Category Archives: Books

Book Review: The Longing

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The Longing is the third installment in The Courtship of Nellie Fisher series by Beverly Lewis. I reviewed the first book, The Parting, here and the second, The Forbidden, here.

In the previous books, Nellie Fisher’s parents and several others in the community have embraced the truth of salvation. Their bishop has allowed an unusual time of for people to think and make up their minds, but that time is over, and everyone who has embraced the gospel is under the ban, which divides some families.

Nellie came to know the Lord in the previous book, dividing her from her Old Order beau, Caleb. Caleb’s father, a stubborn, authoritarian man, has disinherited Caleb for his involvement with Nellie, so now Caleb is without both his land and his girl, living with his grandparents.

Then suddenly Caleb’s father has a tragic accident — he is kicked in the head by a mule and becomes paralyzed. He calls Caleb home to help the family but makes it clear their relationship is not restored.

Caleb’s cousin, Chris, whose family became Christians years before and transferred to a Mennonite church, comes to help Caleb with the farm chores and in the mean time gets to know Nellie May, not knowing of Caleb’s previous involvement with her.

Nellie’s heart breaks for Caleb, yet his family shuns her family’s offers of help, so they still have no contact. Chris becomes more of a presence in her life, and she is attracted to him, delighting in the fact that they share the same faith, yet they live in different worlds, and she is not sure which, if either of them, would be willing to cross over to the other.

Meanwhile Nellie’s sister, Rhoda, has left home to deliberately go into the world, and Nellie’s friend, Rosanna, who has been unable to maintain a pregnancy and who suffered an unspeakable loss when the woman who gave Rosanna her twins to raise decided she wanted them back, finds herself once again pregnant and faces the fears and sorrow of what she feels will surely be another loss.

In previous series by Lewis, one or two family members would come to faith in Christ, trusting His grace rather than their own works, and either would have to leave home, or would remain quietly trying to be a witness as they were able. In this series, the father was the first to believe rather than the one opposing newfound faith. I was delighted to find in the author’s notes that this story was based on an actual revival in Lancaster Count, Pennsylvania, in the 1960s.

I rejoiced in the new believers’ steps of faith, their kind yet firm stand on the truth, and the joy and seriousness in the way they live out their faith.

Semicolon hosts a weekly roundup of book reviews on Saturadays, and Callapidder Days has a place here for those involved in the Fall Into Reading challenge to post their reviews here. They are both good sources for learning more about books you might be interested in or getting ideas for new books to read.

Peace Child

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I first encountered Peace Child by Don Richardson several years ago in the Reader’s Digest Book Section. I cut it out and kept it, but the pages aren’t stamped with the month and year like some magazine pages are now. When I was in college I also saw a film based on the book at Mission Prayer Band. I bought a new copy of the book after learning that these events took place in Indonesia, “next door” to where a missionary worked whom we supported.This missionary knew Don and some of the people he ministered to.

In the early 1950s, many tribes in the jungles of Indonesia were totally unevangelized and virtually untouched by the modern world. Though “primitive,” they were not at all unintelligent: they had developed many skills for living in the jungle and had many legends and elaborate rituals ripe with meaning that had developed over the years. The Sawi, whom Don Richardson came to work with, were headhunters and cannibals, as were many of the other tribes. The Lord opened the doors for these people to accept the missionaries through their thinking at first that white people (whom they called Tuan) weren’t quite human, though they knew they were different from the spirits; through rumor that the Tuan could “shoot fire” (with guns), and through gifts the missionaries brought of such things as axes, which could fell a tree in four strokes, whereas the hand-made stone axes required about 40 strokes.

