Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (5 stars of 5)

I just finished Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury.  I thought this was an outstanding book.  It was both very entertaining to read and thought provoking.  I rate this 5 stars out of 5 stars.

Fahrenheit 451 is about an alternate future where firemen create fires to burn books (instead of putting fires out).  In this alternate future, people are addicted to mindless television and most books, such as the Bible or books of poetry, are banned.  If one owns an illegal book, the firemen are called to pour kerosine onto the books and light them on fire.  One fireman, Guy Montag, meets a teenage girl who is different than anyone that Montag has ever met.  He finds the girl irritating because of her questions and because of her incredible power of identification (Montag feels like she can read the heart of a person).  He is both repulsed and attracted to her.  Meeting this girl begins to open Montags eyes about the world, everything is not as it should be.  He starts to feel like his life is meaningless and he suspects that the answers to his questions are found in books, the very books that he is burning.

I'm really glad that I read this after Something Wicked This Way Comes.  Because if I read it before, I don't think that I would have enjoyed Something Wicked as much.  The two books are written similarly but I feel like Bradbury's emotive writing style really worked for Fahrenheit but didn't work as well for Something Wicked.

I was really affected by this book.  Bradbury's writing was very good.  I don't want to give anything away but at one point Montag finds himself alone and I very much sympathized with him, resonated with him, imported feelings from my own life into his situation and vice versa.  Outstanding Bradbury, outstanding.  And in this book, I felt like Bradbury's emotive writing was effective.

The pacing of the book was slightly slow in the beginning but when it picks up, it's a non-stop rollercoaster until the end.

There are robot dogs in this book.  Robot dogs!  Awesome!

Even though she is only in part of the book, I really really really liked the character of Clarisse.  I wanted her more in the story but I guess this is evidence of Bradbury's success.  He created a character that I wanted to get to know more.  :)

Overall, I thought this book was a masterpiece.  I give it 5 stars out of 5 stars.  Great book!

Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury (4 stars of 5)

I just finished Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury.  I liked the story but I found the writing difficult to understand at times.  I would rate this 4 stars out of 5.

Something Wicked This Way Comes is about two thirteen year old boys, Jim and Will, who discover a secret about a carnival that comes to town.  The Carnival, run by Mr. Cooger and Mr. Dark (the Illustrated Man), is not what it seems to be.  Jim and Will need to stop Mr. Dark from carrying out his plans concerning the people in this small town.  But Mr. Dark is also after the boys because he knows that they, the boys, know the carnival's secret.

I did not like Bradbury's emotive, poetic writing in this book.  I know, I know.  Bradbury is a genius.  But I, for me, I found his writing in this book confusing.  I got to the end of some chapters and I had no idea what had just happened in the story.  I know that a lot of people like Bradbury's style of writing in this book but I was not one of them.  It wasn't all bad for me.  There were several parts where Bradbury sustained great suspense and I thoroughly enjoyed these parts.  But all in all, I had to read this book very slowly (which affected the pace of the story for me) because I found myself confused.

The story is classic.  Young boys.  Evil Carnival.  Evil Mastermind covered in tattoos.  Help in places unlooked.  I liked the story very much (even though parts of it were a little campy).

Mr. Dark, the illustrated man was particularly creepy.  I'm guessing that this character was the inspiration for a lot of future storytellers, such as Steven King or Clive Barker.  I was especially creeped out when Mr. Dark showed his palms and on his palms were tattoos of the boys, one in each hand.

In a literary sense, this book was brilliant.  The themes of 'bad things happening to good people' and 'how should a person deal with suffering and unhappiness?' and 'are people really happy when they get what they want?' were treated very well.  It comes as no surprise to me that this book is studied by young people in high schools and some colleges.

Overall, I give this 4 out of 5 stars.  Minus one star because, for me, I found his poetic prose confusing.  (sorry, mr. bradbury...)

The Last Battle by C. S. Lewis (recommended)

I just finished The Last Battle by C. S. Lewis.  I liked this book but because of one thing towards the end of the book, I will give this a 'recommended' instead of 'highly recommended'.

I am listening to Dream Theater and sitting at Starbucks as I recall this book to review.  NOTE: I am glad that Starbucks is now offering free Wi-Fi so I can write at a Starbucks using my Apple Macbook, listening to my Ipod.  I wish I had an iphone to complete the picture.

In the Last Battle, a false Aslan is abroad.  The Narnian obey this false Aslan who speaks via a talking ape, Shift, but are confused because his orders don't seem to be in accord with Aslan of old.   King Tirian, along with his good friend, Jewel the Unicorn, discover the deception of the false Aslan and calling upon the children that helped the previous kings and queens in the history of Narnia, try to make right the wrong caused by this false Aslan and the ape.

The writing is good as is all of C. S. Lewis's writings.

The pacing is good also.

Two things caught my attention in reading this book:

(1) Why isn't Susan included in the friends of Narnia?  As she got older, she didn't believe in Narnia anymore and was only interested in girly things.  What does this mean in terms of the metaphor of the Christian life with respect to salvation?  Would she be considered a nominal Christian?

