The Patrick Challenge

The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner

2010-09-18T07:34:00.001+07:00

Title: The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner

Pages: 220

How it was obtained: Library.

Time spent on the "to read" shelf: 3 days.

Days spent reading it: 2 days.

Why I read it: I read a sample chapter on my kindle and it was interesting.

Brief review: I was really interested in this book after reading the first few chapters on my kindle. I thought this was a book that had a lot of potential. The Thief is set in a fictitious nation called Attolia. I believe it is loosely based on ancient Greece at the height of its power. The main character, Gen, is a wonderful narrator. His counterpart, the magus, is a believable and interesting character as well.

As I was reading The Thief, I thought the pace was a little slow. I guess I did not think there was enough adventure throughout this tale. However, I must admit, the last few chapters redeemed this book for me. There are some fantastic turns and developments during the falling action of this novel.

I think anyone who is interested in young adult fantasy type novels would enjoy this little tale. There is a whole series the stems from this first novel. I do not think I will start reading them just yet, but would consider them when I have caught up on some of my reading lists.

Favorite quote: "It is too bad for you that intelligence does not always attend gifts such as yours, and fortunate for me that it is not your intelligence I am interested in, but your skill. If you are as good as you say you are."

Stars: 4 out of 5.

Final Word: Unexpected.

Genius Squad by Catherine Jinks

2010-09-16T09:25:00.001+07:00

Title: Genius Squad by Catherine Jinks

Pages: 436

How it was obtained: Bargain bin at Borders.

Time spent on the "to read" shelf: 1 year.

Days spent reading it: 3 days.

Why I read it: It is a part of the Evil Genius Series.

Brief review: Genius Squad is the follow up novel to Catherine Jinks' young adult novel Evil Genius. I was really looking forward to reading Genius Squad until I actually started reading it. For some reason the book seemed to be really slow to me. Not much happened in the first few hundred pages. I enjoy the character of Cadel, but was not really impressed by the plot of this particular installment. I wonder if Jinks could have trimmed the fat from this book and made it a more readable and enjoyable story in the process.

I know that there is a third installment in this series coming out, but I am not really convinced to pick it up. While the last half of Genius Squad picked up the pace, I just do not feel invested enough to continue the series. Overall Genius Squad falls flat for me.

Stars: 3.5 out of 5.

Final Word: Slow.

Simple Church by Thom S. Rainer and Eric Geiger

2010-09-12T04:50:00.002+07:00

Title: Simple Church: Returning to God's Process for Making Disciples by Thom S. Rainer and Eric Geiger

Pages: 257

How it was obtained: It was given to me by the lead pastor.

Time spent on the "to read" shelf: 0 days.

Days spent reading it: 2 weeks.

Why I read it: As a part of church leadership we decided to read through this book and brainstorm through some ideas about discipleship.

Brief review: Clarity. Movement. Alignment. Focus. These are the four basic principles that the entire book revolves around. The simple argument of Simple Church is that our discipleship process needs to be simple. That's all there is to it. The rest of the book was filler on how that objective is accomplished. We need to have clarity, in other words we need to know what we want to accomplish. We need to have movement, people need to grow, they need to know what the next step in the process is. There needs to be alignment between the different areas of the church. A youth ministry should follow the same process as the adult ministry, etc. Keep everyone on the same page. The hardest element is focus. Cut all the clutter. Are you doing fun things that serve no real purpose? Cut them. Do you have programs that are just there, but not really helping people move forward in their walk? Cut it.

I appreciated the thoughts I found in Simple Church. I think some churches will embrace the message, while others will struggle to reduce the clutter that years of different programs have created. I think this book helps us rethink how we are processing our disciples through our churches. It was certainly worth going through, but I think the churches that need it most will struggle the most to implement the changes the book suggests. I definitely recommend to senior pastors and elders in churches that need some clarification on what they are doing.

Favorite quote: "First Church gives a lot of announcements. People are invited to everything. The Sunday we are here, they announce eight different things. All with passion. All with the "this will change your life and you must come" tone….There is a lot of activity. A lot of busyness. And a lot of complexity. All of it can be justified by the right spokesperson. It just does not fit into a big picture. There is no big picture, no process that guides the ministry."

Stars: 4.5 out of 5.

Final Word: Simple. (Too easy!)

A Canticle For Leibowitz

2010-09-11T00:12:00.000+07:00

Title: A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller, Jr.

Pages: 320

How it was obtained: Library.

Time spent on the "to read" shelf: 1 week

Days spent reading it: 2 weeks

Why I read it: I heard it was a story about life after a nuclear holocaust. That's almost always right up my alley.

Brief review: The world has plunged itself into darkness once again. Nuclear war broke out between America and other nations in the world. From the rubble civilization attempts to rebuild itself. At the heart of this renewal are monastic enclaves which continue to carefully copy any books or documents they can. So as this novel opens, one monk finds a cave filled with documents that date back to just before the world literally blew up. He finds original blueprints from the hand of Leibowitz, who is about to attain sainthood in the church.

A Canticle for Leibowitz explores three different eras after the atomic war. Each one has a unique look at how the world plummeted, but also how it is recovering. These three eras are all based around the abbey that Leibowitz supposedly founded.

What I found interesting about this story compared to other end of the world stories was the clear imprint of the cold war on the author. The book was written in the 1950s, and you can feel the fear and anxiety in every page. This book brilliantly explores the consequences of Mutually Assured Destruction without dwelling too much on the past. A Canticle for Leibowitz does what every good science fiction novel does: it paints a unique world in the future and addresses current world problems within that world. I enjoyed the setting of the monastery, but sometimes the Latin was difficult to follow.

I would definitely recommend this book for sci-fi fans, and people who enjoy a good end of the world book.

Favorite quote: "Are you going to submit to the yoke, son? Or aren't you broken yet? You'll be asked to be the ass He rides into Jerusalem, but it's a heavy load, and it'll break your back, because He's carrying the sins of the world." "I don't think I'm able."

"To minimize suffering and to maximize security were natural and proper ends of society and Caesar. But then they become the only ends, somehow, and the only basis of law—a perversion. Inevitably, then, in seeking only them, we found only their opposites: maximum suffering and minimum security."

Stars: 4 out of 5.

Final Word: Rewarding.

Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld

2010-08-17T06:42:00.001+07:00

Title: Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld

Pages: 440

How it was obtained: Library.

Time spent on the "to read" shelf: 1 ½ weeks.

Days spent reading it: 3 days.

Why I read it: The cover looked cool and it kept getting recommended to me in my amazon searches.

Brief review: Leviathan is set during World War I with a few significant changes. Genetically altered animals serve as the backbone of the British Empire, and mechanical war machines for the German army. This is a futuristic novel written about the past. The story follows two individuals: Alex (the son of the assassinated Archduke of Austria) and Deryn (a girl who disguises herself as a boy to join the air force). The plot kept moving, the characters were interesting, the creativity was flowing. We follow their adventures as these two characters attempt to find safety from their pursuers and eventually join forces. My only gripe is that this was just the first installment of a trilogy and I thought it was a stand alone. But really this is not a bad thing, the story was interesting enough that I would follow a trilogy (I was a little less excited about the possibility of a longer series).

This is a fun introduction to the steam-punk genre if you have never experienced it before. Steam-punk usually involves a story set in the Victorian era and then adds crazy elements from the future back into the era. Like giant mechanical war machines, or flying whale-like airships.

Leviathan was a fun novel, worth the quick read. I would highly recommend to young adults and people who like (or would like to be introduced to) steam-punk.

Favorite quote: "What the Clankers lack in finesse they make up for with blanket ruination."

Stars: 4 out of 5.

Final Word: Beastly.

Fire by Kristen Cashore

2010-08-16T06:32:00.003+07:00

Title: Fire by Kristen Cashore

Pages: 480

How it was obtained: Purchased on the Kindle for Susan.

Time spent on the "to read" shelf: 7 months.

Days spent reading it: 3 days.

Why I read it: I enjoyed Graceling, Cashore's first young adult novel. Thus I read Fire, her second novel in the same world.

Brief review: In Fire, we sort of revisit the world Kristen Cashore created in Graceling. But we are placed a few decades before the events in Graceling and in a different major nation. Fire is about a "monster" girl named Fire. In this world, a monster is any creature (human, lion, mouse) who was born with a magical twist. Monsters are born with unnatural hair color, like Gold or Green or Blue. They also are able to control the minds of those who are weak willed. Furthermore they attract the attention and affection of anyone they encounter. It's a crazy world.

Kristen Cashore delivers a very unique and surreal world yet again in her second novel. I liked the main character and the plot, but it was just a little less great than Graceling. Here's the thing, if I had never read Graceling I would have thought this book was great. Maybe a 5. But Graceling was spell-binding, and Fire just does not live up to that first introduction to Cashore's writing. I enjoyed Fire. I thought her ideas were once again fresh, but I also know how great her writing can be and this was just a little sub-par. I definitely recommend Fire without hesitation, but I would once again recommend Graceling as a superior work of writing.

Favorite quote: "Brigan, could you attempt, at least, to make yourself presentable? I know this is a war, but the rest of us are trying to pretend it's a party."

Stars: 4 out of 5.

Final Word: Imaginative.

The Mysterious Benedict Society and The Prisoner’s Dilemma by Trenton Lee Stewart

2010-08-15T06:50:00.000+07:00

Title: The Mysterious Benedict Society and The Prisoner's Dilemma by Trenton Lee Stewart

Pages: 400.

How it was obtained: This is the first book I ever ordered for my Kindle. Took me awhile to get to it!

Time spent on the "to read" shelf: 7 months.

Days spent reading it: 3 days.

Why I read it: I have enjoyed the Mysterious Benedict Society series and wanted to continue reading through them.

Brief review: The Mysterious Benedict Society (MBS) is a series of books by Trenton Lee Stewart. I absolutely loved the first book in the series. This third book in the series, while not bad, was not as inspired as the original either. The MBS is about three children geniuses and their friends who must outwit an evil mastermind. I guess as I have read this series I found the first book fresh and new, but the subsequent books have had a little of the same old same old genius kid vs. evil genius. I typically love those kind of plots, but this incarnation is getting a touch hackneyed.

What I did enjoy about this book was that it brought the trilogy to a good conclusion. Loose ends were tied up, character arcs were completed. Stewart will probably go on writing more in the series, but here is a clean wrap up for right now. Stewart is a solid writer. His characters are charming, at times annoying, and occasionally brilliant. This is a solid series which entertains, and I think it has greater potential than the two sequels have produced.

I would definitely recommend this series to young adults. Parents and other adults might also enjoy the series, but as I said it is never as inspired as that first installment.

Favorite quote: "Yes, but you're smarter than he is, Reynie. Also, you're not evil."

Stars: 3.5 out of 5.

Final Word: Unoriginal.

Feed by M.T. Anderson

2010-08-07T01:39:00.003+07:00

Title: Feed by M.T. Anderson

Pages: 237

How it was obtained: Library

Time spent on the "to read" shelf: 1 week.

Days spent reading it: 2 days.

Why I read it: Combination of seeing it in the bookstore and then a recommendation from a youth pastor friend of mine.

Brief review: Feed was a fascinating book about our dependence on being connected. In the story people have had implants put in their brains which keep them connected to something like the internet 24/7. While this theme alone would be interesting, Anderson's most incisive themes revolve around our consumer mentality and what it would look like if fueled by a constant barrage of signals to our head telling us to buy new things tailored specifically for us. Feed is a very thought provoking, insightful book. However I have to warn readers about the language. Curse words are prevalent, as I believe Anderson was hoping to capture the feel of the real vernacular of teenagers today. I could see youth talking like this. Sad, but I can see it.

Apart from the language, I would whole-heartedly recommend Feed. It is targeted at young adults, but parents would be wise to read this with their kids and talk about the themes of constant connection and dependence on technology, consumerism, and even suffering and death. Feed is the 1984 for today's youth.

Favorite quote: "I am filled with astonishment at the regularity of your features and the handsome generosity you have shown my daughter. The two of you are close, which gladdens the heart, as close as twin wings torn off the same butterfly."

Stars: 4 out of 5.

Final Word: Thoughtful.

The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick

2010-08-06T01:32:00.000+07:00

Title: The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick

Pages: 534

How it was obtained: Library

Time spent on the "to read" shelf: 0 days.

Days spent reading it: 2 days.

Why I read it: The concept for the book seemed interesting.

Brief review: The Invention of Hugo Cabret is a unique offering. The story is told through two mediums—written words and pictures. The story is about Hugo Cabret who discovers and begins to repair an early prototype of a robotic machine. The story is fairly basic. It follows Hugo as he repairs the machine and introduces a few characters along the way. It is clear that Brian Selznick loved early movies and Hugo's adventures depend on people caring about those kind of movies as well.

Overall I thought this book was only alright. It looked very creative as a media presentation, but the story line was just not that great. The pictures, while moving the plot, also were not my cup of tea. I hope Selznick attempts more books like this because it is a good idea, but it just was not executed as well as it could have been. I would recommend to middle school students who might not like to read too much but do enjoy seeing plots unfold through pictures. Not too bad, not too great.

Favorite quote: "Time can play all sorts of tricks on you. In the blink of an eye, babies appear in carriages, coffins disappear into the ground, wars are won and lost, and children transform, like butterflies, into adults."

Stars: 3.5 out of 5.

Final Word: Different.

The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness

2010-04-25T15:59:00.000+07:00

Title: The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness

Pages: 479.

How it was obtained: Susan got it for my birthday.

Time spent on the "to read" shelf: About a month.

Days spent reading it: 3 days.

Why I read it: I ran across a copy at a bookstore and thought the premise sounded interesting.

Brief review: Holy cow. After reading the first chapter I was hooked. A few more chapters in and the action begins and does not quit. Ever. I loved it. The premise of the book is simple, what if men's thoughts were broadcast out loud for everyone to hear? And that's what happens in this book. Prentisstown is filled with men (just men, no women) whose thoughts are out there for the world to see. It is a form of germ warfare that left the women dead and the men with unfiltered thoughts exposed to the world. They call it "the Noise."

But there are secrets in Pretisstown, and as soon as Todd Hewitt begins to discover a few of these secrets his life changes dramatically and he is forced to flee Prentisstown. As far as the plot goes, that's all I am willing to divulge.

The Knife of Never Letting Go is full of incredible plot twists, revelations, and action. I could not put it down. Ness writes a captivating story that makes you want to press on just a little bit further every time you want to put the book down. I love that.

I would definitely recommend this book. It is marketed as a Young Adult book, but the violence (there is a lot of violence), occasional cursing (including one f-bomb, and many substitutes), and undercurrents of despair would keep me from recommending this outright to youth. Parents should be discerning. On the other hand the premise is very relevant to teens today. The author thought about the idea of the "Noise" is based on the fact that information is becoming more and more prevalent. With social media like facebook it is harder to keep information controlled. It's just out there, noise. What if we could not get away? What if we could never unplug? That thought of not unplugging is what makes the premise behind the plot so compelling. This book was definitely worth reading, and is one of my favorites so far this year. I highly recommend.

Favorite quote: "The Noise is a man unfiltered, and without a filter, a man is just chaos walking."

Stars: 5 out of 5.

Final Word: Non-stop.

To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis

2010-04-24T15:21:00.000+07:00

Title: To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis

Pages: 493.

How it was obtained: I bought it just before we came to Thailand, thinking I might read it on the plane.

Time spent on the "to read" shelf: 8 months.

Days spent reading it: 3 days.

Why I read it: I ran into the book a few times from browsing or seeing book recommendations and decided to check it.

Brief review: About 75 pages into the book I almost put it down for good. I was so confused and disappointed I just about called it quits. By page 100 I could not put it down. The rest of the book flew by, and I could not praise it enough. I understand why Connie Willis wrote the first 75 pages like she did, but it sure annoyed me. But listen to this, if you can endure those first 75 pages you will find a delightful, funny, chaotic, and charming book. The main character Ned Henry, is a time traveler who is sent back in time to find the bishop's bird stump. The fact that this object is not explained for almost 300 pages did irk me, and was entirely unnecessary. In his search, Ned gets a bad case of time lag and is ordered to find rest. He jumps to Victorian era England, and that is when the book begins to shine. Willis' writing style vaguely reminded me of P.G. Wodehouse (although Willis is not nearly as outright funny or entertainingly absurd).

Ned runs into a fellow time traveler, Verity, who may have accidentally set in motion the destruction of the space-time continuum by taking something into the future which should not have been taken. I know I am not doing this book justice in rehashing the plot (because the plot just gets crazier and crazier). Let me just say there is a little bit of everything in this book. It reads almost like a timeless classic novel with an additional touch of sci-fi, and mystery, and a lot of wit.

I do not think this book is for everyone, but I would definitely recommend it to people who are up for something a little more unique. Here is a book that breaks from traditional genre boundaries and is not quite like anything I have ever read before.

Favorite quote: "Come here, cat. You wouldn't want me to destroy the space-time continuum, would you?"

Stars: 4.5 out of 5.

Final Word: Unpredictable.

Ghost by Fred Burton

2010-04-21T22:13:00.002+07:00

Title: Ghost: Confessions of a Counterterrorism Agent by Fred Burton

Pages: 275.

How it was obtained: I borrowed it from a friend.

Time spent on the "to read" shelf: 1 week.

Days spent reading it: 1 week.

Why I read it: Since I've talked about dreaming about being a spy, my friend Kristen suggested I read this real life account of a counterterrorist. She handed me this book and told me it was fascinating. Of course I had to read it after that glowing endorsement!

Brief review: This is the story of Fred Burton, a cop who joins the Diplomatic Security Service. On his first day he is put into the Counterterrorism branch, a division in the 1980s that consisted of 1 veteran, and now 2 rookies. And his story is gripping. As Burton is thrown into the underworld of terrorism in the 80s, he makes it clear that America was in a very precarious position in our security measures. Burton becomes an expert on the Middle East.

Burton's tale is intriguing, scary, and informative. It will force you to think about all the work that goes into keeping America safe. Even though most of the book is written about the 80s and 90s, it is so poignant to today's milieu. 9/11 looms ever present in the background of Burton's narrative. He sees it coming, and he sees something like it coming again because when people want to destroy your way of life, they will find a way around the security measures and safety measures you have developed over time. There are gaps in security everywhere. That is the haunting part about reading this book.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone interested in the counterterrorism efforts of America. Burton loves his country. But more importantly, the part I really liked about this book, is that Burton never seems to lose his sense of moral right and wrong. He begins to see more shades of gray, but he makes a clear declaration that some things are good and some things are evil. What a breath of fresh air from the often ambiguous "Dark World." There is a lot we can learn from Burton's work as a DSS agent, and it made for compelling reading.

