Bookwi.se

Lila by Marilynne Robinson (Second Reading)

October 4, 2026January 21, 2015 by Adam Shields

Takeaway: Love, in essence, is the greatest expression of Grace.

It is not often that I re-read a book so quickly after a first reading, but Lila was the best novel I read last year and I wanted to re-read fairly quickly to see if I was just swept up or if I would love it just as much the second time.

The first time I listened to the audiobook, this time I read it on kindle. I didn’t realize (because I was listening) that there are not chapters, but only pauses. That lack of formalized structure reflects Lila, who is uneducated, almost feral.

At the beginning of the book Doll takes Lila (as a young child) from the home where she was being ignored and neglected (nearly to death) and raises her the best she can. But because of that kidnapping and some other background, Doll and Lila are on the run for all of Lila’s childhood and young adult life. There is no one, except Doll, that Lila can trust; no one that really loves her.

So when Lila stumbles into Gilead and meets the elderly pastor John Ames and is loved by him (and eventually married to him) that lack of trust in the world does not end over night.

The Ancient Path: Old Lessons from the Church Fathers for a New Life Today by John Michael Talbot with Mike Aquilina

October 4, 2026January 20, 2015 by Adam Shields

Summary: John Michael Talbot’s memoir-ish look at how the Early Church Fathers changed his faith.

I grew up Evangelical, I went to an Evangelical College and seminary. But honestly other than a couple of songs I don’t really know anything about John Michael Talbot. I have always kind of thought of him as similar to Michael Card. They both are known for writing theologically sophisticated Christian music that I don’t really listen to. This book has made me re-think my previous uninformed opinion.

The Ancient Path is half memoir and half exploration of the early Church Fathers. I really was assuming that this would be more exploration of the church father’s writing, but the memoir parts were an unexpected help.

John Michael Talbot dropped out of school at 15 and was in a band with his brother. After an early marriage and a conversion to Christianity through the Jesus Movement, Talbot became an early CCM musician. But his marriage still fell apart. He started meeting with a Franciscan spiritual director and eventually, in large part through his studying of the Early Church Fathers Talbot converted to Catholicism and later founded a lay monastic community that invited both married and single Catholics and other Christians to live and serve in community.

Letter from a Birmingham Jail

October 5, 2026January 19, 2015 by Adam Shields

The first time I remember reading Letter from a Birmingham Jail was in Divinity School pastoral ministry class. And while I have read portions of it since, I am not sure I have read it straight through again until this morning. Letter from a Birmingham Jail is both convicting and relevant right now. Protests are … Read more

Still Life: A Chief Inspector Gamache Novel by Louise Penny

October 4, 2026January 19, 2015 by Adam Shields

Summary: A town too small to show up on most maps has a woman shot dead by an arrow.

After talking about my love of the Bruno Chief of Polic series, Sheila Brennan suggested I try the Inspector Gamache books. I was vaguely aware of the series (it had come up as an Amazon recommendation) and somehow I got the impression that it was an older series. (I think I may have confused it with the Jules Maigret series). But as much of my reading lately, Still Life was on Scribd so I picked it up.

Still Life opens up with the characters in Three Pines, a small village outside of Montreal. After a fairly quick introduction to several characters, Jane is found dead and Chief Inspector Gamache is called in to investigate the death. Like the Bruno series, at least part of the interest for me is comparing the different legal systems. Gamache is the head of a team of homicide detectives for a regional police system. It is his job to go to the area and set up shop until the crime is solved.

Because Gamache basically moves in to the community, and sees his job as primarily watching and listening to people, there is a lot of space for character development and understanding the setting. There are more main characters than in the Bruno series. And at least initially in this book, there is a lot of assumed backstory for Gamache that is hinted at, but not actually revealed. My assumption is that more of the back story will come up later in the series. The tenth book in the series was published last fall.

The God of the Mundane: Reflections on Ordinary Life by Matthew Redmond

July 16, 2026January 17, 2015 by Adam Shields

Reposting my 2013 review because God of the Mundane is free at NoiseTrade in mobi (kindle format), PDF or epub.

Takeaway: God is the God of our every day mundane tasks and activities just as much (if not more so) than the mountaintop or special times.

If I were going to write a book (which I have no intention of attempting), this is the book I would want to write. Since Matthew Redmond has already written it I am off the hook.

