Starting next week, the Summer reading challenge begins and lasts until July 31. The genre is positive literature
Allison, Jay, and Dan Gediman, Eds.
This I Believe. New York: H. Holt, 2006. BD215 .T48 2006
Roberts Reads for 2011-2012
Anthology of personal philosophies of men and women.
Demary, Donald.
Snapshots: The People Called Free Methodists. Winona Lake, Ind.: Light & Life Press, 1985. BX8412 .D45 1985
Dillard, Annie.
An American Childhood. New York: Harper & Row, 1987. PS4553 .I398 Z464 1987
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Pilgrim at Tinker Creek. New York: Bantam Books, 1975. QH81.D56 1975
Hunt, Gladys M.
Does Anyone Here Know God? Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan, 1967. BR1713 .H78
Lamott, Anne.
Plan B: Further Thoughts on Faith. New York: Riverhead Books, 2005.
PS3562.A4645 Z467 2005
---.
Traveling Mercies: Some Thoughts on Faith. New York: Pantheon, 1999.
PS3562.A4645 Z47 1999
Lawrence, Brother.
Practice of the Presence of God. Westwood, N. J.: Revell, 1958. BX2349.H42 1958
Lucado, Max.
No Wonder They Call Him the Savior. New York: Walker & Co., 1995.
BT431.L8 1995
---.
When God Whispers Your Name. Dallas, TX: Word, 1994. BV4501.2.L822 1994
Phillips, J. B.
Your God is Too Small. New York: Macmillan, 1953. BT101 .P48
A positive and challenging look at our cherished beliefs.
Price, Eugenia.
Just as I Am. Philadelphia: Lippincott, 1968. BV4832.2.P7
---.
Unshackled: Stories of Transformed Lives. Chicago: Moody, 1953. BV4930.P7 1953
Seuss.
Oh, the Places You'll Go. New York: Random House, 1990.
Curr Center PZ8.3.G276 Og 1990
Advice in rhyme mainly for adults written with a positive attitude about life.
Fiction
Alcorn, Randy.
Safely Home. Wheaton, Il: Tyndale, 2001. PS3551.L292 S24 2001
"In this soul-stirring story, two college friends reconnect after twenty years--one who is living life apart from God in comfortable corporate America, and the other who is living for Christ under intense persecution in China. Reprint." (Worldcat)
Alexander, Hannah.
Hideaway: A Novel. New York: Steeple Hill, 2003.
PS3551.L35558 H53 2003
"As an E.R. doctor, Cheyenne Allison is used to handling emergencies on a daily basis--until her own sister codes on the trauma bed. Devastated, Cheyenne retreats to an isolated farm in Hideway, Missouri. A dangerous vandal terrorizes the community, and Cheyenne finds an unexpected demand for her medical skills." (Worldcat)
---.
Last Resort. New York: Steeple Hill, 2005. PS3551.L35558 L37 2005b
When her young cousin, twelve-year-old Clarissa Cooper, vanished near her home, leaving behind evidence that she has been abducted by someone close to the family, Noelle Cooper returns to her hometown to help in the search"--Cover(Worldcat)
.Arvin, Reed.
The Wind in the Wheat. Nashville: T. Nelson, 1994. PS3551.R85 W56 1994
A young Kansas farmer goes to Nashville to make it big in Christian music, but he has to face the conflicts between money and ministry and what's important in God's eyes (World Cat)
.
Austin, Lynn.
All She Ever Wanted. Minneapolis: Bethany House, 2005. PS3551.U839 A79 2005
"Lynn Austin presents a tale of family secrets, forgiveness, and reconcilation in the story of three generations of women: Kathleen, her mother, Eleanor, and her grandmother, Fiona. Each woman left home to escape her family's past and to start a new life"--Provided by publisher (WorldCat)
---. Candle in the Darkness. Minneapolis: Bethany House, 2002. PS3551.U839 C36 2002
"Lynn Austin presents a tale of family secrets, forgiveness, and reconcilation in the story of three generations of women: Kathleen, her mother, Eleanor, and her grandmother, Fiona. Each woman left home to escape her family's past and to start a new life"--Provided by publisher.(Worldcat)
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Fire by Night. Minneapolis: Bethany House, 2003. PS3551.U839 F57 2003
One deceived by a life of wealth and ease. The other desperate to flee her true identity. In a land shattered by war, unlikely heroes test the limits of their strength and discover that love has a meaning far beyond their imagination (World Cat)
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Until We Reach Home. Minneapolis: Bethany House, 2008. PS3551.U839 U58 2008
Life in Sweden seems like an endless winter for three sisters after their mother's and father's suicides. Ellin writes to her relatives in Chicago, pleading for help. Joining 16 million other immigrants who leave their homelands for America between 1890 and 1920, Ellin, Kirsten, and Sophia begin the long, difficult journey fraught with hardships. (Worldcat)
Bell, James Scott.