Favorite quote: "Justice became just another bargaining chip. This is the way the world works. We've got to make these deals if we're ever going to bring the cartels down and take out their leadership. Still the idea that U.S. Marshals have to guard a man like Victor makes my skin crawl. Though logically I recognize that the Dark World is morally ambiguous, I cling to my black-and-white view of things. Right and wrong, they are the pillars of what I stand for and believe in. But the big gray gap between them just got a little bigger today…. I've got to be careful in this business. If I let it own me, I'll lose my moral compass like so many others in the past."

Stars: 4 out of 5.

Final Word: Spooky.

Beyond the Shadows by Brent Weeks

2010-04-20T22:22:00.002+07:00

Title: Beyond the Shadows by Brent Weeks

Pages: 689.

How it was obtained: Birthday present from Susan.

Time spent on the "to read" shelf: 2 weeks.

Days spent reading it: 1 week.

Why I read it: I wanted to finish the trilogy.

Brief review: This final installment of the Night Angel Trilogy did not disappoint. I did not love it as much as the first two books, but it holds its own with other books in the fantasy genre. Beyond the Shadows begins to set the stage for a much larger world that Weeks is sure to explore. It is almost like he has figured out the micro level of this world, and now he wants to expand it to the macro level. I almost saw this book as the introduction to the entire rest of the world that Weeks has developed. There is so much going on: different kingdoms begin moving, characters we have been following since the first book now become major players in their political realms, all kinds of fun stuff. Events come together and leave us with a satisfying, if all too soon, conclusion to this trilogy.

Beyond the Shadows reveals answers to many of the burning questions we have had since The Way of the Shadow. And the answers are both believable and satisfying. At the same time, I want more. I want more background. I want to hear more about the original war that serves as a backdrop to the current world. I want to hear more about the origins of the magical artifacts in this book. In short, Weeks gives us a peak into a world that has so much to offer. I hope Weeks continues to write stories that are this good, because once you are done with his books you simply want more. I can think of no higher praise for a writer. This trilogy was well worth reading. It was so much fun. I loved Week's pace, character, and plot development. Sure, he can learn more about this craft, but Brent Weeks is definitely an author to keep your eyes on in the future. He delivers a superior adventure to his readers. I highly recommend.

Favorite quote: "It was beautiful. It was amazing. It was the best feeling of his whole life, right until he threw up."

Stars: 4.5 out of 5.

Final Word: Satisfying.

Shadow’s Edge by Brent Weeks

2010-04-19T22:29:00.000+07:00

Title: Shadow's Edge by Brent Weeks

Pages: 636.

How it was obtained: Birthday present from Susan.

Time spent on the "to read" shelf: 1 week.

Days spent reading it: 4 days.

Why I read it: It is the second installment of the Night Angel Trilogy.

Brief review: In this sequel to The Way of the Shadows, Brent Weeks develops the plot and characters of his fantastic world.

This was my favorite installment of the trilogy. I appreciated the growth of some of the main characters. Tough decisions are made. Not everything goes right for our heroes. The bad guys prevail to some degree. What I love most is how Kylar is forced to decide between who he wants to be and who he is destined to be. Interesting thoughts are given about power and responsibility. What is the cost for our comfortable lives?

I also really like how Weeks develops Vi, a minor character in the first book who becomes a major character in the rest of the trilogy. She is complex and difficult. She is a great foil for the heroism of Kylar.

Shadow's Edge is a great second book in a trilogy. Its action is slower than the first book, and it does not have the plot revelations of the final installment, but the character development and setup for the finale are superior. This book is a great continuation of a very fun fantasy series.

Favorite quote: "Because he is the Shadow That Walks. Because he believes some people cannot be saved, only stopped. Because when he kills an evil man, I feel not just the pleasure of mastery, I feel the whole world's pleasure at the retribution—an evil man is an affront and I erase the blot. I balance the imbalance."

Stars: 5 out of 5.

Final Word: Developed.

The Magician’s Elephant by Kate DiCamillo

2010-03-26T23:18:00.002+07:00

Title: The Magician's Elephant by Kate DiCamillo

Pages: 201.

How it was obtained: It was a birthday gift.

Time spent on the "to read" shelf: 4 days.

Days spent reading it: 1 day.

Why I read it: Because I love everything Kate DiCamillo writes.

Brief review: The Magician's Elephant is another wonderful tale by Kate DiCamillo. It is about a boy, a magician, an elephant, and a sister believed to be lost. But it is about so much more. I love how DiCamillo weaves in themes of love, freedom, hope, and redemption into this compact tale.

The Magician's Elephant is written like a bedtime story or a fairy tale. What if the impossible happened in this world? What if a magician, one day, summoned an elephant into a small town? That's where DiCamillo's tale begins, and it is a journey worth taking. Her hero Peter, is very loveable. His quest is very noble. You will fall in love with him from the first page.

I would not say this is DiCamillo's best work, but it still shines. The Magician's Elephant is sure to capture your heart, break it a little, and then sweep you into a satisfying conclusion. I would highly recommend this book, it is definitely worth taking an afternoon and reading from start to finish.

Favorite quote:
"What if?" he said to the policeman.
"Why not?" said Leo back to him. He smiled.
"Enough," said Gloria.
"No," said Leo Matienne, "not enough. Never enough. We must ask ourselves these questions as often as we dare. How will the world change if we do not question it?"

Stars: 5 out of 5.

Final Word: Magical.

The Way of Shadows by Brent Weeks

2010-03-25T14:50:00.002+07:00

Title: The Way of Shadows by Brent Weeks

Pages: 655.

How it was obtained: Susan got it for me for my birthday.

Time spent on the "to read" shelf: 0 days.

Days spent reading it: 4 days.

Why I read it: I was looking forward to a good fantasy novel. This gift for my birthday fit the bill.

Brief review: The Way of Shadows has many of your typical fantasy clichés. An orphan grows up in the rough streets, but it is revealed that he is special. Orphan trains under master assassin and infiltrates the upper class through an assumed identity. Orphan becomes awesome weapon of vengeance. Despite all of that The Way of Shadows was an extremely entertaining and well told thread. There are surprise twists. There are alterations to the genre archetype. The pacing of this novel was perfect. I never wanted to put it down. The next turn in the story always came at just the right moment.

On top of that, there are some great characters in this book. The main character Azoth/Kylar is wonderfully drawn. But the side characters, like Master Durzo Blint, at points outshine everyone else. Brent Weeks has made complex and unpredictable (not in a bad way) characters.

There were a few patches of description that I could not follow Week's descriptions about. Not a problem except at one point it was about the main artifact in the story. I just could not quite follow what I was being revealed about the significance of an event. But this only happened twice, and I was able to work past it.

I would highly recommend this book to lovers of fantasy. But I would warn potential readers, this book has adult situations and quite a bit of cursing in it. Beyond that, this book shines. I was not expecting it to be as entertaining as it turned out to be, and I was pleasantly surprised. I look forward to reading the rest of the trilogy.

Favorite quote: "The feeling of mail parting, of leather parting, of flesh parting along the icy judgment that was Retribution was the best feeling in the world. Kylar was lost in a madness, a kind of bizarre, meditation, spinning, thrusting, lunging, cleaving, piercing, battering, smashing, ruining faces, snuffing futures. It passed all too quickly. For in what couldn't have been more than half a minute, every last Khalidoran was dead. None was even dying. The killing wrath was nothing if not thorough."

Stars: 5 out of 5.

Final Word: Captivating.

The Magicians by Lev Grossman

2010-03-24T15:05:00.001+07:00

Title: The Magicians by Lev Grossman

Pages: 416.

How it was obtained: Bought it on my kindle.

Time spent on the "to read" shelf: 0 days.

Days spent reading it: 3 days.

Why I read it: I saw this book recommended on Amazon as a selection for the best of the month. The description sounded interesting, so I checked it out.

Brief review: I had just finished a string of great books, and was looking for a great follow up. Sadly The Magicians let me down. After a very promising introductory section, this book never quite lived up to the potential I thought it had. Our main protagonist in this story is Quentin. He is smart, obsessive, and one day he finds out he can do real magic. He is brought into a secret school and taught how to use his power in the real world. In Grossman's world, magic is difficult to learn. It takes practice, obsessive practice, to learn even the most elementary of spells. I thought his system was interesting.

The book is well written, and the plot is acceptable. My problem with the book comes in the form of the characters and the setting. The characters are just too depressing for words. All of the anxiety and depression and escape mechanisms of the Millennial Generation seem to be focused in a handful of characters in this book. There is just a touch of redeeming value in some of the main characters as the book comes to a close, but it seems like too little too late for me.

My other problem is that a large part of the book is set in finding, or exploring a world called Fillory. Fillory is obviously based on Lewis' Narnia. And so blatantly it was actually distracting to me. Maybe Grossman really loved Lewis's works and wanted to revisit them in his own writings, but it seemed a little odd to me.

I liked this book, I did not love it. I felt there was a lot of potential, but it was squandered on making me feel depressed by the character's lack of good judgment and decency.

Favorite quote: "He had reached the outer limits of what Fun, capital F, could do for him. The cost was way too high, the returns pitifully inadequate. His mind was dimly awakening, too late, to other things that were as important, or even more so."

Stars: 3 out of 5.

Final Word: Depressing.

Why We’re Not Emergent (By Two Guys Who Should Be) by Kevin DeYoung and Ted Kluck

2010-03-23T20:38:00.003+07:00

Title: Why We're Not Emergent (By Two Guys Who Should Be) by Kevin DeYoung and Ted Kluck

Pages: 256.

How it was obtained: I bought it for my kindle.

Time spent on the "to read" shelf: 2 days.

Days spent reading it: 3 days.

Why I read it: I have a love/uneasy relationship with the Emergent movement. Ever since I first read Velvet Elvis by Rob Bell, I knew something big was going down. But I was not sure if I liked, or did not like this new movement. I knew this book would be a thoughtful counter-point to the Emergent movement, and put it on my reading list as soon as I heard about it.

Brief review: Why We're Not Emergent is an insightful book that evaluates the Emergent movement. Kevin DeYoung and Ted Kluck have done their homework. They have read the major authors (McLaren, Jones, Bell, Kimball; you name them, they've read them to some extent). In this book, DeYoung and Kluck take on a huge task of synthesizing the beliefs of the Emergent movement and interacting with them on a theological and philosophical level. The result is a thought provoking addition to this discussion about the Emergent church.

The book is set up so that the authors alternate chapters. DeYoung's chapters are an academic look at the Emergent movement. He takes a look at the big picture stuff. I liked these chapters the most. DeYoung takes what Emergent authors have said and evaluates their statements in light of scripture and philosophical merit. So you have chapters about The Bible, Doctrine, Modernism, and throughout the whole book a discussion about the merits and shortcomings of Postmodernism. I found DeYoung to be informed and informative. He gives a (I think) fair overview of the Emergent movement's thoughts and ideas and where those thoughts will take them.

Kluck's chapters are more about the personal exploration of the Emergent movement. It was told as if it was a memoir about Kluck's journey into and out of the Emergent movement. I'm sure it will resonate with some readers who are more story oriented. For me, it was down time between the real substance chapters of the book. I am also sure they do this intentionally because Emergents love a good story, and Kluck knows how to write.

I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to think more or understand more about the Emergent movement and its role in American Christianity. I think this book tries to be fair to the movement. I really think DeYoung and Kluck are sympathetic to the Emergent's cry that something is wrong. At the same time, DeYoung and Kluck are unwilling to bend on some doctrinal and philosophic truths that they see as a foundation for their beliefs. For my two cents, I think the Emergent movement raises some valid concerns about our ecclesiology, but I am uneasy with their epistemology and sometimes with their view on Scripture and doctrine. This book was easy to read, and I think it is a great addition to the conversation. Check it out if you have any interest in the movement or the conversation, you won't regret it.

Favorite quote: "But let us not forget: Jesus is more than a coping mechanism. We may desire sweet fellowship with a kind, caring Jesus, but if He is to help us in any real way, He must be more than a sensitive good listener—He must be strong, exalted, and mighty."

Stars: 5 out of 5.

Final Word: Thoughtful.

Counterfeit Gods by Timothy Keller

2010-03-21T20:59:00.000+07:00

Title: Counterfeit Gods: The Empty Promises of Money, Sex, and Power, and the Only Hope that Matters by Timothy Keller

Pages: 240.

How it was obtained: I bought it for my kindle.

Time spent on the "to read" shelf: 0 days.

Days spent reading it: 5 days.

Why I read it: We are working through a sermon series based on this book in my church. I am scheduled to preach based on two chapters from the book, so I imagine I really needed to understand the whole argument before I preached my part of it.

Brief review: In Counterfeit Gods, Keller forces us to search our hearts and our souls for the idols that keep us from following God. His words are like a prophetic call against our culture and everything we hold dear but God does not. I enjoyed the basic structure of this book. In each of the chapters he covers an idol of our heart, and how our culture has generally embraced that idol as an ultimate thing. He also uses one Biblical account for each idol he talks about. For example he uses the story of Zaccheus when talking about the idol of money. Keller tackles the big "idols" like power, love, and money. In every account he challenges each individual to take account of how a particular idol may be dwelling in our hearts without us even knowing it.

I thought Counterfeit Gods was a solid effort by Keller to expose and redeem some major ailments in American culture. It was challenging, informative, and insightful. I admit when he was talking about some economic and political policies I felt in a little over my head, but it was not Keller's fault as much as my own ignorance of the topics themselves. I felt this book echoed, in broad terms, some of the same ideas found in The Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer. This is not a dismissal of Keller's work, just an observation that similar topics were handled and sometimes in similar ways.

I would recommend Counterfeit Idols. I think Keller is a decent writer, but more importantly his words need to be heard and applied. He believes very strongly in exposing the sin of individuals and societies, but also in redeeming those sins through the work of the Cross.

Favorite quote: "The human heart is indeed a factory that mass-produces idols."

Stars: 4 out of 5.

Final Word: Relevant.

Stardust by Neil Gaiman

2010-03-16T17:59:00.000+07:00

Title: Stardust by Neil Gaiman

Pages: 333

How it was obtained: Susan and I bought it after we watched the movie.

Time spent on the "to read" shelf: 3 years.

Days spent reading it: 2 days.

Why I read it: After my wife and I watched the movie, we thought we'd read the book. So we did.

Brief review: After watching the movie, Susan and I decided we just had to read this book. The basic plot is a young man named Tristran wants to impress a girl, so he promises to retrieve a fallen star. Tristran lives on a border town called Wall that stands between the normal world and a magical realm. His quest takes him into this magical world and great adventure ensues. Tristran is not the only one searching for the star. Also in the mix are some nasty witches who kill stars for power, and the princes of Stormhold who must retrieve the pendant that the star has in order to become the next king. Stardust is a great adventure story set in a fantastic world. Gaiman's vision is unique and his storytelling is wonderful. He is a very witty writer, and generally easy to read. I enjoyed the book quite a bit.

Now here is the odd part, because I never say this. I liked the movie a lot more. Seriously, I never say that. But the movie adapted many parts of the storyline, and instead of diminishing the story it actually enhanced the story. I think the movie captured the love, adventure, and trials better than the book. I enjoyed the growth of Tristran more in the movie. I enjoyed the quirky side characters more in the movie. The liberties that the movie took never detracted, but only enhanced the vision of the book. It could have been that with time Gaiman was able to refine his ideas and made them even better. Anyhow, that is just my opinion and I know it was skewed by the fact that I watched the movie first, but the movie definitely captured the magic of this story way better than the book mustered. So I would recommend the book, it was definitely a good book. But if you want to see the full potential of this story, check out the movie. It is one of my favorites released in the past few years.

Favorite quote:

"Wine, milord?"…

"I am afraid not, I have a personal superstition that, until the day I see my brother's corpse cold on the ground before me, I shall drink only my own wine, and eat only food I have obtained and prepared myself."

Stars: 4.5 out of 5.

Final Word: Sparkling.

Samson and the Pirate Monks by Nate Larkin

2010-03-15T11:17:00.000+07:00

Title: Samson and the Pirate Monks: Calling Men to Authentic Community by Nate Larkin

Pages: 224.

How it was obtained: I purchased it on my kindle.

Time spent on the "to read" shelf: 1 day.

Days spent reading it: 2 days.

Why I read it: I heard about this book from some youth pastor friends a year or so ago, and decided I would check it out when I got the opportunity.

Brief review: There seems to be a surge in books dedicated to revitalizing men's ministry in churches. Samson and the Pirate Monks deserves to be considered by any church thinking about their men's ministry. From the first page, Nate Larkin will grab your attention and takes you for a ride. He talks about his battle with pornography and sexual addiction in a brutally honest way.

What is great is that Larkin writes as a fellow pilgrim on the path. He finds victory, but is not willing to let that victory become a source of complacency or pride. The pattern laid out in this book for the Samson Society meetings is simple. Get a handful of men together, allow them to be open and honest with their story, walk with them through the good and bad times, and continue to create community through shared struggles. He uses elements from AA meetings, church small groups, and a few unique contributions.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in seeing men spiritually grow. One vital suggestion that Larkin makes at the end of the book is that a pastor should not lead (and if possible, not be present) at a Samson meeting in his own church. He needs to go somewhere else so that men do not automatically defer to him as "The Leader." And he needs a place that he can be open and honest as well. I think this is a good suggestion, so pastors if you are interested in helping your men's ministry do yourselves a favor—read this book, and give it away to some men in your church, and let them take ownership of this ministry if they are interested.

Men, pick up this book. Read it. Think about it. Give it to other guys. And think about starting a Samson Society. Ladies, grab this book and give it to your man. It's not for you, but it might be a lifeline for your man.

Favorite quote: "Let's face it, the reason many guys have stopped telling the truth in church is because churches actively discourage truthfulness. Even in Christian men's groups, the cost of candor is usually painfully high, the punitive response to it swift and decisive. You've probably seen that poor fellow who decided one day to be hones in a Christian meeting..."

Stars: 5 out of 5.

Final Word: Arrrrrrrr!!!

The Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson

2010-03-12T19:46:00.002+07:00

Title: The Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson

Pages: 748.

How it was obtained: I bought it at a bookstore.

Time spent on the "to read" shelf: 1 year.

Days spent reading it: 7 days.

Why I read it: It is the final book in a trilogy.

Brief review: The Hero of Ages is the concluding volume to a fantastic trilogy. I accidently stumbled upon Sanderson's work when, on a whim, I checked out his first book, Elantris, from my library. I liked it, and when his next novel Mistborn: The Final Empire came out I grabbed it. Let me say, this trilogy has been phenomenal. Sanderson has created a world with great depth. His plots are surprising and fresh. I love his characters. And his climactic scenes are mind-blowing.

