A Painted House

 A Painted House
by: John Grisham
294 pages, hardback
2000

I have never harvested cotton, listened to a Cardinals game, painted a house, or written a letter to a solider serving in Korea  but after reading John Grisham's novel it feels as if I have experienced all these things and more. (This is my second book from renown author John Grisham and neither involved a lawyer).   Told from the perspective of a 7-year-old boy named Luke, the 6 weeks or so of harvest season in the Arkansas low-lands came to life almost as if I had lived it back in the 50's.  Great story-telling, super character development and action I would not have guessed kept the pages turning.  Before leaving on my trip to Michigan, Melanie gave to me this novel and another one called Winter Garden (I will also give my review on that novel) and I read one chapter from each book most nights before going to bed (sometimes I gave in and read more than one chapter).  Luke, became like a son and I loved his relationship with his mother.  Actually, as an only child living in the same home with his parents and his paternal grandparents, he had good and healthy interactions with his whole family.  Life was far from dull and the secrets told and kept in this story made me feel like one with the  inside scoop in this country/small town settling.  The book contrasted interestingly with the other novel which was set present day on an apple orchard business in Washington state. Fun to read like that and Melanie I recommend both books...thanks for giving them to me to read!

 

Heaven is for Real

Heaven is for Real
A Little Boy's Astounding Story of His Trip to Heaven and Back
by Todd Burpo
2010

This is a book I have seen quite a bit in ariports, as Russ and I have traveled about this year in the USA.  Various people have recommended it to me and especailly during the time I was awaiting results from an ab-normal medical test it caught my interest.  But it wasn't until after I got my library card in the Heights and a librarian helped me to find it that I actually read it.
Well, it is very much like the subtitle describes: the little boy, named Colton, has a need for emergency surgery and while that is taking place he goes to heaven.  Later as he is fully recovered he begins to tell his family  bits and pieces of what it was like in heaven including people he met, time spent with Jesus, the colors of heaven, etc.   The story unfolds from the father's  point of view and is a quick and easy read and gives lots of hopeful things to think through.  What I found maybe most fascinating is how Colton, even years later, had a very clear memory of what Jesus looked like.  Several times since Colton's experience there were opportunities for his family to see various portraits of Jesus and each time they would ask Colton if the artwork looked like Jesus.  Every time there would be something not quite right with the artists' attempt to capture in a painting or a sketch the essence of Jesus.  Then Colton was shown the art work of a young girl named Akiane Kramarik (who had also been to heaven and back) and Colton was speechless so his father asked him what was wrong with the portrait. He said, "Dad, that one is right."
As Colton's dad is also a pastor, he takes the time to add dimension to the story by quoting passages from the Bible that give a foreshadowing of heaven. I'm glad I read the book and for it being the first near-death-expereince book I have read, I found it to be a good one and believable.   Can't wait to go myself!

Riding the Bus with my Sister

 Riding the Bus with My Sister
a True Life Journey
by: Rachel Simon
2002
paperback; 296 pages

Generally I have chosen to only read books that come to me via a recommendation,  but recently I found myself in a new library and very ready for a light novel. Surrounded by books, I could not think of one title that someone recommended, so this light blue paperback caught my eye because of its size; perfect weight and good margins so I could read it while hula-hooping and that is how I began the story of a year of  bus journeys.  At first I almost put the book down after a chapter or two, as it seemed a bit predictable and self-indigent; the writer was writing of how she, a successful got-it-together independent woman, was going to learn life lessons (and ultimately become a bit more successful) by writing about  her sister and her mental disability to shine light on the importing things of life.  But putting aside my cynicism, I pressed on and found much more to the story.  The big sister really does care about the little sister and as one review stated the book is, "clever and unsentimental".  I liked learning about the variety of bus drivers and their healthy perspectives on life, all who make up Beth's world as she rides day after day around a city in Pennsylvania.  As each month leads to the next, I discover more about Beth (the little sister) and consequently Rachel's (the writer) relationship with her. The author also does a very good job of going backward in time to describe things in chronological progression of her childhood and how she (and her siblings) were effected by not only the "different-ness" of having a sister who was different, but their parent's  divorce and the lingering effects it had on everyone.  Her detail in memories brings the richness to the story's re-telling of the music and fashion of the past in which she grew and gives authenticity to the joys and challenges life presented.  I am now excited about becoming a bus-rider and the people I just meet on the journey..I  have my bus pass, just need a destination and look out, maybe I will learn the ins and outs of Houston and the people that make up this great city.  At the end I read more slowly as I did not want to have Beth out of my life.  A story well told.

