The Last Lecture, by Randy Pausch (with Jeffrey Zaslow)
My first exposure to this book was when a customer came in and asked about it because she had seen it on Oprah. Tom didn't know what it was, so I had to research both the name of the book and the author's name, because the customer was, as usual, unhelpful. ("I'm looking for that book that was written by that guy about that thing...")
Several months later, a friend of mine bought it and, through unexpected circumstances, found himself with quite a bit of free time to sit and read. He recommended it to me, saying it was the only book that made him cry. I borrowed it. I read it. I cried.
The story is that Carnegie Mellon holds a series of lectures every year in which professors are asked to imagine that it is the last lecture they will ever give. In this unique situation, it really WAS the last lecture Mr. Pausch would be giving. As the organizers and public relations promoters sent final warning emails to the lecturers to send a definite "yes, I'll be speaking on... " RSVP to them, Mr. Pausch was receiving the news that his cancer had metastasized and "there is nothing else modern medicine can do."
When the video of the lecture went viral on the internet, Mr. Pausch put together a book containing the contents of his lecture, in addition to his thoughts and reasoning behind what he had chosen to say to his final audience.
The concept was essentially, "Live life to the fullest because you could die tomorrow." Cliched, I know. But at the same time, he said so many little things, that all fit into the main theme, which were not as cliched. They were things like: "do everything you can to achieve your childhood dreams," "if you don't achieve a dream, you should still make it mean something," "phrase your words in a positive light even if you don't work in retail," "don't focus on things but on how you enjoy your things with the people important to you." Granted, many of the ideas are still cliched, just not as much as the first. But in this book, I found all the reminders of how we all should be living our lives. It sometimes just takes a dying man to remind us of those things we already know.
Speaking of cliches, Mr. Pausch believes in them wholeheartedly. Chapter 38 begins, "If at first you don't succeed, try, try a cliche." His reasoning is that even if the phrase has been around forever, most people don't know its cliched, and if they do, its because the cliche is right most of the time. The best part of this book is that some of the great quotable lines come from Mr. Pausch himself, and if it is important to him, he says it twice or more throughout the book. (And in case you are wondering, 38 is not a daunting number. The chapters are short.)
I recommend this book to anyone who is a sappy romantic or who lost a father, anyone who wants to appreciate their father more, anyone who needs a little reminder for where they are or should be heading in life, anyone who collects interesting quotes or anecdotes, and anyone who likes reading about scientists, intellectual thinkers, or teachers.
Incidentally, this book made me discover that you can learn a lot about someone by the books they reccommend you read.
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Faith of My Fathers
Faith of My Fathers, by John McCain (with Mark Salter)
I have not read very many memoirs or biographies of political figures. I have very little experience in the topic, "Life Stories of Politicians." I do not know if this book should rank highest of its kind, or even whether or not there ARE others of its kind. However, I did enjoy the book quite a bit.
This is a book that gives the reader an idea of where John McCain's life stands in relation to the lives of other members on his family tree. The son and grandson of four-star admirals, he has a lot to live up to. He also describes the martial history of many of his ancestors. One of my father's hobbies is genealogy, so I can appreciate the many hours that Senator McCain would have to put into gathering all that information. I know the names of one or two family members older than my grandfathers who served in some war or another but I could not tell you with any certainty what their accomplishments were, or whether they died in service or died long after the war was over. It struck me that the amount of genealogical research involved was almost as impressive as the list of military deeds dating back hundreds of years.
Also interesting to note is the Senator's humility. The book seems to be written from the point of view of an old man who is looking back at his life and reflecting that his actions were stupid, but that long-term regret is a waste of time. Better to regret things just enough that you do something to right the wrong you've done, but not to pine away forever about it. Despite the appearance of looking back on his life, its good to know that he is still alive ten years after writing the book and can now add "running for president" to his list of accomplishments.
During the presidential campaign this year, I noticed that Mr. McCain didn't seem to be phased by all the criticism regarding his choices or his beliefs. Some of the others in the political light tried to defend themselves regarding the question of experience, expertise, or what they believe. McCain seemed unapologetic, and rubbed it in the faces of his detractors by unapologetically picking Sarah Palin for a running mate. After reading the book, I now understand that that is simply his nature. He was not popular at the Naval Academy for refusing to submit to hazing. He tells the story that just before graduating from the Academy he had the opportunity to perform a complicated procedure linking two warships traveling at full speed, and did it without batting an eye. As a POW, he spoke his mind to his captors often during his five year captivity and was punished for it. Some could call it being pigheaded, others might say he was standing up for what he believed, and others might say he was just stupid. But the one thing that came across the strongest to me in his book is that whether his actions led to failure or to success, he did not care what people would say to him or do to him if he did them.
The one exception to that is his regard for his father. There is a story about when the Vietnamese tortured him so much that he broke, and signed a propaganda confession of his war crimes so that everyone would know that the son of an admiral thought America was the bad guy. The primary thing on his mind was not about what the other POWs thought or what the reporters would say, but "Does my father know? Will he ever talk to me again?" I find this interesting because it shows the contrast between the world in which Mr. McCain grew up and the world today. The role of fathers today has been undercut. People now do things regardless of the consequences to their family, to their friends, or even to themselves.
Another indication that the world McCain grew up in has changed is the concept of honor. In the several chapters on his time in Vietnam, we see that he followed the POW honor code (obedience to the highest commanding officer in captivity, refusing release until those captured first are released, refusing actions that will dishonor the US, refusing actions that will bring harm to a fellow POW). This is interesting to me because I know of very few people anymore who will make self-sacrificing decisions. I am not talking about your run-of-the-mill, driving your kids to dance practice and soccer games at the expense of your time. It does not mean taking some time out of your day to listen to the awful day your friend had. I am talking about decisions that will cost you your life or serious bodily harm for someone else's benefit. This kind of thing no longer happens, and to me, it makes the book a tribute to something I may see only very rarely in my lifetime.
One major problem I had with the book is that it was not organized. I love order. When you start telling me a story, you need to start at the beginning. I felt that the events in the book stood alone on little islands and instead of having a plan, I was in a little rowboat passing all the islands one by one, but not in any particular order. In my mind, it resembles the little black dotted path taken by Billy from The Family Circus when he is out playing in the yard.
This book started with the abbreviated life history of John Sidney McCain, Senior. Then it went to the even more brief story of his brother, Bill. We then go back in time to the American Revolution, the Civil War, the union of the McCains with the Youngs in 1877, a brief reference to Queen Mary of Scotland 300 years earlier, and then a gradual progression in time mentioning notable relatives, their accomplishments, and in what capacity and war they fought.
This same time travel issue is also evident in his descriptions of the Vietnam War. Each chapter in the section after his account of being shot down, appears to have a vague topic, rather than describing the events of a particular year in the order they occurred. Thus, the reader can learn something about the order in which McCain recieved news of the outside world chronologically and then in the next chapter we go back in time to learn about the quality of the various camps he was in (chronologically), and later go back in time again and learn that when he was in "the Zoo" something we learned about two chapters ago occurred, and when he was moved to "the Plantation" that other thing happened.
While this makes it more of a challenging read, it also gives the illusion of chatting with Mr. McCain himself and listening to him remember things about his life. People write books in chronological order. They recount their memories almost at random, as their brains bring the story to mind. So in that sense, it is definitely, without a doubt, a memoir.
I recommend this book to anyone interested in Vietnam War history, anyone interested in genealogy, anyone interested in the stories of POWs, anyone who claims they voted FOR McCain and not just AGAINST Obama, and anyone who wants to appreciate their father or forefathers.
I have not read very many memoirs or biographies of political figures. I have very little experience in the topic, "Life Stories of Politicians." I do not know if this book should rank highest of its kind, or even whether or not there ARE others of its kind. However, I did enjoy the book quite a bit.
This is a book that gives the reader an idea of where John McCain's life stands in relation to the lives of other members on his family tree. The son and grandson of four-star admirals, he has a lot to live up to. He also describes the martial history of many of his ancestors. One of my father's hobbies is genealogy, so I can appreciate the many hours that Senator McCain would have to put into gathering all that information. I know the names of one or two family members older than my grandfathers who served in some war or another but I could not tell you with any certainty what their accomplishments were, or whether they died in service or died long after the war was over. It struck me that the amount of genealogical research involved was almost as impressive as the list of military deeds dating back hundreds of years.
Also interesting to note is the Senator's humility. The book seems to be written from the point of view of an old man who is looking back at his life and reflecting that his actions were stupid, but that long-term regret is a waste of time. Better to regret things just enough that you do something to right the wrong you've done, but not to pine away forever about it. Despite the appearance of looking back on his life, its good to know that he is still alive ten years after writing the book and can now add "running for president" to his list of accomplishments.
During the presidential campaign this year, I noticed that Mr. McCain didn't seem to be phased by all the criticism regarding his choices or his beliefs. Some of the others in the political light tried to defend themselves regarding the question of experience, expertise, or what they believe. McCain seemed unapologetic, and rubbed it in the faces of his detractors by unapologetically picking Sarah Palin for a running mate. After reading the book, I now understand that that is simply his nature. He was not popular at the Naval Academy for refusing to submit to hazing. He tells the story that just before graduating from the Academy he had the opportunity to perform a complicated procedure linking two warships traveling at full speed, and did it without batting an eye. As a POW, he spoke his mind to his captors often during his five year captivity and was punished for it. Some could call it being pigheaded, others might say he was standing up for what he believed, and others might say he was just stupid. But the one thing that came across the strongest to me in his book is that whether his actions led to failure or to success, he did not care what people would say to him or do to him if he did them.
The one exception to that is his regard for his father. There is a story about when the Vietnamese tortured him so much that he broke, and signed a propaganda confession of his war crimes so that everyone would know that the son of an admiral thought America was the bad guy. The primary thing on his mind was not about what the other POWs thought or what the reporters would say, but "Does my father know? Will he ever talk to me again?" I find this interesting because it shows the contrast between the world in which Mr. McCain grew up and the world today. The role of fathers today has been undercut. People now do things regardless of the consequences to their family, to their friends, or even to themselves.
Another indication that the world McCain grew up in has changed is the concept of honor. In the several chapters on his time in Vietnam, we see that he followed the POW honor code (obedience to the highest commanding officer in captivity, refusing release until those captured first are released, refusing actions that will dishonor the US, refusing actions that will bring harm to a fellow POW). This is interesting to me because I know of very few people anymore who will make self-sacrificing decisions. I am not talking about your run-of-the-mill, driving your kids to dance practice and soccer games at the expense of your time. It does not mean taking some time out of your day to listen to the awful day your friend had. I am talking about decisions that will cost you your life or serious bodily harm for someone else's benefit. This kind of thing no longer happens, and to me, it makes the book a tribute to something I may see only very rarely in my lifetime.
One major problem I had with the book is that it was not organized. I love order. When you start telling me a story, you need to start at the beginning. I felt that the events in the book stood alone on little islands and instead of having a plan, I was in a little rowboat passing all the islands one by one, but not in any particular order. In my mind, it resembles the little black dotted path taken by Billy from The Family Circus when he is out playing in the yard.
This book started with the abbreviated life history of John Sidney McCain, Senior. Then it went to the even more brief story of his brother, Bill. We then go back in time to the American Revolution, the Civil War, the union of the McCains with the Youngs in 1877, a brief reference to Queen Mary of Scotland 300 years earlier, and then a gradual progression in time mentioning notable relatives, their accomplishments, and in what capacity and war they fought.
This same time travel issue is also evident in his descriptions of the Vietnam War. Each chapter in the section after his account of being shot down, appears to have a vague topic, rather than describing the events of a particular year in the order they occurred. Thus, the reader can learn something about the order in which McCain recieved news of the outside world chronologically and then in the next chapter we go back in time to learn about the quality of the various camps he was in (chronologically), and later go back in time again and learn that when he was in "the Zoo" something we learned about two chapters ago occurred, and when he was moved to "the Plantation" that other thing happened.
While this makes it more of a challenging read, it also gives the illusion of chatting with Mr. McCain himself and listening to him remember things about his life. People write books in chronological order. They recount their memories almost at random, as their brains bring the story to mind. So in that sense, it is definitely, without a doubt, a memoir.
I recommend this book to anyone interested in Vietnam War history, anyone interested in genealogy, anyone interested in the stories of POWs, anyone who claims they voted FOR McCain and not just AGAINST Obama, and anyone who wants to appreciate their father or forefathers.
The Shack
The Shack, by William P. Young
This book is one-of-a-kind. It begins with a preface in which the author says he is telling the story as Mack, the main character, told it to him. Yet it is listed as fiction. This makes the reader wonder if the things contained in the book will be so amazing that the publishers decided no one would believe it was a true story and "banished" it to fiction.
As the story begins, Mack is dealing with the mundane experience of being restless during a snowstorm. Yeah, yeah. We've all experienced that. Can we get to something new please? I realize why it was essential that the author establish that Mack is just like any of us. But I was bored anyway. I wanted to know why the wholesale distributor Tom orders through was sold out and had 10,000 copies on order from the publisher.
