Thought Provoking!

The Blue Parakeet: Rethinking How You Read the Bible by Scot McKnight
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I've been recommending this book to many of my friends--I found it to be thought provoking and think it would make worthwhile discussions with both Christians and non-Christians.

This is how the author starts:

"One: We believe everything the Bible says, therefore. . .
Two: We practice whatever the Bible says.
Three: Hogwash!"

The author posits that no-one can believe the Bible literally - it's just not possible. We all take verses or passages and put our own spin on them. He reminds us that the Bible is relevant for every generation.
The author further states that God spoke to each generation in that generation's ways, and the Bible is always relevant for whatever generation we are in. The author says:

"Our task is to take the timely timelessness of the Bible and make it timely timeliness for our world."

"God gave the Bible so we could live it, so we could be mastered by it."

The chapters on Eikon (being created in God's image) and the story of Adam and Eve are especially profound for me. God created Adam in His Eikon (and remember, it is three in one: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit), and then to assuage Adam's loneliness He split him in two, "into an Ish (man) and Ishah (woman). The man and the woman come together to form one flesh. The author states:

"God wanted 'The Adam' to enjoy what the trinity had eternally enjoyed and what the Trinity continues to enjoy: perfect communion and mutuality with an equal. . . God wants the Adam to be two in order to experience the glories of communion with love and mutuality".

The author further says:

"God is a Trinity, three equal persons in one(ness). God designs Eikons for oneness in love. God makes 'The Adam', who isn't one with an equal. So, God splits 'The Adam' into two so Adam and Eve can enjoy oneness."

"When Eikons are at one with God, self, others, and the world, the glory of the One God illuminates all of life."

Sin, of course, "distorts oneness because the Eikon is now cracked . . . Oneness has becomes otherness".

As you go deeper into the book the author states:

"The fall turned the woman to seek dominance over the man, and the fall turned the man to seek dominance over the woman. A life of struggling for control is the way of life for the fallen"

Then the author states: "The church has too often perpetuated the fall as a permanent condition."

Okay stop,and think about this - do you think it's true? When you think about your marriage in terms of the oneness like in the Trinity, does it stop you in your tracks? It kind of does for me. And the statement of the struggle for dominance between men and women, instead of lives of oneness! It's a lot to think about.

The whole book has this kind of thought provoking narrative in it. It would be a great small group study, or just good information to talk about with friends. You should definitely add it to your booklist.

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Lovely Language Enhances This Story

The Orchardist by Amanda Coplin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book will hold your interest from start to finish. As I told a friend, it's good, but it's not what I'd call a happy book--not quite grim, but not really hopeful either.

The author uses some lovely language:

"In certain seasons, in certain shades, memories alighted on him like sharp-taloned birds".

Or consider this, about how we talk to each other

"He considered those times in life when he uttered words to a person. . . he wished he had never uttered, or had uttered differently, or he thought of the times he remained silent when he should have spoken as little as a single word."

Now there's something for all of us to thing about.

In a way, this captures the essence of the story - Talmedge, the orchardist, is always hesitating to take action, or to speak, and then wishing later that he had reacted differently.

Angelene, Talmedge's "adopted" daughter says this about poetry:

"poems--that seemed crafted to relay some secret, and even more than that, some secret about herself. . . what was available for her to know? What secrets did the world hold? Which secrets would be revealed through the soil, and which through words?"

And this description of darkness:

"The darkness was almost beautiful. It was wet-black and rich, smelled of soil."

The story itself is of the man who owns the orchard, Talmedge, and his accidental, but intentional decision to help two young pregnant girls. Angelene is the daughter of Jane, but Della, Jane's sister takes up much of the story. These girls were damaged through a relationship with a man who had no scruples. Talmedge tries to care for and protect them, but, as noted above, often hesitates instead of taking action, and then, has regrets.

When Talmedge does decide to act, it doesn't exactly work in his favor.

I would describe this book as sad, but true to life. The characters find beauty each day,but don't always claim it for their lives. Something for all of us to think about as we go about our days.


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What Hidden Prejudices Lurk in Your Heart or Community?

The Burgess Boys by Elizabeth Strout
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I loved "Olive Kitteridge" which is why I was eager to begin another one of Strout's books. I am conflicted about the story though. On the one hand I liked it, on the other hand, I did not. It is very real and true to real life - no fairy tale, rose tint glasses views at all.

Strout does a good job of capturing our unconscious prejudices and judgments of people that are different from ourselves. She also captures the dysfunctional family dynamic really well. You know, how families seem like they just don't like each other, but, when push comes to shove, they are there for each other? She got that down--the dysfunction is always still there, but they come together.

Without giving too much away, I hated how Jim treated his brother Bob. I didn't like their sister Susan in the beginning of the book, but I was liking her at the end. Jim's wife Helen wasn't really likable either. Two of these characters grow into being more of their real selves, actually, I guess they all grow, just two positively and one not so much. The depiction of Susan's son Zach was a little heartbreaking. I loved the Somalian man, Abdikarim. His confusion, his compassion, his realization of Zach as a child who is afraid and not an intentional perpetrator of a hate crime.

This is what the story revolves around, Zach is accused of a hate crime, and the ripples that result from this in bringing his family together, and the Somalian community, and the community of his town, are what the story revolves around. Actually, there are two stories that come to fruition in the book, the story of Zach, and the story of the Burgess brothers and the accidental death of their father. For one brother, life unravels, but for the other, life becomes more solid. That said, the ending was very unsatisfying to me . . . I hate it when that happens.

