Charles Lambert's debut novel, The Children's Home, defies easy description. I found it to be unsettling throughout, gripping in the first half, and unsatisfying toward the end. I appreciated Lambert's crafting of the novel, the characterizations, the dialogue. He sets a timeless, gothic tone, at once in a conceivable past and in a foreseeable future.
When a wealthy recluse takes in children who appear mysteriously at his estate, he takes their arrivals in stride. Their presence begins as an interesting diversion that makes little difference to his lifestyle. Ultimately, however, his life is forever changed because of them. Morgan is wealthy, because of the business his grandfather built, and reclusive, because of a disfiguring incident that causes him to shut himself off from the prying eyes of the world.
In spite of his face, at which most people are appalled, the children accept him unconditionally. When he asks the local doctor to come examine the children, the doctor accepts Morgan's appearance and the two men become fast friends.
Shortly the children begin directing Morgan's life, rather than the other way around, and things become more muddled. Lambert hints at the devastation of war and a breakdown of society, about which Morgan remains ignorant due to his seclusion on his walled estate. When Morgan, under the direction of the children, ventures to his family's factory, the odd state of things there boggles his mind (as well as mine).
The mystery of the children's origin, their strange behavior, and the discoveries they make in the secret part of Morgan's house all drive the story in unexpected directions. The story's brooding development gives it more weight than it seems to deserve. The activity at the factory seems to hold part of the key to the mystery of the children, but Lambert's description of the factory is so bizarre and elusive that I couldn't be sure what point he was making.
The Children's Home is certainly an enjoyable read, yet as the story builds it becomes more and more shaky. As Lambert demonstrates, introducing a strange and mysterious events is much easier than providing a purposeful and meaningful direction for those events.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!
Wednesday, December 30, 2015
Monday, December 28, 2015
(Un)qualified, by Steven Furtick
I don't know Steven Furtick, but I guess John MacArthur does. During an interview, when asked for a word association with Furtick's name, MacArthur simply replied "unqualified." He did not elaborate. Furtick, like MacArthur, has an M.Div. from a historic, respected seminary. MacArthur does not have any higher earned degrees. MacArthur is about 40 years older than Furtick, so clearly has quite a bit more experience as an author and teacher. So why unqualified? Unqualified for what? I don't know much about the two pastors or their relationship, but MacArthur's comment seemed ungracious and unnecessarily unkind.
The cool thing is, MacArthur's comment seems to have bothered me more than it bothered Furtick. In fact, Furtick took MacArthur's assessment as inspiration for his new book, (Un)qualified: How God Uses Broken People to Do Big Things. Furtick writes that we define ourselves with statements of "I am ______." It's that third word that makes the difference. Jesus changed Simon, the fisherman, to Peter, the rock. Unqualified to qualified. In the same way, God wants to take our doubts about who we are and give us a new identity. A new third word.
We might tend to focus on our sins and shortcomings, our unworthiness. In Christ, we are made new, accepted by God. We focus on our own sin, and fail to share the love and grace of God with the needy world around us. Furtick writes, "It might be time to figure out who you really are and to value the real you as much as God does."
Furtick spends a lot of time talking about Jacob, who required a great deal of re-identification. After deceiving his brother, marrying Rachel and Leah, and heading back toward his homeland, he meets a mysterious stranger with whom he wrestles all night. It was, of course, God, perhaps a pre-incarnate Jesus. At that time, he told Jacob he was going to change his name from Jacob, which means deceiver, to Israel, "triumphant with God."
Just like Jacob/Israel, once we accept God's unconditional love and forgiveness, we are free to love and serve. "We don't need to spend one more day trying to prove ourselves, because we already have God's approval through Jesus's gift of righteousness." Furtick has put in faith in God, in God's work in him, not in the word of an elder pastor, no matter how well-known and well-respected.
Furtick's writing is engaging, personal, and encouraging. Pick up (Un)qualified and be encouraged. Let God fill in the third word.
Thanks to Blogging for Books and the publisher for the complimentary review copy!
The cool thing is, MacArthur's comment seems to have bothered me more than it bothered Furtick. In fact, Furtick took MacArthur's assessment as inspiration for his new book, (Un)qualified: How God Uses Broken People to Do Big Things. Furtick writes that we define ourselves with statements of "I am ______." It's that third word that makes the difference. Jesus changed Simon, the fisherman, to Peter, the rock. Unqualified to qualified. In the same way, God wants to take our doubts about who we are and give us a new identity. A new third word.
We might tend to focus on our sins and shortcomings, our unworthiness. In Christ, we are made new, accepted by God. We focus on our own sin, and fail to share the love and grace of God with the needy world around us. Furtick writes, "It might be time to figure out who you really are and to value the real you as much as God does."