Then we explored Mack's history. His daughter was missing and presumed dead, and Mack spent four years grieving, before this random snowstorm occurred and he went to the mailbox and found a note from God saying, "This weekend I'll be at the shack where you last saw Missy's blood, care to join me?" Of course, God didn't use those words, but that is what it boils down to.
Something compels Mack to go and meet with God. At this point, the book reaches its "Bruce Almighty" feel. Morgan Freeman makes no appearance in the whole book, but the author gives God a tangible character with whom Mack can interact. In the Bible, God is a spirit, a voice from the heavens, or generally just someone who doesn't interact with the common man, but speaks through the voices of the prophets. In The Shack, readers are re-introduced to God. True, it is a normal book. There is a definite plot, storyline, foreshadowing, build up to a climax in which the reader suddenly realizes the author has been weaving clues into the story the whole time, surprise ending, and eventual denouement. But it is also a book on theology. Be prepared to set aside what you thought you knew about God, in order to understand the author's perception of God.
The author has cleverly answered many of the hardest questions without saying anyone who has tried to answer them before was wrong. He allows Mack to ask God questions, and presents God's answers in the simplest ways possible. Because it is so simple, it has the feeling that it makes so much sense, of course its true. This is not to say that Mr. Young has taken a stand on certain theological topics such as the concept of the Trinity. It is just that he has managed to write a book that answers hard questions in simple ways without offending people who already have a specific viewpoint.
I recommend this book to people who are fed up with "religious" concepts of God, people who take an interest in theological discussions, people who wonder if their church may have gotten it wrong when introducing them to the creator of the universe, people who want to appreciate something that is not a "religion" but a "relationship," people who want to understand the death of a loved one, and anyone who thought Morgan Freeman played a great "God."
**********SPOILER ALERT**********
Looking back, I wonder: maybe this book should be taken off the fiction shelf and placed, not on the biography shelf, not on the theology shelf, but on the auto-biography shelf. ??? Think about that one...
This book is one-of-a-kind. It begins with a preface in which the author says he is telling the story as Mack, the main character, told it to him. Yet it is listed as fiction. This makes the reader wonder if the things contained in the book will be so amazing that the publishers decided no one would believe it was a true story and "banished" it to fiction.
As the story begins, Mack is dealing with the mundane experience of being restless during a snowstorm. Yeah, yeah. We've all experienced that. Can we get to something new please? I realize why it was essential that the author establish that Mack is just like any of us. But I was bored anyway. I wanted to know why the wholesale distributor Tom orders through was sold out and had 10,000 copies on order from the publisher.
Then we explored Mack's history. His daughter was missing and presumed dead, and Mack spent four years grieving, before this random snowstorm occurred and he went to the mailbox and found a note from God saying, "This weekend I'll be at the shack where you last saw Missy's blood, care to join me?" Of course, God didn't use those words, but that is what it boils down to.
Something compels Mack to go and meet with God. At this point, the book reaches its "Bruce Almighty" feel. Morgan Freeman makes no appearance in the whole book, but the author gives God a tangible character with whom Mack can interact. In the Bible, God is a spirit, a voice from the heavens, or generally just someone who doesn't interact with the common man, but speaks through the voices of the prophets. In The Shack, readers are re-introduced to God. True, it is a normal book. There is a definite plot, storyline, foreshadowing, build up to a climax in which the reader suddenly realizes the author has been weaving clues into the story the whole time, surprise ending, and eventual denouement. But it is also a book on theology. Be prepared to set aside what you thought you knew about God, in order to understand the author's perception of God.
The author has cleverly answered many of the hardest questions without saying anyone who has tried to answer them before was wrong. He allows Mack to ask God questions, and presents God's answers in the simplest ways possible. Because it is so simple, it has the feeling that it makes so much sense, of course its true. This is not to say that Mr. Young has taken a stand on certain theological topics such as the concept of the Trinity. It is just that he has managed to write a book that answers hard questions in simple ways without offending people who already have a specific viewpoint.
I recommend this book to people who are fed up with "religious" concepts of God, people who take an interest in theological discussions, people who wonder if their church may have gotten it wrong when introducing them to the creator of the universe, people who want to appreciate something that is not a "religion" but a "relationship," people who want to understand the death of a loved one, and anyone who thought Morgan Freeman played a great "God."
**********SPOILER ALERT**********
Looking back, I wonder: maybe this book should be taken off the fiction shelf and placed, not on the biography shelf, not on the theology shelf, but on the auto-biography shelf. ??? Think about that one...
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
The Audacity of Hope
The Audacity of Hope, by Barack Obama
Having gained greater insight into Sarah Palin, I thought I would balance it by learning the innermost thoughts of the other youngster on the presidential ballot. I have discovered that he is a good writer. He has an easy-going narrative-style of writing, which makes the reading easier on someone who doesn't care much for politics. At times, he can be a bit wordy, but just as I am on the verge of falling asleep, he will insert an interesting story or conversation that may or may not have anything to do with the point he is trying to make.
The book contains a lot of Senator Obama's observations about life in the Senate, politics, and government. He observes some of the weaknesses of the US constitution and government, but balances it with the fact that our system is one of the few that has withstood the test of time. He also acknowledges the strengths and weaknesses of both Republicans and Democrats, which creates the illusion that he is writing from a bipartisan standpoint, despite the fact that he specifically states several times in the book that he is a democrat. However, I appreciated his acknowledgement of the weaknesses in his own party. It makes me feel that he is not blind, and that he believes no one is perfect.
One thing I found lacking was his proposition for solving the problems he observes. I would find it much easier to believe in his "Audacious Hope" if provided a clear-cut suggestion for solving the problems. Granted, political candidates for the presidency have to walk a fine line. They must promise things to gain votes, but not too much or they will lose the votes on the extreme ends of the spectrum. Therefore I can't blame him for not providing a solution to the problems he mentions.
My last point in regards to this book has to do with technicalities. Unfortunately, I have been somewhat flummoxed lately and did not have the presence of mind to write down a quote or even just a page number of the passages that I found somewhat contradictory. In one chapter, he indicates that the changes taking place in our country are bad. I found that confusing, in light of the fact that his election campaign has centered around change ("Obama for Change"). In another chapter, he mentions that he authored or coauthored hundreds of bills and voted on them, yet I know that he has come under attack from the conservative end of the spectrum for failing to vote yes or no on an issue. I understand that on this topic, one need only look to the voting records to verify the information, which I have not done.
To sum it all up, I would recommend this book to anyone who is trying to figure out which Democrat they like better, anyone who is interested in one man's thoughts on politics, and anyone who wants to understand why their friends are voting for Obama. I would not recommend this book to someone who is trying to figure out what Obama believes, or to anyone who wants to use this book to figure out whether to vote for McCain or Obama. I would view this book sort of as a memoir rather than anything else.
Having gained greater insight into Sarah Palin, I thought I would balance it by learning the innermost thoughts of the other youngster on the presidential ballot. I have discovered that he is a good writer. He has an easy-going narrative-style of writing, which makes the reading easier on someone who doesn't care much for politics. At times, he can be a bit wordy, but just as I am on the verge of falling asleep, he will insert an interesting story or conversation that may or may not have anything to do with the point he is trying to make.
The book contains a lot of Senator Obama's observations about life in the Senate, politics, and government. He observes some of the weaknesses of the US constitution and government, but balances it with the fact that our system is one of the few that has withstood the test of time. He also acknowledges the strengths and weaknesses of both Republicans and Democrats, which creates the illusion that he is writing from a bipartisan standpoint, despite the fact that he specifically states several times in the book that he is a democrat. However, I appreciated his acknowledgement of the weaknesses in his own party. It makes me feel that he is not blind, and that he believes no one is perfect.
One thing I found lacking was his proposition for solving the problems he observes. I would find it much easier to believe in his "Audacious Hope" if provided a clear-cut suggestion for solving the problems. Granted, political candidates for the presidency have to walk a fine line. They must promise things to gain votes, but not too much or they will lose the votes on the extreme ends of the spectrum. Therefore I can't blame him for not providing a solution to the problems he mentions.
My last point in regards to this book has to do with technicalities. Unfortunately, I have been somewhat flummoxed lately and did not have the presence of mind to write down a quote or even just a page number of the passages that I found somewhat contradictory. In one chapter, he indicates that the changes taking place in our country are bad. I found that confusing, in light of the fact that his election campaign has centered around change ("Obama for Change"). In another chapter, he mentions that he authored or coauthored hundreds of bills and voted on them, yet I know that he has come under attack from the conservative end of the spectrum for failing to vote yes or no on an issue. I understand that on this topic, one need only look to the voting records to verify the information, which I have not done.
To sum it all up, I would recommend this book to anyone who is trying to figure out which Democrat they like better, anyone who is interested in one man's thoughts on politics, and anyone who wants to understand why their friends are voting for Obama. I would not recommend this book to someone who is trying to figure out what Obama believes, or to anyone who wants to use this book to figure out whether to vote for McCain or Obama. I would view this book sort of as a memoir rather than anything else.
Friday, October 24, 2008
Adam
Adam, by Ted Dekker
We got this book at the store several months ago, and one had a damaged cover. So, it sat on our counter for a while. While idly waiting for UPS and Fed Ex to arrive so I would have something to unpack, I opened it up.
After we had to send the damaged one back to the publisher, I went for some time without knowing the end of the story. I finally went to the library and found it, and devoured it.
The book is a thriller, so like all thrillers, you can't put it down. It is about an FBI agent who is hunting a serial killer. The killer kills the FBI agent at about chapter four. Now, you might ask, "What kind of book kills the main character on page 42?" Well, the main character dies, and is revived with CPR and a defibrillator. Through out the book, he is tortured by his experience after death, and by the simultaneous knowledge that he cannot remember anything, including the face of the killer. So, he kills himself a few more times to see if he can trigger the memory. I say that flippantly, but it really is quite intriguing. I know that I, for one, would never have thought to kill my main character at all, much less more than once. And it is done in such a way as to be believable, something that could happen with only a tiny stretch of the imagination.
In the end, the book is about more than just a serial killer. It is about whether or not there is life after death, whether this world is all there is out there, and what is the real role of established religion in our lives?
And of course, there are a few hair raising scenes that, to put it simply and g-rated, "kicked butt."
I liked it. Ted Dekker's book Blink of an Eye (see my post: http://megcanread.blogspot.com/2008/04/blink-of-eye.html ) was better, in my opinion, but only because I prefer a mix of romance and thriller and philosophy, whereas this book was just straight up thriller. Don't get me wrong, there's a great romance between the main character and his wife, and there's philosophy as well. But those weren't the focus. The focus was as a thriller.
Still, I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes the thriller genre, anyone interested in a gripping story, and anyone interested in FBI agents, life and death experiences, spiritual topics, or the inner workings of a criminal mind.
We got this book at the store several months ago, and one had a damaged cover. So, it sat on our counter for a while. While idly waiting for UPS and Fed Ex to arrive so I would have something to unpack, I opened it up.
After we had to send the damaged one back to the publisher, I went for some time without knowing the end of the story. I finally went to the library and found it, and devoured it.
The book is a thriller, so like all thrillers, you can't put it down. It is about an FBI agent who is hunting a serial killer. The killer kills the FBI agent at about chapter four. Now, you might ask, "What kind of book kills the main character on page 42?" Well, the main character dies, and is revived with CPR and a defibrillator. Through out the book, he is tortured by his experience after death, and by the simultaneous knowledge that he cannot remember anything, including the face of the killer. So, he kills himself a few more times to see if he can trigger the memory. I say that flippantly, but it really is quite intriguing. I know that I, for one, would never have thought to kill my main character at all, much less more than once. And it is done in such a way as to be believable, something that could happen with only a tiny stretch of the imagination.
In the end, the book is about more than just a serial killer. It is about whether or not there is life after death, whether this world is all there is out there, and what is the real role of established religion in our lives?
And of course, there are a few hair raising scenes that, to put it simply and g-rated, "kicked butt."
I liked it. Ted Dekker's book Blink of an Eye (see my post: http://megcanread.blogspot.com/2008/04/blink-of-eye.html ) was better, in my opinion, but only because I prefer a mix of romance and thriller and philosophy, whereas this book was just straight up thriller. Don't get me wrong, there's a great romance between the main character and his wife, and there's philosophy as well. But those weren't the focus. The focus was as a thriller.
Still, I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes the thriller genre, anyone interested in a gripping story, and anyone interested in FBI agents, life and death experiences, spiritual topics, or the inner workings of a criminal mind.
Scarlet
Scarlet, by Stephen R. Lawhead
This book is #2 in a trilogy. For my review of #1, go here: http://megcanread.blogspot.com/2008/05/hood.html
This book does not pick up directly where Hood left off. Instead, we start up with a new character, William Scatlocke, more commonly known as Will Scarlet. Will is in prison, but we do not know why or how he came to be there. He is telling his story to a monk, who is dutifully writing everything down. Interspersed through the story, are a handful of little chapters so that the reader can have a glimpse of the world outside the prison, and be privy to things that Will, our narrator, is not privy to.
