Bookwi.se – Page 121 – A few thoughts about books, kindles and Christianity

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

October 31, 2014 by All Old Users

Gone Girl is the third and most popular of Gillian Flynn’s published works. Like her previous two novels, Gone Girl is a rather dark novel about how people may not be who we seem. After a woman, Amy, goes missing on her fifth wedding anniversary, suspicions turn towards the husband, Nick, and as the story unravels we learn quite a bit about the couple. As we uncover more and more clues as to her disappearance, we discover that perhaps we don’t really know our spouses as well as we think, and we question our own facades that we put up in our marriages. With many twists, this novel will keep you guessing until the very end.

This is a somewhat difficult book to review because to say too much is to majorly spoil the book, which would be a shame. I will say that in the midst of the disappearance of Amy the novel does a great job of exploring two different topics: (1) the parts we play in society in order to fit in or be liked and (2) the effects the media can have on our mindsets. When we meet someone for the first time, do we act like ourselves or do we act in a way so that person would like us? If that relationship endures and we were, in a way, acting like someone other than ourselves, at what point do we drop the act, if ever, and at what point does the act become the person who we really are? These are some intriguing questions to ponder and, while I wouldn’t go as far as the characters in this book go, the book has made me think about these questions within my own marriage.

Click-Clack the Raddlebag by Neil Gaiman

October 30, 2014 by Adam Shields

Reposting this 2012 Review because the short story is again free until Oct 31 I am a big fan of Neil Gaiman. I like his writing style, the sense of wonder that he brings into books and his literate references. But he has a dark, but romantic side. So nothing ends quite as you think … Read more

The Rithmatist by Brandon Sanderson

October 29, 2014 by All Old Users

Reposting this 2013 review because the Kindle Edition is on sale today only for $1.99

Brandon Sanderson develops a new magic system for each fictional world he crafts–and this steampunk young adult novel, set in alternate (yet strangely reminiscent) history of the US, is no exception. And yet… A magic system of lines written on the ground in chalk, where the monsters that threaten to eat you alive are actually two-dimensional, hand-drawn creatures? It’s weird, sounds kind of boring on the surface, and is actually pretty complex to grasp. It’s amazing (and impressive) that Sanderson explains it so well, and that he makes it as exciting as he does.

Joel desperately wants to be a Rithmatist–one with the gift for working with and manipulating those chalk lines–but cannot due to circumstances out of his control. So he does the next best thing: study the discipline as thoroughly yet surreptitiously as possible. Although magical in the sense that it’s not true to our world, the whole Rithmatic system is very logical and based in physics and geometry, so Joel is able to grasp and apply all the basic concepts in his head–even if he can’t execute them personally. This comes in handy as he becomes involved in an investigation of mysterious disappearances (possibly murders) of Rithmatist students at the local university.

From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg

October 29, 2014 by Adam Shields

Summary: The children’s classic story about running away, living in a museum and solving a great mystery all the while finding the important things in life.

Children’s books are great for adults to read occasionally. In addition, to just being a change of pace, I find that the simple straight forward stories get to the essence of so many things. Children’s book don’t have to have multi-layered plots with anti-heroes or twists and turns.

Instead children’s books tell simple stories that often do a great job of getting to root meanings of life.

From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs Basil E Frankweiler is one of the classics that I think has held up fairly well. Claudia, a 12 year-old oldest child that feels like she is underappreciated by her parents and decides to run away. Her younger brother, Jamie, comes with her mostly for the adventure. Most kids would identify with one or both of these reasons for running away.

The Book of Strange New Things by Michal Faber

October 28, 2014 by All Old Users

Releases today
Book jacket summaries can offer an intriguing glimpse of the riches within its contents or have the opposite effect. A poor summary will result in a reader thrusting a book back on a shelf in the blink of an eye. The teaser for The Book of Strange New Things by Michel Faber left me somewhere in the middle.

Strange New Things is about Peter, a man of God who is given an incredible once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Through a mysterious corporation known only as USIC, Peter travels to a distant galaxy in order to be a pastor missionary to the USIC employees and the native population on another planet. As he makes great strides in his work, Peter becomes rattled when the missives from his wife back on Earth detail horrifying events happening across the Earth and her own faltering faith.

