Book Journey

Yes! This was our book club pick for December. It has been in the running for two years now and this year was selected. I am thrilled! I have never read the book but find myself in recent years wanting to read some of the greats –
I know the story of course, but to read the words…. that has always been my way.
After this book was selected I ordered a beautiful hard cover copy from Amazon. I knew this book would be a keepsake and after reading it I wished to put it in my library and use this very copy to one day read to my grandchildren.
And so – I opened this book like an excited child and began…. with Marley being dead.
I found it interesting that I had forgotten about Marley and really without him, you have no story. And as I read about Marley – I find that he too, was much like Scrooge in his life… and it is Marley who comes to warn Scrooge of his ways.
I think in this book the biggest visual I got out of it was when Marley shows Scrooge to the window and you see all the spirits carrying with them the same burdens – or choices they made in life. By choosing to live for the wrong things (money, possesions…) they are still with these spirits as they passed on. Now too late to have a generous caring heart, they willf orever carry these “chains”. I had to stop and think a minute what chains I carry….
The book I found to be very enjoyable and perfectly light for this time of year. It was a pleasure to read, to know a little more about Charles Dickens was also a treat. For book club tomorrow evening I am hoping to make a bowl of Smoking Bishop – which is in the final chapter of this book.
A+ read…. don’t miss out on reading this!

I was so excited to get to this book!  In the begining when the book opened with an ape named Shift and a donkey named Puzzle… I was discouraged to see the direction the book was taking.  I didn’t like the ape, and the donkey needed a self esteem shot…

Yet – very quickly, I picked up the rythym of C.S. Lewis’ final installment of this series and was excited again to see the quick and brilliant mind of this man, this author, go to work in ways that astound me!  In the Last Battle we also encounter Tash and followers of Tash (Tash being the devil).  As people of Narnia choose sides Aslan or Tash – and some real confusion as the ape, Shift, tells those who are listening that Aslan and Tash are actually one and the same… we come to a great comparison to Matthew 24: 7 (where we know there will be a great deception at the end of times…)

As this book continues the level of energy and excitement stays high all the way to what possibly may be one of the best book endings I have ever read, and here is where C.S. brings Aslan back and through a great doorway, He brings His followers, and turns others away… and in great detail we see Narnia as we knew it, pass away and the new world begin (Isaiah 65: 17 – 25).

I ended this book with a great appreciation for C.S. Lewis, a man who passed out of this world before I was born… and all these years later I feel privledged to have read his works and spent a little time dwelling in his incredible mind.

An A+ rating on the books and I highly recommend these books not only for children…. but for yourself.

Ok, first of all, yes I have been reading…. I have just been busy with additional projects on my plate lately and the book blog has gone to the wayside…  I hope to remedy that now and catch up here over the next day or so…

Nights of Rodanthe was our book club read for September.  I was not entirely thrilled as this is a Sparks, and I tend to find him a bit light in his writing style and little plot development.  He is also considered one of America’s favorite author of love stories and well, that may be another reason he doesn’t stand out as a favorite of mine… I have never been much of a romance reader.

Yet, I ventured into this book because – it was a book club read … and the movie was coming out and that is something our group likes to do, see the movies that come from books.

I found the book to be …. Sparks.  While I really enjoyed Paul’s character, I felt he could have been so much more.  He truly felt like a great character, that never was fully developed…. mainly – because the story to me seemed… rushed.  By rushed I mean, it starts out strong (love the framing around a Bed and Breakfast) but then off the book races to – feelings, relationship, feelings, its over, the promise, the end.

I felt, and really, Paul should too, cheated.

I will rate this book as average, because for Sparks… thats what I expect.  This book, could have said so much more and really could have been well written by adding “more” and about 150 more pages.

As for the movie – a few of the girls seen it and said not to bother.  So I didn’t.

Book 6… complete.  This is the first book (and I believe the only book) that none of the Pevensie children are in.  Eustace, along with a new companion named Jill Pole, is brought back to Narnia. The pair are told by Aslan they must search for King Caspian’s missing son, Prince Rillian.

While I missed the Pevensie children, it was kind of fun to see the new and improved Eustace back for another try at Narnia.  In this book., Jill is given a clear list of instruction from Aslan on how to get thngs done, but in  the process of adventure. Jill often forgets what she was told and instead does things her own way.  (How often is this true in my own life?)

While Eustance and Jill are not the strong characters like Peter, Edmund, Susan, and Lucy, C.S. instead gives us this round the Marshwiggle, Puddleglum… who is a scarecrow meets Eyore type of fellow who I would think would be delightful to the audiance these books were made for.

The children go about their search for the Prince and find yet another beautiful Queen (who turns out to be another witch like in the first book).

The ending is rather good – I can’t give it away so you’ll have to read it for yourself.  I would say that this was not my favorite of the books, but I am guessing it a necessary book to get us to where we are going…  The Last Battle….

This book first came to me in a conversation, “The Shack, ” they said, “Amazing – it really made me think…”

Another said, “It is at Bethany Book Store, but it has a warning on it…”

Then I seen it in our local book store – in the top ten no less.  “What kind of book is sold in the Local Christian Book Store with a warning label, and is also on the top ten list on the fiction list in a secular section,” I wondered.

Then a friend said, “Read it if you want to – but I hated it.”

Such strong emotions… all from the same book.  What could that be about?  I had to read it.

The Shack is a Christian Fiction book that is written from a  third persons perspective on what happened to Mack.  Mack’s story is one that is sadly all too common, growing up in a home with an abusive father, who eventually drives Mack out of the home at a young age.

