Category Archives: books

Earlier this summer, Sally Lloyd-Jones graciously offered to send me a copy of her newest book to review. We received it the week we were moving, and it got misplaced for awhile. Here is our long overdue review!

The third in a series of fun books narrated by a know-it-all little girl, How to Get a Job… by Me, the Boss by Sally Lloyd-Jones is child’s eye view on the process of employment. From brainstorming about what you’d like to be to the practical steps to get there, it’s all covered in this volume. Both Kate (7) and Lexi (5.5) really enjoyed it. We have read the other books in the series, so they were familiar with the concept, lots of insight wrapped in wit and child-like goofiness.

The girls comprehended enough to laugh at all the right places and to ask good questions. However, the ground covered was more complex than How to Be a Baby… and How to Get Married… so I am not sure it will be as easily understood by preschoolers as those are, but now my kids know about resumes!

Both my girls are very interested in art, and they loved Sue Heap’s illustrations. Kate spent a while studying to try to decide what mediums she used (Publisher’s Weekly says crayon and acrylic paint.) Of course, this is great fodder for talking about what kids want to be when they grow up, and the steps it will take to get there. Sally Lloyd-Jones is a great storyteller, and we are all glad when we share her gifts together. We’ve read this several times already and I’m sure we will continue to enjoy it for many years to come.

[As I mentioned, I received a review copy of the book from its publisher, which in no way influenced my opinion.]

Falling Together by Marisa de los Santos
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

After enjoying her last novel quite a bit, I was excited to get a hold of Marisa de los Santos’ Falling Together. The story of three college friends who experience a rift after graduation, de los Santos covers the familiar ground of loneliness and community as themes.

This story is told primarily from the perspective of Pen, a single mother struggling with the loss of her father and her deepest friendships. I liked this character but I didn’t identify with her as deeply as I did Cornelia in Belong to Me. I found the plot also more forced, and the flashbacks not as powerful as they could have been. I don’t think readers got a full enough picture of the friendship of Cat, Pen and Will. They are told how special it is more than shown.

De los Santos has a background in poetry and her writing is marked with loveliness. All of the description of setting and place were beautiful and I enjoyed her writing of some of the secondary characters in particular.

Overall, Falling Together is a feel-good read that many will enjoy. I just didn’t think it was De Los Santos’ best.

[I received a review copy of the book from its publisher, which in no way influenced my opinion.]

Winter Light: A Christian’s Search for Humility by Bruce Ray Smith
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Winter Light by Bruce Ray Smith is one man’s journey towards humility. In the form of a journal, it exposes deep, honest thoughts about pride and moreover, surrendering fully to God. With poetic prose and bare thoughts, it provides a model for Christians of prayer and meditation.

So few have been exposed to rich and meaningful examples of the spiritual disciplines in this day and age. As we rush around, we neglect listening, waiting and contemplation. Smith’s insights and experiences expose both our lack of practice and the great impact these disciplines can have on our souls.

There is a great amount of wisdom found in Winter Light, lessons born of struggle and hardship. I know that I will be revisiting it again and again to contemplate and continue to digest all that Smith shares in this short work. Its structure lends well to picking up and putting down, brief thoughts that provide the fodder for lengthy meditations.

Obviously, Winter Light is quite unlike what is typically published in mainstream evangelical circles. It was not written by a guru and doesn’t tell readers what to do. But by its example, readers will see how they can lay themselves bare before God and their neighbors, as well. I’d commend it to any Christian. (9/10, I received a review copy from the publisher, but these thoughts are my own.)

The Tiger’s Wife by Téa Obreht may have been the most anticipated debut novel in years. In no small part because Obreht was named by the New Yorker last year as one of the Top 20 writers under 40, at the tender age of 24 (a list they will probably publish again long before she hits 40.) And so when I received an advanced reading copy of The Tiger’s Wife, I wondered if I would be saving it for my grandchildren and bragging about my first look at such an important piece of literary fiction.

Narrating the story is a young doctor named Natalia, who learns of her grandfather’s death while on a humanitarian mission to vaccinate children in an orphanage now across the border from her home and tend to any pressing medical needs. Her nation has just suffered a bloody civil war and her memories of her grandfather and the war intermix with her story of dealing with the aftermath.

The novel is filled with the spirit of such authors as Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Salman Rushdie with lovely folklore and magical realism. Like others who write in the genre, the style is wandering and occasionally confusing. I had to really concentrate to comprehend what was going on in parts.

The writing is lovely and there are moments of true cohesion where everything is working together and it almost took my breath away. But then there are large parts where I felt like I was enduring to get to another good part. Maybe it’s a little too broad, a little too wandering, a little too literary.

The Tiger’s Wife is receiving the praise that many projected years before publication, and Téa Obreht became the youngest author to receive the Orange Prize this June. She is an exciting young writer and I hope she continues to grow and develop and improve upon this solid beginning.

4 of 5 stars. [I received a review copy of the book from its publisher, which in no way influenced my opinion.]

I am aiming to post a dozen or so times each month in 2011. I like sharing about books, so my plan is to combine longer reviews of books I think y’all might be really interested in such as Mere Churchianity with mini-reviews of books you might be interested in. I will ignore some books I think you probably won’t care much about, but you can always get my starred review on goodreads (click the g icon in the right sidebar) or just ask nicely.