Three communities or villages settled around the new Tuan. Don spent hours listening to them, learning their language and their customs, and trying to tell them of God’s truth about creation, the entrance of sin, the promise of Deliverer, and the life of Christ. But the Sawi weren’t used to listening to tales about other cultures and grew bored…until Don’s narrative got to Judas. They listened intently to the story of Judas’s close relationship with Christ and his betrayal. They whistled with admiration. In their culture treachery and deception were virtues, the admirable stuff of legends. They valued not just cold murder, but the “fattening with friendship” of an unsuspecting victim, then delighted in telling about the look of astonishment on his face when he realized they were about to kill and eat him. They thought Judas was the hero of the story. Don was astonished and chilled and tried to explain that the betrayal was evil, that Jesus was the Son of God. But he couldn’t get through. Don and his wife Carol knew that God had some way to reach this culture and “set [themselves] to hope for some revelation.”

The next day fighting broke out between the different villages. That day and in the days to come, Don urged peace. Sawi villages usually kept some distance from each other, and Don realized that by having three villages come together to settle near him, the villagers were constantly being provoked to battle. Finally he felt that he should leave and settle somewhere else so that the Sawi would not end up destroying themselves. The Sawi protested they did not want Don to leave. Discussions were touched off and leaders from both factions came to Don to assure him they would make peace.

The next day, the Sawi groups solemnly gathered. Don witnessed, to his amazement, a man from each of the warring groups bring one of his own children, with the mothers weeping, and exchange the children. Those in one group who would accept the child as a basis for peace were called to come and lay hands upon him, and the process was repeated in the other group. Then each child was taken to his new adoptive home. In a culture of violence and treachery, “at some point the Sawi had found a way to prove sincerity and establish peace…If a man would actually give his own son to his enemies, that man could be trusted.”

Don was horrified that his call for peace had caused this to happen, but soon began to see the parallels between the Sawi “peace child” and God’s sacrifice of His own Son. He began to tell them that Jesus was God’s own Peace Child to all men. Judas lost his status as hero because harming a peace child was one of the worst things someone could do. They began to see the inadequacy of their “best,” because peace in their culture only held as long as the peace child lived. When he died, old animosities could revive. But because Jesus rose again and was eternal, the peace He gave could never die.

It took many months for understanding and conviction to sink in, and even then they were afraid of angering the demons by departing from tradition. But when God enabled Don and Carol to revive a Sawi tribesman who was near death, the Sawi took this “as proof that the tuan’s God was powerful” and many began to believe.

Eventually more than half of the Sawi became believers, their language was reduced to writing, they were taught to read, the New Testament was translated, and some of the Sawi became teachers to their own people. Praise the Lord!!

As I have written before, some will criticize any attempt of other cultures to contact or influence primitive tribes. But, really, just as in the case of the Waodani, if no one had stepped in, the Sawi would most likely have eventually ceased to exist, because each treacherous act of one group against another would set off a series of revenge battles with many more being killed. The Richardsons were careful not to try to impose a Western church upon the Sawi culture.

Recently I searched for a copy of the film I saw of Peace Child so many years ago. I found and ordered a DVD of it and just rewatched it. I am amazed at how much of the story they packed into a 30-minute film. I can’t express what it does to my heart to see former cannibals at the end of the film singing gospel songs.

I would warn that the first several pages of the book describes a pretty ghastly deception and murder of one man to show by example what the Sawi culture was like. It is not gratuitous but it is graphic. I think this book would be perfectly suited for reading as a family or a class as well as for personal reading, but parents and teachers might want to preview that chapter to determine its appropriateness for the age level and personalities of their children. But I think anyone who reads it will get a glimpse into a missionary’s journey through adjustment to a different culture, perplexity in determining how best to share the gospel, the darkness of a culture without the Lord, and the amazing way God opens hearts and understanding to His truth. Stories like this are a part of the glorious fulfillment of the day John prophesies in Revelation 7:9-10: “After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.”

Book-banning and censorship

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I saw at 5 Minutes For Books yesterday that September 27 – October 4 is National Banned Book Awareness week as deemed by the American Library Association. I left some comments there, but I’ve been thinking about it a good bit since then and wanted to expand on the topic.

In thinking about whether banning books is ever justified, my first thought was, “Yes!” I wish someone had banned things like Pl*yboy (though that is a magazine and not a book) and its ilk when it first came out, though that kind of thing is probably too ingrained in our society now to root it out. Honestly, has that kind of publication ever done anyone any good except to increase the finances of those involved in producing it?