I must admit that for a good portion of the book I read dutifully. It was interesting, but not exciting. I was drawn into the story mostly because I had read the first book and felt a loyalty to the characters, a sort of duty that compelled me to follow their story. At a certain point, however, I began to realize the kind of plot the book was beginning to take. I realized just how much I knew that the other characters did not know. I read every night until my eyelids fell (some nights earlier than other nights) but when I reached near the 3/4 mark, I read all the way to the end in one sitting, regardless of whether or not I had to work the next day.
I think it is important to note the way in which Will Scarlet leaves his prison. He does not escape, but is rescued, or in some ways, one could say he was redeemed. But I can not go too deep into detail because it would ruin the suspense for you, should you decide to read it. But the tender strength and poise of the man doing the rescuing contrasted with the frailty of a man who has been in prison with a wound and a death sentence for 5 months and has several newly broken fingers is a skillfully written scene. Every so often, one can come across a movie in which one of the actors in some skillful way manages to create chemistry with his scene partner AND with you the audience despite it being a movie and not a live show. Those kinds of movies are the ones that become blockbusters. Somehow, this author has managed to create a scene in which the characters are able to create chemistry between each other and you the audience, without even being brought to life by an actor. That is the phenomenal-ness of this scene.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who doesn't believe the scene could be that good, to anyone who likes the story of Robin Hood but is getting tired of it being done in the same way all the time, and to anyone who likes Medieval fiction.
This book is #2 in a trilogy. For my review of #1, go here: http://megcanread.blogspot.com/2008/05/hood.html
This book does not pick up directly where Hood left off. Instead, we start up with a new character, William Scatlocke, more commonly known as Will Scarlet. Will is in prison, but we do not know why or how he came to be there. He is telling his story to a monk, who is dutifully writing everything down. Interspersed through the story, are a handful of little chapters so that the reader can have a glimpse of the world outside the prison, and be privy to things that Will, our narrator, is not privy to.
I must admit that for a good portion of the book I read dutifully. It was interesting, but not exciting. I was drawn into the story mostly because I had read the first book and felt a loyalty to the characters, a sort of duty that compelled me to follow their story. At a certain point, however, I began to realize the kind of plot the book was beginning to take. I realized just how much I knew that the other characters did not know. I read every night until my eyelids fell (some nights earlier than other nights) but when I reached near the 3/4 mark, I read all the way to the end in one sitting, regardless of whether or not I had to work the next day.
I think it is important to note the way in which Will Scarlet leaves his prison. He does not escape, but is rescued, or in some ways, one could say he was redeemed. But I can not go too deep into detail because it would ruin the suspense for you, should you decide to read it. But the tender strength and poise of the man doing the rescuing contrasted with the frailty of a man who has been in prison with a wound and a death sentence for 5 months and has several newly broken fingers is a skillfully written scene. Every so often, one can come across a movie in which one of the actors in some skillful way manages to create chemistry with his scene partner AND with you the audience despite it being a movie and not a live show. Those kinds of movies are the ones that become blockbusters. Somehow, this author has managed to create a scene in which the characters are able to create chemistry between each other and you the audience, without even being brought to life by an actor. That is the phenomenal-ness of this scene.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who doesn't believe the scene could be that good, to anyone who likes the story of Robin Hood but is getting tired of it being done in the same way all the time, and to anyone who likes Medieval fiction.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Sarah
Sarah, by Kaylene Johnson
This is a biography of Sarah Palin. It is the only political biography we carry in the bookstore, and it is not because Tom is endorsing a political figure. We carry it because it is a good book.
The reason the book is good, is that it was written and published before McCain announced his VP choice. The book has no agenda other than to tell the story of Sarah Palin's journey from a fisherman's wife to the governor of Alaska.
Unlike many biographies of political candidates out there today, the author of this book does not draw her information from sources like Wikipedia or Google. In case anyone noticed, those are bad places to gather information. She cited public records, and newspapers for the events that happened, but rarely quoted from the newspapers, which in my opinion prevents the possibility of appearing to put a spin on things (because we all know there's no neutral newspaper). However, the author draws much of her information from interviews with the Palins, with people involved in the campaign for governor, and with public officials involved in both sides of the scandals Sarah Palin went up against.
The book has opened my eyes to a life that today's media won't elaborate on. Now that I know a deeper story behind Sarah Palin's life, I understand why the liberal media is afraid to delve too deeply into the topic of this conservative Alaskan woman. The book quotes Mrs. Palin as saying, "The only difference between a hockey mom and a pit bull is lipstick," and it seems to me that the media is afraid of what that pit bull will start growling at if she becomes Vice President. I do not intend to sway you one way or the other with this writing, however, I will not deny I am totally biased against most news institutions, because they are totally biased towards their particular candidate-of-the-week. If they hate her, common sense tells me to lend an ear to the enemy of my enemy.
I recommend this book to anyone interested in Alaskan history, anyone interested in the role of Sarah Palin in Alaskan government, anyone interested in finding out the details of her previous executive experiences (yes, she DOES have experience!), anyone interested in juicy Alaskan scandals, and anyone interested in the status and potential role of American oil.
This is a biography of Sarah Palin. It is the only political biography we carry in the bookstore, and it is not because Tom is endorsing a political figure. We carry it because it is a good book.
The reason the book is good, is that it was written and published before McCain announced his VP choice. The book has no agenda other than to tell the story of Sarah Palin's journey from a fisherman's wife to the governor of Alaska.
Unlike many biographies of political candidates out there today, the author of this book does not draw her information from sources like Wikipedia or Google. In case anyone noticed, those are bad places to gather information. She cited public records, and newspapers for the events that happened, but rarely quoted from the newspapers, which in my opinion prevents the possibility of appearing to put a spin on things (because we all know there's no neutral newspaper). However, the author draws much of her information from interviews with the Palins, with people involved in the campaign for governor, and with public officials involved in both sides of the scandals Sarah Palin went up against.
The book has opened my eyes to a life that today's media won't elaborate on. Now that I know a deeper story behind Sarah Palin's life, I understand why the liberal media is afraid to delve too deeply into the topic of this conservative Alaskan woman. The book quotes Mrs. Palin as saying, "The only difference between a hockey mom and a pit bull is lipstick," and it seems to me that the media is afraid of what that pit bull will start growling at if she becomes Vice President. I do not intend to sway you one way or the other with this writing, however, I will not deny I am totally biased against most news institutions, because they are totally biased towards their particular candidate-of-the-week. If they hate her, common sense tells me to lend an ear to the enemy of my enemy.
I recommend this book to anyone interested in Alaskan history, anyone interested in the role of Sarah Palin in Alaskan government, anyone interested in finding out the details of her previous executive experiences (yes, she DOES have experience!), anyone interested in juicy Alaskan scandals, and anyone interested in the status and potential role of American oil.
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Emotional Purity
Emotional Purity, by Heather Arnel Paulsen
The first two or three chapters of this book are fabulous and exactly what I needed to hear. The book talks about the importance, not of sexual purity, although that is important, but of emotional purity. It is about meeting a guy and not immediately tacking his last name onto yours just to see how it sounds, but instead being so grounded in carrying the name of Christ that a guy down here on earth gets to be just a guy, and not your savior from singleness.
After that, I feel that the book goes downhill. My biggest issue is that it is riddled with split infinitives which are a pet peeve of mine, and which cause me to get really distracted. My second biggest issue is that the author seems too perfect, as if she is simply parroting back all the things that she has ever heard in church. She is a too-perfect Christian. I know I'm flawed, and I feel like I could never reach her level of perfect-Christian-ism. My third problem is that the book is geared toward people who are single. It states that single people must remain pure before marriage (and why), and completely leaves out the fact that most single people today have an intermediate step before marriage that is often referred to as dating. There is no explanation as to how to remain emotionally pure (translate: distant) and still go through the dating/engagement process without scaring the person off.
Further, in relating her personal story, the author reveals that she basically skipped the entire dating process and went from meeting her future husband, straight to planning the wedding. This is not a realistic view of relationships today, nor is it something I find myself wanting for my own relationships. I want a guy to prove he's worth my time before I start planning a wedding.
Women as post-it notes. The author makes the argument that the first time you get attached, you stick nicely, but the next time, like a post-it, you will be less likely to stick, and the time after that, if someone were to stick you to a fridge, you'd fall off, especially if one of the surfaces was a dirty surface. (The moral of the story being that you should save yourself emotionally and stick only to the guy you're going to marry.) What the heck? Women are not post-it notes! In all my relationships I fell for the guy just as deep as the last. Yes, it hurts, but so does childbirth. Doesn't mean you should avoid it. What's more important is that as deep as I feel for each guy, I still healed. Healing takes time, and it seems that a lot of Christians would rather give up on dating than take a chance at something wonderful and spend time healing if it doesn't work out. It brings to mind the truth of the old quote, "Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all." (Note: I didn't split my infinitives!)
To sum it up, this book basically just states that its ok to be single. Its not really about emotional purity as much as it advertises.
The first two or three chapters of this book are fabulous and exactly what I needed to hear. The book talks about the importance, not of sexual purity, although that is important, but of emotional purity. It is about meeting a guy and not immediately tacking his last name onto yours just to see how it sounds, but instead being so grounded in carrying the name of Christ that a guy down here on earth gets to be just a guy, and not your savior from singleness.
After that, I feel that the book goes downhill. My biggest issue is that it is riddled with split infinitives which are a pet peeve of mine, and which cause me to get really distracted. My second biggest issue is that the author seems too perfect, as if she is simply parroting back all the things that she has ever heard in church. She is a too-perfect Christian. I know I'm flawed, and I feel like I could never reach her level of perfect-Christian-ism. My third problem is that the book is geared toward people who are single. It states that single people must remain pure before marriage (and why), and completely leaves out the fact that most single people today have an intermediate step before marriage that is often referred to as dating. There is no explanation as to how to remain emotionally pure (translate: distant) and still go through the dating/engagement process without scaring the person off.
Further, in relating her personal story, the author reveals that she basically skipped the entire dating process and went from meeting her future husband, straight to planning the wedding. This is not a realistic view of relationships today, nor is it something I find myself wanting for my own relationships. I want a guy to prove he's worth my time before I start planning a wedding.
Women as post-it notes. The author makes the argument that the first time you get attached, you stick nicely, but the next time, like a post-it, you will be less likely to stick, and the time after that, if someone were to stick you to a fridge, you'd fall off, especially if one of the surfaces was a dirty surface. (The moral of the story being that you should save yourself emotionally and stick only to the guy you're going to marry.) What the heck? Women are not post-it notes! In all my relationships I fell for the guy just as deep as the last. Yes, it hurts, but so does childbirth. Doesn't mean you should avoid it. What's more important is that as deep as I feel for each guy, I still healed. Healing takes time, and it seems that a lot of Christians would rather give up on dating than take a chance at something wonderful and spend time healing if it doesn't work out. It brings to mind the truth of the old quote, "Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all." (Note: I didn't split my infinitives!)
To sum it up, this book basically just states that its ok to be single. Its not really about emotional purity as much as it advertises.
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Shen of the Sea
Shen of the Sea, by Arthur Bowie Chrisman
This book is a compilation of Chinese legends, retold to be suitable for children. The first thing I noticed about this book is that it appears to be written by a white dude. The stories are exciting, and the names are stereotypical (Ching Chang Ling Yung etc). Not a very thought provoking book, but entertaining.
This book is a compilation of Chinese legends, retold to be suitable for children. The first thing I noticed about this book is that it appears to be written by a white dude. The stories are exciting, and the names are stereotypical (Ching Chang Ling Yung etc). Not a very thought provoking book, but entertaining.
Friday, August 15, 2008
Wild at Heart
Wild at Heart, by John Eldredge
Captivating, the last book I reviewed, is the companion book to this one. I reviewed Captivating first because I read it first, but actually Wild at Heart was the first to be written. There is some overlap since the preliminary parts about everyone's heart being wounded holds true for either gender.
While women long to 1) be romanced 2) be part of a grand adventure and 3) unveil their beauty, men also have three desires of their hearts. They want 1) a battle to fight 2) a beauty to rescue and 3) an adventure to live. Other chapters include information on what kind of wounds a man takes, what makes him strong, what kinds of battles to fight, and what the Grand Battle entails.
In reading this book, I felt a few twinges of guilt as I realized I have said or done things to undermine the strength of some of the men in my life. I have also realized just what kind of role Steve has played in my life, and the book has made me appreciate his actions a bit more.
And that's all I have to say because I've taken "book report" to a very personal level. This book, and the companion book for women, are very easy to read and understand, and the authors speak on a personal level, to make you think about your own life and the lives of the people you love. The books may not be for everyone, but they worked for me.
