Disappointment. I had been looking forward to reading The Marriage Plot as I'd seen several great recommendations for it. But reading it felt like trudging through mud, just trying to get to the other side and stop with all the plodding. I failed to connect to any of the characters or what happened in their lives.

A really challenging book of taking love a step farther and truly being radical in the way you love. But for Goff radical love is not radical at all, it's just what love does.

I'm impressed with the way Morton and Merida bring a freshness to the conversation and offer practical ways the Church and Christians can get involved in the broader global orphan emergency. While the writing lacked greatness the conversation more than made up for it.

Keeping in mind that it is teen fiction, it's a great read. I was dubious about any teen fiction gaining in popularity among adults given the Twilight rage, but kept hearing more and more even from men about how great this series really is. Katniss is an incredible protagonist and one I would not mind pointing to as a great example for girls. And the social commentary is brilliant. I couldn't put the book down and actually highly recommend it.

A really compelling story. Well worked.

Incredibly challenging with great character development. I was awed by Donoghue's ability to put herself into a child's world and fully develop the story from that perspective.

Really glad that I spent 2011 with Chambers.

This will always be my favourite Austen. Colonel Brandon my favourite Austen male and Elinor my favourite Austen heroine.

An absolute must read for anyone considering adoption, adopting, has recently adopted or knows someone close to you who is in the process. Wonderfully edited with invaluable information.

While I appreciated some of the advice found in the book, the overall writing was terrible. Dr. Dobson spent majority of his time quoting large chunks of others writing or his own work--previous books, radio transcripts, etc. The book was disorganized with no real flow. He would say he was going to talk about one thing and then go off on a long rant about something entirely different. The worst was when he used :) . I'm all for smiley faces on Facebook, in a text message, even in a personal email, but in a book by a well-respected author--that is simply too much. I would say the section on adolescence is worth the read, but otherwise there are better books out there about raising girls.

Wonderfully written and incredibly honest.

Although I found the story to be a great read, I got lost in the war descriptions and often found myself wanting to get back to the main characters.

I loved Jennifer's voice. She made her personal story accessible and related well to her reader. I would recommend for all who are wanting to adopt, thinking about adopting, know someone who is or just want to be an advocate for adoption in general.

The authors do a wonderful job at exploring the theology behind the believer's adoption into God's family. I recommend this book as a way to understanding what it means to be adopted into the Kingdom and then define what that means in our day to day life. The book as a whole was great, but John Piper's ending chapter made the read. He pulls all the heady doctrine and theological, nicely into the practical.

recently read, 2012

A great response to Half the Sky by Kristof and WuDunn. Well thought out and well put together. Read it all on the flight from the States to South Africa. I was impressed how well James opens up the discussion of women and the church.

Although the research was incredibly interesting, the writing itself was absolutely terrible. Often redundant and cliche, I found myself rolling my eyes at least once every page. If you are interested in the trends currently displayed by the Millennial generation, the research is well done, and thus worth the read.

A good start to an idea that is very close to the heart of God. Although I first received this book at a conference many years ago, I never bothered to read it until now. I find Alcorn's writing to be trite, but the principles in the book are solid. I recommend it as a good read for anyone starting to scratch the surface of God's heart toward giving.

A collection of poignant essays that really hit the mark--deep, thought-provoking, humorous, sad and occasionally quirky. I highly recommend it to any one in their late twenties and on up.

A really fantastic window into what 1960s Mississippi homes might have looked like--the relationship between white women and their black maids. Really intriguing and wonderfully written.

Remarkably well written and eye-opening. A very important read, with tons of information about the problems facing women throughout the world, but also tons of ideas for improvement.

Although I appreciated the review of the stories of the Biblical women, the book itself was poorly written and I felt that Poinsett often took liberties with the text to reflect her own viewpoint. As a study of biblical women, the book was very weak.

When I first read this book in middle school, I know that I had no understanding of it at all. With no historical frame of reference and no understanding of then political climate, how could I. I'm sure I read it somewhere around 1994 when Apartheid officially ended. Living in South Africa has made this book fresh and new to me. Not only did Paton offer a well-written novel, he could see far into the future of South Africa and in a sense submit his own prophecy. I really recommend that everyone who has any tie to South Africa read this book.

A very well written book and intriguing story. Had a hard time putting it down. Especially appreciated Gruen's ability to capture the thoughts and the emotions of her narrator in the present day. Felt the ending was a little weak, but not week enough to harm the full story.

An excellent and practical look at what it means to live a holy life and God's desire for us to be holy as He is holy. I really highly recommend it, especially if there is an area of sin in your life that you just can't seem to conquer. Bridges really challenged me on what I think holiness and the possibilities of living out a life of holiness.

While I was challenged by some of Higgs' perspectives on these Biblical women, I kept getting distracted by her writing and sense of humor that I did not find humorous but cheesy. I appreciated her perspective, but would have enjoyed it more from a different writer.

Although I continue to enjoy Eggers writing, I struggled to connect with him as a protagonist. Which I wonder if that is not exactly what Eggers wanted. I heard Eggers "FU" and reacted with an appropriate "FU back."

Maguire continues his average career. Read Wicked, enjoy Wicked, and then move on to better authors.

Miller shows a maturity in his writing and a maturity in his life. He continues to bring fresh ideas to the table and challenge his readers to think more deeply about life and God. Congratulations, Miller, well done.

Absolutely fantastic. Why did it take me so long to pick this book up? I don't think I can say much beyond what has already been said of this title. Well done, Morrison.