Book Review: The Quest

I'll never forget the first time I met Bob Hostetler. I was at a writing conference at Wheaton College and working on an assignment to create a back cover for a possible book I might write. In my credentials, I mentioned having published an article in the British War Cry. As I showed my blurb to the instructor, he commented that I didn't need to identify it as the "British" War Cry. I went on to inform him that there were two different versions of this Salvation Army periodical. He replied, "I know. I was the editor at one time." Yowch! Immediately, the name clicked for me and I asked if he was related to my friend, Larry Hostetler. Indeed, he was a brother.

He urged me to try to connect with him on a more personal level during the conference. Of course, this was quite difficult. Every meal found him surrounded by delegates who really deserved his attention for writing-related questions. We did snag a few moments and then wrote a few limited letters back and forth.

It was a joy to meet him and to discover his excellent blog, The Desperate Pastor. I also thoroughly enjoyed learning of how he came to write his first book. He wrote from experience. His mother passed away when he was still young and during his high school years, he spent a good deal of time ditching school to hole up and read at home. This proved the impetus for a book about a good kid who develops a reputation for going AWOL in his book, They Called Me AWOL. It was a fun read and one I would highly recommend to teens.

For Christmas, I requested his most recent novel, The Quest. Bob has spent a fair amount of time working on books of Christian apologetics with fellow apologist, Josh McDowell. Their popular young adult book, Don't Check Your Brains at the Door, has recently been re-released. For this recent novel, he worked with Josh McDowell's son, Sean McDowell. Their premise is simple: "Everyone is searching. Not everyone knows it."

In The Quest, twenty-three year old Emma Seeger finds herself thrust into an unexpected journey when her father mysteriously disappears in Israel. She must work together with her despised step-mother (who took her father away by leading him to convert to Christianity, marrying him and dragging him off to Israel to work for a Christian mission). Emma doesn't want a thing to do with Christianity, but finds herself on a spiritual journey in the midst of her quest to find her father.

With a fast-paced plot, well-drawn characters, and plenty of intellectual arguments for the faith, The Quest is an excellent book for anyone questioning the existence of God and His plan for mankind. The book argues for intelligent design and the validity of the Bible. Although aimed at young adults, the story can be appreciated by all ages. If you find yourself asking how a person could believe in the existence of God or trust the Bible for evidence of His plan, then this would be a valuable read.

Book Review: A Perfect Mess

When I read David Allen's book, Getting Things Done, I concluded that I really should get my act together and get more organized so that I could accomplish more in life. I typically fall prey to that theory society touts of organization leading to greater success. Now, I've discovered the flip side of those arguments.

In A Perfect Mess: The Hidden Benefits of Disorder: how crammed closets, cluttered offices, and on-the-fly planning make the world a better place, authors Eric Abrahamson and David H. Freedman have compiled loads of examples of instances where clutter and disorganization actually serve to make a person more effective. Although they are not advocating a slide into complete disorder, the authors clearly alleviate the guilt messy, undisciplined individuals are likely to feel over the mess they seem incapable of avoiding.

I don't know how many times, I have tried to get a handle on my piles of clutter and after organizing them and placing things where I think they belong, I discover that I cannot locate something which would have easily been located if the mess had merely been left alone. Despite the appearance of disarray, there is obviously a method to my madness and this book articulates clearly why those methods work for messy individuals. The case studies supporting the hidden benefits of mess were fascinating and comprehensive. These authors left no stone unturned. As the back cover description states, "Drawing on examples from business, parenting, cooking, the war on terrorism, retail, and even the meteoric career of Arnold Schwarzenegger, coauthors Abrahamson and Freedman demonstrate that moderately messy systems use resources more efficiently, yield better solutions, and are harder to break than neat ones."

I'm so glad to have found this book. I feel vindicated. My lack of an organized system is no better or worse than my husband's hyper-vigilant organizational methods ... just different. When I try to force myself into his mold, I am paralyzed. When he tries to use my methods, he feels intense anxiety. So, if you are a person who agonizes over your inability to get your act together and organize your life or your environs, agonize no more. Allow your clutter and mess to work for you and admire the creativity that flows when the mess is kept to a moderate level but not eliminated entirely.

Book Review: Sing Them Home

While this was not a bad book ... the plot was interesting and engrossing, the characters were well-defined and the writing was, at times, beautifully lyrical ... it was just not as wholesome as I'd have liked. A Library Journal review snippet on the back cover asserts that the author shows her characters' "failings as they stumble, in a realistic and satisfying manner, toward better selves." I'm afraid I didn't see the characters necessarily become better. Plus, I was uncomfortable with the number of sexual exploits revealed in the book. I don't need that part of life in a book at all, unless it is absolutely necessary for the plot (which, in this case, I don't think it truly was, apart from establishing the relationship of the deceased with his mistress).

It was the description of the plot that enticed me into the story and, despite considering setting the book aside several time, kept me plowing through. Set in the state of Nebraska, Sing Them Home tells the tale of the Jones siblings who have been devastated already once by the disappearance of their mother during a particularly violent tornado in 1978. The story in the town is legend, but the children still have unresolved feelings about this event, even years later. Now, their father has suddenly died, in a storm, and they all begin to process this present grief along with the grief for their mother.

I enjoyed reading the fascinating cultural descriptions of the Welsh community in this small town of Emlyn Springs, Nebraska. The process of grief was also interesting to observe. However, I really couldn't appreciate the promiscuity and lack of morals in the characters. If I hadn't been connected enough to care about the resolution of what truly happened to their mother, I would not have continued reading.