For Calvinism by Michael Horton

October 27, 2014 by Adam Shields

Reposting this 2011 review because the Kindle Edition is on sale for $2.99 Summary: A moderate Calvinism explained. One of the comments on the review of Against Calvinism, objected to the title. I noted in the review that Olson was not objecting to Calvinism as a whole, but particular extremes within Calvinism. Well Michael Horton, … Read more

The Good and Beautiful Life by James Bryan Smith

October 27, 2014 by Adam Shields

Summary: We are saved by grace but by grow by discipline.

I am very supportive of the Spiritual Formation work of James Bryan Smith and his mentors Dallas Willard and Richard Foster. Theologically I really do agree that a theology or spiritual practice that focuses on conversion but stops there without leading into the grace that is spiritual formation is a crippled faith.

The difficult work of spiritual work is not a straight line or the easily transferable from one person to another through ‘five simple steps to…’ types of writing.

The most important thing that I got out of the book is that Smith talked about becoming wise, not creating rules. Rules bind people, but wisdom frees people to act with the other in mind.

As I was thinking about this book I kept thinking about those that I think of as both wise and holy. I realized that all of them are old. One of the problems of a youth obsessed culture is discounting the wisdom of our elders. And one of the most important parts of that wisdom is that there are no short cuts.

The Princess Bride by William Goldman

February 15, 2024October 24, 2014 by Adam Shields

Takeaway: The classic 1973 book, which was made into the 1987 movie, is still worth reading.

Like most of my generation and later, I was introduced to the movie before the book. The book was written the year I was born. And the movie came out when I was 14. So, the characters have always been the movie characters in my head.

I first read the book pretty soon after the movie came out. I expected a movie novelization, but while the movie was closely based on the book, it was clearly not a novelization. I remember it as a book where I literally laughed out loud often at the time.

I have not read it since but have maintained my appreciation of the book and movie. I usually watch at least a few minutes of the movie every time I notice it is on TV.

I do not always want to re-read books that I have fond memories of. I have re-read too many books that do not hold up on a second or third reading, a decade or two later. That is probably true here, although I still really enjoyed the book (it just felt a bit too long.)

The book jokes that it is an abridgment of a classic novel and William Goldman puts himself into the book and makes lots of comments about why he is abridging a section. But also the “˜original author’ S Morgenstern also is continually making aside comments as well.

Food: A Love Story by Jim Gaffigan

October 24, 2014 by Adam Shields

Summary: Funny, but read more like a series of jokes than a cohesive book.

I am not sure who introduced me to Jim Gaffigan, but I thank whoever it was. I have a tendency to be a bit overly serious and so I have to be intentional about adding humor into my world. Jim Gaffigan is my favorite stand up comic right now.

I read his Dad is Fat right after it came out last year, and bought the audiobook of Food: A Love Story on Tuesday, the day it came out.

If you are going to read a comic’s book, you should get the audiobook if they are narrating. Comics understand delivery, even if they are not professional narrators. There were a few places were it was clear that Gaffigan was reading, but most of the time the delivery was good and more similar to a stand up show than a narrated book.

That is also part of why I did not enjoy the book (and Dad is Fat) as much as I thought I would. Yes, there were lots of funny moments. And I still definitely recommend it if you are a Gaffigan fan.

The Good Luck of Right Now by Matthew Quick

October 23, 2014 by Adam Shields

Summary: A 38 year old man (maybe on the Autism spectrum?) learns to cope with his Mother’s death by writing letters to Richard Gere.

Mental Illness is serious, which is why I think it is so important that Matthew Quick has made a career of writing good, usually funny books about it. The three books I have read all follow roughly the same method.

They are all first person narrative told entirely inside the head of the protagonist. They all have some wacky other characters and come to a sort of resolution without minimizing the real issues of mental illness. They all have characters that want to help one another and are generally likable. (Note: I know that Autism is not really a mental illness, but Quick is mixing it in as if it were. There are also three other characters that more clearly have mental health issues that are also a part of the book.)

In the Good Luck of Right Now, Bartholomew Neal is writing to Richard Gere. Bartholomew’s mother has just recently died of brain cancer. As part of her cancer’s effects, his mother thought that Bartholomew was Richard Gere, her favorite actor. So Bartholomew played along and is now confessing to Gere, seeking his advice and looking for a friend.