Friday Book Report: The Shack by William Paul Young

William Paul Young writes a modest tale about a man and his struggle with tragedy and life in general in The Shack.  It was published in 2008 by Windblown Media.

Mackenzie Phillips considers himself a normal man.  Married with children, he has a good life but definitely still struggles with past hurts that have haunted him for years.  His struggles continue when his youngest daughter, Missy, is abducted during a family vacation.  Frantically searching for his daughter, the evidence the authorities find leads them to believe she may have been brutally murdered in an abandoned shack in the Oregon wilderness.  After Missy’s death, Mack turns inward, hiding his emotions and fears from everyone.  He becomes angry at God for letting this happen to his family.  Four years later Mack receives an odd note, apparently from God, inviting him back to that horrible shack for a weekend.  Mack struggles with the desire to confront God and the fear that letting out all those emotions will open wounds he’d rather keep hidden.  His curious nature leads him back to the shack and what he finds there will change his life forever.

Whew.  This book is…powerful.  I can see why there is so much controversy surrounding this book.  From all the other reviews I’ve read, people either love this book or they hate it.  There’s hardly any in-between when it comes to The Shack.   I think I am one of the few that fell somewhere in the middle regarding this book.  I didn’t absolutely love it, but I didn’t hate it either.  And while I didn’t absolutely love it, I can admit that this book is powerful and it raises a lot of questions into subjects that most people would rather just ignore.

This is a Christian fiction book, and everyone should know that before proceeding.  William Paul Young uses this book to try and break down some of the stereotypes that people have of God and The Trinity with his own ideas about what he thinks they are like.  This isn’t a book to try and sway the reader into Young’s thinking, at least it shouldn’t be.  These are his ideas just like any other fiction novel out there and I think if the deeply devotional readers out there that did not enjoy this book can get past that, they might actually enjoy the story.  There’s talk of this book being heretical and inaccurate.  I’m not sure why, Mr. Young is writing a fictional story about a man and his battle with tragedy that is threatening to engulf his life.  His meeting with God changes his perspective, as I think it would do for anyone that met God.  I guess I just didn’t have a problem with some of Young’s ideas about the Trinity, even if they weren’t my own because I was able to read this book knowing it’s fiction and in no way should replace Scripture.

I really enjoyed that the majority of this book deals with the enormity of God’s love, and the inadequacy of humans to really understand how to fully love without the presence of God.  That part I really liked.  I really enjoyed how Young portrayed just how amazing God’s love is.  Mack has the stereotype that God is mean and an “eye for an eye” God, and Young definitely tries to alleviate that stereotype.  It was definitely enlightening to read a different perspective about God’s capacity to love and his grace to forgive.  

There are definite flaws in this book.  I didn’t think it was very well written, for one.  Mr. Young is not a writer and it’s very evident in this book.  I didn’t realize until after reading this that he never intended to publish this book, but it was more a story for his children.  So he does get a little pass after learning that.  The dialogue seems forced and unrealistic at times, especially the interactions between God, Jesus and The Holy Spirit.  And while I thought Mack was very well developed, the dialogue wasn’t.   There are poignant scenes that are definitely emotional and tug at the heart strings, but even those powerful and heartfelt illustrations can’t hide that fact that a lot of the scenes were somewhat cheesy and forced.

Overall though, I liked this book.  It was interesting to read a different viewpoint on the Trinity, even if a lot of the thoughts I didn’t agree with.  Still, I would recommend this book solely because of the way Young describes God’s love and ability to forgive.  And for that alone I have to give this book a B grade, I’ve never read any other Christian fiction that was so enlightening about God’s capacity to love.  I don’t think The Shack is for everyone, but for those with the ability to discern between theology and fiction, I think this could be a very interesting book to experience. 

Friday Book Report: Bright Young Things by Anna Godbersen

Welcome to 1929, where prohibition is in full effect, and men willing to bring alcohol to the masses become kings.  New York is ruled by these kings and the young flappers and socialites seeking thrills and chasing dreams in the anything-goes age of the flapper.  Anna Godbersen delivers a story of three young women searching for their own goals and dreams in Bright Young Things.  It was published in 2010 by HarperCollins Publishers.

Cordelia Grey is too big for her small town of Union, Ohio and so she escapes with her best friend, Letty Larkspur to the allure and glamour of New York City, just hours after Cordelia’s wedding.  Cordelia is searching for the father she’s never known, famous bootlegger Darius Grey.  She not only finds her father, but also a brother, Charlie, and a new friend in Astrid Donal, Charlie’s socialite girlfriend.  Cordelia soon discovers that family is most important to Darius, and she’s forced to choose between her newly found family or a promising romance with the handsome Thom Hale.

