For those of you, like me, who believe that God inspired the Bible, but that it was written by man (and frankly and historically I do mean man, not mankind), here are two good books that start to pull apart some of the historical, linguistic, and cultural concepts that we have to consider when we read and attempt to interpret the Bible.  I have read both of these and have found them both to be insightful.  You may not agree with everything they have to say, but they bring up points that you should at least consider.







Do you have any book suggestions that have helped you to better understand the word of God?

Teaching Your Children Faith - Book Suggestion

If you are looking for a book to think about raising your children with faith, this is it.  It is easy to read, and more importantly easy to implement.  What you must know though is that teaching your children faith is best done by growing your own faith.  

If you want a deeper perspective on growing your own faith so that you can better instruct your children, check out Horace Bushnell's Christian Nurture.

Frank Lloyd Wright's Affair Makes for a Great Read

Do you keep a list of books that you hope to read in the future?  I do.  This book has been on the list for a while.  I suggested it a few book club meetings but no one seemed to gravitate toward it.  Finally, I just picked it up on my own.




I absolutely loved this book.  I wasn't sure what to expect at first.  I actually thought it was going to be a farce, but it is actually historical fiction.  The affair really happened as did many of the "facts" of the book.  It is the in between stuff that has been made up.

Mamah (May - ma) is married when Frank meets her.  She and her husband are actually his client.  But I guess, alas, love is love and they begin an affair which causes Mamah to leave her family, her children, and even her country for a while.  The book gives insight to Frank, to women of the era, and to the complications of an affair.

I won't give anything else away, but the ending is shocking.

I hope you will pick it up and enjoy it as much as I did.

Book Review - A Million Little Pieces

Ok, in this book I got as close as I want to get to understanding the mind set of a drug addict.  Unfortunately in my life I have been around an alcoholic and a drug addict. Far too many times, I wondered what was going on in their mind as they created chaos around them.  I could see the effect of their behaviors, but I could never understand their perspective. This book, A Million Little Pieces, gave me some insights into what may have been going on in their mind.  Written by James Frey, A Million Little Pieces, is his own experience in survival.  The book encompasses his life during drug rehab at age 23.  It retells his break from addiction and intertwines a forbidden love affair.  Can you recover while you break all the rules?





The jagged writing and repeated, contorted phrases help to bring you into his shattered world. The knotted scribbles between book sections mirror the confused life his addiction has created. The story will repulse you, sicken you, and scare you. However, the fact that the author is writing this book after recovering is an inspiration to anyone dealing with addiction.  I'm not sure that an addict could have come from a deeper, darker place and have survived.

If you do read this book, be sure to read the very end where James reports on updates of the other characters.  It tells you more about the reality of recovery than one may wish to know. In my cases, one ultimately died after developing a terminal illness that has heavy drinking as a contributory factor, and the other seems to be in a balanced place today, but goes through cycle after cycle of continued abuse.  We can only hope and pray that he will continue to fight the monster like James Frey has.

 Note: In my experience, unlike James', AA is a very important part of recovery and even if the addict doesn't want to participate, loved ones can and should. Al-Anon and Alateen can help you set boundaries and  save you from a parallel destruction.

Book Review - The Lost Symbol

I must ask what everyone thinks is the proper distance between book club meetings. I have this strange problem that no matter when they seem to be placed apart that I either read it too early or start cramming it in at the end. This month though I pulled a doosey: I read the first part of the book club book, but then had the opportunity to read The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown.



I could not refuse the opportunity. I had meant to bring my book club book when we traveled down to my father's but forgot it (this may have been a subconscious avoidance system at work); so I had to borrow a book and guess what he got for Christmas.

I have got to tell you how much I love Dan Brown's books. They are not great literature, but boy are they fun to read. I love solving the mystery along with Robert Langdon (who by the way after watching Angels & Demons and The DaVinci Code has turned into Tom Hanks in my mind). I love getting lost between fiction and truth and digging through encyclopedias to try to find the line between the two. I love to read a book and not want to put it down. This time I particularly loved his nod to one of his earlier books, Digital Fortress.

I strongly suggest you pick up this book. It may be his best yet. You just may not want to put off reading your book club book. I guess though that now I'll have to pick mine back up . . .unless, someone has a better book selection?

Without Wax,
Dawn

Dan Brown

Somehow in the few minutes I have now a day, I found a way to finish my book club book Digital Fortress by Dan Brown. I have read DaVinci Code and Angels and Demons which are also by him, and therefore was not upset when his name was chosen as our author. While his writing does not improve my life in any substantial way, his writing does bring me joy and a bit of an escape. I must confess that I am usually more interested in his back stories than I am in the main one. This was especially true in the DaVinci Code. I think that I spent as much time in the encyclopedia as I did the novel. I needed to know where the fiction / non-fiction line lay.

Digital Fortress is different than his more current books as it relates to the digital world. Digital Fortress is actually an unbreakable code that is supposed to allow users to encrypt their email so that the NSA (National Security Agency) cannot read it. The ownership of such a powerful program leads to murder, sabotage, suicide. As with Brown’s other novels, when you think you know everything, be assured that you don’t. And you should be prepared to solve the mystery along with our heroes David Becker and Susan Fletcher.

As with Brown’s other novels, I don’t think that the word classic is likely to ever be associated with this book, but on the other hand, you will enjoy the read. I for one will be sure to put his other books, Deception Point and The Lost Symbol, on my reading list.