Saturday, September 21, 2013

Persistence Pays Off

Something Borrowed, Someone Dead was my introduction to Agatha Raisin. Maybe if I had met her earlier I would have a different impression but without the context of the rest of her story I found her off-putting. Though she does seem to have a big heart I wonder if she was more polished before she became a raisin. Not that the current book isn't good. It was, in fact, a good read, The characters and locale are well developed. The Cotswold Villages seem very inviting as they are portrayed in this book although I would stay away from Piddlebury where the current story is set. I have already lived in too many villages where strangers were viewed with suspicion.

In this book a newcomer to the village, Gloria French, has jumped into village life and become a fundraiser for the church (which certainly ingratiates her to the local pastor). However, Gloria has a habit of taking things from the people of the village and not returning them. (The good thing about being a kleptomaniac is you can always take something for it). One morning Gloria takes a nip of borrowed wine and ends up dead. Agatha is called in to solve the mystery. Her presence is not appreciated and she gets little help from the good people of Piddlebury.

If a reader is expecting to find the observation skills of a Sherlock Holmes or the forensic science of a CSI they will be disappointed. It seems that what Agatha brings to the case is persistence. Maybe that provides a balance we need in the kind of world in which we think some test will provide all the answers. Sometimes the solution comes because we keep working.

I would be interested in reading some other books in the series to read more about Agatha Raisin but I did find this one a good read.

I received a galley of the book from NetGalley with the understanding I would write a review. The book is by M.C. Beaton and published by St. Martins Press

Sunday, August 25, 2013

Fiction or Prophecy?


The Troop by Nick Cutter can be read in two ways. It can be read as a work of fiction, as advertised, and reviewed as a good read with well-developed characters and a good plot line. If it is read this way the reader can finish the book, put it down and say, “That was a good read”.

Or it can be read as a prophecy—a look into a possible future—in which an amoral scientist experiments with a simple worm that is genetically altered and the face of the earth is changed forever.

The Troop is so gripping because it could happen.  That is why it is a good thriller.

The story opens with Scoutmaster Tim Riggs taking his scout troop to a deserted island for their annual camping trip. This is usually the time when the scouts have an opportunity to earn some badges in orienteering and survival skills.  The arrival of an emaciated stranger on the island during the night changes the camping trip into a battle for survival where the last thing on their minds is a badge

As the story unfolds we are given details about the stranger, the experiment and a mini- biography of each one of the boys on the trip.  We are left to ask who will survive and at the same time hoping that one of the scouts will not survive. 

In this book published by Simon and Schuster Nick Cutter succeeds in writing a story that will change the way we view camping trips.

I received a galley of this book through Net galley.com with the understanding that I would read and review it. This was no explicit or implicit demand that I write a favorable review. In this case there was no need to ask that. I truly like the book.

Tuesday, July 30, 2013


We used to tell a joke about a guy who wanted to find God's plan for his life through the Bible by opening the Bible up and pointing. The first verse said, “Judas went out and hung himself”. The second verse said, “Go thou and do likewise”. The last verse read, “What thou doest do quickly”. Of course the joke stopped there so we never asked what the guy did next but in the new biography of Francis of Assisi we see Francis using a similar method and acting on it. He used a practice, accepted in his day, called sortes biblicae. In which the priest opened the missal three times and for Francis the three verses set the course of his life. “Go, sell what you have; take nothing for your journey: let a man deny himself take up his cross and follow me” became the first step in the founding of the Franciscan Order.

This practice of sortes biblicae shows that Francis was very much a man of his time as well documented in this new biography by the Dominican priest Augustine Thompson, published by Cornell University Press. The writer makes it clear from the beginning that he is telling the story of a saint of the Church without the glitter and glam that similar biographies contain.

I admit that as I read there was something in me that looked for more of the spectacular but that would have taken away from the reality of the man Francis—the privileged young man who gave it all up for God and the Church. (Francis love for the Church, rightly ordered, is a theme running through the whole biography.)
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This was my first in depth reading of Francis of Assisi and it was a good start. The writer shows us a man with faults and flaws like the rest of us but who was mightily used of God because he was willing to be used, even though he was uncomfortable in the roles God gave him. This book reminds us that God can draw straight lines with crooked instruments.
 
