Books Books Books

Hi Readers,

As some of you might know, our trip to the states was planned for adventure and learning but also for a holiday, some time to relax. In these times we have found books to be a perfect way to fill the hours. Many of my books were picked up along the way in campsites where you leave a book on the shelf to take a new one – so sometimes it was slim pickings! Most of Jimmy’s books were bought or listened to online so they are much more selective around specific topics.

But enough chit chat – here are our holiday book reviews.

Josie:

Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers

A man after God’s own heart, Michael Hosea is farming through the Gold Rush in the California in the 1850s when he meets prostitute Angel. He falls in love with her instantly and is instructed by the Lord to marry her and save her from her life. He loves her sacrificially and unswerving through all she throws at him as her life is slowly but surely redeemed by Christ.

This book was a gift from my sister-in-law last Christmas that I had been meaning to read. Not only is it the most beautiful portrayal of how Christ died for us as sinners, once for all, it was immensely helpful to me as I attempt to write a piece of fiction myself based around the book of Ruth. Redeeming Love is inspired by the book of Hosea and is handled with great care and respect by Rivers in her writing. It’s a re-read!

The Choice by Nicholas Sparkes

Travis Parker is faced with the most difficult decision of his life regarding his wife, unfortunately I can’t tell you what that is – spoilers! The book tells of their love story from start to, well, almost finish. It’s a typical heart-wrenching Sparkes novel with a bit of cheese thrown in for good measure. I love his books, easy reads often with a serious streak.

Faithful by Kim Cash Tate

Three friends all in different places with their love lives and all wrestling with God about how to live with them. Even though it’s a typical chicklit I liked this books essence of reality and honest portrayal of how Christians still suffer the same struggles as everyone else, they just have a different go-to when things are easy or hard – God. The book is filled with high and lows and beautiful endings.

For the Brand by Ralph Compton

This old school cowboy book is an unexpected story of loyalty, love and acceptance. It’s written in quite a masculine way but is quite funny and gave me an insight to running a ranch in Wyoming that I wouldn’t have ever known about unless I’d worked there myself. A couple of gory scenes and more than one character gets bumped off without any warning so watch out for that! Just the way things were in the wild west I suppose.

Fireside by Susan Wiggs

Cheesy, cheesy chicklit with a side order of the seriousness of deportation. Old baseball player gets landed with a son he’s never met and at the same time meets a beautiful sports PR women who’s life has fallen apart and she’s had to move home from LA. Family, love story and some sports thrown in for good measure.

Four Letters of Love by Niall Williams

Two young lives, both tainted by tragedy and miracles live side by side but don’t meet until fate unites them – not even at the right time. This book has a much more sombre tone and wasn’t that easy to read. If you’re expecting a love story, you don’t get the one you’re waiting for until the last chapter, so don’t get too excited.

Confessions of an Ugly Step-Sister by Gregory Maguire

A retelling of the classic Cinderella through her step-sisters eyes. Written by the author of Wicked, it’s nothing short of brilliant, although not the easiest book I’ve ever gotten into. It’s funny, creative and original. Worth a read!

Pub across the Pond by Mary Carter

Carline Rivers’ luck finally changes in life and she wins an Irish pub in a raffle. But it isn’t quite the dream she imagined as she walks into an old local pub in the middle of nowhere with very faithful locals. It’s a fun easy read with a cheesy but fairly inconsistent love story and helped me with some Irish references for my own book.

Jimmy:

Hello, it's Jimmy. I'm not (quite) self absorbed enough to think that people care what I've been reading this summer. However, reviewing these books has been a helpful way for me to gather my own thoughts about what I've been reading. 

A Little Exercise for Young Theologians by Helmut Thielicke

A fitting subtitle for this little book might be: "how to study theology without turning into an idiot." Helmet outlines some of the perils and pitfalls for a new student of theology. Some helpful ideas that he develops include: not looking down on a younger Christian's faith because they can't frame their convictions as soundly as you and not to allow theological concepts to make your preaching so lofty and aloof that listeners struggle to grasp hold of it. This was required reading from Oak Hill and was a wonderfully helpful starting point for my studies in a few weeks. 