Breach of Promise. Grand Rapids, Michl: Zondervan, 2004. PS3552.E5158 B74 2004
Mark Gillen has the storybook life other men dreamof, complete with a beautiful wife and an adoring five-year-old daughter. Then his wife announces she's leaving him. And taking their daughter with her (Worldcat)
.
Bell, Martin.
The Way of the Wolf: The Gospel in New Images. New York: Seabury, 1988. PZ7.B41154
Short stories
Bentz, Joseph.
Song of Fire. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1995. PS3552. E6 S65 1995
Jeremy finds himself in a war-torn world where music is prohibited (WorldCat)
Bergren, Lisa T. The
Begotten: A Novel of the Gifted. New York: Berkley Praise, 2006.
PS3552.E71938 B44 2006
Paul the Apostle’s life.
Bernanos, Georges.
Diary of a Country Priest. New York: Carroll Graf, 1937.
PQ2603.E5875 J63 1983
Bjorn, Thyra F.
Mama's Way. New York: Rinehart, 1959. PS3552.J6 M3
Blackstock, Terri.
Cape Refuge. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan, 2002.
PS3552.L34285 C37 2002
After Thelma and Wayne Owens, the no-nonsense hosts of a Christian halfway home for ex-convicts and derelicts, are found murdered in their warehouse church, suspicion is cast on the Owens' daughter's husband and on two former residents (Worldcat)
.---.
Evidence of Mercy. Grand Rapids, Mich: Zondervan, 1995. PS3552.L34285 E95 1995
Blackwell, Lawana.
Widow of Larkspur Inn. Minneapolis: Bethany House, 1998.
PS3552.L3429 W53 1998
Julia Hollis learns to depend on God for the daily challenges involved in turning an abandoned coaching inn into a lodging house for affluent people wishing to escape city life. (Worldcat)
Bly, Stephen.
The Senator's Other Daughter. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2001.
PS3552.L93 S46 2001
"Banished from Washington, D.C. by her politically ambitious father, Grace Denison now longs only for a life of peace and seclusion. She just may have found it it Lordsburg, New Mexico, a small railroad town where people hide until the world stops looking." -- Back cover (Worldcat)
Buechner, Frederick.
Godric. New York: Atheneum, 1980. PS3552.U35 G6 1980
Saint Godric
---.
The Son of Laughter. San Francisco: Harper, 1993. PS3552.U35 S67 1993
Jacob (Biblical Character)
---.
The Storm: A Novel. San Francisco: Harper, 1998. PS3552.U35 S76 1998
This haunting novel, enriched by echoes of Shakespeare's "The Tempest", interweaves the themes of love, betrayal, and redemption as two estranged brothers confront each other after many years (Worldcat)
Bush, Beverly.
Wings of a Dove. Dallas: Word, 1996. PS3569.M5114 W5 1996
Prayers and courage see Leslie through the troubles of her life and give her the strength to confront her problems and protect her loved ones (Worldcat)
.
Caldwell, Taylor.
Dear and Glorious Physician. Garden City NY: Doubleday, 1959. PS3505.A364 D4
St. Luke
Carlson, Melody.
Becoming Me: A Novel. Sisters, OR: Multmonah Press, 2000.
Curr Center PZ7.C216637 Di 2000
---.
Fool's Gold: Color Me Consumed. Colorado Springs, CO: Think Books, 2005.
Curr Center PZ7.C216637 Foo 2005
A daughter of missionaries from Papua New Guinea spends the summer in Los Angeles with her cousin and ends up in debt after getting caught up in the consumerism of wealthy surfer life (Worldcat)
.Carlson, Melody, comp.
Storytellers' Collection. Sisters, OR: Multnomah, 2000.
PS658.C43 S77 2000
Short stories
Carter, Betty Smartt.
I Read It in the Wordless Book: A Novel. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Books, 1996.
PS3553.A7733 I2 1996
Crutcher, Chris.
Ironman. New York: Greenwillow, 1995. Curr Center PZ7.C89 Ir 1995
"Bo Brewster refuses to play on the football team and wants to become a triathlete."
Edgerton, Clyde.