I received the Ebook edition of this book through NetGalley.com but there was no expectation other than an honest review

Thursday, May 23, 2013

I just finished listening to Next Generation Leader: 5 Essentials for Those Who Will Shape the Future (Audio CD) by Andy Stanley and wrote these thoughts. I once served on a pulpit committee charged with finding a new pastor for the church I attended. My first suggestion was to write out a job description for the pastor. The pastor emeritus, also serving on the committee, protested saying, "If a man is called he will know what a pastor does". My reply was, "You just fired the last pastor because he wasn't doing his job. Maybe we better get more specific". If that conversation were to happen again I might reply "Let's use Andy Stanley's book as a guide." Though not just for pastors Andy's book certainly does deal with the work of the pastor in this generation. The writer lists 5 essentials for leadership: Competence, courage, clarity, coaching and character. Mr. Stanley illustrates each of these essentials with stories from the military, sports and his own life. When dealing with his own life he not only talks about lessons learned but is honest in saying he learned many of the lessons by failing the first time. Two areas were especially helpful. Leaders need courage and leaders need coaching. Many in leadership positions fail because they are afraid to make a move without all the details. That is not how it works. God often just tells us the next step and we get more details when we move. There are pastors who fail because they think they need to have all the answers and are afraid to ask for help but most leaders need coaching. The author has presented us with good food for thought and I recommend this book. The audio edition was read well with good nuance in the reader's voice. I received a copy of the audio book for review from christianaudio with no expectation but that I review the book.

Monday, February 11, 2013

A Homicide Detective investigates the Gospels

Cold Case Christianity A Homicide Detective Investigates the Claims of the Gospels J. Warner Wallace, Pub. David C. Cook When I first began reading this book about the truth claims of Jesus I began to wonder if it wasn’t rather morbid. The illustrations are taken from the files of a homicide detective so naturally they involve dead bodies. But I have to admit Det. Wallace pulled it off. It works. In fact, I used one of his illustrations in a presentation I did for a youth group and I had no problem getting one of the guys to play dead as we investigated the cause--Natural, accidental, suicide or homicide. It was a good way to get the young people to begin looking at the evidence for the Gospels. Wallace’s presentation on evidence is very helpful. He uses the California Judicial Code as a basis for establishing the merits of a case. i.e. chain of evidence, the reliability of witnesses and applies this to the Gospel record. Were the disciples reliable witnesses? Do the Gospels pass the test of accurate reporting? I found this book to be a very readable presentation of the evidence for Jesus Christ and that his story was accurately presented. In fact the evidence was so convincing it brought Det. Wallace to faith in Christ. The appendices are a good resource for further reading and corroboration for those who want to do more research. I appreciated the opportunity to preview the book before publication and I gave it 4 stars.
A Hero’s Throne by Ross Lawhead Book 2 of The Ancient Earth Trilogy Published by Thomas Nelson Fantasy Literature is probably my favorite genre so the theme of A Hero’s Throne fits right into my favorite category. Calling it fantasy literature assumes, of course, that I don’t really believe there is another realm under the country of England, a land inhabited by dragons, giants and those smelly creatures, the yfelgopes. (Word check, please add this word to my dictionary.) It is into this word that Daniel Tully and Freya Reynolds were taken eight years before the events of Book 2. They left this underworld with a feeling of betrayal that hangs over them through this latest adventure back to Nidergeard, the destroyed capital city. Their mission, as they see it, is to return to this city, find the Carnyx which will signal for help, then free the city. They are accompanied by their two companions from the previous mission, Ecgbryt and Alex as well as an older companion Vivienne. Once again the story has many twists and turns without any final resolution. The resolution will come in the third volume I hope because Book 2 ends with a lot of details still left hanging. The fact that I read the book in about 10 days speaks for the ability of the writer to hold my attention. However, as with the first book I got lost in some of the detailed descriptions. One thing I would have appreciated would be a summary of the first book as a refresher and introduction to the continuing adventures of Freya and Daniel. I will look forward to the third book in the series and hopefully I will get a copy for review as I did the first two.