a very different China than I did. Ji Li lived in a scary China wear people disappeared and houses were ransacked looking for "evidence". It was a China where almost everyone was brainwashed by Chairman Mao's propaganda. I used Chinese currency for fifteen months. His face is forever burned into my memory, but I had no idea some of the evils that were done in his name. This book was fascinating, and it opened my eyes to things I never knew about China's history. I'm grateful to Ji Li for sharing her experiences, her life, and her strength.

Stats:

Angie: 4 books

Clare: 5 books

Total: 9 books

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Clare- The Great Divorce

# 12, a book with a lion, a witch, or a wardrobe

I cheated on this one. I was going to be snarky and read Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince (Gryffindors are lions, too many witches to name, and the Vanishing Cabinet... oh yeah!), but if I read one HP book, I'd end up re-reading them all, lol. I decided instead, that I'd keep to the spirit of #12 and read some C.S. Lewis, but not Narnia based C.S. Lewis.

The Great Divorce was in a word, weird. It took me a long time to get into it. Like eight chapters!!! But when it got good, it got GOOD!!!

My cover said, "A fantastic bus ride from Hell to Heaven- a round trip for some, but not for others." I thought that was a weird description, but it is very accurate. The book is about exactly that. My favorite thing about this book was about how Heaven is described as rock hard to the ghosts because it is constant and unchangeable. The ghosts must change to be able to live there. It was an interesting conceptual ride, but I expect no less from Jack.

Stats:

Angie: 4 books

Clare: 4 books

Total: 8 books

#26BOOKSwithBringingUpBurns

Clare- the Forbidden Experiment: The Story of the Wild Boy of Aveyron

#11 a book you started but never finished

This book is fascinating!!! (Ok, admittedly probably more fascinating for teachers and those interested in language development rather than just your average Joe.) On January 9, 1800 an eleven or twelve year old boy wandered out of the woods where he'd been living isolated under mysterious circumstances probably since the age of five. He had a human form but the mind and movements of a wild animal. He could not speak, but made sounds like an animal.

The scientists and psychologists of the day were bamboozled. Was he a missing link between humans and animals, a human in our most primitive state, an idiot, a deaf mute suffering from severe emotional trauma? Was he able to be educated and enter into society? This book follows the work of the men and women who tried to civilize "The Savage" as he was often called. (You know, before political correctness! #1800's) Twenty-five year old scientist Jean-Marc Gaspard Itard spent the most time working to educate the boy, whom he called Victor. He made amazing progress with Victor, and his educational efforts and methodologies were inspirational to Edouard Seguin, who founded some of the first schools for the mentally challenged in France and America (who were previously thought to be un-teachable) and Maria Montessori. I'm sure you've heard of the Montessori preschool movement. This is where it gets its roots. Also Helen Keller's famous teacher, Anne Sullivan, followed in Itard's revolutionary footsteps. The task of educating a "wild man" turning beast into a man was the Forbidden Experiment of human nature.

This book is technically heavy and wordy at times, but Roger Shattuck does a very good job of breaking everything down and explaining it to a modern audience. Excerpts of Itard's study notes from the 1800's are included, and I geeked out the whole time I was reading it. From an educational standpoint, it really is a fasinating book! (And a psychological... and a sociological... and a theological standpoint too!)

(So if it's so good, why didn't I finish it the first time I started reading it? Good question... I lost it in a move. As I was digging through my books looking for things to read for this challenge, there it was! I was so excited. I've been wondering for almost three years what happened to Victor!)

Amidst the technical jargon and teacher geekery, there are also some beautiful glimpses into the humanity of both Victor and Itard. I've taken a picture excerpt of one I found especially touching. Madame Guerin was Victor's caretaker for almost all of his "found" life. She took care of him until he died in 1828. (She is a largely unsung hero in this boy's life.)

Stats:

Angie: 4 books

Clare: 3 books

Total: 7 books

#26BOOKSwithBringingUpBurns

Clare- Bruchko

#19 A book you were supposed to read in school but didn't

 Happy Spring! 

When I first read the 26 Book Challenge list, this item stopped me in my tracks. Ha! A book I didn't read in school, there is no such thing! Something you may not know about me, because being a laid back, hippie type I don't tend to flaunt it, is that I'm a really good student. (Example- I once took 30 credit hours in one semester and got straight A's.) When I say I read everything I was supposed to read in school, you can be confident I did.