There are two major problems with banning, however: 1) Who is doing the banning and what are their standards? After all, the Bible has been banned in certain times and places. And 2) Just the fact that a book has been banned will attract some people to it to see what it is all about.

Some have suggested a rating system like what the film industry uses. I think I like that idea. Though it is not a perfect system, it helps forewarn that there might be a problem and the reader can then research a bit to see whether the book would violate their own standards. It is not hard to look up a book or film on the Internet these days to learn more about it.

I do agree that questionable books need to be kept away from children’s areas in bookstores and libraries and kept off of required reading lists in schools.

Some would suggest that even that measure is an indication that parents want the government or library system or whomever to “do their work for them.” I disagree. I do believe it is the parents’ responsibility to set the standards and evaluate what their children read and discuss it with them, and keeping questionable books out of the way supplements rather than replaces their role.

The world’s view is that “anything goes” in the name of intellectual freedom. But what should the Christian view be? Should we censor ourselves?

Sometimes when a controversial book is making the rounds of discussion, some Christians will say exasperatedly, “It’s just a book.” But books are powerful things. What we read affects how we think. Jesus told stories to illustrate spiritual truth, and I have often said that the best of Christian fiction is like an extended parable or illustration of truth. A principle I have read in a story takes root and stays with me much longer than when I read it in an instructional format. But the same power than can be used for good can also be used for evil. I regret to say that off-color things I read in an unsaved home as a young person have also stayed with me much longer than I would have liked, often popping into mind at the most inopportune times, like while trying to pray or listen to a sermon.

A few guiding principles are here:

Philippians 4:8: Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

I Corinthians 6:12: All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.

I Corinthians 10:23: All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not.

The Philippians passage focuses on the positive things we should be filling our minds with. The two verses from I Corinthians indicate that while all things are “lawful,” some things are not expedient (“tending to promote some proposed or desired object; fit or suitable for the purpose; proper under the circumstances” according to Dictionary.com), I shouldn’t allow things to exercise more power over me than they should, and some things are not edifying. Galatians 5:17 says, “For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would” and chapters 6-8 go on to describe the battle between and spiritual and fleshly natures. It is going to be even more of a battle if we’re feeding our fleshly natures. II Corinthians 10:5 says, “Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.”

I don’t think that necessarily means we should read only Christian books. Truth and beauty can be illustrated even in secular works. And I don’t think it means everything we read should have a “Pollyanna” viewpoint. Even the Bible deals with sexuality, but not in a way that inspires lust. It also contains violent encounters, but David says in Psalm 11:5, “The LORD trieth the righteous: but the wicked and him that loveth violence his soul hateth” — gratuitous violence is different from a battle scene. It discusses different philosophies, but not in a way that leaves you confused about what’s right.

It is honestly hard to know exactly where to draw the lines sometimes, as I mentioned when I discussed To Kill a Mockingbird. There are books I might read for information that I would not endorse wholeheartedly. Wisdom and discernment are needed when reading Christian books as well as secular ones: not everything that calls itself Christian accurately reflects Biblical truth.

Of course, the world will not have the same standards in most instances, and we can’t fence off every area of temptation and evil influence. Ultimately what people need are hearts changed by the gospel. While we try to take some kind of stand lest explicit books become ever more blatant, we need to remember out main purpose as Christians is to share Christ both in our lifestyles and character as well as with our verbal testimony.

Fall Into Reading 2008

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Katrina at Callapidder Days will again be hosting Fall Into Reading beginning Sept. 22, the first day of autumn. The idea is to plan the books you think you’ll be reading between now and the first day of winter and list them, then link your post back to Katrina’s here. Then you can also visit other people who are taking part in the challenge to see what they are reading. I have a whole list of To-Be-Read books I have found that way! It’s also meant to be just a guideline, not a hard and fast commitment — most of us do switch around a little bit before the end of the season. One of the advantages to this challenge is that it helps me get some of those books I always keep meaning to read off the shelf and into my hands.

