My friend, Marilyn, is an avid reader, as I am. We pass books and recommendations back and forth frequently. Since I haven't posted anything on this blog for a while, I thought I'd report on each of the four books I chose from her library the last time I visited her home. These were not recommendations from her, just what I chose on my own.
The first one I tried was The Shack by Wm. Paul Young (2007). I had read some of the promotional blurbs about the book, and knew it was about a man whom God had invited to meet Him in a shack. I also knew the book had been #1 on the NYT Bestseller list, so I expected a good read. Boy, was I disappointed! I couldn't even read it.
I read maybe 50 pages carefully, then knew I couldn't stand much more. It was poorly written, and really what my generation calls "corny". I skimmed far enough ahead to arrive at the meeting of the man and the author's depiction of God. Suffice it to say I was not impressed.
Don't waste your money, and don't even borrow it. It stinks.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Even Better Than the Others
I belong to a book club which has several intelligent women who are avid readers. Ours is a little different from the usual book club. Each of us reads whatever, and then reports on a chosen book or two at the monthly meeting. While the books cover a wide range of topics, including fiction, nobody ever reports on mysteries or courtroom drama. The women read them, but dismiss them as "mind candy". I've limited my choices for this blog in pretty much the same manner.
The book I just finished impressed me so that I wanted to share it with you. It is The Quiet Game by Greg Iles (1999). In it, the main character is a former prosecutor, who has become a best-selling author. His wife has died recently, and in an attempt to help his four-year-old daughter cope with the loss, he returns to his childhood home, where his parents are still living. Without going into the complexities of the situation, I'll just say that he becomes involved in searching for the killer of a man who was murdered 30 years previously. Aside from a whale of a good story, Mr Iles showed so much sensitivity in writing about the man's feelings about the women in the story.
This is an excellent book. If it's "mind candy", who cares? I loved it.
The book I just finished impressed me so that I wanted to share it with you. It is The Quiet Game by Greg Iles (1999). In it, the main character is a former prosecutor, who has become a best-selling author. His wife has died recently, and in an attempt to help his four-year-old daughter cope with the loss, he returns to his childhood home, where his parents are still living. Without going into the complexities of the situation, I'll just say that he becomes involved in searching for the killer of a man who was murdered 30 years previously. Aside from a whale of a good story, Mr Iles showed so much sensitivity in writing about the man's feelings about the women in the story.
This is an excellent book. If it's "mind candy", who cares? I loved it.
Sunday, January 18, 2009
It's Not Always Good
I just finished reading Between Here and April by Deborah Copaken Kogan (2008). The book was sitting on one of the shelves in the "New arrivals" section of the library. There was the title, and the cover showing a child's swing, and a partial view of the faces of a smiling mother and daughter. I had no idea what it was about, and I would never have guessed.
The book tells the story of an adult woman who is the mother of two daughters, but who, because of circumstances in her own life, suddenly remembers another little girl who was her friend in the first grade. The friend suddenly disappears, and no one will tell the younger children why. The "why" is because they were killed by their own mother, who also took her own life while cuddling them. The book is pretty much of a heart breaker, but it gives the reader some insight as to how these things can happen.
The book tells the story of an adult woman who is the mother of two daughters, but who, because of circumstances in her own life, suddenly remembers another little girl who was her friend in the first grade. The friend suddenly disappears, and no one will tell the younger children why. The "why" is because they were killed by their own mother, who also took her own life while cuddling them. The book is pretty much of a heart breaker, but it gives the reader some insight as to how these things can happen.
Monday, December 22, 2008
It's Better Than "Not Bad"
I'm not sure how I feel about the book I just finished. In the first portion, I liked it a lot. I didn't like the middle, and almost quit reading, but enjoyed the last segment where it all got tied together. The book is In The Fall, by Jeffrey Lent (2000).
It tells the stories of three generations of one family, starting near the end of the Civil War. There is a blending of races in the story with much of the conflict of those earlier times. The young author seems to have a lot of knowledge and a unique writing style.
I wish I could recommend it more enthusiastically. Give it a try. You might love it.
It tells the stories of three generations of one family, starting near the end of the Civil War. There is a blending of races in the story with much of the conflict of those earlier times. The young author seems to have a lot of knowledge and a unique writing style.
I wish I could recommend it more enthusiastically. Give it a try. You might love it.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
A Different World
Have any of you read J. Maarten Troost's Lost on Planet China? This new book (2008) has a subtitle of "Or How He Became Comfortable Eating Live Squid".
