The great gift is the passion for reading. It is cheap, it consoles, it distracts, it excites. It give you knowledge of the world and experience of a wide kind. It is a moral illumination.

- Elizabeth Hardwick

Hope everyone is having an enjoyable holiday season, and that Santa brought you lots of new reading material!

The Purse Driven Life by Anita Renfroe

Non-Fiction: Christian Humor. Paperback from NavPress. Published in 2005. 144 pages. Borrowed from Jodi Olds of Plainwell, MI.

My friend Jodi read an excerpt from this book at a recent ladies dinner. The authors description of a mammogram was enough to make we want to read the rest of the book. She's very funny. It's not all side splitting funny, but it has it's moments and is certainly a good book for lightening your mood. Probably would not be as funny for a guy, but my husband read some parts of it and got a good laugh or two out of it as well. Nice light reading.

Publisher's summary:
The Purse-Driven Life isn't exactly about finding the deeper meaning of life; it's more about shifting your perspective just enough to locate the deep humor and joy waiting to be uncovered in everyday life. Renfroe offers a pull-no-punches look at the life of women, exploring such areas as:

-Trying to understand our husbands
- Mammograms and their fallout
- Hoping our kids don't end up on Jerry Springer

This is the stuff that could drive a person crazy, but won't once you look at life through Renfroe's glasses. Being a female in mid-life is not for wimps. But, it's a great time to discover the humorous aspects of our shared experiences and realize we are not alone.

Online book shopping:
Powell's: The Purse Driven Life
amazon.co.uk: The Purse Driven Life
amazon.com: The Purse Driven Life
Audible.com: Sorry, not available as audio.

Renovation of the Heart

Non-fiction: Hardback from NavPress Publishing Group. Published in 2002. 269 pages. On loan from the Kent District Library

I might as well go ahead and admit that Dallas Willard is difficult for me to understand without a LOT of rereading. In a style similar to C. S. Lewis' Mere Christianity, he starts off with the deep theological "stuff" then moves on to the more practical "how to's". (My husband informed me the other day that this mirrors one of the NT writers. Sadly, I can't even remember who he said it was from two days ago.) I mostly had to just read the theological stuff without really internalizing it and got more from the later sections of the book. Even knowing that I probably did not understand a good portion of what Willard has to say, I'd still heartily recommend this book! It's not your typical spiritual disciplines book, but rather a discourse more on what you are hoping to end up at through spiritual disciplines. As an aside, since finishing the book I've discovered that there is a version for teens (Renovation of the Heart: An Interactive Student Edition: Putting on the Character of Christ) and a paraphrase (Revolution of Character: Discovering Christ's Pattern for Spiritual Transformation) that are probably easier to ingest. I'm considering getting one of them to use with my teens in school this upcoming year. If anyone has experience with either edition I'd be happy to hear your thoughts.

Publisher's summary:
We aren't born again to stay the way we are. But how many times have we looked around us in dismay at the lack of spiritual maturity in fellow believers? It is evident in the rising rate of divorces among Christian couples. We find it in the high percentages of Christians, even pastors, who regularly view pornography. And we face it each time a well-known leader in the Christian community is found in sexual sin or handling finances dishonestly. Perhaps you have struggled with your own character issues for years, even decades, to little avail.

There's good news. You can experience significant growth in your Christian walk, shed sinful habits, and increasingly take on the character of Christ. In Renovation of the Heart, best-selling author Dallas Willard calls it "the transformation of the spirit"––a divine process that "brings every element in our being, working from inside out, into harmony with the will of God or the kingdom of God." In the transformation of our spirits, we become apprentices of Jesus Christ.

Willard suggests that many Christians today are crying out, "Lord, I want to be a Christian in my heart." If that is your heart's cry, this book is the tool to take you to the next level in your quest for true, inward Christlikeness.

