Books

The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith

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My mom loves these books, so when I saw the first of the series at a book sale for fifty cents, I thought, “Why not?”  My mom and I don’t often agree on books, but Mma Ramotswe’s no-nonsense clever detective work would be enough to win anyone over.  I really enjoyed her bite-sized cases in Botswana and the way they brought out stories of Precious’s past relationships with her father and husband.

I am really impressed by Smith’s ability to write from a woman of color’s point of view.  Mma Ramotswe is dignified in the wake of grief and trauma, and it is no surprise that she is so successful at her job.  She wins people over when necessary and intimidates them into giving up information at other times.  Continue reading →

The Beach by Alex Garland

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Whaaaaat?  The Beach is the adult Lord of the Flies, and it is no less engrossing (or weird). I haven’t seen the movie based on the book despite Leonardo DiCaprio’s beautiful face, so I got to experience the crazy with an unspoiled mind.

Garland’s book starts off innocently enough, tapping into the traveler’s desire to escape tourism and live a simple life.  When Richard and his new friends find the titular beach, they join a group that fishes, smokes weed, and swims in a protected lagoon that is almost impossible to reach.  Idyllic, right?  Continue reading →

Men Explain Things to Me by Rebecca Solnit

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I once received a comment on a blog post that said, “I know you look at this differently, but I do not believe there has been an ages long conspiracy of men to keep women down.”  At the time I was too flabbergasted to respond with any kind of eloquence.  Now that I’ve read Men Explain Things to Me, I won’t have to speak for myself; I will simply hand a copy of Solnit’s book and let it explain things for me, if you will.  *wink*

Seven essays on the female experience, Solnit’s anthology is a must read for anyone interested in the subtle ways our patriarchal society oppresses women.  Sometimes this is manifested in ignorantly arrogant men speaking over women, as in her first essay, “Men Explain Things to Me.”  All too often, however, this oppression takes the form of violence, because

There’s so much of it.  We could talk about the assault and rape of a seventy-three-year-old in Manhattan’s Central Park in September 2012, or the recent rape of a four-year-old and an eighty-three-year-old in Louisiana, or the New York City policeman who was arrested in October of 2012 for what appeared to be serious plans to kidnap, rape, cook, and eat a woman, any woman, because the hate wasn’t personal.

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God With Us by Glenn R. Kreider

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Dr. Kreider is my favorite professor at Dallas Theological Seminary.  I try to take his classes as often as possible, even when they are twice a week at 7:45 a.m.  As a night owl, this is the strongest recommendation I can possibly make.  When he published God With Us in late 2014, I jumped at the chance to have his wisdom in portable book form.

What makes Kreider’s theology so appealing is the way he condenses controversies and debates to their simplest common denominator.  His book continues this practice by covering the entirety of the Bible through the lens of God’s humble decisions to give up his position of authority in order to come to us and relate to us on our level.  Although this humility is best seen in the person of Jesus, Kreider convincingly argues that the triune God has acted in this way from the beginning of creation to its re-creation.  Continue reading →

Scary Close by Donald Miller

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Donald Miller is one of my favorite authors because he writes honestly and deeply about faith, relationships, and trying to live a meaningful life.  When I heard he was writing a book about intimacy and vulnerability, it was a no-brainer to pre-order it.  I read the whole thing in one day, alternately overjoyed and disgruntled depending on if his words hit a little too hard to home.

Scary Close is not a self-help book.  Instead, it is Don’s story of how he grew into relational health after realizing he consistently found himself in manipulative relationships in which he was trying to use a woman to fulfill his own deep-seated needs.  Sometimes I felt like he was peeking into my brain, especially when he described how he has always used humor, intelligence, and writing to get people to like him.  It was helpful, then, that he shared a lot of the wisdom he has received from therapists, friends, and his fiancee Betsy.  Continue reading →

There’s Some Good in This World, and It’s Worth Fighting For

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I cannot watch this scene from The Two Towers without crying.  It has become my inspiration and motivation as I prepare for Greece.  Saying that, I immediately feel dumb, because who am I to compare my decision with the epic quest of Frodo and Sam?  But perhaps my feelings of insignificance are exactly what qualify me as a hobbit.  Continue reading →

The Hollow Kingdom by Clare B. Dunkle

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OH MY GOSH THIS BOOK.  After I read the last page, I literally held The Hollow Kingdom in the air, shook it, and rasped, “I love you so much!”  It’s been a while since a story was so exactly catered to my interests, and I’m still reeling from its perfection.

I mean, first of all, the goblin kingdom is one of the coolest worlds I’ve read about.  It is lovingly detailed, full of vaguely argumentative doors, polite monsters, and pets with pets.  I loved seeing goblins through Kate’s practical English eyes; at first she can only see the horror.  But when she returns to the human world, she realizes just how attached she has become.  Hers was a slow fade into appreciation and love, which felt very real.  I, however, was more like younger sister Emily, quick to awe and adoration.  Continue reading →

Top 8 Romantic Books

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When life is not giving me what I want, I almost always turn to books to meet my emotional needs.  Romance is no exception.  I can almost stand being alone when I can live vicariously through the banter between Jane and Mr. Rochester.  Healthy?  Probably not.  But sometimes a girl’s got to do what a girl’s got to do.

1)  Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
I am aware that it’s problematic to love a relationship founded on lies.  But…what can you do?  I remember being shocked that Jane Eyre was written in 1847.  The dialogue between Jane and Mr. Rochester sparks with wit and sexual tension, and I was immediately hooked.  I also really love the character of Jane; her self-confidence and devotion to doing what’s right is incredibly admirable.  It doesn’t hurt that she’s plain but winds up catching the eye of a rich man either, hey-o!!

“I have for the first time found what I can truly love–I have found you. You are my sympathy–my better self–my good angel–I am bound to you with a strong attachment. I think you good, gifted, lovely: a fervent, a solemn passion is conceived in my heart; it leans to you, draws you to my centre and spring of life, wrap my existence about you–and, kindling in pure, powerful flame, fuses you and me in one.”

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What is the Real Problem with 50 Shades of Grey?

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The Christian online community is blowing up, and this time it’s about 50 Shades of Grey.  As usual, I have come to the same conclusion (don’t read or watch it), but for very different reasons.  I’m always this close to fitting in.  Most of the concern I see is directed at either 1) the erotica or 2) the BDSM.  With some caveats, I don’t really see these issues as all that significant.  What bothers me about the story is, instead, the abuse.

Full disclosure:  I haven’t read 50 Shades of Grey.  This makes me that absolutely annoying person who has an uneducated opinion.  I’m sorry!  I have, however, had many conversations with readers, and I have been devouring any and all information about the series, positive or negative.  If that still doesn’t count as good enough for you, I don’t blame you.  But I encourage you to keep reading, and if I’ve missed something important, please let me know! Continue reading →

The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran

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My brother got me this book for Christmas with the inscription:  “For love, hearts, minds, adventure, wisdom.  Perhaps the most beautiful poems I’ve read this year, now, for you.”  How could I not get excited about it?

The poems about love, work, clothes, freedom, and death are framed by the story of a prophet offering his last words of wisdom before sailing for his homeland.  The set up feels Homeric, and the wisdom is some seriously good insight.  I was won over from the first themed poem on Love, in which he says:  Continue reading →