Tan, Amy - The Kitchen God's Wife

The Kitchen God's Wife

Facinating... one of those where you finish and half know you've found yourself yet another favourite author.

'Tan is a consummate storyteller whose prose manages to be emotionally charged without a trace of sentimentality.' - Sunday Times

Lowry, Lois - The Giver

The Giver
This book would make my top 10 - maybe even 5.
Yes I've read it about 8 times. So what.
It's short enough for anyone to read, and good enough that everyone should.

Although all appearances of a 'novel' suitable for kids about 11 or 12+, it has these astoundingly deep themes. Facinates me every time.

Some warning though, if you like nicely packaged endings where everything is as 'happy as larry' (cliched and bland) don't read this. The ending is ambigious to some extent, you can draw conclusions several ways.

Read it!

Yancey, Philip - Reaching for the Invisible God

I have this feeling I've read parts of this book before, I know I've quoted it in an essay. However, I've gotten stacks out of it this time - probably more than previously.

I was particularly interested in some of the legalsim orientated stuff. I've found it helpful to read after a period of recognition where you are trying to do everything on your own - or at least approach things wrongly.

Yancey quotes Augustine, "On earth we are wayfarers, always on the go, this means that we have to keep on moving forward. Therefore be always unhappy about where you are if you want to reach where you are not. If you are pleased with what you are, you have stopped already. If you say, 'It is enough', you are lost. Keep on walking, moving forward, trying for the goal." (p.225)

Which reminded me of that verse in Hebrews 12, or 1 Cor 9, or any of those. About running the race...

No coincidence either, that I have been reading the start of Romans (been kind of stuck there for awhile now). Perseverance.
...and the Hebrews 12:1-2, author and perfector verse which has become ironically 'themeish'.

One other reminder, a line of song by Relient K - "Doubt your doubts, and believe your beliefs".

I think I'll give up on rating, unless it is particularly terrible, or unbelieveably beyond good. From now on they are all 4' s unless otherwise specified.

Mayle, Peter - Toujours Provence

So I said I'd get this one read shortly, the sequel to A Year in Provence.

"Written in the same light and humourous style as the previous book, but in some ways a better book. There is no attempt at telling a story, this is just a collection of anecdotes."

I agree with the above (and due to blogger playing up I have lost the link to where I got that quote)

A 4/5 for this one. Muchly enjoyed. I just have to end up there one day now :)

McCollough, Colleen - The Thorn Birds

Although I have not read this recently, I did just come to the end of the 7 hours or so of the Thorn Birds dvd, a TV series made back in 1983 I think.

I dared to watch this with some hesitation as it's one of my favourite books. The biggest disappointment being the American accents of some or rather most of the characters. I was otherwise glad that I'd had my own experience and perspective of the book enhanced. I could be swayed when re-reading (some time) to see it all as the dvd showed it. Hopefully not, but I don't mind taking some.

Colleen McCollough has always impressed me. From, An Indecent Obsession, The Song of Troy, The Ladies of Missallonghi, Tim, The Touch, Morgans Run, to The Thorn Birds. I confess I only made it halfway through the First Man in Rome and am a bit daunted by the series that follows. Possibly my favourite author.

Strangely, I found myself best lost in the Character of Justine who features much less than Meggie Cleary. Something in me relates to her.
The best books do that.

Mayle, Peter - A Year in Provence

Surprisingly a first at reading this kind of book (so far as I can remember).

"Armchair travel"

Very amusing, beautifully descriptive without being cliched.
I was VERY impressed.

Have immediately started on the sequal 'Toujours Provence" which will make it's way up here shortly.

4/5 (should I bother with ratings?)

A Year in Provence

for those devoid of geography and too lazy to find out: Provence is in France

if you would like to do some armchair travelling in another kind of way go here: metroblogging lots of cities around the world, melbourne included.

Eldredge, John and Stasi - Captivating

Exceptionallly good. Draw dropping stuff eaisly by p18 (and only because I didn't take note earlier.)
Pretty much the female version of: Wild at Heart by John Eldredge, but I've read that, this was better (mind you it's more aimed at me)

Learnt lots, made me think.

Still kept my eyes open and found one bit I didn't quite agree with. This bit from a review touched on it, "you are meant to fill a place in the heart of God no one and nothing else can fill. He longs for you" (page 120). This almost seems to indicate that God needs us to make His joy and satisfaction complete." so a tad annoyed about that as it could be misinterpreted, or was infact written without much thought.

3 things: to be romanced, to play an irreplaceable role in a grand adventure, and to unveil beauty (dont jump to wacked conclusions here, it goes into a lot more detail)

I was unimpressed by a few of the reviews I read, seems they completely missed the point. Other's raved about it, everything from 1 star to 5.

Will make the tentative assumption that depending on where you are/who you are this book would give vastly different impressions.

Lots of good stuff in this book. Rate it highly because of what I got out of it.

4/5

look it up in Amazon yourself, why bother with linking? Amazon link to your right >

* An excellent review here: Who's Captivating Whom. It explains some of what didn't 'feel quite right'. I still think it's worth a read, but as with most things, reading with your eyes open to what's beyond what you're immediately hearing is definitely the way to go.