(2) Why was a Calormene, who clearly worship Tash and not Aslan, included in the new Narnia (aka Heavean)?  Is sincerity enough to get to new Narnia?  Is this Lewis's commentary about sincere people in other religions and their standing before God?  Is this something that Lewis believed or did he just want to make a happy ending in a great series of books for children?

Overall, the book was outstandingly written and paced.  It was a pleasure to read this book as well as the whole series.  Good times.  :)

The Magician's Nephew by C. S. Lewis (highly recommended)

I just finished The Magician's Nephew by C. S. Lewis.

The Magician's Nephew is about two children, Digory Kirke and Polly Plummer.  They are sent to another world by Digory's evil uncle.  Digory and Polly, as they were searching other worlds, mistakenly awakens the witch Jadis.  This is the story of the beginning of Narnia and how Jadis is introduced into that world.

The Magician's Nephew is essentially, C. S. Lewis's creation story for Narnia.  A lot of it parallels the Genesis account.

"All get what they want; they do not always like it."  This was said by Aslan about Jadis.  I found this interesting.  I wonder if this is a commentary about hell by Lewis.  Anyhoo...

Overall, I thought that this book was great.  It was well paced, generous with action and, as always, well written.  I especially found it satisfying how Lewis connected the dots between this book and the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.  I highly recommend this book.  :)

The Silver Chair by C. S. Lewis (recommended)

I just finished The Silver Chair by C. S. Lewis.  I would recommend this book.

The Silver Chair is about Jill Pole and Eustace Scrubb is instructed by Aslan to find the lost prince Rilian.  Jill and Eustace are given 4 instructions from Aslan but Jill and Eustace, for one reason or another, begin to fail in following them.  Jill and Eustace find a guide in a Marsh-wiggle, Puddleglum, and the three of them travel to the land of the giants to try to find Rilian.  Within the story, there is an evil witch, a green serpent, earthdwelling gnomes, giants, a mysterious man in black armor and, of course, a silver chair.

In my humble opinion, the whole series, the Chronicles of Narnia, is outstanding.  Every book is very good.  In light of this, I thought that The Silver Chair was the weakest of the series for two reasons: (1) it was painful to read about Jill Pole forgetting Aslan's instructions and (2) I found the Marsh-wiggle Puddleglum's negative disposition tiresome.  Even so, this book was still well written and the story's pace was good.

Something in the story that resonated with me was Aslan's instructions; it must be memorized daily or else it will be forgotten.  Jill did not memorize them as she was instructed.  And so, when the important moments came, she failed.  Similarly, we must memorize Scripture daily; it is not enough to have known it once, a long time ago.  We must memorize it daily so that when the important moments come, we hope that we may not fail.  :)

Overall, I thought the writing was good and the pacing was good also.  I would recommend this book for everyone.

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C. S. Lewis (highly recommended)

I just finished The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C. S. Lewis.  It was a good adventure story.  I would highly recommend this to readers of any age.

This is essentially the Lewis's version of the odyssey.  King Caspian, joined by Edmund and Lucy and their annoying cousin Eustace, travel from island to island trying to find the seven lost Lords that left Narnia when the evil Miraz ruled.  Caspian and company travel through the seas and find different trials with every island that they find.  And eventually, they travel to the world's end.

I especially like Reepicheep's character in this story; I was affected by his bravery and desire to always seek adventure.

Eustace's transformation both figuratively, little by little, throughout the book and literally, was a favorite part of book for me.  :)

As always, C. S. Lewis's writing is outstanding and the story is well paced and engaging.  I would highly recommend this for all readers.  :)

Bag of Bones by Stephen King (highly recommended)

I just finished Bag of Bones by Stephen King.  This is the most 'literary' book that I've read by him.  It won the British Fantasy Award in 1999.  If you like suspense novels, I recommend Bag of Bones by Stephen King.

Bag of Bones is about a writer, Michael Noonan in Maine who loses his wife to an aneurysm.  The death of his wife brings about a long season of writer's block.  Four years later, Michael Noonan begins to experience nightmare set at his summer house in TR-90 in Maine.  The house is named Sara Laughs after an old blues singer.  Micheal meets Kyra and her mom Mattie, a widow, who is about 20 years younger than Michael who is around 40 years old at this point in the story.  He becomes fond of Mattie and Kyra.  Mattie's father-in-law, Max Devore, is a powerful and evil man who wants to take Kyra away from Mattie, to take legal custody of Kyra.  Max Devore is described as mad (crazy) and obsessive about the things that he wants.  Michael decides to help Mattie keep Kyra.

This book seems to be divided into several sections: (1) a man grieving his dead wife, (2) a legal battle between Michael Noonan and Max Devore and (3) a ghost story.

I liked that this book kept on surprising me.  I couldn't anticipate where the story would lead me and I liked that.  I really, really liked the introduction of Kyra and Mattie.  I thought this entire chapter was the bee's knees.  :)

I really like the way Stephen King writes.  I especially liked the little insights that he gives the reader about the life and idiosyncrasies of what it is like to be a writer.

The pacing of the book is...well...Stephen King.  He has his own rhythm which I like.  Overall, the story unfolds at a leisurely pace but when it does pick up, I couldn't get through the pages fast enough.

