Book Review: Deeply Loved by Keri Wyatt Kent

I get a lot of Christian books to read and review. I get a lot of theology (more now that I’ve joined the IVP book club). Keri Wyatt Kent’s book was a welcome, refreshing change of pace for me, that is certain.

That is not to say that the book is spiritually shallow — far, far from it. This is, in fact, the kind of book I wish more people were writing, and more people were reading. The book is a pure devotional/spiritual discipline type of book, meant for reading and contemplating over a long period of time. In fact, Kent often encourages the reader to take their time, and the book is easily digested over a period of 40 days.

Each daily devotional study ends with a “Presence Practice” that encourages the reader to reflect on what was studied, and to put that day’s study into practice. This isn’t a simple question and answer thing that just asks you to repeat what you read. These reflections ask you to DO things, even if it’s just reading, and they challenge you to really think about how that day’s study impacts the way you are walking with Christ each day, and how you can change to grow closer to Him.

My own observance of Lent tends to be nontraditional, to say the least. As a Baptist, I really don’t have a liturgy to follow. In the past, the idea of giving something up for Lent has left me hollow — I either gave up something I needed to get rid of anyway (which seemed like cheating), or I gave up something and ended up being resentful for not being able to do it after just two weeks (sometimes not that long). One thing I have determined to do, though, is to try to focus my devotional time each Lent and Advent on something that strikes at the heart of the season. For Advent, it is the idea of anticipation and longing. For Lent, it is usually the idea of redemption. When I received Deeply Loved, however, I saw the opportunity to immerse myself in the love of Christ revealed in His sacrifice for us. Deeply Loved is a great book to use as a devotional during Lent, but it’s not bound to that time of year the way so many Lenten devotions are. You can pick this book up at any time in the year, set aside 40 days, and study. In fact, I will probably be picking Deeply Loved up again this winter and using it as part of my Advent preparation.

Each study is not that long; it can be read in no time at all, even if you don’t read quickly. But if you pay attention to what you are reading, and are really taking the time to think about what Kent is saying, what you read each day will stay with you. You will find yourself in situations where your morning devotional reading will pop back into your mind. You will find yourself growing closer to Christ, and appreciating His love for us even more.

That is, after all, the purpose of a devotional book. This is where the rubber meets the road, so to speak. This is where all the theology and doctrine we learn and read about is made valuable — when we put it into practice in the service of the King.

I end up packing a lot of my review copies up in boxes after I finish them; I just don’t have the shelf space for all the books I have (835 books, according to LibraryThing, and 227 review copies). I won’t be packing this one up any time soon, though. This book will be used over and over again. Highly recommended.

Book Review: Leaving Everything Most Loved by Jacqueline Winspear

The tenth installment of Winspear’s Maisie Dobbs series finds our heroine facing changes in all aspects of her life. She’s been feeling the need to travel, and a new case concerning the death of an Indian immigrant (later two Indian women)inspires her to travel first to India, and then (possibly) throughout the world. But loose ends need to be tied up first.

The case is intriguing, and touches on themes of discrimination, gender roles, and even religious bigotry. Maisie finds herself confronted on many occasions with how insular her society has become, which makes her want to travel all the more. In the midst of all this, she receives an “ultimatum” from her fiance that makes her question even more about her life.

It’s tough to say much about this book that isn’t a spoiler, to be honest. I felt through most of the book that the entire point of both cases that are solved was to show why Maisie was leaving to travel the world. The character development in this book is beyond anything in previous books, and Winspear is no slouch in character development. It really seems like this case takes longer than it actually does, because of how much actually happens.

The ending worried me a little bit — Maisie starts to reminisce about past cases in a way that seems as if we’re saying goodbye to her as much as the rest of the cast is. But the promise at the end of the book, “Yes, she would be back,” gives hope that there will be a book 11, and beyond.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again — I really enjoy this series. I started reading it as a change of pace from the fantasy and science fiction I’d been reading, and I was quickly hooked. The time period, the characterizations, the intricate plots — just everything conspires to make me read each one quickly, and then anxiously await the next one. Highly, highly recommended to just about anyone, as long as you enjoy reading and immersing yourself in a story.

Edit to add — I just realized that it has been one year and a day since I reviewed the last Maisie Dobbs book. So maybe I only have another year to wait!!

Book Review:Wonderful Life with the Elements by Bunpei Yorifuji

I can remember sitting in chemistry class in high school, totally confused about much of the periodic table. Don’t get me wrong—I absolutely loved the class, and have always been fascinated with science. But I had a really hard time mentally cataloging the various elements according to their properties.

That’s what makes Yorifuji’s book so valuable. Rather than having to memorize a list of facts about each element, now you can just look at the picture. Each element is represented by a character, with different facial, clothing, and hair features that indicate different things about that element. See a picture of an element with an impressive afro? That’s a noble gas. The nitrogen family sports mohawks, while the actinides have a hairstyle that reminds me of Bozo the Clown. Every detail of each element’s drawing means something; visual learners will love this book.

