The Movements of the Books

Erik Rees - SHAPE: This book moves from Mt TBR to the Bible Study pile as it's the kind of book you do rather than the kind of book you read.

Orson Scott Card - Sarah: DNF - I've decided I don't like fictionalised accounts of Biblical characters.

Corrie Ten Boom - The Hiding Place: DNF - I did start this and am sure I would have got a lot out of it but I'm a bit depressed at the moment and so an autobiographical account of life in a concentration camp does not appeal.

Eirc & Leslie Ludy - When God Writes Your Life Story: 8/10 - I read this in a day after waiting impatiently for its arrival! Although I prefered Authentic Beauty, I found this an enjoyable and worthwhile read. The authors tell of the early years of their marriage and ministry and their aim of living life totally surrendered to God. There's plenty of practical help although, as with all books of this nature, there is the danger of legalism. This is a radical approach to Christianity and one which I find very appealing. I'll hold on to this for further study although I fear some of the ideas are beyond my reach.

In Other News, I'm experiencing severe problems with one of my wrists. I'm seeing the Dr this afternoon but suspect I'll be told to rest it which will curtail my online life. Fortunately, the other book I've been waiting for (Lisa Bevere - Nurture) has finally arrived so I do have something good to read!

DNF

I am a very grumpy reader. I'm anxiously awaiting the arrival of two books I really, really want to read. I also have a migraine. Now, if either of said books had arrived in the morning's mail, I would have had a very pleasant day popping painkillers and reading. As it is, I'm DNFing everything I come across. Here we go:

Beverly Lewis - The Crossroad: I read The Postcard on holiday last year and complained then that Lewis had employed one of my pet hates - dialect. Dialect is fine when it's one character's voice. Well. I still don't like it much but I can live with it. Unfortunately, Lewis allowed the Amish dialect to spill over into her own narration. It would have worked, perhaps, if the book were narrated by an Amish character, in the first person. I forgave Lewis for this when reading The Postcard (possibly because I was on holiday and therefore only had a limited number of books available?). So, just over a year later, I come to the sequel - The Crossroad. Unfortunately, I've read a lot of books since then and don't remember much from The Postcard. But I expected that there would be some overlap between the books and it'd all come flooding back to me. This wasn't the case. Lewis provides a few pages in the voice of one of the principal characters and then goes on with the story and there just weren't sufficient signposts for me. I felt all at sea, was irritated by the language and gave up. If I'd read the two books more closely together, I might have persevered. But I am as I am and life's too short. Especially when my head's thumping!

Jay E Adams - Christian Living in the Home: I'd already looked at this book and cast it aside but decided to make another attempt. I got a little further this time before learning that the author believes there's no such thing as mental illness (save for that caused by brain injury). As a sufferer of Atypical Bipolar Disorder who has now recovered from bad Church experiences (no, I'm not demon possessed ...) I decided to close the book at this point.

James D Berkley - Essential Christianity: This is a pleasant enough little book which aims to set out the tenets of Christianity in an easily digestable format. The author is a little patronising - I think he's just trying to hard to be friendly. As I'm already a Christian, I don't see the point in reading it.

Judith Miller - Whispers Along the Rails: I read the first in this series (In the Company of Secrets) some time ago. Unfortunately, I couldn't really interest myself in this instalment. The situation of a young woman becoming a kind of mystery shopper on the railways in the (I think) 19th Century didn't appeal to me although it's possible that I would enjoy this as a popcorn book at another time. For now, however, as I'm being ruthless I shall allow the book to find a new home.

DNF - Mike Cleveland - The Lord's Table

I heard about The Lord's Table a number of years ago and this was my second or third attempt to get to grips with it. It's billed as 'A Biblical Approach to Weight Management' and, in fairness, it does what it says on the tin. But I really don't much like it. The author's premis is that overeating is idolatry and if we learn to fast properly and 'feast on the Lord' then we'll lose weight and all will be well. My Dr has advised regular meals as my stomach isn't a happy stomach at the moment and he's been muttering about ulcers. But I was happy to work through the book while following the SlimmingWorld diet which allows for regular meals and has worked for me in the past. According to the book's author, this means I'm following the rules of the world instead of the rules of God. This does not sit well. The only one who knows if it's true is God but I'm assuming he doesn't want me ill through being overweight or ill with an ulcer and therefore a sensible eating plan will meet with his approval.

The author's tone is 'preachy' and awkward and pushy and ... I just didn't like it. It lacks finesse. Which, as he's a pilot and not a writer, is perhaps not surprising.

At this point, I don't feel I'm learning anything from the study although, as with most things, there are probably nuggets of goodness hidden away in the large, spiral-bound book.

J Matthew Sleeth - Serve God Save the Planet

This book is a 'Did Not Finish' but through no fault of its own. The author is a Doctor and illustrates his writing with anecdotes from his medical practice. Due to personal circumstances I'm not up for reading about cancer and that's the anecdote presented in the first few pages so I've decided to let this book continue its journey with another reader.

DNF - Nicky Hambleton-Jones - Top to Toe

I borrowed this book from the library after seeing it on a friend's bookshelf over at GoodReads. Sadly, I am disappointed in it. I'm not sure if Hambleton-Jones is trying to write a memoir about how she changed her life or give sage advice to people who'd like to do the same. Either would be fine but, so far, she's chopped and changed between the two narratives so much I feel dizzy and must stop. From what I did read, she appears to have turned her life around by sleeping on friends' couches fo a year with a kind of grim determination that is either to be admired or pitied.

Richard J Foster - Celebration of Discipline

I found this book to be inaccessible and unappealing and have decided to let it go.

Tracey Bateman - Catch a Rising Star - DNF

So far as popcorn books go, this one was fine. The central character is amusing and the story sufficiently far removed from my reality to make it good escapism. Unfortunately the plot brought me to a hospital waiting room where a character invites her sister to a party while their father is recovering from a triple heart bypass ... Hospital rooms are very much my reality at the moment and I cannot conceive of inviting anyone to a party! So I decided to stop - there's only so much popcorn I can handle.