With that endorsement of the trilogy, I must say Hero of the Ages is Sanderson at his best. For me, many authors fail to recapture the wonder of their first ground-breaking book. There is that element of something new and special that is often lost in the following sequels. That is not the case with Hero of the Ages. It captured all of the magic and gave a satisfying conclusion that left me wanting more. The story finished, but there is so much more about this world that I want to know about. I highly recommend this series. If you like fantasy, Brandon Sanderson is a must read author. Pick up the Mistborn series, it is worth your time and money. Sanderson will not disappoint.

Favorite quote: Elend to Vin (the love of his life and wife)

"You have to admit that you're unusual, Vin. You're like some strange mixture of a noblewoman, a street urchin, and a cat. Plus, you've managed—in our short three years together—to kill not only my god, but my father, my brother, and my fiancée. That's kind of like a homicidal hat trick. It's a strange foundation for a relationship wouldn't you say?"

Stars: 5 out of 5.

Final Word: Epic.

Sin, Salvation, & Shadowmancer by G.P. Taylor

2010-03-10T17:09:00.001+07:00

Title: Sin, Salvation & Shadowmancer by G.P. Taylor as told by Bob Smietana

Pages: 248

How it was obtained: It was leant to me by a member in my small group.

Time spent on the "to read" shelf: 2 weeks.

Days spent reading it: 2 days.

Why I read it: I read it at the recommendation of a friend.

Brief review: After reading Shadowmancer, I was a little weary of reading this autobiography of G.P. Taylor. But I picked it up and started reading anyways. After just a few pages I was sucked into Taylor's life. Wow! This is an amazing tale of a man who has been through it all. From his Sunday School conversion to his addiction to drugs, alcohol, and sex. G.P. Taylor's life is anything but ordinary. He worked as a music promoter, was a roadie for the Sex Pistols, and through the power of God walked away from his addictions and began to live a completely new life. He became a cop, then a vicar, then an international bestselling author. I'm still in shock at how his book, Shadowmancer, did so well; but that's the publishing industry for you.

I would definitely recommend picking up this autobiography (that's really written by someone else—a la Malcolm X). It was a fascinating account of a man whose life was transformed by the power of the gospel. He shares his life very openly. The honesty of this book was impressive. He talks about life right up to the time of when this book was written. He still struggles, but is definitely struggling to finish the race well. This book was worth picking up and reading, very inspirational. (And you can definitely pass on Shadowmancer, no knowledge of the book is necessary to understand the autobiography).

Favorite quote: "I went into the police force and thought I had escaped God's call. In response, God used my experiences as a copper to prepare me for ministry. I'd need a strong back and broad shoulders to be a vicar, because ministry is a hard business."

Stars: 5 out of 5.

Final Word: Stunning.

Love, Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli

2010-03-08T20:59:00.005+07:00

Title: Love, Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli

Pages: 274

How it was obtained: I bought it at Border's.

Time spent on the "to read" shelf: 9 months.

Days spent reading it: 4 days.

Why I read it: This book is the sequel to Stargirl, which I loved. So I was looking forward to reading it.

Brief review: I looked forward to reading Love, Stargirl since I heard it was coming out. The original Stargirl was a great twist on the boy meets girl tale, and I thought the sequel would be just as original. Sadly this book did not live up to the standard set by its predecessor.

Love, Stargirl is written as if it was Stargirl's journal. So it is not a straightforward tale, instead it follows the everyday exploits of our heroine. Some days are interesting; others, not so much. The love story that made the first book so wonderful is missing and instead Stargirl is paired up with a 6 year old named Dootsie, and a myriad of random people from the town.

My biggest problem with the story is that I have read the same plot before. Because of Winn-Dixie has many of the same elements, these include: multi-generational misfits in town pulled together by an especially loving girl, big celebration at the end, and a random pet that serves a major character. The truth is Because of Winn-Dixie was much better and written years before. And the sad thing is that Stargirl is such an original character, it is a shame to see her wasted in a regurgitation of a tried and true plot.

I wanted to like, Love, Stargirl, but it just was not that great. The slow beginning picks up by the end, and the theme of love and loss is handled very well, but this book is just sub-par compared to the original material. Not terrible, but not great. Stargirl fans are sure to pick it up, but they would preserve their memory of Stargirl better if they left this one on the shelf. Really it is my respect for the original Stargirl that compels me to be honest in evaluating this offering by Spinelli.

Favorite quote: "May our reunion be not a finding but a sweet collision of destinies!"

Stars: 3 out of 5.

Final Word: Unoriginal.

Shadowmancer by G.P. Taylor

2010-03-05T21:13:00.004+07:00

Title: Shadowmancer by G.P. Taylor

Pages: 274

How it was obtained: A friend lent it to me.

Time spent on the "to read" shelf: A few days.

Days spent reading it: 3 days.

Why I read it: It was recommended by someone in my small group.

Brief review: Shadowmancer is the creation of G.P. Taylor, a vicar in England. The story is about a corrupt priest named Demurral who calls upon the powers of darkness and unleashes spiritual forces he does not understand and cannot control. The protagonists are Thomas and Kate, young adults from the town who stumble across Demurral's plan. They are teamed up with Raphah, a mysterious person from Africa who is shipwrecked by Demurral.

I thought I might enjoy this book, but I found it hard to really get into at the beginning. The writing was slow and cumbersome. The characters were flat or over-the-top caricatures. The plot was a little cheesy. One quirk about the book that bothered me was that for a book that was openly and boldly Christian, it presents God's name as "Riathamus" and Satan's name as "Pyratheon." After a quick check on google to make sure I wasn't crazy it seems that Riathamus and Pyratheon are just made up names. {Quick edit: Riathamus means King of Kings, and was used in reference to King Arthur. I have no idea in which dialect, but there you go. I still have no idea about Pyratheon either.} They probably have meaning for G.P. Taylor, but to me this just seemed like a gimmick to mask what religion he was talking about. Everything else was so blatantly Christian, down to quotes from the Bible, it seemed odd that he would use these made up names. Other authors like Ted Dekker have done something similar, and I did not like it when they did it either.

I wanted to like this book, but I found it had too many flaws for me to really appreciate. Others clearly disagree with me, because Shadowmancer became a runaway hit both in England and the US. But for me, Shadowmancer falls flat. I am delighted to see Christian fiction that people are interested in reading, but I am sorry that I cannot embrace it along with them.

Favorite quote: "Please, Captain Farrell, do one thing. Kill him. I don't care how you do it, you can bore him to death if you want to, but I want him dead. Throw him from the cliff, have him crushed by a stampeding flock of sheep, do anything, but please KILL HIM!"

Stars: 2 out of 5.

Final Word: Awkward.

All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy

2010-03-03T17:01:00.002+07:00

Title: All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy

Pages: 302

How it was obtained: I bought it from half.com just before my departure for Thailand.

Time spent on the "to read" shelf: 6 months.

Days spent reading it: 3 days.

Why I read it: After finishing No Country for Old Men, I wanted some more of McCarthy's

voice in my head.

Brief review: Having read two phenomenal novels by Cormac McCarthy I was dying for a little more. I wanted more of his sparse dialogues, driving plot, and beautiful prose. So I started reading All the Pretty Horses. I was a little disappointed. Yes, the words came from McCarthy, but they were not as magical as other books I had read by him. In All the Pretty Horses John Grady Cole sets out on his horse from the ranch his mother is selling and travels to Mexico. He is the perfect wandering cowboy. He travels with his friend Rawlins, as they meander further and further south into Mexico.

McCarthy gives a wonderful tale of Cole as he travels and works and falls in love. As with many the other books I have read by McCarthy, trouble soon finds Cole and violence ensues. I love how McCarthy paints a life of hardship and injustice in the here and now, but that ultimately there is hope. I did not enjoy this book as much as I thought I would, but I actually love how All the Pretty Horses draws on themes of desperation and injustice and our longing for things to be right. The reader is drawn into a world that is not fair and we demand that things be set right. I think McCarthy does a phenomenal job of walking a line between gritty reality and the falsely optimistic.

I know this book was good, I just did not like it as much as other books that I have read by McCarthy. I would recommend reading some of his other work instead (The Road, No Country for Old Men), but I believe fans will not be disappointed in this book, it did win a number of awards and was a national bestseller after all.

Favorite quote: "He thought the world's heart beat at some terrible cost and that the world's pain and its beauty moved in a relationship of diverging equity and that in this headlong deficit the blood of multitudes might ultimately be exacted for the vision of a single flower."

Stars: 3.5 out of 5

Final Word: Harsh.

No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy

2010-03-01T16:45:00.002+07:00

Title: No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy

Pages: 309

How it was obtained: I bought it off of half.com just before I came to Thailand.

Time spent on the "to read" shelf: 6 months.

Days spent reading it: 3 days.

Why I read it: Since I enjoyed The Road so much, I thought I would try some more McCarthy. I also watched the movie (which was phenomenal), so I knew I had a good chance of enjoying the book.

Brief review: Cormac McCarthy has become one of my favorite writers after reading just a few of his books. His ability to tell a story is epic. No Country for Old Men traces the story of Llewellyn Moss after he finds two million dollars in a desert drug deal gone wrong. He is chased through the book by the unstoppable Chigurh. Chigurh intends to retrieve the money for his employers and he stops at nothing to make that happen. Chigurh has no real moral compass. He uses a coin to determine the fate of the unlucky souls who he encounters in the chase. In contrast to Chigurh is Sheriff Ed Tom Bell. He's an old school sheriff who has no idea how to deal with the evil that he gets a glimpse of in this story.

I loved a few things about this book. First, I love the voice of Sheriff Bell. At the beginning of every chapter the sheriff has some rumination or explanation of something from his life. I felt like he was sitting right there next to me explaining the mysteries of the universe. These passages are simply profound and beautiful, especially in contrast to the insanity of cat and mouse that permeates the rest of the book. Second, I love McCarthy's prose. It is sparse at times, but so deep. The conversations between characters often made my heart want to jump out of my chest. The terse dialogue is deceptive, because the words seem to come from the depths of the heart. And since the words are so few, everyone seems to count for a hundred. Third, I love how this tale is more about good versus evil than anything else. It's incredible how the lives of ordinary people are thrown into chaos by seemingly innocuous decisions.

I loved this book. I would definitely recommend it, but I realize not everyone will appreciate McCarthy's sparse narrative. I think if you read The Road and were looking for another McCarthy book, this one will probably be pleasing to you. I would also recommend the movie, which was beautifully captured by the Coen Brothers. I watched the movie first, but in hindsight could see where they lifted conversations and situations directly from the novel. It was very true to the source material. My only caution is that it is violent and it will haunt you well after it is finished. I love books that leave you thinking well after they are finished, this was one of those books. It is sure to be a classic.

Favorite quote: "I had no say in the matter. Every moment in your life is a turning and every one a choosing. Somewhere you made a choice. All followed to this. The accounting is scrupulous. The shape is drawn. No line can be erased. I had no belief in your ability to move a coin to your bidding. How could you? A person's path through the world seldom changes and even more seldom will it change abruptly. And the shape of your path was visible from the beginning."

Stars: 5 out of 5.

Final Word: Haunting.

Messy Spirituality by Michael Yaconelli

2010-02-27T21:20:00.000+07:00

Title: Messy Spirituality: God's Annoying Love for Imperfect People by Michael Yaconelli

Pages: 141

How it was obtained: It was sitting on my book shelf at the office.

Time spent on the "to read" shelf: I just picked it up and started reading it.

Days spent reading it: 3 days.

Why I read it: I've been interested in reading this book for awhile. It is often lumped into discussions about spiritual formation along with Abba's Child by Brennan Manning and Return of the Prodigal Son by Henri Nouwen. So I have been interested in reading it for quite some time.

Brief review: Messy Spirituality is a book about unconventional Christian growth. It is a book for people who are willing to admit they are spiritual losers. The premise of the book is that none of us is perfect, and we will not be. But God loves messy people. He loves entering their lives and transforming them. But most of all, God loves us even when we are not cleaned up and polished after he saves us.

I think there are a number of great principles in this book. I think a lot of people feel like they do not follow after God hard enough. They don't DO enough. This book is a healthy corrective to that mentality. Messy Spirituality is full of anecdote after anecdote of imperfect people trying to live by grace. Many people have been hurt by their churches because they do not fit the mold of perfection (and legalism). What I like about Messy Spirituality is that it reminds me that all of us are broken people and need God's grace every day. Some of us are just more blatant than others.

I agree with a lot of what Yaconelli says in this book. I agree that people are broken. Even Christians are broken. I loved what he had to say about us being spiritual losers. We get things wrong and we need to rely on God's grace. However, my biggest complaint about this book is that sometimes Yaconelli seems to revel in defiance. At times the message almost (or maybe it does) comes out as a blatant disregard for actual growth. We should never get rid of our rough edges. We should stay defiant and allow our imperfections to run along unchecked. I think there is something to be said for being real, and embracing our brokenness. It is something else to want to stay there. I think Jesus did so much more for us on the cross than simply allow us to join him. He takes us broken and hurt and dirty. But I think he also wants to transform us. And it is a process, and it will take time, but I think real growth and real maturity is possible. I'm not sure Yaconelli's book teaches the same.

I would recommend this book to people who struggle with wanting to (or needing to) feel like they are perfect. I would also give it to those who feel the exact opposite. I think there are great words of encouragement in this book. There are great stories of God's love. I think it just falls a little short of helping us to truly grow.

Favorite quote: "Spiritual growth is more than a procedure; it's a wild search for God in the tangled jungle of our souls, a search which involves a volatile mix of messy reality, wild freedom, frustrating stuckness, increasing slowness, and a healthy dose of gratitude."

Stars: 3.5 out of 5.

Final Word: Messy.

Evil Genius by Catherine Jinks

2010-02-14T21:00:00.001+07:00

Title: Evil Genius by Catherine Jinks

Pages: 542

How it was obtained: I bought it from a clearance sale at Borders.

Time spent on the "to read" shelf: 1 year.

Days spent reading it: 4 days.

Why I read it: I enjoyed the Reformed Vampire Society by Jinks, and I decided I would read this much acclaimed book by her as well.

Brief review: I love books about genius kids. I guess I always wished I was a child prodigy. Like the main character of Evil Genius, Cadel Pigget. He is a child prodigy. The only real problem is that he seems to have no moral compass. None. This book is about how he is nudged into a life in the dark side. He is drafted into the Axis Institute for World Domination (a great idea by the way, university for evil leaders, genius!) and begins to study how a life of crime can pay.

I admit I had some qualms with how this book was progressing at the beginning. I felt like it was a good idea with no heart. But sticking through the whole book, I was delighted by how Cadel grows and matures through this book. He is a wonderful character, very memorable. And his evil mentors Dr. Phineas Darkkon and Thaddeus Roth are great bad guys. They are complex, nuanced, and great manipulators of truth.

I felt this was a solid book. My major complaint would be that some of the plot became too complicated; I did not understand the set up and execution of a few of Cadel's plans. Apart from that, I enjoyed the book. I would definitely recommend it to people who like young adult fiction. I think for parents it might be a good discussion starter on the nature of good and evil. There are plenty of questions about morality throughout this book. Definitely worth a look if you had the time and interest.

Favorite quote: "Cadel Pigget was just seven years old when he first met Thaddeus Roth."

Stars: 4 out of 5.

Final Word: Complex.

Southern Cross by Paul Clark

2010-02-13T16:26:00.000+07:00

Title: Southern Cross by Paul Clark

Pages: 158

How it was obtained: I borrowed it from a person in my small group.

Time spent on the "to read" shelf: Less than a week.

Days spent reading it: 2 days.

Why I read it: I read it based on the recommendation of a person in my small group at church.

Brief review: Every now and then I read a book that challenges me, encourages me, and reminds me about who God is and what He is doing. This was definitely one of those books. I was completely hooked on the stories that Paul Clark tells in this book about his life.

Paul Clark is a missionary in Lima, Peru. This book is a collection of the different people he has met in his life as a missionary. The chapters are individual snippets about how God met these people in the streets of Peru or in the jungles of the Amazon. The stories told in this book are about how the simple gospel can transform a life completely. One of my favorite stories was about Tariri. He was the chief of a tribe of headhunters, when he was transformed by the gospel. "He learned to obey God and love his enemies and those who spitefully used him. He ordered his tribe to no longer kill, even if they were attacked. God honors those who honor him. Tariri and the many Christians in his tribe are living witnesses to this truth." One thought I had as I read this story was about how missionaries clearly teach tribes to stop killing each other (makes sense right?). They say to stop killing even if it is a unilateral move—meaning that they may be attacked, but to not fight back. They believe God's transformational love is able to overcome even in death. These tribes become powerful witnesses to those around them. I think about that, and then I think about how the world would be different if we took that simple concept and applied it to a nation. I'll just leave that thought there for you to think about.

What struck me about Clark's story is how he lives and breathes his faith in every single step he takes. He sets aside the security and safety that the world offers and instead lives by faith (which is a completely different kind of safety and security). It is the memoirs of faithful missionaries like Clark that remind me of the true power of the Gospel when we allow faith to completely filter down through our lives.

I highly recommend this book. It will pushes and challenges. But it will also warm your heart. It is a solid book about God's love for lost and broken people.

Favorite quote: "The great lesson I was about to learn was that although circumstances and settings can be vastly different, God's dealing with all men and women, girls and boys, is the same. He meets us all at the point of our greatest need and, having heard our cry for help and sensing our anguish of soul, responds with compassion and love. I was to witness love at work in this ancient, troubled, and mysterious land of Peru."

Stars: 5 out of 5.

Final Word: Faithful

I Am the Messenger by Markus Zusak

2010-02-12T23:22:00.000+07:00

Title: I Am the Messenger by Markus Zusak

Pages: 357

How it was obtained: I bought it at Borders from their bargain bin. Sweet!

Time spent on the "to read" shelf: 1 year.

Days spent reading it: 2 days.

Why I read it: I enjoyed The Book Thief by Zusak, and I was interested in reading some of his other stuff.

Brief review: I really looked forward to this book because of how much I enjoyed The Book Thief. And while this book was alright, it was not nearly on par with the quality and insight that I know Zusak is capable of achieving. I Am the Messenger is about a young man named Ed who mysteriously receives a playing card in the mail one day with addresses on it. As the story progresses, Ed realizes he must go to these addresses and accomplish some task.

The driving force of the book is Ed accomplishing these missions, which range from heart-warming to butt-kicking. It was a strange mix. The clear message of this book is that normal people can be extraordinary if they open their eyes and address the needs around them.

