Category Archives: books

Kristin Lavransdatter I: The Wreath by Sigrid Undset
A classic coming of age story that everyone should read. Kristin’s struggles with sin and relationships are portrayed with beauty and grace in this lovely historical novel. It was well translated and I plan to finish the trilogy. (9/10)

Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer
see other Twilight review here. (6/10)

The Magician’s Nephew by C. S. Lewis
I only really like this book for the end, when the reader gets to see the dawn of Narnia. I guess I do enjoy the history and connectedness it brings to the series as a whole, it’s necessary but not as enjoyable as others. (6/10)

Death By Love by Mark Driscoll
This book is a collection of pastoral letters pointing different people to different aspects of the theology of the cross. Clear and straightforward, the letters themselves are generally marked with concern and godly counsel. The situations the recipients face run the gamut, but many are very dark, and they are considered with the gravity they deserve. At the end of each letter there is a section with theological FAQs to address aspects of the theology not dealt with in the letter itself. These took away from the beauty of the book for me, so I started skipping them halfway through. If you are looking for a book to remind you of how Jesus meets us where we are at the cross, I would commend this to you. (9/10)

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
Flashing back to her time at a British boarding school, this book centers on the reflections of one woman as she nears the end of her career. Though the characters are continually reminded of their difference from the rest of society, the novel portrays universal experiences like relationships, love, and the loss of innocence with simple elegance. The plot is haunting in many ways, and leaves the reader to ponder life, death, and the power we have over our own fates, as well as the technological/societal implications of the book. I obviously enjoyed it a great deal. (8/10)

The Reason for God by Tim Keller
This is a reasoned apologetic for belief written by and for an urban, learned audience. Smarter and more convincing than most of the similar books in Christianity, it has a useful place in an evangelical’s library. Keller skillfully goes through the most popular arguments against faith and belief and generally handles them with grace and ease. Probably would not hand it to a non-Christian unless they were really interested in that sort of thing. (7/10)

The Warden by Anthony Trollope
I found this ethical dilemma charming, particularly because of the strong descriptions of each character. This was my first Trollope and I expected it to be… funnier? But, I liked it enough to give him another shot. (7/10)

A Long Way Down by Nick Hornsby
I like Hornsby but this book was really lousy. (3/10)

The Last Battle by C. S. Lewis
The beginning is weaker than most, but the plot and ending of this book is very fitting for the Chronicles. Many solid theological issues addressed with ease and grace, the parallels to life are strong, and the ending is sentimental but lovely for those who love Narnia. (9/10)

The History of Love by Nicole Krauss
My sister adored this book, and I picked it up to appease her. I am very glad I did. Well-woven tale of loneliness, love and the things that tie people together. Written with multiple narrators and perspectives, the book feels in turn like a number of different genres, but it is well done and a good example of how the novel may evolve in the 21st century. (9/10)

Held together by rusty paper clips and hidden in a trunk, the manuscript of The Moon Shines Down by Margaret Wise Brown was forgotten for decades. Unexpectedly discovered in a Vermont barn, the book was recently introduced to the world by Thomas Nelson. The text is based on the prayer “I See the Moon and the Moon sees me, God bless the Moon and God bless me.” Journeying around the world, readers are exposed to how the moon shines down on children in every country, and even the fish in the sea. Even the timing of night being different in different places is mentioned! Competently illustrated by Linda Bleck, of Pepper the Dog and other projects, the pictures offer lots of depth for children to explore time after time. In the days we’ve had this, Kate and Lexi have asked to read it many times, Kate proclaimed it “really fun” and said everyone should have a copy. As an adult reader, I found the text a little clumsier than other books by Margaret Wise Brown, but not unreadably so. I also noticed that most of the countries visited were very white (Holland, Switzerland, France, England, Australia) and though “the far east,” Mexico and Africa are visited, I wish more exploration of these unfamiliar and exciting places was included. Considering the fact that the text was written sixty years ago or more, that’s not a huge surprise, just something worth noting. Overall, this is a welcome addition to our family library (8.5/10)

The Faith of Barack Obama by Stephen Mansfield is one of a host of books that hit the market in this election season, capitalizing on this year’s fascinating candidates. Mansfield has been a prolific writer in the last decade, writing about history, politics and faith, and particularly their overlap. Having written The Faith of George W. Bush Mansfield has direct experience with this type of writing and analysis, and that is well demonstrated. The Faith of Barack Obama is well-written and provides a solid overview of Obama’s life and faith. Continue reading →

We moved, so the reading was light.

