Southern Belle in Training

Fashion, Travel & Lifestyle Blog || Est. 2012 || Virginia Beach, VA

June 1, 2013

A must read.

     Question: how exactly does one pack for a vacation when every day of the trip temperatures will be in the triple digits? I've put off packing for our Vegas trip to the very last minute (we leave in less than 48 hours!) but as I've started to check the weather to plan my outfits, it says that all of the days we're there will be over 100 degrees. The low temperatures at night will be in the 70s and 80s. The lows people! This Maine girl isn't used to that type of weather. Sheesh, I was excited enough when it hit the high 80s in April down in NC. Packing is becoming a struggle. Many of my summer tops and dresses are made of thicker material that would be miserable in that type of heat. Speaking of heat, it was a beautiful and rare 91 degrees in Maine today! I guess God wants me to start getting prepared for next week! ;-) Anyways, I spent my day off from work lounging on one of our beautiful beaches with some friends from high school. It was a lovely time of catching up and soaking up the sun. It was so warm that we all braved the freezing water and went for a swim!

     That was a really long introduction that has nothing with the main subject of this post, haha. I put all of that in because that's what my original post was going to be about. I was planning to share some pictures of the oufits I'll be packing, and talk more about how much I loved this heat wave Maine is having. Typical Saturday blog post.

     But then I read the most amazing book.

Sorry the picture is so small, but when I tried to make it larger it was all blury. :-(

     I found this Christian novel at our local library a few days ago. As many of you know I'm a huge fan of Christian author Karen Kingsbury, so I was trying to find some of her books that I hadn't read yet. (Side note: our library assumes that the only people interested in reading Christian fiction are those that are either elderly or with vision problems, and all of her books are in the large print section. I always feel quite awkward browsing next to all the older folks, instead of in the young adult section! Lol.) Anyways, while at the library I realized that I have sadly read almost every Karen Kingsbury book that our library offers. I did pick up one book by her, but I wanted something else too.

     Near the Karen Kingsbury books I saw a book called The Scarlet Cord. The title intrigued me, so I picked it up and saw that it was Christian historical fiction. I'm not usually a big historical fiction person, but it said that it was set in biblical times and was a version of the story of Rahab, from the book of Joshua in the bible. Despite taking an Old Testament class first semester, I had no idea who Rahab was and felt badly about this, so I decided to take the book home.

     This was the best book that I've read in a very long time! I enjoyed it for so many reasons. Probably first and foremost because it allowed me to learn about a bible story that I wasn't familiar with. I was also able to do this in a creative way! The author says in the back of the book how Rahab's story in the bible only takes up five chapters, so the fact that she was able to create a believeable and great story from that is incredible.

     The story itself was unpredictable and intense, which made the book hard to put down! Although the book could probably be classified as a love story, there was so much more to it.  And can I just say that it was one of the cutest love stories that I've ever read?! Kind of like all the good qualities of a Romeo and Juliet type story... but no suicide! I won't say anymore as not to ruin it for you. ;-)

     Rahab and her family were not of the Jewish faith like some of the other characters in this book. They lived in Canaan, and belonged to the Canaanite religion. I didn't know much about this religion before reading this story, and I enjoyed learning more about it. Canaanite religion had many gods, with Baal being the chief God.  It was a religion that promoted sexual promiscuity, and there were also interesting rituals and sacrifices. Quite the opposite of modern Christian beliefs, and it made me appreciate my own faith all the more.

     And lastly, the character of Rahab is so inspiring and brave, and that's the main reason why I encourage you to read this book. Rahab grew up in a time when women weren't respected and didn't have the same rights as men, but that didn't stop her from speaking her mind and her courageous actions!


     If you're looking for some great summer reading, this is the book for you! I hope to read more of Joan Wolf's other biblically based books soon. I checked her website and she's also written novels about the stories of Queen Esther and Mary Magdalene!


     I'm off to Vegas tomorrow, but be on the lookout for some guest posts here next week! And be sure to enter my Lilla Rose giveaway!


     xoxo Miss ALK
   
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3 comments

  1. Have an amazing trip! I live in one of the hottest places in the US so I highly recommend light dresses, those are my go-to when the weather gets hot. Target has some of my favorites! :) Also, it won't feel too too hot because it's not humid in Vegas, the humidity is the worst part where I live!

    Xo

    Kate

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  2. Hey girl!! I love Vegas! I've been twice! It's so much fun!!!! Lucky luck you. Packing for the weather is hard this time of year especially in NC but I have a good feeling that if you pack for summer, you will be okay. :) Have a great time and post some pictures!

    Ginny:)
    www.buttergirldiaries.com

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  3. Have an amazing time on your trip! That book sounds great - I'll have to check it out!

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