For the past couple years I have told people that I am attempting to live an ordinary life. It is not that I don’t want to change the world. It is that I think the way that we are Christians are most effective at changing the world is living as faithful ordinary Christians.

The Poisonwood Bible: A Novel by Barbara Kingsolver

October 4, 2026January 16, 2015 by Adam Shields

I am reposting this 2012 review because the Kindle Edition is on sale for $2.99.
Summary: A 1960s Southern Baptist family moves to the Congo to be missionaries. Their lives are forever changed.

I have been somewhat reluctant to read this book. I know a ton of people that have liked it. My sister in law suggested it years ago and kept suggesting it to me. Many others commented when they saw I had started reading it.

It is a book that well deserves all of its praise. This is a book many should read. It is not a everything comes out happy story (which I knew going in). But not all stories that are important are happy.

Very quickly into the story the family move to the Congo. As you can guess much of the early book is focused on cultural transition issues. The father feels called by God to bring salvation to the Congo. But he is inadequately prepared for what that really means. The mother can barely survive what it takes to just live, cooking, cleaning, raising four girls in the Congo. Even without a difficult overbearing husband, it would be hard. The four daughters find their own ways of coping for better and worse.

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns) by Mindy Kaling

October 4, 2026January 16, 2015 by All Old Users

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns) is a collection of essays by the comedic television actor, writer, director and producer, Mindy Kaling. Mindy writes mainly about her life, while offering advice or opinions on the side. The book comes across as a mix between hearing someone tell their life story and listening to a string of stand up jokes that might go along with that story.

I read an article earlier this week that pointed out that if you read this book along with the Tina Fey’s book, Bossypants, and Amy Poehler’s book, Yes, Please, that you will feel like you have gained three best friends and confidants. While I haven’t read Amy’s book yet, I would totally agree with this assessment. Because the three ladies also narrate their own stories, listening to these books really does feel like you are having a one-sided (at times, two-sided) conversation with these funny people.

What Your Body Knows About God: How We Are Designed to Connect, Serve and Thrive by Rob Moll

October 4, 2026January 15, 2015 by Adam Shields

Summary: Science can help us better understand how we are created to know God.

Everyone is price conscious, at least a little bit. I knew that Christianity Today voted What Your Body Knows About God as book of the year and it was on a number of other lists. But it wasn’t until it went on sale this week for $2.99 on kindle that I decided to pick it up (although I ended up listing to the audiobook at Scribd).

Christianity and Science books are a bit iffy much of the time, in large part because Christians tend to not be great scientists. Rob Moll is not a scientist, he is a journalist. So What Your Body Knows About God is more like one of Mary Roach’s books or The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.

Christianity and Science books also tend to be apologetics oriented, either trying to prove that God was behind the science or that science is wrong (neither of which I am all that interested in). There is a little of that, but the focus is different. This is the Francis Spufford’s Unapologetic type of apologetics if it is anything. Moll is not trying to convince the skeptic, Moll is trying to pull the attention of the believer toward how we can use science about the body to help us better find God.

The Gettysburg Address: A Graphic Adaptation by Jonathan Hennessey and Aaron McConnell

October 4, 2026January 14, 2015 by Adam Shields

Summary: Sophisticated history and political science in graphic novel form.

I like the idea of being someone that reads graphic novels. And I have enjoyed most of those that I have read, but I rarely read them for some reason.

The Gettysburg Address was highlighted in some article or podcast when it first came out and I put it on my watch list (along with a gazillion other books.) When it went on sale right before Christmas I picked it up, in part to give myself something to read on my new Amazon Fire HD 6 to help justify the purchase price. (It is back on sale for $4.99 as of posting)

I was expecting the Gettysburg Address to be more simplistic, a well done 6th grade history in graphic novel form. But it was much more than that. It started out with a fairly long, fairly violent look at the reality of the Civil War before pulling back and really introducing the book.

Bonita Avenue: A Novel by Peter Buwalda

July 15, 2026January 13, 2015 by All Old Users

Bonita Avenue is the debut novel from Dutch journalist, Peter Buwalda and tells the story of renowned math professor and former judo champion, Siem Sigerius. On the surface, Siem seems to have it all: a happy second marriage, a wonderful relationship with his step-daughters and an illustrious career.