Carrie Dils
I have loved Mary Karr's previous books and was excited to see this book hit the shelves. I even snatched it up in hardback- NEW (a rare splurge).
This book had to share my “currently reading” stack for awhile, so maybe that contributed to my never getting into it, but it just didn't move me forward through the story like Cherry or Liar's Club did. Her writing is beautiful as always and the story is painfully raw as ever, so I felt bad when I set it aside. But I had to admit defeat and couldn't make it to the end...Sorry, Mary. I'll still buy your next book. In trade paper. :)
I accidentally purchased the LARGE PRINT version of this book online, which made it a page-turner in more ways that one.
Stories that don't resolve can be such a disappointment, but this absurd, modern-era, Jack-the-Ripper style mystery left me curious for more detail! A quick Google search on the title shows that a movie is in the works. Google around a little more for other interesting side-notes.
It's frustrating to know that, due to ego and incompetence, the truth behind these murders may never be known. Even still, the story is fascinating and well worth the read.
The book is divided into two parts: early writings and later writings. It was really interested to see Highsmith's style develop over the course of so many years. While there's a disturbing psychological element to all of her short stories, the later ones introduce a much darker side.
I'm a huge fan of the Tom Ripley series and felt like I could see Highsmith experimenting with ideas in short story form that would eventually be included in Ripley.
This book is a call to action. Whether you hold a Christian worldview or otherwise, the book discusses our responsibility to the world around us. And what a HUGE impact we can have on people!
Most exciting for me was learning about microloans in third world countries and how I can partner with somebody who, like me, has an entrepreneurial spirit but just lacks the resources. There's definitely a place for literally feeding a hungry woman, but if I can support her in starting a business that enables her to feed her family or even employ others, all the better!
All that to say: I recommend the book. And lending a hand. :)
I just finished reading Stuff Christians Like (a.k.a. SCL). It's along the lines of the blog Stuff White People Like except it's about, well, stuff Christians like (whether said Christians are white or otherwise is beside the point).
I've read some SCL blog posts before and enjoyed the humor, so when Blog Tour Spots announced they were sponsoring a discussion of the book I was IN.
The book is a series of super-short essays calling out some of the funnier (and less-than-Biblical) sides of Christian culture (i.e. Using “Let Me Pray About It” as a Euphemism for “No”, or, Ranking Honeymoon Sex Slightly Higher Than the Second Coming of Christ). Jonathan Acuff writes with a pretty sarcastic bent – and that kind of humor is right up my alley.
It also doesn't hurt that I grew up in a Southern Baptist church (as I suspect Acuff did) and can readily relate to his “pop-culture” references (my favorite being a lyric from Psalty, a musical I sang in somewhere around 3rd grade. As a total side note, I still think of Psalty's girlfriend every time I eat a strawberry Starburst due to their shape and color being so similar. Can I get an “Amen?”). All of that to say, someone coming from a more traditional church background might not chortle as frequently as I did. A non-church type might not even like the book at all (gasp!). But seriously...
Do we, as Christians, take ourselves too seriously? Do we not take God seriously enough? Despite the comical tone of the book, Acuff does a good job of leading the reader to self-reflect. His style is not to pound home The Point, nor does he neatly wrap up every topic with what we should do. Rather, his over-the-top sarcasm reveals just how ridiculous (or insincere) we Christians can sometimes be.
That entire last paragraph could be neatly summed up as: The book was thought-provoking.
I found it particularly thought-provoking in the area of prayer. How many times have I told a friend, “I'll pray for you” or “I'll pray for that situation”? I've always tried not to speak those words idly and do my best to send an immediate shout-out to God, BUT beyond that moment, I find I rarely engage God in true, thoughtful, intercession. Yes, I said it out loud: MY PRAYER LIFE IS SEVERELY LACKING AND YOU SHOULDN'T DEPEND ON ME TO TAKE YOUR PROBLEMS TO GOD WITH ANY REGULARITY.
But, hey, there are “worse sins” out there, right? If you'd like to be privy to my juicier shortcomings, you'll have to start showing up to my small group. Or, skip that altogether and just read the section on CONFESSING SAFE SINS (page 193).
The bottom line: I laughed out loud a lot (1 star), I found the material personally relevant (2 stars), I was challenged when I didn't expect to be (3 stars), I've already recommended it to friends (4 stars), I found the illustrated version of The Side Hug to be a stroke of artistic brilliance (5 stars).
Check out the SCL blog first. If you like it, buy the book.
The author, a native Australian, spends some time in India exploring all the country has to offer in terms of culture and religion. She's a self-proclaimed atheist, but gives the “good college try” to Hinduism, Buddhism, some downright strange-isms, and even Christianity. Even though her explorations into faith are serious, she manages to tell the story with a light hand that make the book simultaneously informative and entertaining. Most importantly, it made me laugh. :)
This was the last of the Ripley series and I'm so sad it's over! What is to become of Tom Ripley and the misadventures that will come his way? I only have my imagination...
I have enjoyed discovering Patricia Highsmith, especially since she was a native of Fort Worth. I'd like to read as many of her novels (there are about 30) as I can this next year, though some of her titles may be hard to come across in the book store or library.
After reading the Ripley series, my impression is that the Ripley in the first novel is darker than the Ripley of the rest. I plan to re-read the Talented Mr. Ripley after some time has passed and see if I still feel that way. That first book was, by far, my favorite of the series, though I highly recommend all of them.
This book had tremendous potential, but was ultimately dull and overladen with detail. It read like a history book and was a little too granular in detail. Kurlansky started out strong in the introduction; he would have done well to pepper in stories of his travels and a little humor throughout the rest of the novel, too.