Online book shopping:
Powell's: Renovation of the Heart
amazon.co.uk: Renovation of the Heart
amazon.com: Renovation of the Heart
Audible.com: Not available from Audible. You can find it unabridged at Christian Audio: Renovation of the Heart

Christian Audio Free Download - December 06

I decided to give you a bit of time before I reminded you about the December free download, since I just barely eeked by on the November one. Hopefully next month I'll get it posted more towards the beginning of the month. This month they're offing a recording of The Pilgrims Progress: For Young Adults by John Bunyan.

John Bunyan was a simple maker and mender of pots and kettles who received very little education. In spite of that, he penned the most successful allegory ever written in the striking bluntness of untutored prose. He lost his first wife and was imprisoned for twelve years for his compelling—but unlicensed—preaching. Nevertheless, his preaching about the gravity of sin, salvation by grace, the cost of discipleship, perseverance, and the glory of eternal life lives on in the signs and symbols of The Pilgrim’s Progress. Embark on a perilous journey with Christian, the lead character, from the City of Destruction to the luminous safe haven of the Celestial City. The journey will encourage you to “set your hope fully on the grace to be given you” amidst the obstacles of life.

Christian Audio Free Download - November 06

I completely zoned on reminding you all about the free audio download for this month. I figured I'd better get it mentioned quickly here before there is no more this month and it's next month! ;-)

For November 2006 they are offering an unabridged recording of All of Grace by C. H. Spurgeon.

Charles Spurgeon is one of the great preachers in the history of Christianity. Spurgeon also communicates brilliantly through the written word, and his giftedness to proclaim the doctrine of grace shines in his little gem, All of Grace. Many Christians believe that this small book presents better than any other non-canonical work the gospel of salvation alone by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. This short book is one of the bright jewels in post-apostolic writings on grace.

All of Grace is a prefect companion for Christians who wish to refresh their confidence in the grace of God. This book also makes an excellent introduction to those who are exploring the Christian gospel. Whether you are new to Christianity or a long-time believer, All of Grace will capture your attention and interest page after page.

The Collectors by David Baldacci

Fiction: Mystery. Audiobook from Hachette Audio. Published in 2006. 12 hours and 46 minutes. Read by LJ Ganser with Aimee Jolson and Richard Mover. Purchased at Audible.com.

Mercy. This has to have been the worst audiobook I've ever listened to in my years of downloading books from Audible.com. I think the story was okay, though it could have used a bit of editing. What really made it torture was the readers -- well, the way the readers were spliced together, I think. It was just horrendous. If you are interested in this one, don't get the audio.

Publisher's summary:
A Supreme Court Justice is assassinated in a terrifyingly precise execution in the heart of Washington, D.C. In a quieter corner of the nation's capital, the rare book room of the Library of Congress, a reclusive, wealthy scholar drops dead under mysterious circumstances that leave no clues. Following on the heels of the natural death of the Speaker of the House, the city and the nation begin to tremble. In California, a beautiful but capable woman is planning and executing one of the most brilliant cons on record.

All the while, "Oliver Stone" and his quirky Camel Club stand by and observe as the genius of their collective perspective begins to connect the dots between these seemingly disparate events--and they realize they must act, and act quickly, before their country falls victim to a silent yet bloody coup.

Online book shopping:
Powell's: The Collectors
amazon.co.uk: The Collectors
amazon.com: The Collectors
Audible.com: Do yourself a favor and don't buy the unabridged recording from Audible. Here's the abridged that has different readers and might therefore be better: The Collectors

One Thousand White Women by Jim Fergus

Fiction: Historical. Audiobook from The Audio Partners. Published in 1999. Recorded in 2006. Read by Laura Hicks. Purchased from Amazon.com.