The book does has profanity and violence.  There is a significant scene of violence in the end of the book (you should be able to figure out when it is coming up).  You can skip or skim this whole scene without losing any part of the story.

Overall, I really liked this book.  This book is less horror and more suspense and a lot of the times, it's just character development.  The story is outstanding at times.  And the ending was a big surprise for me.  During the middle of the book, the main conflict seemed to have been resolved but there was a significant amount of the book left; I couldn't figure out what he could possibly write about in those pages.  Stephen King is an organic writer; he does not plan out the entire book before he starts writing and I really like that.  I think that he excels at organic writing (i.e. the stories seems not to follow a formula but seems to go where ever it may--in a good way...most of the time).  (NOTE: a problem with organic writing is bag endings which Stephen King has been known to have but Bag of Bones had a satisfying ending for me.)  Bag of Bones is a great example of his organic writing style.  I would highly recommend this to those that like suspense novels.  Until the next time...  

Prince Caspian by C. S. Lewis (highly recommended)

I just finished Prince Caspian by C. S. Lewis.  This is book four in the Chronicles of Narnia series.  The writing and the story are both good.  I would highly recommend this.

Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy are called back to Narnia.  Possibly, hundreds of years have passed in Narnia since the last time they were there.  Time travels differently in Narnia than it does in the real world.  A bad man, King Miraz rules the land but his step son, Prince Caspian, is the true king of Narnia.  The story is about how Caspian, helped by Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy, (and Aslan, of course) tries to defeat Miraz.

Reepicheep really caught my attention in this story.  I liked that a mouse of such small stature has such a large heart of courage.  Reepicheep takes honor very seriously and that kinda inspired me.  Good times.  (I also had a hard time pronouncing his name.  I had to say his name out loud every time I read it to practice getting his name right.  Even now, I tried to say it fast and what came out was Reechipeach; I guess I need more practice.)

Something that really affected me about the story is Edmund.  In the Lion, the witch and the wardrobe, especially in the beginning, Edmund is nasty to Lucy but in this book, Edmund supports Lucy.  Lucy sees Aslan when the others cannot.  Edmund doesn't see Aslan either but he supports Lucy.  I love it.  I love how Edmund grows from book to book.

Overall, I thought this book had a fantastic story and was very well written.  I would highly recommend this.  :)

The Horse And His Boy by C. S. Lewis (highly recommended)

I just finished The Horse and His Boy by C. S. Lewis.  I thought it was a great story.  I would highly recommend it to kids and adults alike.

The title of the book is interesting.  Why isn't it The Boy and His Horse?  Doesn't the horse belong to the boy?  In this story, the answer is no.  The Horse, Bree, is a free Narnian Horse that has the ability to talk.  The title shows that it would be just as appropriate to assume that the boy belongs to the horse as the horse to the boy.  Interesting?  I think so.

The Horse and His Boy is a story about a young man named Shasta.  He runs away from his guardian (who is not such a nice man) with a talking Horse, Bree.  They are trying to get to Narnia, the nation located north of Shasta's home.  During his journey, they meet a young lady, Avaris and another Narnian, Hwin.  They discover a plan to attack Archenland (the lands neighboring Narnia) and Narnia itself.  The companions must hurry to Archenland to warn them of the coming attack.

A theme in the story that edified me was the theme of providence.  Aslan directs and protects each characters in the story.  The powerful part of this theme is the characters are frequently unaware of Aslan's direction and protection.  It reminds me of God's providence in my own life and it reminds me to trust in God's plans.  God is directing and God is protecting each and every one of us.  Our lives may seem like it's spinning on its own merit but it is being carefully directed by God.  Amen.

Overall, the story was outstanding, the writing was fantastic and the pace was perfect.  I would highly recommend this book to any kid or adult.

It has come to my attention that there is some criticism about Lewis being a sexist.  Quite frankly, I don't really sense that.  Lewis did not have our modern 'enlightened' values (for those that didn't catch it, I put ENLIGHTENED in sarcastic quotes).  I think that Lewis' view of gender roles were fine for the time that he lived.

Well, until the next time...  :)

The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis (highly recommended)

I just finished The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis.  This is the 2nd book in the Chronicles of Narnia series.  I've read this book many times before; I can't remember how many times.  It is always a joy to read.  I would highly recommend this book.

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is about four children, Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy.  They enter new world, Narnia, via a wardrobe in the old professor's house.  Something is wrong in Narnia.  The White Witch has caused it to be winter for many years.  The four children entering Narnia may fulfill a prophecy bringing the end of the White Witch's rule.  And it brings about the return of Aslan, a mighty lion.

The story is an allegory for the story of Christ and his sacrifice for those that have sinned.

The thing that struck me the most reading it this time was this: C. S. Lewis is a very good writer.  Every sentence is important and communicates much information.  I was struck by Lewis's storytelling ability.  Outstanding.

