Five Fall Favourites // Day Three

Third day of the week already! Hasn't the party been just awesome? :) I think so! Found a lot of books so far, my TBR list is getting bigger ;) What about you?

Now let's get onto the post shall we? Get nice and comfy on your seat (I'm gonna assume you're sitting. Or do you usually stand when you're on the computer? ;)) and prepare for a barrage of books coming your way! 

Biography 

Ever since I was little, I've enjoyed reading about people's lives. Especially missionaries. So don't be surprised if you see mostly missionary biographies here ;) 

Through Gates of Splendor is an account of Jim Elliot, Nate Saint, Pete Fleming, Ed McCully, and Roger Youderian's mission: to preach the gospel to the Aucas. The book outlines the hard effort put into their work, the struggles that the missionaries went through, and the joys they experienced. It also recounts the events following the killing of the men; the long search for the bodies, the widows' never-ending faith in God, and the continuation of Operation Auca. Through Gates of Splendor is a wonderful book that seeks to show the reader the grace and love of God and how He uses men who are "expendable for Christ" to work in His ultimate plan.

I really enjoyed this book! I wasn't just reading an interesting story, I was reading about the life of men who had actually lived and worked for Christ! I've read other biographies on Operation Auca, Jim Elliot, Nate Saint, and their fellow missionaries, but Through Gates of Splendor really helped me to better understand their motives and realize WHY Operation Auca was so important to them. And unlike the other books I've read on them, this one really went all out with sections written by the men themselves. How cool is it to read entries that they wrote during Operation Auca? Talk about first-hand information! And not only that, but pictures too were included in the book. It really helped give an in-depth description of the meetings with the Aucas, the construction of Palm Beach, and personal emotions and feelings that the missionaries had experienced both in difficulties and times of rejoicing. 

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I do believe George Mueller is the first missionary I ever read about. As a result, he's also one of my absolute favourites. The multiple stories of his acts of faith have forever been embedded in my memory! :D 

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Amy Carmichael is one of my absolute favourite missionaries too. (Be prepared to hear that a lot ;)) I love the story of how she prayed to God to change her brown eyes to blue, but years later, looking back at the prayer, she saw that God had used her brown eyes to help her connect more easily with the Indians. That really influenced me to change my thinking and to be thankful for the colour God had given my own eyes and hair :) 

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*gasp* Not a missionary this time! ;) But seriously, this is an amazing book! (Lucy Winchester is based on the life of a real person, but there are some parts that are fictitious)

As a girl, Lucy Winchester yearned for spiritual fellowship and understanding. Her father, however, was a stern backwoodsman who stood foursquare against religion of any sort.

Lucy's lifelong spiritual quest is set against a back drop of two difficult marriages that included broken promises, sickness, numerous infant deaths, alcoholism, tragic accidents, and poverty. From the unspeakable joy of learning to know Christ as her Saviour, Lucy stumbled through years of spiritual ignorance, doubt, disappointment, and despair until she eventually found peace again in Christ. 

This true account reflects the goodness of God patiently leading those who are thirsty to the fountain of living water. Readers who have know personal tragedy will be blessed with fresh courage by reading this book.

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Corrie ten Boom's 'prequel' to the classic The Hiding Place. Concentrating upon her family and their life in Holland before the war, this inspiring and revealing book describes in moving detail living above the family watch shop in Harlem and her memories of the family together before their lives changed for ever with the advent of war and persecution. Corrie believed that this life helped prepare them for carrying out God's work later and gave her the strength to survive the war, brutal hardship and persecution and begin her worldwide ministry. This much loved book is being re-issued in B format with a contemporary cover.

Read this book a few months ago and really enjoyed it. It was very interesting getting to see the life of Corrie ten Boom before The Hiding Place. And all the memories. Those were very sweet :) 

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Fantasy

Sooo....umm....I actually read a lot more fantasy then I thought :P Choosing five books was a little too hard, so I chose 5 series instead! Hope you don't mind ;) To keep this shorter (cause really, putting summaries of over 35 books in one category is just waaaayyyy too much :P) I'm only going to include the first book from each series. 

What if with one touch you could see inside the soul? Rowen Mar finds a strange mark on her hand, and she is banished from her village as a witch. She covers the mark with a leather glove and seeks sanctuary in the White City. She lives in fear that if she touches another person, the power inside her will trigger again, a terrifying power that allows her to see the darkness inside the human heart . . .

But the mark is a summons, and those called cannot hide forever. For the salvation of her people lies within her hand. 