Some of my friends at church started a book club. This of course, makes me extremely happy. This is our second book club selection. One of our club members made some comments about the book -- something she said that happened that made her put the book down and have a hard time picking it up. She wouldn't say what it was that made her do that, so as I read I kept expecting something horrendous to happen, which kinda made me enjoy the book less. And, strangely enough I could not figure out what on earth caused her to do that. The book is a bit racy in some spots, but I don't think that is what she meant. So, I've got to wait until the beginning of December to find out what it is she was talking about. Maybe I can grill her at church tomorrow night. I'm not sure I can wait until next month.


Publisher's summary:
"I leave this record for my dear children, in the event that they never see their loving mother again and so that they might one day know the truth of my unjust incarceration, my escape from Hell, and into whatever is to come in these pages..."
--from the journals of May Dodd

Based on an actual historical event but told through fictional diaries, this is the story of a remarkable woman who travels west in 1875 and marries the chief of the Cheyenne Nation.

One Thousand White Women begins with May Dodd's journey west, into the unknown. Yet the unknown is a far better fate than the life she left behind: committed to an insane asylum by her blueblood family for the crime of loving a man beneath her station, May finds that her only hope of freedom is to participate in a secret government program whereby women from the "civilized" world become the brides of Cheyenne warriors. What follows is the story of May's breathtaking adventures: her brief, passionate romance with the gallant young army captain John Bourke; her marriage to the great chief Little Wolf; and her conflict of being caught between two worlds, loving two men, living two lives.

So vividly has Jim Fergus depicted the American West that May Dodd's journals are like a capsule in time.

Online book shopping:
Powell's: One Thousand White Women
amazon.co.uk: One Thousand White Women
amazon.com: One Thousand White Women
Audible.com: Not currently available as audio from Audible. You can find it on Amazon on CD's at: One Thousand White Women

Wintersmith by Terry Pratchett

Fiction: Fantasy/Humor. Hardback from HarperTeen. Published in 2006. 336 pages. Purchased from Amazon.com.

As I've mentioned before, I don't shy away from books that are supposed to be for "teens". I enjoy being able to talk about books with my kids, and thus will often read a YA book. However, I would read Terry Pratchett's series on Tiffany Aching even if there were no kids in my house. This latest addition to the series that includes The Wee Free Men and A Hat Full of Sky, while not an overly difficult read, is very enjoyable. My daughter and I fought over who got to read it first (I won, since I paid for it) and both of us finished it in one day. I look forward to listening to Stephen Briggs reading it if Audible will ever make it available.

Publisher's summary:
At 9, Tiffany Aching defeated the cruel Queen of Fairyland.

At 11, she battled an ancient body-stealing evil.

At 13, Tiffany faces a new challenge: a boy. And boys can be a bit of a problem when you're thirteen. . . .

But the Wintersmith isn't exactly a boy. He is Winter itself—snow, gales, icicles—all of it. When he has a crush on Tiffany, he may make her roses out of ice, but his nature is blizzards and avalanches. And he wants Tiffany to stay in his gleaming, frozen world. Forever.

Tiffany will need all her cunning to make it to Spring. She'll also need her friends, from junior witches to the legendary Granny Weatherwax. They—

Crivens! Tiffany will need the Wee Free Men too! She'll have the help of the bravest, toughest, smelliest pictsies ever to be banished from Fairyland—whether she wants it or not.

It's going to be a cold, cold season, because if Tiffany doesn't survive until Spring—

—Spring won't come.

Online book shopping:
Powell's: Wintersmith
amazon.co.uk: Wintersmith
amazon.com: Wintersmith
Audible.com: Not currently available to download from Audible, but available on CD's from Amazon: Wintersmith

Why?

As I've mentioned before, I am very pleased with our library system here in Grand Rapids. It really is fabulous. Here's my query for today though: why is it that when I've requested four or five books and am waiting patiently for them to become available, they all arrive within a day or two of each other? In the last several days I've had five books come in for me through the hold system. That will make three trips to the library this week, and three weeks to get five non-fiction books read. Hopefully I'll be able to renew one or two of them -- I'm not likely to get through that many non-fictions in that amount of time.

Though, it is fantastic to get your hands on a book you've been waiting for, isn't it?