So, here is my list so far:

Home to Hart’s Crossing by Robin Lee Hatcher which I am in the middle of.

The Longing by Beverly Lewis, #3 in The Courtship of Nellie Fisher series. This is just out — in fact, I meant to go and buy it yesterday but forgot!

Sunset by Karen Kingsbury, the last in the Sunrise series, which is the continuation of the Redemption and Firstborn series, all dealing with the Baxter family.

Every Now and Then by Karen Kingsbury, due out in November.

Stepping Into Sunlight by Sharon Hinck.

Sisters, Ink by Rebeca Seitz which I won from Deena.

Summer Breeze by Catherine Palmer and Gary Chapman, second in their Four Seasons series.

Thread of Deceit by Catherine Palmer. I picked this up at the Christian bookstore because I have read many of Catherine’s books before and enjoyed them.

To the Golden Shore by Courtney Anderson about Americas’ first missionary, Adoniram Judson. I read this many years ago but have been wanting to read it again.

Les Miserables by Victor Hugo. I have read this before also, but have been wanting to read it again.

I really should have more non-fiction there — I often don’t get to it (except for biographies and missionary stories) unless I make a point of it in challenges like this. I am thinking about two on my shelf that I have thumbed through but not read completely yet, I Remember Laura by Stephen W. Hines about Laura Ingalls Wilder and/or Little House in the Ozarks: The Rediscovered Writings, a collection of Laura’s magazine columns which, if I remember correctly, preceded her novel writing.

Beyond that — I am not sure. I have been wanting to read something of Wanda E. Brunstetter, Julie Lessman, and Debbie Macomber, having seen them referred to often by others whose tastes seem similar to mine, so I might give one or more of them a try. And I have been wanting to read something of Elizabeth Gaskell’s, particularly Wives and Daughters since I enjoyed the DVD of it. But I am not ready to commit to those for this challenge just yet.

So my read list at the end of the challenge will most likely be longer than this one, as it usually is.

Book Review: Jessie

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Jessie by Lori Wick features the single mom/storekeeper of Token Creek, the community setting for Lori’s Big Sky Dreams series. We’ve seen Jessie in the previous two books as the independent and kind yet unbelieving storekeeper with two young daughters, but the story in this book begins begins before her marriage, details why her husband left, and then comes up to the current time in the other books when he unexpectedly comes back to town wanting to pick up the responsibilities he abandoned. Unbeknownst to Jessie, Her husband Seth got into a lot of trouble on the wrong side of the law, but believed on the Lord, and now wants to make things in his life right. Jessie naturally has trust issues and a conflict with Seth’s new faith. Her girls are delighted to have a father in their lives, but Seth struggles with exactly how to be a father to them.

This book is vintage Lori Wick, so if you like her other books I am sure you will like this one. I have appreciated that she has tackled different issues than what you usually find in Christian fiction in this series and handled them with grace and good taste.

This post will be linked to Semicolon‘s Saturday Review of Books, where each weekend you can find links to a multitude of book reviews.

Elisabeth Elliot: A Quiet Heart

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This is an excerpt from Elisabeth Elliot’s book Keep A Quiet Heart which was also sent yesterday as a part of Back to the Bible’s e-mail devotionals from Elisabeth’s writings.

A Quiet Heart

Jesus slept on a pillow in the midst of a raging storm. How could He? The terrified disciples, sure that the next wave would send them straight to the bottom, shook Him awake with rebuke. How could He be so careless of their fate?

He could because He slept in the calm assurance that His Father was in control. His was a quiet heart. We see Him move serenely through all the events of His life–when He was reviled, He did not revile in return. When He knew that He would suffer many things and be killed in Jerusalem, He never deviated from His course. He had set His face like flint. He sat at supper with one who would deny Him and another who would betray Him, yet He was able to eat with them, willing even to wash their feet. Jesus in the unbroken intimacy of His Father’s love, kept a quiet heart.

None of us possesses a heart so perfectly at rest, for none lives in such divine unity, but we can learn a little more each day of what Jesus knew–what one writer called the negligence of that trust which carries God with it. Who would think of using the word negligence in regard to our Lord Jesus? To be negligent is to omit to do what a reasonable man would do. Would Jesus omit that? Yes, on occasion, when faith pierced beyond reason.

