Books # ???

I really will tally these books up soon. I have not given up on the 52 books in 52 weeks challenge. I did have to cram a few since I went a few weeks without normal vision, but I'm nearly caught up and am inspired by a recent library trip to cram even more.

Miracles of the Revolution
5 out of 5 stars
I LOVED this book. I mooched this one from Bookmooch and recommend you do the same. I believe I will even make it required reading for the boys when they hit American history again in four years. The book shares key events that shaped the American Revolution, sharing details that can be taken as the miraculous hand of God or interesting coincidence. The author leaves it for you to decide. Honestly, I think this book would even be interesting to a non-believer to grasp how tenuous situations were....if it weren't for a sudden freeze or a sudden fog....escapes, attacks, and victories might not have happened. So MANY occurrences, not all weather related of course, were exciting to read about.

The author sums it up at the end:
"The skeptic may be unconvinced by my interpretation of these events. The miracles that I have cited can be viewed as natural phenomena. Taken in isolation, each incident does have some 'logical' explanation. Taken as a whole, however, there is a convincing case that something otherthan human skill or luck orchestrated the extraordinary sequence of military engagements that led to vicotry for America in its war of revolution.

and

"John Adams asserted that, "Our constitution was made for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate for the government of any other." God was central to the American Revolution, and later controversies should not obscure the remarkable nature of what our forefathers achieved and what has continued to prevail: the freedom of every individual to make his or her own decision about God.""


Kiss
4 out of 5
It's Ted Dekker, so it has to be exciting. Some of his works are darker and more gory than others, which I prefer to avoid. This one is pretty safe, closer to the style he used in Blink. This book challenges our attitudes and reactions through an edge-of-your-seat storyline. We can't change our past or what has been done to us. The thing in our control is the choice: pain or perspective. What will you choose to walk away with? "....your history is no less important to your survival than your ability to breathe. In the end, you can only determine whether to saturate your memories with pain or with perspective."

At the end, the main character discusses how odd it is that God requires the Israelites to reflect every year on their slavery in Egypt. "He wants you to stay focused on the darkest seasons in your life? How could that possibly do any good?" she asks. She receives this answer: "He wants you to remember who delivered you from that time, Shauna. That's the point of holding on to memory: delivery, not darkness."

Perspective, not pain.


An Assembly Such as This
15 out of 5 stars
Wow. I loved this. I am an avid Austen fan and was prepared to hate it. I've hated other faux-Austens. The closest I've come to approving of another Austen-based work is Bride and Prejudice, a bollywood creation. It was equally wonderful, but I don't think it counts. This book takes the story of Pride and Prejudice and tells it through the eyes of Darcy. The language is well chosen and mimics the original story's style very well. The only oddly chosen addition to the story is the description of every alcoholic beverage Darcy drinks. Not that I think he needs to be a teetotaler or anything, but it is over-done. I'm pretty sure another drink is described on roughly every fifth page of the entire book. It's a minor distraction and doesn't keep the book from being wonderful. It is part of a three-volume series, so I get to enjoy at least two more books.

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