This series was so good! After I read the first book, I HAD to buy the other two sequels. And the other two were just as good as the first one. I think the third one was my absolute favourite though. It made me cry once too. Thank goodness it was fantasy though, because without that, it would have left me very - sad. (sorry, this sounds vague doesn't it? If you've read it, maybe you understand what I mean ;)) 

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They have always scared him in the past — the Rangers, with their dark cloaks and shadowy ways. The villagers believe the Rangers practice magic that makes them invisible to ordinary people. And now 15-year-old Will, always small for his age, has been chosen as a Ranger's apprentice. What he doesn't yet realize is that the Rangers are the protectors of the kingdom. Highly trained in the skills of battle and surveillance, they fight the battles before the battles reach the people. And as Will is about to learn, there is a large battle brewing. The exiled Morgarath, Lord of the Mountains of Rain and Night, is gathering his forces for an attack on the kingdom. This time, he will not be denied....

Ahhh....okay. Ranger's Apprentice is AMAZING. It was recommended to me by a friend and I LOVED it. Just finished the last one last week. The humour in here is hilarious and the plots for each one of the books are so good. The books are fairly thick, but the storyline doesn't seem like it's being dragged on and on and on and on. It's the kind of book where you're glad it's so thick because it's so good and you don't ever want it to end ;) And now I've started on the other series by the same author, The Brotherband Chronicles ;) 

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Orphan Urchin never intended to be a swashbuckling squirrel. Abandoned at birth on a Mistmantle beach, this mild-mannered acorn hunter was raised by the island's squirrels, otters, and moles. He gains entrance into the royal court, thanks to the support of his hero, the dashing Captain Crispin. But something is wrong in the peaceful kingdom of Mismantle. Under the influence of the squirrel captain Husk, the King is enforcing severe measures against his people. Crispin himself is falsely accused of a horrific murdered and banished. Can little Urchin, a mere smidgen squirrel, defend his master and his people?

Okay, so despite the fact that it's talking animals and all, it's not as immature as you might think it'd be. No, no, no, not one bit. In fact, you even forget they're animals sometimes. This is also the series that had the book that actually made Tiger Lily cry. And if you know Tiger Lily, she usually never cries. Like, never. So yeah, that was pretty amazing. The author has a very delightful way of writing and keeps you hooked throughout the entire book. And...let's see what else should I say to convince you that this is a good book? ;) The characters are amazing. Urchin, Needle, Catkin, Cedar, Fir, Fingal and CRISPIN. Love them all so much!!! :D 

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They opened a door and entered a world--Narnia--the land beyond the wardrobe, the secret country known only to Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy. Lucy is the first to stumble through the back of the enormous wardrobe in the professor's mysterious old country house, discovering the magic world beyond. At first, no one believes her. But soon Edmund, Peter and Susan, too, discover the magic and meet Aslan, the Great Lion, for themselves. And in the blink of an eye, they are changed forever.

Let me first start off by saying this: If you have not read this series yet - GO READ IT. PLEASE. It is amazing. Narnia has been a fantasy world of mine for years now. I've had little conversations with Lucy in my imagination. I pretended to ride on Aslan's back, along with Susan and Lucy. I cried when Susan didn't believe in Narnia anymore. I even had a small crush on Edmund for a considerable amount of time ;P 

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Josh Adams, 14, awakes from a 50-year sleep. Ancient prophecy commands him and the other Sleepers to unite in battle against the evil priests, and combat the doubt that threatens their faith

Gilbert Morris is another one of my favourite authors. The Seven Sleepers series is such a fun and unique story, I was very sad when the series ended! My sister and I would talk through the night about the books after we read them. Very interesting conversations, I will admit ;) And that plot twist at the end - goodness, I still haven't gotten over it! 

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Tried to hint what room I was at the beginning of the post, but I've got a horrible feeling that was a total flop :P In case you completely missed what I first said and didn't get it at all (which I don't blame you for doing if you did ;)) I am the Bench Room today! (seriously though, do you sit up or stand or hang upside down when you're on the computer? I wants to know xD)  

Don't forget to check out these gals' blogs for more book reviews and to find THE Book Room! :D 

And of course, the Grand Prize! Go to Rebekah's blog to find more ways to enter! 

Ze Prizes. Don't they look aaammazing?! :) 

Recognize any books? Favourites of yours? 

Do you enjoy Biographies and Fantasy? 

And do you sit when you're at the computer? Stand? Walk? Dance? ;)