Overall, I think the writing and pacing is great.  I think the story is fantastic.  I highly recommend this book to everyone.  :)

Church History in Plain Language by Bruce L. Shelley (highly recommended)

I just finished Church History in Plain Language by Bruce L. Shelley.  The title, Church History in Plain Language (CHPL), is a great way to describe the book.  It is about church history from the time of Jesus to the end of the 20th century AND it is easy to read (i.e. in plain language).  I would highly recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in history and to any and all Christians.

The writing is the most appealing part of this book.  Church History can frequently seem daunting because of all the names and events; and many books are written so academically that the information is not readily accessible to beginners (such as myself) to Church History.  This book is a remedy to that ailment.  The book is easy to read and, at the same time, I didn't feel like the material was diluted.

The book is written from a Protestant perspective but that was okay with me; I just happen to be a Protestant.  :)

Each chapter is about 10 to 15 pages long.  The chapters are organized loosely by chronology.  They are organized more by topic within a time period within church history.  Where Shelley could, he writes an anecdote about person and then describes the context of that person within that time.  This method was great because it drew me into the story of each time period and it personalized the period allowing me to see it through the eyes of an individual.

There were a lot of things (especially between the time of ACTS up to the REFORMATION) that I just never learned.  For example, I did not know that Atilla the Hun came from Mongolia right up to the walls of Rome.  I did not know why the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church split or even what the difference between the two were.  Etc.

A perspective that CHPL helped me gain was this: the problems that are plaguing the church today, the heresies that Christians have to deal with today, none of it is new.  Looking through CHPL, the problems we have today are just theme-and-variations of problems that we've had in the past.  So for anyone who needs to problem solve, a study of church history may be invaluable.

Overall, this book was outstanding.  The information is essential (I believe) for all Christians.  The book is written well and the written in such a way that the information is easily accessible.  The book is engaging and the drama and stories of each age are highlighted.  It is not too long (for a history book that covers 2000 years); it is about 500 pages long.  I would highly recommend this to anyone who is interested in history or any Christian.  :)  Well, until the next time...

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (highly recommended)

I just finished Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.  It is my second reading.  I still liked it the second time.  I would recommend this book, as well as the entire series, to anyone who likes a good story.

At this point, I think everyone knows about Harry Potter and this series of books.  So instead of a review, I've decided to ask five trivia questions:

1.  What are the nicknames of James Potter, Peter Pettigrew, Sirius Black and Remus Lupin?

2.  How many points do you get for catching the Snitch?

3.  Who is the seeker for Ravenclaw?

4.  Who created the patronus that saved Harry from the dementors?

5.  What food helps temper the effects of a dementor?

Overall, the writing was good, the story was well paced and the story was engaging.  I highly recommend this book and this series to all muggles.  :)

Why don't protestant Christians include the Apocrypha as Scripture?

I remember having a conversation sitting around a chiminea about the inclusion of the Apocrypha in Scripture?  At the time, I only vaguely remembered the answer to the question, "Why don't protestants Christians include the Apocrypha as Scripture?"

To edify those that have this question, I have found a short excerpt from Church History in Plain Language, 2nd edition by Bruce Shelley, page 60, that addresses this question:

"The question is extremely complicated, but the debate centers around the fact the Jews in Palestine in the early years of Christianity had a canon corresponding to the thirty-nine books of the Protestant Old Testament.  Jesus referred to this list when he spoke of the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms (Luke 24:44).  The evidence seems to indicate that neither Jesus nor his apostles ever quoted from the Apocrypha as Scripture.

Beyond Palestine, however, Jews were more inclined to consider as Scripture writings not included in this list of books.  The Greek translation of the Old Testament called the Septuagint was especially influential in making known certain books of the Apocrypha because it included these books along with the Old Testament books accepted in Palestine.

Early Christians also differed, then, over the question of the Apocrypha.  Believers in the eastern portion of the Roman Empire, nearest Palestine, tended to agree with the Jews in that area.  In the West, however, Christians under the influence of Augustine, the well-known bishop of Hippo, usually received the Apocrypha as part of the canon of Scripture.  During the sixteenth-century Reformation most Protestants accepted the view of early eastern Christians and rejected the Apocrypha as canonical.  The Roman Catholic church, following Augustine, accepted the books.  And that is how the churches differ to this day."

I Don't Have Enough Faith To Be An Atheist by Geisler and Turek (highly recommended)

I just finished I Don't Have Enough Faith To Be An Atheist by Norman L. Geisler and Frank Turek.  This book was lent to me by my esteemed colleague LM.  Thanks for lending and recommending this book to me.  This book is 1) a proof for the existence of God and his character and 2) a proof that Jesus is God and 3) the reliability of Scripture.  I thought the book was good.  I would recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in Christian apologetic.

The book is organized as follows: 1) truth,  2) creation vs naturalism, 3) debunking macro-evolution, 4) morality, 5) miracles, 6) the historical Jesus, 7) the reliability of Scripture, 8) Jesus' claims to be God and 9) the gospel presentation.  There are three Appendix articles (I didn't really like the Appendix articles.  Even, though I agree with the Christian perspective, I felt like they were straw-man presentations).

I enjoyed reading this book for the most part.  The writing was very simple and easy to follow.  There is a bit of philosophy and science in the book but it has been presented in a very accessible way.  Anyone who can read at a middle school reading level (or greater) should be able to read this book. 