So what was I to do? The answer came in an unexpected way. I've begun raising support for my two year move to Africa working with Pioneer Bible Translators, and last week, I spent four days on the campus of my alma mater, St. Louis Christian College, meeting with professors and staff to tell them about my mission and ask them to be a part of it. One of my favorite professors, Prof Lay, listened to my presentation with interest and excitement. At the end, we began to talk about missions in general, and he said he had a book for me to read... So my professor assigned me a book, lol. Five years after graduating SLCC, and my professors are still assigning me work. Probably because they know I'll do it, lol!!! Sooo, this is as close to #19 as I can get. Thanks Prof Lay for saving the day! (Side note- another favorite professor also gave me an assignment. He wants me to write a book about my experiences and period of growth in China. I'm beginning my outline!)

The book Prof Lay pulled from his shelf and handed me is Bruchko by Bruce Olson. It's a missionary autobiography that is truly fascinating!!! Bruce Olson moved to South America when he was nineteen with seventy dollars in his pocket. He didn't have a big mission organization backing him or any real connections. He just got on a plane and went. His faith is amazing. His utter reliance on God's protection and provision is beyond inspiring. He faced sickness and disillusionment. He wasn't often sure how God would use him, but he followed His leading, into the jungle alone. He was shot with arrows and bullets, but he remained faithful to God's calling. He lived with various indigenous tribes for six or seven years before there were any conversions. He worked within their culture and society to improve healthcare. He didn't try to set up "American" style hospitals, schools, or churchs. He worked with the witch doctors, teaching them about germs and disinfectant.

In a sentence- THIS BOOK WRENCHED MY HEART!!!

I truly believe that meeting people where they're at is the most effective way to minister to them. Wearing their clothes, eating their food, speaking their language, becoming part of their communities. This is what Bruce Olson is about. He left in the early 1960's, and as far as I know, He's still living among the Motilone Indians along the border of Venezuela and Colombia. He is an amazing example of what following God wholeheartedly looks like.

Here are two really powerful excerpts...

 

 

Stats:

Angie: 4 books

Clare: 2 book

Total: 6 books

#26BOOKSwithBringingUpBurns

Angie: The James Miracle

#7 A book by an author you love

I fell in love with Jason F. Wright's writing after I read The Christmas Jars. It was a short book that I finished in an afternoon one Christmas Eve. Since then, I've tried to find as many of his books to read as I can. My favorite so far has been The Wednesday Letters. Loved it!! I found The James Miracle while perusing Amazon one day, and added it to my Wish List to be purchased later. This challenge prompted me to buy it. :) It's his debut novel. I think it was out of print for and was released again for the 10 year anniversary. It's just over 100 pages, and I finished it in one sitting. This book challenge has turned me into a power reading machine. I've always loved reading, but this whole experience has made me want to devour every single book I come across.

So naturally with the title having the word miracle in it, one would think the book is in fact about miracles. This is another relationship focused book. In case you haven't picked up on it yet, I'm an incurable romantic and a psychologist at heart so I love anything having to do with relationships. The story starts off with Sam. Sam  meets Holly. Sam courts Holly. Sam and Holly get married. Then along comes their bouncing baby boy, James. Inevitably, tragedy hits turning their lives upside down. This particular tragedy is one that I'm not sure anyone can fully recover from. I would classify Jason F. Wright as a faith based writer. I don't know if his books have been classified as Christian fiction, but they are centered around faith and God. This story is no exception. I chose this specific excerpt for two reasons. 1. It's the first page of the story and sets the tone for the entire book. 2. I loved the lines "He preached that miracles would come in a  thousand and one different packages. And some will feel better on your soul than others." I never really thought about miracles not feeling great on your soul. I mean essentially aren't miracles supposed to give you all the warm fuzzies and feels? The author definitely holds true to his statement of miracles coming in different packages. WARNING: If you get emotionally attached to books/characters, you may want to have some tissues near by. 

Stats:

Angie: 4 books

Clare: 1 book

Total: 5 books

#26BOOKSwithBringingUpBurns

Angie: Before I Go

# 5 A book published this year

 

When it came to this particular category, I immediately started doing research. My pin-a-holic self went straight to Pinterest to search for bloggers who have reviewed books to be released this year. There have been a lot of books released this year that have received rave reviews! I read several synopses and even made a list of books to check out at the book store. I was really concerned I wasn't going to be able to choose just one. I literally had a stack of ten books to pour over and choose from while monopolizing an over-sized comfy chair at Barnes and Noble. It was so hard to choose just 1 that I was secretly thinking of how the other books could fit into the challenge list. Ultimately I decided on "Before I Go" written by Colleen Oakley. "Before I Go" is her debut novel. The reason I chose this book was because the entire premise of the book intrigued me. It intrigued me in a way that I wasn't sure if I'd love it or hate it. That alone told me I had to read it to find out. 