This is one adventurous guy! His previous books are entitled "The Sex Lives of Cannibals" and "Getting Stoned with Savages", so you can see he really gets around.
His books are not travel books, but a recounting of the things that befell him while he lived in different cultures.
He had a receptive attitude to all things Chinese (well, mostly) and managed to do well while getting around this enormous country, despite not speaking the language (s).
It's a good fun book, and I'll be looking for more of his writing.
And yes, he really did eat not one, but several.
This is one adventurous guy! His previous books are entitled "The Sex Lives of Cannibals" and "Getting Stoned with Savages", so you can see he really gets around.
His books are not travel books, but a recounting of the things that befell him while he lived in different cultures.
He had a receptive attitude to all things Chinese (well, mostly) and managed to do well while getting around this enormous country, despite not speaking the language (s).
It's a good fun book, and I'll be looking for more of his writing.
And yes, he really did eat not one, but several.
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Not the Least Bit Gruesome ( to me)
I just finished a book that I really enjoyed. The cover has a picture of the soles of a person's feet ----- with a toe-tag attached. The name of the book is simply Stiff , subtitled The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers. It was written by Mary Roach, and published in 2003.
The author is able to tell you everything you always wanted to know ( or at least, have wondered ) about what happens to human bodies after death. She did not rely on information from others, but instead, attended an embalming, a cremation, an autopsy, and visited a field where bodies were put out to decompose under varying conditions. You name it, she attended it.
The amazing part is that while she is factual, and always, always respectful of the dead, she is also just so doggone funny. I laughed aloud many times.
I had read a little previously about what happens to bodies after burial, but didn't know for sure what was going on with the remains of people that I have loved. Well, now I know, and while it isn't pretty, it is somehow comforting to know what has happened to them. Mary Roach has done us all a service in sharing this information.
The author is able to tell you everything you always wanted to know ( or at least, have wondered ) about what happens to human bodies after death. She did not rely on information from others, but instead, attended an embalming, a cremation, an autopsy, and visited a field where bodies were put out to decompose under varying conditions. You name it, she attended it.
The amazing part is that while she is factual, and always, always respectful of the dead, she is also just so doggone funny. I laughed aloud many times.
I had read a little previously about what happens to bodies after burial, but didn't know for sure what was going on with the remains of people that I have loved. Well, now I know, and while it isn't pretty, it is somehow comforting to know what has happened to them. Mary Roach has done us all a service in sharing this information.
Friday, August 22, 2008
Perfect Companions
Lots of us read more than one book at a time, and usually, they have nothing in common. The two I recently finished are exceptions. They fit together perfectly.
The first one to mention is Eckhart Tolle's A New Earth (2005)
This book has received a lot of publicity, as it was selected to be part of Oprah's Book Club. A good friend thought it so worthwhile that she bought several copies and distributed them among friends and family.
While I loved the first chapter, I kind of lost interest after that, and only read about half a chapter at a time.
Then the other book arrived.
This is The Mystery of 2012 (2007) and is a compilation of "predictions, prophecies and possibilities" by various authors.
The end of the Mayan calendar has long been of interest to me, and I wanted to know more about the current thinking on the subject.
It was fascinating. You get a bit of astronomy, astrology, mathematics, new age stuff, religion and even chaos theory.
My very favorite chapter was entitled The Alchemy of Time by Jay Weidner. Wonderful!
So since the majority of persons writing about 2012 are convinced there will be an expanded consciousness, it tied in perfectly with Tolle's book.
I read some of one, then some of the other, and now I'll go back and read them both again.
The first one to mention is Eckhart Tolle's A New Earth (2005)
This book has received a lot of publicity, as it was selected to be part of Oprah's Book Club. A good friend thought it so worthwhile that she bought several copies and distributed them among friends and family.
While I loved the first chapter, I kind of lost interest after that, and only read about half a chapter at a time.
Then the other book arrived.
This is The Mystery of 2012 (2007) and is a compilation of "predictions, prophecies and possibilities" by various authors.
The end of the Mayan calendar has long been of interest to me, and I wanted to know more about the current thinking on the subject.
It was fascinating. You get a bit of astronomy, astrology, mathematics, new age stuff, religion and even chaos theory.
My very favorite chapter was entitled The Alchemy of Time by Jay Weidner. Wonderful!
So since the majority of persons writing about 2012 are convinced there will be an expanded consciousness, it tied in perfectly with Tolle's book.
I read some of one, then some of the other, and now I'll go back and read them both again.
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