Top Ten Fiction Books 2013

Top Ten Fiction Books 2013

1. Game - I Hunt Killers # 2 - Barry Lyga

2. Doll Bones - Holly Black 

3. Crush. Candy. Corpse - Sylvia McNicoll 

4. Damage - Stephen Shea - aka Arthur Slade

5. Rapunzel Let Down - Fairy Tale Retold #6 - Regina Doman

6. Bookmark Days - Scot Gardner 

7. The Not So Simple Life - Stephen Shea - aka Arthur Slade

8. Tin Star - Cecil Castellucci

9. Coldest Girl in Coldtown - Holly Black

10. Johnny Hangtime - Dan Gutman 

11. The Testing #1 - Joelle Charbonneau 


Relates Posts: 
Top 10 Fiction Books 1st Quarter 2010
Top 10 Fiction Books 2nd Quarter 2010
Top 10 Reading Goals for 2010
Top 10 Fiction Books 3rd Quarter 2010
Top 10 Fiction Books 4th Quarter 2010
Top Ten Reading Goals For 2010 - Recap
Top 10 Fiction Books 2010
Top 10 Picture Books of 2010
Top 10 Non-Fiction Books of 2010
Top 10 Graphic Novels for 2010
Top Ten Reading Goals For 2011 
Top Ten Fiction Books 1st Quarter 2011
Top Ten Fiction Books 2nd Quarter 2011
Top Ten Reading Goals for 2011 Update 
Top Ten Fiction Books 3rd Quarter 2011 
Top Ten Fictions Books 4th Quarter 2011
Top Ten Fiction Books 2011
Top Ten Reading Goals 2011 - Recap
Top Ten Reading Goals 2012
Top Ten Fiction Books 1st Quarter 2012
Top Ten Fiction Books 2nd Quarter 2012
Top Ten Fiction Books 3rd Quarter 2012
Top Ten Fiction Books  4th Quarter 2012
Top Ten Fiction Books 2012
Top Ten Non-Fiction Books 2012
Top Ten Reading Goals 2012 - Recap
Top Ten Reading Goals 2013
Top 10 Fiction Books 1st Quarter 2013
Top 10 Fiction Books 2nd Quarter 2013
Top 10 Books Second Half 2013
Top Ten Fiction Books 2013
Top Ten Non-Fiction Books 2013 
Top Ten Books First Quarter 2014
Top Ten Books Second Quarter 2014
Top Ten Books Third Quarter 2014
Top Ten Books Fourth Quarter 2014
Top Ten Fiction Books 2014
Top Ten Non-Fiction Books 2014
Top Ten Books Second Quarter 2015
Top Ten Books Third Quarter 2015

All Top Ten Lists on Book Reviews and More

Statistics Books Read By Year: 
88 -  2013
176 - 2012 
163 - 2011
302 - 2010
142 - 2009
98 - 2008
83 - 2007
191 - 2006
151 - 2005
60 - 2004
52 - 2003
97 - 2002
50 - 2001
41 - 2000
71 - 1999
73 - 1998
131 - 1997
101 - 1996

Top 10 Books Second Half 2013

Top 10 Books Second Half 2013

1. Redacted

2. Wheat Belly: Lose the Wheat, Lose the Weight, and Find Your Path Back to Health - William Davis 

3. Rapunzel Let Down - Fairy Tale Retold #6 - Regina Doman

4. Death by Living - N.D. Wilson

5. Tin Star - Cecil Castellucci

6. Coldest Girl in Coldtown - Holly Black

7. Independent Study - The Testing #2 - Joelle Charbonneau

8. The Forbidden Stone - The Copernicus Legacy 1 - Tony Abbott

9. The Circle Maker For Kids: One Prayer Can Change Everything - Mark Batterson and Antonio Javier Capara

10. Bane Chronicles - Cassandra Clare et all 
The Midnight Heir - The Rise of Hotel Dumort - Saving Raphael Santiago - The Fall of Hotel Dumort

(Reviews will follow over next month or so.)

Relates Posts: 
Top 10 Fiction Books 1st Quarter 2010
Top 10 Fiction Books 2nd Quarter 2010
Top 10 Reading Goals for 2010
Top 10 Fiction Books 3rd Quarter 2010
Top 10 Fiction Books 4th Quarter 2010
Top Ten Reading Goals For 2010 - Recap
 Top 10 Fiction Books 2010
Top 10 Picture Books of 2010
Top 10 Non-Fiction Books of 2010
Top 10 Graphic Novels for 2010
Top Ten Reading Goals For 2011 
Top Ten Fiction Books 1st Quarter 2011
Top Ten Fiction Books 2nd Quarter 2011
Top Ten Reading Goals for 2011 Update 
Top Ten Fiction Books 3rd Quarter 2011 
Top Ten Fictions Books 4th Quarter 2011
Top Ten Fiction Books 2011
Top Ten Reading Goals 2011 - Recap
Top Ten Reading Goals 2012
Top Ten Fiction Books 1st Quarter 2012
Top Ten Fiction Books 2nd Quarter 2012
Top Ten Fiction Books 3rd Quarter 2012
Top Ten Fiction Books  4th Quarter 2012
Top Ten Fiction Books 2012
Top Ten Non-Fiction Books 2012
Top Ten Reading Goals 2012 - Recap
Top Ten Reading Goals 2013
Top 10 Fiction Books 1st Quarter 2013
Top 10 Fiction Books 2nd Quarter 2013
Top 10 Books Second Half 2013
Top Ten Fiction Books 2013
Top Ten Non-Fiction Books 2013 
Top Ten Books First Quarter 2014
Top Ten Books Second Quarter 2014
Top Ten Books Third Quarter 2014
Top Ten Books Fourth Quarter 2014
Top Ten Fiction Books 2014
Top Ten Non-Fiction Books 2014
Top Ten Books Second Quarter 2015
Top Ten Books Third Quarter 2015