Joy Beyond Anxiety

 

Joy Beyond Anxiety
The Philippians' Peace
by Russell Minick
December 2007
43 pages

Russell did a great job at putting in written form the many lessens he has taught the Sojos church in the senior year of Hannah's class.  His conversational tone through out the booklet made for a great way to connect to important and life-changing ideas and truths that Paul originally put forth in his letter to a church he loved while he was imprisoned in Rome.  He had many reasons that they then were to keep the faith and keep the joy.  Those reasons still are applicable to us today for some things will never change.  Jesus left heaven to be our champion and we have now a way to live life that has meaning as we live forgiven and in community seeking to grow our love deeper in knowledge and depth on insight and in doing so be better equip to know what is best, live blamelessly and purposefully.  I liked reading the book again as it brought to mind the people we lived among when Russ first taught to us these truths.  His examples were from Thailand so it made it fun to again think back to those days and at the same time be encouraged at all the growth God has done in and through Sojo's church since that time in 2007-8.  Our family then left Chiang Mai; Hannah to university and the rest of us to one year in London.  May God continue to shape us into the character of His son I pray.  This booklet has in it the full letter that Paul wrote (broken into chunks) which Russell then explains in our context and in the time of when the letter was first penned.  I recommend it to anyone who desires to grow in joy and reduce anxiety as God tells us that peace is in Him.  May we all grow closer to the One who loves us most.  Amen.  I think Russ should make this available as an e-book.  I highly recommend it. 

Psalm 91

Psalm 91
Real-Life Stories of God's Shield of Protection
Authors: Peggy Joyce Ruth and Angelia Ruth Schum
248 paperback
2010

This book was chosen by my Tuesday noon prayer ladies from Houston's First.  The book has two parts: 1. Chapter by chapter where the author expands on the verse by verse of Psalm 91 and part 2. Brief stories of people who have experienced God's protection by praying Psalms 91.
The beginning shares a lot of examples of the military so as I read it and highlighted here and there,  I began to pray for Justin H. as he is at this time going through extensive military training. At times the author seems to advocate the power of the words of the ninety-first psalm rather than to focus on the power and relationship that comes from being connected to the Almighty.  All in all, the book is insightful and helpful to better understanding that personal protection is available for those that trust in The Lord.   What is important is to trust in God fully no matter your circumstances and to call out to Him when in need.  The original human author of psalm 91 is anonymous but there is strong evidence that Moses could have written this powerful song of protection and love of God.  I enjoyed the interaction of the ladies group as we studied this book and it has helped to shape my prayer life as I lift various people, as well as myself, before the Lord for protection.

Playing for Pizza

Playing for Pizza
author: John Grisham
pages: 258 hardback
2007

Oh my goodness!  I read this book then totally forgot it even before I could review it!  As this was my first John Grisham novel I had high expectations and hopefully someone somewhere else down the road will recommend to me another one, as this one did not appeal to me.
One thing I do remember were the good use of description of food, the descriptions of small towns in Italy and that the story was about American football (not a sport that holds my interest).  I did enjoy Grisham's ability to kind of make me feel that I was there in Parma, Italy, but I guess I did not really want to be.
It may have been that I was in the process of moving out of Thailand so my thoughts were on other things as I read about this footballer trying to hold on to his sport any way he could.

If... What do I know of Calvary Love?

If
What do I know of Calvary Love?
author: Amy Carmichael
70 pagers; paperback
1938

This small book is so dense with awareness on how life is to be lived according to the love Jesus showed at Calvary that it can not be taken in all at one time, but rather a few poems a day, poem after pondered poem.  I am thankful to Laura Smith for sending this treasure to me as it came in the mail just when I needed this type of reflection.

Amy Carmichael, missionary to India, wrote the poetry of this 70 page book mainly overnight when a fellow worker approached her with the sad situation of a younger one who was "missing the the way of Love", as she put it in the introduction of the book.  The majority of the book is made up of poetry which leads to introspective evaluation of one's own understanding of love and how that is lived out in life.  The part right after the poetry was most insightful to me.  I will type up the ending as it is not only a great conclusion but a great appetizer for what his book holds for anyone questioning Love.   And I have a feeling I will re-read If  What do I know of Calvary Love? again and again, if I am brave enough to do so.