I had two problems with this book. First is the use of violence in this book. Ed uses violence to accomplish his goals. A mysterious "benefactor" uses violence against Ed to force Ed to act. It is like there are no other alternatives to violence in these scenarios. I think that is a dangerous message to put into a young adult novel. Second was the ending. I will not spoil it, but the concluding revelations at the end made the rest of the novel weaker. It was just not convincing to me. And unlike some endings, the very premise of this book hung on the ending.

I did enjoy I Am the Messenger, but I thought it could have been better. There are moments of wonderful writing and story-telling. The characters are believable and you are clearly invested in their lives by the end of the tale. With a stronger ending this book could have dazzled me, but instead it was just middle of the road.

Favorite quote:

She soon says, 'You're my best friend, Ed.'

'I know.'

You can kill a man with those words.

No gun.

No bullets.

Just words and a girl.

Stars: 3.5 out of 5.

Final Word: Average.

The Prodigal God by Timothy Keller

2010-02-11T21:15:00.000+07:00

Title: The Prodigal God by Timothy Keller

Pages: 139

How it was obtained: It was a gift.

Time spent on the "to read" shelf: 1 month.

Days spent reading it: 1 day.

Why I read it: I have heard a lot about Timothy Keller and was interested to check him out. Glad I received this gift.

Brief review: Keller's premise is that the story of the prodigal son should really be titled the story of the lost sons. He focuses almost exclusively on the fact that the parable of the prodigal son is as much about the older son's relationship to the father as it is about the younger son's relationship. And he does a good job at explaining that element of the story well. One idea I wish he explored more was the idea of God being a prodigal. The book has it as the title, and it is mentioned in the introduction, but little else is said explicitly about that particularly thought provoking nugget.

I really wanted to love this book. I looked forward to reading it, enjoyed the introduction, but it just seemed to fall kind of flat for me. Not that it wasn't good, it was fine. It just did not grab my attention like I thought it would. Prodigal God lays down a clear gospel message. Furthermore, Keller does a good job of addressing distortions of the gospel that pervade our thinking. I think Keller has a clear message, but it just was not as creatively presented as I thought it would be. I would recommend this book to people, mainly because it is a quick read and full of good insights despite the few drawbacks I have noted.

Favorite quote: "Forgiveness always comes at a cost to the one granting the forgiveness."

Stars: 3.5 out of 5.

Final Word: Grace-filled.

The Golden City by John Twelve Hawks

2010-02-09T22:01:00.000+07:00

Title: The Golden City by John Twelve Hawks

Pages: 358

How it was obtained: My dad bought it and sent it to me after I hooked him on The Traveler.

Time spent on the "to read" shelf: 5 months.

Days spent reading it: 2 days.

Why I read it: To finish the trilogy that started with The Traveler.

Brief review: I have enjoyed this series by John Twelve Hawks. It is certainly a lot of fun. The books are easy to read, and still entertaining. But I did not like this final installment as much as the first two. It lacked the originality and "wow" factor of the earlier books.

The themes in The Golden City are no different than The Traveler or The Dark River. Hawks is still warning us in his own way about "Big Brother" and how we are giving away our freedom in return for security. So nothing new in that regard.

The truth is my biggest gripe with the book was how it finished. Being under the impression that this was a trilogy, I was hoping for a great concluding chapter. Without giving anything at all away, my reaction to "the ending" was: "That's how you ended it? Really?!?" That was not the concluding chapter to a trilogy. My guess is that there are more installments coming in this series, it will not finish as a trilogy it will keep on going (and going and going maybe). Which is alright, as long as Hawks does not keep rehashing old material. He needs to work to make the next installments fresh and unique. I have no doubt I will pick up the next installment, but I would have preferred to see this story end as a trilogy. Oh well, you can't win them all.

I would definitely say this series was worth reading, and I would recommend it as a fun action/adventure series for readers looking for something a little different.

Favorite quote: "The Age of Saints is over. God no longer speaks directly to men and women. We speak to ourselves and pray to the echo." (While I don't agree with this quote, I do find it interesting and pointed.)

Stars: 3.5 out of 5

Final Word: Unresolved.

Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership by Ruth Haley Barton

2010-02-08T15:35:00.001+07:00

Title: Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership: Seeking God in the Crucible of Ministry by Ruth Haley Barton

Pages: 228

How it was obtained: I bought it from Amazon.com

Time spent on the "to read" shelf: 6 months.

Days spent reading it: 4 weeks.

Why I read it: It was recommended by my senior pastor.

Brief review: I find leadership books hard to read. They vary so much in how directly they relate to my own life or ministry. Sometimes a book hits you right where you are at, but for me leadership books hardly ever do that. I found the same problem with this book. At times I felt like the book had a good piece of advice or an interesting way of looking at leadership. Other times I felt like this is not yet my experience, maybe when I am older. Or I just said to myself: This will most likely never be my experience.

In Strengthening the Soul, Barton explores the life of Moses and how his life is a model for Christian leadership. There are good times, there are tough times, and there are times that he wants to throw it all away. I found a number of her discussions helpful and insightful. She has a lot to say about how leaders need to be keyed into how much they are doing and how much they are resting. A healthy word for many in ministry.

Of all the things I appreciated about this book though, was the fact that it introduced me to the writings of Ted Loder. Poems from his collection Guerrillas of Grace: Prayers for the Battle are prominently featured in this work. I do not usually go for poetry, especially when quoted at length in a book. But I found his poems spoke to me. I found them so refreshing I looked forward to the end of the next chapter so I could read some more of his wonderful words. Definitely a book I will be picking up in the near future.

I would recommend Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership to other leaders and pastors, but only because I know it has been read and appreciated by people in a different part of life than I am. I think there are powerful words in the pages, and sometimes I caught a glimpse of them. But overall I seemed to be missing large pieces of the picture.

Favorite quote: "No matter how much one spiritualizes it, Christian busyness must not be confused with the Christian spiritual life or with a Christian's experience of God."

Stars: 3.5 out of 5.

Final Word: Untimely.

I finished it!

2010-01-18T22:36:00.001+07:00

Well folks, it's official—The Patrick Challenge has been completed! I finished the 55 books that I collected from around my house. It took me 451 days. I read over just over 23,000 pages. And I feel great! This is one of the biggest personal projects I have ever taken on to complete. And I did it! Woooo hooooo!

In the next few days I'll put up some other musings, observations, and fun statistics about this experience. But you may be asking yourself—with this task completed, what will become of this blog? Well, I intend to keep writing it. I will just write up reviews of the new books I read. Incredibly I kept the amount of books that I bought over the last year to a pretty bare minimum. I have about a dozen books on the reading pile now (nowhere near 55!). Thankfully most of them are shorter and easier to read than almost everything on my big list. So it should not take me as long to get through that stack of books as it has to get through my big stack. And the freedom to buy a new book and read it right now is more than appealing.

I am looking forward to bringing you even more fun in the future, but tonight I'm celebrating my achievement. Later.

Book 55: The Dark River by John Twelve Hawks

2010-01-18T21:54:00.002+07:00

Title: The Dark River by John Twelve Hawks

Pages: 368

How it was obtained: I either bought it at a bookstore, or perhaps my parents gave it to us as a gift. I think the latter.

Time spent on the "to read" shelf: 2 ½ years.

Days spent reading it: 2 days.

Why I read it: This book is the second book in the Fourth Realm Trilogy which starts with The Traveler. I loved The Traveler, this was a no-brainer to pick up and read.

Brief review: Take a dash of 1984, a hint of The Da Vinci Code, and add a sprinkle of spirituality and you have The Fourth Realm Trilogy. I fell in love with the story that began in The Traveler. It was fun, unique, and blew me away. The gist is that a group of bad guys known as the Tabula want to create a Big Brother kind of society. Technology is one way to oversee every part of a person's life. There is no privacy for anyone. The Tabula is resisted by a group of fighters called Harlequins. They live "off the grid." They avoid security cameras, refuse to be processed by "The Vast Machine." They value complete freedom and privacy above everything else. But the real prophets of the cause are people called "Travelers." They are protected by the Harlequins. Their task is to go to other realms and come back with ideas that always shake the institutions of the day. This pits them against the Tabula's institutions at every turn.

John Twelve Hawks traces themes of freedom vs. security, institutions vs. free thought, love vs. reason, spirituality vs. science. Hawks is definitely paranoid of what governments are doing with technology, and he causes me to pause and think about what might really be happening. But some of his ideas are plain wacky. At one point in the book he states plainly the exact location of the Ark of the Covenant. A character just comes out and says where it is, like it is common knowledge.

But in the midst of these themes Hawks weaves a fun story. It is action packed. There is hardly a lull in the plot. And his characters, while a little one-dimensional, are also good contributions to pop lit. If you love girl power, you will love the main character, Maya. She is a beastly fighter who I would never want to meet in a dark alley.

I would definitely recommend picking up this series. It is a quick read, but it has a unique perspective on what is going on around us. And in the end, you might be a little more paranoid about being on the grid than you were when you first began. I look forward to reading the last book in the trilogy, it has been a good ride so far.

Favorite quote: "The Bronx Tabernacle of the Divine Church was an impressive-sounding name for two rented rooms above the Happy Chicken restaurant."

Stars: 4 out of 5.

Final Word: Paranoia?

Book 54: August 1914 by Alexander Solzhenitsyn

2010-01-17T20:45:00.002+07:00

Title: August 1914 by Alexander Solzhenitsyn

Pages: 622

How it was obtained: I borrowed this from my parent's house.

Time spent on the "to read" shelf: 4 or 5 years.

Days spent reading it: 6 days.

Why I read it: In high school I was forced to read "One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich." I remember not liking it at all. I thought it was boring. But many things I found boring in high school I now enjoy. So I thought I would read another novel by Solzhenitsyn, and see how it went.

Brief review: I am not sure what I was expecting, but this book was not it. From Solzenhitsyn I guess I expected a little more. The characters were fairly flat, thus it was difficult to tell one officer from another. The fighting sequences were complicated. I had no idea if an advance was good or bad, even after the battle was explained. I have read good war novels that explain complicated maneuvers. The Killer Angels comes to mind as a good example, where I could envision the entire battle and basic battle plans were given as pictures on occasion so I understood the flow of the battle better. That was not present in August 1914 and I think the book suffers because of it.

I have no deep understanding of the Russian front during World War I. So this was my first real exposure to that era. One thing that is brought out in this book was how terrible the conditions of war are. My tenth grade English teacher once summed up every war novel. She said their theme is always very simple: "War is hell." August 1914 does not press this point as much as other novels, but it does convey the hardships endured by the soldiers of the day. The one overriding theme that I did understand was that the Russian generals were completely incompetent in this battle. From start to finish Solzenhitsyn blasts the generals in charge of this offensive (and defensive) blunder.

I had a few qualms with this book in its current form. First, every now and then the narrative stops and we are given these "scenes" that are written with screen play directions. These directions were apparently how Solzenhitsyn envisioned this book on film. It was strange to break the flow of the story in order to introduce his vision for another medium. It felt like the book was 90% complete, not 100% complete. And, oddly, chapter 22 was omitted "by the request of the author." Strange. I have read that this book was revised later and nearly 200 pages were added to it. I don't think I could read through 200 more pages, but I wonder if it would clarify some of the issues I had with the work.

Anyway, in brief, this book was alright, but I would not read it again and I would not recommend it to anyone unless they were extremely interested in Russian literature (or possibly Russian history).

Favorite quote: Evil people always support each other; that is their chief strength.

Stars: 2.5 out of 5

Final Word: Bland.

Book 53: The Bourne Ultimatum by Robert Ludlum

2010-01-11T20:07:00.000+07:00

Title: The Bourne Ultimatum by Robert Ludlum

Pages: 662

How it was obtained: I bought it at Borders I think.

Time spent on the "to read" shelf: 5 years.

Days spent reading it: 8 days.

Why I read it: To finish off the Jason Bourne trilogy by Robert Ludlum of course!

Brief review: This final book in the Jason Bourne trilogy was what I guess I hoped the second book would have been. I enjoyed this last installment, but still spent most of my time scratching my head. Here are a few things I liked and did not like.

Liked: The final show down between Jason Bourne and The Jackal. This makes the book great. It is too bad that it happens as these two assassins are getting old and losing their skills. But the constant cat and mouse plays in this final installment were great. Finally Bourne is matched against someone who is a worthy adversary.

I also liked the fact that Jason Bourne is older. He makes mistakes. Sometimes really bad ones, and that adds to the credibility of this crazy adventure. Although the invincible Jason Bourne from the first two novels has disappeared, this weary Jason Bourne is a good character.

My favorite part of this book? Jason Bourne getting shot in the neck! That was awesome.

Did not like: Ludlum writes in cryptic phrases and has cryptic characters, this makes it difficult to follow the bigger picture sometimes. In this particular installment it seemed to happen more than in previous novels. I wish Ludlum would clarify what the heck is going on in many scenes.

I did not care for the secondary plot in this book either. I found it confusing most of the time, irritating some of the time, and had no real idea how it all tied together by the end of the book. This goes back to my other complaint of an excessively cryptic plot.

I would recommend this book to anyone who started their journey with Jason Bourne and would like to finish it. This book was superior to the Bourne Supremacy and reminded me of why I liked the Bourne series in the first place. Frankly, you could read the Bourne Identity and skip straight to this book and not miss much. The events in the second novel are rarely mentioned and add almost nothing to the plot (unlike the first novel which is frequently referred back to for the plot). The Bourne Ultimatum is a worthy final book in this series, and a definite for fans of Jason Bourne.

Favorite quote: "Why do you have to use a dozen words when one will suffice?"

"Because I'm supposed to be a scholar. We academicians never take a direct route because it doesn't leave us any offshoots to claim if we're wrong. What are you, anti-intellectual?"

Stars: 3.5 out of 5

Final Word: Ultimate!

Book 52: The Gormenghast Novels by Mervyn Peake

2009-12-30T23:04:00.001+07:00

Title: The Gormenghast Novels by Mervyne Peake

Pages: 1023.

How it was obtained: I bought it on half.com for about five bucks.

Time spent on the "to read" shelf: 2 years.

Days spent reading it: 2 months.

Why I read it: I ran across a copy of the book at Barnes and Noble, looked it over, thought it might be interesting.

Brief review: Reading The Gormenghast Novels was a unique experience. I had never heard of them before I stumbled onto them in a Barnes and Noble one day. Peake is a combination of Dickens and Tolkien. He has elements of high fantasy like Tolkien, but his writing style is more like Dickens. Peake pays a great deal of attention to details. Gormenghast castle comes alive in his hands. Peake has a great way with words. He can be difficult to adjust to, but once I got rolling I enjoyed reading the first two novels in this collection. The first two novels—Titus Groan and Gormenghast—are wonderful. These two novels are very similar in tone, pace, language, character and plot. They are slow, descriptive, and sometime rambling works of literature. You feel Gormenghast castle as if it is a character. It lives and breathes. And in Titus Groan, Peake introduces one of my new favorite "villains"—the very cunning, ambitious, and intelligent Steerpike. He is a fantastic character, and I wish there was more of him.

Which leads me to Titus Alone, the third novel in this collection. All I can say is "What the Heck?!?" Titus Alone is the odd man out. In it Titus leaves Gormenghast, and as Titus leaves Gormenghast Peake leaves that which is comforting to the reader. This book is such an abrupt departure from the other two novels, I wonder what Peake was thinking. The scenes become much shorter (for instance there are about 80 chapters in the 400 page Gormenghast, and there are 122 chapters in the 220 page Titus Alone). I had no idea what was happening most of the time. We flit from scene to scene. Introduce random new characters and then move along. It is so disconnected and bizarre. Peake was beginning to show signs of Parkinson's as he wrote this last Gormenghast work, but I do not believe that can excuse the complete divergence embodied by this work. It was such a change of style and direction it is hard to explain.

To finish up I would say this, if you can get into the slow paced Titus Groan, and you enjoy it, you will enjoy Gormenghast as well. They are great literature. But I suggest you should just skip Titus Alone. It just is not worth it.

Favorite quotes: From Titus Groan: "The others were involved with counting the portentous minutes before their own particular clouds broke over them, yet at the back of their personal troubles, hopes and fears, this less immediate trepidation grew, this intangible suggestion of change, that most unforgivable of all heresies.

Two from Gormenghast: Who else is there of the direct blood-line? Only the vacant Aunts, Cora and Clarice, the identical twins and sisters of Sepulchrave. So limp of brain that for them to conceive an idea is to risk a haemorrhage.

There is nothing frightened or querulous about young Steerpike. If ever he had harboured a conscience in his tough narrow breast he had by now dug out and flung away the awkward thing—flung it so far away that were he ever to need it again he could never find it.

From Titus Alone: Cold love's the loveliest love of all. So clear, so crisp, so empty. In short, so civilized.

Stars: 4 out of 5 for Titus Groan and Gormenghast. 2 out of 5 for Titus Alone.

Final Word: Dickensian.

Book 51: Forbidden Knowledge: The Gap into Vision by Donald Stephenson

2009-12-20T20:21:00.000+07:00

Title: Forbidden Knowledge: The Gap into Vision by Donald Stephenson

Pages: 455

How it was obtained: I traded for it at used book store in Columbia.

Time spent on the "to read" shelf: 4 years.

Days spent reading it: 5 days.

Why I read it: I have read a few books by Stephenson, so I read one more.

Brief review: I think this is probably the last Donald Stephenson novel I will read. I just have not been very impressed. His books are easy enough to read, but I realized I just do not like his protagonists. I am not drawn to them. I do not want to be them. I sometimes pity them or revile them, but never feel good about them. This is a big deal because I like characters so much, thus when I don't like the character development I tend not to like the story.

Forbidden Knowledge is about Morn Hyland, a space cop who becomes connected to a group of pirate scum. She does what she must to survive, and this means she makes unpleasant decisions frequently. Donaldson writes in a way that pretty much only depresses me. He's dark, with very little silver lining to redeem the characters. Sure they are tough, but they are also sad to read about. I was unimpressed by the story until about 2/3 of the way through, when the plot finally grabbed my attention. The pirate ship enters "Forbidden Space" where a group of aliens who are trying to control the human species through genetic warfare. That was interesting.

Overall I liked how this book progressed as I got into it some more, but honestly I was not interested enough to continue the series from here, even though it does continue for a few more books. It just was not good enough for me to consume my time anymore.

Favorite quote: "Unlike the crew, however, she didn't regret his death. Such men didn't deserve to live, no matter how expensive it was to get rid of them."

Stars: 3 out of 5

Final Word: Flat.

