2016 Reading Challenge - September Update

Nine months completed and now we are getting to the point in the reading challenge where we are really having to pick a book for the category, rather than taking a book we want to read and finding a category for it. This is the first month that I have had a book I really wanted to read and it did not fit anywhere (except the Extra Credit, so lets see if we make it there!) It wasn’t our best month for numbers, but we’ve got several books half-read on the back burner. I love how our bookshelf is filling up! As it gets fuller, I did feel like the graphic needed some tweaking. Can you spot the differences?

Julie
Pakistan : A Personal History by Imran Khan (A book about a country or city) - I enjoyed this book mostly for the amount of information that I never knew. There were a lot of "humble brags" and in many instances I felt like I was just getting half the story, but that was mostly in regards to his personal journey than the history of the country. He honestly exposed much of the corrupt political activity, which he has worked against throughout his own political career. It helped me to understand even more greatly the affects of post-colonialism, which we have also seen in other parts of Asia, although it took on unique elements being a Muslim country. I was most intrigued by his description and explanation of the native people who inhabited the remote areas where much of al Queda hid post-911. It certainly brought a different perspective.

Who Made God? by Edgar Andrews (A Book about Science) - Since it has been around 12 years since I have taken any sort of science class, the first couple of chapters left me wondering how I would make it through the whole thing, even as he attempted to use really basic analogies. I guess my mind founds its way and by the middle of the book I was tracking with him more easily. It made me all that much more impressed with creation and confident that science neither has or could disprove the existence of God. 

Why Fonts Matter by Sarah Hyndman (A Book about Art) - I really wanted to read at least one book about Graphic Design, and of course, I love typography. This is the first real tangible book that I have purchased for the reading challenge, but it just didn’t seem right to read on the Kindle. You can check out my book review of it here.

Luke
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis (A Book by or about C.S. Lewis) - I can't believe I held out this long to read this book. You would think this was standard reading for a boy growing up in the church and Christian schools. But I actually was able to read it for the first time to my children. And it was worth the wait! Loved the simplicity and the complexity of the book. It was neither too easy of a parallel, nor was it so hard to find. The balance that Lewis stuck was spot on. And he was descriptive in just the right ways. How he described Aslan's death and resurrection with the girl's reaction was splendid. What a joy to read.