Captivating, the last book I reviewed, is the companion book to this one. I reviewed Captivating first because I read it first, but actually Wild at Heart was the first to be written. There is some overlap since the preliminary parts about everyone's heart being wounded holds true for either gender.
While women long to 1) be romanced 2) be part of a grand adventure and 3) unveil their beauty, men also have three desires of their hearts. They want 1) a battle to fight 2) a beauty to rescue and 3) an adventure to live. Other chapters include information on what kind of wounds a man takes, what makes him strong, what kinds of battles to fight, and what the Grand Battle entails.
In reading this book, I felt a few twinges of guilt as I realized I have said or done things to undermine the strength of some of the men in my life. I have also realized just what kind of role Steve has played in my life, and the book has made me appreciate his actions a bit more.
And that's all I have to say because I've taken "book report" to a very personal level. This book, and the companion book for women, are very easy to read and understand, and the authors speak on a personal level, to make you think about your own life and the lives of the people you love. The books may not be for everyone, but they worked for me.
Captivating
Captivating, by John and Stasi Eldredge
This book is subtitled, "Unveiling the Mystery of a Woman's Soul." Quite an endeavor to try to undertake, even with a woman coauthoring it. Even I don't understand women sometimes.
When I started reading I thought, "yeah, yeah, another book about women." In some places, I felt that Stasi's description of a woman or what a woman wants or needs in a relationship, didn't match up with how I felt. But the more I read, the more I liked, and the more I thought, "wow that's true too."
Here is a basic outline of the book: Everyone, male or female, is living imperfectly, because of the sin Adam and Eve brought into the world. But its about more than just our sin. Our hearts have been wounded by the sins of others (for example, a person who was verbally abused by their parents at a young age is going to have to heal before living the way God intended them to live). At the core of every female heart, women want 1) to be romanced 2) to have an irreplaceable role in a larger adventure (its NOT all about us!) and 3) to have a beauty to unveil. In each of those three things there is healing that needs to take place, and the book talks a lot about people who have been hurt and how that hindered them from either allowing themselves to be romanced, being a part of an adventure, or showing their beauty. And yes, its ok to show off our beauty. But there's a right way to do it. This book has a chapter for each of those three aspects as well as chapters that go back and look at what was actually happening in the Garden of Eden between Adam, Eve, Satan, and God, chapters about the battle we are in that is life, the wounds we take, and our healing.
As I often do, I underlined a lot of passages that jumped out at me, or even interested me in the slightest way. Overall, however, I didn't have any major epiphanies while reading this book. I read it slowly, and about halfway through, I noticed a slow transformation occurring in myself. I found that I felt more sure of myself throughout the day, more decisive, and more perceptive to the things BEHIND the things going on around me. Accepting that I am part of a bigger picture (part of a war God is fighting) made me think about things differently. Almost without realizing it, instead of feeling run down when something happens, I started thinking, "Ok, what's really going on here? Is this part of the battle?" To put it simply, I feel like some part of me came alive, or at the very least, woke up.
This book may not be for everyone, but it is at least worth a shot if you are curious about yourself or the woman in your life.
This book is subtitled, "Unveiling the Mystery of a Woman's Soul." Quite an endeavor to try to undertake, even with a woman coauthoring it. Even I don't understand women sometimes.
When I started reading I thought, "yeah, yeah, another book about women." In some places, I felt that Stasi's description of a woman or what a woman wants or needs in a relationship, didn't match up with how I felt. But the more I read, the more I liked, and the more I thought, "wow that's true too."
Here is a basic outline of the book: Everyone, male or female, is living imperfectly, because of the sin Adam and Eve brought into the world. But its about more than just our sin. Our hearts have been wounded by the sins of others (for example, a person who was verbally abused by their parents at a young age is going to have to heal before living the way God intended them to live). At the core of every female heart, women want 1) to be romanced 2) to have an irreplaceable role in a larger adventure (its NOT all about us!) and 3) to have a beauty to unveil. In each of those three things there is healing that needs to take place, and the book talks a lot about people who have been hurt and how that hindered them from either allowing themselves to be romanced, being a part of an adventure, or showing their beauty. And yes, its ok to show off our beauty. But there's a right way to do it. This book has a chapter for each of those three aspects as well as chapters that go back and look at what was actually happening in the Garden of Eden between Adam, Eve, Satan, and God, chapters about the battle we are in that is life, the wounds we take, and our healing.
As I often do, I underlined a lot of passages that jumped out at me, or even interested me in the slightest way. Overall, however, I didn't have any major epiphanies while reading this book. I read it slowly, and about halfway through, I noticed a slow transformation occurring in myself. I found that I felt more sure of myself throughout the day, more decisive, and more perceptive to the things BEHIND the things going on around me. Accepting that I am part of a bigger picture (part of a war God is fighting) made me think about things differently. Almost without realizing it, instead of feeling run down when something happens, I started thinking, "Ok, what's really going on here? Is this part of the battle?" To put it simply, I feel like some part of me came alive, or at the very least, woke up.
This book may not be for everyone, but it is at least worth a shot if you are curious about yourself or the woman in your life.
Friday, July 18, 2008
The Fisherman's Testament
The Fisherman's Testament, by Cesar Vidal
This was a good read. It was simple and was not a daunting length. Mr. Vidal wrote it in Spanish and it was translated into English quite well. In fact, despite its simplicity, I found several words (in English) whose definitions I did not know. It brought back memories of 4th grade, when every book I read became vocabulary homework. This was one of the several ways in which I found the book edifying.
The basic premise of the book is that the main character, Vitalis, is a Roman soldier at the end of his life, and is telling a story about an event that occurred shortly before his retirement. The event was Emperor Nero's interrogation of a Jew named Simon, with the Greek name Petros and the Jewish nickname Kephas. Anyone know who that is?? Yep, Simon Peter.
The story itself, as a courtroom drama, is engaging and exciting. Because our knowledge of Peter is based on things found in the Bible and other sources, it is often Peter's testimony TO the non-believers, rather than THEIR reactions to what he is saying. I found the book fascinating because I got to understand how a first century Roman would have reacted to the story. Jesus emphasized compassion for the poor, a "strange" fascination for females, and a kingdom in which the rulers are not motivated by greed but by servanthood. It was completely backwards, and furthermore, by being backwards (and not motivated by greed) it did not threaten the Roman empire in the least. (Nero still found it enough of a threat to instigate a wave of persecution against Christians).
Another enlightening aspect of the book is a look into Roman culture. I have already alluded to the treatment of underclass people. The old or sick were left to die, or ostracized to prevent the spread of disease. They were never healed, so Jesus' miraculous healings were that much more amazing to them. The story of Jesus healing Jairus' ten year old daughter was amusing to me, because the Romans could not believe why He would have healed a female child. Women were seen as a burden to society, so a family would never have more than one female child. If another was born, it was left on the roadside, in a ditch, or otherwise disposed of. It was also pointed out that when Jesus alluded to his death, the only follower that "got it" was a woman, the only people that followed Jesus to the cross to see him to the end were women, the only ones to venture out of doors (being unafraid to be recognized in the streets as a follower of Jesus) to go to the tomb were women, and subsequently, they were the first to see evidence of his resurrection. This emphasis on women in and of itself was enough to astonish the Romans listening to the court proceedings.
Overall, I thought it was a nice change of perspective. Instead of seeing the traditional Jewish perspective, or Roman-centurion-serving-in-Judea perspective, we get to see the customs and court proceedings in Rome- the capital of the world in Jesus' day- as well as an internal perspective on how the message of Jesus would have been received. There is even a "surprise revelation" like in all courtroom dramas, which is unusual for me. One would think that having spent the majority of my life studying the Bible and reading Bible studies and commentaries, and spending practically every Sunday listening to a sermon, there would be no more surprises for me. But no, it appears that there is always a new way of seeing every story.
I highly recommend this book, especially for someone who is curious about the person of Jesus (who IS he?) or someone who loves ancient history.
This was a good read. It was simple and was not a daunting length. Mr. Vidal wrote it in Spanish and it was translated into English quite well. In fact, despite its simplicity, I found several words (in English) whose definitions I did not know. It brought back memories of 4th grade, when every book I read became vocabulary homework. This was one of the several ways in which I found the book edifying.
The basic premise of the book is that the main character, Vitalis, is a Roman soldier at the end of his life, and is telling a story about an event that occurred shortly before his retirement. The event was Emperor Nero's interrogation of a Jew named Simon, with the Greek name Petros and the Jewish nickname Kephas. Anyone know who that is?? Yep, Simon Peter.
The story itself, as a courtroom drama, is engaging and exciting. Because our knowledge of Peter is based on things found in the Bible and other sources, it is often Peter's testimony TO the non-believers, rather than THEIR reactions to what he is saying. I found the book fascinating because I got to understand how a first century Roman would have reacted to the story. Jesus emphasized compassion for the poor, a "strange" fascination for females, and a kingdom in which the rulers are not motivated by greed but by servanthood. It was completely backwards, and furthermore, by being backwards (and not motivated by greed) it did not threaten the Roman empire in the least. (Nero still found it enough of a threat to instigate a wave of persecution against Christians).
Another enlightening aspect of the book is a look into Roman culture. I have already alluded to the treatment of underclass people. The old or sick were left to die, or ostracized to prevent the spread of disease. They were never healed, so Jesus' miraculous healings were that much more amazing to them. The story of Jesus healing Jairus' ten year old daughter was amusing to me, because the Romans could not believe why He would have healed a female child. Women were seen as a burden to society, so a family would never have more than one female child. If another was born, it was left on the roadside, in a ditch, or otherwise disposed of. It was also pointed out that when Jesus alluded to his death, the only follower that "got it" was a woman, the only people that followed Jesus to the cross to see him to the end were women, the only ones to venture out of doors (being unafraid to be recognized in the streets as a follower of Jesus) to go to the tomb were women, and subsequently, they were the first to see evidence of his resurrection. This emphasis on women in and of itself was enough to astonish the Romans listening to the court proceedings.
Overall, I thought it was a nice change of perspective. Instead of seeing the traditional Jewish perspective, or Roman-centurion-serving-in-Judea perspective, we get to see the customs and court proceedings in Rome- the capital of the world in Jesus' day- as well as an internal perspective on how the message of Jesus would have been received. There is even a "surprise revelation" like in all courtroom dramas, which is unusual for me. One would think that having spent the majority of my life studying the Bible and reading Bible studies and commentaries, and spending practically every Sunday listening to a sermon, there would be no more surprises for me. But no, it appears that there is always a new way of seeing every story.
I highly recommend this book, especially for someone who is curious about the person of Jesus (who IS he?) or someone who loves ancient history.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Untitled Manuscript
Untitled Manuscript, by Nellie Saxton
This is an autobiography, of sorts. It is a collection of my grandmother's memories, experiences, and funny stories that she wrote down as a Father's Day gift for my great grandfather in 1981. It has never been published, however, I think that it should be.
I find it extremely interesting that despite growing up in a different era from me, she still had very similar experiences, and yet, so very different. Neither of us spent a significant amount of time in a public school, but the reasons were very different. As she got older, she spent time traveling, in some cases on her own, and in other cases, with her friends, just as I have done. She tells a story of her daughter adopting a stray cat, only to discover it was pregnant. I find this particularly humorous, because her OTHER daughter (my mom) adopted a stray cat, with the same results, and I continued the tradition by adopting a kitten, although I broke the tradition by having HIM neutered right away.
If I ever have the opportunity, I would like to correct a few grammatical errors, replace a few pronouns with proper names, perhaps add a family tree diagram in the front, and then ask my mom to write a similar story, perhaps writing one myself when I have kids... and then getting the whole three generations published in a book. Since my mom, my grandmother, and I all enjoy writing, I think it is feasible and appropriate that we should attempt this.
I'd like to give you an excerpt, since my grandmother's writing style is as natural as if she's there telling you the story, and in fact she tells pretty good stories too. My favorite excerpt? "Mother never did forgive her [Grandma's 4th grade teacher] for asking if I was getting enough to eat at home. I was always so skinny and always ate more than anyone else in the house. Mom always made us hot cocoa with lots of cream and then would drop a big blob of butter on top, trying to fatten us up. She put butter in everything, but we were just naturally thin. I guess we took after Dad as he was always so thin that he could get into his World War 1 marine uniform and march in the Memorial Day parade until he was about 65 years old."
See what I mean? Its like a conversation, flowing from one topic to the next but still illustrating the point. I think with a little editing and organizing, it could be publishable. Except I'm not a publishing house, so maybe all those editors disagree with me.
Anyway, I would recommend this book, if it ever gets off the press. Without a doubt.
This is an autobiography, of sorts. It is a collection of my grandmother's memories, experiences, and funny stories that she wrote down as a Father's Day gift for my great grandfather in 1981. It has never been published, however, I think that it should be.
