Book Reviews

I've been meaning to add book reviews to the blog for a long time, but haven't gotten around to it. So, this will be a multi review, to cover the books that I've read in the past few months. And, the descriptions won't be very thorough since I've forgotten about half the stuff I've read by now...

The Lord of The Rings trilogy - Ok, Tolkien nazis, I know it's not really a trilogy, but I'm calling it one anyway. I put off reading this for so many years because I'm really not into fantasy, sci-fi, that kind of thing. But this little boxed set just sat on our shelf and beckoned me to give it a chance. And I'm so glad I did! It's still not my style, and I am not out looking for more of its kind, but it was a great read. A masterpiece of literature. Beautifully written. Everyone should read it. And I hadn't read the Hobbit since sixth grade, so don't worry about reading that one first if you don't have the patience. Now, I'm trying to make it through the movies.

In Search of Eden - My sis lent me this book. I really liked it. It explored interesting family dynamics and dealt with forgiveness. Good read.

The Mercy Seller - I loved this book! It's historical fiction set in the 1400s in Bohemia and England. It centered around the Lollard cause (a call for reforming the Catholic church stemming from the teaching of Wycliffe). Anyway, I didn't know about the extent of the corruption of the church and persecution of reformers during this time. I read a biography of Luther and then I read this, and I was shocked by the persecution in both eras! We are so fortunate to have the Bible in a language we can read. So, this is a great story as well as being informative. I definitely recommend it. Oh, I think the prequel to the book is The Illuminator, so you may want to read that one first. I haven't read it yet.

I read a bunch of Debbie Macomber Christmas stories. I forget what they were called. I always like her stuff for a light, wholesome read.

Grub - This was an interesting book. Not wholesome, but not exactly morally bankrupt. It dealt with the writing and publishing world in New York. I recommend it if you're interested in writing at all. Otherwise, you may want to skip it.

The Abstinence Teacher - Not so much about abstinence. It would be good material for a book club, particularly one comprised of people all along the faith spectrum. It delved into conflict over evangelism and such. Interesting book, but if you don't have anyone to discuss it with, it's probably not worth it.