Who’s who & What’s what?

What’s a woman to do when her sister announces at our family Christmas that she read 54 books last year and her count is only 44…obviously that woman is honor bound to declare a book war! So as 2018 begins I take on yet one more battle which must be faced with determination, fortitude, and humility…just kidding, no humility here, I’m gonna own this Book War!!

What’s what: a short history – Last year Hannah and I joined and participated in several Facebook Book Clubs. While the books we read were for the most part intriguing and worth reading, I found that the majority of the participants in the book clubs did not engage in any active dialogue and I ended up wondering if anyone was even reading the books other than me, my sister, and my mom.  I guess, after a year of listening to me complaining my sister was fed up and figured she’d never hear the end of the whining if we didn’t come up with another way for us to interact and converse about the books we are reading. Thus, the creation of this blog, The Book War!

Who’s who: a short history – I was born and raised in Iowa and will always consider the Midwest ‘home,’ but I and my husband have lived on the east coast for 12 years. Currently, we live just north of Philadelphia and I teach Theology to undergraduates at Villanova University on an ‘on-again, off-again’ basis; and as any adjunct instructor can tell you it is a precarious position. My primary areas of interest/expertise are ancient history, religious history, theology, and ethics.

There are days that I like to think my literary aspirations are wide ranging, but then I take a look at my Kindle list or a book shelf in my library and I realize I have a tendency to read the same thing over and over again. My ‘fun reading’ is almost always either historical fiction (usually from a woman’s perspective) or mystery/detective novels. My ‘smart reading’ is always ancient history (oftentimes Egyptian or Roman) or theology. I also enjoy the ‘classics’ but honestly, there are so many I feel like it would take a lifetime to even make a dent.

On that note, if you’re interested to know which books Hannah and I read last year, check back later this week to take a look at our 2017 book lists and to find out what we’re reading into 2018. Let the Book War begin!!