All Top Ten Lists on Book Reviews and More

Statistics Books Read By Year: 
88 -  2013
176 - 2012 
163 - 2011
302 - 2010
142 - 2009
98 - 2008
83 - 2007
191 - 2006
151 - 2005
60 - 2004
52 - 2003
97 - 2002
50 - 2001
41 - 2000
71 - 1999
73 - 1998
131 - 1997
101 - 1996

A Chance Encounter, Prayer and Life

A Chance Encounter, Prayer and Life

A few days ago I was donating blood at Canadian Blood Services I had an interesting conversation with three young people after donating. And by young people I mean early to mid 20's. During the conversation I found out historically they are from Wolfe Island, which is near Kingston. One young man David is studying for the priesthood. I asked for his name so I could add it to my prayer list. I have found myself praying for David's studies and his ministry often over the last few days and reflecting back on life. Five years ago I wrote an article called Life, the University and Everything reflections on 20 years as an undergrad. For back in 1989 when I first started at Queen's University I too was studying for the priesthood. A lot has happened in the last 25 years, a lot has happened in the last year.

First it has been a very inconsistent year for writing. I find that with three children 7 and under I am not reading or writing as much as I did. And also with 2 promotions at work in under a year and all the new responsibilities that involved. Over the past 18 months I have done 4 virtual class room courses, 6 self-paced courses, 3 self-study book courses and 7 certification exams. So now I find that time is now limited. But that being said I am setting more modest goals for 2014. I am going to aim for 2 blog posts a week instead of three plus. Six years ago I had the chance to donate bone marrow through the Unrelated Bone Marrow Donor registry (now One Match). We found out that the recipient has succumbed, but he was very thankful for the 5 extra years of life with his friends and family. Over the years I thought about and prayed for Guy often, once we were in contact I usually got an email at Christmas and on the anniversary of the donation. You can read his side of the experience of receiving bone marrow here. This past October we lost my Father in Law. Kerry never said a lot but when he did I always paid attention. I miss him, and this first Christmas without him was harder than I expected. So I have been reflecting on what I pray about, who I pray for. What I focus my energy and time on and who.

Over the last few years my prayer life has really expanded again. I have started keeping a prayer list, people and things I pray about. Recently I received a prayer request from a friend who has adopted 2 boys, the boys little sister is now in the system but cannot yet be adopted. Praying for that to happen. Praying for David mentioned above. Praying for a friend who was accused of something they did not do and the immense impact it is having on his family. Praying for another friend named Eric, kept being woken up early to pray for these two specifically. Praying for another friend Hawk\David who in November was walking again after a few years in a wheel chair; defying all odds. Praying for my children and for protection of them and wisdom in raising them. I find that now I pray many times throughout the day. I pray when prompted, I pray for who the spirit prompts. I praying first thing in the morning in bed and last thing before going to sleep. Mark Batterson's books, Praying Circles Around Your Children and Draw the Circle the 40 Day Prayer Challenge really changed how I pray. The other book I read this past year that was amazing for prayer was A 40 Day Spiritual Workout For Catholics - Bob Rice it also has a corresponding iOS app.

So with that being said some of my goals for 2014 are:
Pray with more focus
Read a different translation of the bible this year
Finish my DDP Certification
Read 1 book a week
Minimum 1 blog post a week.
…

One of my all-time favorite C.S. Lewis quotes is "Mere change is not growth. Growth is the synthesis of change and continuity, and where there is no continuity there is no growth." The past year has a been a year of much change and I believe much growth. Thank to those who have been support for the journey. And for those I supported thanks for accepting the help I could offer and allowing me to serve. But as I stated at the beginning these thoughts were prompted by meeting a young man, while donating blood, he is studying for the priesthood. His name is David. Please pray for his studies and ministry!

Yours learning to be;
Steven

p.s. As an addendum, have deleted all games from FaceBook, iPad and iPhone in order to be more disciplined and focused in 2014. Starting now.

(Special thanks to Jared Zimmerer author of The Ten Commandments Of Lifting Weights for allowing me to use the image above.)

Merry Christmas 2013

Merry Christmas

From Book Reviews and More.

Hope you have a blessed holiday season, and may you find many good books under the tree, or sent to you device for eReading.