Mimi's Bucket List!

What an awesome read! While it was heartbreaking to see children suffer from the irresponsible actions of their addict-parents, it was inspiring to see these brave little souls overcome the crazy obstacles that an unstable childhood threw at them. It makes you just want to grab them and hug them! Children that are forced to grow up at such a young age just breaks my heart, but when you see them beat the odds it makes you want to jump up and do a victory dance for them! I couldn't help but Google Jeannette after finishing this book to learn of all of the accomplishments she's achieved even in the face of such adversity, and was surprised to find out that I've seen her countless times on MSNBC and would have never guessed that she had such a rough time growing up!

The Glass Castle: A Memoir-Paperback
The Glass Castle: A Memoir-Kindle Edition

It's been a busy week of Christmas shopping so I haven't had time to blog at all, but i thought I'd post a quick tip for all the readers! If you're like me, sometimes you just can't figure out what to read next. Well, since I love Pandora for my music, I was thrilled when I stumbled across this handy little site!

What Should I Read Next?

Just plug in the name of a book you enjoyed and a list of suggestions will pop-up for your reading pleasure! Enjoy!

Years ago I read and raved about A Child Called "It". I couldn't fathom a mother hurting her own child as much as this crazed lunatic. It made me realize that even though we all have a right to privacy, we also have the responsibility to report suspected activities to the appropriate authorities. There are times when things are none of your business, and there are times when you need to make it your business. Learn the line and don't cross it! That being said, years after my first time reading this book and its sequels, I discovered that David Pelzer's brother, Richard, came out with a book highlighting a different perspective of David's experiences as well as his own traumatic experiences.

A Child Called It: One Child's Courage to Survive-Paperback
A Child Called It: One Child's Courage to Survive-Kindle Edition






A Brother's Journey did not leave me in awe with the writing, but it was interesting to read Richard's accounts of what happened when he was just a child. It's hard to say anything more without giving too much away, so I can't say much more than--it can be repetitive at times and worth the read if you can keep from comparing it to his brother's book!

A Brother's Journey: Surviving a Childhood of Abuse-Paperback
A Brother's Journey: Surviving a Childhood of Abuse-Kindle Edition

You know how I've been waiting forever and a day for this movie to hit the theaters? I finally find a theater locally that's playing it and drag a friend of mine with me to a known "chick-flick" only to be.....SORELY disappointed! I rarely check reviews or spoilers for a movie (other than the trailer) since I don't want someone else's opinion to influence me either way, but this time I really wish I had! With its amateur actors (even Kirk Cameron seemed noobish!) and poor picture quality (I guess it could have just seemed poor because of the theater we went to), this movie in NO WAY did the book any justice! Makes me such a sad bunny!

Fireproof-Paperback
Fireproof-Kindle Edition

As most of you know, I've been putting off this read for quite some time just because I truly feel that it is extremely arrogant that any author believe they can express the thoughts of God or Jesus, directly from the lips of God. I finally picked it up out of sheer boredom, and let me say that it left a bad taste in my mouth! I swear people don't have a mind of their own anymore! Oprah says that it's a great book and then her cronies all think it's a great book without even giving much thought to the jibberish they just read! Ok ranting aside, as far as the fictional aspect of this book goes it was definitely sad and tugged at the heartstrings. The writing started out rough with a lot of awkward sentences and some amateur-ish style, but by Chapter 4 things seemed to smooth out. The problem I personally had as a Christian was with the theological aspect. The author makes it impossible to separate the two here, but I'm as open-minded as they come, right? Sure. Moving on...without giving too much away...there are some gross (not the kind of pickled herring gross!) contradictions in this book that I can only describe as Universalist Unitarianism mystical philosophy. I'll give on God possibly being female, but since when does God not punish or hold you accountable for your sins (page 119-120)?!

"He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him." (John 3:36)

Or how about where God is said to be the same as the Great Spirit from some Indian folktale (page 31)?