Raney. New York: Ballantine, 1997. PS3555.D47 R3 1997
RANEY is the hilarious story of the first two years, two months, and two days of a modern Southern marriage. The bride, Raney Bell, of North Carolina, and the groom, Charles Sheperd, of Atlanta, Georgia, met through their common interest in music. Can this marriage be saved? Stay tuned, for as one of the Bethel, N.C., (Worldcat)
Elliott, Elisabeth.
No Graven Image: A Novel. New York: Harper & Row. PZ4.E452 No
Girzone, Joseph F.
Joshua. New York: Macmillan, 1987. PS3557.I77 J6 1987
When Joshua moves to a small cabin on the edge of town, the local people are first mystified, then confused by his presence. A quiet and simple man, Joshua appears to seek nothing for himself. He supports himself solely by carpentry and woodworking; and he charges very little for his services. A statue of Moses he carves for a synagogue causes amazement and consternation (Worlcat)
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Joshua and the Children. New York: Macmillan, 1989. PS3557.I77 J64 1989
Hatcher, Robin Lee.
Catching Katie. Wheaton, Il: Tyndale, 2003. PS3558.A73574 C38 2003
Having dedicated her life to women's suffrage, Katie Jones of 1916 Idaho avoids marriage, believing that it will compromise her focus, but finds her resolve challenged by her growing feelings for childhood friend Ben Rafferty. (Worldcat)
Holmes, Marjorie.
The Messiah. New York: Harper and Row, 1987. PS3515.O4457 M4 1987
Jenkins, Jerry B.
Hometown Legend. New York: Warner Books, 2001. PS3560.E485 H66 2001
Athens City, Alabama, is a town that lost its heart the day the high school football team lost the state championship & suffered a tragedy. Since that night, the town that once enjoyed superstar status has fallen on hard times. Now, years later, the former coach returns to head up one final season aided by a local who tells the story with a fresh voice. Together, they fight Goliath & learn that love & reconciliation are more important than winning ever could be. It is heartwarming storytelling that Jenkins fans have come to love. (Worldcat)
---.
Youngest Hero. New York: Warner Books, 2002. PS3560.E485 Y68 2002
In this emotional story of parental love, a single mother of a teenage baseball player who exhibits the batting eye of a professional athlete, tries to shield and protect her son from the world of over-zealous scouts, hard-nosed coaches, and money-hungry agents (Worldcat)
.Karon, Jan.
At Home in Mitford. Elgin, IL: Lion, 1994. PS3561.A678 A92 1994
The first book of the Mitford series, establishes the characters and challenges they encounter with deft, humorous touches.
---.
A Common Life: The Wedding Story. New York: Viking, 2001. PS3561.A678 C6 2001
Father Tim's wedding day
Keillor, Garrison.
Lake Wobegon Days. New York: Viking, 1985. PS3561.E3755 L3 1985
Short stories about the town where " all the women are strong, the men are good looking and the children above average."
Kindl, Patrice.
Owl in Love. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1993. Curr Center PZ7.K566 Ow 1993
A fourteen-year-old girl, who can transform herself into an owl at will, discovers interesting new relationships with both humans and owls when she develops a crush on her science teacher
Lamott, Anne.
Imperfect Birds. New York: Riverhead books, 2010. Leisure Reading
PS3562.A645 I67 2010
Rosie Ferguson is seventeen and ready to enjoy the summer before her senior year of high school. But as the school year draws to a close, there are disturbing signs that the life Rosie claims to be leading is a sham, and that Elizabeth's hopes for her daughter to remain immune from the pull of the darker impulses of drugs and alcohol are dashed. Now, Elizabeth is forced to confront the fact that Rosie has been lying (Worldcat)
Landorf, Joyce.
I Came to Love You Late. Old Tappan, NY: Fleming H. Revell, 1977. PS3562.A77 I2
---.
Joseph: A Novel. Old Tappan, N.J.: Fleming H. Refell, 1980. PS3562.A477 J6 1980
A retelling of the story of Joseph
McCusker, Paul.
The Faded Flower: A Novella. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan, 2001.
PS3563.C533 F34 2001
"In a few short hours, Frank's in-control life has spun utterly out of control. Now unexpected changes face him, his father, and the other family members. But as one chapter of life closes for the Reynolds family, they discover that God has already been writing the next." -- Back cover. (Worldcat)
PR6024.O7552 R785 2004
"The story of Rumpole's first client follows the fledgling barrister's participation in the trial of a man accused of murdering his father and a friend with a German pistol, a case that established Rumpole's career." (Worldcat)
Nichols, Linda.
If I Gained the World. Minneapolis: Bethany House, 2003.
