just for fun: book-ish quizzes

I happened upon a book quiz the other day, and, well, my productivity went downhill from there. Bored? Pick a quiz and share your score--mine are pretty easy to beat! :)

General
Are you as well-read as a 12th grader?
--my score: "a few books short of a full shelf (0-35)"
Young adults books quiz: Can you match the quote to the book?
--my score: 81%
Think you're well-read? Take our World Lit quiz
--my score: 42%

To Liv From the Ruin

by Adrienne Stewart Patton

Adrienne has created her own genre here, so much so that I hardly know how to begin to describe this book. It's an allegorical Christian fantasy, I suppose, with a touch of dystopian. I kept losing myself in the story, falling in love with the characters, but this is a thinking book, and I had to continually pull myself back (dig deeper in?) to  see the bigger picture. I'm still chewing on it.

When Liv Raines was six years old, she imagined within herself a world inhabited by the personified Pieces of her soul. The reader enters this landscape four years later, when Liv suffers an unknown tragedy and the Pieces are left in darkness and chaos. Liv's struggle is told through their story, as they work together to find Liv and bring her back, and to learn what that all means.

Blog Tour: Rain by Kathryn Hewitt

For every decision made there is a consequence that is certain to follow. Whether the consequence is beneficial or distressing, it must exist. 

Rain continues the story of Ruth three and a half years after the miraculous event that changed her life forever. Now a mother of a toddler, Ruth is found moving herself back in to the college dormitory for the second year.

Feeling as though she isn’t worth the love of a good man, Ruth sabotages her relationship with James; the man she believes is her one true soul mate. Unable to accept his love and grace, she sends him away believing it is the right thing to do. But Ruth has much to learn about love and grace. Like she felt with James, so she feels about her faith; undeserved and unworthy.

how to get free Christian books

I just discovered a new way to get free books, one that does not require owning a blog to participate. Tyndale has a reward program that allows participants to earn points by completing surveys, signing up for newsletters, and inviting friends. Accumulated points may be exchanged for free books or Bibles, but only from a select list. Though I've just recently signed up I already ordered a book for only 50 points. Of course, since shipping requires a few weeks, I can't really say anything about their delivery system yet.

Interested? Click on the link below and get 25 points just for signing up (and I get 10 points for recruiting you--thanks)!

www.tyndalerewards.com/signup/?pc=pni0-evt0-1hoj-3fl5

If you do have a blog, some options for getting free books for review include Blogging for Books and BookCrash, both of which provide ebooks as well as good ol' print copies. I have enjoyed participating in both of these programs--all you have to do is sign up, request a book and post a review within the required time frame. Again, you can only choose from a select list, but hey, you get free books!

remember when

Do you remember
when we were young and unafraid?
It was only a year ago, or two,
when all our idealistic
dreams and goals
had no boundaries, knew no walls.
Yet here we sit, enslaved by money,
confusing happiness with complacency.