Treasuring God in Our Traditions by Noel Piper would be a good read if you are just starting to think about how to form a family culture with traditions that reinforce your values and beliefs. As someone who has thought about it for awhile, I found it encouraging but with few new or groundbreaking ideas.

The Attenbury Emeralds by Jill Paton Walsh. I’d recommend the original Dorothy Sayers Lord Peter mysteries to any reader. If you can’t get enough of Lord Peter, Harriet and Bunter, you might enjoy this modern Lord Peter story as well. It’s not up to Sayers’ standard but it’s still pretty fun.

The Apostles’ Creed for Today by Justo Gonzalez was mostly disappointing, but not exactly bad. Worth working through something like Karl Barth’s Dogmatics in Outline instead, for greater insight.

Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift is a classic that is not too difficult to read and has moments of being very enjoyable. But it’s neither important enough nor enjoyable enough for me to insist it be at the top of your “must read” list. I liked it, but I probably would never read it again.

Mere Churchianity: Finding Your Way Back to Jesus-Shaped Spirituality by Michael Spencer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

As the Internet Monk, Michael Spencer encouraged thousands through his blog, before he died of cancer last April. His one and only book, Mere Churchianity, is a fitting legacy.

Like his blog, Mere Churchianity is provocative and appeals to those disillusioned by the institutional church. It serves to start a conversation about what following Jesus looks like, and the ways the church is leading us astray and thwarting us in our attempts to live like Christ.

I found the book encouraging on the whole. Consistently, readers are called to go back to the gospels, and examine what Jesus said and did. Find the real Jesus, not the one other people project, and be changed by him. Spencer calls evangelical churches out for the ways they ignore Jesus and peddle a false gospel, particularly those who promote a prosperity gospel or one that requires everyone to be happy all the time.

Though it is addressed to “leavers” and is very sympathetic to their concerns, I think it makes a good case for living in community and being a part of a church. This book will be a great encouragement to those who are struggling with the church, but its short on next steps. I would have liked to see Jesus-Shaped Spirituality a little more fleshed out. But overall, it’s a worthwhile read. [I received a copy of this book from the publisher for review purposes.]

Spiritual Parenting: An Awakening for Today’s Families by Michelle Anthony
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Spiritual Parenting by Michelle Anthony stands out amongst the crowd of Christian books by grounding parenting in discipleship. Instead of focusing parental energy on sin management, Anthony urges parents to share their lives transformed by the gospel. “The goal of spiritual parenting is that our children would learn to hear and know God’s voice, desire to obey it, and obey it in the power of God’s Spirit, not their own strength.”

With a goal of passing down a vibrant faith, Anthony describes environments and values that we should consciously cultivate in parenting: storytelling, identity, faith community, service, out of the comfort zone, responsibility, course correction, love and respect, knowing, and modeling. I found each chapter encouraging. Though Anthony is not coming from a covenantal perspective, I found her ideas and examples compelling and easy to comport to a reformed theology of children.

As twenty-first century evangelicals reconsider how to do church, the way we raise children in the faith must be part of that conversation. Anthony’s book is a good start for parents to consider some of the fundamental concerns of raising children who share an authentic and transformational faith. It also serves as a necessary reminder that parents are responsible for the spiritual formation of their children, and how they live is much more important to that development than anything that happens for an hour or two a week.

It is a temptation for parents to look for someone to tell them just what to do, and this book is not structured to feed that. Anthony encourages parents to know their children, embrace the way God made them, and parent them as individuals. Without a formula to follow, parents are better reminded of their eternal focus. “What is our job then? The joy of parenting can be spent on cultivating environments for our children’s faith to grow, teaching them how to cultivate a love relationship with Jesus as we cultivate our own, living our lives authentically in front of them so that they become eyewitnesses to our own transformation. “ (8.5/10) [I received a copy of this book from the publisher for review purposes.]

view the book trailer | buy the book from amazon.com

Washed and Waiting: Reflections on Christian Faithfulness and Homosexuality by Wesley Hill
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

As more and more evangelicals identify themselves as gay Christians and more evangelicals have deep and meaningful relationships with homosexuals in and out of the church, Wesley Hill’s Washed and Waiting comes as a welcome insight into Christian faithfulness in the midst of a homosexual identity.

Wesley Hill is exclusively attracted to men, and this book shares his struggles to reconcile his homosexual attraction to the gospel and life of the Church. He interacts with a wide range of great thinkers and writers as well as scripture as he describes his own wrestling with the loneliness and pain of living a celibate lifestyle. His choice to not act on his impulses and attractions is a powerful testimony to any Christian struggling with any sort of sin. Concluding with a hopeful and beautiful chapter about how sinners are made beautiful and cherished by God, regardless of how we feel about ourselves. We will hear those words “well done my good and faithful servant,” as we enter into perfect fellowship with God and his people. That was especially encouraging to me as a believer.

Some may quibble with his use of “gay Christian” and “homosexual Christian,” other reviews go into this in depth if you are interested, I didn’t find it distracting in the least. I think those who believe that homosexuality is entirely due to choice and nurture will find this very confusing, as Hill was raised by loving parents in good churches, but I hope they will persevere in reading this as there is a lot of great insight to gain.

This is a short and easy read, “reflections” rather than systematic theology or a ten step how-to guide. If you would like to understand the struggle of Christians with same sex attractions, I’d commend it to you highly. If you enjoy spiritual memoirs of any kind, I’d recommend it as well. I am looking forward to hearing more from Hill in the future, both on his spiritual journey and his study of the New Testament. (9/10)