I thought the arguments were pretty sound.  I did feel that a few parts were weak and I would have liked it if more was written about that topic in this book.  I really liked the progressive presentation of the arguments; it was like an elegant math proof.  At times, I would read something and think of an atheist's rebuttal and then sudden remember that rebuttal was already covered in a previous chapter.

The purpose of the book was NOT to present an ironclad argument for Christianity but rather, to argue that the atheistic view is NOT ironclad, that the atheistic view is much weaker than the Christian view.  I believe that this book was successful in winning that argument.  At the very least, this book should communicate that Christians have not committed intellectual suicide by becoming Christians but rather, that Christianity is a plausible and sound thing (and may I dare to say, the most logical thing) to believe.

The only complaint is that, at times, the writer comes off as a little snide.  For example, there are times when the author will say that the atheist view is ridiculous.  I would have preferred when the atheist perspective was presented and that I had had the opportunity to decide for myself if it was ridiculous without being told by the author.

In the end, I still have some questions.  I still have to think about some of the stuff that I've read.  There were some things that didn't sit well with me and I'm going to have to work them out.

Overall, I think this is a great book.  I think that every Christian and non-Christian should read it.  The question, "Does God exist and if he does, what would he have me do?" should be incessantly on our minds.  The only SURE thing in our lives is our end; one day we will all be food for worms.  The answer to what happens when we die is very important.  I think that this book should help people who genuinely have questions about God and apologetic for both Christians and non-Christians alike.  I would recommend this book to anyone who has eyes to read.

Well, until the next time...

The Essential Calvin And Hobbes by Bill Watterson (highly recommended)

I just finished the Essential Calvin And Hobbes by Bill Watterson.  This is a collection of Calvin And Hobbes comics.  There are both whole page Sunday color stories and 4-panel shorts (from weekday newspaper comics).  I would highly recommend this to anyone.  It was a joy to read.

Calvin is a 6 year old boy.  Hobbes is a stuffed tiger.  From Calvin's perspective, the tiger is a real tiger who can walk and talk but from any non-calvin perspective, Hobbes is just a stuff animal.  We never really know if Hobbes is real or not but I guess that just adds to the mystery.

Calvin is interesting.  He is both rude and selfish and a nightmare to his parents but at the same time, he is charismatic, charming and naive.  But somehow, he always comes across to the reader as cordial and our hearts are endeared towards him.

Calvin doesn't understanding the world that he lives in.  (OR he understands it very plainly and it is us who are blinded by the culture that we live in.)  My times, Calvin asks candid question about his observations of the world that are quite provocative.  Watterson never gives an answer though but the questions themselves, especially since Calvin asks encourages us to consider the question again, maybe through the eyes of a 6 year old.

Calvin is named after the theologian John Calvin and Hobbes is named after the political philosopher Thomas Hobbes.  The characters really have nothing to do with the people that they are named after.

Something that I really like about Calvin and Hobbes is their friendship.  Regardless of what Hobbes or Calvin says to each other, they are loyal.  They are friends through thick and thin.  Many times in my life, I wish I had a Hobbes.  A more serious example of this kind of friendship is Jonathan and King David from the Bible.  Their friendship is truly beautiful.  I think that Calvin and Hobbes, in its own way reflects strong friendships like Jonathan and David and I think, especially in our culture, that loyal and devoted friends are few and far between and innately, internally, we long for those kinds of friendships.

...or maybe I am reading too much into Calvin and Hobbes.

Anyways, some of the comics were okay, some were tender, and show were laugh out loud funny.

Overall, this comic collection was excellent, I laughed and smiled a lot throughout the book.  I would highly recommend this to anyone and at age at anytime during any season.  Outstanding.  I may put another Calvin and Hobbes Collection in my summer reading queue this very night.  Until the next time...

Mythology by Edith Hamilton (recommended)

I just finished Mythology by Edith Hamilton. The book gives a reader's digest version of each story from Greek/Roman mythology. It also has a few pages on Norse Mythology. I would recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in these classic stories.

This is one of those books that a lot of high school students have read. I have not read it. One of the reasons is that I didn't read much of anything that was assigned to me in high school. I didn't even bother reading the Cliff's Notes; that is how lazy I was.

Anyway, Mythology by Edith Hamilton was good. I liked it. It was a bit dry but aside from that, I thought that old stories were engaging and interesting.

I think that everyone should know these stories to some extent because the stories are reference frequently in modern literature and even in everyday conversation (at times). This book is a great way to get familiar with the stories without having to spend too much time reading the old classics like the Iliad (which I remember to be a pretty difficult read). Even the plays of Sophocles are summarized in this book.

The writing was dry but I think that was her goal, to write an academic version of these stories. I feel like she achieved her goal. The stories are academic and also accessible.

Overall, I think that we should all know these stories to some extent, stories about Hercules (was he really a hero?), Theseus, Odysessus, etc., mostly because the stories are frequently referenced in many contexts and perhaps, make up a great deal of western culture and the western psyche. This book is a great place to become familiar with the stories without having to spend too much time reading the difficult original versions of these stories. So I recommend this to...everyone. The only reason I don't highly recommend it was the stories were written a little too dryly for my tastes. But with a little bit of patience, the dryness of the text can be easily overcome.

