This Year's Resolutions

Well, here it is Advent, and that means it is time for my New Year's  resolutions.

As my regular readers know, I don't like to make a whole long laundry list;  I keep it short.

So what are this year's resolutions?

1: I will listen to, and sing, more hymns, and more praise and worship songs, both traditional and contemporary.

2: I will read at least one work of historical fiction every week.  The book chosen shall be set no later than 1900, and will not have been contemporary when first written.

Books Read In The Past Week

Books read for the first time are marked with a #

Books are listed by author (or series creator),
 and not necessarily in the order read.

"Mother Angelica's Private

and Pithy Lessons from the Scriptures" #

introduced and edited by Raymond Arroyo

reserved for Sunday

"Secrets  (Brookville C.C. No 4)"

"Friends Forever  (Brookville C.C. No 5)"

by Tziporah Elian

[children's/young teen fiction, Jewish, series]

"The Yada Yada Prayer Group Gets Tough"

"The Yada Yada Prayer Group Gets Caught"
by Neta Jackson
[Religious fiction, series, Protestant, multi-denominational and non-denominational]

(I figured out why the Yada Yada books 

appeal to me. It's in this post.)

This time around, I'm also going
to read ALL of the spin-offs

"What Do You Say, Dear?"
by Sesyle Joslin
[picture book]
(openlibrary.org loan)
First time I've read this in years.
I forgot how funny it is.

"Every Day Is A Gift

Minute Meditations for Every Day
Taken From the Holy Bible
and the Writings of the Saints"
Introduction by Rev. Frederick Schroeder 
 daily devotional reading for 2016 

"Blueberry Muffins: Everyday Stories of God's Love"

by Colleen Spiro

[nonfiction]

(Kindle book)

reserved for Sunday

"Walden"

by Henry David Thoreau
[nonfiction]

Books Read In The Past Week

Books read for the first time are marked with a #

Books are listed by author (or series creator),
 and not necessarily in the order read.

"Mother Angelica's Private

and Pithy Lessons from the Scriptures" #

introduced and edited by Raymond Arroyo

reserved for Sunday

"Secrets  (Brookville C.C. No 4)"

by Tziporah Elian

[children's/young teen fiction, Jewish, series]

"The Yada Yada Prayer Group Gets Down"

"The Yada Yada Prayer Group Gets Real"
by Neta Jackson
[Religious fiction, series, Protestant, multi-denominational and non-denominational]

(I figured out why the Yada Yada books 

appeal to me. It's in this post.)

This time around, I'm also going
to read ALL of the spin-offs

"Every Day Is A Gift

Minute Meditations for Every Day
Taken From the Holy Bible
and the Writings of the Saints"
Introduction by Rev. Frederick Schroeder 
 daily devotional reading for 2016 

"Blueberry Muffins: Everyday Stories of God's Love"

by Colleen Spiro

[nonfiction]
(Kindle book)

reserved for Sunday

"Walden"

by Henry David Thoreau
[nonfiction]

A Bible-Reading System That Works For Me

After some trial-and-error... mostly error... I've finally found a Bible-reading system that works for me.

First of all, here are the things that I'm not doing this time around:

1: I'm not trying to read the entire Bible within a set time period.

2: I'm not reading the Bible from cover to cover.

3: I'm not following a prescribed reading list, program, or chart.

This is what I am doing:

1: I'm reading the Bible by type of book. Right now I'm doing St. Paul's Epistles (I'm reading Romans at this time; next will come 1st Corinthians.)

2: In addition to reading the Bible by type of book, I'm reading 

the Psalms, about 1/2 column a day.  And before I go to bed at night, I select and read a Gospel passage.

3: I'm using four translations.  They are, in alphabetical order:

The Contemporary English Version

The Good News Bible

The New American Bible

The Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition

these Bibles are side-by-side in a large red shoe box.

I find that using several translations gives me a deeper understanding of, and insight into, the Scriptures, and also makes me think more about what I'm reading, and how it relates to me personally.

Books Read In The Past Week

Books read for the first time are marked with a #

Books are listed by author (or series creator),
 and not necessarily in the order read.

"Mother Angelica's Private

and Pithy Lessons from the Scriptures" #

introduced and edited by Raymond Arroyo

reserved for Sunday

"Colonial Days In Old New York" #
by Alice Morse Earle
[nonfiction]
(free online book)

"Devori's Day  (Brookville C.C. No 2)"

"Double Trouble  (Brookville C.C. No 3)"
by Tziporah Elian

[children's/young teen fiction, Jewish, series]

"Savta Simcha and the Incredible Shabbos  Bag" #
by Yaffa Ganz
[children's fiction, Jewish]
(openlibrary.org loan)

"The Yada Yada Prayer Group"
"The Yada Yada Prayer Group Gets Down"
by Neta Jackson
[Religious fiction, series, Protestant, multi-denominational and non-denominational]

(I figured out why the Yada Yada books 

appeal to me. It's in this post.)

This time around, I'm also going
to read ALL of the spin-offs

"Every Day Is A Gift

Minute Meditations for Every Day
Taken From the Holy Bible
and the Writings of the Saints"
Introduction by Rev. Frederick Schroeder 
 daily devotional reading for 2016 

"Walden"
by Henry David Thoreau
[nonfiction]

Books Read In The Past Week

Books read for the first time are marked with a #

Books are listed by author (or series creator),
 and not necessarily in the order read.

"Rose In Bloom"

by Louisa May Alcott

[fiction]

"Mother Angelica's Private

and Pithy Lessons from the Scriptures" #

introduced and edited by Raymond Arroyo

reserved for Sunday

"Complete French Course" #
by Maro S. Brooks
[nonfiction]
(free online book)

"Symbolic Logic" #
by Lewis Carroll
[nonfiction] 
(free online book)

"Windfall Fiddle" #
by Carl Carmer
[children's fiction] 
(openlibrary.org loan)

"Colonial Days In Old New York" #
by Alice Morse Earle
[nonfiction]
(free online book)

"Getting Started (Brookville C.C. No 1)"
by Tziporah Elian

children's/young teen fiction, Jewish, series]

"Class-ified Information: Baila"

by M. C. Millman
[children's/young teen fiction, Jewish, series]

"Every Day Is A Gift

Minute Meditations for Every Day
Taken From the Holy Bible
and the Writings of the Saints"
Introduction by Rev. Frederick Schroeder 
 daily devotional reading for 2016 

"Walden"
by Henry David Thoreau
[nonfiction]