Laura’s Imperfect Blog

That Went Well: Adventures in Caring for My Sister by Terrell Harris Dougan

I started getting an RSS feed of new books added at the library. This was added in the large print area and I thought it sounded interesting. Over the next day or two the title just stayed with me, I LOVE this title and decided I really wanted to read the book. I am so glad I did. It is a nonfiction story about living with and trying to find the right way to take care of a mentally disabled sibling over a lifetime.

The whole story, the little stories that make up the whole, the coming of age and then aging stories were all well written and I enjoyed the book immensely. We meed Terrell and watch her growing up and learning who she wants to be. We also meet her younger sister Irene who is not right and never will be normal (but how many of us are really normal), but who is easy to love. It starts with a flying packaged chicken and keeps right on going. The story shows what family means, how thinks keep changing, and how little turns out like we plan. But you make it through and sometimes all you can say is “that went well.”

The other library book I had was Consequences of Sin by Clare Langley-Hawthorne

I read a review or saw a comment on a thread on Library Thing about this one and decided to give it a try. I like mysteries and have enjoyed other early 20th century England stories, especially the Maisie Dobb’s books and I believe one of the reviews even compared them favorably. I found the story predictable, but it was still interesting. As with the Maisie Dobb’s books, this attempts to show the early suffragette struggle and how alternative lifestyles were not completely unheard of, even if not accepted. The writing is good. I was a little tired of all the swooning and fuzzy memories, but that is my fault. I remember the time I was rear-ended, not even a serious accident, and I was a bit fuzzy on details. So I imagine being hit on the head, shot at, or in a physical fight with a killer would lead to some shock-induced fuzz.

I also imagine the confict of having well-meaning society expectations, parental hopes, and individual dreams and hopes was a very trying thing when women didn’t do anything but marry well (measured by money more than anything else). All of that is captured in this book.

Yep, another month has rolled by.

What do I plan to read this coming month?

Fiction:

• Around the World in 80 Days for the 5M4B Classics Bookclub
• The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd – church book club
• Consequences of Sin – library book
• Sworn to Silence by Linda Castillo (an advance readers’ edition, it’s coming out June 2009)

Nonfiction:

• That Went Well  – library book, I just loved the title
• Finally Alive by John Piper (almost finished)
• Not Knowing Where by Oswald Chambers (almost finished)
• Believing God by RC Sproul Jr (I read the first chapter, I like it)
• The Hole In Our Gospel by Richard Stearns (Thomas Nelson Bloggers freebie)
• Spiritual Disciplines – the audio book for March

Now, progress check on last month’s list and any extras that popped up.

• Les Miserables – well, I finished the first volume and haven’t gotten back to it. I want to, but we traveled and this is not a book that travels well.
• Christianity in Crisis: 21st Century – I did finish this one and found it very interesting.
• honey, i don’t have a headache tonight by Sheila Wray Gregoire – haven’t gotten to this one yet.
• Not Knowing Where by Oswald Chambers – I’ve almost finished this one – I am liking it a lot!
• Your God is Too Small by J. B. Phillips – I haven’t gotten to this one yet

I did finish the Audio book – Not For Sale by David Batstone, this was a very convicting book. I am about 1/2 way through the March audiobook Spiritual Disciplines by Donald Whitney. There is a new one free every month at Christian Audio.

I also read a few others. Going Postal by Terry Pratchett, Same Kind of Different As Me by Ron Hall and Denver Moore, Kiss by Ted Dekker, Emily of New Moon by LM Montgomery, Get Outta My Face by Rick Horne, and Cyrano De Bergerac by Edmond Rostand.