words spilling off the page

I've been reading a lot lately, which is one of my passions.

I just recently finished 2 books which I absolutely loved.

The first was Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver. This is such a humble account of what could have turned to be a very self-righteous endeavor: her family living a whole year eating only local food or that which they produced themselves. They had a few exceptions, for example, coffee and organic whole wheat to make their homemade bread. Her family sets the goal, and accomplishes it well, growing closer together and learning about the effort it takes to grow food in a sustainable way. Kingsolver helps you to feel part of the undertaking, sharing stories about her adventures with livestock (chickens and turkeys!), the monotony yet joy of pulling weeds, and watching the kaleidoscope of colors emerge as her heirloom vegetables bear fruit.

The book really inspired me to want to grow things myself. I am also inspired by the undertaking of promising to eat locally, and hope I can do better. Check it out.

Another book I just finished that really warmed my heart (and was almost impossible to put down!) was Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers. It's a retelling of the book of Hosea, set in the 1850s in the gold rush in California. Angel, a prostitute from childhood is whisked away from bondage by Michael Hosea who marries her. The story alternates between breath-taking and heartbreaking as Angel goes in and out of bondage. I found myself identifying with several of the characters: Paul, Michael's friend who is self-righteous and wrongly judges Angel; Angel, who can't ever imagine herself as worthy and who goes back to her old life and way of thinking as a dog returns to vomit (Prov 26:11); and Michael, who loves unconditionally, but still sees the need for grace and forgiveness in his life. I hope someday to be able to feel the inner guiding of God's Holy Spirit as clearly as Michael Hosea does.

I wasn't always impressed with Rivers' writing in this book, but I heard it's not her best as far as writing goes. I think I'll have to check out her Mark of the Lion series. If you want a story that so clearly shows God's redeeming love, this is a must-read!