Until the next time...

Rescuing Ambition by Dave Harvey (highly recommended)

I just finished Rescuing Ambition by Dave Harvey. Rescuing Ambition is about godly ambition (and what godly ambition is not). This book has greatly served and edified me. I highly recommend this book to...everyone. :)

Most christian books can be placed on a gradient: conversational books on one end and purely academic theology books on the other end. I would place this book somewhere in between, with a slight lean towards conversational. Rescuing Ambition is essentially a book on the theology of ambition with anecdotes. I've heard Dave Harvey speak many times and the writing is consistent with his preaching. The conversational style is very accessible and easy to read.

This book is essentially a book about the gospel of Jesus Christ through the lens of ambition. It provides a clear view of ambition and provides real-life examples of godly ambition.

This book is special to me because, during the time that I was reading this book, I was struggling with a particular thing in my life. This book has made me realize that my paradigm of Christian living has drifted and it helped get me back on the right course. It has also renewed my zeal for the Church. I still struggle (with the thing mentioned beforehand) but at least now, I know that I am facing the right direction.

If I may be so bold, I believe that ambition in general and especially godly ambition is sadly lacking in our culture. People are more concerned about their own comfort than for greatness. Even Christians. (This is just a gross generalization of course but it seems that way to me in my limited experience). I thank God for Dave Harvey and his book. Hopefully, this book with inspire people to have ambition for the glory of God so that the church will not miss any good thing that God has for us, for his Church.

Overall, Rescuing Ambition is about the gospel through the lens of ambition. It is a book that is needed to help people understand godly ambition, something that has been poorly understood in recent times. It is an easy read and very accessible. I would highly recommend this book to any Christian; I believe ambition is important for all Christians to understand and study (even if it is not through Dave Harvey's book) if we are going to avoid insipidness and homogeneous Christian living. Good times. :) Well, until the next time...

Nightmares and Dreamscapes by Stephen King (Uneven, some good/some not-so-good)

I recently finished Nightmares and Dreamscapes by Stephen King. It is a collection of twenty four short stories and novellas. Some are horror. Some are suspense/pulp. One is an essay on little league baseball. And one is a poem. As is common in most collections, the book as a whole was uneven. Some of the stories were very good and some were not so good. I would actually skip this one if you want to read a book cover to cover.

These are the stories that I liked (there were a lot of them and I read this book over several months so my memory is shaky):

• Dolan's Cadillac is about an ordinary man seeking to avenge his murdered wife against a powerful mob boss. I really liked this one. It was probably the best in the lot.
• The End of the Whole Mess is about a drug that people create to enhance humans but in the end, it ends up destroying them. This one was pretty good.
• Suffer the Little Children is about a school teacher that is convinced her students are aliens.
• Popsy is about a child-kidnapper that takes the wrong kid.
• Chattery Teeth is about a toy set of metal teeth that saves the main character's life.
• The Moving Finger is about a finger that comes out of the toilet.
• You Know They Got A Hell Of A Band is about a couple that find a town with a surprise.
• Rainy Season is about a couple that arrives at a small town during the rainy season to find that water is not what falls from the sky.
• The Ten O'Clock People is about a group of people that are trying to quit smoking. But the specific amount of nicotine in their bodies allow them to see what others cannot, people in powerful positions are actually monsters.
• The House on Maple Street is about an abusive step-dad and the transformation of a house.
• Umney's Last Case is about an author entering the book world trying to take over one of his character's lives.
• Head Down is an essay on little league baseball. This essay was fantastic!

If I were only to read three, it would probably be Dolan's Cadillac (Suspense), Umney's Last Case (Fantasy/Pulp) and Head Down (Essay).

There is a lot of content in Stephen King's writing so if content affects you, please skip this book.

Overall, the writing is pretty good but King tends to be a wordy (but I kind of like that about him). About half of the stories were good, the other half were okay. The pacing is different with each story; some are fast paced and other took their time. I would recommend with reservation Nightmares and Dreamscapes, mostly because of the unevenness of the collection of stories. Until next time...

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie (recommended)

I just finished And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie. It is a murder mystery/suspense book. I enjoyed reading the book, especially the end; I thought the end was very satisfying. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a short, fun and enjoyable read.

In the book, ten people are invited to come to an island. Each person has a hidden past, a wrong unaccounted for. One by one, each person is murdered in the manner described by an old nursery poem. The murderer is one of the ten. The remaining people try to figure out which one of them is the murderer as they try to protect themselves.

The book is short (only about 275 pages). It read very quickly. The writing is simple and easy to read. The pace was good. The only weakness that I noticed was the predictability of the murders but this weakness didn't detract from the enjoyment of the book.

NOTE: If read carefully (and if you are smart enough), you can figure out which one of the ten is the murderer before the crime is explained at the end of the book. I was not smart enough but esta bien. :)

I would recommend And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie. I thought it was a short, fun and enjoyable book. Good times.