Furtick spends a lot of time talking about Jacob, who required a great deal of re-identification. After deceiving his brother, marrying Rachel and Leah, and heading back toward his homeland, he meets a mysterious stranger with whom he wrestles all night. It was, of course, God, perhaps a pre-incarnate Jesus. At that time, he told Jacob he was going to change his name from Jacob, which means deceiver, to Israel, "triumphant with God."
Just like Jacob/Israel, once we accept God's unconditional love and forgiveness, we are free to love and serve. "We don't need to spend one more day trying to prove ourselves, because we already have God's approval through Jesus's gift of righteousness." Furtick has put in faith in God, in God's work in him, not in the word of an elder pastor, no matter how well-known and well-respected.
Furtick's writing is engaging, personal, and encouraging. Pick up (Un)qualified and be encouraged. Let God fill in the third word.
Thanks to Blogging for Books and the publisher for the complimentary review copy!
Sunday, December 27, 2015
Trump: The Good, The Bad, and the Quotable
Say what you will about Donald Trump, you simply can't deny that he has made this election cycle much more entertaining. You never know what that guy's going to say. The editors of Beyond Books have assembled a collection of Trump's quotes for our entertainment in Trump: the Good, the Bad, and the Quotable. Some quotes date back decades, others are from recent candidate debates and news interviews.
The quotes aren't comprehensive, nor are they meant to be. They capture a glimpse of Trump's views on women, on wealth, and, of course, on himself. The editors even include some nice quotes about Trump from others, including some political opponents and psychiatrists. The editors clearly are not fans, or at least they clearly don't have an agenda to make Trump look good.
Like many Americans, I'm in a dilemma about Trump. As bombastic and offensive as he can be, if it comes down to a race between him and Hillary, I've got to vote for Trump. He has issues, but putting that lying, incompetent woman in the White House would be a huge mistake. Interestingly, he's been talking about the presidency for a while. In a 1990 Playboy interview, Trump said, "I don't want to be president. I'm 100 percent sure. I'd change my mind only if I saw this country continue to go down the tubes." Obama must have confirmed the "going down the tubes" status. About Obama Trump said, in one of the presidential primary debates, "We have a president who doesn't have a clue. I would say he's incompetent, but I don't want to do that because that's not nice." (By the way, there were several quotes where he used that trick, "I won't say this . . . " But really he just said it.)
I have to admit, I'm entertained by Trump. These quotes are great. Trump speaks his mind, and is OK with self-effacing humor. I get a kick out of his "I'm the smartest/best-looking/fittest/etc. bravado. He knows it's part of his schtick. Everyone else should realize that as well. Think of Trump first as an entertainer, provocateur, and publicity hound. Once you see that he's doing those things with his public speaking, you can start to dissect who he really is and what he's really saying.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the complimentary electronic review copy!
The quotes aren't comprehensive, nor are they meant to be. They capture a glimpse of Trump's views on women, on wealth, and, of course, on himself. The editors even include some nice quotes about Trump from others, including some political opponents and psychiatrists. The editors clearly are not fans, or at least they clearly don't have an agenda to make Trump look good.
Like many Americans, I'm in a dilemma about Trump. As bombastic and offensive as he can be, if it comes down to a race between him and Hillary, I've got to vote for Trump. He has issues, but putting that lying, incompetent woman in the White House would be a huge mistake. Interestingly, he's been talking about the presidency for a while. In a 1990 Playboy interview, Trump said, "I don't want to be president. I'm 100 percent sure. I'd change my mind only if I saw this country continue to go down the tubes." Obama must have confirmed the "going down the tubes" status. About Obama Trump said, in one of the presidential primary debates, "We have a president who doesn't have a clue. I would say he's incompetent, but I don't want to do that because that's not nice." (By the way, there were several quotes where he used that trick, "I won't say this . . . " But really he just said it.)
I have to admit, I'm entertained by Trump. These quotes are great. Trump speaks his mind, and is OK with self-effacing humor. I get a kick out of his "I'm the smartest/best-looking/fittest/etc. bravado. He knows it's part of his schtick. Everyone else should realize that as well. Think of Trump first as an entertainer, provocateur, and publicity hound. Once you see that he's doing those things with his public speaking, you can start to dissect who he really is and what he's really saying.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the complimentary electronic review copy!
Friday, December 25, 2015
Beating the College Debt Trap, by Alex Chediak
Merry Christmas! The cover of Beating the College Debt Trap looks like a Christmas ornament. . . sort of. It's not full of much Christmas cheer, though. My oldest child is a high school junior, who has high hopes for college. Elite colleges are at the top of his wish list, but he would settle for an expensive regional private university. He says he's doesn't want to get "stuck" going to a regional public college. He's my kid, so of course I believe he's in the top .0001% and will be desired by every college to which he applies. In the best of all possible worlds, he'll be a National Merit scholar with several choices of top schools offering him full ride scholarships.