This “negligent” trust–is it careless, inattentive, indolent? No, not in His case. Jesus, because His will was one with His Father’s, could be free from care. He had the blessed assurance of knowing that His Father would do the caring, would be attentive to His Son’s need. Was Jesus indolent? No, never lazy, sluggish, or slothful, but He knew when to take action and when to leave things up to His Father. He taught us to work and watch but never to worry, to do gladly whatever we are given to do, and to leave all else with God.

Purity of heart, said Kierkegaard, is to will one thing. The Son willed only one thing: the will of His Father. That’s what He came to earth to do. Nothing else. One whose aim is as pure as that can have a completely quiet heart, knowing what the psalmist knew: “Lord, You have assigned me my portion and my cup, and have made my lot secure” (Psalm 16:5 NIV). I know of no greater simplifier for all of life. Whatever happens is assigned. Does the intellect balk at that? Can we say that there are things which happen to us which do not belong to our lovingly assigned “portion” (This belongs to it, that does not”)? Are some things, then, out of the control of the Almighty?

Every assignment is measured and controlled for my eternal good. As I accept the given portion other options are cancelled. Decisions become much easier, directions clearer, and hence my heart becomes inexpressibly quieter.

What do we really want in life? Sometimes I have the chance to ask this question of high school or college students. I am surprised at how few have a ready answer. Oh, they could come up with quite a long list of things, but is there one thing above all others that they desire? “One thing have I desired of the Lord,” said David, “this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life…” (Psalm 27:4 KJV). To the rich young man who wanted eternal life Jesus said, “One thing you lack. Go, sell everything” (Mark 10:21 NIV). In the Parable of the Sower, Jesus tells us that the seed which is choked by thorns has fallen into a heart full of the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desire for other things. The apostle Paul said, “One thing I do: forgetting what is behind and straining towards what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Phil 3:13-14 NIV).

A quiet heart is content with what God gives. It is enough. All is grace. One morning my computer simply would not obey me. What a nuisance. I had my work laid out, my timing figured, my mind all set. My work was delayed, my timing thrown off, my thinking interrupted. Then I remembered. It was not for nothing. This was part of the Plan (not mine, His). “Lord, You have assigned me my portion and my cup.”

Now if the interruption had been a human being instead of an infuriating mechanism, it would not have been so hard to see it as the most important part of the work of the day. But all is under my Father’s control: yes, recalcitrant computers, faulty transmissions, drawbridges which happen to be up when one is in a hurry. My portion. My cup. My lot is secure. My heart can be at peace. My Father is in charge. How simple!

My assignment entails my willing acceptance of my portion-in matters far beyond comparison with the trivialities just mentioned, such as the death of a precious baby. A mother wrote to me of losing her son when he was just one month old. A widow writes of the long agony of watching her husband die. The number of years given them in marriage seemed too few. We can only know that Eternal Love is wiser than we, and we bow in adoration of that loving wisdom.

Response is what matters. Remember that our forefathers were all guided by the pillar of cloud, all passed through the sea, all ate and drank the same spiritual food and drink, but God was not pleased with most of them. Their response was all wrong. Bitter about the portions allotted they indulged in idolatry, gluttony, and sexual sin. And God killed them by snakes and by a destroying angel.

The same almighty God apportioned their experience. All events serve His will. Some responded in faith. Most did not.

“No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it” (1 Corinthians 10:13 NIV).

Think of that promise and keep a quiet heart! Our enemy delights in disquieting us. Our Savior and Helper delights in quieting us. “As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you” is His promise (Is 66:13, NIV). The choice is ours. It depends on our willingness to see everything in God, receive all from His hand, accept with gratitude just the portion and the cup He offers. Shall I charge Him with a mistake in His measurements or with misjudging the sphere in which I can best learn to trust Him? Has He misplaced me? Is He ignorant of things or people which,in my view, hinder my doing His will?

