Wednesday, June 10, 2015

Top Ten Books

So, Felicity shared a top ten list of her favorite movies, and so in order to not seems a copy-cat, I will share a list of my favorite books. ;)
 Just keep in mind that it may change a little over time.
 

10. Anne of Green Gables


Nearly everyone who loves classics has read about the beloved redhead from the small town of Avonlea on the beautiful and enchanting Prince Edward Island.
I always loved the movies, and when I was older, I fell in love with the books as well.
The adventures of Anne are so innocent and funny, with some sadness along the way, like the time she dyes her hair, or when her and Marilla lose their beloved Matthew.
There is such an air of happiness in the books, in a time when life was slower, and more peaceful.
I love this book!
 

                                                  


9. Candle in the Darkness


Candle in the Darkness is actually part of a series by Lynn Austin, but this one is my ultimate favorite.
It takes place during the Civil War, and is centered around a young girl living in the South on a plantation.
Caroline’s father is a slave owner, and everyone around the girl believes deeply in the South’s cause.
Even her beau is a strong Confederate.
Yet, Caroline believes in a Heavenly Father who created all men equal, with rights and freedoms. Her love for the Negros causes her to be called ‘that strange one’.
In a vital moment, she has to decide between her family and loved ones, or the beliefs that God has convicted in her heart.
A deeply emotional story, filled with sadness and turmoil. One of my all-time favorites!
                                 

 

 

 

      

8. Heart of India Series:  #1"Silk", #2 "Under Eastern Stars" and #3 "Kingscote"

Angry Hindus, mysterious abduction, and even a death at sea. All from the exciting series by Linda Chaikin!
I have always loved India and Arabia, so this series was really intriguing for me.
It is three books in all.
 It takes place in India on an English silk plantation with a young silk heiress as the main character. She takes in an orphaned native child, and then the drama begins when he is believed to be murdered. The girl doesn't believe this to be true and begins a search for her child, while also trying to start a school and mission for the natives.
There are some political things in the books that are over my head, but it is still an interesting Christian mystery, with a clean love story. Cobras, poisonous spiders and tigers are featured in some intense scenes, along with a few crocodiles and even trained crows.
 Although it has some action, it isn't really a boy's book, and even some girls found it boring, but I really enjoyed the series. I would definitely recommend to anyone who likes a long mystery!


 
 
 
7. Queen of the Home

Queen of the Home is a book filled with poems, essays, and speeches on Biblical womanhood and feminine beauty.
I asked for this book for Christmas on whim, not really sure what it would be like, or if I would even like it.

I read it and loved it!
There are beautiful paintings at the beginning of each chapter, and it is filled with lovely poems on mothers, woman, and godly beauty.

Definitely a book worth reading, for old and young woman alike. Inspiring!

 

 

 
6. Sherlock Holmes
 

Ah, Sherlock Holmes.
The first thing that comes to mind when someone says that name, is a thin-faced man sitting a cozy chair by the fireplace, a pipe between his lips, as he contemplates his latest gruesome case.
Criminals can never get past this man with a sharp eye and mystifying mind.
Filled with danger, suspense, and humor, the complete, unabridged collection of Sherlock Holmes is by far the best mystery series I have ever read.
Snakes, lions, poison, murder; I could go on and on, but I won’t ruin it for you. Read it yourself! :)
 
 

                                                   
 
5. Abraham Lincoln: Heartwarming Stories of our Most Beloved President

I actually purchased this book for my dad one Christmas. He is a history buff like me, so I thought he would be interested.
He loved it and so did I.

The author did deep research, and read eyewitness accounts of the wonderful President, so I felt I could believe most of his words.

It is such a beautiful picture of my favorite President, filled with humor and sadness.

I cried numerous times while reading it, and chuckled at some of the jokes Lincoln told.

Anyone who loves Lincoln should read this book!

 

 
 
 
4. Little Woman
 
Little Woman was a lovely book to add to my shelf.
 Nearly everyone knows the story Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy.
But reading the unabridged version, I got a much deeper, emotional picture of the March sisters.
 I was happily surprised at the amount of times God and Christ were mentioned in the story, and was completely swept away into the world of Jo and her sisters.
 There is a little bit of all of us in each sister, and I could relate to the characters.
Meg is sweet and proper, respectful and polite, yet has a weakness for fine things and struggles to be content with her poor lifestyle.
Jo is happy, cheerful and fun, while she struggles to be the feminine woman God meant her to be, battles her fiery temper constantly, and hates change deeply.
Beth. Sweet, dear little Beth.
 Who can forget the seemingly perfect younger sister, with her gentle voice and quiet nature?
Even Beth has her faults, though, as she struggles with her shyness and fear of people, preferring to hide herself away in her home with her beloved piano.
 Amy, the youngest girl, is pretty and sweet when she wants to be, although she is slightly spoiled and selfish, while being much too self-conscience about her nose and looks.
 All in all, it is a book I always enjoy, and a great novel for girls!
 
 

3. The Inner Life of Abraham Lincoln: Six Months in the White House

This book was written in 1866, one year after our beloved President was killed by Booth's bullet.
 The author was a painter who had stayed at the White House with the President for six months (hence the name) painting the famous signing of the Emancipation Proclamation.
 He tells of his time with Lincoln, his daily routine in office, and of his guests and Cabinet member in the White House.
 He writes of watching the President pardon soldiers, shake hands with thousands at a time, and most of all, he writes of watching Lincoln walk sadly through the great halls of the White House, his tall frame bent as he mused over the crisis of the Nation.
 It is a truly beautiful picture of my hero and I enjoyed it greatly.
A ten star for sure!


