Ruth Buchanan's Blog, page 6
December 29, 2017
2017: My Year in Books
(As of 12/29/2017)
Total books: 200Total pages: 55,318
Longest book: Wolf Hall, Hilary Mantel 653 pages
Shortest book: God's Very Good Idea, Trillia Newbell 32 pages
Standout Reads by Category
Theology/Bible Study/Spirituality
33 books
Exclusion & Embrace: A Theological Exploration of Identity, Otherness, and Reconciliation by Miroslav Volf probably gave me more to chew on than anything else I read this year. I was struck by how my own personal issues relating...
December 4, 2017
My Grown-Up Christmas List
Timeline in chronological order (all social media platforms)Self-folding laundryLive-in short-order cookComprehensible income tax instructionsTrip on the TARDISFirst drafts that write themselves Obedient hairstyleLocal travel via pneumatic tubesAbility to read and sleep simultaneouslyAbolishment of Daylight Saving TimePre-broken-in running shoesTo wake up magically multilingual Satisfying ending for Great ExpectationsAn actual Get Out of Jail Free cardTeleportation No mor...
November 27, 2017
Release Week Sneak Peek: Murder on Birchardville Hill
Murder on Birchardville Hill releases Friday, December 1, 2017, as part of Pelican Book Group's Christmas Extravaganza, a series of holiday-themed e-novellas. If you pre-order through Amazon today, all you have to do Friday is fire up your e-reader and huddle on the couch under a fuzzy blanket, prepared to be equal parts horrified and heart-warmed.
In the meantime, please enjoy this excerpt!
** EXCERPT **
Chapter 1
Birchardville is real.
Not that I believed it at first. I mean...
November 20, 2017
Welcome to Ruthette's (First Ever) Thanksgiving Bingo!
Download, print copies, and play along.
Looking forward to seeing who wins!
(Oh, who am I kidding....We're all winners here.)
Looking forward to seeing who wins!
(Oh, who am I kidding....We're all winners here.)
November 13, 2017
The Shakespeare Lover's Coffee Quote Companion
Coffee is the wing wherewith we fly to heaven.
~Saye, Henry VI, Part 2, Act IV, Scene vii
I find my zenith doth depend upon a most auspicious brew. ~Prospero, The Tempest, Act I, Scene ii
Coffee is the soul of wit.
~Polonius, Hamlet, Act I, Scene v
See how she curls her hand around that mug. O that I were a glove upon that hand
That I might touch that mug!
~Romeo, Romeo and Juliet, Act II, Scene ii
O brave new world, that has such cold brews in’t! ~Miranda, The Tempest, Act V, Scene...
November 6, 2017
Sneak Peek: The Proper Care and Feeding of Singles
Excerpt from CHAPTER 2:WAY TO MAKE IT AWKWARD
THE AWKWARD PROBLEM
One Sunday, while away from my home church, I ran into some people who knew my parents. A man I’d never met before instigated the following dialogue, him half-shouting the whole time (possibly due to hearing loss):
MAN: ARE YOU DOUG AND TINA’S DAUGHTER?ME: Yes.MAN: ARE YOU MARRIED?ME: No.MAN: WELL... GET MARRIED!ME: Okay.MAN: YOUR MOM WANTS GRANDKIDS!ME: My mom already has nine grandkids.MAN: WELL, SHE WANTS MORE!ME: Okay.
Tha...
October 30, 2017
The Different Levels of Lostness
I live in a very small space. So small that one would assume it's impossible for me to lose things. But lose things I do. There are, however, different levels of lostness.
Level 1: Huh
I flap a hand against the end table where my eyeglasses should be and encounter dead space. Since I'm not currently wearing my glasses, I have to lean forward and squint myopically to see if they've fallen to the floor. They haven't.
Level 2: I Must Have Misplaced Them
Standing up, I shrug my blanket around my shou...
October 23, 2017
For Those Who Can Only Handle Being Moderately Creeped Out
Here's an admission: I don't like being scared.
On occasion, however, when I'm taking a late-evening walk, I like to listen to something that will creep me out--but only a little. If you like to cover similar emotional territory, you've come to the right place.
I made us a list.
4 Podcast Episodes for Those Who Can Only Handle Being Moderately Creeped Out
From Stuff You Missed in History: "The Hagley Woods Murder." Truth is always creepier than fiction. I mean...w...
October 16, 2017
How to Read More Books
People always say they're looking for more time to read. If that's the case for you, here are some small, practical steps to get you started.
Get up earlyStay up lateQuit work/schoolTrain your pets to read aloudSend your kids outsideSend your kids to Grandma'sSend your kids to the moonFill your swimming pool with books; jump in and never come outProp a book against the counter while you wash dishesProp a book in front of the TVSuspend a book from the ceiling on wires and hooks next to the show...
October 9, 2017
Why You Haven't Heard of Bezalel and Oholiab
In Exodus 31, Yahweh calls two artists to take the lead in constructing the Tabernacle--the Tent of Meeting in which the Israelites would worship Him.
The Lord said to Moses, “See, I have called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with ability and intelligence, with knowledge and all craftsmanship, to devise artistic designs, to work in gold, silver, and bronze, in cutting stones for setting, and in carving wood, to w...