A Red State of Mind by Nancy French

Non-Fiction: Humor. Hardback from Center Street. Published in 2006. 248 pages. Purchased from Amazon.com.

I saw this book recommended on Ocular Fusion. Because we have lived in the North East, the Midwest, the Pacific Coast and the South, I thought I might enjoy seeing her take on the clash between cultures. It's a bit difficult to explain, but some of the chapters were very enjoyable (more like aren't we all silly), while others just seemed rather judgmental about the differences she didn't like. So, I enjoyed her humor, but wished she had be able to keep a less condemning tone throughout the book.

Publisher's summary:
For the first 20 years of her life, all Nancy French knew of the world was Paris--Paris, Tennessee, that is. When the former homecoming queen trades in cow-tipping, big hair, and the Catfish Capital of the World for a new life in the Big Apple, she is in for a real education.

Things get lost in translation when she enrolls in her first women's studies/philiosophy class at New York University ("Women's Studies is the study of why men deserve to be eliminated from the planet just as soon as babies can be grown in Petri dishes and pickle jars come with easy open lids"), gives birth in an Ithaca hospital that bans epidurals and pacifiers, faces down recycling police, and almost gets arrested for leaving a stroller at the Liberty Bell.

It's a far cry from life in the red states -- especially when Nancy reveals her conservative politics and takes a beating from the MOB (Mothers Opposing Bush). Undaunted by her misadventures, she bravely acts as a red-state ambassador, dismantling stereotypes (no, red-staters do not think as slowly as they speak) and affectionately describing the nuances of the evangelical subculture.

Whether or not you share her passion for chain restaurants, Wal-Mart, and the GOP you will fall in love with Nancy's All-American brand of spirited humor and find yourself in A RED STATE OF MIND.

Online book shopping:
Powell's: A Red State of Mind
amazon.co.uk: A Red State of Mind
amazon.com: A Red State of Mind
Audible.com: sorry, not currently available as audio from Audible

Linkage: Christianity Today

I enjoy looking at book lists, and CT has a new list this month. I've only read 16 of the 50. How about you?

The Top 50 Books That Have Shaped Evangelicals

The Emotionally Healthy Church by Peter Scazzero

Non-Fiction: Christianity. Hardback from Zondervan. Published in 2003. 224 pages. Purchased at Baker Books Used Books.

Much of what author Peter Scazzero says in this book rings true with me. I don't know how easy it would be to get people in a congregation to move forward in the ways he suggests, but I do believe doing so would make a big difference in the body of Christ.

Publisher's summary:
True Discipleship Integrates Emotional and Spiritual Health.

New Life Fellowship in Queens, New York, had it all: powerful teaching, dynamic ministries, an impressive growth rate, and a vision to do great works for God. Things looked good—but beneath the surface, circumstances were more than just brewing. They were about to boil over, forcing Peter Scazzero to confront needs in his church and himself that went deeper than he’d ever imagined. What he learned about the vital link between emotional health, relational depth, and spiritual maturity can shed new light on painful problems in your own church. Here are refreshing new insights, and a different and challenging slant on what it takes to lead your congregation to wholeness and maturity in Christ.

Our churches are in trouble, says Scazzero. They are filled with people who are

· unsure how to biblically integrate anger, sadness, and other emotions
· defensive, incapable of revealing their weaknesses
· threatened by or intolerant of different viewpoints
· zealous about ministering at church but blind to their spouses’ loneliness at home
· so involved in “serving” that they fail to take care of themselves
· prone to withdraw from conflict rather than resolve it

Sharing from New Life Fellowship’s painful but liberating journey, Scazzero reveals exactly how the truth can and does make people free—not just superficially, but deep down. After offering a new vision of discipleship and a revealing, guided self-assessment of your own spiritual and emotional maturity, The Emotionally Healthy Church takes you through six principles that can make a profound difference in your church. You’ll acquire knowledge and tools that can help you and others

· look beneath the surface of problems
· break the power of past wounds, failures, sins, and circumstances
· live a life of brokenness and vulnerability
· recognize and honor personal limitations and boundaries
· embrace grief and loss
· make incarnation your model to love others.