Book 50: The Autobiography of Malcolm X as told to Alex Haley

2009-12-13T21:37:00.003+07:00

Title: The Autobiography of Malcolm X as told to Alex Haley

Pages: 466

How it was obtained: I bought it for a dime from the Toccoa Falls College library withdrawal pile.

Time spent on the "to read" shelf: I must have purchased this book in 2001 or 2002, so about 7 or 8 years.

Days spent reading it: 10 days.

Why I read it: During college I wrote a report in my Intro to Islam class about Black Muslims. In writing that report I discovered that Malcolm X started off with a deviant form of Islam, but after his trip to Mecca he began to change his views about Islam and also his views on hating all "white devils." I picked up this book because I was interested in Malcolm X's life after writing that report.

Brief review: Wow. This book was not what I expected at all. Reading this autobiography was more compelling than I could have imagined. I was engaged in Malcolm's life from start to finish. Starting with his street hustler days in Harlem, to his conversion to Islam (as preached by Elijah Muhammad) in prison, to his break with Elijah Muhammad, to his pilgrimage to Mecca, and ending with his assassination, this book was informative and entertaining.

A few things I found most interesting about Malcolm's life. First, Malcolm X was full of hatred for what the "white devil" had done to the black man. He saw injustice, called white men out on it, and sought to fix the situation. While I do not agree with his militant tactics, I respect his unflagging devotion to righting centuries of wrongs. Second, I find his change after his trip to Mecca as completely astonishing. He completely transformed his views. He stopped saying all white men were the devil. He started pointing to the system that oppressed, and that many white men perpetuated. It is a fascinating study to look at how drastically he changed in those last few months of his life. One certainly wonders, if he had not been killed, how his new views would have changed his approach to civil rights. Third, I was impressed by the scope of the story. Malcolm's self commentary on his life ends just a few days before he was killed. Alex Haley does a wonderful job of telling the story about the rest of his life. The account of his death is simply compelling to read. I was hooked to the very end.

I think this was one of the most important books that I have read on my list. I certainly do not agree with many of Malcolm X's views (especially the young, belligerent Malcolm). But by reading this book, I can enter his world. I can understand the pain. I can begin to understand why Malcolm was so passionate about his cause. I can begin to see how important the civil rights movement was for black Americans. And I can see how far we still have to go. We still have racism in America. Even if some of it is hidden, it is still in the American system. I think America has come a long way, but this book challenges me to look deep into my own heart and see if there are prejudices that I need to eliminate. It is not always pretty.

Malcolm X lived a life very different from my own. I am glad that I read his autobiography because it helped me to understand his radically different life more than I did before. I would highly recommend reading this book. It is enlightening and challenging and different than what I expected. Well worth the time it took to read.

Favorite quote: I told him, "What you are telling me is that it isn't the American white man who is a racist, but it's the American political, economic, and social atmosphere that automatically nourishes a racists psychology in the white man." He agreed.

Stars: 5 out of 5.

Final Word: Provocative.

Book 49: Youth Culture 101 by Walt Mueller

2009-12-11T20:45:00.000+07:00

Title: Youth Ministry 101 by Walt Mueller

Pages: 480

How it was obtained: I bought it at the National Youth Ministry Conference almost 3 years ago.

Time spent on the "to read" shelf: I started reading it right away, but I did not finish it until this month.

Days spent reading it: About 3 years, but I finished half of it in about a week when I buckled down to finish it.

Why I read it: After seeing Walt Mueller at NYMC, Susan and I knew that we had to pick up his book and read it. He was incredibly knowledgeable about youth culture and specifically about how media shapes their worldview.

Brief review: Walt Mueller's book Youth Culture 101 is sure to be the standard by which all other youth culture books are evaluated. It is well documented, well thought out, and well presented. Mueller starts off with an overview of why culture is so important to understand, and further explains why youth culture is so unique. Mueller is especially impressive when it comes to youth and media. He dedicates a few chapters to the subject. He talks about how media (movies, music, TV, advertisements, etc.) really influences us. His main approach is to talk about how it impacts youth, but one cannot walk away from this book without evaluating your own media consumption. It's crazy actually how much we are exposed to in any given day.

Mueller has a simple message. We need to evaluate the message of media in our lives, not just consume the product it promises. He helps Christians to critically look at these influences, run them through a grid of how they line up with Biblical values, and then encourages us to act on how they compare. He has other resources that go over these same principles. It is called the 3-D approach to media. And you can find it, along with other resources on youth culture, at www.cpyu.org. His website is a great resource for youth pastors and parents who want to understand the youth they are living life with every day. However, media is just one facet of this book. Mueller covers a wide variety of youth culture topics including: Media, Marketing to teens, Peer Pressure, Sex, Materialism, Substance Abuse, and Depression and Suicide. It is a book full of helpful statistics, facts, interpretations, and ideas for how to counsel students.

The chapter that really scared me in this book was the chapter on teens and sex. It was heart-breaking and challenging. If I could hand it out to every parent I knew, I would. Just a few shocking statistics for you: "70 percent of young women and 62 percent of young men today have had sexual intercourse by age 18." If that makes you cringe, the statistics for oral sex are increasing in an alarming way as well. "By the time they reach the age of 19, three-quarters of all teenagers will have engaged in oral sex." That's 75 percent!! 75 percent!!! Mueller states "Oral sex is now more common than sexual intercourse among teenagers." And most of those teenagers do not consider oral sex to be breaking an abstinence pledge. "One study showed that among students who said they'd made and kept an abstinence pledge, 55 percent had participated in oral sex." One last word on this subject, the craziest part is that many of our middle school students are beginning to engage in these activities. Parents and youth workers, it is NOT too soon to talk about sex with your kids. They are getting a sex education from their friends, music, TV, movies, and school. If you want to give them a Biblical perspective on sex, YOU have to speak up. I know it can be scary, but after reading these chapters I am convinced that parents and youth workers must do a better job of educating our youth about what the Bible says about sex. They are already hearing it, but are they hearing it from the most important people in their lives? I was personally challenged after reading this chapter and plan on having some talks and lessons in the upcoming months about healthy relationships and sexual purity. I hope you will too.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who works with youth. You need to know about the world these students are living in because it is much different than when you were a student. Youth culture has changed rapidly in the past decade and it continues to accelerate in how rapidly it changes. Mueller's book is helpful because it lays out some of the basics, but also gives us advice for how to address the issues from a Biblical perspective. It challenged my personal walk and my teaching patterns as well. My copy of this book is marked up, with notes in the margins, and thoughts scribbled throughout the whole book. I would highly recommend this books to parents as well, but the size might be daunting. I think Mueller has written some other books that are more approachable, but really this book was not as big as it seems on the outside. With large fonts, ample spacing between lines, and wide-margins make this 480ish page book read like a 250 page book. It is very readable, well documented, and very practical. One of the best books on ministry I have ever read.

Favorite quote: "Today's teenagers desire real relationships that are characterized by depth, vulnerability, openness, listening, and love—connectedness in their disconnected, confusing, alienated world."

Stars: 5 out of 5.

Final Word: Vital.

Book 48: John Adams by David McCullough

2009-11-28T20:41:00.000+07:00

Title: John Adams by David McCullough

Pages: 656

How it was obtained: I bought it for a quarter at a garage sale.

Time spent on the "to read" shelf: 2 ½ years

Days spent reading it: 10 days.

Why I read it: I read 1776 by David McCullough and really enjoyed it. I thought I might like his biography of John Adams as well.

Brief review: I am not usually a biography person. David McCullough is changing my mind. John Adams is a phenomenal account of one of our founding fathers. McCullough, rightly, throws us right into the American Revolution and fills in John Adams' back story as the biography progresses. McCullough is in control of the story the whole time. He masterfully weaves the primary sources of John Adams' life into the narrative. There is enough to keep us in touch with how the characters themselves felt, but not so much to overwhelm the reader.

John Adams' story really is remarkable. I was totally drawn into Adams' world. In this biography you feel his triumphs, and his failures. If there is anything that falls short in McCullough's telling, it is that we love Adams too much. Even though Adams has faults, it is difficult for the reader to recognize those faults or accept them.

There were a number of highlights in this book for me. First, it is interesting to see that the political scene during Adams' day had striking similarities to today. Newspapers were one-sided. Politicians were accused of (and committed) adultery. This sometimes ruined or advanced their careers. Political parties made clear lines that hurt the nation, fighting for their party instead of what is right for America as a whole. The world seemed like it was in moral decay. There were even boring sermons, and thankfully some not so boring . And I could say something about the French (like here), but I'll (sort of) refrain.

Second, issues surrounding the Civil War were not absent from the founding of the country. The North/South divide was evident even in the founding of the nation. There were issues of economics, culture, slavery, and state's rights even in the beginning. They would simply come to a head in the Civil War. Slavery especially was a real issue during this time. One question that is constantly raised, but never resolved, is: How could men like Jefferson and (gasp!) even Washington promote the God-given freedom of all men, but kept slaves even until their deaths? Adams did not have slaves and abhorred the idea. He was true to his principles even when it was not popular or advantageous. I respect that a lot.

This biography was fantastic. I loved reading it from start to finish. I think McCullough has a master's touch in writing history. He really pulls us into the time period. Through his writing I felt like I was actually there. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone. It is a must read for history lovers. And in truth, it is a book that inspires. Adams' history is America's history. Here was a man who gave everything for his country, and laid the foundation for the freedom America enjoys today. If you take the time to read this tome (and it is pretty long), you will definitely be rewarded. It is rich with lessons about life and liberty that we can all apply to our lives. I highly recommend.

Favorite quote: [In commenting about the French Revolution]: "But he had 'learned by awful experience to rejoice with trembling.' He could not accept the idea of enshrining reason as religion, as desired by the philosophes. 'I know not what to make of a republic of thirty million atheists.'"

Stars: 5 out of 5.

Final Word: Revolutionary.

Emotionally Healthy Spirituality by Peter Scazzero

2009-11-21T00:02:00.000+07:00

Title: Emotionally Healthy Spirituality by Peter Scazzero

Pages: 227

How it was obtained: I bought it just before I moved to Thailand.

Time spent on the "to read" shelf: 4 months.

Days spent reading it: 3 weeks.

Why I read it: The senior pastor at my church, Dave Young, suggested reading it to the elders of our church. I took him up on his suggestion.

Brief review: Peter Scazzero makes a very compelling argument that our spiritual health is tied to our emotional health. In seminary I read The Emotionally Healthy Church (EHC), and I remember loving the openness and honesty of Scazzero's writing. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality (EHS) is along the same lines as EHC. EHS simply brings the concepts of its predecessor to the layman.

In this book Scazzero shows by examples from his own life, how our emotionally immaturity has stunted our spiritual growth. There are so many ways that we can be emotionally immature. There is a lot of material in this book. I could easily see a church using it as a text for a Sunday School or small group material. The first half of the book deals with the problems that being emotionally unhealthy bring. The second half is a roadmap to emotional maturity. Scazzero illustrates very heavily from his own life throughout. As a reader I was captivated (again, because I already read the story once) by Scazzero's struggles as a pastor. A church split, a wife who stopped going to his church, reaching the end of his own strength, and then seeing the redemptive path after he opens up to his hurt, anger, and pain instead of burying it.

I would highly recommend this book. It is fairly easy to read, and very informative. There is so much information that it's almost impossible to digest it all, but I think everyone could at least start down the road that Scazzero plans and profit from his advice. Scazzero has a pastoral heart and it shines through in this book. He wants people to connect with God in a personal way, and he does that by trying to bring us to a more balanced view of our emotions and how those emotions affect our spiritual walk.

Favorite quote: Many of us know the experience of being approved for what we do. Few of us know the experience of being loved for being just who we are.

Stars: 4 out of 5.

Final Word: Liberating.

Book 47: The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett

2009-11-19T15:54:00.000+07:00

Title: The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett

Pages: 983

How it was obtained: I picked it up for a quarter at the library.

Time spent on the "to read" shelf: 2 years.

Days spent reading it: 9 days.

Why I read it: I think my dad first recommended this book years and years ago. And while Oprah's recommendation created a buzz around this book, I don't read books because Oprah says so. I was interested in the epic scale of the building of a cathedral in medieval Britain.

Brief review: Here is an epic book about life, death, struggles, victory, revenge, and love. The core of the story revolves around the building of a new cathedral in Kingsbridge, England. Follett has created wonderful characters and has a compelling plot. There are many ups and downs throughout the novel for our protagonists, but the general direction is always up for the heroes. While Follett definitely gives the characters adversity, the reader always has a suspicion that the good guys will overcome. Progress will always be made. But even this predictability is alright because the depth of the characters changes with each new trial.

At first I thought I loved this book. But as I got towards the end, I realized that I am fundamentally at odds with a number of Follett's main ideas. I realize that the church in this time period was messed up. But in this book, one gets the idea that the church then (and today by inference) was only interested in the power it could gain for itself. True spirituality is completely missing from most of the Christian characters. The exception happens to be one of the main characters. Prior Philip is always written in a positive, if slightly naïve, light. We come to love Prior Philip, and I think perhaps Follett did too, which is why Philip stays pure, even in the midst of the rest of a corrupt system.

My other problem with this book is Follett's depiction of love. He seems very antagonistic to how the church has defined marriage. Marriage is only a technicality that the church enforces, in his view. In fact, Follett points out the church's "hypocrisy" about love multiple times stating that the monks could enforce marriages, but have no idea what true love was because they themselves could not marry. The truth is Follett's idea of love is often superficial. His characters are attracted to each other, have sex, and are in love. Little else is said about their "loving" relationship. His characters do sacrifice for love's sake, but are always regretting or whining about that sacrifice. I could go on, but I won't.

My last word on this book is this: I would have highly recommended this book to anyone until I started hitting the numerous adult situations that are in this book. There is a lot of sex going on in this book, and Follett sometimes goes out of his way to describe what is going on to the finest detail. Completely unnecessary and unwanted, but it ties into his view of what love and marriage are.

Even with that, The Pillars of the Earth is an epic book. It is a compelling historical novel that is difficult to put down. I would recommend it with the above caveats about its content and themes.

Favorite quote: In both cases, weakness and scruples had defeated strength and ruthlessness.

Stars: 4 out of 5.

Final Word: Grandiose.

Max by James Patterson

2009-11-16T20:37:00.009+07:00

Title: Max: A Maximum Ride Novel by James Patterson

Pages: 309

How it was obtained: I bought it with Susan.

Time spent on the "to read" shelf: 6 months.

Days spent reading it: 2 days.

Why I read it: It is the next book in the apparently unending Maximum Ride series.

Brief review: This fifth installment of the Maximum Ride series goes back to the heart of the first few books. It's style and content were more akin to the origins of the series. It was definitely an improvement over the last two books (Saving the World…, and The Final Warning), but it still does not quite recapture the magic of the first two books. I guess we can't have everything.

The best part about this book, the EXCESSIVE talk about Global Warming has been dropped. Max and her flock still deal with environmental issues, but it's not as blatant or forced as it was in books 3 and 4. On the down side, I think Patterson still cannot quite figure out who his antagonist is in this series. Is it a faceless corporation? Or do we have a specific mastermind behind the scenes? And as he struggles to find a main antagonist he struggles with the henchmen that have been changing in the last few books as well. He just cannot seem to find the right kind of bad people because he keeps creating and discarding them. Although you won't hear me complaining that he did not bring back "The Uber-director" from The Final Warning (he was just plain silly). But I believe that if this series is going to change from mediocre to great, Patterson must find an antagonist worthy of Max and her flock. They are such great characters, there has to be an equally great foil to oppose them.

This book almost makes me believe that this series could get better. I am almost convinced, but it just was not quite as great as I was hoping. Actually, I thought it was going to conclude the series, but it definitely did not do that. There is plenty of space to continue this series for a long, long time. Let's just hope it keeps getting better and not getting worse like The Final Warning.

Favorite quote: "It's a real, living creature, and according to our telepath, it's full of rage and a desire to kill." We all looked around for a minute until we realized that the 'telepath' was Angel. Well, 'telepath' sounds better than 'creepy little mind-reading kid,' so I was cool with it.

Stars: 3.5 out of 5.

Final Word: Better.

Book 46: Servants of the Servant by Don Howell, Jr.

2009-11-09T23:03:00.000+07:00

Title: Servants of the Servant: A Biblical Theology of Leadership by Don Howell, Jr.

Pages: 307

How it was obtained: I bought it from the bookstore when I was at CIU.

Time spent on the "to read" shelf: 5 years.

Days spent reading it: Read on and off for 5 years.

Why I read it: Dr. Howell was a professor of mine at Columbia International University. I really respected him, and looked forward to reading his book. Parts of this book were assigned in some of the classes that I was taking during seminary and I thought that they were good chapters.

Brief review: Servants of the Servant is a book about Biblical Leadership. In this book, Don Howell develops a biblical theology of leadership by creating leadership profiles of OT and NT leaders. Howell does a good job of taking the biblical text and drawing out practical applications about leadership. These leadership profiles are a core strength of this book. I especially like how each chapter ends with a one-page summary of the key elements of leadership that are developed in a particular character's life. In addition to these profiles, Howell also looks at the life and ministry of Jesus with an extended treatment. While I thought these chapters on Jesus' ministry were well researched and would probably be considered the heart of the book, they did not interest me as much as the leader profiles. Perhaps I liked the simple patterns of the profile chapters over the longer evaluation of Jesus' ministry and teachings.

Overall I thought this book was well done. The chapters are simple enough for a layperson to understand except for the first two chapters, which are word studies in Hebrew and Greek. However, it is clear that this is a work for the academy. There are copious footnotes and details for this to be a solid resource at the college and seminary level.

I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn what leadership looks like when developed through a Biblical Theology paradigm. Pastors and those in ministry could certainly profit from many of the leadership profiles that are included in this book. This book might be a bit heavy for the average person, but the time spent is well worth it.

Favorite quote: "Samson's adult life fails to fulfill the promises of his youth as he egregiously violates all three regulations of the Nazarite. Pious parents, a happy youth, early impulses of the Spirit, and a special identity do not guarantee spiritual success in later life. No lasting redemptive fruit survives his demolition activities."

Stars: 4 out of 5.

Final Word: Solid.

The Last Colony by John Scalzi

2009-11-05T22:16:00.000+07:00

Title: The Last Colony by John Scalzi

Pages: 320

How it was obtained: I bought it on my new Kindle!!!!

Time spent on the "to read" shelf: 1 week.

Days spent reading it: 2 days.

Why I read it: It is the next book in the Old Man's War series.

Brief review: The Last Colony is the continuation of the story that began in Old Man's War. I have enjoyed the series so far. I love how John Scalzi writes. He has great plot and characters. And he's funny, which is always wonderful.