Letty dreams of seeing her name light up Broadway.  All she’s ever wanted to do was sing and perform on-stage, but she soon discovers that New York is full of young women with the same dreams, and the reality of her situation soon sets in.  After a falling out with Cordelia, the innocent and naïve Letty struggles on her own to find her way in the city that can dash a young girl’s dream in a blink of an eye.

Astrid Donal is a young flapper that seems to have it all, money, beauty, and the love of Charlie Grey, heir to Darius Grey’s bootlegging industry.  She’s spoiled and she knows it.  But she too is just a young woman with dreams of her own, and her seemingly perfect appearance covers up a slew of family secrets and flaws.

I had really high hopes for this book.  I thought the times of the flapper and prohibition would be an interesting read, but this book just fell flat for me.  I did enjoy the scenes and the description of the New York City scene in 1929, but that was about all I enjoyed.  I thought the author did a very nice job describing the city and the people during the times.  It was interesting to read more about how society’s came together and socialized more with one another during prohibition.  I did like that part of the book, but that was about it.

My main problem with this book were the main characters involved.  I just could not get on board with Cordelia or Letty.  I liked Astrid well enough, at least she knew who she was and wasn’t afraid to show it.  But Cordelia really got on my nerves.  She’s selfish.  She marries back in Ohio but leaves her husband just hours after the wedding.  Why marry him at all?  There are three books in this series, so perhaps he comes into play later on?  If that’s not the case it’s a realy crappy thing for Cordelia to do.  She runs off to New York with her friend Letty, but as soon as they have one fight, she abandons her.  Once she finds her father, I would expect her to bend over backwards to please him.  But nope, her father asks her to stay away from rival bootleggers, but she goes behind his back and sees them anyway.  She never did one thing that wasn’t for anyone other than herself throughout this entire book, and that really bothered me.  I guess she kind of redeems herself towards the end, but overall I did not like her character and really had a hard time reading about her.

Letty is just too naïve for her own good.  Her small-town mind can’t quite grasp the big city rules, and it was frustrating to read.  I suppose it’s realistic that the bright lights of the city can overwhelm a small-town country girl, but her sheer stupidity wasn’t realistic at all.  She’s new to the city and the rules of New York, so why not go out with a complete stranger and expect only good things to happen.  Any girl in her right mind would not do that, past or present.  It’s just asking for bad things to happen.  I didn’t like reading about Cordelia because of her selfishness.  I didn’t like reading about Letty because she was dumb.

I can’t really recommend this book because of the characters involved.  The storyline is actually pretty good, once you get past the foolishness of the characters.  But I can’t enjoy a book based solely on the storyline.  I need good, well-developed characters to make the book entertaining, and that just wasn’t the case with Bright Young Things.  Perhaps the second and third books in the series are better, but after reading the first, I just don’t think I can stomach trying to read more about Cordelia or Letty.  I have to give this book a C grade, it took me forever to finish because I just wasn’t interested in it, the characters drove me crazy, and while the storyline is readable, there wasn’t much going on and really nothing happens until almost the end of the book.  I suppose it’s just plot development for the second book, but I’m not going to waste my money on book #2 when I felt so disagreeable towards the first.   The title is “Bright Young Things” but I really think a more fitting title is “Stupid Young Girls.” 

Friday Book Report: Texas Hold Him by Lisa Cooke

The year is 1870 and the South is trying to recover from the Civil War that has just ended.  New Orleans resident Charlotte Mason used to live on a prosperous southern plantation, but the aftermath of the War left her family with barely enough to live on, and an unknown blackmailer threatens to ruin her family for good.  Lisa Cooke delivers a delightful look at the riverboat gamblers in Texas Hold Him.  It was published in 2009 by the Dorchester Publishing Company, Inc.

Southern Belle Charlotte “Lottie” Mason is in a pickle that she’s not sure she can get out of.  The Civil War that ravaged the South left her family devastated, and now a blackmailer is threatening to send her ill father to prison unless Lottie can come up with the money to keep her father safe.  Lottie learns that there’s a big gambling tournament coming up, and she pleads with Obediah “Dyer” Straights, a successful riverboat gambler, to teach her the game of poker to earn the money to save her father.  Dyer has no time for a proper Southern lady; he travels the riverboats to search for revenge.  However, the ever insistent Lottie won’t give up, and he finally agrees to teach her for the price of one night in his bed, which he assumes will make her run away, but she calls his bluff and the cards are dealt. 

