drum roll, please...

the winner is, "K" over at one crazy adventure! i wish i could give a copy of the book to everyone who submitted a comment, but maybe "K" will pass it on after she reads it. you could also pick it up at your library.
oh, two sites that i forgot to mention yesterday were the made by survivors store and nightlight designs. both offer some beautiful jewelry, clothing, purses and stationery. i think i'm going to try and buy at least two christmas presents this year from these sites since they are made by survivors of the sex trade and help support them in legitimate jobs.

books... and a giveaway

the hubby and i had our noses stuck in the books over the weekend. when we were visiting my family a couple of weekends ago, i borrowed their copy of the lion, the witch and the wardrobe. my dad had read the chronicles of narnia to me when i was little and i have such good memories of the books. little did i know, the hubby had not read any of the books. i was able to explain parts of the movie to him because i knew more about the characters from reading the books, and this sort of frustrated him. i casually mentioned that i actually had the entire series in our office and it didn't take long for him start reading the magician's nephew. i begged the hubby to read it out loud to me, and he amused me until i fell asleep =)

seeing as how it had been so long since i read the series (or rather, since my dad read it to me), i decided to start reading the books, too. i just finished the horse and his boy and it was so good! they are definitely children's books, but i would recommend the entire series to anyone.

i also just finished a very serious book, not for sale. it took me awhile to read through the entire book because it is pretty heavy. it follows the stories of several children and adults caught up in modern day slavery. did you know that children and women in america are actually sold on craig's list? i could go on and on about what i learned in this book, but instead, i'll point you to a few websites with plenty of information. also, i'm going to give away a brand new copy of the not for sale book. it had such an impact on me, that i want to pass it on for others to read. just leave a comment on this post and i'll have a drawing tomorrow morning.

bad samaritan?

i just passed a man on the side of the road with jumper cables in his hand as he stood helplessly next to his broken-down conversion van. maybe i've heard one too many abduction stories, because i drove right past the guy without even thinking about stopping to help. in a college self defense course, we read the gift of fear and learned to listen to our sense of fear (great book, by the way). had i stopped to help this man, i'm sure i could have used some of my karate moves on him if he had tried to harm me, but what if he had a gun? am i just paranoid?
the good samaritan story always comes to mind in instances like these. we are supposed to love our neighbors as ourselves, but how do we do that in today's world? the world was a dangerous place in the samaritan's day, but he still stopped and put his life on the line to help someone.
there has to be a balance. i want to help, but i don't want to end up on the evening news. maybe that is my problem and i'm just like the levite and the priest from the good samaritan story. does anyone else struggle with this or have some advice?

*update*
if you read the comments, you'll see a very amazing response to my post. also, i just got back from a run with bozeman and while we were out there, it started pouring rain. i didn't mind it, and the dog loved it, but someone apparently thought that we were in need. a lady pulled off of the very busy road that we were running next to, rolled her window down in the pouring rain, and tried to give me her umbrella. what a sweetheart. i thanked her for her kindness and told her that we were enjoying ourselves.

bookworm

i love, love, love to read. there is a picture of me from when i was 8 years old where i am sitting at the kitchen counter with a book in one hand, bowl of cereal in front of me and my deaf, white cat leaning over my shoulder. not much has changed in 19 years. you can still find me (standing, not sitting) at the kitchen counter with a bowl of cereal, a good book and the dog at my feet.
i recently finished a really good book, the will of wisteria. although it seemed a little predictable at times, i found it impossible to put the book down until i finished it. i read the savannah series that this author wrote with the same fervor. next, i’m working on reading through not for sale. it’s a sad, but a necessary eye-opener. i’ll have to blog about that one after i finish it… i can’t believe i had no idea how prevalent slavery was in the world today.