2. The Daybreakers
(sorry for the small picture)

Now if you're a Louis L'Amour lover, you'd know that you simply can't pick one of his books as your favorite.
 Shalako, Borden Chantry, To Tame a Land, Bendigo Shafter, Ride the River, Lonesome Gods....
I have over dozens of the I could name off, and that would more than fill up my whole list.
 So I thought I'd just pick one to tell you about.
The Daybreakers has always been one of my favorites since the very beginning of my Louis L'Amour days.
 Tyrel Sackett is one of my favorite Sacketts, and his love story is just the cutest ever!
When he shoots Long Higgins in order to save his brother Orrin, Tyrel as to leave his home in the mountains at the age of eighteen.
 Big brother Orrin joins him, and together they ride the range, fighting white and red savages, rounding cattle, and helping people in need.
 Along the way, Tyrel meets Drusilla, a young Spanish girl living with her grandfather, and they fall in love.
 Full of action, it is an awesome Sackett book, and the parts with Tom Sunday are sad, changing it from a typical western to a more emotional and exciting novel.
 Louis L'Amour beats any other western writer out there!

 
 
 
1. Uncle Tom's Cabin
 
Now we come to number one.
 This book is truly a wonderful work of art, and I can understand when it is referred to as 'the book that started the war'.
 I cried many times reading it for the first time.
Uncle Tom is such a sweet person, with a simple, yet unwavering faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
 He goes through so many trials in the book, and I hurt so deeply for him, as I did for all the other slave characters.
 Little Eva is another wonderful person in this book, and when she died, I felt as if the world had lost their only ray of sunshine.
 It accurately shows the horrors of slavery in a complete different light than most books do today.
Not only does it show the physical tortures that the slaves endured, it also shows the emotional and spiritual tortures the poor blacks had to endure.
 There were so many times in the book when I wanted to beat the slaver owners' with their own whips.
 Yet Uncle Tom forgives them all, every time, and even prays for their souls as he lays bleeding and wounded on his pallet at night.
 He is a beautiful picture of what we all should strive to be.
  A story of forgiveness and faith, and a good read when you really want to cry! ;)
 
 
 
Well, there you are. I love reading, so I have dozens and dozens of favorite books, but this is just a short list of some that I enjoy.
 I hope you'll try to read them sometime!
                                                                    God Bless,
                                                                                         LaKaysha
 



 
 
 

 


Tuesday, June 2, 2015

What Is Beauty?

I am a girl who loves feeling pretty. I adore dressing up in nice clothes, curling my hair, and feeling like I at least tried to accomplish looking neat and feminine.
 I struggle with my looks a lot of the time, feeling homely and insecure, especially now that I have glasses. If anything makes you feel unfeminine, glasses would be my number one.
 But I know that it isn't our outward beauty that matters, but a much deeper beauty, one that a lot of people in the world can't understand. 

Let's say there are two girls sitting side by side.
Both are dressed in nice, pretty clothes, and have their hair dressed in a feminine style.
 One is sitting with her hands clasped in front of her, avoiding eye contact with the passing people and sometimes flipping open her phone when she finished complaining to her friend.
She is a very pretty girl, with rosy cheeks and perfect skin, and not a hair out of place.
 The other is listening respectfully and quietly as she sits with an air of serenity and pure contentment. Her nose seems a little large for her face, and she had a small splash of acne on her cheeks.
  An elderly woman stops beside them, addressing both, asking for directions for a certain destination.
 The girl with the phone rolls her eyes and pretends she hasn't heard, bending farther over her phone.
The other sets her book down with a smile, happily giving the woman directions and wishing her a good day.
 The elderly woman leaves thinking the young girl the most loveliest thing in the world, while she thinks of the other girl with a disbelieving shake of her head.
And now, the same girls went to a party at a friend's house.
 One comes in with a sweet smile, the room instantly filling with a gay air as she enters.
She greets her young friends, sweetly and politely addresses the parents there, and all the children instantly run to the young woman, their arms outstretched.
And then the other girl enters the room.
 She has disposed of her phone for now, yet it hasn't seemed to make any difference.
She snubs the adults, sits down beside her friends ready to let loose her latest complaint, all done with a sneering, haughty look on her physically pretty face.
 She suddenly doesn't look so pretty anymore. She is vain, deceitful, uncaring, selfish, and unhappy.
Which one do you want to be?

One girl was sweet, happy, loving, understanding, and respectful.
The other had an air of annoyance and arrogance.
 Even though the sweet one didn't have the porcelain beauty of her friend, she truly looked prettier, the smile on her face lighting up her gentle eyes.
Beauty isn't what the media says it is.
 It isn't large eyes with dark eyelashes, and powdered eyelids.
It isn't rosy red lips, and even white teeth.
It isn't long glossy hair and the ability to toss your head like a movie star.
 No, it isn't even a dainty nose that makes one beautiful.
 It's the beauty of Christ, shining from inside us, that is truly important.
Love, joy, peace, kindness, gentleness, these are all true beauty, the beauty that is from God.
 Walking in a happy, yet humble way, spreading Christ's love in word and action.
Christ thinks we are all beautiful, no matter our age, race, or physical appearance.
 I must confess, that I should practice what I preach, considering how many times I have complained to others how ugly I am.
 I guess it is something all girls struggle with.
Yet, believe it or not, I am more insecure about my character and inward appearance than I am about what I look like.
 I am striving to be a virtuous young woman, and it can be hard struggle for all of us.
 Praying for all young woman like me, who long for different kind of beauty, something so much more.
 God bless!
                                                    LaKaysha E