Written in a personal and passionate style, The Emotionally Healthy Church includes hands-on tools, discussion questions, spotlights on key points, and story after story of people at New Life whose lives have been changed by the concepts in this book. Open these pages, and find out how your church can turn a new corner on the road to spiritual maturity.

Online book shopping:
Powell's: The Emotionally Healthy Church
amazon.co.uk: The Emotionally Healthy Church
amazon.com: The Emotionally Healthy Church
Audible.com: not currently available as audio from Audible.com

A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole

Fiction: Contemporary. Unabridged Audio from Blackstone Audio. Published in 1980, recorded 1997. 13 hours and 32 minutes. Read by Barrett Whitener. Purchased at Audible.com.

While I had heard the title before, I really had no idea what this book was about when my Mom recommended it. Since she indicated that both she and my brother had enjoyed it, I decided to bypass concerns about the bizarre title and give it a read. Turns out a strange title was a good fit for this book. The main character makes you waver between laughing outloud and shaking your head in disbelief. It was a very entertaining listen. I spent a fair portion of it anticipating with dread what on earth he would do next, yet sometimes agreeing with his assessment of things. (It's not a rated G listen - probably R.)

Publisher's summary:
"A green hunting cap squeezed the top of the fleshy balloon of a head. The green earflaps, full of large ears and uncut hair and the fine bristles that grew in the ears themselves, stuck out on either side like turn signals indicating two directions at once." So enters one of the most memorable characters in recent American fiction.

The hero of John Kennedy Toole's incomparable, Pulitzer Prize-winning comic classic is one Ignatius J. Reilly, "huge, obese, fractious, fastidious, a latter-day Gargantua, a Don Quixote of the French Quarter". His story bursts with wholly original characters, denizens of New Orleans' lower depths, incredibly true-to-life dialogue, and the zaniest series of high and low comic adventures.

Online book shopping:
Powell's: A Confederacy of Dunces
amazon.co.uk: A Confederacy of Dunces
amazon.com: A Confederacy of Dunces
Audible.com: A Confederacy of Dunces

Christian Audio Free Download - October 06

Christian Audio's October free download is now available. This month it is Tolstoy On Death: Ilych and Master and Man by Leo Tolstoy.

In these two famous short novels, Leo Tolstoy takes readers to the brink of despair. At the end of life worldly ambition offers no consolation for the spiritually empty soul. But Tolstoy is the master of themes of redemption. He turns his morbid topic into hope, leading toward spiritual awakening. Tolstoy offers his readers a lifetime of perspective on a most human subject, death.

I'm It!

Scott over at Preacher-Boy's Hideout tagged me for a book meme. Yay! It's taken me a few days, but here is my try:

1. One book that changed my life: The Way Home by Mary Pride. This book brought home schooling to my attention, and while I know I do not agree with a lot of what is in there, the fact that it got me to consider teaching the kids at home as an option certainly changed my life (our whole family life actually).

2. One book you have read more than once: Just Me and My Mom by Mercer Mayer (over and over again at bedtime), but just for me: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams.

3. One book you would want on a desert island: Celtic Daily Prayer: Prayers and Readings From the Northumbria Community (I figure I've been needing a silent retreat anyway. Might as well have some devotional materials.)

4. One book that made you laugh: Going Postal by Terry Pratchett. (I've also read this one more than once.)

5. One book that made you cry: The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffeneggar.

6. One book you wish you had written: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. (Though I don't think I would want to be Jane Austen, and without her experiences, I doubt the book would be as good as it is.)