"For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works." (II Corinthians 11:13-15)

Now I'm no expert in the Bible, but I do know enough to see the contradictions to it. Now if Young meant for the contradictions in his book to lead people to pick up the Bible and study it more, kudos to him! I highly doubt that was his intent though. Moving on..."Jesus was not meant to copy. He is not our example." (Pg 149) Really? Since when? And what of these passages from the Bible?

"Imitate me(Paul), just as I also imitate Christ" (1 Corinthians 11:1)

"14 If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. 15 For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you." (John 13:14-15)

"A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is perfectly trained will be like his teacher." (Luke 6:40)

Ok enough spoilers and I'm sure I've given you enough info to see where I'm coming from. If I, as a fairly non-practicing Christian realize that there is something seriously wrong with Young's version of God and the Trinity, then how is it that so many so-called Christians are raving about this piece of work?! Seems to me that there are many church-going Christians that need to dust off their Bible some before wasting any of their time reading something like this. People warn voters and consumers to make informed decisions all the time before casting a vote. The Christians that are raving about this book seriously need to be better informed on the Bible!

The Shack-Paperback
The Shack-Kindle Edition

Every so often I like to read something that doesn't require my "grownup" side of my brain. If you're like me and are a fan of the original V.C. Andrews books (not the ghost-writer...I'm talking Flowers in the Attic original one and only!), and you haven't read the "Twilight" series yet, get it! I have to say that way back when the second book of the series came out, it lacked a little something, but "Breaking Dawn" made up for that disappointment! There are some crazy plot twists that make it impossible to put this page-turner down!

Breaking Dawn (The Twilight Saga, Book 4)-Hardcover
Breaking Dawn (The Twilight Saga Book 4)-Kindle Edition

Yep. This is for chicks! Let's face it, if you could honestly get your guy to read this book, chances are you don't need it! It's a GREAT relationship workbook in many ways if you can get past some of the repetitiveness. Ideally, you would both read the book and make the changes together, but maybe after he sees some of the changes he might be inspired enough to pick it up even if he doesn't want you to SEE him pick it up! We can dream, right? All kidding aside, commit to the little changes in this book and I can't see how it wouldn't work. Marriage is about committment, right? =p On a side note, my Kleenex and I CAN'T WAIT for Fireproof to hit the theaters!

The Love Dare-Paperback
The Love Dare-Kindle Edition

From Publishers Weekly
Elected the first black president of the Harvard Law Review, Obama was offered a book contract, but the intellectual journey he planned to recount became instead this poignant, probing memoir of an unusual life. Born in 1961 to a white American woman and a black Kenyan student, Obama was reared in Hawaii by his mother and her parents, his father having left for further study and a return home to Africa. So Obama's not-unhappy youth is nevertheless a lonely voyage to racial identity, tensions in school, struggling with black literature?with one month-long visit when he was 10 from his commanding father. After college, Obama became a community organizer in Chicago. He slowly found place and purpose among folks of similar hue but different memory, winning enough small victories to commit himself to the work?he's now a civil rights lawyer there. Before going to law school, he finally visited Kenya; with his father dead, he still confronted obligation and loss, and found wellsprings of love and attachment. Obama leaves some lingering questions?his mother is virtually absent?but still has written a resonant book. Photos not seen by PW. Author tour.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

First of all, THANK YOU KRISTY FOR SHARING THIS! Ok politics aside, this book was such an inspiring memoir that took me by surprise! Let's keep in mind that this was written WAY before his political campaign began, so we might do well to think of it as simply a successful black man's memoir. It could be that I was able to identify with many of his struggles being a minority myself (a double minority at that in the corporate world! An Asian WOMAN!), or it could be that I'm a hopeless sap. Either way, this book deserves more attention! Dare I say it? Oprah might need to start promoting it!

Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance-Paperback
Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance-Kindle Edition