Looking for Alaska by John Green
I liked this book, I really liked this book, even. Part of its allure for me was its semi-autobigraphical nature, and the fact that as a local, the transparency of its setting was amusing. I really enjoyed the narrator, a great deal. But am not sure that I love this book. I found Alaska obnoxious. I know that she wasn’t perfect, but I didn’t like her as much as the other characters. And I felt like I ought to have. Also, it’s been a while since I’ve been up on the YA scene, I admit. Howe…more I liked this book, I really liked this book, even. Part of its allure for me was its semi-autobigraphical nature, and the fact that as a local, the transparency of its setting was amusing. I really enjoyed the narrator, a great deal. But am not sure that I love this book. I found Alaska obnoxious. I know that she wasn’t perfect, but I didn’t like her as much as the other characters. And I felt like I ought to have. Also, it’s been a while since I’ve been up on the YA scene, I admit. However, the content of this book is probably for high school and above, when one could be reading novels from the broader collection of all of literature, and not just YA. But maybe I am just missing the boat on that one. 7.5/10

The Second Coming by Walker Percy
I loved this novel and couldn’t put it down. The quirky, and yet oddly believable characters, and their fascinating takes on both the extraordinary and mundane happenings of their own lives. It didn’t hurt that the settings were Southern ones, of great familiarity in their own ways. Entertaining and yet deep and thought provoking, I know that more than the Moviegoer, The Second Coming will propel me towards reading the rest of the Percy canon. 9/10

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C. S. Lewis
Re-reading these this year… DT has always been one of my favorites in the series. I read the entire thing in the car while my children napped (two or three different sittings.) Somehow, the setting worked. 9/10

American Pastoral by Philip Roth
This is one of the best modern novels I’ve read, hands down. It captures the human experience breathlessly with a great story written exceptionally well. Heartbreaking, yet enjoyable, beautiful, yet full of despair. It does contain quite a bit of obscene language, if that is something that turns you off, please be aware. 10/10.

Prince Caspian by C. S. Lewis
I am re-reading the Chronicles this year, and this is my second book in. I’ve always liked Caspian because it captures a lot of the magic of Narnia well, but it is fairly slow, and certainly not my favorite of the lot. But a very solid offering in the series nonetheless. 8/10.

The Second Wives Club by Jane Moore
For a light beachy read of little consequence I won’t think of much again – I liked it just fine. It’s not profound, but it does explore with some depth the trials and tribulations of being a second wife. 6/10.

Compassion, Justice and the Christian Life by Robert Lupton
This book has a great deal of wisdom about charity and community development in the life of a Christian. Much of it is composed of things I already knew from much more tedious reading or life experience but these insights are packaged winsomely and easily understood and digested by a broad audience. The chapters are short, the book is thin, and you will not come across many things so profitable that are its equal in ease. 10/10.

Intuition by Allegra Goodman
A book about an astonishing discovery in a lab, and the way that it affected a workplace and relationships. Perhaps my problem was that I heard a few too many positive reviews, but I just didn’t find this to be that amazing, it was predictable and a little boring, and the writing was not exceptional. 5/10

Persuasion by Jane Austen
Persuasion is a gem, but the sort that takes preparation. It’s immensely enjoyable after you’ve read other Austen, and you can see the development in her writing, the differences and similarities. Anne Elliot is a good heroine, but a different one, one very little like me, but with admirable qualities I can respect and some that I pity. The plot and characters are very Austen, but with some subtle growth. I am really looking forward to discussing this with my book club! 10/10.