When Mack becomes a father, he is loving and generous and nothing like his own father.  His wife, Nan, refers to God as “Papa” which Mack struggles with as the word Papa does not hold within it the sense of security and love for him as it does for Nan.

On a camping trip, while saving one child who becomes entangled in an over turned canoe, his youngest daughter Missy is kidnapped from the campground and later confirmed to be murdered.  Mack is beside himself with grief and years later receives an invite in his mailbox to go to the shack where they had found Missy’s dress and meet God.  A confused Mack makes the trip back to the shack without his family’s knowledge and that is where the book really takes off.

This book makes you think about how you (I) perceive God.  Now let me clarify, this is a FICTION book.  It is not causing me to rethink my beliefs – however, instead it just makes me wonder how many of us have God pictured as one way, when He really can be so much more than we have ever imagined.  The pages that tell the story are turned faster and faster as you are right along side Mack as he bears his grief, his anger, and yes, even his shame, as he learns right beside God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit about his daughter, about forgiveness.. and at the same time I find myself learning too.

Through tears I battled with a tough decision that Mack has to make at the end of the book… have a chance to see his daughter again, even be with her on a day to day basis… or return back to the world as he has always known it – to his wife and children and continue on with his life until the day comes to return again…  this is the part of the book that touched me the most.

I had to consider this question for myself… how hard to be right there – where your deepest desire is within your reach and suddenly you have to decide… it pained me to even think about it.

Through reading this book, I was… enlightened.  Intrigued.  And thoroughly impressed with the writing, the words, and even though at times it was tough – I give a lot of credit to the author for putting this on paper for all to have a chance to think beyond the walls of our own mind.

Breathe in me… deep

That I may breathe … and live

And hold me close that I might sleep

Soft held by all you give

Come kiss me wind and take my breath

Till you and I are one

And we will dance among the tombs

Until all death is gone

And no one knows that we exist

Wrapped in each others arms

Except the One that blew the breath

That hides me safe from harm

Come kiss me wind and take my breath

Till you and I are one

And we will dance among the tombs

Until all death is gone

Note from the author

I picked this book up, Footprints of a Pilgrim, at the Library Fall Sale.  I mainly picked it up because it had a beautiful cover and was .50 cents.  I thought it would look lovely in my library… but I really had no intension of reading it.  The book was about Billy Graham’s wife and I didn’t think it would be anything I would be interested in.

I brought the book home and considered offering it on Swaptree as like I said, it was a beautiful book.  I started thumbing through the pages making sure all pages were clean and no writing in the book.  As I skimmed through the book I was capturing parts of this story, ” Ruth being late for curfew, sneaking in windows, dating 52 men in college, breaking her arm ski diving and trying to hide it from Billy…”  This actually sounded interesting.

I started reading this magnificent book which is filled with stories of Ruth’s carefree spirit and at the same time showed me a side to Billy Graham that I did not know was there.  He’s funny, he’s real… and maybe if I would ever listen to a thing the man has said I would have known that – and his wife – well she was a real firecracker!  With great stories about their children, and stories written by their adult children about life with this incredible mom it was hard to put down.

I really enjoyed this book and I know I want to read more about this amazing couple.  I want to loan it out to people just so I can share the funny stories!  An A+ read and a real wake up call for me and my preconceived ideas of who someone is.

Plugging on – I am now finished with book 5 of the Chronicles of Narnia Series.   The book features the two younger children, Edmund and Lucy, and brings in  their cousin Eustace who’s home they are in when the three are brought back to Narnia through a picture hanging on a bedroom wall.  (NIce touch Mr. Lewis)

The children meet up with Caspian right away on his boat The Dawn Treader, and they all go off to seek out the 7 Lords who were Caspians father’s friends.  Eustace at this point is not a likable child, very spoiled, bratty, and on this adventure he starts journaling the trials of this awful ship and the awful people in it.

I think the best Christian message that comes out of the book is when Eustace while on shore wanders off to a dragons liar.  He falls asleep here, only to wake up and find that he has turned into a dragon, pretty much turning his ugliness of the inside to the outside.  He now realizes what a pain he has been and how good everyone has been to him.  After days of being a dragon, he meets up with Aslan who tells him he much shed his skin to be clean, and through the Dragon’s (Eustace) scratching, the scales began to fall off, however he discovers he is unable to do it without Aslan’s help (Romans 3:20; Galatians 2:16; Philippians 3:8,9)…

Once clean, Eustace works at being a better person, not always succesfully, but the changes are clear.          ( 2 Corinthians 5:17; Colossians 3:8-10)

I see in this book (which I found became a better and better read as I went along) there are several references to a “Holy Spirit” guiding through dangers, from a great darkness to light on the boat, to times when Lucy is reading from a spell book and is tempted to try other spells than what she was sent to do.  (At those times she sees Aslan’s face).

The ending of this book is by far the most powerful scene of the book, and in fact, of any of the books so far, when Aslan returns to the group as a Lamb who feeds them the best meal of their lives.  (Revelation 19:19?)  (John 1:29,36; 1 Peter 1:19).

To have a conversation with C.S. Lewis would have been amazing!  I would love to know more about how these books came together for him, how he came up with the idea to break it into several books, and did he plan where it would end – or did he just know it was complete when he got there.  Maybe as I continue to dive into his works I will find the answers to some of these questions…

**This movie is due out in early 2010:  check here