I find it extremely interesting that despite growing up in a different era from me, she still had very similar experiences, and yet, so very different. Neither of us spent a significant amount of time in a public school, but the reasons were very different. As she got older, she spent time traveling, in some cases on her own, and in other cases, with her friends, just as I have done. She tells a story of her daughter adopting a stray cat, only to discover it was pregnant. I find this particularly humorous, because her OTHER daughter (my mom) adopted a stray cat, with the same results, and I continued the tradition by adopting a kitten, although I broke the tradition by having HIM neutered right away.
If I ever have the opportunity, I would like to correct a few grammatical errors, replace a few pronouns with proper names, perhaps add a family tree diagram in the front, and then ask my mom to write a similar story, perhaps writing one myself when I have kids... and then getting the whole three generations published in a book. Since my mom, my grandmother, and I all enjoy writing, I think it is feasible and appropriate that we should attempt this.
I'd like to give you an excerpt, since my grandmother's writing style is as natural as if she's there telling you the story, and in fact she tells pretty good stories too. My favorite excerpt? "Mother never did forgive her [Grandma's 4th grade teacher] for asking if I was getting enough to eat at home. I was always so skinny and always ate more than anyone else in the house. Mom always made us hot cocoa with lots of cream and then would drop a big blob of butter on top, trying to fatten us up. She put butter in everything, but we were just naturally thin. I guess we took after Dad as he was always so thin that he could get into his World War 1 marine uniform and march in the Memorial Day parade until he was about 65 years old."
See what I mean? Its like a conversation, flowing from one topic to the next but still illustrating the point. I think with a little editing and organizing, it could be publishable. Except I'm not a publishing house, so maybe all those editors disagree with me.
Anyway, I would recommend this book, if it ever gets off the press. Without a doubt.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
The Last Jihad
The Last Jihad, by Joel C. Rosenberg
I finished this one quickly. Its a thriller, so like all thrillers do, it made me keep reading. This book is different for me, because I usually don't read thrillers, much less political thrillers, but all of the books in the series hit the bestsellers lists so I thought there must be something to it.
In addition, there are some who would say Mr. Rosenberg's books come true after he writes them. For instance, this particular book was written before September 11, 2001, yet it opens with a kamikaze plane attack and the subsequent war in Iraq. The characters in the book experienced the grief and shock and general chaotic feelings that many Americans, including myself, felt in the months following 9/11.
When asked how his books seem to predict the future political events, the author points to Biblical prophecy, and has written a non-fiction book (reviewed on this blog here) explaining his entire process. However, it is my belief that if a person were highly observant of world news, and well versed in common political responses to certain stimuli, that person could seem to know the future, when in actuality they are simply making a highly educated guess based on prior occurrence. Particularly amusing to me is the inclusion of one event from Mr. Rosenberg's second book as evidence of his ability to predict the future. In the second book (according to Wikipedia), Yassar Arafat dies. 13 months after publication, he did! I find it funny that this is somehow relevant to the other scenarios in his books that "came true," because last I checked, Yassar Arafat was an old man, and NOT immortal. Of course he was going to die sometime.
Not to debunk this sooth-saying theory, I feel that Mr. Rosenberg is highly attuned to the American world in which he lives, because in writing his book he not only captured the events that were about to occur, but he captured the American response to the terrorist attacks. By this I mean that the individual characters experienced the same sense of shock, outrage, and go-get-em attitude that I and many of my friends experienced. In addition, the American population in his book supported the President by a huge majority in the first few weeks following the fictional attack. That is where the book ends, but I have a feeling that the next book will depict America's growing concern and restlessness over the war, in the same way that real-life confidence in the American leadership fell as the number of American casualties in Iraq rose.
One last point, this book in some ways resembles the Left Behind series, especially because of Dr. Eliezer Mordechai, a character who resembles the Left Behind series' Dr. Chaim Rosenzwieg. Thankfully, the book conjures up a good story without feelings of impending doom and the moral message to straighten up your act before the fire and brimstone start falling. Not that there is anything wrong with that message, but it is refreshing to see a book that seems to incorporate Biblical end-times prophecy without the acts of God that are so hard for a human mind to understand. To put it another way, its intriguing to see a book that believes humans are capable of creating the end of the world without the hand of God doing most of the destruction. It, in a sense, sneaks ideas of doomsday into people's minds without them rejecting it because of their unbelief in a God who is active in the universe.
Overall, despite a few moments where I wished the author would stop describing the country side and get on with the story, I would recommend this book to anyone, especially those who are interested in politics, the Middle East, or any type of thriller book.
PS- The book was re-written before its initial 2002 publication date to incorporate and acknowledge the events of 9/11, so the president in the book is one that follows President Bush. In light of the whole "events coming true thing" I would like to point out that the fictional president is white, with an Irish last name, not black or female. I have to find SOME way of enjoying the coming election so I will play a little game with Mr. Rosenberg and just see if THAT prediction comes true...
I finished this one quickly. Its a thriller, so like all thrillers do, it made me keep reading. This book is different for me, because I usually don't read thrillers, much less political thrillers, but all of the books in the series hit the bestsellers lists so I thought there must be something to it.
In addition, there are some who would say Mr. Rosenberg's books come true after he writes them. For instance, this particular book was written before September 11, 2001, yet it opens with a kamikaze plane attack and the subsequent war in Iraq. The characters in the book experienced the grief and shock and general chaotic feelings that many Americans, including myself, felt in the months following 9/11.
When asked how his books seem to predict the future political events, the author points to Biblical prophecy, and has written a non-fiction book (reviewed on this blog here) explaining his entire process. However, it is my belief that if a person were highly observant of world news, and well versed in common political responses to certain stimuli, that person could seem to know the future, when in actuality they are simply making a highly educated guess based on prior occurrence. Particularly amusing to me is the inclusion of one event from Mr. Rosenberg's second book as evidence of his ability to predict the future. In the second book (according to Wikipedia), Yassar Arafat dies. 13 months after publication, he did! I find it funny that this is somehow relevant to the other scenarios in his books that "came true," because last I checked, Yassar Arafat was an old man, and NOT immortal. Of course he was going to die sometime.
Not to debunk this sooth-saying theory, I feel that Mr. Rosenberg is highly attuned to the American world in which he lives, because in writing his book he not only captured the events that were about to occur, but he captured the American response to the terrorist attacks. By this I mean that the individual characters experienced the same sense of shock, outrage, and go-get-em attitude that I and many of my friends experienced. In addition, the American population in his book supported the President by a huge majority in the first few weeks following the fictional attack. That is where the book ends, but I have a feeling that the next book will depict America's growing concern and restlessness over the war, in the same way that real-life confidence in the American leadership fell as the number of American casualties in Iraq rose.
One last point, this book in some ways resembles the Left Behind series, especially because of Dr. Eliezer Mordechai, a character who resembles the Left Behind series' Dr. Chaim Rosenzwieg. Thankfully, the book conjures up a good story without feelings of impending doom and the moral message to straighten up your act before the fire and brimstone start falling. Not that there is anything wrong with that message, but it is refreshing to see a book that seems to incorporate Biblical end-times prophecy without the acts of God that are so hard for a human mind to understand. To put it another way, its intriguing to see a book that believes humans are capable of creating the end of the world without the hand of God doing most of the destruction. It, in a sense, sneaks ideas of doomsday into people's minds without them rejecting it because of their unbelief in a God who is active in the universe.
Overall, despite a few moments where I wished the author would stop describing the country side and get on with the story, I would recommend this book to anyone, especially those who are interested in politics, the Middle East, or any type of thriller book.
PS- The book was re-written before its initial 2002 publication date to incorporate and acknowledge the events of 9/11, so the president in the book is one that follows President Bush. In light of the whole "events coming true thing" I would like to point out that the fictional president is white, with an Irish last name, not black or female. I have to find SOME way of enjoying the coming election so I will play a little game with Mr. Rosenberg and just see if THAT prediction comes true...
Saturday, June 14, 2008
Night of the Wind
Night of the Wind, by Dan Cherry
This book is about a life-altering tornado that occurred in southern Michigan on Palm Sunday, 1965. It is a sort of narrative reconstruction based on interviews with the eyewitnesses to the damage, the victims, and their families.
"A tornado?" you might ask. "The United States gets hundreds of them a year. It couldn't have been that bad." Try saying that to someone who was there.
At first glance, this book simply tells a story, in time increments, about a tragedy. But looking back on my reading, I discovered that the author skillfully worked in little memorable details that taught the reader something of the history and culture of the area while telling the story.
For example, instead of stating "In 1965, tornado and storm were monitored by radar storm watchers in Detroit, who then relayed information to the news stations (a long process)," the author worked the details into the story. So at 7:00 PM, which is the first chapter, the author describes the evening activities for many of the characters involved. At 7:03 PM a tornado was reported locally in southern Michigan, but as it moved north, no other counties were alerted. Giving the readers the knowledge of the tornado, while the characters involved had no knowledge of the coming disaster heightens suspense, while also subtly emphasizing in the story that the communication about the weather which is so important today, was almost non-existent back then.
Having read the book, I feel a greater sense of connection with the people in the communities of Manitou Beach, Adrian, Addison, Devil's Lake, Onsted, and others in the Lenawee County area. I feel that if I were to visit the area today, I would feel a sense of familiarity despite the fact that the damage I saw in the pictures no longer is visible today.
The sense of danger the book instilled was also profound. It was not profound in the sense of instilling an unhealthy fear of storms, but it was just enough to make a person take time out of their day to remember the deaths of those involved when the sky takes on a funny color. In fact, I found myself on Palm Sunday of this year, without even realizing it, searching the sky and thinking about the tornado of 43 years ago, despite living in the foothills of the Appalachians, where in my lifetime (24 years), we have had two tornadoes that were barely large enough to take shingles off the roofs. For this reason, I felt that the book was a wonderful tribute to the memory of those who lost their lives on that night.
I would highly recommend this book to history buffs, storm watchers, and those who live in the affected area. However, it has recently gone out of print. HAHA sucks to be you... no seriously, if you want to read it, contact me because I know the author and if I present him with enough names I might be able to petition for it to go back into print. (He's gonna read this and now he's probably rolling his eyes at me...) OK thats all, final verdict: its a great book, a suspenseful read, and how history books OUGHT to be written!
This book is about a life-altering tornado that occurred in southern Michigan on Palm Sunday, 1965. It is a sort of narrative reconstruction based on interviews with the eyewitnesses to the damage, the victims, and their families.
"A tornado?" you might ask. "The United States gets hundreds of them a year. It couldn't have been that bad." Try saying that to someone who was there.
At first glance, this book simply tells a story, in time increments, about a tragedy. But looking back on my reading, I discovered that the author skillfully worked in little memorable details that taught the reader something of the history and culture of the area while telling the story.
For example, instead of stating "In 1965, tornado and storm were monitored by radar storm watchers in Detroit, who then relayed information to the news stations (a long process)," the author worked the details into the story. So at 7:00 PM, which is the first chapter, the author describes the evening activities for many of the characters involved. At 7:03 PM a tornado was reported locally in southern Michigan, but as it moved north, no other counties were alerted. Giving the readers the knowledge of the tornado, while the characters involved had no knowledge of the coming disaster heightens suspense, while also subtly emphasizing in the story that the communication about the weather which is so important today, was almost non-existent back then.
Having read the book, I feel a greater sense of connection with the people in the communities of Manitou Beach, Adrian, Addison, Devil's Lake, Onsted, and others in the Lenawee County area. I feel that if I were to visit the area today, I would feel a sense of familiarity despite the fact that the damage I saw in the pictures no longer is visible today.
The sense of danger the book instilled was also profound. It was not profound in the sense of instilling an unhealthy fear of storms, but it was just enough to make a person take time out of their day to remember the deaths of those involved when the sky takes on a funny color. In fact, I found myself on Palm Sunday of this year, without even realizing it, searching the sky and thinking about the tornado of 43 years ago, despite living in the foothills of the Appalachians, where in my lifetime (24 years), we have had two tornadoes that were barely large enough to take shingles off the roofs. For this reason, I felt that the book was a wonderful tribute to the memory of those who lost their lives on that night.
I would highly recommend this book to history buffs, storm watchers, and those who live in the affected area. However, it has recently gone out of print. HAHA sucks to be you... no seriously, if you want to read it, contact me because I know the author and if I present him with enough names I might be able to petition for it to go back into print. (He's gonna read this and now he's probably rolling his eyes at me...) OK thats all, final verdict: its a great book, a suspenseful read, and how history books OUGHT to be written!
The Purpose-Driven Life
The Purpose-Driven Life, by Rick Warren
This book is intended to be read one chapter a day for 40 days. From day 1 to around day 30, I wrote a bad review in my head, intending to post it here, yet still willing to give it a chance by finishing the book. My reviews usually went something like this:
"This book is bullsh. It is worse than bullsh. At least bullsh can be used to fertilize crops. This book isn't even useful for that."