The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan (highly recommended)

I just finished The Joy Luck Club written by Amy Tan. In comparison to the last book I finished, The Godfather written by Mario Puzo, The Joy Luck Club felt like a breath of fresh air. The Godfather was written like a supermarket novel and The Joy Luck Club is, if I may be so bold, literature. I really enjoyed reading this book. I would highly recommend it.

SUMMARY:
The Joy Luck Club is something in between a novel or a collection of short stories. It is a collection sixteen short stories or vignettes each told from the perspective of one of the eight main characters: four Chinese mothers and their respective daughters. The shorts stories are loosely connected together; the characters are reoccurring in each others stories and sometimes, the same event is described in separate stories. This gives the book a pseudo feeling of a novel.

CONTENT:
The book is clean. I can't remember anything in this book that would be inappropriate for a junior high school student.

PACING:
Amy Tan's writing is superb! She has an incredible economy of words. The pacing of the book was very fast especially for the subject matter, relationships.

WRITING:
Amy Tan's is an outstanding writer. Some of her stories brought me to tears. Most of the stories has a melancholic feeling but in a good way. Some of the stories were written beautifully. I would classify her writing as literature, worthy to be studied. (NOTE: But I might more affected than normal because the last book I finished was The Godfather which was written poorly. It was essentially a supermarket novel on par with Nicholas Sparks or Stephanie Meyer.)

OVERALL:
This book affected me. The Chinese-mother/American-daughter dynamics described resonated strongly with me. It reminded me that my mother is indeed a real person with real feelings and at one point in time, she was a real young lady with her own hopes and dreams. It is good to be reminded of this from time to time. The book is written well. The stories are endearing and engaging. I very much enjoyed reading this book and I plan to read this again. I would highly recommend this book. Good times.

The Godfather by Mario Puzo (not recommended)

I just finished the Godfather by Mario Puzo. The story itself was good but the writing was poor. It read like a supermarket novel.

It took me over a month to finish this book, mostly because every time I picked up the book to read, I wanted to put it back down again. Also, it didn't help that the weather was beautiful over the last few weeks and I wanted to be outside enjoying the spring weather.

I love the movie directed by Francis Ford Coppola. I must have watched it dozens of times already and as I am typing this review, I have a desire to watch it again.

The story of the movie and the book are very similar to each other. The book includes the back story of Vito Corleone; this was told in Godfather II. And the story of Johnny Fontiane, how he lost his voice and got it back; this story was cut from the film. The story itself was good but Puzo's writing is not-so-good. I really can't put my finger on why I didn't like the writing; I think it is because he told me instead of showed me through context and dialogue. Puzo would frequently write stuff like, "He was angry". There is nothing wrong with the sentence itself but shouldn't I get how the person feels from the context or dialogue. Also, the dialogue was flat. The richness of the dialogue in the movie was brought about by the actors and director of the movie; in the book, even though the lines were similar, everyone in the book essentially had the same voice, they all sounded alike and not in a good way.

Overall, I don't recommend this book--just stick to the movie. The story was good but the writing was not good (or at least it was that way for me). Not recommended. :(

What The Dog Saw by Malcolm Gladwell (highly recommended)

I just finished What The Dog Saw by Malcolm Gladwell. I thought that it was excellent. I would highly recommend it.

It is a collection of 19 essays by Gladwell. The essays were organized into three categories: Part 1-Obsessives, Pioneers and Other Varieties of Minor Genius (I really liked the Ketchup Conundrum, True Colors and What the Dog Saw from this section), Part 2-Theories, Predictions, and Diagnoses (I liked Million-Dollar Murray--this article in particular was fascinating--, Something Borrowed and The Art Of Failure), and Part 3-Personality, Character and Intelligence (I liked How Do We Hire When We Can't Tell Who's Right For The Job and What Pit Bulls Can Teach Us About Crime).

Collections have both strengths and weakness. A strength is the bite-sized length of the articles. Because of each article's brevity, it kept my interest and didn't try my patience. A weakness is the unevenness. Some articles are great and I wanted them to go on but others were not so great. A good thing about Gladwell's book is most of the articles are very interesting. I think I only thought 2 or 3 of the 19 articles were not-so-good.

Gladwell's writing style is great. I like how he starts with specific case studies to catch our attention and then he moves on to generalizations afterward. I find similar books to be abrasive but Gladwell's tone is respectful and even and I feel that he respects the reader.

Overall, I thought this book/collection was great. It was very provocative. I had a discussion about this book with a friend and it provided context and fuel for a very lively and dynamic discussion. The book was well written, well paced and very interesting. I highly recommend this to anyone who likes nonfiction/current events. Fantastic. :)

Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson (highly recommended)

I just finished Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson. I loved this book. I highly recommend it to anyone who likes fantasy action-adventure. It is not as serious as the Lord of The Rings or Dune but it is not as campy as most fantasy novels. It is a great mix of fun and gravity.