This book is about Daisy and Jack. Daisy is 27 and has her entire future ahead of her. She's getting her degree to become a therapist and her husband Jack is about to graduate to become a veterinarian. Then Daisy becomes diagnosed with Stage IV cancer. It's a terminal diagnosis. All the doctors can do is prolong her life. So through Daisy's grieving process, she decides she needs to find Jack a wife for when she's gone.

Excuse me, what? You're going to do what now? I can't even fathom the thought of picking out a new wife for my husband if I knew I was dying. I was so curious as to how the writer was going to create and complete this story. I have to tell you Colleen Oakley has constructed a beautifully written story. I think I felt every emotion while reading all 309 pages. I laughed out loud at times and I even experienced the anger and grief right along with Daisy and Jack. Other times, I full on ugly cried into my pillow. I'm thankful I had the tissues on stand by. This book took me through the emotional ringer, but it was worth the read. 

Stats:

Angie: 3 books

Clare: 1 book

Total: 4 books 

#26BOOKSwithBringingUpBurns

Clare-Kamikaze Kangaroos!

#10- A Book Set Somewhere You've Always Wanted to Visit

As a budding world traveler, I'm so glad this question wasn't phrased "the place you'd most like to visit." That's a question that leaves me incapable of thought formation or speech production. It just leads to a string of uhhhhh's and groaning sounds, lol. Luckily, I was spared that torturous selectively, and I went all the way back to where every American kid wants to go in third grade, because it's usually around then that we first learn about this country and all its crazy creatures. That's right Australia... Oz!!! In honor of this, I cracked open a book that's been on my kindle since my birthday, Kamikaze Kangaroos! By Tony James Slater.

This is my second foray into the crazy mind and life of Tony James Slater, and (spoilers) it probably won't be the last for this challenge. I've also read his first book That Bear Ate My Pants. Don't let the cuddly Beanie Baby on the cover mislead you, Tony is a funny, sarcastic, self proclaimed idiot. His books are riddled with terrible puns, very borderline "dad" jokes, dry British humor, and quite a bit of swearing. You've been warned. However, even though he's an idiot, he's a lovable idiot, and I love his style of writing. It's like sitting down across from someone in a dive bar and listening to their whole life story over a pint. Good fun!

Here's how Amazon describes this autobiography.

I really enjoyed this three year journey around Oz, Bali, and New Zeland. I didn't expect it to be such a long read, but with everything he, his sister, and his girlfriend did in those three years, it was understandable. (I am REALLY glad I finished it before Angie had a chance to post her third book, which she just finished tonight, lol. She is lapping me in this challenge already!) 

The two best things I learned reading this book are

1. The existence of banjo frogs- seriously look them up on YouTube, they make an amazing sound!!!
2. The existence of an underground opal mining town called Coober Pedy- I've developed a new dream/goal of living on every inhabited continent. (North America and Asia, check and check... I'm moving to Africa later this year, so that leaves South America, Europe and Australia.) If I am ever blessed with an opportunity to move to Australia, I'd like to live in Coober Pedy! It looks like an amazing place!!! 

And I'm officially on the board!!!! 

Stats:

Angie: 2 books

Clare: 1 book

Total: 3 books

#26BOOKSwithBringingUpBurns

Angie: Beautiful Chaos

     

#15: A book of poetry. Robert M. Drake. What can I say about this phenomenal writer? I first found out about this artist through Instagram. (you can follow him on Instagram @rmdrk) His entire Instagram page is devoted to snapshots of his poetry. I was immediately drawn to his words and started following him. I found out around Christmastime that he has several published books. He sells them through his shop on Etsy. (https://www.etsy.com/shop/Rmdrk). I picked up my copy today at Barnes and Noble (because I had a gift card), and I read it 30 minutes. That's how much I wanted to devour each and every poem in this book. He writes about love and self-discovery. They are all uplifting, full of hope and wonderful. I had the most difficult time selecting a favorite to share. If you're a lover of poetry and the art of words, I HIGHLY recommend you check out all of his work. You won't be disappointed! I'm going to go re-read this lovely book now.   

