Monthly Bookshelf Review - November 2019

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I have been crazy busy lately. Lots of things on my plate just because it's that time of year when everyone is busy. And a few unexpected schedule wreckers like needing to give my daughter a ride to college and some extra errands. Anyway, reading has been a few minutes here and a few minutes there, which adds up, but more slowly than I'm used to! Here's my monthly round-up of reading.

November's Books Completed and Reviewed

War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells  - read for the Literature class I teach, and although science fiction isn't really my thing, this was a very interesting read. And a classic work as well! (Read my full review HERE)

   


Undertones by L.S. Popovich - wonderful characters (all anthropomorphic animals) in this humorous mystery. Dane is a jazz-playing anteater just trying to find out what happened to his polar bear girlfriend while kicking an ant addiction. (Read my full review HERE.)




Immanuel Labor: God's Presence in Our Profession by Russell E. Gehrlein - an informative guidebook about the theological aspect of work and developing a Biblical view of it. (Read my full review HERE)

During November I started reading:

The Friendly Persuasion by Jessamyn West - Reading for the Lit class I teach. It's a collection of short stories about a Quaker family, and the gentle humor and warm relationships are delightful.

Penny For Your Secrets by Anna Lee Huber - Yes, I'm devouring the newest in the Verity Kent series even though I have several other things I probably should be reading! These mysteries set shortly after the Great War are hard to put down!




Church With No Walls by Noah Cleveland - I purchased this at a worship conference in October, and I wanted to get going on it, but have so much going on that I have quite finished the introductory chapters yet. Once I get to the 21 days of challenges, it will be specific daily chunks and I should be able to manage those!

   

During November I shelved:

Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton - I had too many other things on the go and life was too busy. I paused this so I could catch my breath!

Coming Up in December!

   

The Rebel Bride by Shannon McNear
The Girl in the Gatehouse by Julie Klassen

   

And at least a couple seasonal things, I'm sure! I just haven't decided which ones.

This post will be linked at:

Feed Your Fiction Addiction - November 2019 Wrap-Up Round-Up & Giveaway

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A Song For Giving Grateful Praise

A Song. For giving grateful praise.

Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.

Worship the LORD with gladness;

come before him with joyful songs.

Know that the LORD is God.

It is he who made us, and we are his;

we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving

and his courts with praise;

give thanks to him and praise his name.

For the LORD is good and his love endures forever;

his faithfulness continues through all generations.

~Psalm 100~

This post is linked on Scripture and a Snapshot, hosted right here on Just A Second; and will be linked at Sunday Scripture Blessings, hosted by Peabea Scribble Pad; and at Seeking Sabbath, hosted by A Spirit of Simplicity.

©2008-2019 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/ 

 We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Share Four Somethings - November 2019

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I'm looking at my wishlist of things I wanted to do during this year, and realized that I have plain run out of time on most of them. I have done a lot though! One thing I've tried to do here on the blog is recall Something Loved, Something Said, Something Learned, and Something Read each month. I often feel like I'm repeating myself, but I guess that means I'm consistent in the things I love. So in the spirit of Thanksgiving, here are my Somethings for this month!

Something Loved

Sunny fall days, colorful fall leaves, and being the test audience for music rehearsals.

Something Said

Our Sunday morning small group spent a couple of weeks talking about the wise use of our words, how to be gracious and avoid being judgmental or harsh. There were a lot of passages of Scripture on the subject, but this is one I happened to have in a Scripture and a Snapshot post years ago that provided a good visual to go with this (daily) prayer:

Set a guard over my mouth, LORD;

keep watch over the door of my lips.

~Psalm 141:3~

Something Learned

We purchased and installed a new range hood and cooktop this past week, and learned several things in the process. First, I learned that Lowe's "purchase online for store pick-up" service really doesn't save any time, and often doesn't save much trouble either. I kind of knew that already, but the convoluted process of picking up these two items confirmed that. Doesn't mean I won't ever use the service again, but does mean that I have adjusted my expectations of time and effort required. Second, I helped a little bit with the installation of the range hood and the initial attempt at the installation of the cooktop. We decided that it would be best to call an electrician friend to help with that, and were surprised that he blessed us by doing it as a favor instead of charging us. So we learned anew to appreciate kindness and generosity. I also learned that my son Spencer is the guy to go to when I need something organized. Again, something I already knew, but it was confirmed when he did an amazing job of organizing as he put everything back in the cupboard underneath the cooktop.

So thankful for the new cooktop, for the generosity of our friend, and for the timing - this was done yesterday so I can use it to prepare our Thanksgiving dinner!

Next up, learning how to cook on a glass top, and learning how to install a new backsplash!

Something Read

I completed three books in November. You can see more about my reading in my Monthly Bookshelf Review for November 2019, which should post on Friday.

War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells
Undertones by L.S. Popovich
Immanuel Labor: God's Presence in Our Profession by Russell E. Gehrlein

       

This post will be linked at Share Four Somethings hosted by HeatherGerwing.com

 ©2008-2019 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/ 

 We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Recent Reads - Undertones

This post contains affiliate links. 

