Thursday, May 20, 2010

Emily's Summer Reading List



My sister Emily has asked me for a summer reading list for about 5 years in a row now (does that sound right, Emma?), and I am happy to oblige. She is taking summer classes at the community college, so we're keeping this list pretty short, so she can have time to get in her required reading. I'm inviting you all to have a look at the list I'm making her, but this post is to Emily. Here is her 2010 list:


1. Don't Make Me Count to Three by Ginger
Plowman. When I read this, Emily, I thought of you right away, which might sound weird since you don't have children. Well, you do sort of have a child, Mercedes, and you work with kids at church. Also, you are planning to be a counselor, and this would be a great resource for you! It's really short and easy to read, and while I don't think I'll be 100% following all that she suggests, I think she does have some really good advice. Her stories are pretty funny, and the examples are really helpful. If you order it from Blue Kangaroo Books, I'll pay you back for it, because I want that book anyway!



2. Elizabeth Prentiss; More Love to Thee by Sharon James. Fantastic bi
ography! I would recommend reading Stepping Heavenward first, but I think I assigned that for you last summer (or the one before), so I'm sure you've already read it. If you remember that story at all, it will be interesting to you to see how much of her own life Elizabeth Prentiss put into her fiction. I have this book if you want to borrow it.



3. Twic
e Freed by Patricia St. John. This is a fictional book about the slave Onesimus from the book of Philemon, and it is REALLY GOOD (so far. . . it's on my summer reading list, too!). Patricia St. John is an older, but really popular author for children -- she wrote mostly during the 1950's and '60's. So this book is smaller, and probably geared toward teenagers (Onesimus is 15 in the story), but I think you will really like it. Looks like it's gearing up to have a bit of a love story, but not in the cheesy "Dusty the cowboy swept the perfect Christian girl Lacy off her feet" like typical Christian fiction (sorry for those of you who like that genre. . . I just don't).


1 comment:

Emily Benzing said...

Thanks Gretchen!

I can't wait to get started.

PS--I laughed when I read the bit about the typical Christian Fiction. I madde quite a few "love comes..." jokes as we moved the library monday. ;)