Students in general will love this book, though; it’s easy to read, and full of fascinating facts about the elements. The elements are even given relevance to the students’ daily lives, with sections on “Elements in the Living Room” and “How to Eat The Elements.” You can even find out how much a human being is worth—or at least the average cost of the elements in the average human being.

This book is a bit smaller than I thought it would be—5″ x 6″, and only about an inch or so thick. The print was often too small for my ancient eyes, but my sixth grader had no trouble reading and enjoying the book. She has inherited my love of all things sciency, and this book has opened her eyes to a wealth of possibilities.

Most science-minded adults will already know much of what is in this book, having had to memorize them years ago in chemistry class. But those same science-minded adults will certainly be giving this book to their science-minded offspring, who will learn and enjoy.

Book Review: The Janus Affair by Pip Ballantine and Tee Morris

The Wait Is Over.

That’s all I could think of when review copies were made available for the sequel to last year’s Phoenix Rising — the first volume chronicling the adventures of the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences. That book, added to my habitual reading of the Girl Genius webcomic, became my gateway into the world of steampunk — a truly fascinating place, to be sure.

Book Review: Straight To The Heart Of Matthew by Phil Moore

Commentaries are supposed to be dry and boring. At least, that’s the impression that you’ll get if you ask the average Christian about commentaries. They’re for preachers and teachers, not for the average man on the street. Nobody would ever think of reading one.

That is, until you hand them one of the volumes of the Straight To The Heart series.

Book Review: Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

I’ve actually had this one done for about a week; I wanted to get over my initial impressions and be able to review this book in a calm, objective manner.

Yeah, right. That’s not going to happen.

Book Review: The Gift by Bryan Litfin

The Gift Trailer from Crossway on Vimeo.

This book takes place a mere three weeks after the end of The Sword (which I reviewed earlier this month, right here). Teo and Ana have met scouts from a land called Ulmbartia, and are welcomed as heroes after Teo helps defeat some attackers. Ana is noticed by the top levels of Ulbartia’s social stratus, and is quickly welcomed into high society — which separates her from Teo. Everything looks wonderful in Ulmbartia.

But things are not always as they seem. Ulmbartia has a problem with people who are less than perfect; these Defectives are taken from society and never seen again. And there is even more hostility to the One God and His Book — even as Teo and Ana search for the lost second part of the Book. And Ana has to make a choice between the good life she’s been given and the man she owes her life to — a man she may even … love.

The Gift is a great sequel to The Sword. There is action (especially toward the end), there is suspense, main characters die or seem to die. There is theological exploration that reminds me of some of the questions that the Jews had of their Messiah — is He to be the conquering hero or the suffering servant? And which of these was Iesus Christos? We see the continuing development of an orthodox Christian theology as Teo and those with him begin to learn more and discover more about this ancient, lost faith called Christianity.

I’ve actually had this book done for quite a while (as you can tell if you watch the trailer above) — this series has grown on me, and I’m a little disappointed that the next book will be the last one (it’s a trilogy, after all) — though I’m hoping for a second trilogy. The plot moves, the twists and turns suck you in, and the characters are compelling (though I got a little frustrated at Teo and Ana constantly NOT declaring their love for each other). And once again, we get a glimpse of how theology may have developed in the early Church, and how different opinions and interpretations led to the many sects and denominations we have today. My recommendation of the Chiveis Trilogy is only strengthened after reading The Gift. It’s in stores — go buy it already!!

Book Review:The Multiplayer Classroom: Designing Coursework as a Game by Lee Sheldon

Lee Sheldon is a gamer, a game designer, and a teacher. Those three things qualify him to write a book like this. And those three things make this book incredibly valuable for teachers to read.

This is NOT a book about how to teach using games; there are plenty of those available, and I’ve got a few of them on my Amazon wish list. This book, though, is as much about classroom management as anything else. It’s about structuring your class as if it is a multiplayer roleplaying game. Students don’t get assignments; they get quests. They don’t receive points for assignments; they get experience points (XP). And they don’t work in groups; they form guilds to raid boss monsters for XP. The theory is that students play games like World of Warcraft a lot, and understand that dynamic, so incorporating it into the classroom will give them a different perspective on learning, and encourage them to learn in different ways than they have been in the past. It’s thinking outside the box.

I enjoyed reading about Sheldon’s trials and errors. He’s very honest about thing he didn’t do well the first time, and changes that had to be made. We learn while we read because we’re learning from his mistakes. And he also acknowledges that the same exact system will not fit every classroom. Modifications are made based on the students and the subject matter. Changes are made based on what didn’t work before — even in the middle of a semester, if needed. That’s another thing I liked with this book — it isn’t about the system, it’s about doing what will help students learn better. That’s a focus that more teachers need to have. Sheldon also shows how he used the technique in several different classes, with different ages and types of students, at two different institutions. Again, it’s not a cookie-cutter program, but the basics are there to be modified and used in a lot of different ways.