Summary:
Mistborn is about a girl named Vin. She is a special girl with unusual abilities. She is only vaguely aware of her powers at the beginning of the book. She meets a man named Kelsier who mentors hers and teaches her how to use her powers. Kelsier, along with his band of brothers, plans to defeat the Lord Ruler, an evil lord, who has ruled the Empire for a millennium. Mistborn is set in a faux-18th century context, during a time of nobles and aristocrats and plebians (called skaa).

Content:
If this book was a movie, it would have been rated PG. There were a number of action-violence scenes. There were a few short scenes of graphic violence. But overall, it was pretty clean.

Pacing:
The pacing was great. Once the book's momentum started to pick-up speed, it never looked back. The pacing was fast and great from beginning to end. It kept my interest for the entirety of the book.

Writing:
The writing was first rate. The writing was fantastic. The writing was simple and straightforward. I enjoyed read Sanderson's writing style.

Overall:
It has been a long time since I've read a new fantasy book that I've like a lot and I do like this book a lot. I would put it up there with Lord of the Rings and Dune. I thought thought the pacing and writing and action were top notch. It was a very enjoyable read. I highly recommend it to anyone who likes action-adventures. Good times.

The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield (highly recommended)

I just finished The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield. It is a Gothic mystery novel about a mysterious author, Vida Winter who finally shares her real childhood story. The book had a very satisfying ending; when was the last time you read a book where you felt satisfied at the end. It is a rare thing indeed. I really liked this book and I would highly recommend it to anyone who likes murder-mysteries in the style of Agatha Christie.

Summary:

Vida Winters is a very popular and successful writer but no one knows about her past. One day, Margaret Lea, a bookstore owner's daughter gets a letter from Vida Winters. Ms. Winters wants Margaret Lea to write her biography, her real biography. In the past, Ms. Winters has only told interviewers made-up fictional accounts of her childhood. The rest of the book is about Vida Winter's story and how it relates to the event in the present, with a satisfying reveal at the end.

Content:

There was no profanity that I can remember.

If the book were a film, it would be rated PG.

There was violence but it wasn't described in detail, it was only hinted at.

Pacing:

The beginning of the book was a little slow for my tastes. It took me a while to get into the characters and the story. But, in the middle of the book, the story really took shape and the momentum of the story took me to the end, which I really liked.

Writing:

In a few places, I thought her analogies were a little campy but overall, her writing was very good. The reading level was easy; I didn't have to go to the dictionary too many times. The writing very much flowed; it was an easy read.

I liked her theme of twins and 'what completes a person' and ghosts throughout the book.

I didn't like Aurelius as a character. He seemed superfluous.

Things to Note:

This book was published in 2006.

This book is Diane Setterfield's first novel.

A week after its release, it become a number one New York Times best seller (which may be a good thing or a bad thing depending on what you think of the NY Times best seller's list).

Overall:

Overall, I thought the book was very good. The slow pacing in the beginning of the book is the only real criticism. The book was an easy and fun read. I would highly recommend this to anyone that likes a good (but not too intense) murder-mystery. Good times.

The Shack by William Paul Young (NOT recommended)

I just finished The Shack by William P Young. I did not like the book. I do not recommend this book to anyone.

The Shack is about a man, Mackensie Allen Phillips, whose lost his daughter, Missy, to a violent murder. He calls the loss of his daughter The Great Sadness. One day, he gets a mysterious note; the note asks him to meet at the shack, the place where Missy was killed. At the shack, he meets god and god communes with Mack. (I am not capitalizing god because the god in this book is not God from the Bible.)

The book is divided into two parts. Part 1 is about the Great Sadness; it accounts Missy's murder. Part 2 is about Mack's time with god.

The book is not well written. The characters are flat. And the story is told insipidly. The murder makes it engaging but it is a cheap way to engage Constant Reader's attention. (NOTE: another cheap way to get a reader's attention is conspiracy, e.g. The DaVinci Code.) The story is told without any depth or complexity.

The theology that is pontificated by 'papa, jesus and sarayu', the god-trinity from the shack, throughout part 2, is trite. The problems introduced in this book are very serious and important. Essentially, it is the problem of pain. It is the problem of genuine forgiveness. Unfortunately, the answers put forth from this book are cheap bumper sticker answers which fall into a number of logical fallacies including, but not limited to, equivocation and the straw man fallacy.

The Shack is to literature like Thomas Kinkade is to painting.

The Shack is to literature like bumperstickers are to the philosophy.

The Shack is to literature like McDonald's is to gourmet cooking. People's hunger is real; people genuinely struggle with the problem of pain. When people read this book, they are getting filled but they are getting filled with food that does not have any real nutritional value. In fact, this book may do a great deal of theological harm.

This book is extremely popular. A lot of people were affected by this book. The main reason why I read this book is to figure out why people like it so much. This is my best answer to my question. People are looking for answers. This book seems to give answers. Unfortunately, the answers are both shallow and wrong. It also paints a picture of God that is simply not true. Perhaps people are intimidated by serious treatments to the problem of pain. Perhaps serious treatments are not accessible to people so people turn to something, this book, that they can relate to.

Overall, this book made me a little angry and very sad, not because of the story but because of the misinformation that this book proliferates. The book is poorly written and its content is shallow. I do not recommend this book. I do not recommend this book. I do not recommend this book.