A Few Book Revisits

Well, fall is here and colder weather is slowly creeping in--the kind of weather that makes me want to curl up on a comfy couch with a cup of hot tea and a good book for a few hours. Granted, with 4 young kids running around my house, that kind of afternoon is pretty much a dream from a past life :) There was a time when I would plow through books like they were going out of style (they're not, by the way!), but with the advent of Child #3, I basically gave up on any aspirations of daytime reading, and I was doing really well if I made it through a book a month (which was not much compared to my previous reading levels). I was doing extra super well if I made it through a book a month and actually retained any memory of the book when I was done! You better believe that when Child #4 showed up, things only went downhill from there! That's why I'm thankful for Lit!: A Christian Guide to Reading Books, a book by Tony Reinke that I mentioned here a few months ago. If you haven't heard of it, or have but are taking a long time getting around to picking it up (it took me almost a year!), I'm going to re-recommend it right now. This book on the 5 Ws (and the H) of reading is eminently readable, full of practical tips, and has lots of biblically-derived wisdom on why and what to read. His chapter on how to read more books was especially helpful to this busy mom. Since I finished reading Lit!, the number of books on my reading list that I've actually gotten around to (and finished!) has grown significantly. And honestly, I think my reading comprehension and the amount I'm retaining from at least most of these books is better than it ever was when I was reading for exams and whatnot, despite the brain-shrinking effects of motherhood. So if you're struggling to fit reading (any genre) into a busy life, or if you just want to read better, pick up a copy of Lit! (As an aside, my mom and I decided this summer that the brain-shrinkage is merely the trade-off for the eyes in the back of your head, 100% increase in hearing and sudden reflexive ability to grab any falling object the second before it hits the ground and spills/shatters all over the place, that a woman gains immediately upon the birth of her first child.)

That said, I wanted to revisit two other books I mentioned the last time I wrote some short reviews. I'll mention a few more thoughts on Deadline today, and then tackle The Heart of Anger in the next few days, since I have a fair bit to say about that one.

Deadlineby Randy Alcorn: In retrospect, I feel I was a just little too hard on this one in my last review. I think what tripped me up was the stylistic difference between this book (which is the first of a trilogy) and the last book, Deception. I read Deception first, and it is a fast-paced murder mystery that had me regularly thinking, "I need to sleep now... but just one more page won't hurt..." (Yeah, and 20 pages later, I'm still saying that!) Deadline has a slower overall pace until the last hundred or so pages, with rather large sections that tackle detailed arguments on subjects such as media bias, abortion, medical ethics and what heaven may be like. This means that although some of the characters are the same as those in the last book, the pace and style of this book make for a different reading experience. A good read, but different. I still think there were a few pretty short sections earlier on that felt a bit lagging to me even for the slower pace of the overall book, but that said, the story line and character development are very good, and if you want help figuring out how to talk to your friends and colleagues about social issues from a gracious Christian worldview, there's a lot to think about (and use) here... another solid book from Alcorn. Pick it up, grab your cup of tea and spend a few hours reading on a cozy couch for me!