My problem with the book stemmed from the author presenting his opinions as fact, and with the full expectation that everyone reading his book will agree with him. I also was very annoyed by the use of catchy phrases that every preacher likes to use in the pulpit as if they came up with it themselves, and that none of the ideas presented in the book were new ideas to me.
However, on day 40, while still disliking the book, I was struck by the thought that every once in a while, its a good thing to hear something you've already heard before, as in some cases it seems to reinforce it.
I am still not sure if I would recommend the book itself to people, because it seems to have been written to cover a broad audience, and therefore doesn't really go into specifics about finding your purpose in life. It basically just says "Use these tips to personalize it for yourself" where I like a book that gives examples like "Mary has these hobbies and went through this experience to find out that God has called her to be THIS..."
If you are searching for a book to help you find out what God's plan is for your life, talk to me about what exactly you are looking for and I will tell you if this is a good book for you. It was not a good book for me, but it hit the NY Times Best-Seller list, so it was good for like 40 million people. I just wasn't one of them.
This book is intended to be read one chapter a day for 40 days. From day 1 to around day 30, I wrote a bad review in my head, intending to post it here, yet still willing to give it a chance by finishing the book. My reviews usually went something like this:
"This book is bullsh. It is worse than bullsh. At least bullsh can be used to fertilize crops. This book isn't even useful for that."
My problem with the book stemmed from the author presenting his opinions as fact, and with the full expectation that everyone reading his book will agree with him. I also was very annoyed by the use of catchy phrases that every preacher likes to use in the pulpit as if they came up with it themselves, and that none of the ideas presented in the book were new ideas to me.
However, on day 40, while still disliking the book, I was struck by the thought that every once in a while, its a good thing to hear something you've already heard before, as in some cases it seems to reinforce it.
I am still not sure if I would recommend the book itself to people, because it seems to have been written to cover a broad audience, and therefore doesn't really go into specifics about finding your purpose in life. It basically just says "Use these tips to personalize it for yourself" where I like a book that gives examples like "Mary has these hobbies and went through this experience to find out that God has called her to be THIS..."
If you are searching for a book to help you find out what God's plan is for your life, talk to me about what exactly you are looking for and I will tell you if this is a good book for you. It was not a good book for me, but it hit the NY Times Best-Seller list, so it was good for like 40 million people. I just wasn't one of them.
Monday, May 19, 2008
Hood
Hood, by Stephen R. Lawhead
This book is a retelling of the Robin Hood legend. Instead of being set in England during the time of Richard the Lionhearted, the story is set in Wales about a hundred years earlier. One of the main reasons the author cites for this change is that Sherwood Forest, supposedly haunted in the legend, if located in England, would be reconstituted forest- not very haunting. In Wales a hundred years earlier, there DID exist virgin forests, which would be very spooky. There were other reasons about the origins and natures of rising legends, which were also valid points, but the one that caught my interest was the reason about the virgin forests. The thought had never occurred to me before.
That being said, I will summarize. Bran is a Welsh prince, who has no interest in his father's throne. When his father is killed, we begin to discover the politics that are taking place in the British Isles during that time. Bran is forced into danger and hiding, Lady Merian and her family become political pawns, and the rich nobles squabble with each other over the rich land. The book contains the classic elements of the legend, but in a new and Celtic sort of way. It is easy to forget that you are reading a story about Robin Hood, because the names are different. Then every once in a while, an English character will struggle with a Celtic name like Aethelfrith, and will simply say in English, "I'll call you Friar Tuck," and you will be reminded that it is an old story with a new twist (this explains why the Robin Hood character is named Bran- its Welsh). I think its cool, but I am putting it here because I realize it might be an annoying element to some people.
While on the whole I enjoyed the book, the climax was somewhat of a cliche, the hero is trapped, miraculously finds an opportunity to hold a knife to the fair lady's throat even though everyone including himself is in love with her, and ultimately we see him riding off with her on the back of his horse, and the classic signs of a romantic comedy beginning, where something threatens their relationship and something else causes them to live happily ever after. However, because this is book one of a trilogy, at the end of the book she still hates him. I know you are all thinking, "What is she doing, giving away the ending?" but be honest... don't you already know the Robin Hood story? Whats more exciting is how the author gets to all the components of the legend in different and intriguing ways. Its the middle that is interesting, not the end. You all know the end. Its Robin Hood.
I do have to say, however, that the book is frustrating for two reasons. 1) The denouement (oooh big word!) is NOT a cliche, it sets up a cliff hanger for the next book, which I refuse to buy until it comes out in softcover in June (darn!). And 2) the book was sold in the Christian bookstore where I work, and for the life of me, I can't find anything Christian about it. Granted, it is not ANTI-Christian, and I am not opposed to reading books that are not overtly Christian, but to sell it in a Christian bookstore seems a little misleading to me.
It did seem accurate to me (and relevant to today's world) in one way. The monks had Christianized Wales by that point (so the characters are "Christian" but the message of the book is pure entertainment without a religious intent) and the Normans under King William the Red were also "Christian." So while killing each other, they each return and in their own way continue in their religious practices. I find it interesting that even today we still have evidence of that going on, for example, backstabbing our neighbors only to turn around and pray for them. It is ironic and sad that we are living like ancient Isreal in Judges, "everyone did what was right in their own eyes," meaning, everyone thinks that they are following God and then they also believe that it is divine right to conquer and kill in Wales or whatever area in the modern day could be their "Wales." That's just a little food for thought, it was not the message of the book, but one thing I picked up on that seemed relevant in my eyes.
To sum it all up, I recommend this book, in all its wonderful action and plot, as well as in all of its potential flaws.
This book is a retelling of the Robin Hood legend. Instead of being set in England during the time of Richard the Lionhearted, the story is set in Wales about a hundred years earlier. One of the main reasons the author cites for this change is that Sherwood Forest, supposedly haunted in the legend, if located in England, would be reconstituted forest- not very haunting. In Wales a hundred years earlier, there DID exist virgin forests, which would be very spooky. There were other reasons about the origins and natures of rising legends, which were also valid points, but the one that caught my interest was the reason about the virgin forests. The thought had never occurred to me before.
That being said, I will summarize. Bran is a Welsh prince, who has no interest in his father's throne. When his father is killed, we begin to discover the politics that are taking place in the British Isles during that time. Bran is forced into danger and hiding, Lady Merian and her family become political pawns, and the rich nobles squabble with each other over the rich land. The book contains the classic elements of the legend, but in a new and Celtic sort of way. It is easy to forget that you are reading a story about Robin Hood, because the names are different. Then every once in a while, an English character will struggle with a Celtic name like Aethelfrith, and will simply say in English, "I'll call you Friar Tuck," and you will be reminded that it is an old story with a new twist (this explains why the Robin Hood character is named Bran- its Welsh). I think its cool, but I am putting it here because I realize it might be an annoying element to some people.
While on the whole I enjoyed the book, the climax was somewhat of a cliche, the hero is trapped, miraculously finds an opportunity to hold a knife to the fair lady's throat even though everyone including himself is in love with her, and ultimately we see him riding off with her on the back of his horse, and the classic signs of a romantic comedy beginning, where something threatens their relationship and something else causes them to live happily ever after. However, because this is book one of a trilogy, at the end of the book she still hates him. I know you are all thinking, "What is she doing, giving away the ending?" but be honest... don't you already know the Robin Hood story? Whats more exciting is how the author gets to all the components of the legend in different and intriguing ways. Its the middle that is interesting, not the end. You all know the end. Its Robin Hood.
I do have to say, however, that the book is frustrating for two reasons. 1) The denouement (oooh big word!) is NOT a cliche, it sets up a cliff hanger for the next book, which I refuse to buy until it comes out in softcover in June (darn!). And 2) the book was sold in the Christian bookstore where I work, and for the life of me, I can't find anything Christian about it. Granted, it is not ANTI-Christian, and I am not opposed to reading books that are not overtly Christian, but to sell it in a Christian bookstore seems a little misleading to me.
It did seem accurate to me (and relevant to today's world) in one way. The monks had Christianized Wales by that point (so the characters are "Christian" but the message of the book is pure entertainment without a religious intent) and the Normans under King William the Red were also "Christian." So while killing each other, they each return and in their own way continue in their religious practices. I find it interesting that even today we still have evidence of that going on, for example, backstabbing our neighbors only to turn around and pray for them. It is ironic and sad that we are living like ancient Isreal in Judges, "everyone did what was right in their own eyes," meaning, everyone thinks that they are following God and then they also believe that it is divine right to conquer and kill in Wales or whatever area in the modern day could be their "Wales." That's just a little food for thought, it was not the message of the book, but one thing I picked up on that seemed relevant in my eyes.
To sum it all up, I recommend this book, in all its wonderful action and plot, as well as in all of its potential flaws.
Thursday, May 1, 2008
The Prayer of Jabez
The Prayer of Jabez, by Bruce Wilkinson
Ok, so I've been reading lots of short books so I can feel like I am accomplishing something. This one has a very good concept. The book focuses on four different topics to cover during your prayer time (but don't limit it to these four!):
1.) Pray that God will bless you. Its not bad, its not selfish, and God wants to bless you if you ask.
2.) Pray that God will increase your territory. Not necessarily physical property you own, but that He would increase your ministry opportunities.
3.) Pray that God's hand will be with you. You can't really complete the ministry opportunities he sends you without God's hand supporting you and helping you through it all.
4.) Pray that God will keep you from temptation. When you do #1, 2, and 3, you are now on enemy territory doing things God's enemies don't want you doing. If you do not feel tempted in any way, you are not a danger to God's enemies. But when you go about your daily routine, God can shield you from all those enemy attacks. Ask him to.
And that's the basis of the book. Very motivating the first time I read it, and inspiring the second time. However, my life is so busy right now, that to try to get myself into the habit of praying this prayer every day is more time-consuming than I can handle. I agree with everything in the book, but when I say my prayers, its hard enough to remember to pray for all the other stuff. I am intrigued, however, by the concept of asking God for daily blessings and am curious to test the author's claims about its power. Perhaps I will add one of these four to my prayers and then as I get into the habit, I will add one more "part" each time. Anyone care to join me in trying this?
Ok, so I've been reading lots of short books so I can feel like I am accomplishing something. This one has a very good concept. The book focuses on four different topics to cover during your prayer time (but don't limit it to these four!):
1.) Pray that God will bless you. Its not bad, its not selfish, and God wants to bless you if you ask.
2.) Pray that God will increase your territory. Not necessarily physical property you own, but that He would increase your ministry opportunities.
3.) Pray that God's hand will be with you. You can't really complete the ministry opportunities he sends you without God's hand supporting you and helping you through it all.
4.) Pray that God will keep you from temptation. When you do #1, 2, and 3, you are now on enemy territory doing things God's enemies don't want you doing. If you do not feel tempted in any way, you are not a danger to God's enemies. But when you go about your daily routine, God can shield you from all those enemy attacks. Ask him to.
And that's the basis of the book. Very motivating the first time I read it, and inspiring the second time. However, my life is so busy right now, that to try to get myself into the habit of praying this prayer every day is more time-consuming than I can handle. I agree with everything in the book, but when I say my prayers, its hard enough to remember to pray for all the other stuff. I am intrigued, however, by the concept of asking God for daily blessings and am curious to test the author's claims about its power. Perhaps I will add one of these four to my prayers and then as I get into the habit, I will add one more "part" each time. Anyone care to join me in trying this?
Friday, April 25, 2008
The Sacred Romance
The Sacred Romance, by Brent Curtis and John Eldredge
I read this book years ago, and loved it, so I thought I would read it again. Unfortunately, I was disappointed the second time around. I think perhaps it is the type of book that requires the reader to be in a certain path of life in order to be able to identify with it.
The book explains that many people have a certain longing to be a part of a bigger story, a grand adventure. Its why kids like to play Cowboys-and-Indians, or Cops-and-Robbers, or any type of imaginative game that looks like it might be an action movie some day. In the book, the authors discuss how we are meant for that grand adventure and that it is actually a romance-adventure, in that God is trying so hard to romance our hearts, but we don't see it because we are not living in that bigger picture. They talk about Arrows, which are like messages we receive from our life experiences that convince us that there is no bigger adventure story, that this is all it is, and you are on your own. To cover our disappointment, we turn to something the authors call "Less Wild Lovers" which is basically anything that distracts you from a deep relationship with God, including church activities (yes, they can distract you if they keep you busy enough that you don't focus on God anymore). Eventually, we have buried the longing for adventure under excuses, like "I'm too busy" or "That's a childish thought."
I didn't feel that the authors actually explained how to get back into the adventure story we all dream of, and I didn't really feel that I have been dreaming of an adventure story. My life is about as exciting as I really need it to be right now, and I'm happy with the smaller picture. I don't know if this means that I have an Arrow I'm not seeing convincing me that I don't need a bigger story, or if this just means the book does not apply to me. Another interesting thing, is that I finished the book in a few days the first time I read it, and was captivated by every word, however, this time around, it took me months, and I felt that the writing was so dry and boring.