 

   

Stats:

Angie: 2 books

Clare: 0 books

Total: 2 books

#26BOOKSwithBringingUpBurns

Angie: The Art of Hearing Heartbeats

AHH! The first book I read for this challenge was "The Art of Hearing Heartbeats". The copyright date is 2002 so I'm counting this towards #25: "Read a book more than 10 years old", and I cannot say enough good things about this book!

A brief synopsis:

 

Why I loved it: This book draws you in right from the start. The author paints such vivid images that you feel like you are in the story with Julia, Tin Win and Mi Mi. But I loved the relationships that formed throughout the story. I loved how connected Tin Win and Mi Mi were. It is a story about growth, knowing who you are, and experiencing a once in a lifetime kind of love. If you're looking for a book to give you all the feels, I would highly encourage you to read "The Art of Hearing Heartbeats".

Stats

Angie-1 book

Clare-0 books

Total-1 book

#26BOOKSwithBringingUpBurns

Challenge Accepted!!!

The Challenge!

My best friend Angie and I are Pinterest fanatics (pin-a-holics, pinjas, what have you...). Today, just after she finished her latest book, The Art of Hearing Heartbeats, I found this amazing 26 Books to Read in 2015 pin and sent it to her. She was 100% on board and ecstatic about the whole idea. Because I haven't had many new and exciting things to blog about, I said, "Let's take this insanity a step further... and thus we accepted a challenge to read 54 books between the two of us in 10 months! (What have we done?!?!?)

Here are the details!!! Feel free to join us!   

The Challengers!

Angie

 "I'm a fun-loving teacher of preschool-aged rug rats. Happily married to my love for 4 years. I love reading and escaping from reality. I'm an incorrigible book addict who buys more books than I can ever read in my life time. I'll pretty much read everything. I love to try out different authors and genres." (That's her adorable dog Aggie, whose coolest trick is to "do the Chewie" to which Aggie responds by making sounds like Chewbaca, and you thought your dog was cool!)

Clare describes Angie as, "The sweetest and most caring person to ever live! She's the kind of friend that will drop everything to laugh or cry with me. Honey Nugs Tribe!!!"

Favorite Books- The Wednesday Letters, The Seventeen Second Miracle, The Silver Linings Playbook, and Love Story by Nichole Nordeman... and ALL THE PIGEON BOOKS!!!

Favorite Authors-  Mo Willems, Jason F. Wright, Jodi Picoult, Jane Austen, and John Green

Clare 

 I am hippie dippy, boho gypsy. I taught pre-K in the States for six years, then I moved to China to teach ESL to children. Next up, I am moving to Africa to start a school for really remote missionary kids. Almost 3 years single, but I see it as rocket fuel to power my world exploration. I rediscovered reading while I was living and working in China. I had 2 hours of bus time 3 days a week. I'd read the Bible on the way to work and a novel on the way back. My favorite genres are autobiographies and poetry... and children's books. I am a shameless Children's Lit fan!

Angie decribes Clare as "a fun-loving, free spirited, caring, loyal, and silly Honey Nugs Tribe member."

Favorite Books- The Bible (specifically Isaiah and Paul's letters), It's a Jungle Out There!, Jane Eyre, Tuesdays with Morrie, Elephant and Piggie Books, Harry Potter (specifically Prisoner), The Hunger Games, and I Love You Stinky Face

Favorite Authors- Mitch Albom, Dr. Seuss, Mo Willems, Darby Conley, Jane Austen, and Nicholas Sparks (guilty...)

Five Fun Facts About our Friendship 

1. We were born on the exact same day, month, and YEAR! (We are twins!)
2. We haven't lived in the same state since the summer after our junior year of high school. (long distance love!)
3. After going like 10 years without seeing each other, since I've been back in the states we've got to visit each other TWICE, and we are working on a very special visit in May!!!
4. Nutella!!! (I pronounce it Nut-ella, Angie pronounces it New-tella, but we've never once corrected the other person or tried to change them. It's not an arguement, we just do like we do...)
5.  We are a tiny tribe/gang of weirdos who dip their Mc Nuggets in honey, not honey mustard, not honey BBQ... actual honey. (Did you even know honey was a dipping option? We've been doing this our whole lives, and only JUST discovered that we both do it. We each thought we were the only ones... Honey Nugs Tribe!!!)

Stats
Angie- 0 books
Clare- 0 books
Total- 0 books

#26BOOKSwithBringingUpBurns