Screwtape Letters by C.S Lewis

I'm sure that I'm the last Christian on earth to have read this, but it really was brilliant. In the screwtape letters, we read a flurry of fictional letters from a senior tempter (Screwtape) to his junior tempter nephew whose name is Wormwood. Wormwood's job is to keep his 'patient' from becoming a Christian and, failing that, to cause him to be a weak and ineffectual follower of Christ. It's a beautiful exploration of human nature and spiritual warfare.

Erasing Hell by Francis Chan

Francis Chan is a pastor that I have admired for a long time. He comes across as remarkably humble but teaches with real authority. When Rob Bell released his book love wins a few years ago and started what some have called 'a theological firestorm', Francis Chan sent out a video that was the very best response I'd seen before or since to the Hell debate. The book was balanced and well thought through, but I do think Chan communicates much better in person than in print. The book is full of detailed exposition of the original Greek scriptures and he creates a sound case for the historic orthodox understanding of heaven and hell. However, it's worth saying that most people that were swept along with Rob Bell's train of thought didn't follow him because of his sound handling of scripture and honest exposition, they did so because of Bell's appeal to human logic and emotions and in some senses this book felt like it was fighting the war on a different battlefield. 

Love Wins by Rob Bell

Francis Chan's book was so deeply concerned with responding to Rob Bell's arguments and quoting from specific pages that I felt I really ought to hear what Bell has to say for himself. Rob Bell is incredibly influential, his preaching is like performance art and he has a huge following among young people. He is a wonderful communicator and knows exactly what he's doing on a stage. He's thought through every movement, every pause and every crescendo of energy. His writing was as readable as his sermons are listenable which makes this book all the more dangerous. His argument is based on nonsense theology and is painfully repetitive. He deliberately misses the point of entire passages and ignores all scriptures that would conflict with his liberal point of view. His consistent desire to pluck a verse out of all context and slap it down on his side of the argument is tiring and, to be frank, sinful. For Rob Bell, the highest form of truth is his own logic.

The Great Divorce by C.S Lewis

This book is life changing. I read it twice in a week and am sorely tempted to read it again. I'm not sure where people get the idea that Lewis was a universalist (the idea that everyone will eventually end up in heaven). Seriously, I don't know where people get that from - I'm a complete newbie to his writings, maybe he says it elsewhere but he sure (as hell) doesn't say it here! In fact on several occasions he makes it clear that this book is not about his understanding of the afterlife. It's not a book that seeks to persuade people that it's possible to cross the great chasm between hell and heaven after they die. If people read this book hoping for a biblical understanding of heaven, hell, ghosts, spirits and angels they will be disappointed and concerned by Lewis' understanding of the bible. Instead, this book is an investigation into the kinds of attitudes that seem innocent enough on earth but when fully grown are repulsive and end up taking people to hell. It is incredibly enlightened, incredibly insightful and incredibly thought-provoking. 

I can't do justice to it in a paragraph. If you haven't read this book, I would strongly recommend reading it. Twice. 

Seriously here's the link: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Great-Divorce-Lewis-Signature-Classic/dp/0007461232

Off you go then. Clickety click.

Fundamentalism and the Word of God by J.I Packer

J.I. Packer is a hero and he went to Oak Hill, make of that what you will. 

This book is his attempt to refute the liberalism of his day (written in the 50s). It's fascinating how exactly his situation translates to our own day. His arguments for the authority of scripture are reassuringly watertight, but it's not the kind of book that can be powered through. Every time I pick it up it knocks me for six and I've got to spend a few days processing and recovering.

Dear Son by Dave Bruskas

Dave Bruskas is one of the senior pastors of Mars Hill Church. When we first visited the church they allowed me and Josie to each take and item for free from their gift shop (Josie picked a CD and I chose a book - who'd have thought?!)

Dave's son died when he was just a few days old. This book is full of biblical wisdom and advice that he would have given to his son at major milestones had he been alive to see them - first job, first girlfriend, graduation, leaving home, getting married etc. It's a beautiful and moving premise and I'm really enjoying going through it - haven't finished yet.

 

That's it from us nerds, hope we've motivated you enough to pick up a book and have a read. Enjoy!

J&J x