Overall, since I had two completely opposite experiences, I would suggest that anyone interested in the topic of the book should read at least one chapter, and make an informed decision based on what I have said, and your gut feeling about whether the first chapter was a waste of time, or a must-read.
I read this book years ago, and loved it, so I thought I would read it again. Unfortunately, I was disappointed the second time around. I think perhaps it is the type of book that requires the reader to be in a certain path of life in order to be able to identify with it.
The book explains that many people have a certain longing to be a part of a bigger story, a grand adventure. Its why kids like to play Cowboys-and-Indians, or Cops-and-Robbers, or any type of imaginative game that looks like it might be an action movie some day. In the book, the authors discuss how we are meant for that grand adventure and that it is actually a romance-adventure, in that God is trying so hard to romance our hearts, but we don't see it because we are not living in that bigger picture. They talk about Arrows, which are like messages we receive from our life experiences that convince us that there is no bigger adventure story, that this is all it is, and you are on your own. To cover our disappointment, we turn to something the authors call "Less Wild Lovers" which is basically anything that distracts you from a deep relationship with God, including church activities (yes, they can distract you if they keep you busy enough that you don't focus on God anymore). Eventually, we have buried the longing for adventure under excuses, like "I'm too busy" or "That's a childish thought."
I didn't feel that the authors actually explained how to get back into the adventure story we all dream of, and I didn't really feel that I have been dreaming of an adventure story. My life is about as exciting as I really need it to be right now, and I'm happy with the smaller picture. I don't know if this means that I have an Arrow I'm not seeing convincing me that I don't need a bigger story, or if this just means the book does not apply to me. Another interesting thing, is that I finished the book in a few days the first time I read it, and was captivated by every word, however, this time around, it took me months, and I felt that the writing was so dry and boring.
Overall, since I had two completely opposite experiences, I would suggest that anyone interested in the topic of the book should read at least one chapter, and make an informed decision based on what I have said, and your gut feeling about whether the first chapter was a waste of time, or a must-read.
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
The Case for Easter
The Case for Easter, by Lee Strobel
This author is well known for his books, The Case for Christ, The Case for Faith, and The Case for a Creator. Theoretically, these books would fall in the category of evangelism or apologetics. This legal journalist was astounded when his wife became a Christian. He decided to put his investigative skills to work to prove how silly she was being. While the other three investigative books were full length, this, The Case for Easter, is only a few chapters long.
In the first subject to be examined, Strobel interviews a doctor who describes each moment leading up to Jesus' death, as it is recorded in the known historical documents. From this medical perspective, the reader can understand: why Jesus was sweating blood, why the flogging would have been worse than normal, why he (a carpenter in the prime of his youth) was unable to carry the horizontal beam of the cross (the patibulum), why he said he was thirsty on the cross, why he knew exactly when his moment of death would come ("Into your hands I commit my spirit"), and why when the Roman soldier pierced his side, blood and water flowed out. For any medical geeks out there reading this, the reasons are, in order: hematidrosis, hematidrosis, hypovolemic shock, hypovolemic shock, respiratory acidosis, and pericardial/pleural effusions. Cause of death, cardiac arrest.
From this interview, Strobel was left with no doubt that Jesus died on the cross. He goes on to another interview, where he learns that there is no doubt that Jesus was placed in a tomb, and that three days later (days by Jewish reckoning) the same tomb he was laid in was discovered to be empty, despite several precautions against possible resurrections and/or tomb raiding. Most convincing in my mind is that when the Jewish leaders and Jesus' disciples were arguing, the question was not whether or not the tomb was empty, but where on earth did the body go? Even the Jewish leaders admitted that the tomb was empty.
Ok so where did the body go? In the final interview, Strobel mostly debates the historical reliability of the New Testament books, because they are full of eyewitness reports of seeing Jesus alive (more than 500 people). He determines that hallucinations and groupthink are not possible explanations, and if everyone collectively lied, then when they began to be persecuted for their beliefs they would have given up on their lie, confessed, and lived out their days in peace. They did not. Instead, they became martyrs.
All in all, the book was interesting, but did not inspire me to buy any of his other books. It seems to me that The Case for Easter is The Case for Christ Lite. Once I got a taste, I have whet my appetite, and in my mind, I need no further proof to back up my faith, because I feel that more proof would undermine my definition of FAITH. I would strongly encourage anyone else who needs proof to pick up a copy of The Case for Easter (for about 3 bucks) or if you want a lot of proof, then The Case for Christ.
One last comment: I realize the book analyzes events in chronological order, but starting off with blood and gore is a turn off to some people. Medically I was fascinated. But I'm not the rest of the world. If you do read this book and the blood starts to get to you, my suggestion is just to skip to the next chapter and take it on FAITH that Jesus actually died.
This author is well known for his books, The Case for Christ, The Case for Faith, and The Case for a Creator. Theoretically, these books would fall in the category of evangelism or apologetics. This legal journalist was astounded when his wife became a Christian. He decided to put his investigative skills to work to prove how silly she was being. While the other three investigative books were full length, this, The Case for Easter, is only a few chapters long.
In the first subject to be examined, Strobel interviews a doctor who describes each moment leading up to Jesus' death, as it is recorded in the known historical documents. From this medical perspective, the reader can understand: why Jesus was sweating blood, why the flogging would have been worse than normal, why he (a carpenter in the prime of his youth) was unable to carry the horizontal beam of the cross (the patibulum), why he said he was thirsty on the cross, why he knew exactly when his moment of death would come ("Into your hands I commit my spirit"), and why when the Roman soldier pierced his side, blood and water flowed out. For any medical geeks out there reading this, the reasons are, in order: hematidrosis, hematidrosis, hypovolemic shock, hypovolemic shock, respiratory acidosis, and pericardial/pleural effusions. Cause of death, cardiac arrest.
From this interview, Strobel was left with no doubt that Jesus died on the cross. He goes on to another interview, where he learns that there is no doubt that Jesus was placed in a tomb, and that three days later (days by Jewish reckoning) the same tomb he was laid in was discovered to be empty, despite several precautions against possible resurrections and/or tomb raiding. Most convincing in my mind is that when the Jewish leaders and Jesus' disciples were arguing, the question was not whether or not the tomb was empty, but where on earth did the body go? Even the Jewish leaders admitted that the tomb was empty.
Ok so where did the body go? In the final interview, Strobel mostly debates the historical reliability of the New Testament books, because they are full of eyewitness reports of seeing Jesus alive (more than 500 people). He determines that hallucinations and groupthink are not possible explanations, and if everyone collectively lied, then when they began to be persecuted for their beliefs they would have given up on their lie, confessed, and lived out their days in peace. They did not. Instead, they became martyrs.
All in all, the book was interesting, but did not inspire me to buy any of his other books. It seems to me that The Case for Easter is The Case for Christ Lite. Once I got a taste, I have whet my appetite, and in my mind, I need no further proof to back up my faith, because I feel that more proof would undermine my definition of FAITH. I would strongly encourage anyone else who needs proof to pick up a copy of The Case for Easter (for about 3 bucks) or if you want a lot of proof, then The Case for Christ.
One last comment: I realize the book analyzes events in chronological order, but starting off with blood and gore is a turn off to some people. Medically I was fascinated. But I'm not the rest of the world. If you do read this book and the blood starts to get to you, my suggestion is just to skip to the next chapter and take it on FAITH that Jesus actually died.
Monday, April 21, 2008
Song of Solomon
Song of Solomon, by (presumably) Solomon
A conversation this morning caused me to open my Bible and read Song of Solomon (or Song of Songs, as it is sometimes called). I have read this one before, but it is a classic, and always an interesting read. While I have always been fascinated by love stories, I do tend to lean toward the tragic ones that involve pain and suffering. Song of Solomon has none of that, and it is refreshing not to be depressed while reading.
The book is a collection of love notes from the Beloved (the girl) to the Lover (the guy) and vice versa. Interjecting occasionally are the Friends, indicating to me that at least at some points in their relationship, the Beloved and the Lover are guilty of some unashamed PDA. There is good balance though, occasionally they also slip down to their vineyard for some alone time, where they sing the praises of each other's physical characteristics.
While these things are exciting and I someday hope to experience this kind of love with my husband, I think it would take me about 3 weeks to get tired of it. I prefer a deeper, more calm kind of love. I would have liked it very much if Song of Solomon had a sequel. The whole portrayal of being constantly gaga over your lover seems unrealistic after the honeymoon stage wears off. The book in the Bible directly after Song of Solomon should be Song of Solomon, Part 2: The 10-Years-Down-The-Road Love Story. It should depict the Lover and the Beloved when her boobs are sagging and the kids are fighting and they still love each other but their minds have matured so now they are enchanted by a glint in the eye, a tender look, a caring spirit. They can no longer sing the praises of their bodies (her breasts go from "like fawns of gazelles" to "sea cucumbers") but they can sing the praises of the things they have accomplished together and how beautiful their kids are and how good a father or mother they are and how nice it is to sit and chat over a cup of coffee. That's the kind of love I ultimately want.
Still... I'm young. It would be really cool to chase someone through a vineyard and have somebody tell me my eyes are "like doves." At least for the first three weeks after I'm married. After that, VOMIT.
A conversation this morning caused me to open my Bible and read Song of Solomon (or Song of Songs, as it is sometimes called). I have read this one before, but it is a classic, and always an interesting read. While I have always been fascinated by love stories, I do tend to lean toward the tragic ones that involve pain and suffering. Song of Solomon has none of that, and it is refreshing not to be depressed while reading.
The book is a collection of love notes from the Beloved (the girl) to the Lover (the guy) and vice versa. Interjecting occasionally are the Friends, indicating to me that at least at some points in their relationship, the Beloved and the Lover are guilty of some unashamed PDA. There is good balance though, occasionally they also slip down to their vineyard for some alone time, where they sing the praises of each other's physical characteristics.
While these things are exciting and I someday hope to experience this kind of love with my husband, I think it would take me about 3 weeks to get tired of it. I prefer a deeper, more calm kind of love. I would have liked it very much if Song of Solomon had a sequel. The whole portrayal of being constantly gaga over your lover seems unrealistic after the honeymoon stage wears off. The book in the Bible directly after Song of Solomon should be Song of Solomon, Part 2: The 10-Years-Down-The-Road Love Story. It should depict the Lover and the Beloved when her boobs are sagging and the kids are fighting and they still love each other but their minds have matured so now they are enchanted by a glint in the eye, a tender look, a caring spirit. They can no longer sing the praises of their bodies (her breasts go from "like fawns of gazelles" to "sea cucumbers") but they can sing the praises of the things they have accomplished together and how beautiful their kids are and how good a father or mother they are and how nice it is to sit and chat over a cup of coffee. That's the kind of love I ultimately want.
Still... I'm young. It would be really cool to chase someone through a vineyard and have somebody tell me my eyes are "like doves." At least for the first three weeks after I'm married. After that, VOMIT.
Saturday, April 19, 2008
The Five Love Languages
The Five Love Languages, by Gary Chapman
I found this book to be very interesting. Although the book was originally intended for married couples, the concepts in the book can be applied to anyone in a relationship with anyone else. Gary Chapman has written other books with the same concept, including The Five Love Languages of Children, and The Five Love Languages of Teenagers. As you can see, it is not limited to a married relationship. It seems pretty useful to me.
The premise of the book is that each person expresses love in different ways, metaphorically called languages. Just like with a real language, you grow up speaking a native language because your parents and friends speak it. If you speak English and your friend speaks Spanish, saying I love you is meaningless to your friend. You have to learn to say it in Spanish. In the same way, when you enter a relationship with someone with a different love language, you have to learn to speak their language if you are going to communicate "I love you" effectively. According to the author, there are only 5 real ways to say "I love you." However, just like a real language, there are hundreds of different dialects (which accounts for the magazine articles with titles like "39 ways to turn her on" and "20 ways to keep your man at home").
Ok, so what are the 5 love languages? The first one is "Words of Affirmation." This means verbally saying, "Thank you for taking the trash out, that means a lot to me." "I really love when we find time to cook together." "Oh you did the dishes? Thanks, I was dreading that." It also works in the negative. If your friend's love language is Words of Affirmation, and you constantly ask that person when they are going to get around to coming over to play a game of poker with you, you are just stressing them out. Stop bugging them, and start telling them they are good at something else. They just might come over to play poker with you.
The next love language is "Quality Time." This is simple. Watching TV together is not quality time, because the TV is getting your attention. Washing the car together and hitting each other with dirty sponges is quality time. You are not focused on the car, but on how silly the other person looks with suds in their hair. You are enjoying the person's company. The person who came over to play poker with you might have been a Words of Affirmation Person but the one constantly asking to play poker is a Quality Time Person.
