Recent Reads {Were They Wise Men or Kings?}

Were They Wise Men or Kings? The Book of Christmas Questions by Joseph J. Walsh - The title and cover of this book caught my eye while browsing at the library last week, so I picked it up for a quick look.  It looked like a quick read suitable for age 10 and up, maybe, so I brought it home.  At first I thought maybe I would read some of it aloud to the kids, but that never happened.  However, it was a quick, easy read and answered Christmas season questions in a common-sense way without being simplistic or overly scholarly.  The author taught (still teaches?) a course on Christmas to freshmen at Loyola, and I wondered whether his answers regarding the Nativity and its relevance to the Christmas celebrations would be dismissive.  After reading his answers, I really don't know whether he is a believer or a skeptic, because he stuck to the facts!  (Wouldn't it be cool if the NEWS media did that? But I digress...)   His answers were honest and sometimes humourous, acknowledging the unknowns such as when exactly Jesus was born, some of the facts surrounding the historical St Nicholas, and details about the wise men and the star.  He doesn't gloss over the fact that the church co-opted pagan feast days and remade them into celebrations of the Nativity of Christ, but is also quite clear that it is the Christian celebration of this holiday that has made it great and inspired most of the charity associated with it.

The book is organized into chapters by topic - Santa; The Nativity; Celebration; Traditions; etc - and in each chapter is a series of questions along with the answer, each Q&A taking approximately two pages.  So you can read the book cover to cover like I did, or just look up the answer to a question that intrigues you, like my kids may do.

I am going to give this book to my kids and encourage them to browse through it before I return it to the library.  They are the ones that ask me what holly and ivy have to do with Christmas, and what the twelve days of Christmas are.  Now I can give them a sourcebook along with my favorite instructions:  "Why don't you look it up?"

Recent Reads {Save Me From Myself}

Save Me From Myself: How I Found God, Quit Korn, Kicked Drugs, and Lived to Tell My Story by Brian "Head" Welch - this is another book that was on my "to read" list for a long time, and I finally was able to borrow it from a friend.  Brian "Head" Welch was the guitarist for the rock band Korn, which was very successful, but also notorious for their hard living, drug use, profanity, etc.  Welch tells his story in this autobiography.  As a child, he had a friend from a Christian family that greatly influenced him and his later decision to turn to Christ.  But during his teens and his years with Korn, he admits to his addictions, sins, depression, and struggles.  Finally, he started to ask questions of two business associates that happened to be Christians, and accepted Jesus Christ as his Savior.  What a remarkable transformation!  He talks about his growth since making the decision to follow Christ, and about the things he is still struggling with. 

This book is an easy read, in that it is an easy conversational style, and one can easily picture Brian just simply telling his story.  I think his experience gives parents and youth workers valuable insights into what goes on in the minds of youth and their perceptions.  It should also serve as a challenge to the "established" church - I wonder how many of us would react if someone that looked like Welch walked into our church service?  And would we be willing even to engage in conversation and friendship with someone like this to earn the right to share the gospel with them?  And what would his impression of us or of our church be like? 

Welch doesn't mince words in this account though - and he quotes conversations literally, so you'll find some four-letter words scattered throughout.  I didn't find this objectionable, because of the context, but some readers might.

Recent Reads {Water for Elephants}

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen - While the title had intrigued me for awhile, this is a book I would probably not have read on my own.  It was my book club's pick for last month, so I dug into it.  I hesitate to "recommend" it because it is full of vile, coarse language, and there are several se**al scenes that are more graphic than necessary.  Not all of that is gratuitous, of course - I think its an accurate portrayal of the people and atmosphere to include foul language and immoral behaviors, and generally it is part and parcel of the plot, so it's not added as sensationalism.  The story itself is fascinating, unique, and unpredictable.  The reading went quickly and I always wanted to turn the page to find out what would happen next.  I rather liked the ending too - it really wasn't quite what I expected, but was truly satisfying.

The main character is an elderly man in a nursing home and he is remembering his experiences as a young man and how he happened to "run away and join the circus" and the drama and tragedies he witnessed and lived through.  The author's note at the end reveals that many of the incidents and circumstances in the novel are based on actual events and anecdotes from the circus trains of the early 1900s.

Recent Reads {Sister's Choice}

Sister's Choice by Judith Pella.  Not that long ago, i picked up the first book in this series, Bachelor's Puzzle, and was pleasantly surprised at the character development and plot twists in what I expected to be a formula Christian romance.  I enjoyed it so much I decided that I would watch for the next book in the series.  I happened to see it at the library last week and even though I had several other books on my reading stack, I couldn't resist grabbing it.  Once again, Pella delivered a sweet romance that was not always predictable.  Likable and realistic characters, and a little bit of humor along the way enliven this installment in the series.  I kept turning the pages late into the night, always thinking "just one more chapter"  Now I find myself hoping that there will be a third book in this series, and perhaps it will satisfy my curiosity about the source of the long-standing disagreement between Ada and Florence.