In Scalzi's stories, humans are not the only sentient beings in the universe. They are actually a small portion of the universe's population. And all of these alien races are fighting for every scrap of world out there. In order to stop the fighting a coalition has formed. No more colonizing planets, in essence a freeze on colonizing is declared. Anyone who resists is destroyed. So, being stubborn like we are, the humans decide they will not kow-tow to alien forces. The humans plan to establish a colony on a planet called Roanoke. And in a smooth move, when the colonists warp to their new home, they realize that they have been warped to an entirely different planet. The colonists find out they are a part of the galactic power struggle and have been put in hiding to embarrass the coalition. That's when the story really takes off as Roanoke colony pushes the universe to the brink of war. Always fun to read about!

I enjoyed the book a lot. It was not quite as original as Old Man's War or The Ghost Brigade, but it was enjoyable. I look forward to reading more of Scalzi's work. He has a great imagination and is definitely a Sci-Fi author to keep watching.

Favorite quote: "Neither Jane nor I were under the illusion that we could create universal harmony through dodgeball, of course. That's a little much to rest on the shoulders of a game played with a bouncy red ball."

Stars: 4 out of 5.

Final Word: Engaging.

Book 45: The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien

2009-10-26T18:20:00.001+07:00

Title: The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien

Pages: 365

How it was obtained: I borrowed it from my parents. The cool part is that I found the original receipt in the back of the book. One of my parents (dad?) paid $11.39 at Walden Book on September 17, 1977 (the year it was released). This is a first edition hard back I have in my hands.

Time spent on the "to read" shelf: A few years. I think I bummed it from my parents when I got married, 5 years ago.

Days spent reading it: 5 days.

Why I read it: I liked The Lord of the Rings (who doesn't?), and my parents had this lying around the house. So I snagged it and figured I would read it one day.

Brief review: This is a difficult book to review. For starters, it is not a novel. It is more in line with ancient epic mythologies. Think Homer or Ovid. So reading it was a beast. Not that exciting. But it is a comprehensive overview of the complex world that Tolkien created. This book tells the tale of the world from its creation up through the events recorded in the LOTR.

The problem is that each tale is told in a very archaic language (thee, thou, etc.). I mean it really feels like you've broken open the 1611 King James Bible, only it is about elves and dwarves. It is hard to explain, but Tolkien makes you think you have picked up a classical tale of the olden days. Too bad it is told as dry as toast.

Plenty is written through the internet about The Silmarillion. It was published by Tolkien's death by his son Christopher. It is probably very different than Tolkien intended, because he died before he completed it. It has received shaky reviews ever since. People cannot seem to agree—is it a work of genius or is it a bloated mess? I would say somewhere in between.

There are glimpses of wonder in this compilation of stories. I loved some of the last tales in the book. The tale of Beren and Luthien was one of my favorites. But other chapters are just plain dull. The problems are numerous. In a work this ambitious, you never really get to know some of the key players in a satisfactory way. Also, for whatever reason, Tolkien gave many of the important (and related) characters similar names. For example, in one of the major families that is used, we have Fingolfin, Finarfin, Finrod, and Feanor. That gets very confusing when you are introduced to all of them in about 10 pages. I never kept them straight in my head and had to constantly refer to the family chart in the back of the book. Thankfully there is a comprehensive index of names and places that gives a brief synopsis of who or what they are. Ye olde englishe doth not helpeth the causeth either.

I would not recommend this book to just anyone. And even of Tolkien fans, I would only submit this book to the die-hard fans. There were some good pieces in it, but you had to dig through a whole lot. Not for the faint of heart.

Favorite quote: Long was he at work, and slow at first and barren was his labour. But he that sows lies in the end shall not lack of a harvest, and soon he may rest from toil indeed while others reap and sow in his stead.

Stars: 3 out of 5.

Final Word: Dry.

The Year in Review

2009-10-24T18:38:00.000+07:00

I can barely believe that a year ago I began The Patrick Challenge. It started as a plan to work through all those books that have been piling up in my house for years. And now, I only have a handful left. Optimistically, I hope to be done by New Year's. Realistically, maybe February or March. I have 10 books left to go! I just finished the Silmarillion and will post a review of it soon.

Just for fun, I've been compiling statistics of my reading habits. These statistics are for all the books I read this year (which have all been reviewed on this blog), not just the original Patrick Challenge books. Enjoy!

Total Books Read: 66

Books Read Daily (Average): 0.18

Books Read Monthly (Average): 5.5

Total Pages Read: 21,983

Pages Read Daily (Average): 60

Pages Read Monthly (Average): 1,832

Average Stars: 3.9

Average Book Length: 333 pages

Longest Book: A Game of Thrones at 837 pages.

Shortest Book: Knuffle Bunny at 40 pages.

Least Favorite Book Read: The Fourth Hand by John Irving

Favorite Book Read: The Road by Cormac McCarthy

Fun Facts according to Cha-Cha:

Americans read an average of 11 books a year, while the average Briton gets through eight books. (Crushed those averages this year!)

It takes the average person 7 days to read a 500 page book, but some can do it in 3 days! (Susan can do it in one day, if you leave her alone. Actually Susan tends to only read books in one sitting. I keep telling her she's going to have to change that habit. She doesn't listen.)

Thanks for reading and for celebrating one year of the Patrick Challenge with me! How are your reading lists doing?

Book 44: Forward the Foundation by Isaac Asimov

2009-10-23T14:26:00.004+07:00

Title: Forward the Foundation by Isaac Asimov

Pages: 480

How it was obtained: I bought it on half.com.

Time spent on the "to read" shelf: 3 years.

Days spent reading it: 2 days.

Why I read it: I wanted to finish the last of the Foundation series that Isaac Asimov wrote.

Brief review: This is the seventh and final book in the Foundation series by Isaac Asimov. It was finished just before Asimov died in 1992. In the Foundation chronology it comes just after Prelude to Foundation and just before Foundation. It is really a direct sequel to Prelude to Foundation, but more importantly it is a very gratifying conclusion to the series.

Forward the Foundation chronicles the life of Hari Seldon in 10 year increments. At each decade mark something significant has happened to Hari or his plans for psychohistory. I think this book shines because it reads more like four short novels rather than one long novel (which I've commented on about Asimov's writings before). The character of Hari Seldon is fleshed out a little more, as are many of his associates and family members.

Forward the Foundation is a much better conclusion to the series than Foundation and Earth (the last book in the Foundation timeline). It struck me as almost nostalgic. This is good, because I think that the series really struggled during Foundation's Edge and Foundation and Earth. I think Asimov really liked the character of Hari Seldon, and so in Prelude to Foundation and this book, we catch a glimpse of a great character during some crisis moments. These crisis moments are my favorite part about the Foundation series.

This was a fitting ending to a fairly solid series. I think it fleshed out Asimov's vision of Hari Seldon who is sure to be a titan among Science Fiction fans for decades to come. Thanks Isaac, job well done. I would definitely recommend this book to Foundation fans, it was worth it.

Favorite quote: "But together…our power is awesome!" (I know, it makes no sense without context, sorry!)

Stars: 4 out of 5.

Final Word: Gratifying.

Book 43: The Fourth Hand by John Irving

2009-10-21T20:27:00.002+07:00

Title: The Fourth Hand by John Irving

Pages: 352

How it was obtained: I bought it for a dime at the library.

Time spent on the "to read" shelf: 2 years.

Days spent reading it: 2 days.

Why I read it: I liked other John Irving novels (A Prayer for Owen Meany is incredible). This book was in good shape, so I thought I'd give it a try.

Brief review: Ok, I feel like I need to review this book by saying two things. First, John Irving is an incredible story teller. He draws you right into his world. The narrative is smooth. He is a natural story teller. No doubt about it.

Having said that, the second piece of information about this book is: The Fourth Hand could have been a Harlequin Romance novel. There were more adult situations in this book than I am comfortable admitting I read. I cannot ever recommend this book to anyone based on the content alone.

The main character (his name is Patrick), loses his hand to a lion at the beginning of the novel. He becomes the recipient of a hand transplant, but the oddities increase when the wife of the (deceased) hand donor wants to visit the hand. It could have been interesting. Instead it was trash. Patrick is a jerk that has a ridiculous power over women. They all want to sleep with him, and he lets them. He has no real morals. I'd call him reprehensible. And he does not seem to change very much through the book. Alright, so he does a little by the end, but I don't buy the change. It is forced and not very consistent with the character.

So, what I am basically telling you is avoid this book. Sure, it's well written, but the content is trash. John Irving should know better.

Favorite quote: You can never exactly imitate someone else's love of a movie or a book, Patrick now believed.

Stars: 2 out of 5.

Final Word: TMI.

Sustainable Youth Ministry by Mark DeVries

2009-10-19T20:00:00.001+07:00

Title: Sustainable Youth Ministry by Mark DeVries.

Pages: 224.

How it was obtained: I bought it from Amazon.

Time spent on the "to read" shelf: 2 months.

Days spent reading it: 4 days.

Why I read it: Susan and I saw Mark DeVries at a youth ministry conference. We were really impressed with his presentation (we only had the abbreviated version of it too!). We looked at each other and decided right away that we would be picking up his book. Definitely worth it.

Brief review: Sustainable Youth Ministry is a general guide to the confusing world of youth ministry. Mark DeVries walks his readers through both the abstract and the practical.

DeVries has great organization for this book. He opens a topic and then explores 4 or 5 subpoints for the topic. He covers everything from ministries that are stuck to church politics. I actually finished this book a few months ago. I underlined a lot. As I was flipping through it again tonight, I thought to myself, "it would be good if I read through this book again, at least the underlined points." Why? DeVries covers so much information, it is impossible to absorb it all in one reading. The best part is that so much of this book is practical. It is easy to immediately implement many of his suggestions.

This is definitely a niche book. It's only going to be helpful to people concerned with youth ministry. But for those in youth ministry, I can give no higher recommendation for a book. This is a treasure trove of guidance from a youth ministry veteran. You must read it. Not much else to say.

Favorite quote: Youth workers who don't feel over their heads, who don't feel they're overwhelmed and failing at times, may simply not understand their jobs.

Stars: 5 out of 5.

Final Word: Practical.

Book 42: The Bourne Supremacy by Robert Ludlum

2009-10-17T23:48:00.001+07:00

Title: The Bourne Supremacy by Robert Ludlum

Pages: 646

How it was obtained: Susan and I bought it after we read the Bourne Identity.

Time spent on the "to read" shelf: 4-5 years.

Days spent reading it: Umm, I first started reading this book 4-5 years ago (was it really that long ago?!?). Then a combination of boredom and school work kicked in, and I put it down. I later picked it up again and read to about the 200 page mark. Was mildly interested, but ended up quitting again. This time I picked it up and skimmed the first 200 pages (that I had already read, twice) and knew I had to power through this time or I would never be able to read it again—I was tired of the opening scene. 3 days was all it took me to finish it this time through.

Why I read it: I read this book to get through the Bourne trilogy. I really liked the Bourne Identity. A few others tell me the third book in the trilogy (The Bourne Ultimatum) is well worth it. So that's the goal.

Brief review: To start with, this book is absolutely nothing like the movie. Where the differences in the Bourne Identity were huge, at least the basic plot and characters were the same. That is not the case with the Bourne Supremacy. So if you liked the movie, I'm glad to hear it. The book is an entirely different experience.

I enjoy an intrigue novel occasionally. This book just bothered me. For starters, it is freaking slow. The reason I had to read the first few hundred pages multiple times is because I got bored over and over again. It does get better in the last 200 pages, but so much of this book was unnecessarily complicated (in my opinion). The reader never has a clear picture of what the heck is happening. I had no idea what was going on during most of the book. There are all of these subtle conversations, and I'm not that subtle. Just tell me what's going on, and get on with the story. The truth is, I cannot even give you a brief synopsis of the plot because it is so convoluted. So some key words that you can put all together and make your own book with: assassins, black ops, China, economics, identity theft, the Canadian Embassy, Charlie-Delta-Cain-Carlos-Jason Bourne. There you go, clear as if you had read it yourself.

Other elements annoyed me about this book as well. The pacing, the confusing as heck plot, the random government officials (their conversations are the worst!), the schizophrenic main character, it all contributed to a book that I would not slug through again. I would definitely skip this experience if I could. But since I'm such a stubborn person, I knew that if I did not finish the book this time through, I would never pick it up again. And I don't like to quit much. So I finished it. It wasn't pretty, but it got done.

So my recommendation, if you are looking for a good spy novel, skip this one. Some enthusiasts will of course read this book no matter what. Heck, I did. But really, it was not worth the trouble. But I do feel great having actually completed it! That was probably the best part of the day. I am hoping the Bourne Ultimatum was worth slugging through this book first.

Favorite quote: "This thing is filled with lousy ducks!" screamed the commando, staring around at the banks of wooden cages on all sides, the odor overpowering, sickening. A particular fowl, in its infinite wisdom, chose the moment to squirt a stream of excrement into the assassin's face.

Stars: 2 out of 5.

Final Word: Slooooooooooooooooooow.

Book 41: The Next Christendom by Philip Jenkins

2009-10-10T20:56:00.001+07:00

Title: The Next Christendom: The Coming of Global Christianity by Philip Jenkins

Pages: 316

How it was obtained: Christmas present from Rob and Kathy, my in-laws.

Time spent on the "to read" shelf: 20 months.

Days spent reading it: 5 days.

Why I read it: I read the first chapter while I was in seminary for a class. This book had a lot of "chatter" around it, so I decided I had better pick it up and read it.

Brief review: In The Next Christendom, Philip Jenkins gives us a ground-breaking book that will be talked about for years to come. His basic premise is simply this: The heart of Christendom has shifted from the "Northern" hemisphere (think North America and Europe) to the "Southern" hemisphere (think, Africa, Asia, and South America). What is so shocking about this premise is that the Northern hemisphere not only did not see the shift, but we are still in basic denial of the shift. I mean think about it. Picture in your mind, right now, the typical Christian. You're answer is probably something like this: a white middle class male American (or maybe a European male). That answer is wrong, wrong, wrong. Demographically the typical Christian is a lower class, African (or Asian or Latin American) woman living in a village. She is might be from Nigeria (or Korea, etc. etc.). The numbers are there: Christendom in the Global South has re-emerged and is ascending once again as the heart of Christendom. The power shift and especially economic shift have not followed suit yet, but rest assured, they will.

What I loved about this book was Jenkins process. He's a historian and a scholar, so the first few chapters have a ton of statistics. As soon as I'm thinking, "Hey, I wonder who he is including in this 'Christian' number," he has a chapter dedicated to who is included (almost anyone who self-proclaims to be a Christian). Even if I disagree with what numbers he chooses, I recognize the position he is put in as a historian and respect his decisions and thank him for explaining his method.

There are some fantastic issues raised in this book. Jenkins talks about the differences that are expressed in the Global South (by which he means mainly Africa, Asia, and Latin America). As soon as one begins to think, "gee that sounds strange and perhaps syncretistic," Jenkins has a chapter on the idea of cultural adaptation and syncretism. One area that I think Jenkins considered cultural adaptation that I would consider syncretism is in the area of ancestor worship. He never outright said it was good, but he certainly talked about the advantages that were lost to Christianity when the Church ruthlessly refused to accept these practices. But, in general, Jenkins made me think and probe and re-evaluate what I should consider an acceptable cultural adaptation. It is SO difficult to think about Christianity being expressed in a different way from current Western practices. But I accept that it can and should be expressed differently in different cultures. I just fear (like many) the end result down the road. I think all Westerners do. But we have to admit, how we express ourselves today is not how the 1^st century church expressed itself. Christianity can change its forms without changing the message.

In addition to these issues, Jenkins also compiles a short history of Christianity in modern Africa, Asia, and Latin America. These chapters give hope to those who are afraid to let go of the controlling grip of Western dominance. Jenkins shows that the views of the Global South will be more traditionalist, orthodox, and supernatural than the North. As a case study he simply uses homosexual ordination. While American and European thinkers are crying out for sexual freedom, our Southern counterparts are staunchly opposed. And they are beginning to work together to block homosexual ordination. Interestingly, in some denominations (like the Episcopalians in the USA), individual conservative churches are fleeing their "liberal" overseers and seeking to be led by Archbishops from Africa and Asia. It seems the guardians of the faith are in the South.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the changing face of Global Christianity. It is clear that a watershed event has occurred, and we are just now becoming aware of this change. Also, this is a great resource for missionaries working in these areas. Jenkins has numerous and insightful discussions about what the demographic shift means for Christians who live in or near Muslim nations (which is especially pertinent to Africa and Asia). Jenkins' observations are a welcome check to those who think that Islam is the only global religion that is growing. (See his other work, God's Continent, for more information about Christianity and Islam in Europe and America. I reviewed it here, it was Book #5 on my Challenge List). I would also recommend this book to anyone who is interested in a history of Christianity, outside of the West, over the last hundred years or so.

I thought this book might be difficult to read, but it was not too bad. The first few chapters are statistically heavy, but that dwindles as the book continues from statistics to analysis, narrative, and application of the information. I am sure this book will be used in colleges and seminaries for the next decade. It actually surprises me that it was not immediately made required reading when I was in Seminary—the observations Jenkins makes are that important. Definitely worth reading.

Favorite quote: "If the church had to choose whether to appeal to the Catholics of Brazil or Belgium, of the Congo or France, then on every occasion, simple self-interest would persuade them to favor the burgeoning Southern community. Of course the leaders of the Roman Catholic Church are so conservative: they can count.

Stars: 4 out of 5.

Final Word: Global.

The PAPA Prayer by Larry Crabb

2009-10-07T18:41:00.002+07:00

Title: The PAPA Prayer by Larry Crabb

Pages: 201.

How it was obtained: It was in my office when I arrived in Thailand.

Time spent on the "to read" shelf: 0 days.

Days spent reading it: 1 week.

Why I read it: My Church is having a Church retreat in November. We are using this book as our theme for the weekend, so I figured I'd brush up on what we will be teaching on during that weekend.

Brief review: In this book, Larry Crabb talks about how we pray. His main premise is that we often approach God only if we want something. We only use prayer to force God's hand in our lives. Crabb thinks this is not only wrong, but a reversal of how we should approach God. Instead Crabb proposes prayer should first be relational. This book does have a "formula," but Crabb is clearly against us using this prayer as a formulaic way of relating to God. I think he understands this model is only one way we should relate to God. It has its shortcomings, but I think it is pretty solid.

