Book Review - The Shack by William P. Young

My mom bought me a copy of this book and said I just had to read it.  As usual, Mom was right!  This book is amazing, and it is right up there with Randy Alcorn’s books on the same theme.  I was drawn to Randy Alcorn’s books after my first reading of Deadline.  Randy is a Christian author who takes what I have found to be a somewhat unique perspective on Heaven.  None of us knows for sure what Heaven will be like, but how many of us have really considered what it may be like?  Revelation reveals to us what the end of this Earth will be like, but does it really explain what Heaven will be like before the end times?  After the end times?   I can’t answer that, but I have learned from Randy that challenging preconceived ideas of Heaven can be a rewarding exercise that usually brings me to a deeper appreciation for the God of the universe.  Like Randy Alcorn did with Heaven, William P. Young has also encouraged me to go back to scripture to check out his assumptions, and mine, about who God is and what he expects.

So while I may not agree with every idea William P. Young puts forth in his book, I think that it is a very good book for adults to read.  I think that people who will read this book, and then go back to scripture and look for answers to questions that it will raise will really enjoy it and get a lot out of it.  I am even going to encourage my DD to read this book, as I think she has a deep enough theological basis to read it from.  But be warned, some of the ideas in this book are not traditional.  I believe that the main point of the book is very scripturally sound and is therefore good for instruction and has redemptive value. 

One more word of caution;  have plenty of tissue handy.

Book Review - Thunderhead

I really enjoyed Thunderhead by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child!  I didn’t get through it as quickly as I would have liked, but I did enjoy the journey.  I found the setting, characters and plot of this book all very refreshing and well done.

This is my first Preston/Child adventure, and I have to say that I will indeed be back for more fun.  Although, I supose that the word “fun” may not be quite correct, as the setting for this mystery is a bit darker than the lighter mysteries I had been reading.  This book is set mostly in the “redrock canyon country of southwestern Utah” and deals with the darker side of the local Native American life, like death and witchcraft.  It is the setting, which is so wonderfullly done though that first sets the standard for this fascinating page turner.

I also found the depth of character development so well done in for such a short book with so many interesting characters.  There are several secondary characters whose personalities are just so strong that the reader feels drawn into their struggles and can easily understand their struggles and triumphs.  There are several heros and a few villians and the reader is lead to identify with each of them in interesting ways.  I really enjoyed the journey through to understanding each character and what made them tick.

I believe it is the mix of mystery and adventure, teamed with spirituality and culture that make this book such an interesting read.  I was really drawn in by the mystery at first, but then I got wind of the adventure that was forming, only to be further sucked in by the culture and sprirituality of the Anasazi people.  I just can’t overstate here how entertaining this book was.  In fact, I am now adding the rest of the books written by these authors to my “Must Read” list.

Book Review - Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card

Wow. . .great book for sci-fi fans!  My first taste of the wonders of science-fiction came when I saw Star Wars as a kid.  I went to see it when it first came out camped in the back of my parents van at the drive-in.  Since those days, I have enjoyed the occasional sci-fi book, television show or movie but don’t usually seek them out.  I plan to read this entire series.

I actually had this book setting around on a shelf for just as bit, as it came when I was in the middle of about 3 other books.  Since I was already reading other books, I recommended this to DS who needed something to read in his 4 hour detention, and he read it all in a day.  Not only did he read it in a day, but he immediately asked for the next book in the series.

I would bet that if you enjoyed the Matrix, Star Wars, or either Battlestar Galactica series, you will enjoy this very easy to read book.  Ender is one of the youngest heros I have read, but he is interesting and very engaging.  I found myself sucked in and invested in the characters and the games they played.

Although it can be read on a very surface level, this is also a very smart book.  I found myself really amazed at the depth of deception of the adults in this book and started thinking about all the ways the tactics described in the book may be used on people.  And for a sci-fi book, I was amazed at the depth of feeling I experienced while reading.  My emotions went from deep sadness over Ender having to leave his family to intense outrage over the war situation.

This is one award winning book (1986 Hugo Award and the 1985 Nebula Award) that I highly recommend to readers young and old.

Book Review - One for the Money by Janet Evanovich

I have been wanting to read one of these books for a long time, I just keep forgetting to pick them up.  But I found myself in a long checkout line at the grocery store and they had this book right there, so I dropped it in my bucket.  I am glad I did.

I knew as soon as I read the back of the jacket and found out that the heroine, Stephanie Plum, was from Newark, NJ that I was going to like this book.  I was not wrong.  I knew lots of “Jersey girls” when I lived there, and Stephanie Plum fits the description of all of them.  She is so similar to many of my friends that I was picturing them as the lead through most of the book.  From the high hair to the biker shorts, Stephanie is as real as they come.

In summary, the characters were believable, even likeable, the plot moved along and the setting was perfect.  I really liked this little mystery and am already looking forward to reading Two for the Dough. . .

Book Review - Bag of Bones by Stephen King

Bag of Bones is only my second Stephen King novel, my first thriller, and I liked it far more than I expected.  The only other King novel I have read is On Writing, which is hardly comparable.  However, it is because I loved On Writing so much that I dared to give one of his other novels a chance. 