7. One book you wish had never been written: Well, aside from the obvious responses, I'd have to say either Your Best Life Now: 7 Steps to Living at Your Full Potential by Joel Osteen or The Prayer of Jabez: Breaking Through to the Blessed Life by Bruce Wilkenson.

8. One book you are currently reading: The Emotionally Healthy Church by Peter Scazzero.

9. One book you have been wanting to read: Slaves, Women & Homosexuals: Exploring the Hermeneutics of Cultural Analysis by William J. Webb.

10. Booktag five other people: Steve, Markus, Happy, Not Clint, cause I don't think he'd be very thrilled with the idea and Anonymous.

11. One book you would like to see made into a movie: I enjoy movies of books I've read, but honestly prefer the books most of the time. So, I'm having a hard time thinking of one that I'd like to see as a movie.

12. One children's book you always recommend: Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovelby Virginia Lee Burton.

13. One young adult book you always recommend: Magic Bicycle: The Story of a Bicycle That Found a Boy by John Bibee.

14. One book character you'd like to have lunch with: Lunch? Who has time for lunch?

Banned Books Week

It's banned books week again. Here's a little blurb from the ALA's web site:

Often challenges are motivated by a desire to protect children from “inappropriate” sexual content or “offensive” language. Although this is a commendable motivation, Free Access to Libraries for Minors, an interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights (ALA's basic policy concerning access to information) states that, “Librarians and governing bodies should maintain that parents—and only parents—have the right and the responsibility to restrict the access of their children—and only their children—to library resources.” Censorship by librarians of constitutionally protected speech, whether for protection or for any other reason, violates the First Amendment.

2006 BBW; Read Banned Books: They're Your Ticket to Freedom

Addicted to Mediocrity by Franky Schaeffer

Non-Fiction: Social Issues. Paperback from Crossway Books. Published in 1981. 124 pages. Purchased at the Home School Bookstore.

This slim volume is a good introduction to the importance of the arts. I found it very interesting in light of some of the recent online discussion I've seen about whether Christians should spend money on art or not. It is really just a bare scratching of the surface of the topic, and I'd say look for something more indepth if you have already spent time contemplating this issue. As an aside, I found the sentence structure to be a bit difficult to follow at times.

Publisher's summary:
In this provocative book, Franky Schaeffer shows how Christians today have sacrificed the artistic prominence they enjoyed for centuries and settled instead for mediocrity. The evidence for this sad state of affairs abounds. We are flooded with "Christian" doodads, trinkets, tee shirts, bumper stickers, etc., that use God's name as an advertising slogan: "Things Go Better with Jesus", putting the Creator of the universe on the same level as soda pop!

Moreover, Schaeffer writes, "Whenever Christians, and evangelicals in particular, have attempted to 'reach the world' through the media, TV, film, publishing and so on, the thinking public gets the firm idea that, like soup in a bad restaurant, Christians' brains are best left unstirred."

Online book shopping:
Powell's: Addicted to Mediocrity
amazon.co.uk: Addicted to Mediocrity
amazon.com: Addicted to Mediocrity
Audible.com:

Possible Read

I'm not getting much done recently - too much to do so nothing gets done. I've been mostly relistening to audiobooks I've already posted here. But, I wanted to mention this pending book, The Real Mary by Scot McKnight. It's due to be published by Paraclet Press on 1 November 06. If you are interested in a preview, you can download an excerpt. It looks very interesting to me.

Life of Pi by Yann Martel

Fiction: Contemporary. Unabridged Audiobook from HighBridge Audio. Published in 2001, recorded 2002. 11 hours and 28 minutes. Read by Jeff Woodman. Purchased from Audible.com.

On a recent visit, my Mom recommended Life of Pi to me. So, when I needed a new audiobook, this time it was an easy choice.

It's a good book. I'd definitely recommend it. I also thought the narrator on the audio version did a good job with the Indian accent. (With a name like Jeff Woodman, I doubt he's actually Indian. But, to my minimally trained ears, he sounded authentic.)