God came down and lived in this same world as a man. He showed us how to live in this world, subject to its vicissitudes and necessities, that we might be changed-not into an angel or a storybook princess, not wafted into another world, but changed into saints in this world. The secret is Christ in me, not me in a different set of circumstances.

He whose heart is kind beyond all measure
Gives unto each day what He deems best,
Lovingly its part of pain and pleasure,
Mingling toil with peace and rest.
–Lina Sandell, Swedish

Sorry for the length — I really am aware of the need to make my blog posts shorter — but there was just nothing I could cut out.

Though I have read the book before, parts of it multiple times, and frequently given a copy as a gift, this entry really struck home. I read it again today.

I seem to be able to trust in the Lord’s wisdom and control more for the major trials of life than for the little everyday irritations like getting stuck in traffic or dealing with malfunctioning technology. Even though on one level I know the Lord is in control and has a reason for everything He does and allows, there is still part of me that chafes under certain circumstances that seem like such a waste of time and energy. But even those He allows, and I need to rest and trust in Him. “The secret is Christ in me, not me in a different set of circumstances.”

Booking Through Thursday: Villainy

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The Booking Through Thursday question for today is:

Today is the 7th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. I know that not all of you who read are in the U.S., but still, it’s vital that none of us who are decent people forget the scope of disaster that a few, evil people can cause–anywhere in the world. It’s not about religion, it’s not about politics, it’s about the acknowledgment that humans should try to work together, not tear each other apart, even when they disagree.

So, feeling my way to a question here … Terrorists aren’t just movie villains any more. Do real-world catastrophes such as 9/11 (and the bombs in Madrid, and the ones in London, and the war in Darfur, and … really, all the human-driven, mass loss-of-life events) affect what you choose to read? Personally, I used to enjoy reading Tom Clancy, but haven’t been able to stomach his fight-terrorist kinds of books since.

And, does the reality of that kind of heartless, vicious attack–which happen on smaller scales ALL the time–change the way you feel about villains in the books you read? Are they scarier? Or more two-dimensional and cookie-cutter in the face of the things you see on the news?

I don’t think major catastrophes in general change my reading habits. I am generally able to separate book villains from real ones, and in books you know everything will work out in the end (at least the books I read),

I do remember, though, after my good friend’s mother passed away when I was in my early 20s, It was my first experience with the death of someone close, and I reeled at how cavalierly death was handled, especially on TV, but sometimes also in books. I blanched when I heard jokes about death and hoped there was no one watching or listening who had recently lost someone. As a whole our society seemed insensitive to those who were grieving. So at that time I probably could not have read a story involving the death of a loved one. Though I have read many missionary books with parts detailing unimaginable suffering, for a long time I couldn’t read Gracia Burnham’s In the Presence of My Enemies because it was too close — it had happened to people not far from my age group and in my lifetime.

So, though I am not drawn to books dealing in any way with terrorists, if I were, I don’t think I could have read any around that time. We do watch some TV shows and movies with terrorist-driven plots now, but I probably could not have for a long while then.

I was drawn to articles about the different aspects of 9/11 for months afterwards, especially testimonies of people who were there in NY when it happened or family members of those those who were directly involved. The only books I read that dealt with 9/11 specifically were Karen Kingsbury novels One Tuesday Morning and Beyond Tuesday Morning.

More thoughts on 9/11 are in th next post, but I wanted to keep this one strictly in answer to the question.

Booking Through Thursday: Peer Pressure

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The Booking Through Thursday question for today is:

Have you ever felt pressured to read something because ‘everyone else’ was reading it? Have you ever given in and read the book(s) in question or do you resist? If you are a reviewer, etc, do you feel it’s your duty to keep up on current trends?

Curious, maybe, but not pressured. I am influenced by the recommendations of other people I trust and keep a list of those titles to possibly check out, but I don’t feel the pull to jump on the latest literary bandwagon. I prefer to do my own thing. Usually, in fact, I am disappointed in whatever is making the latest buzz in the book world.