I should start by explaining that I have always been a chicken.  Since I was young I have had an almost unnatural fear of the dark, and the only horror movie I have been able to watch with my eyes open has been Jaws.  So while I have wanted to read a King book for sometime, I have only found the courage recently to actually dive in and give it a shot.  And, while the book did not keep me up at night, I did find that I was listening for strange noises in the silence a bit more than before I read the book.

Overall, I really liked this book and found enough mystery, suspense and “things that go bump in the night” to keep me wondering and turning pages until the very end.  I also like that in both books I have read by King he treats the reader like an old college friend.  I feel as if I know the author and I trust him enough to hang in even though the number of pages seems like more of an investment than a cheap thrill.

Also, while I really like how King includes lots of references to other works of literature and fiction, I can understand why someone who does not read much may not enjoy a King novel as much as the avid reader.  These references, while not critical too understanding the story or main plot, add so much flavor to the writing that it would be a real shame to not understand them.

I am anxious now to add other Stephen King novels to my reading list, so if you have any recommendations about where to start please let me know.

Finally Friday Fun - Book Review

I picked up the book Deja Dead, by Kathy Reichs, because of its affiliation with one of my favorite TV shows; Bones on Fox. I had read that the book is not much like the show, and I will have to agree. Other than the main character’s name and the fact that she is a forensic anthropologist, there aren’t too many similarities.Having said that, I admit that I did like this book and I really liked the main character Temperance Brennan . I liked this original Tempe much better than her TV version. I find the made for TV Tempe a bit shallow, and pretty unbelievable.  I found the Tempe in the book, however, to be all too real. As with many really well done protagonists, this one comes complete with a fatal flaw that she realistically struggles with throughout the book. Not only does she possess this flaw, but I find that she struggles with it much the way I think a real person would.

If I have a complaint about this book, it would have to be the setting. I have only been to Canada once in my life and it was not Quebec that I visited, so it was very hard for me to relate to the scene the author setup. Luckily, much of this book takes place in the lab and in an apartment, so I was able to place Tempe in a more familiar place in my mind.

Let me also note that this book is not for the squeamish or faint of heart. It is a murder mystery, and actually, this particular book has to do with a serial killer and many of the scenes are pretty gruesome. I didn’t find the gore to be gratuitous in any way, and the story would have been much less real without it.

I find that in my two favorite pastimes, TV and reading, that I am looking for escape. I am not interested in real crimes, or reality TV . . . I want fiction baby. This book probably won’t win any awards, but then, not many of my favorite reads have. If you are looking for a CSI like read for a long winters day, this just may be your book.

Book Review - The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd

I think I read this book one paragraph at a time, not because it was boring or bad, I just have so little time right now for reading.  Evan read this way, this book is worth it.

My son had this book assigned in his high school English class, and I am not sure that forcing kids to read this is a great idea.  This book is written for women, as it is a beautiful picture of the grace and goodness of sisterhood.  The characters here are warm and full of life.  They are the kind of well developed entities that make you long to be able to pull up a chair and chat with them a while.

 I loved August, and June and May from the very start.  It took me a while to warm to Rosalee, as she was less refined and harder to like, but like her I did.  And Lily is like so many teenagers I have met.

I appreciate so much the different portrayal here of race relations in the South in the 60s.  I don’t think I have read a book set in this time period before that makes the entire book about race relations, and yet makes it not at all about skin color.  The deeper truths here of love, life and our intense desire for family becomes a way to level the playing field.

I don’t read books twice, however, I will be taking this book along on my next vacation to really read this again and highlight favorite parts.  I can’t recommend this enough, especially to women and girls.

Review of The Historian

 I finally finished The Historian, and I think this is the first book that I have read for pleasure that took me so long to finish.  

I liked this book overall, and I certainly liked the idea of the book, but I think the thing is that the action never really took off and made this book one I couldn’t put down.  There were many details about monks and monistaries and not enough character development I think.  This book read more like a history book than most historical fiction novels I have read.  Unfortunately, I loved Dan Brown’s Davinci Code.  That historical novel had detail, but it had enough non-stop action to keep the reader involved and interested.  His characters we more believable I suppose. 

Even the love stories in this book, and I believe there are two, were weak and not well devoleped.  There is little passion in this book at all, except perhaps the auther has for the old monistaries.  I just kept feeling like something was missing.  I was able to finish the book, but I won’t really be adding it to any of my Christmas lists this year.

The Witch of Blackbird Pond Review

I just finished listening to The Witch of Blackbird Pond.  Mary Beth Hurt is the Narrator on my version, and I found her voice to be very easy to listen to.

I LOVE listening to good books on the way to and from work. I find that if I am concentrating on a good story, I am happy, the time flies by, AND it keeps Road Rage from sneaking up on me. All around, a win/win situation.

I was very afraid at the beginning of this book that I was going to have to stop listening, what with all of the male dominance being portrayed. I kept listening though and found that as the story progressed, I got into it and realized that like it or not, it has taken us a long time to realize that all people are created equal.

I need to reflect for a couple more days on the theme and the main points of the book, but overall this is an enjoyable book, and does shed light on just how the witch trials may have gone. More importantly, it gives a very clear picture of why we MUST get to know people before we pass our petty judgements on their character. When we reach out to people, meet them where they are, and share ourselves with them we can find deep and lasting happiness.