It took me a while to get into the book - in the beginning I was mostly not liking it, but then, all of a sudden I was hooked and needed to find the time to finish it.


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For Lovers of Paris

Paris: The Novel by Edward Rutherfurd
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was an excellent book, but at 832 pages don't expect to have much time for anything else but reading (at least not if you borrowed the book from a library as I did).

Right from the start I'm going to say that this is a book to buy so that you can read through at your leisure. I borrowed this on my kindle, so had 14 days to read. If I had more time I would have been on google checking out the accuracy of the history, and the places referenced, such as Champs Élysées.

If you have ever been to Paris, this book should be interesting as you discover the history of the different locations around the city. If you have not been to Paris (like me), and plan a trip soon (not like me), then this would still be a great book to read prior to your trip. The author did a great job combining history and fiction.

This truly is an epic novel following multiple families and generations. I found the chapters that dealt with building the Eiffel tower particularly interesting and will be checking the internet on the accuracy of these pieces. Historical novels always leave me wondering what bits are true and what bits are untrue.

Rutherfurd does jump around with his time frames and his characters so you have to pay attention to the story. I don't usually have trouble with this, but had a few times in this novel where I had to stop and get my bearings.

An excellent job blending story and history (this is redundant I now, but I thought it worth repeating)!



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More Flavia!

A Red Herring Without Mustard by Alan Bradley
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Flavia's adventures continue. More trouble with her sisters! More murders to solve! More information about her mother.

I like Flavia's sense of self - most of the time she's pretty confident. But, she also has a hole in her life when it comes to her mom. When her sisters torment her and tell her she was unloved, that pierces her heart. I'm looking forward to this area of her life being revealed more in future books. Her relationship with her father is also interesting--they are not openly affectionate with each other, but, in this book especially, it is clear that they love each other.


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The Bookman's Tale: A Novel of Obsession by Charlie Lovett
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Based on the reviews for "Bookman's Tale", I was expecting that I would disappear into the story and forget that I even had a family for a day or so. It's a good story but I didn't quite disappear into another world.

Peter is grieving his wife's death and has isolated himself from everything and everyone. He's not suicidal, but he's not exactly living a cheery existence either. Besides all that he occasionally see's his dead wife's ghost. This part was a little disjointed to me - I really think you could leave it out and the story would not be affected that much.

What brings Peter back? He finds a mysterious picture and is obsessed with finding the painter. While pursing this mystery Peter bumps up against another mystery. Is there really a Shakespeare, or was another person really the author of the plays attributed to him.

During the story line you will learn some interesting history about the making and binding of books, those pieces were woven in quite nicely.

If you love books, murder and mystery, this may be a book for you.


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The Little Way (Hint: It's Four Letters)

The Little Way of Ruthie Lemming by Rod Drehr
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I'm giving this book a 5 because it stayed with me after I finished it.

I read this book because it seemed to be getting a lot of hype from booksellers. In the first quarter to third of the book I kept thinking, this book is interesting, but it's not all that good. I found that the deeper I got into the book, the more the story resonated with me.

Rod grew up in a small town that was too small for him. He was (is) intellectual, and did not fit in. He couldn't wait to leave his hometown of St. Francisville, Louisiana, and he does leave. He becomes a successful journalist, marries, and has children. During his young adult to adult years he continues to come home to visit, staying in touch with his sister, Ruthie and his parents. When Ruthie gets cancer, he is pulled home more often, and he notices how the entire community supports his sister, her family, and his parents. He begins to feel a desire to come back home.

There is, of course, so much more to the story than just this. These are the two things that I came away with.

1) He talks about people who "abide" with his parents - just being there for them and with them. Isn't "abide" a great word. When do we ever take the time to abide with each other, patiently bearing each other up? This is something I want to think more about, and a habit I'd like to adopt.

2) He mentions that when he and his wife tell his friends they're moving back to his small hometown they expect that they will be greeted with astonishment and ridicule. Instead, many are envious that they have this option. One friend says, "I have many friends but I wouldn't trust one of them to pick up my daughter from preschool", and another says, "I am surrounded by people but I am alone".

I find this so sad. All the ways we have to connect in the world, and yet, we remain disconnected.

For these two points to ponder alone, it's worth while to read the book. And oh, Ruthie's little way, it's all about love.


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Good Book Club Book

The Sandcastle Girls by Chris Bohjalian
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Very good book! Elizabeth, American born and bred, has Armenian ancestors, although she is very far removed from what that actually means. She goes on a "mission" trip with her father, and learns about a world very different from the one in which she is brought up, and falls in love with an Armenian soldier. Elizabeth's group is in Turkey to help the war torn refugees. She sees women marched naked through the town, she sees orphans torn from the camps, she understands that men and boys are killed so that their population will die out.

Elizabeth manages to help a widow and a child by housing them with her in the American compound. It's not a popular decision, but she stays her course.

Threaded through the book are the stories behind the widow, the child, her Armenian love, and herself. She weds her lover, and ends up living in the states. Her grand-daughter becomes obsessed with finding out her grandmother's story (Elizabeth) and we learn how that impacts her and her family.

I'd recommend this for a book club group - there would be lots of great discussion.


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