Crabb's proposal is to pray using this acronym: P-A-P-A. Present yourself to God (talk to God openly about where you are at in your life). Attend to how you are thinking of God (is He to provide for me like Santa Claus, or like a loving parent who knows what's best for me?). Purge yourself of anything that blocks your relationship with God (basically confession). Approach God as the "first thing" in your life (remove all other idols, and actually take time to relate with God).

The principles are pretty sound. I like Crabb's plea for us to be honest in our prayer walk. I also like the appeal for us to be relational with God, stop viewing Him as a "Cosmic Santa" (as I read somewhere else) who gives me everything I ask for and think I need. There should be more to our prayer lives than just asking God for stuff (even good stuff).

I do not have anything negative to say about the book. I think it was a helpful way to think about prayer. But I just was not drawn into this book completely. I think I simply might not like the way Crabb writes. He's not terrible, I just am not captivated by his writing. Oh well. My only other beef was with the tag lines on the book cover. They are terrible. "You think you know, but you have no idea. The PAPA Prayer. The prayer you've never prayed." It's a little cheesy, and probably not Crabb's doing, so I won't hold it against him—just his publisher.

I would recommend for anyone who needs to break out of their prayer rut of asking from a list, or someone thinking about how prayer can be more about my relationship with God. Definitely worth a quick read.

Favorite quote: Efforts to worship God without first getting to know Him tend to reduce worship to mere appreciation when God cooperates with our agendas.

Stars: 3.5 out of 5.

Final Word: Amen.

Jesus Wants to Save Christians by Rob Bell and Don Golden

2009-10-05T23:25:00.000+07:00

Title: Jesus Wants to Save Christians: A Manifesto for the Church in Exile by Rob Bell and Don Golden

Pages: 218.

How it was obtained: Susan gave it to me as a Christmas present.

Time spent on the "to read" shelf: 10 months.

Days spent reading it: 1 day.

Why I read it: Rob Bell fascinates me. He often challenges my view of Christianity. He makes me think about the how and why of Christianity today. And I like his odd writing style.

Brief review: Rob Bell and Don Golden walk through the story of the Bible with a particular eye towards how God frees the oppressed and is opposed to oppressive empires. According to the introduction they take their cue from what is being called the "New Exodus" perspective. Basically, I think they see the Exodus as the primary imagery for salvation in the Bible (almost more so than the Cross, which is slightly disturbing).

There are some creative and good ideas in this book. Bell and Golden made me think deeply about what it means to have power and wealth. Some questions I tried to think through while reading this book included: How have we (Americans) obtained power and wealth? What are we doing with this power and wealth? What can we be doing differently? Is the way that we have obtained power and wealth by oppressing others? And if so, what should we do about that? Is America really an empire? Is it comparable to Rome during Jesus' time? What would Jesus think about America? How would he correct us? How would he commend us?

I appreciate the creativity of Rob Bell. I think this book is an interesting look at the overall story of the Bible. My only problem is that in a book like this, Bell is forced to downplay important elements of the Bible in order to make his point. For instance the title of the book is "Jesus wants to save Christians." But a much better (though less provocative title) would be "Jesus wants to liberate Christians." Salvation in this book is much less about a relationship with Jesus (however you phrase it), and instead liberation from oppression is the driving metaphor. I do not disagree with the metaphor Bell uses, but it leaves the title a little misleading. Of course, Rob Bell would not be Rob Bell if he was not probing and provoking and making the modern Christian rethink how we relate to the post-modern culture. So he has to have a provocative title about Christians being saved.

This is one of those books I would like to read with a group of people. Some who really like the ideas in the book, some who really hate the ideas in the book, and some who fall between these extremes. I think this book would be fascinating to discuss with others who were interested in it. As a theology student, I also think it would be interesting to do a research paper in an advanced theology class comparing and contrasting Bell's views with Liberation theology, or looking at his view of the atonement. There is plenty of material to read through and think about for a paper like that (and countless other papers if one was interested). Bell is not the originator of many of these ideas, but he is a popularizer of ideas. He is a master at presenting ideas. He is very creative, keeps your attention, and he knows his audience.

I would recommend this book to most people, but not everyone. I think it was interesting to read and think through. Not everyone is going to like Bell's take on things (I know I often do not), but at least he makes us think about what we believe. And that is always good in my book.

Favorite quote: At the height of their power, Israel misconstrued God's blessings as favoritism and entitlement. They became indifferent to God and to their priestly calling to bring liberation to others.

There's a word for this. A word for what happens when you still have the power and the wealth and the influence and yet in some profound way you've blown it because you've forgotten why you were given it in the first place.

The word is exile.

Exile is when you forget your story.

Exile isn't just about location; exile is about the state of your soul.

Exile is when you fail to convert your blessings into blessing for other people.

Exile is when you find yourself a stranger to the purposes of God.

Stars: 4 out of 5.

Final Word: Challenging.

Book 40: Life at Blandings by P.G. Wodehouse

2009-10-03T20:24:00.002+07:00

Title: Life at Blandings (Omnibus) by P.G. Wodehouse. This omnibus contains the books Something Fresh, Summer Lightning, and Heavy Weather.

Pages: 828.

How it was obtained: Susan and I bought this at a Borders a few years ago.

Time spent on the "to read" shelf: 5 years.

Days spent reading it: 1 month.

Why I read it: I enjoy P.G. Wodehouse, I think he's a comic genius. So we bought this book thinking, "Hey, three-in-one, that's got to be good."

Brief review: Wodehouse is a fantastic comic writer. His characters are fun and light-hearted, and even his characters are out shined by the incredible comic plots that Wodehouse creates. The craziest things happen at Blandings Castle. I've noticed that Wodehouse likes to write about two things: stolen goods and engagements. Random objects, like pigs and scarab beetles, are stolen. Then returned. Then stolen again. And Wodehouse makes the romantic plots of Shakespeare seem simple and straightforward by comparison. Wodehouse must think people in love are literally crazy. And maybe it's true.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for a good solid chuckle. Wodehouse is a master wordsmith. But you have to get used to the pace and tempo of the writing. It's quick and witty.

I would say this volume is a great place to be introduced to the Blandings characters, but the size would probably put most people off. Instead, pick up the single volume copies of Something Fresh or Summer Lightning which are both contained in this edition. If you enjoy British humor, you won't be disappointed.

Favorite quote:
"When one considers how keenly London, like all large cities, resents physical exercise...if you run because you wish to develop your lungs or jump because jumping is good for the liver, London punishes you with its mockery. It rallies round and points the finger of scorn." -from Something Fresh

"A certain critic--for such men, I regret to say, do exist--made the nasty remark about my last novel that it contained 'all the old Wodehouse characters under different names.' He has probably by now been eaten by bears, like the children who made mock of the prophet Elisha: but if he still survives he will not be able to make a similar charge against Summer Lightning. With my superior intelligence, I have outgeneralled the man this time by putting in all the old Wodehouse characters under the same names. Pretty silly it will make him feel, I rather fancy." -from intro to Summer Lightning

"This," said the Hon. Galahad, "is the hour of the day that searches a man out. It makes him examine his soul. And I don't want to examine my soul. I expect the thing looks like an old boot. So, as I say, amuse me, child. Sing to me. Dance before me. Ask me riddles."-from Heavy Weather

Stars: 4 out of 5.

Final Word: Hilarious.

Book 39: Xenocide by Orson Scott Card

2009-09-28T21:13:00.002+07:00

Title: Xenocide by Orson Scott Card

Pages: 592.

How it was obtained: I bought it at Borders.

Time spent on the "to read" shelf: 2 years.

Days spent reading it: Over 1 ½ years. I started reading it just before a family vacation in June of 2008.

Why I read it: It is the third book in the Ender series by Orson Scott Card. Ender's Game is one of my favorite books of all time.

Brief review: Xenocide is a strange book to categorize for me. On the one hand, Card has created a morally fascinating novel that started in Speaker for the Dead and continues here in Xenocide. At the heart of the book is the question—how do we determine who we will go to war with and kill? What if it is us or them, how do we respond? And he takes these very great questions and extends them to the extreme. So, what if it was the entire human race or an entire alien race? What would we do? What if it was three or four intelligent species? I love the questions that this book creates and begins to solve.

Second, I like how Card makes me think about how we would interact with a culture that is entirely different from our own. Sure, Card is using aliens as his example of a new culture, but aliens are a clear metaphor for any culture different from our own. How will we interact with that culture, influence that culture, change that culture, even by simply observing? It is a question cultural anthropologists and missiologists have been dealing with for a long time now.

This book struggles (and so does Speaker for the Dead) in explanations about science. Card gets bogged down explaining philosophy about human connections (philotes), DNA splicing, space/time travel, etc. It is clear that Card has done his background research, his explanations just seem forced. I feel like someone needs to tell him, "It is science fiction, it does not have to be based on REAL science."

Reading Xenocide made me want to read Ender's Game again. And that is not a bad thing. I think people who are already committed to the Ender series will like this book, but it would not be a good place to start.

Favorite quote: "Isn't it possible, he wondered, for one person to love another without trying to own each other? Or is that buried deep in our genes that we can never get it out? Territoriality. My wife. My friend. My lover. My outrageous and annoying computer personality who's about to be shut off at the behest of a half-crazy girl genius with OCD on a planet I never heard of and how will I live without Jane when she's gone?"

Stars: 3.5 out of 5.

Final Word: Deadly.

Book 38: Jesus and Politics: Confronting the Powers by Alan Storkey

2009-09-26T19:32:00.017+07:00

Title: Jesus and Politics: Confronting the Powers by Alan Storkey

Pages: 366.

How it was obtained: I bought it at an Evangelical Theological Society conference in 2005 (50% off most books at the conference! Woot!)

Time spent on the "to read" shelf: Four years.

Days spent reading it: 8 months.

Why I read it: I have been interested in how Christians should interact with politics for a long time. This book looked like it would be a solid examination of some of those principles.

Brief review: Religion and politics and Jesus, is there a more inflammatory combination of topics in the world? For me, I have a love/hate relationship with politics. I am interested in politics, but politics also makes me so angry sometimes. I do not understand a lot of the issues of our day, and understand even less when it comes to how a Christian should interact with a particular topic. I was hoping that Jesus and Politics would be a helpful and practical guide to understanding a Christian's role in politics. This book did not meet those expectations. I would say it flat out failed in that regard. Actually, the application elements of this book were limited to a few pages in the conclusion and pot-shots against the Iraq war.

What this book did deliver on, and oddly how I usually prefer content, was a solid exegesis of Jesus' life with a focus on how specifically he dealt with the political powers in his time. If I would have known this was going to be the pattern while reading this book, I probably would have enjoyed it more. Why? Because I love when key passages are examined and the principles of application are left to the reader (or student). Sadly, when I was reading this book I did not want to work that hard.

I loved the first few chapters. Storkey has an excellent chapter at the beginning of the book that details what the different political powers in Jerusalem were at the time Jesus was preaching and teaching. One of the best break-downs of the different factions I have ever read. His descriptions were concise and clear, but not simplistic.

My other favorite chapters were at the end of the book. One fascinating chapter was on taxation, it simply made me think about how Jesus perceived taxes, but also how taxes were different in the first century than they are in the 21^st century.

The last few chapters were a fantastic analysis of how Jesus, on the road to the cross, confronts the authorities of his time. He shows them he has a kingdom that the different political groups do not understand. They think they have power, but the power of God is in the cross. I loved Storkey's description of Pilate confronting Jesus. I think Storkey has a great deal of sympathy for Pilate who is stuck between a) controlling the Jews from rioting (and thus losing his job, perhaps his own life) and b) the truth of who Jesus is. Like Pilate, are we more concerned about our livelihood and our own lives than we are with presenting who Jesus really is? It is a challenging question that haunted me as I read a tale that I know so well.

Overall I liked this book. I would not say that I loved it because it dragged in the middle, it was not what I expected, and the specific applications of texts were rare. But after finishing it, I appreciate the way Storkey uses the Biblical text to describe how Jesus confronts the political opponents of his day. This was a Biblical theology of politics and it will probably be used as a text book in colleges and seminaries for years to come.

Favorite quote: Principled opposition always costs.

Stars: 3.5

Final Word: Political.

Book 37: The Final Warning by James Patterson

2009-09-24T21:55:00.009+07:00

Title: The Final Warning by James Patterson

Pages: 255.

How it was obtained: Susan and I bought it from Border's for 30% off (the sticker is still on the book).

Time spent on the "to read" shelf: 1 year.

Days spent reading it: 1 day.

Why I read it: This is the fourth book of a series, need I say more?

Brief review: It is clear that James Patterson can write a book. I enjoy reading his stuff. He's a light, quick, easy read. So of course I still enjoyed reading The Final Warning. Mostly because I just relax when I read Patterson's stuff.

Having said that, this series is increasingly becoming less and less interesting. Patterson moves to a plot purely driven by the dangers of global warming--culminating in a hurricane that "was caused by global warming" towards the end of this book. I find that simply ridiculous.

Another way in which Patterson is beginning to faulter is finding a good bad-guy. It seems that the old ones were not up to snuff, and so he created (I'm not kidding here) The Uber-Director, a brain in a jar who masterminds the capture and auction of Max and her flock. If it sounds silly, it is silly.

This book seemed rushed. It is about 100 pages shorter than any other Maximum Ride novel so far (and they're not that long!). It was also released almost before the previous book was out in paperback.

I know Patterson is a writing machine, but I hope that for the next installment (which I already have, and Susan has read), that Patterson slowed down some, established a solid nemesis, and begins to wrap things up. He is becoming predictable and boring. This is not helped by his tirades on global warming. I'm all about people sharing their beliefs about global warming. But this book was a little on the absurd side.

If you've read Maximum Ride, you'll read this one, but unless the series reclaims it's original grandeur, I'm getting close to checking out. I enjoy reading Patterson's stuff, but there is only so much that I can take. And that's my final warning.

Favorite quote: "You stand out like a fart in church."

Stars: 3 out of 5.

Final Word: Global-boring.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon

2009-09-22T21:25:00.000+07:00

Title: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon.

Pages: 272.

How it was obtained: My first book that I purchased here in Thailand! I got it at a book sale in the mall. I know, bad Patrick! Finish your list!

Time spent on the "to read" shelf: Maybe 2-3 days.

Days spent reading it: 2 days.

Why I read it: This little gem of a book ended up on one of those "BBC must read 100 books of all time!" lists. How it ended up there, I'm not quite sure. But that's where it first caught my eye. Then I saw it at the C&MA guest house here in Thailand. Then I saw it at this book sale. When books keep popping up on my radar, I usually try to check them out.

Brief review: I loved this book! It was quirky and unique. I always love unique. The narrator is Christopher. He is a young man with Asperger syndrome (or this is what I surmised, he never comes out and says it). He is socially awkward, but in math and science he is brilliant.

This tale is a murder mystery that Christopher tries to solve. A dog, Wellington, is killed across the street from Christopher with a garden fork. As Christopher begins to unravel the mystery, the heart of this book unfolds. You see what Christopher's condition has meant for his family and the painful decisions that were made. There is a lot of emotional material in the book, but it's slightly removed because it is told through the eyes of Christopher who clearly does not understand the nuances of events that take place around him. Pulling off the emotional material with a slight detachment is Mark Haddon's crowning achievement in this book. You feel great sympathy for Christopher as we journey through this mystery with him.

This book was top-notch. I only wish the author had left out the numerous f-words throughout the book. They were completely unnecessary, even if reflecting the speech of real-life people. Besides that, I highly recommend to anyone who wants a book that is told from a unique perspective, with an incredible protagonist, it is very funny (although Christopher claims to make no jokes, Mark Haddon clearly knows how to set up some great lines), and has a ton of heart. I highly recommend.

Favorite quote: "I also said that I cared about dogs because they were faithful and honest, and some dogs were cleverer and more interesting than some people. Steve, for example, who comes to school on Thursdays, needs help to eat his food and could not even fetch a stick. Siobhan asked me not to say this to Steve's mother."

-Actually my favorite quote is the last paragraph of the book, but it wouldn't be fair to write that paragraph now would it?

Stars: 5 out of 5.

Final Word: Curious.

Book 36: Metamorphoses by Ovid

2009-09-20T20:55:00.000+07:00

Title: Metamorphoses by Ovid

Pages: 416 (including literary introduction and criticism).

How it was obtained: I picked it up from Barnes and Noble.

Time spent on the "to read" shelf: Around 4 or 5 years.

Days spent reading it: 2 weeks.

Why I read it: I had been reading a number of books that referred to Greek mythology, and specifically stories told by Ovid. So I thought I might appreciate this book.

Brief review: Metamorphoses was certainly a difficult book to read. Not that I was looking for easy, but it was challenging to pay attention to this epic poem. I found the difficulties in a few areas:

1. The narrator changed often. I almost never knew who specifically was telling the story, and sometimes I did not even know what story I was reading. It was so hard to follow. And sometimes there would be a story within a story, and then you'd come out of the one story, back to the "main story" and then eventually leave that story as well. I think this poem would be easier to read if one had an outline of the stories in it with them. I wonder if anyone has done that? A quick search on google reveals that indeed it has been done. Maybe I should have printed one out before I started reading!

2. The stories become a little repetitive. Love found. Love pined for. Love lost. Change lover/lovee into animal/plant/exotic object of your choice. It becomes a little redundant in my opinion. More flowers and trees were created in the midst of the tale than it took to print it.

3. The use of the gods names in Roman, not Greek. I realize Ovid was writing as a Roman, but I mostly know my Greek mythology with Greek names. I found it hard to equate the Roman name with the Greek name. Add to that the difficultly of using multiple names or odd descriptors for someone and the task of figuring out who is being talked about can be rough (son of _____ was very common, actually there's an appendix in the front of the book for all of these, it's a few pages long).

4. The concept of love in this poem is ridiculous. Love at first sight is not so much love as lust. And that's about the extent of how love is portrayed in this work. I wish Ovid had a better understanding of what true love really was. The love he describes is selfish, greedy, and superficial. Throughout this poem people do crazy things because they saw someone beautiful. Well get over it, and stop being crazy!

So it was hard to appreciate this poem. Am I glad I read it? Yeah, probably. Some of the scenes were actually interesting. Like when Ajax and Ulysses make speeches for who should receive Achilles armaments. That was a fun chapter, the insults were flying. But for the most part, it was difficult to read, more difficult to follow, and the return for me was not as great as the investment. This is probably a great poem to study in college, not so great to manhandle for fun.

Favorite quote: Ajax talking smack...
"I own that it is a mighty prize I strive for, but such a rival takes away the honor of it. It is no honor for Ajax to have gained a prize, however great, to which Ulysses has aspired. Already he has gained reward enough in this contest because, when conquered, he still can say he strove with me."

Stars: 2 out of 5.