Scorpion Sucker

I almost forgot to post this until I saw the pictures in my camera. By far the most interesting Christmas present Trevor received this year was a scorpion sucker. We all cringed when we learned that he ate the whole thing - scorpion and all! I thought perhaps the scorpion would be encased in some plastic, but no, it was actually the middle of the sucker, just like a disgusting version of the Tootsie Pop!



Nothing says "Merry Christmas," like a scorpion sucker!

I'll Take the Pee Splatters

Last night, at my book club meeting, several of the women began discussing the fine art of teaching your children to take on chores. One woman regaled us with hilarious descriptions of her daughters' slovenly habits. Apparently, their hair bands are strewn around the bathroom and hair clumps are everywhere. Band-aids are dropped wherever they are removed. Recently, the girls came to their mother to complain that the shower wasn't draining. At her wits' end, this mother introduced her daughters to the Zip-It. (I loved that this link showed a line of stockings all filled with Zip-its.) The story was side-splitting as this mother acted out the girls' disdain for the clumps of hairballs they dug out.

As much as I enjoyed the laughter, today I am counting my blessings. Yes, there are pee splatters around my toilets almost constantly, but I'll take that any day over endless clumps of hair and hair accoutrements. Sometimes we mothers-of-boys have to remind ourselves that the drops of urine are easily wiped up quickly with a Clorox wipe! Perhaps my boys' stockings should have been filled with wipes containers and a package of Fruit Loops - the perfect tool for perfecting aim!

Of course, I still need to do a better job of passing on the responsibilities of cleaning the bathrooms (we have FOUR and they tend to all be in use throughout the day). Perhaps if they were required to do the daily Clorox wipe-down, they might work on their aim a bit. Hopefully, they'll learn better aim and cleaning habits before they meet and marry some beautiful, slovenly long-haired beauty ... or they'll both have trouble. Ha!

Book Review: In the Company of Others

Although I have heard of the Mitford series books, I have never before tried a Jan Karon book. While I found it slow-going at the beginning, I'm glad I persevered with this book. By the end, I felt like part of the community of characters and cried over the trials and tribulations they experienced.

The story follows Episcopal priest Tim Kavanagh as he journeys with his wife, Cynthia, to Ireland for a bit of vacation time. It seems their trip is doomed from the start with difficulties in scheduling. When an intruder startles Cynthia, she injures her leg, leaving them tied down to the small inn they have been staying in. Shortly after that, a beloved painting goes missing. The two get caught up in the mystery, while also getting caught up in reading an old diary from years gone by.

The book had an excellent message, but the message was secondary to the story. In the midst of a wonderfully woven tale, Karon manages to impart words of wisdom and encouragement to the reader. I was especially struck by the message of hope voiced in a passage where an alcoholic elderly woman is recounting to Cynthia how she has tried to keep her sisters and mother alive:

Cynthia states, "It's very wrong to keep the dead alive, for it keeps us from living truly. You must forgive yourself, Evelyn."

E: "I cannot."

C: "You must forgive God."

E: "I cannot."

C: "You cannot have peace without forgiveness."

E: "I do not deserve peace."

C: "It's what God wants us to have."

E: "Does God ask me what I want him to have? I want him to have pity, to have mercy, and the common decency to give us a life without struggle and disgrace."

C: "Oh, my. We can forget that last notion. He is formed, himself, of the greatest pity and mercy, but without struggle and even disgrace, how would we ever know him, run to him, seek his refuge? We would not."

That passage alone did my heart and soul good. As the front cover suggests, "Set against the music of Irish song and storytelling, In the Company of Others reminds us of our desperate need to be heard and the reconciliation that comes with confession." This was a very worthwhile read.

Top Ten Reads in 2011

Having read so many more books than I usually do this year, I was expecting the choice of the top ten to be difficult. Thankfully, as I went through the list, the following ten popped out as stand-outs:

1. Power of the Powerless, by Christopher de Vinck - Although this was a second reading of this book, it still stands as such an emotionally edifying read for me. DeVinck's words are lyrical and his message is profound.



2. Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson - What a well-written and intense book this was. A must-read for young adults!



3. Life Without Limits, by Nick Vujicic - The man with no arms and no legs certainly has no difficulties in spreading his message of empowerment and encouragement.



4. Heaven is For Real, by Todd Burpo - This amazing story of four year old Colton Burpo's experience with death and a brief visit to heaven is sure to provide encouragement to those who've lost a child and remind Christian readers that they really are destined for a place of majesty with the Lord for intense purposes.



5. One Thousand Gifts, by Ann Voskamp - While Ann Voskamp has lived a life touched by sadness and pain, she learned much when she attempted to make a list of one thousand gifts she recognized in her life. I learned much through her attempt as well.



6. The Help, by Kathryn Stockett - This was a book from my book group and not only was the read fun, but it was even more fun going to see the movie with other ladies who had read the book along with me.



7. Still Alice, by Lisa Genova - This book really got me thinking about what makes a person who he is and the whole idea of losing one's identity (in this case, to Alzheimer's disease).



8. Minding Frankie, by Maeve Binchy - I've long been a Binchy fan. She peoples her books with such realistic characters that the reader feels like they have actually stepped into her Irish setting.



9. Her Fearful Symmetry, by Audrey Niffenegger - Although this read wasn't as amazing as her first book, The Time-Traveller's Wife, it was still an epic tale with interesting characters and a location I could love.



10. The Whole-Brain Child, by Daniel Siegel and Tina Payne Bryson - This book was helpful for raising well-rounded and well-adjusted kids as well as for dealing with a host of issues adults experience in life. It was easy to read, held excellent examples and many tools for practical use.