This is your typical light-hearted romance novel and I thoroughly enjoyed it.  This isn’t the type of book that’s going to make a reader think, and your brain won’t need to function too much to understand the plotline, but I don’t care.  It’s a very fun read and a great way to let your mind escape to the riverboats of the Mississippi for a few hours.  The premise of the book is a tad bit hard to believe, and if you really analyze this book, the plot is fairly weak, but it’s the characters of Lottie and Dyer that make this book readable.  Without them, this book would be sub-par and I would’ve folded long before the big bets are placed.  Lisa Cooke knows her audience though, and instead of taking the time to develop an intriguing plot she improves on her main characters, which is why romance readers read romance novels in the first place.  Fans of the romance genre don’t mind if the story is a little far-fetched, just as long as the protagonists are interesting and worth reading about.  Lottie and Dyer are definitely worth reading about.

The dialogue between Dyer and Lottie is great, I found myself laughing out loud more than once while reading.  The banter, teasing, and sharp wit between the two are hilarious.  Lottie is a little naïve and definitely out of place on a riverboat, and Dyer’s reactions to the situations she gets herself in make this little book a page turner.  It reminds me a lot of the movie (or television show) Maverick.  While the situations may be life threatening to the characters, the comedic overtones trump the disasters the characters get themselves into. 

While I can accept that the plotline of this book might leave a little to be desired, my only real complaint was that I thought it was too short.  A lot of the situations Dyer and Lottie get themselves into weren’t quite as developed as I would have liked, and I wish that the book were longer to really explain and detail their mishaps.  It felt like some of the situations they got into were abbreviated and I wanted the author to really give us an illustration of what was going on, not just the Cliff’s Note’s version.  Ms. Cooke tries to develop a secondary storyline between minor characters Newt and Sally that I thought was unnecessary.  If Ms. Cooke wanted to expand on their story, well that’s fine, but their story felt underdeveloped and lacking.  There wasn’t enough explanation or emotion written about those two to make their story interesting.  She needed to either develop a real story between them or just leave out the little snippets of emotion and just focus on Lottie and Dyer and keep Sally and Newt minor characters in the relationship between Lottie and Dyer.   I also just wanted more interaction between Lottie and Dyer, and there wasn’t enough about Newt and Sally to make me care about them.  Lottie and Dyer were without a doubt; the best part of this book.  The exchanges between Lottie and Dyer were wonderful, and I would’ve loved to read more conversations between them.

Overall I really liked this book, it’s a fast and easy read, great for a day or two of escapism if you’re looking for a fun book that doesn’t take itself too seriously.  There’s mild language and a few steamy scenes, so I wouldn’t recommend for younger readers.  It is a romance novel, so keep that in mind if you aren’t a romance fan.  I am a romance fan and I give this book a solid B+ grade.  The plot may be silly, but it’s the characters that make this book, and if you enjoy the comedic romance books, than I recommend you ante up for Texas Hold Him.

Friday Book Report: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice is one of those novels that every book lover should read.  Whether you enjoy it or not is based on your personal style, but one cannot deny that Austen is still one of the best novelists out there, and that she can take a story from 200 years ago and still it is relevant in today’s society.  The various themes of this book can very well be applied to today’s modern world, and it’s amazing that anyone familiar with the literary world knows exactly who Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy are.  Their characters transcend time, and that in itself is a testament to just how remarkable an author Jane Austen was.  This book was originally published in 1813, and after 200 years is still one of the most famous works of fiction to ever grace a page.

The story revolves around the Bennett family and their five daughters.  Elizabeth, the second oldest is a young woman able to speak her mind and unafraid to do so despite what polite society might say.  She’s strong, independent and truly believes she can assess a person’s true character.  When she first meets Mr. Darcy, she finds him to be horrible and arrogant and she cannot stand him at all.  All her comments towards Darcy are filled with disdain, and she makes no apologies for speaking her mind to him so freely.   During the course of their acquantaince Elizabeth feels she has justly evaluated Darcy’s character and her stubbornness won’t allow her to change her thinking.  But of course, certain situations come to head and Elizabeth must soon realize that her first impressions of Darcy are not what they seem, and so this wonderful romantic tale takes off and Austen leads the way with her witty and humorous writing.