   

Undertones by L.S. Popovich - If you've ever imagined what kinds of instruments animals might play or how they would interact with each if they lived in a human-like society, this might be the book for you! From the opening lines, the reader is immersed in a world of anthropomorphic animals that play in jazz bands, attend college, and where all kinds of birds and animals live and work together. The characters are well developed, and the creative world-building is carefully thought out and surprisingly believable.

Undertones is the name of the jazz band fronted by guitarist and vocalist Dane, a giant anteater quietly battling his ant addiction. He's a gifted musician (and mathematician, but he keeps that quiet) and the band is hoping for a big break, which appears to be in the works when a talent scout shows interest. Unfortunately, right about that time is when Dane's world starts to fall apart. While out on a date with Serena, a polar bear, they witness an assault and then become victims themselves. The attackers turn on them and when Dane wakes up in the hospital with a broken arm, Serena is missing and nobody seems to know anything about it. Dane doesn't get any co-operation or help when he goes to the police. In fact, he gets busted for possession of ants and winds up ordered to attend Domestication meetings.

While struggling to give up ants cold turkey, Dane decides he will find Serena himself, and starts following up on any leads he can. He gets some help from his friends, Nihleen the Komodo dragon and Gaston the numbat, and interacts with all kinds of characters and species. He stumbles into mob-like criminal activity, a dark underbelly of the society, and meets anarchists and conspiracy theorists. Dane will need the support and loyalty of the whole band and some other friends in order to untangle all the clues, find and rescue Serena, and stick together through danger and riots and nefarious plots.

Overall, a highly entertaining and engaging read! Full of humor and clever references to all kinds of cliches and animal jokes, along with subtle commentary on human interaction and society. There are a few f-bombs and other language flags here and there, so be aware. But aside from that cautionary note, I recommend this unusual book!

From the publisher:

Dane was a reliable guitarist until he got addicted to ants. Now he's just a giant anteater with an abysmal grade point average. On a date with lead singer, Serena, they witness a gruesome incident. Waking up in the hospital, Dane realizes Serena's missing. Going to the police only gets him a felony for possession of ants. Now, forced to lick the habit while he tracks down Serena, he's going to need a little help from the band.

Investigating familiar watering holes (while stopping for one or two drinks) leads him to an underground criminal organization. Is it a coincidence that a feline fatale attempts to recruit him for the mob? Should he expose the dirty underbelly of their society, putting Serena and his band on the line, or try to take them down from the inside? Either way, it's going to take more than the Komodo dragon on clarinet.

©2008-2019 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/ 

 We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

What I'm Reading - November 25, 2019

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This weekly reading list meme is hosted at Book Date. Join in to see what others are reading and maybe get some ideas of what to read next! Although the Book Date link-up happens weekly, I haven't been keeping up with a weekly schedule, so I kind of post these whenever! I also haven't been reading as many books lately. Too busy! So in the past couple of weeks:

I finished reading . . . 

War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells - I had finished this one but didn't have the review up last time I updated, so I've included it again to add the review link. (Read my full review HERE.)

   


Immanuel Labor: God's Presence in Our Profession by Russell E. Gehrlein - I reviewed this informative guidebook to glorifying God through our work for The Old Schoolhouse Magazine. (Read my full review HERE.)

I'm currently reading . . .

Undertones by L.S. Popovich - Dane (a giant anteater) is the lead in an all animal jazz band. He stumbles onto a ruthless underground criminal operation as he's trying to find his polar bear girlfriend, who was kidnapped.

   

The Friendly Persuasion by Jessamyn West - Reading this with my girls in the Lit class. We were supposed to finish last week but all needed just a bit more time. I'm finding it delightful! It's actually a collection of short stories about a Quaker family.

Penny For Your Secrets by Anna Lee Huber - The latest in the Verity Kent series from one of my favorite authors! I'm pacing myself because I really need to finish the two books above before devouring this one!

Next on the stack... 

The Rebel Bride by Shannon McNear
Church With No Walls by Noah Cleveland (started, but temporarily shelved)
Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton (also temporarily shelved)
The Girl in the Gatehouse by Julie Klassen

  

 

On my blogs recently . . . 

Here on Just A Second:

Scripture and a Snapshot - Let Us Be Thankful
Wordless Wednesday - Cloudy Skies
Scripture and a Snapshot - Thankful
Wordless Wednesday - Gingko Leaves
Scripture and a Snapshot - The Blessing
Recent Reads: Immanuel Labor: God's Presence in Our Profession
Wordless Wednesday - Autumn Sunshine
Recent Reads - The War of the Worlds


And on my homeschool blog, Homeschool Coffee Break:

Homeschool Highlights - College and Co-op Week Twelve
Virtual Refrigerator - A Whale and Pumpkins
Coffee Break Reading List (November 19, 2019)
Homeschool Highlights - Blue Ribbon Edition
Virtual Refrigerator - From the Art Archives
Homeschool Highlights - College and Co-op Week Ten
Virtual Refrigerator - Jolly Old Elf
Join the 2020 Homeschool Review Crew

What are you reading?

©2008-2019 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/ 

 We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.