What I'm Currently Reading

Here on my blog, I've enjoyed sharing about books I've read, as well as ones on my future reading list. Today is the beginning of a new set of posts consisting of the books I'm currently reading. I've always enjoy hearing about what others are in the middle of, so hopefully you'll find this enjoyable too.

I'm a multiple-book reader. Meaning I love to read more than one book at a time, and usually have four or five going at once. It helps me keep my interest as I switch from something heavy like theology or a biography to something lighter, such as fiction.

 

Here are the books I'm currently reading right now:

Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell

I'm nearing the end of this book and enjoying it immensely. The character development in these old classics are so wonderful. You really get attached to each of the personalities. This novel has a bit of a Cinderella feel to it, with a young teenage girl named Molly. She is living with her widowed father, who then marries again to a not so pleasant woman, with a daughter close to Molly's age.

Elizabeth Gaskell died before she was able to finish this book but I've been told it really only needed a few more pages and can easily be put together in the readers imagination. I'm looking forward to watching the miniseries from the library as soon as I finish this one!

Church History in Plain Language by Bruce L. Shelley

I'm not to far into this one but finding it really interesting and written in an 'easy to understand' way. I have been reading it on my kindle, but like reading most non-fiction on my kindle, I've found it hard to fully enjoy the reading experience. Mainly because I love to underline, write notes and flip back and forth through the pages. So I was super excited when I found a used copy in excellent condition at a thrift store for $6!

I've just finished chapter 6 of 48 which was about the Gnostics. It's interesting to see how false teachings, such as the Gnostics taught, actually strengthened the church by making them dig deeper into God's Word.

I'm going to take my time reading through this one and try to absorb as much as I can.

Anne of Ingleside by L.M. Montgomery

I'm going into the last few chapters of this one and have enjoyed it. This is book six of eight in the Anne of  Green Gables series. Anne is now married with six children and this book is filled with their escapades. It's not my favorite in the series but like all the Anne books there is beauty to be found. As a gardener myself, I especially loved this autumnal quote:

"Anne was busy in her garden every warm day, drinking in colour like wine, where the late sunshine fell on crimson maples, revelling in the exquisite sadness of fleeting beauty. One gold-grey smoky afternoon she and Jem planted all the tulip bulbs, that would have a resurrection of rose and scarlet and purple and gold in June. 

'Isn't it nice to be preparing for spring when you know you've got to face winter, Jem?' 

'And it's nice to be making the garden beautiful,' said Jem. 'Susan says it is God who makes everything beautiful but we can help Him out a bit, can't we, Mums?'

'Always...always, Jem. He shares that privilege with us.'"

Respectable Sins by Jerry Bridges 

I'm nearly done this book and it's given me a lot to think about. I love the way Jerry Bridges communicates. He writes in a very loving and encouraging way, which isn't always easy when you are writing about sin! I definitely would like to read more books by him. I'm hoping to share more from this book soon. For now I'll share this one quote:

"Many Christians think of the gospel as only for the unbelievers. Once we trust in Christ, so the thinking goes, we no longer need the gospel. But as I seek to bring out in this book, the gospel is a vital gift from God not only for our salvation but also to enable us to deal with the ongoing activity of sin in our lives. so we still need the gospel every day."

Mrs. Oswald Chambers by Michelle Ule

I've been reading this one for awhile now and finding it hard to get through. I think it's just me, not getting along with the writing style. I really do want to get through it though as I'm interested in Oswald and Biddy's lives. I'm on chapter 6 of 18.

Have you read any of these books? What are you currently reading? Feel free to share!