There of course are two main themes of this book; pride and prejudice, and both the main characters have ample amounts of both.  Darcy is an extremely proud man, his wealth and station in life have given him reason to believe he is above most in society and therefore he comes off as haughty and unsociable.  This is what Elizabeth sees when she first meets Darcy and he so grossly humiliates her with his cold comments about her appearance as well as the entire social scene he is thrust into.  Elizabeth is full of her own pride.  She overhears his insults and her stubborn nature will not allow her to shift her prejudice of this discomfiting man.  It’s really a remarkable thing to witness, the two are so much alike and so vastly different we all know they are perfect for each other; if they could just swallow their pride and be done with it.  Pride is shown and brought up throughout the book, and while it is usually considered a fault to have pride, Darcy says it best when he describes the differences of pride, “Pride relates more to our opinion of ourselves; vanity to what we would have others think of us.”  And that is the crux of the situation, Darcy has loads of pride (and he should, for he is a wealthy man with a profitable estate to be proud of) but all Elizabeth can see at first is vanity, and not in a good way.  She sees an egotistical man, instead of a man proud of his accomplishments.  

Mr. Darcy on the other hand, is bothered by Elizabeth and he doesn’t like it at all.  Her manners and straightforward approach unsettle him and he has to battle with those first impressions that Elizabeth has thrust upon him.   He’s attracted to her but he doesn’t want to be.  Jane Austen writes his displeasure in loving her so perfectly in quite possibly the greatest scene ever written.  His first proposal of marriage to Elizabeth is one of the funniest things I think I’ve ever read.  The way he reluctantly acquiesces to the idea that he loves Elizabeth despite all her shortcomings is written brilliantly and Elizabeth’s response to his overwhelmingly “romantic” proposal is downright hilarious.

I very much enjoyed this book, and not just because it’s recognized as a “classic” and a must read.  It’s an intellectual romance, and the writing engages the reader to feel what the characters are feeling.  Having lived during that era, Austen can write with extreme conviction that the events that take place in Pride and Prejudice could most certainly happen in 18^th century England.  The writing can be hard to understand sometimes (British English 200 years ago is not exactly the same as American English in the present day), and I found myself taking breaks after reading a few chapters to let my mind digest the information I just read.  These breaks weren’t from a lack of interest, I just felt that at times the writing got over my head and I needed to stop reading and really absorb what I had just read so that I could follow the storyline and grasp just what Austen was writing about more coherently.

I wholly recommend this book to anyone and everyone, but I think those that read often will appreciate this book more than the casual reader.  I do not think I would have liked this book 5 years ago, but having read so much more in the past few years than I used to I can definitely recognize the value this book has in the literary world.  This book is an A, the writing is wonderful, the storyline and themes prevalent throughout the book and are explained and justified beautifully.  It’s suitable for any age, but younger readers may not have the patience to finish this book.  If you love books, and if you love witty romances set in the 18^th Century, you should really read this book, if you are among the few that haven’t already.  Pride and Prejudice is a delightfully entertaining book and I would definitely read it again.

Project Backyard: Upgrading Our Deck

This is my dog, Milo (he looks sad in this picture).  We've had Milo for nearly as long as we've lived in this house.  Aside from random acts of stupidity, he's actually a pretty good dog.  My only (well not the only, but the one I could actually remedy) complaint is that whenever it rains, he hides under the back deck and the results of this are usually one muddy puppy that tracks in dirt if I'm not paying attention.  Oftentimes I've had to take him in the front yard if it rains so that he won't hide under the deck.  But since we were finishing our basement I was hesitant in startin any other large projects while that was going on.  Since our basement is nearly complete, it was time to do something about mud-puppy.

This was our deck before we started.  It's open with a lot of dirt underneath...no wonder Milo always got so dirty!  Our deck was leaning just a bit due to the land settling, so the first thing we wanted to do was to jack up the deck and make it level again.  So, first thing we did was to dig around the posts, pull out any old concrete that wasn't needed in preparation for filling in the post holes with new concrete.  We used a few bottle jacks to raise up the deck, poured in new concrete around the posts and waited a few days (or maybe a few weeks, I don't remember) for the concrete to dry.  Then we just filled up the holes with dirt and proceeded to the next step.

We decided to do a little landscaping around the deck to give it a little more pizzaz, so next we dug out some grass to make a little garden area for some bushes. It's not sexy or anything, but I do think it looks better than just having plain ol' grass there.  We bought some sheets of lattice at one of those hardware stores, cut it down to size and attached it to the deck to close off the bottom.  Once all the lattice work was done, I re-stained the deck and lattice to brighten it up a bit.  After staining it was time for some gardening, so we bought a bunch of bushes and plants to plant in our little area and then laid down some lava rock (same as we have in the front yard) and there you go, Bob's your uncle.

I think it looks much much nicer, and now I don't have a dirty dog everytime it rains.  Win-win.  It took a lot of hard work, it wasn't cheap to do, but it does feel so nice to get some accomplished by yourself.  Gotta love the DIY's even if they aren't inexpensive.  It was still worth it and I think it makes our backyard look much better. 

Before

After