In anticipation of the launch of my new book blog later this week, I have a few questions for you centered around reading! I know I have at least a couple fellow book lovers out there. In the comments, feel free to tell me what you consider your favorite book of all time! I have lots of favorites, but so far I haven’t found anything that can top my love for The Lord of the Rings.
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As I’ve been reading more and more book blogs lately, I’ve come across a style that I like best. I first saw this format used by Kim at Sophisticated Dorkiness, and have decided to use it for my book reviews from now on. I also want to say that I don’t claim to be especially good at writing reviews, and mine aren’t going to be particularly deep or literary, but since I enjoy knowing what my friends think of a book I thought you might too.
Title: Same Kind of Different as Me
Author: Ron Hall & Denver Moore
Genre: Memoir
Year: 2006
Acquired: Borrowed from the library
Rating:
One Sentence Summary: The true story of a wealthy couple who become deeply involved with a homeless mission and the unlikely friendship that develops between them and one of its residents.
One Sentence Review: A challenging, heart-wrenching story that made me think about myself & my world, my faith & marriage, and want to be a better person.
Why I Read It: This month’s book club pick.
Long Review: The book intertwines the story of Ron and Debbie Hall, a couple who became wealthy through the profession of art dealing, and that of Denver Moore, who grew up as a sharecropper’s son in what amounts to modern-day slavery and eventually ends up on the streets of downtown Fort Worth. As Ron and Debbie grow wealthier, they also grow apart to the point where their marriage nearly crumbles. But after an incredible act of forgiveness and revitalization, they become closer than ever and throw themselves into volunteer work at the inner city homeless mission where they meet Denver. Although he is hardened and hostile, Debbie has a vision for him and doesn’t give up until they have forged a forever friendship.
There are so many themes running through this story: marriage, homelessness, prejudice, pain & suffering, forgiveness, and faith, and my heart was touched by each one. I think one of the main messages was how one person can make a difference when there is incredible faith. Because Debbie saw Denver through God’s eyes and looked past his scary external appearance, he was changed and so was the city.
(Spoilers ahead!)
I don’t think it’s possible to read this story and not be moved. Debbie’s forgiveness of Ron after his affair, her amazing dedication to her vision for the homeless population of Forth Worth, and her subsequent battle with cancer had me crying many times over. It made me ashamed of my own prejudice, and I spent a lot of time thinking about what I can do to reach out. It also made me appreciate my marriage even more and redouble my efforts not to take my husband for granted.
In the end, it’s just the story of a few people and how their lives were changed by each other. As Ron says, “Even with my $500 European-designer bifocals, I cannot see into a person’s heart to know his spiritual condition. All I can do is tell the jagged tale of my own spiritual journey and declare that my life has been the better for having followed Christ.”
Neverwhere was the book I was sent (by the lovely Nora) for the blogger book swap hosted by Stephany. I was really excited that she chose it because it’s one I’ve been wanting to read for ages but didn’t own. I’m a big fan of fantasy, even the weird stuff, but I think that Neil Gaiman’s fantasy would be palatable for even those who don’t normally find themselves with their head in another world.
But anyway, back to the book. Neverwhere follows our protagonist Richard Mayhew through an adventure in an underground world of London. He was living a perfectly normal life until he decides to rescue an injured girl who appeared out of nowhere on the street, and the next day he discovers that he has ceased to exist in the eyes of anyone in his (now former) life. Thus begins his descent into an alternate London on his quest to get his old life back, meeting outrageous characters and having adventures along the way.
This Wizard of Oz-esque story was easy to read and a ton of fun. I thought all of the characters were interesting, but my favorite was probably the Marquis de Carabas because he is clever, sarcastic, and you never could quite determine whether to trust him. There were a few small-ish plot twists to keep things interesting, and the conclusion is satisfying.
I rate the book 4 stars out of 5, only because it lacked the emotion to really connect me with the characters. It’s hard to describe, but it was just missing some sort of oomph, maybe some sort of depth, to make it one of my favorites. However, I had a blast reading it and sometimes that’s all that matters.
It’s been awhile since I’ve written a book review here, but I want to bring them back. It’s a good discipline for me because it helps me think more deeply about what I’ve read instead of crashing into the next book, and since I love reading my friends’ book reviews I’m hoping that some of you will benefit from reading mine.
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I recently finished The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen for book club. It came highly recommended to me by my friend Spring, whose taste I admire. When I read the summary my first question to her was, “Is it super depressing?” I wasn’t in the mood for that. She said no, absolutely not, so I jumped right in.
The story is about a dysfunctional family. The parents, Enid and Alfred, have been married for over 50 years and have never been truly happy together. Now Alfred has Parkinson’s disease, and Enid is obsessed with having one last Christmas in their midwestern home.
Their three children, Gary, Chip, and Denise, have all moved to the east coast. Gary is trying to convince his wife and kids that he’s not depressed, Chip is struggling to make a living as a writer after being fired from his job as a professor, and Denise is the chef for a successful restaurant but can’t get her love life figured out.
All of them are severely flawed, but I couldn’t help but love them anyway. In fact, I could choose any one of them as my favorite character. I really enjoyed reading about a family with three grown children because that’s the phase of life I’m entering now. I have two brothers and although we and our parents aren’t quite as old as the characters in the book, it was interesting to compare the way my family and I relate to each other to the way the characters do.
I agree that the book isn’t super depressing – it does have a lot of humor – but it’s not exactly what you would call happy or uplifting, either. Mostly, it’s real, and it’s stuck with me.
By the way, this is the first time I’ve read anything by Franzen, and now I get why he’s so popular. He can go on for pages about the most mundane topic and I will be enthralled. At times the prose goes a little overboard, but most of it begs to be read aloud and underlined. I’ll definitely be reading his other books at some point.
I bought a book today.
It’s the first time I’ve bought myself anything for weeks. I didn’t even want to buy it, I’d prefer to get it from the library, but since our book club meeting is on Monday and I’m still 48th on the waiting list, I had no choice other than to not read it. And it’s been over four years of monthly book club meetings and not once have I missed a day or not finished the book. I can’t very well mess up a streak like that, can I?
I’m concerned about finishing it, though. I have plans to visit a friend this evening, and tomorrow, Saturday, begins with training for church promptly at 8 a.m. (This is what happens when you get yourself involved with a church plant.) Later in the afternoon I committed to seeing a high school play that one of the youth group members is a part of, and David and I have a double date with my parents planned for Saturday evening. Sunday includes church and a family dinner, so at least I should have that afternoon to read, in theory.
I think I can do it. Right now it’s Friday afternoon. I’m well-rested and my dogs are sleeping. I already cleaned the kitchen and paid the bills. The whole weekend stretches out ahead of me like a promise.