Moving on... "Receiving Gifts." The best example of this is in a child who just picked your prized tulip out of the garden and runs up to you saying "Mommy, look, I brought you a flower!" Instead of getting angry, recognize that the child's love language is receiving gifts, and wants to say I Love You by giving a gift of his own. In a little bunny trail, this chapter contains the coolest sentence in the world: "Fred was... a young black man of 28 years. Fred had lost a hand in a fishing-by-dynamite accident." Just think about that for a minute.
Number Four is "Acts of Service." Imagine yourself going over to a friend's house to hang out and you see a pile of dishes in the sink. If your friend's love language is acts of service, it would mean a lot to them if you did their dishes, not because they hate dishes but because you are doing an act of service. A husband helping his wife around the house is another example of an act of service. Incidentally, you should do these things out of love, not because you are a doormat. If a doormat does the act of service, eventually the relationship will dissolve.
Number Five is the one everyone thinks is them. "Physical Touch." Everyone thinks, "I can't live without sex/kissing/holding hands/hugging my friends/whatever." In actuality, you probably can. But the person whose love language is through physical touch will begin to feel unloved if they are deprived of physical contact. One of the best examples of this didn't come from the book but from a friend of mine, who always went out of her way to come into physical contact with her boyfriend. Sitting down at a restaurant booth, her thigh or foot would always be in contact with his, or walking across a room, passing him, her path would veer just enough for them to brush shoulders. It was not sexual, it was simply physical. She loved him and wanted physical contact.
I found all this information incredibly fascinating, because I found myself analyzing my actions and the actions of my friends. I learned to read the actions and figured out that if you can understand what someone else's love language is, then even if it is not your love language, you can understand anyway that they are trying to say "I love you." Basically, the more I understand the concepts in this book, the easier it is for me to take someone's affirmative words and translate that into "Oh, he or she is actually trying to say they love me. Cool."
I found this book to be very interesting. Although the book was originally intended for married couples, the concepts in the book can be applied to anyone in a relationship with anyone else. Gary Chapman has written other books with the same concept, including The Five Love Languages of Children, and The Five Love Languages of Teenagers. As you can see, it is not limited to a married relationship. It seems pretty useful to me.
The premise of the book is that each person expresses love in different ways, metaphorically called languages. Just like with a real language, you grow up speaking a native language because your parents and friends speak it. If you speak English and your friend speaks Spanish, saying I love you is meaningless to your friend. You have to learn to say it in Spanish. In the same way, when you enter a relationship with someone with a different love language, you have to learn to speak their language if you are going to communicate "I love you" effectively. According to the author, there are only 5 real ways to say "I love you." However, just like a real language, there are hundreds of different dialects (which accounts for the magazine articles with titles like "39 ways to turn her on" and "20 ways to keep your man at home").
Ok, so what are the 5 love languages? The first one is "Words of Affirmation." This means verbally saying, "Thank you for taking the trash out, that means a lot to me." "I really love when we find time to cook together." "Oh you did the dishes? Thanks, I was dreading that." It also works in the negative. If your friend's love language is Words of Affirmation, and you constantly ask that person when they are going to get around to coming over to play a game of poker with you, you are just stressing them out. Stop bugging them, and start telling them they are good at something else. They just might come over to play poker with you.
The next love language is "Quality Time." This is simple. Watching TV together is not quality time, because the TV is getting your attention. Washing the car together and hitting each other with dirty sponges is quality time. You are not focused on the car, but on how silly the other person looks with suds in their hair. You are enjoying the person's company. The person who came over to play poker with you might have been a Words of Affirmation Person but the one constantly asking to play poker is a Quality Time Person.
Moving on... "Receiving Gifts." The best example of this is in a child who just picked your prized tulip out of the garden and runs up to you saying "Mommy, look, I brought you a flower!" Instead of getting angry, recognize that the child's love language is receiving gifts, and wants to say I Love You by giving a gift of his own. In a little bunny trail, this chapter contains the coolest sentence in the world: "Fred was... a young black man of 28 years. Fred had lost a hand in a fishing-by-dynamite accident." Just think about that for a minute.
Number Four is "Acts of Service." Imagine yourself going over to a friend's house to hang out and you see a pile of dishes in the sink. If your friend's love language is acts of service, it would mean a lot to them if you did their dishes, not because they hate dishes but because you are doing an act of service. A husband helping his wife around the house is another example of an act of service. Incidentally, you should do these things out of love, not because you are a doormat. If a doormat does the act of service, eventually the relationship will dissolve.
Number Five is the one everyone thinks is them. "Physical Touch." Everyone thinks, "I can't live without sex/kissing/holding hands/hugging my friends/whatever." In actuality, you probably can. But the person whose love language is through physical touch will begin to feel unloved if they are deprived of physical contact. One of the best examples of this didn't come from the book but from a friend of mine, who always went out of her way to come into physical contact with her boyfriend. Sitting down at a restaurant booth, her thigh or foot would always be in contact with his, or walking across a room, passing him, her path would veer just enough for them to brush shoulders. It was not sexual, it was simply physical. She loved him and wanted physical contact.
I found all this information incredibly fascinating, because I found myself analyzing my actions and the actions of my friends. I learned to read the actions and figured out that if you can understand what someone else's love language is, then even if it is not your love language, you can understand anyway that they are trying to say "I love you." Basically, the more I understand the concepts in this book, the easier it is for me to take someone's affirmative words and translate that into "Oh, he or she is actually trying to say they love me. Cool."
Friday, April 18, 2008
Blink of an Eye
Blink of an Eye, by Ted Dekker.
I thought a good fiction novel would be better than starting off with something heavy and theological, which is another genre I have been interested in reading lately.
This book interested me for many reasons. First of all, everyone is reading all of Ted Dekker's books, and this one I picked up for $5. Also, it is an action-adventure type book, that has a male-female pair of (romantic) lead characters. Everyone knows that when you are running for your life and dodging bullets, the first thing on your mind is, do you get to kiss the girl? And third, amazon had the first chapter online, and I had time.
So basically, Seth and Miriam are the main characters. Seth is not a usual male lead because he doesn't fit into his world, doesn't often dress well, and is somewhat geeky. During the scene in the desert where he rips his shirt off, of course, he suddenly is muscular, presumably from the surfing he did when he was younger, despite not having been surfing in over three years because of college (bachelor's in two years, and almost done with a doctorate- did I mention he is incredibly smart?). Miriam is a Saudi princess who grows in strength and willfulness as the story progresses. Eventually, when she leaves the story, she is convinced that too many Arab men are dogs who view women as possessions and baby-makers, and she is fed up, longing for the freedom that can be found in America.
Of course, the story wouldn't be much fun if she were in Saudi Arabia and he were in California. Naturally we have to get them together. She becomes a political refugee running from a threatened coup, and he discovers he has a special power to see the future, or multiple futures. He saves her life several times because of this power, as they are chased across California and through the Mojave desert by six different entities, both foreign and American.
Love. That is the key word. Despite the intense, almost non-stop action, love is a prevailing theme in the book. Because of Seth's brilliant mind, he has been able to establish for himself the idea that God cannot exist, and yet, has read the Bible, the Koran, the Torah, and the Talmud, cover to cover. He concludes that Jesus was the greatest prophet, because the Bible and the Koran declare him to be without sin. In the end, after several events lead him to question his conclusions, he and Miriam determine that love is the most important thing in the world, because how can you kill your neighbor, if you love him like you love yourself (the second greatest commandment made by Jesus, the greatest prophet)?
Another element that was more subtle but which I found interesting was that Seth sometimes seemed to be guilty of hubris (in my eyes anyway). The most obvious is his insight into the future, with infinite, mind-boggling possibilities, and his quick, brilliant mind. Because of his knowledge of the future, or actually all possible futures, he is able to manipulate situations for favorable outcomes, sometimes including using his choice of words to influence other people. He also acts cocky, although in some cases it is only an act. But the most common example of this is Miriam's constant reference to him as her savior. He IS her savior (he rescued her, like 50 times, in the story) but when he reminds her of it, it makes me want to hold my breath and wait for the lightning to strike.
Still, it made me think of my relationship with MY Savior. At one point or another it was as thrilling and exciting as Miriam's is with Seth, although not quite so dangerous. The spontaneity, not knowing what was coming next, was exciting, and the sometimes crazy plans that came my way only added to it. As Miriam traveled, she and Seth would pick each other's brains, trying to think of things in new ways and see new angles, much in the same way that I was always finding new angles with my Savior. Somewhere along the line though, the excitement disappeared. I suppose no one can live on an adrenaline rush forever; eventually the adrenal gland (physical or metaphorical) will decide it hates you and go on strike.
The story of Miriam falling in love with her savior, and her savior with her, was enchanting to me, and thrilling. It has inspired me to patch things up with MY Savior.
And thats all I have to say about that. I hate conclusions. I'd rather just stop talking when I'm done talking.
I thought a good fiction novel would be better than starting off with something heavy and theological, which is another genre I have been interested in reading lately.
This book interested me for many reasons. First of all, everyone is reading all of Ted Dekker's books, and this one I picked up for $5. Also, it is an action-adventure type book, that has a male-female pair of (romantic) lead characters. Everyone knows that when you are running for your life and dodging bullets, the first thing on your mind is, do you get to kiss the girl? And third, amazon had the first chapter online, and I had time.
So basically, Seth and Miriam are the main characters. Seth is not a usual male lead because he doesn't fit into his world, doesn't often dress well, and is somewhat geeky. During the scene in the desert where he rips his shirt off, of course, he suddenly is muscular, presumably from the surfing he did when he was younger, despite not having been surfing in over three years because of college (bachelor's in two years, and almost done with a doctorate- did I mention he is incredibly smart?). Miriam is a Saudi princess who grows in strength and willfulness as the story progresses. Eventually, when she leaves the story, she is convinced that too many Arab men are dogs who view women as possessions and baby-makers, and she is fed up, longing for the freedom that can be found in America.
Of course, the story wouldn't be much fun if she were in Saudi Arabia and he were in California. Naturally we have to get them together. She becomes a political refugee running from a threatened coup, and he discovers he has a special power to see the future, or multiple futures. He saves her life several times because of this power, as they are chased across California and through the Mojave desert by six different entities, both foreign and American.
Love. That is the key word. Despite the intense, almost non-stop action, love is a prevailing theme in the book. Because of Seth's brilliant mind, he has been able to establish for himself the idea that God cannot exist, and yet, has read the Bible, the Koran, the Torah, and the Talmud, cover to cover. He concludes that Jesus was the greatest prophet, because the Bible and the Koran declare him to be without sin. In the end, after several events lead him to question his conclusions, he and Miriam determine that love is the most important thing in the world, because how can you kill your neighbor, if you love him like you love yourself (the second greatest commandment made by Jesus, the greatest prophet)?
Another element that was more subtle but which I found interesting was that Seth sometimes seemed to be guilty of hubris (in my eyes anyway). The most obvious is his insight into the future, with infinite, mind-boggling possibilities, and his quick, brilliant mind. Because of his knowledge of the future, or actually all possible futures, he is able to manipulate situations for favorable outcomes, sometimes including using his choice of words to influence other people. He also acts cocky, although in some cases it is only an act. But the most common example of this is Miriam's constant reference to him as her savior. He IS her savior (he rescued her, like 50 times, in the story) but when he reminds her of it, it makes me want to hold my breath and wait for the lightning to strike.
Still, it made me think of my relationship with MY Savior. At one point or another it was as thrilling and exciting as Miriam's is with Seth, although not quite so dangerous. The spontaneity, not knowing what was coming next, was exciting, and the sometimes crazy plans that came my way only added to it. As Miriam traveled, she and Seth would pick each other's brains, trying to think of things in new ways and see new angles, much in the same way that I was always finding new angles with my Savior. Somewhere along the line though, the excitement disappeared. I suppose no one can live on an adrenaline rush forever; eventually the adrenal gland (physical or metaphorical) will decide it hates you and go on strike.
The story of Miriam falling in love with her savior, and her savior with her, was enchanting to me, and thrilling. It has inspired me to patch things up with MY Savior.
And thats all I have to say about that. I hate conclusions. I'd rather just stop talking when I'm done talking.
A new blogsite!!
Ok so this is a little experiment. As many of you know, I am now working at a family-owned bookstore near my house. Even before I began working there, I got interested in reading some good books, many of which I am a few chapters short of finishing. I am like that, I start something and then start something else before finishing the first thing. So I thought it would be fun to post a progress report as I complete each book, so other people can get an idea and see if they want to read it themselves (my books are also available for loan- I should start a private library) . And perhaps I will do a few books that I finished years ago, and maybe post a few comments from people who read a book I did not. That being said, if you would like to write a review of a book, I will post other people's writings, if the book they have read and the review they write is rated G. By me. I do the ratings. Ha. I am powerful.
My apologies for the title of the blog. I didn't have any creative genius flowing in me at the moment. I will think of a better title. Feel free to leave a comment if you have a good title.
My apologies for the title of the blog. I didn't have any creative genius flowing in me at the moment. I will think of a better title. Feel free to leave a comment if you have a good title.
Thursday, April 17, 2008
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