And, as my Mom says, "We all have a tiger in our boat".

Publisher's summary:
Pi Patel has been raised in a zoo in India. When his father decides to move the family to Canada and sell the animals to American zoos, everyone boards a Japanese cargo ship. The ship sinks, and 16-year-old Pi finds himself alone on a lifeboat with a hyena, an orangutan, a zebra with a broken leg, and a 450-pound Bengal tiger.

Soon it's just Pi, the tiger, and the vast Pacific Ocean - for 227 days. Pi's fear, knowledge, and cunning keep him alive until they reach the coast of Mexico, where the tiger disappears into the jungle. The Japanese authorities who interrogate Pi refuse to believe his story, so he tells a second one - more conventional, less fantastic. But is it more true?

A realistic, rousing adventure and meta-tale of survival, Life of Pi explores the redemptive power of storytelling and the transformative nature of fiction. It's a story, as one character claims, to "make you believe in God."

Online book shopping:
Powell's: Life of Pi
amazon.co.uk: Life of Pi
amazon.com: Life of Pi
Audible.com: Life of Pi

Two Years

Though I started blogging on a different blog coming up on almost three years ago, Bibliophilist started two years ago today. My friend Mark started a blog with his reading list and inspired me to start my own. So, "yay!" for two years of posting on Bibliophilist and thanks to Mark for starting me on this little odyssey.

Naked Empired by Terry Goodkind

Fiction: Fantasy. Hardback from Tor. Published in 2003. 667 pages. On loan from The Kent District Library.

I did not look carefully enough at this tome before checking it out of the library, and thus inadvertently picked up book number eight. I did not suspect that it was part of a series until I was well into it and the author began to refer back to things that had happened in the previous books. Then, when I went to Amazon to get the picture of the cover to add to the "Current Read" sidebar, I found out it was not a stand-alone novel. (I really hate it when they don't prominently display on a book cover that a book is a part of a series.) Thankfully, the book was enjoyable even without having read the previous seven books. I don't think I'll go back and read the earlier volumes, but may look for any that have been written since this one.

As an aside, it was surprising coincidence to read Richard's (the main character) attempts to explain to a pacifistic people his reasons for justifying war after having just read Claiborne's discussion about feeling war is not acceptable. (Or at least this war in Iraq.)

Publisher's summary:
Now Goodkind returns with a sweeping adventure of epic intrigue, violent conflict, and terrifying peril for the beautiful Kahlan Amnell and her husband, the heroic Richard Rahl, the Sword of Truth. Richard Rahl has been poisoned. Saving an empire from annihilation is the price of the antidote. With the shadow of death looming, the empire crumbling before the invading hordes, and time running out, Richard is offered not only his own life but the salvation of a people, in exchange for delivering his wife, Kahlan, into bondage to the enemy.

Online book shopping:
Powell's: Naked Empire
amazon.co.uk: Naked Empire
amazon.com: Naked Empire
Audible.com: Not available as audio from Audible at this time.

Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claiborne

Non-Fiction: Christianity. Paperback from Zondervan. Published in 2006. 368 pages. On loan from The Kent District Library.

Well, one more Hat Tip is due to Preacher Mike for bringing my attention to yet another challenging book. I certainly don't hear this type of preaching at church, but I do think I needed to hear what Mr. Claiborne had to say and to give it some serious thought. It's not likely that I will be suddenly giving away all my income and heading to the city to live with the poor - for one thing I have no income to give up, and secondly I've got a family to care for. But, I can see that I could make some changes that would make a difference. A very convicting book.

It did seem like a bit of a contradiction to me that he is advocating a simple lifestyle that spreads whatever money comes in around, yet he still has the resources to go all over the globe to hang out with the poor. I doubt most people who choose to give most of their income away will have the chance to go anywhere.