Beloved, let us love.


Lord, what is love?

Love is that which inspired My life, and led Me to My cross, and held Me on My cross.  Love is that which will make it thy joy to lay down thy life for thy brethren.

Lord, evermore give me this love.

Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after love, for they shall be filled.


Amen, Lord Jesus.

 

and the Shofar Blew

 and the Shofar Blew
by Francine Rivers
441 pages hardback
2003

Recently I was at a missions conference and while talking with a couple of ladies I had just met and the subject turned to good books.  The novel The Atonement Child by Francine Rivers was highly praised.  Excited about getting a good recommendation, I returned back to Houston and looked for it at the church library; it was not there so I chose and the Shofar Blew instead. 

Before I got through the first chapter I felt like I had read the book before (there is not too many stories out there that have a zealous Christian leader named Paul whose son was Timothy and Timothy's mom's name was Euny (short for Eunice) and Lois as a grandmother).  As the ending did not stand out to me, I filped to the back of the book, read a few pages and decided that I never finished it.  A few more chapters of reading made me guess why.  It is not a very happy story.  Actually, for most of the pages it is down-right discouraging.  But as timing would have it, I started a migraine (sometimes if the headache subside a bit, reading helps to pass the time, especially through the nights when the pain is too great for sleep to come), anyway, I worked my way through about 15 painful years of what happens to a life of a family and community when a pastor looses sight of growing God's church and grows his own power-hungry ego instead. 

To her credit, Francine Rivers' characters are authentic and consistent throughout the story and as always in her books, redemption's theme rings true.  For that I'm grateful.  But it does not make me any too excited to be a pastor's wife.  But then again, my husband is not Paul and I do not play the piano, so if that is what God wants of me, I pray I have ears to hear and a heart to obey.

This is probably not going to be the first book would recommend, yet I do hope to get the chance to read The Atonement Child someday.  I have read several books by Francine Rivers through the years (A Voice in the Wind, An Echo in the Darkness, As Sure as the Dawn, Leota's Garden, Redeeming Love, The Last Sin Eater) and each of these stories, with wide range of settings and plots, captivated me immensely.  If you have not read a Francine Rivers novel, pick one up, but be fore-warned they are not for the faint of heart.

Until We Reach Home

Until We Reach Home

By: Lynn Austin

428 pages paperback

2008

Russell and I were living at a condo on at least 11 non-stop lanes of Houston highway and excitedly just signed a rental agreement for a charming home built in 1894 and nestled near a park in Brenham, TX… then the deal fell through and I knew on that rainy, sad day a good book would help.  The title, Until We Reach Home, caught my attention in the church library and I recognized the author from the first novel I read in 2011 so I gave it a go.  The story begins in rural Sweden in January of 1897 and concludes in busy Chicago, IL about nine months later.  Three sisters go through noticeable individual change as they journey together, leaving the familiar for the unknown.  The novel had several twists and turns that one can expect to make up a 400 plus page story, and when the last page was turned I was thankful that there was not a sequel as I have read enough of the three of them.  To be fair, there is a good deal of description (and I like how the author threw in some words in Swedish here and there) among the sappiness, preaching and silver- lined clouds.  It did hold my interest as a decent distraction and it was hopeful to read of other sojourners and how they made it.  Maybe one day Russell and I will reach home too.  “We’re going to trust God, just like Mama did.  Even when she was dying, she trusted Him and never doubted His love, remember?  Things might still be a mess right now, but He can make everything right.  He is already making it right.  We thought everyone in our family was gone and that it was just the three of us, but now our family is starting to grow again….”  This optimistic outbreak from the youngest sister is worth holding on to.    If you are looking for a light, journey kind of story, reading about Elin, Kirsten and Sofia could be the book for you. 

Siddhartha

Siddhartha

Author: Hermann Hesse

152 pages; paperback

Originally written in 1922

 Translated into English in 1951 by Hilda Rosner (several others have translated this work at later dates).

While in Branson, MO this summer, we were with Hannah in an antique shop and Russell spied the book Siddhartha and bought it.  He had read it in high school and liked it.  Later, when he and I were traveling I did not have a book to take so he recommended I give it a try.  I started it, lost interest, read several other books after reading the first chapter,  then recently started it again reading through to the conclusion.  Here are my thoughts of Siddhartha.

