Today's Thought

I wanted to let everyone know what's been going on with my blog.  I realize I haven't posted anything since last month, so let me try to explain what's happening.  Everything that has been posted up to this point was moved over from my old blog.  My blog seemed to have been moved to a different site and I didn't like the format.  Therefore, I decided to start out fresh here.  So, now I will begin to do new posts.  Anything that I move over from my old blog after this point will be dated with it's original date of publication on my old blog.  I hope that you will continue to join me here for book reviews of Christian titles and a few other fun things.

I also wanted to mention that, since I am currently in betweeen blog tours from one of the publisher's I deal with, I plan to do my own blog tours with the books that I have received from another publisher that have been piling up for several months.  I am going to set a challenge for myself and let you all in on the fun.  Once I have all of the details figured out I'll let you know what the challenge is in its entirety.  Any thoughts, let me know.  I also want to mention that while I am going to set up this blog tour challenge for myself I do have several other irons in the fire.  Being a wife, being a mom, being pregnant, preparing a library, etc.  We'll see if I'm up to the challenge.  Please look forward to the challenge post in the next few days.  Thanks for your continued interest and support of my blog!

Today’s Thought – Book Club - From December 8, 2009

I wanted to let everyone know about a group called Book Delights Book Club for Ladies. If you are a lady and you enjoy reading and discussing Christian fiction, then this book club is for you. Of course, it helps if you live in or near Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, because that’s where we meet. If you’d like more details about where we meet, future titles, etc., please contact me at jocc@embarqmail.com. I would love to fill you in on the details of the club. I hope that you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving and are preparing wholeheartedly to celebrate Christ’s birth.

Today’s Thought - From March 12, 2009

What is it about a good story that keeps us reading and then has us searching for more books by the same author? Is it a character that we can relate to? A story that involves a time or place that we could never be a part of? What are the elements that draw you into a book and then keep you turning page after page? I have to say that those elements vary for me from story to story, but I think there are certain foundational elements that I always like to find in the books that I read. Those elements include: a Christ-centered undertone, a moral standard, enjoyable characters, intriguing details, and a good ending. What can I say? I’m a sucker for a good ending. When a book doesn’t go the way I want it to, I begin to struggle with thoughts about the author and begin to plot out what I’ll do differently when I write my own novel. When I pick up a book, do I always get a “keeper?” The answer would certainly be no. I simply cannot always discern if a book will be a “winner” or not; I have not been blessed with that ability yet and may never receive it. Then the question is: What do I do when I begin a book and realize that it may not be a “winner?” The thing I do most of the time is try to read on and hope the book improves or that there is something redeeming in the reading. I have a hard time investing in a story and then abandoning it partway through. It just seems like such a waste to me. Some may say, “Move on to something that you know you will enjoy reading. Why cause yourself the aggravation and waste time on something that you aren’t really enjoying?” My issue with that is that I have an inherent need to know how it ends, and most of the time I really do find something of “value” in the books that aren’t necessarily my favorites. So where does this whole discussion leave us? It leaves us at the point where we started – “What are the elements that draw you into a book and then keep you turning page after page?” You need to answer that question for yourself. As a Christian, I attempt to keep my reading standards fairly high. I don’t mean high intellectually, but rather, high morally. This to me is very important in my walk with Christ. I hope that you have received some food for thought from this little clip for today. Be blessed in all things!

Today's Thought - From February 4, 2009

As you know, the name of my site is Great Christian Reads. The reason behind that brilliant name is the fact that I love Christian fiction. Who wouldn’t? It’s fun, interesting, clean, heartwarming, intriguing. Christian fiction falls into any and all (well, almost all) genres. Who wouldn’t love that? Even with all the wonderful things to recommend Christian fiction, readers do sometimes sidestep it due to the “message” in the stories. I must say that I feel those people are missing out on some quality,good, fun reads. With that said, I want to state that there are some really neat, great books that are not under the heading of Christian fiction. I have reviewed and will continue to review those books as well. I will be adding those reviews to this site as well. These reviews will include some fun children’s books. Why not enjoy a good book – Christian or not – if it’s worth enjoying? Be blessed, everyone!