Thoughts on books...

I like books :) when they're interesting. Surprisingly, I had a fairly good deal of time to read this summer! What fun! Here are the books I read and what I think of them...


What a wonderful surprise of a book. I picked up a hardback version of it for a dollar at a thrift store because I liked the feel of the pages. I don't recommend that method for picking out books, but in this case, it definitely worked! The story is simple yet incredibly intriguing. It's an easy read meant for people like me with a very short attention span. :) However, for people that are introspective and reflective, this also provides some excellent brain work. Wouldn't recommend it for kids or unromantic men.
A friend of mine found this little jewel at a thrift store several years ago. I didn't pick it up until this summer, and what a folly that was on my part! This was one of the best books in my library! However, I only recommend it to people that enjoy Jane Austin movies (not necessarily her writing style though). It is an easy read, full of 18th century humor and romance. You will, inevitably, begin speaking and writing using words like, "thither, hence, splendid, and dastardly" after reading this.

Wow. I was not expecting what I read in this book. It is a true story, which makes me immediately think it will either be less interesting than a fiction or it will rather neat and inspiring. Well "neat and inspiring" hardly do it credit. This story is a revolution of thinking for 2 individuals and how their lives impact each other. It is also an incredible account of God's sovereignty. I confess, I found myself sobbing in the final chapters. It touched a nerve in me that was so real and frightening at the same time. I won't explain further for fear of giving away the plot, but highly recommend this book.

Oh, how I wish I had my 11th grade English teacher explaining this one to me as I read it. Chaim Potok is a renowned author of Jewish literature. This particular book is a fiction piece about a young boy with a talent for art. His passion and addiction, if you will, for art draws him from his family and ultimately from his faith. It is a frightening book of what a "good habit" can do if gone unchecked. The elements of Jewish literature were particularly intriguing.

I am not the biggest Donald Miller fan. I read Blue Like Jazz and now this one, but though both provided some comical, real-life scenarios, I did not close the book feeling enlightened or challenged. This work is his recollection of a "find himself" road-trip he took with a good friend in his early 20s. No incredible spiritual insights or stunning moments of brilliance, but fine for the 25 Filipino pesos I paid for it. A "read-if-you-have-nothing-else-to-read" book.

Before commenting on this one, I must confess, that the remaining books have not been motivated by my own pleasure of reading or the expanse of my intellect. They are rather required for school and I am just getting ahead. The one time in my life I'm not procrastinating ;) That said, The Universe Next Door did surprise me at how logically Sire organized his thoughts. For people like myself who are ignorant in the realm of philosophy and apologetics, this is simple, well-organized, and easy to understand. I was impressed with his ability to keep such complex ideas and areas of thought to such susinct chapters. Very helpful :)

John Piper is a Moody Bible Institute favorite, but not necessarily mine. I have enjoyed a few of his works. This was not my favorite, but did provide some excellent biblical insites. I appreciated his efforts to provide a very biblical basis for missions. "Missions exists because worship does not." He seems very passionate about the need for a scriptural understanding of the position of man in relation to God and why we must be impacting the world with the gospel. A bit of a slow read...seemed a little redundant, but overall profitable.

I finished this one thinking..."hm...interesting." It is certainly a short, very clear-pointed book. Mr. Harris does not beat around the bush to communicate his opinions, but neither does he seem to cloak them with the usual courtesy most authors allow for. I found myself greatly pitying this man for his incesent need to prove or rather disprove all of Christianity's reasoning. "Many doctors are moved simply to alleviate human suffering, without any thought of God. While there is no doubt that Christian missionaries are also moved by a desire to alleviate suffering, they come to the task encumbered by a dangerous and divisive mythology. Missionaries in the developing world waste a lot of time and moeny proselytizing to the needy..." This book may irritate some, make others question their faith, or like me...pity people like Mr. Harris who can't accept anything on the basis of "faith." I do recommend it for those that are prepared for a bit of a shock.

You still have time to read before the summer's gone! Go to the library! Ready...set...GO! :)