Born in Germany, writer Hemann Hesse traveled to the East several times before he wrote his novella Siddhartha (in fact his parents were Christian missionaries to India).  Siddhartha, (the name of the Buddha as well as the story’s main character) is a story of the struggles and triumphs of a man in India that lived during the lifetime of Buddha. Concepts of Buddhism, Hinduism and existentialism are touched upon throughout the telling of how one can strive to reach self-awareness, wisdom and ultimately peace that can be attained with the ceasing of seeking, according to Siddhartha.    This dense short story provides much to think about with each page.  However, the telling of the many transitory passages of life (from young boy to old man) is discouragingly sad and in my opinion does not offer lasting hope.  Where is the meaning?  What really matters? 

In the first chapter we get a glimpse of the sadness of a father who allows his son to go on a spiritual quest that will mean he will never see his son again and in the end Siddhartha himself feels this same anguish when his own son leaves him for a life away from the river that became Siddhartha’s greatest teacher.  Hermann Hesse’s character Siddhartha is consistent and authentic in his desires and because of this you care about him as a friend.  I wonder what it would have been like for Sidd to have met Jesus as he was searching for Truth.  I cannot help thinking his life then would have had the meaning he was pursuing all along. 

At the close of the book, Siddhartha, now an old man, again meets his boy-hood friend and he asks Siddhartha for a word of hope, something that will help him as he continues on his quest.  I smile after reading Siddhartha’s several pages of reply when his friend simply says, “I thank you, Siddhartha, for telling me something of your thoughts.  Some of them are strange thoughts. I cannot grasp them all immediately.  However, I thank you, and I wish you many peaceful days.”  Inwardly, however he thought: Siddhartha is a strange man and he expresses strange thoughts. His ideas seem crazy… 

Critics claim that this book is one of Hermann Hesse’s most influential works and that it will linger in both one’s mind and spirit for a lifetime.  I would not recommend reading this if you are in a depressed mood but I do think reading it for the purpose of discussion would lead to many interesting ones.  

The Help

The Help
By Kathryn Stockett
530 pages; Paperback
2009

Many gals have recommended this book to me, so I was really excited when Mint came for Christmas break she had nearly finished the story and said i could read it next (I'm sure Hannah found a day to read it too during the holidays).
This story is written with such wonderful description that I’m not sure I ever want to go back to Mississippi again, but I do hope that many changes for good have taken place since the 1960’s when The Help took place. Set in a very volatile time in US southern history, this novel draws the readers in from the beginning as you meet in the first few chapters three women whose lives intermingle throughout the course of 500 plus pages. Abileen is who I like best as she is kind, honest and brave. She has a wonderful way with children and although her only child, a son, died as a young adult, she has raised nearly 20 children over her life-time as a maid for various families in Jackson, Mississippi. Minnie, also a maid (and a sassy one at that) is a friend of Abileen’s and her tenacity and spunk jump right off the pages. Skeeter, young, single, white and desiring to be an author, embarks on a project that changes her life and the lives of many in Jackson forever.
Richly told in the vernacular and from the point of view of these three women, readers gain insight into the values, fears, families and friendships of those who live on both sides of a very definite line, a line that seldom was crossed. Early on in the story, Abileen describes the woman she works for and concludes with the statement, “But the help always know.” And that is exactly what we discover in the story that turns out to be a book inside of a book and an insightful look at the day to day realities of those that live in a society that was on a brink of important change.
I loved how the ending of this book offers fresh beginnings for each of three main characters and how they grew closer to each other and grew in confidence and courage to face the new unknowns before them. I generally do not like sequels, but I feel like I know the women in this story so well, that I would enjoy reading the next chapter in their lives. Or maybe better yet, to hear from their perspective as they look back to these days from the 60’s when each of their lives is at its end. I would love to hear the difference they saw (and lived) due to their heroic contribution.
First time novelist, Kathryn Stockett has earned the praise of many for her #1 New York Times Bestseller book. She has offered a glimpse into the past with genuine and courageous openness. The fact that she as a child was raised in Jackson, Mississippi, with the help of a maid, adds to the authenticity from which she writes, and I agree with what she sees as the point of the book: “We are just two people. Not that much separates us. Not nearly as much as I’d thought.”