In the meantime, our family will have to plan and prepare for a lesser of all possible worlds: paying for college. Alex Chediak provides clear, realistic guidance for students who don't want to graduate from college with a huge ball and chain of college debt following them. The facts and figures he provides are sobering yet oh so helpful. His main point: count the cost of taking that loan. It's so easy to spend student loan money, both because of the nature of spending money that's not yours, and because of the enormous cost of higher education these days. Students have to face reality. Maybe that very expensive college that will leave you with huge debt isn't really worth it, after all. Maybe that expensive apartment, the poor spending habits, the costly meal plan should be cut back so you're not paying for it for decades after graduation.
For a parent or student getting ready for college, these realities may be rather depressing. College has become tremendously, unnecessarily expensive. The unsustainable rising cost of college is an issue for another day, one that must be addressed. But once you face the facts of the costs of getting a degree, Chediak's book is a helpful guide. I received this as a free e-book, but I'll be buying a copy for my high school junior so we can start developing a plan, just in case that National Merit scholarship doesn't work out.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!
In the meantime, our family will have to plan and prepare for a lesser of all possible worlds: paying for college. Alex Chediak provides clear, realistic guidance for students who don't want to graduate from college with a huge ball and chain of college debt following them. The facts and figures he provides are sobering yet oh so helpful. His main point: count the cost of taking that loan. It's so easy to spend student loan money, both because of the nature of spending money that's not yours, and because of the enormous cost of higher education these days. Students have to face reality. Maybe that very expensive college that will leave you with huge debt isn't really worth it, after all. Maybe that expensive apartment, the poor spending habits, the costly meal plan should be cut back so you're not paying for it for decades after graduation.
For a parent or student getting ready for college, these realities may be rather depressing. College has become tremendously, unnecessarily expensive. The unsustainable rising cost of college is an issue for another day, one that must be addressed. But once you face the facts of the costs of getting a degree, Chediak's book is a helpful guide. I received this as a free e-book, but I'll be buying a copy for my high school junior so we can start developing a plan, just in case that National Merit scholarship doesn't work out.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!
Wednesday, December 23, 2015
Aftermath: Star Wars, by Chuck Wendig
With the release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, not only has a new trilogy been launched, but, in a sense, a whole new Star Wars universe. Star Wars fans may be familiar with the Expanded Universe, the novels, graphic novels, games, and other sources that developed the story after the fall of the second Death Star. All of that has now been swept off the table. Consider the new Star Wars material a separate timeline.
The first major novel, Chuck Wendig's Aftermath, is the first of an expected trilogy. It sets up the new era, just after the destruction of the second Death Star. The Empire did not just disappear when the Death Star blew up. The rebels did not step in immediately with a new democratic governance over the galaxy. Everything is in flux; no one is sure where loyalties will lie or who is in power.
Aftermath features a few characters we know and love from the movies. Mostly, though, new characters are introduced. The novel retains the tone of the movies, although it seemed to have more of a I-III feel than a IV-VI feel (which, most would agree, isn't necessarily a good thing). It's a serviceable interlude, taking the reader from VI toward The Force Awakens. The story seemed secondary to some of the background development.
I like the fact that Aftermath throws a bucket of cold water on the celebrations at the end of VI (extended edition). The destruction of the Death Star was but a battle; the Empire won't be put down so easily. I didn't love the book, but it certainly piqued my interest in The Force Awakens, which ultimately, is probably the main point.
The first major novel, Chuck Wendig's Aftermath, is the first of an expected trilogy. It sets up the new era, just after the destruction of the second Death Star. The Empire did not just disappear when the Death Star blew up. The rebels did not step in immediately with a new democratic governance over the galaxy. Everything is in flux; no one is sure where loyalties will lie or who is in power.
Aftermath features a few characters we know and love from the movies. Mostly, though, new characters are introduced. The novel retains the tone of the movies, although it seemed to have more of a I-III feel than a IV-VI feel (which, most would agree, isn't necessarily a good thing). It's a serviceable interlude, taking the reader from VI toward The Force Awakens. The story seemed secondary to some of the background development.
I like the fact that Aftermath throws a bucket of cold water on the celebrations at the end of VI (extended edition). The destruction of the Death Star was but a battle; the Empire won't be put down so easily. I didn't love the book, but it certainly piqued my interest in The Force Awakens, which ultimately, is probably the main point.
Monday, December 21, 2015
The First Hostage, by Joel C. Rosenberg
If I want to know what's going on in the Middle East, Joel Rosenberg is the one to ask. His depth of experience in policy and journalistic roles in the U.S., as well as his time studying, working, and living in Israel, give him a unique perspective as a writer. His fiction and nonfiction works have proven to be prescient, if not downright prophetic.