Publisher's summary:
Many of us find ourselves caught somewhere between unbelieving activists and inactive believers. We can write a check to feed starving children or hold signs in the streets and feel like we’ve made a difference without ever encountering the faces of the suffering masses. In this book, Shane Claiborne describes an authentic faith rooted in belief, action, and love, inviting us into a movement of the Spirit that begins inside each of us and extends into a broken world. Shane’s faith led him to dress the wounds of lepers with Mother Teresa, visit families in Iraq amidst bombings, and dump $10,000 in coins and bills on Wall Street to redistribute wealth. Shane lives out this revolution each day in his local neighborhood, an impoverished community in North Philadelphia, by living among the homeless, helping local kids with homework, and “practicing resurrection” in the forgotten places of our world.

Shane’s message will comfort the disturbed, and disturb the comfortable . . . but will also invite us into an irresistible revolution. His is a vision for ordinary radicals ready to change the world with little acts of love.

Online book shopping:
Powell's: Irresistible Revolution
amazon.co.uk:Irresistible Revolution
amazon.com: Irresistible Revolution
Audible.com: Not currently available as audio from Audible.

Christian Audio Free Download - September 06

Christian Audio's September free download is now available. This month it is Orthodoxy by G. K. Chesterton.

Chesterton's Orthodoxy makes Christian apologetics both compelling and delightful. Here is equilebrium of the mind's reason, the soul's imagination, and the belly's laughter!

Quill Awards 2006

It's time again to vote for the Quill Book Awards. You have until 30 September 06 to enter your choices. In case you aren't familiar with the Quills:

The Quills celebrates the best adult and children's books of the year in 20 popular categories, including Book of the Year, plus an committee-selected award for best Book to Film.

Sometimes I've never even heard of some of the books that they are asking about, but it is fun to go through and express my preferences on the ones I do know. Give it a try.

Decisions

How do you decide which books to keep and which to pass along? I've always just preferred to keep books after I read them. I really enjoy having a lot of books around. But, I need to pare down my library quite a bit. I'm quite daunted by the prospect. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

The Fourth Bear by Jasper Fforde

Fiction: Humor/Detective. Unabridged Audiobook from Penguin Audio. Published in 2006. 10 hours, 55 minutes. Read by Simon Vance. Purchased at Audible.com.

I've probably mentioned before that Jasper Fforde was recommended to me at a Terry Pratchett book signing. It's not without good reason that the gentleman said "If you like Terry Pratchett, you might enjoy Jasper Fforde." While Pratchett's work is Fantasy/Humor, Fforde's is Fantasy/Detective/Humor, but they both share many things in common, one being that they make me laugh out loud every time I read them. Fforde is very creative. It's not classic literature, but you'll certainly understand many of the jokes better if you have read some classics. Really quite a fun read. But, for the record, Pratchett is still my favorite of the two.

Publisher's summary:
The Gingerbreadman, psychopath, sadist, genius, and killer, is on the loose. But it isn't Jack Spratt's case. He and Mary Mary have been demoted to Missing Persons following Jack's poor judgment involving the poisoning of Mr. Bun the baker. Missing Persons looks like a boring assignment until a chance encounter leads them into the hunt for missing journalist Henrietta "Goldy" Hatchett, star reporter for The Daily Mole. Last to see her alive? The Three Bears, comfortably living out a life of rural solitude in Andersen's wood.

But all is not what it seems. How could the bears' porridge be at such disparate temperatures when they were poured at the same time? Why did Mr. and Mrs. Bear sleep in separate beds? Was there a fourth bear? And if there was, who was he, and why did he try to disguise Goldy's death as a freak accident?

Jack answers all these questions and a few others besides, rescues Mary Mary from almost certain death, and finally meets the Fourth Bear and the Gingerbreadman face-to-face.

In the News:
Fforde's fantastical 'Fourth Bear' stirs a porridge of a 'nursery crime'

Online book shopping:
Powell's: The Fourth Bear
amazon.co.uk: The Fourth Bear
amazon.com: The Fourth Bear
Audible.com: The Fourth Bear