I was attracted to this book because I’m a gamer, and I’m studying to be a teacher. Combining these two passions of mine seems like a no-brainer. And reading this book has given me a LOT of ideas to use in the classroom. I’m studying to teach computer applications; I’m very project-oriented, rather than lecture and test oriented, so a management style based on experience points makes sense to me — my goal is to give students experience using technology, so why wouldn’t I want to measure how much experience they’ve gained? So this is certainly something I plan on implementing once I’m in the classroom fulltime.

The research is still mixed on this technique; the case studies in the book are favorable, but there really isn’t enough data to show how well this will work across the board. I can see how some content area teachers would have trouble implementing it in their classes (math teachers, especially). In a project-oriented class, though, like the one I will be teaching in, this can be used well. It’s different enough that students will enjoy it, and it might even be fun enough that the teacher will enjoy it, too.

Book Review: The Shooting Salvationist: J. Frank Norris and the Murder Trial that Captivated America by David R. Stokes

J. Frank Norris was a man who everyone had an opinion about. You either loved him or hated him, and if you were ever the subject of one of his sermons, you hated him with a passion. Certainly nobody in Fort Worth was neutral about the controversial pastor of First Baptist Fort Worth. Norris lived for the controversy, it seems, and for the attention (and increased attendance) that controversy brought him.

Then, on July 17, 1926, Norris fired three shots into Dexter Chipps, killing the lumber salesman and creating a bigger controversy than he’d been part of before.

David Stokes has certainly done the research on this story. Stokes goes into detail examining events leading up to the shooting, showing the forces in Fort Worth who wanted Norris to go away and those who were willing to defend him no matter what. We get a picture of two men, really; J. Frank Norris, fundamentalist firebrand and heir apparent of William Jennings Bryan, and Fort Worth Mayor H. C. Meacham, who Norris attacked almost as soon as he took office. It could even be argued that the men were two sides of the same coin; both were opportunists who were loathe to waste a chance to harm the other, and both could be quite single-minded in their pursuit of the other. Shortly before Chipps’ murder, in fact, Meacham had fired several of his own employees simply because they were active members of Norris’ church.

It would be easy to write a book slanted to make Norris look evil, to point out the inconsistencies in testimony in the trial and insist that Norris should have been found guilty. It would also be easy to write a book from the opposite perspective, and paint Norris as a persecuted minister who made political enemies with his mixture of fundamentalist theology and populist politics. Stokes does neither of these. While I couldn’t help but feel that Norris really didn’t have to fire a shot (much less the three he fired), there is a balance in the book that I really found refreshing. Nobody is solely to blame, but everyone has a part to play in what happened. Stokes does an outstanding job of showing how multiple situations in Fort Worth, and both Meacham’s and Norris’ own personalities, lead to a tragedy.

I honestly hadn’t read much about J. Frank Norris, in spite of my own church background and theological convictions. I knew he was highly influential, and I knew he had shot someone, but beyond that I really didn’t know much. This book has really shown me something about this fascinating individual, and I’ll probably do some more reading about him. I’d love to read different points of view concerning the murder and the trial, especially. Stokes has done an outstanding job of bringing this tragic event to modern attention; it could even be said to be a cautionary tale for some of our own modern-day “megapastors” (which Norris certainly was, in his day), an example of what can happen when a desire for controversy and political clout goes too far, and makes enemies with too much power.

Book Review: The Sword by Bryan Litfin

I’ve become a bit skeptical of “Christian” fiction. Too much of it is incredibly derivative, or over-the-top evangelistic, or just flat-out poorly written. When it tries to make a theological statement, too often it fails completely. For those reasons, I’ve all but given up on the genre — a genre in which C. S. Lewis thrived.

The Sword has given me hope.

The premise of the book is outstanding — Christianity has been forgotten in the wake of a global apocalypse. No word on any Rapture of believers or anything – the indication is that they all died out. So there’s no “Left Behind” storyline here — in fact, the Christians have been gone long enough that nobody has really heard of Christianity or Judaism. Litfin is rebuilding Christianity from scratch, and we’re along for the ride..

Litfin doesn’t candy-coat things, and he doesn’t shy away from making his nascent Christians human — including showing their arguments and disagreements as they try to figure out what this new faith is all about. I think it’s interesting too that thus far in the series, the converts really aren’t Christians — they haven’t even read the New Testament. If anything, they are simply recovering a form of Judeo-Christian theism, and building from that theological base. This is refreshing in Christian fiction — too many books I’ve read would have had someone discover a cache of Gideon Bibles and a series of VHS tapes on “How to Become a Christian” and that would have been it. These people are struggling with forming theology based on this ancient book they have found. And there is the possibility that their Christianity will bear little resemblance to our own, which makes me even more eager for the next installment.

I’m really looking forward to future books in this series. If more Christian fiction would pay attention to Litfin and his books, then I’d be able to retire the scare quotes permanently. And maybe actually read more of it.