PS3564.I2745 I36 2003
Peterson, Tracie.
Controlling Interests. Minneapolis: Bethany House, 1998.
PS3556.E7717 C66 1998
The past has harbored guilt and fear for Denali Deveraux, and she's beginning to think that her attempts to understand her beginnings may be forever shrouded in mystery. Her grandfather has manipulated her life. And her aunts -- the only ones who may possess the truth -- are under the tyrant's control too. Her quest to learn the truth brings her to Dallas where her work for the family design business teams her up with Michael Copeland, a man whose eyes reveal pain. As the pair's work lives and personal lives become entwined, the question emerges: will their quest to uncover the past sacrifice all hope for a future? (Worldcat)
---.
Shadows of the Canyon. Bloomfield, MN: Bethany House, 2002. PS3566.E7717 S53 2002
Working as a Harvey Girl at a Grand Canyon luxury resort, Alexandra Keegan finds her world falling apart when a terrible truth is revealed about her father and her mother is accused of murder (Worldcat)
.
Price, Eugenia.
Before the Darkness Falls. New York: Jove Books, 1990. PS3566.R47 B36 1990
Set in the Civil War era.
Read, Miss.
Fresh from the Country. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1961. PR6069.A2 F7
Rennison, Louis.
Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging. New York: Harper Collins, 2000.
Curr Center PZ7.R29114.An 2000
The diary of a 14 year old girl and her observations about life
Samson, Lisa.
Embrace Me. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2008. PS3569.A46673 E47 2008
Devoid of romantic prospects, Valentine enjoys a deepening friendship with a quadriplegic companion and learns the story of a scarred local with mysterious ties to a traveling circus (Worldcat)
.
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Quaker Summer. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2007. PS3569.A46673 Q35 2007
Heather Curridge is coming unhinged. And people are starting to notice. What's wrong with a woman who has everything--a mansion on a lake, a loving son, a heart-surgeon husband, and soapstone countertops--yet still feels miserable inside? Yet when Heather spends the summer with two ancient Quaker sisters and a crusty nun in a downtown homeless shelter, she suddenly finds herself at a crossroads. (Worldcat)
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Songbird. New York: Warner books, 2003. PS3569.A46673 S6 2003
Hiding her depression from her popular televangelist husband, gospel singer Charmaine Hopewell finds the mentally ill mother who abandoned her and challenges her husband to support her publicly or risk his ministry. (Worldcat)
Seuss,
Dr. Horton Hatches the Egg. New York: Random House, 1968.
Curr Center PZ10.3.G257 Ho
A fable for our time.
Tan, Amy.
The Joy Luck Club. New York: Ivy Books, 1990. PS3570.A58 J6 1990
40 years of sharing among four Chinese mothers and their daughters in San Francisco
Thirkell, Angela.
Miss Bunting. New York: A.A. Knopf, PZ3.T3486 Mi. PZ3.T3486 Mi
Miss Bunting's final summer as a governess in England
Thomas, Rob.
Rats Saw God. New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 1996.
Curr Center PZ7.T36935 Rat 1996
In order to pass English and graduate, Steve York must write a 100 page paper about his life
Thurber, James.
Further Fables for Our Time. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1956. PS35439.H94 F8
---. The
Great Quillow. San Diego: Harcorg Brace Jovanovich, 1994.
Curr Center Oversize PZ8,T45 G4 1994
At only 56 pages, this is not your usual Thurber. Who is the great Quillow and why is he so important?
Tyler, Anne
. A Patchwork Planet. New York: A. A. Knopf, 1991. PS3570.Y45 P38 1991
Although his family thinks he is a failure, Barney Gaitlin reveals a different kind of success
Wallace, Lew. Ben-Hur. New York: Harper & Bros., 1922. PS3134.B4 1922
Counts as 2 books. You may have seen the movie, but have you read the book?
Wangerin, Walter.
Book of the Dun Cow. New York: Harper & Row, 1989.
PS3573.A477 T5 1989
---.
Miz Lil and the Chronicles of Grace. San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1988.
PS3573.A477 M59 1988
Short stories
Wodehouse, P. G.
Indiscretions of Archie. New York: A. L. Burt, 1921. PR6045.O53 I5
---.
The Most of P. G. Wodehouse. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1960. PR6045.O53 M63
As a British humorist of the early 20th century, P. G. Wodehouse is still funny and his observations recall a different era and wittier slant to humor.
Wright, Harold Bell.
God and the Groceryman. New York: A. L. Burt, 1927. PS3545.R45 G6
We do not own a copy of his famous
Shepherd of the Hills.