Final Word: Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes!

Inside the Mind of Youth Pastors: A Church Leaders Guide to Staffing and Leading Youth Pastors by Mark Riddle

2009-08-29T13:08:00.003+07:00

Title: Inside the Mind of Youth Pastors: A Church Leaders Guide to Staffing and Leading Youth Pastors by Mark Riddle

Pages: 182.

How it was obtained: I purchased it along with some other ministry books from Amazon.com.

Time spent on the "to read" shelf: 3 months.

Days spent reading it: 2 days.

Why I read it: I am always looking for good books about ministry and youth pastoring. I thought this might be a good one to read.

Brief review: This is a book about hiring youth pastors. It also deals with developing relationships between staff members.

One thing this book does well, it breaks down good and bad reasons to hire a youth pastor. Riddle argues that a youth pastor should not be hired to take away ministry from church volunteers who are too busy to work with youth. A youth pastor should be hired for strategizing and coordinating. A youth pastor should be a support for the church ministry as a whole. I like how Mark Riddle talks about not hiring a youth pastor just because it has always been that way, or the church needs someone to take care of the kids. Youth ministry should be a church-wide ministry, not just a place for the youth pastor to minister alone.

The second half of the book deals with develoiping the relationship between a senior pastor and a youth pastor. I thought there were some good ideas in this section. Riddle talks about cooperation, having a mentoring mentality, and teamwork as keys. The very last section of the book deals with some odds and ends including sections on unwritten expectations of the congregation (fix my kid!), number comparisons, and a short chapter on part-time youth pastors (those poor souls).

This book was a quick read. I think it would be great for a search committee to go through (if they are willing to think through the process differently than it has been done before). I think it would also be a great resource for a senior pastor and youth pastor to go through together, especially if rifts have started to develop in their relationship.

Favorite quote:
The stereotypes of the youth pastor who can't be bothered with theology and the senior pastor who can't be bothered with the reality of modern culture are fading. Over the last several years, I've seen an increase in the number of youth pastors who are deeply engaged with theology through reading and dialogue. I'm not suggesting that they're parsing systematic theology, but they are reflecting on the nature of their beliefs as they relate to youth ministry and your church. More and more youth pastors are seeing the importance of letting theology inform how the local church does ministry. This is an exciting time to be working with youth pastors.

Stars: 4 out of 5.

Final Word: Mindful.

Real Church: Does it exist? Can I find it? by Larry Crabb

2009-08-28T11:42:00.000+07:00

Title: Real Church: Does it exist? Can I find it? by Larry Crabb

Pages: 160.

How it was obtained: Purchased from Amazon.com

Time spent on the "to read" shelf: About two months.

Days spent reading it: A week.

Why I read it: The senior pastor at my church recommended reading this book, and he also is preaching through a series based on some ideas in this book. I figured I'd get off to a good start and read what he was thinking through.

Brief review: Real Church is the attempt by Larry Crabb to respond the charge that church is not worth getting up for on Sunday mornings. People are usually alright following Jesus, but don't particularly care for his bride.

Crabb gives three (unfulfilling) reasons why people tend to say they go to church. Going to church will make my life better. Going to church will show you how Jesus wants you to change the world. Going to church is all about saving lost souls and helping the already saved to be visibly moral. These are alright reasons, but they still leave us wanting more.

Crabb then goes on to give 4 marks of a church that are helpful (to Crabb at least). I'll paraphrase. 1. Hungers for truth. 2. Desires spiritual formation (and recognizes we are all in need of spiritual formation). 3. Community-centered. 4. Engaged with those outside the church.

I thought this book was alright. My criticism is that Crabb is basing what Church should look like based on his felt need as a broken human. I love that Crabb is open about our brokenness (a good theology is man is based on the fact that we are sinful). But I don't think what the church should look like or feel like to us today should be based on our felt needs. I wish Crabb would have gone back to the Bible and worked from that superior source material to point us to what church should actually look like.

Not that Crabb is wrong, or has bad ideas, or anything like that. He is surrounded by a biblical worldview, and I actually resonate with a number of his ideas. But the solution to the fact that (post)modern people do not care for church should not be based on how we feel or what we think we need. Instead it should be based on what God actually intended for the church to be.

This book could have been a great discussion on what the church should be based on what God wants it to be. Instead it's a discussion on what church should be like based on what Larry Crabb (and many others who feel the same way as Crabb) wants it to be. Then again, I know this is not meant to be a theological discussion on the church. It is simply a discussion about the church based on years of discontent.

Does a church that I want to be a part of exist out there? Absolutely! I've been there. I've belonged to a church that completely modeled Acts 2:42-47. But I also recognize that was not the norm for churches. So I completely sympathize with people who are frustrated with the same old-same old church. There is something more out there for people stuck in that church. It can be found. Keep examining the New Testament and the (very broken) church it depicts and realize that God intends for something more, but he also works with what we have. He takes broken churches and still uses them to accomplish his work in this world. All you have to do is look through Romans or Corinthians to recognize that the early church was not picturesque even in the early days.

Alright, enough rambling. Real Church was an alright book, but I wanted it to be great. Kind of like the church Crabb describes.

Favorite quote: "I long to be a part of a church that somehow connects what we do when we meet together to who I am when I'm alone. And I want that connection to release the power that can transform me into a lover of God and a lover of others."

Stars: 3 out of 5.

Final Word: Honest.

Book 35: Maximum Ride: Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports by James Patterson

2009-08-26T20:50:00.001+07:00

Title: Maximum Ride: Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports by James Patterson.

Pages: 405

How it was obtained: This was a gift to Susan one Christmas.

Time spent on the "to read" shelf: 2 years.

Days spent reading it: 2 days.

Why I read it: This is the third book in a series.

Brief review: This third book in the Maximum Ride series begins to show the real overall plot of the books. I was saying to myself "Finally!" and then "Lame." Threaded through the books so far have been not-so-subtle hints that there is indeed an overarching plot. I am still not sure how Max and her flock fit into it, but essentially this book reveals that the evil nemesis is pollution by evil giant companies. That's a little lame in my mind.

Patterson has written a great series. Max and her flock of misfits are loveable characters. The books are easy to read, quick paced, and have a tinge or cynicism that will certainly appeal to every teenager. I really enjoy reading them. But this book turns from unique and fun to a higher degree of absurd plot. Patterson has one of his characters start a blog that soon has millions of kids following it. They become a children's army that is willing to raise their tiny fists against "the man." So we have teenagers throwing rocks and protesting outside of giant corporations at one point in the book. Do I believe in the power of the teenager? Absolutely. But this was a little ridiculous. I think Patterson envisions millions of little eco-terrorists crying in the streets to save their planet. I just can't buy it . I will suspended my disbelief for a bunch of genetically altered bird-kids, but teenagers becoming tree-hugging protesters is a little too much for me.

The same problem runs through Christopher Pike's Alosha series (which I reviewed here, here, and here). These are fun writers, and I'm sure they want to do something significant with their words. But they are not believable. A believable writer in this area of ecology is Carl Hiaasen. Check out Hoot or Flush for a great story with a believable teenager stepping up to help the environment.

I still enjoy these books, but the plot is starting to get annoying. Will I keep reading them? Yup. I'll finish the next two at some point in the near future, I'm sure. I had some great hopes for this series, but it seems like they keep getting a little worse each time. Oh well, I guess that happens when the author writes like 10 books a year. Quality is sacrificed for quantity (and profits!). Such is life.

Favorite quote: "'You should really try one of these cookies,' she said, holding out a chocolate-chip chunk of treason."

Stars: 3.5 out of 5.

Final Word: Eco-friendly.

Book 34: Creating Community: 5 Keys to Building a Small Group Culture by Andy Stanley and Bill Willits

2009-08-25T20:09:00.005+07:00

Title: Creating Community: 5 Keys to Building a Small Group Culture by Andy Stanley and Bill Willits

Pages: 190

How it was obtained: I was given this book before I started leading a small group at a church in Columbia, SC. Obviously I didn't read it when I was supposed to read it.

Time spent on the "to read" shelf: 4 years.

Days spent reading it: 2 months.

Why I read it: I was supposed to read it before I helped lead a small group. I felt bad about never having read it, so I added it to this list and completed my assignment years after it was originally given.

Brief review: This book is a Northpoint Church resource that talks about how they created a small group environment at their church. I have mixed feelings about this book. On one hand, I recognize how important community is in spiritual development. So I think there are a few helpful pointers in this book about how that is accomplished.

But for the most part, this book really rehashes old business models and applies them to small groups. For instance one point of the book is "Clarify the win." Make sure you know what your end goal is. Gee, that sounds like Business class 101 to me. We need to know our goal to get there. I get it. Another section was about having reasonable criteria for small group leaders. Have quality leaders, but don't expect them to be perfect. Done.

In another section of the book they talk about how they want to see their small groups multiplying. SO every 1.5 years the group splits, but also grows. The chart goes:

Year/# of people
0/12
1.5/24
3/48
4/96
etc. etc.

However they never explain how these groups magically grow (especially considering they are CLOSED groups). It was like they were saying:

Step 1. Start small group.
Step 2. Double in size in a year and a half.
Step 3. Start new small group.

It reminds me of the only episode I ever saw of Southpark with these underwear gnomes whose motto was: Phase 1--Steal underwear. Phase 2-- Phase 3--Profit!

How do you do that? How do you double the small group size? I realize a church like Northpoint has new people coming and going all the time. But the old "if you build it they will come" mentality does not work for small groups in most churches, making this point practically worthless for those churches.

And one more personal pet peeve. Andy Stanley's name is prominently on the front cover, but I would be shocked if he wrote anything besides the introduction that is about 5 pages long. If you write a book, put your name on the cover. If you write the intro you're not the author! You're the "With intro written by" guy. His name is on the cover because it is his church and it will help sell this book. That's annoying to me. We might as well grab John Grisham, make him write an intro and put his name on the front cover of any book we want to sell. Why not? Ok, enough ranting.

So I did enjoy some of what is in this book. The opening chapters deal a lot with why people need a community they can fit into. There is a profound need in the human soul that needs community, and I think this book explores that need well. It gives us a glimpse of a biblical theology for small groups.

There are a number of small points that are applicable to anyone working on developing or strengthening their small groups. But this is not a book about how to start, grow, and develop your small groups. It is a big picture book that is not particularly practical for smaller churches, in my opinion. Not that the ideas are bad or wrong, they just are not for general application. I was hoping for something more and simply did not get it. Good thing this book was reasonably short.

Favorite quote: Disconnected people tend to be more selfish. Isolation breeds selfishness.

Stars: 2 out of 5

Final Word: Disappointing.

Book 33: Maximum Ride: School's Out Forever by James Patterson

2009-08-17T09:35:00.000+07:00

Title: Maximum Ride: School's Out Forever by James Patterson

Pages: 409.

How it was obtained: It was a Christmas gift for Susan from her parents a few years ago.

Time spent on the "to read" shelf: 2 years.

Days spent reading it: 10 days.

Why I read it: I actually heard this one on CD a few years ago. We really liked it, but missed the first one. So now I'm reading through the series, and this has been on the list for a little while.

Brief review: Maximum Ride is the brain child of the prolific James Patterson. It is a series aimed at young adults about a group of kids who have wings (and other special powers). They escape from their laboratory and have great adventures. This is the second book in the series.

What I like about these books is that they are very funny, engaging, and quick reads. You can pick one up and read through it in a few hours (if you're Susan) or days (if you're Patrick). They don't take much brain power, but they are very enjoyable. There are lots of little quotable bits throughout. Max is the main narrator, and her character is witty and likeable.

I would definitely recommend this series to Middle and High School students, but there is a small amount of swearing or pseudo-swearing in the series. I think adults would appreciate the series as well, but its not like this is refined literature. It's a beach read, and an enjoyable one at that. So there you have it.

Oh, and for anyone keeping track, this is my first book that I read in Thailand! Woo-hoo! (Check out my other blog Keeping Up With the Joneses if you want to read about our adventures in Thailand)

Favorite quote: "If you're ever feeling a lack of middle-aged white men, just pop into the Capitol. Not so much the House of Representatives, which has a bit more color and texture, but the Senate--jeez. Yes, let's have more testosterone running the country."

Stars: 4 out of 5.

Final Word: Flighty.

Book 32: Scars of War, Wounds of Peace: The Israeli-Arab Tragedy by Shlomo Ben-Ami

2009-07-31T12:13:00.001+07:00

Title: Scars of War, Wounds of Peace: The Israeli-Arab Tragedy by Shlomo Ben-Ami

Pages: 332.

How it was obtained: I picked it up from half.com pretty cheap.

Time spent on the "to read" shelf: It has been on and off for a long time. Around 3 years.

Days spent reading it: Close to 3 years from start to finish.

Why I read it: I read a review about this book in Books and Culture. I was interested to find out more about the Arab-Israeli conflict, and thought this might be a good place to start. It was and wasn't.

Brief review: It is very clear from the start the Shlomo Ben-Ami has done his research. This book is a political history of the Arab-Israeli conflict from about the 1930s through today. The greatest strength of this book is Ben-Ami's knowledge of the people, events, and processes that have been involved in the conflict. The weakness is that he is too knowledgeable and does not consider that lowly readers like myself might not even have a basic understanding of some of the major events that have taken place in the last 50 or 60 years.

I found the first part of this book, dealing with Israel's establishment as a nation in 1948 the most interesting part of the book. I have a clearer picture of some of the major players. I'm sorry to say I did not know who Ben-Gurion was before I read this book (and if you don't either, go read this wikipedia article about him). I am pathetic in my understanding of Palestine and Israel. I still am, but at least now I'm a little less pathetic.

Scars of War, Wounds of Peace traces the different political processes (and occasionally delves into the military history, but mostly in how it pertains to the political history) that have transpired since Israel became a nation in 1948. It is a fascinating and sad tale between Israel and Palestine, and the author points out where the blame for failed peace has rested at both parties feet many times over. Obviously this is a very convoluted and complex situation that is charged with extreme emotions from all parties involved. After reading this book, one wonders if real peace in this region is ever going to be truly possible and what that solution might look like. Ben-Ami makes some suggestions (and has hope), but I'm not really convinced by his compromise. Add to this the clear theological considerations of peace in this area (both Jewish, Christian, and Muslim) and you can understand why this issue of peace in Israel is such a hot topic.

I wish I could tell you my own views on some of the subjects presented in this book, but really I am not sure where I stand even after reading it. I think the elusive peace that all parties search for is possible, but it might be only after Jesus comes back, and I don't know what that means for the current residents!

I found this book enlightening, but very difficult to read. I felt like I need to be splashing around in the baby pool, and I was thrown into the deep end. Ben-Ami's command of the history is obvious, but his ability to make it readable for the masses is more questionable. I could only handle about 15 pages at a time. And that took me over an hour each time. But it certainly made for some thought provoking reading in the long term.

Favorite quote: In reference to the 1967 war-- "Israel was wrong to assume that she could acquire new lands and have peace at the same time. But the Arabs had an illusion of their own: to get back their territories without offering peace in return."

Stars: 3 out of 5.

Final Word: Challenging.

The Ghost Brigades by John Scalzi

2009-07-25T21:41:00.001+07:00

Title: The Ghost Brigades by John Scalzi

Pages: 343.

How it was obtained: I bought it from Barnes and Noble, thinking I could read it before I departed for Thailand.

Time spent on the "to read" shelf: 0 days. I actually started reading it in the Barnes and Noble before I even bought it.

Days spent reading it: 2 days.

Why I read it: The Ghost Brigades is the sequel to Old Man's War, which I enjoyed thoroughly. So I picked this one up as well.

Brief review: John Scalzi has made it onto my sci-fi writers to watch out for list. After a fantastic debut with Old Man's War, I continued to be entertained and challenged with The Ghost Brigade.

The Ghost Brigade is the nick-name for the special forces side of the Colonial Defense Fleet. It is comprised of clones who are brought to life in adult bodies and completely sentient (well, mostly). This advanced cloning gives them unique physical qualities but also emotional limitations.

I loved how this book gave us more back story and insight into the universe that Scalzi created in Old Man's War. I felt there was a lot more fleshed out in this book as far as the overall universe. The story centers around a traitor to humanity who makes a copy of his mind before he fakes his own suicide. The book explores themes about the soul, conscience, identity, uniqueness, individuality, and the freedom of choice. Of course it does not skimp on the action and very witty dialogue that Scalzi will probably be well known for in the future.

John Scalzi is a great author, and he makes me laugh frequently. This is quality science fiction that is completely enthralling to read. I devoured this book as quickly as I could and would definitely recommend it (but I would rate it PG-13 or R on language alone).

Favorite quote: Rationality is not one of humanity's strong points.

Stars: 5 out of 5.

Final Word: Special.

Old Man's War by John Scalzi

2009-07-24T09:38:00.001+07:00

Title: Old Man's War by John Scalzi

Pages: 311.

How it was obtained: I picked it up at Books-A-Million.

Time spent on the "to read" shelf: 0 days.

Days spent reading it: 2 days.

Why I read it: I saw Zoe's Tale come out a few months ago in hardback and liked the cover. So I checked into the original book in the series, which was Old Man's War. After doing some checking into it, it sounded like a book I might actually like a lot. So I picked it up and bought it before I took off for Thailand to pass a few nights reading.

Brief review: I absolutely loved Old Man's War. John Scalzi is a witty writer. Sure, he borrows many ideas from Ender's Game, Starship Troopers, and other classic sci-fi books, but that does not make his own book inferior. It is going to be a classic on its own one day, I'm pretty sure.

The plot is simple. We meet our hero at the ripe age of 75 as he is about to enter the military for a 2-10 year stint. Yes, you read that correctly. In this book, military service (in space) is for the old who have already retired. They are taken into space and rejuvenated (I'll let you read the book to find out how). We follow Poole through his training and career in the military (and it's a pretty exceptional career). It is a fun romp that is over all too soon. The pace and point of view reminded me heavily of Starship Troopers (which was written by the master of science fiction Robert Heinlein). But some of the ideas and concepts were pure John Scalzi.

I'm glad I picked this book up, and I look forward to reading the other books in the series (and perhaps Scalzi's other works). He is a great writer and I find him very fun to read.

Favorite quote:

"You may refer to me as Ambassador, unworthy though I am of the title," The Consu said. "I am a criminal, having disgraced myself in battle on Pahnshu, and therefore am made to speak to you in your tongue. For this shame I crave death and a term of just punishment before my rebirth. It is my hope that as a result of these proceedings I will be viewed as somewhat less unworthy, and will thus be released to death. It is why I soil myself by speaking to you."

Stars: 5 out of 5.

Final Word: Refreshing.