If I were a paid book reviewer, that might be a different story — it would depend on who I was working for and what they wanted me to cover. I mostly just review books I like, and as Meghan said, even older books that aren’t well known. In fact, I take pleasure in telling people about those “hidden treasures.”

Booking Through Thursday is a weekly meme which can be found here.

Booking Through Thursday and a Book Meme

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The Booking Through Thursday question for today is:

If you’re anything like me, one of your favorite reasons to read is for the story. Not for the character development and interaction. Not because of the descriptive, emotive powers of the writer. Not because of deep, literary meaning hidden beneath layers of metaphor. (Even though those are all good things.) No … it’s because you want to know what happens next?

Or, um, is it just me?

Actually, I love to read for all those reasons. I have enjoyed the character development in some books even when I wasn’t thrilled with the story. I enjoy a writer who has a good balance of “descriptive, emotive powers” — either of those can be overdone, but when they are done well, they add much to the enjoyment of a book. I love deep meanings and metaphor, again, when they are done well and balanced: when they are too subtle or too obvious, they take away from the story.

But of all those elements, I would have to say the “what comes next” is probably what keeps me most engaged. Character development is probably close to equal of that, but the other elements fall a little flat if the story itself isn’t very good, though they may provide pockets of enjoyment.

I wanted to combine BTT with a book game I saw referenced at Deena‘s (just so as not to have too many posts in one day, as I am working on another one after this): Adam at Letters on Pages wants to know what our favorite biographies and religious books are here.

Well, anyone who reads here much knows I love Christian biographies, especially those of missionaries. It would be hard to narrow it down to one, but if I had to, it would be Amy Carmichael of Dohnavur by Frank Houghton. And my favorite religious nonfiction book, aside from the Bible, would be Changed Into His Image by Jim Berg. One of my earliest posts on my blog was a list of favorite non-fiction books, here.

What’s On Your Nighstand?

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What's On Your Nightstand
 The folks at 5 Minutes For Books host What’s On Your Nightstand? the last Tuesday of each month in which we can share about the books we have been reading and plan to read. You can learn more about it by clicking the link or the button.

I just finished To Kill a Mockingbird and published a review this morning before seeing this carnival. Over the past few years I have been making my way through some classics I had missed. There was no particular reason for choosing this one at this time — it was just on my mental list of classics to explore.

This month I also read It Happens Every Spring, coauthored by Gary Chapman and Catherine Palmer, the first of a series, in order to illustrate through fiction some of Chapman’s teachings about dealing with seasons of marriage. I didn’t realize that most of the series had already been published — I had thought this was a brand new book. So I will definitely be looking for the next ones. I picked it up because I had read and enjoyed many of Catherine Palmer’s other books. She’s quite a prolific author and covers a great variety of settings, but for some reason she’s not an author you hear about as much as some others. My review of this book is here.

I am currently rereading Simple Gifts by Lori Copeland, about a woman from a quite unconventional family — raised by two elderly aunts since her parents were both mentally challenged — who, in trying to get away makes some serious mistakes. Though the main character has many serious issues to face, the book is quite funny. I volunteered to review it for another site, but I am ashamed to say I just didn’t get around to it after reading the book, so I am rereading it to refresh my memory. It was my first reading experience with Lori, and I enjoyed it a lot — and am enjoying it again.

Waiting for me are two other books, Thread of Deceit by Catherine Palmer and Home to Hart’s Crossing by Robin Lee Hatcher, that I bought at the same time as It Happens Every Spring. I have also been wanting to reread To the Golden Shore by Courtney Anderson about the life of America’s first missionary, Adoniram Judson. It is one of my missions in life to encourage people to read missionary biographies old and new. I can’t adequately express what God has done in my heart through such books. Due out this month are two anticipated sequels, The Longing, from The Courtship of Nellie Fisher series by Beverly Lewis, and Sunset by Karen Kingsbury, I believe the last in the long series of series about the Baxter family. I am not sure which classic I will explore next: I have been wanting to reread Les Miserables by Victor Hugo, so I may do that.

It’s looking to be a great reading month!

To join in or see what is on other people’s nightstands, go here.