Rosenberg's newest novel, the second featuring journalist J.B. Collins, opens with a devastating attack on a Middle East peace summit. ISIS has infiltrated the highest levels of U.S. intelligence, as well as the ranks of the Jordanian army. In the course of the attacks, many American and Middle Eastern officials are killed. Collins assists in getting the king of Jordon to safety, and Air Force One gets away unscathed. But the president of the United States is nowhere to be found.
Rosenberg has a great feel for relations among the Jordanians, Americans, and Israelis. One thing that came through loud and clear to me: Rosenberg does not view Islam as the enemy, but ISIS. Adhering to another religion does not make enemies; terrorist attacks do. And he makes it very clear that ISIS is the worst sort of enemy. Not only do they capture the president and threaten to behead him (unless, of course, all Americans convert to Islam), but the horrors of their deeds become clear as Collins gets to the heart of ISIS's operation.
Rosenberg's writing is believable and action-packed. All Collins wants to do is cover important events for the New York Times. He ends up not only at the center of events, but a heroic key player in all that happens. He is called on to do many things that journalism school didn't prepare him for! The First Hostage is a great read, Rosenberg's pacing and development are well-done, and Collins is an everyman-hero I can get behind. Highly recommended.
Thanks to Tyndale and the Tyndale Blog Network for the complimentary review copy!
Rosenberg's newest novel, the second featuring journalist J.B. Collins, opens with a devastating attack on a Middle East peace summit. ISIS has infiltrated the highest levels of U.S. intelligence, as well as the ranks of the Jordanian army. In the course of the attacks, many American and Middle Eastern officials are killed. Collins assists in getting the king of Jordon to safety, and Air Force One gets away unscathed. But the president of the United States is nowhere to be found.
Rosenberg has a great feel for relations among the Jordanians, Americans, and Israelis. One thing that came through loud and clear to me: Rosenberg does not view Islam as the enemy, but ISIS. Adhering to another religion does not make enemies; terrorist attacks do. And he makes it very clear that ISIS is the worst sort of enemy. Not only do they capture the president and threaten to behead him (unless, of course, all Americans convert to Islam), but the horrors of their deeds become clear as Collins gets to the heart of ISIS's operation.
Rosenberg's writing is believable and action-packed. All Collins wants to do is cover important events for the New York Times. He ends up not only at the center of events, but a heroic key player in all that happens. He is called on to do many things that journalism school didn't prepare him for! The First Hostage is a great read, Rosenberg's pacing and development are well-done, and Collins is an everyman-hero I can get behind. Highly recommended.
Thanks to Tyndale and the Tyndale Blog Network for the complimentary review copy!
Friday, December 18, 2015
Without Fail, by Lee Child
Once again, Jack Reacher is living as anonymously as possible, minding his own business, when one of his late brother's colleagues tracks him down. Lee Child's Without Fail, the sixth Reacher novel, doesn't fail to develop Reacher's character and showcase his personality and skills.
Readers will recall that Jack's brother Joe was killed in Killing Floor, the first Reacher novel. At the time, Joe was investigating a counterfeit ring. Joe's secret service colleague (and ex-girlfriend) uses her resources to find Jack, seeking his assistance in the vice president-elect's protection. Jack's investigative instincts assist in the investigation of a series of threats as they track down the would-be assassins.
The personal wrinkle in Without Fail is Reacher's romance with Joe's ex. Does she want to be with him as Jack, or as a replacement for Joe? And are Jack's feelings for her enough to make him want to settle down a bit? Needless to say, Jack keeps his skill at remaining anonymous and rootless, even as he's at the center of a high-profile case. And while he temporarily becomes burdened with a bit of luggage, by the end, everything is back to how he likes it: just the clothes on his back and whatever's in his pockets.
I haven't read a Reacher novel I didn't like, but I liked this one better than most.
Readers will recall that Jack's brother Joe was killed in Killing Floor, the first Reacher novel. At the time, Joe was investigating a counterfeit ring. Joe's secret service colleague (and ex-girlfriend) uses her resources to find Jack, seeking his assistance in the vice president-elect's protection. Jack's investigative instincts assist in the investigation of a series of threats as they track down the would-be assassins.
The personal wrinkle in Without Fail is Reacher's romance with Joe's ex. Does she want to be with him as Jack, or as a replacement for Joe? And are Jack's feelings for her enough to make him want to settle down a bit? Needless to say, Jack keeps his skill at remaining anonymous and rootless, even as he's at the center of a high-profile case. And while he temporarily becomes burdened with a bit of luggage, by the end, everything is back to how he likes it: just the clothes on his back and whatever's in his pockets.
I haven't read a Reacher novel I didn't like, but I liked this one better than most.
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