*de-lurks*

Besides all that, I wasn't impressed enough by the novel to consider pursuing anything else he's [N.D. Wilson] written (that is unless somewhere here can convince me otherwise).

Have you every heard of Notes From the Tilt-a-Whirl: Wide Eyed Wonder in God's Spoken World, Warrior? It's by N.D. Wilson, and rather spectacular. I recommended it to my pastor early this year and he just used bits of it in his sermon a few weeks ago. And someone in my church congregation just did his public profession of faith and my pastor gave him Notes From the Tilt-a-Whirl as a congratulatory gift. I truly cannot recommend this book enough. Wilson writes in a stream-of-consciousness sort of way that has to be taken in small doses but the overall effect is beautiful. It's a really hard book to describe, but it's basically about wide eyed wonder in God's spoken world. It's the sort of book that makes you see the world through different eyes. Oh. And it's awesome. You should definitely check it out. It's not a novel but it's one of the best books I've ever read.

Returning to the thread's original purpose, i'm going to try to find a book called Divergent - it's a pretty new, dystopian book that i read about on WORLD magazine. The author is young, and a Christian, and the excerpt on Amazon was interesting. Has anyone else heard of it?

I had seen the book on Amazon, but didn't look into it until after reading your information. I hadn't heard that the author is a Christian.

I finished the book yesterday and while the writing was good, I was surprised at the level of questionable content, given that Ms. Roth, the author, is indeed a Christian.
While I was not overly disturbed by it, I am not going to recommend Divergent to my younger teen sister. There is strong violence, quite a lot of kissing and cuddling, and several of the "Good guys" take the Lord's name in vain - the MC seems to think this is fine.
~Also, am I the only one who can't stand a heroine who is constantly

This sometimes occurs between an MC and her father as well. (as in Entwined, by Heather Dixon) Now, I've never been in love, but I sincerely hope and believe that if I ever find myself so, I will be more level-headed than most of these heroines.

(Pardon the img - I really like this new cover and wanted to share. )
A book that I do recommend is Birthmarked, by Caragh O'Brien. Has anyone else heard of/read it? It is a YA distopian (yes, I know. Another one of those! ) set in a society split in two, in which the well-to-do but seriously inbred city dwellers take a monthly quota of newborn infants from the poorer but genetically strong settlement outside their walls. The MC is Gaia, a young midwife whose parents have been arrested for hiding information about these babies. Desperate to get her parents back, Gaia illegally enters the city and quickly learns that life inside is a far cry from the happy security she has been told.
The world building and characters are well written, and I enjoyed this story very much. Am now happily anticipating the sequel, Prized, which is releasing November 8th.

Meltintalle, The Dragon's Tooth sounds like fun! I will check it out.

Ooh, Birthmarked sounds very interesting. Thanks for sharing!

As for Divergent, I haven't read it but the YA label is pretty broad. It can mean anything for an audience of 13-18 year olds. That it's not suitable for your younger sister isn't really a problem because not all YA are appropriate for young teens. What makes something Christian is the worldview and values portrayed, not how much or how little content is allowed. Sometimes a dark brush is needed to paint the truth of humanity to show up the light all the brighter.

What makes something Christian is the worldview and values portrayed, not how much or how little content is allowed. Sometimes a dark brush is needed to paint the truth of humanity to show up the light all the brighter.

I just put this in my "Favorite Quotes" on Facebook. Hope you don't mind.

I actually prefer dark books with Christian themes, rather than light ones. It gives us a clearer view of what we're fighting. Everyone tends to picture Satan as a sort of cartoon -- a little red devil with horns who whispers in our ear to go murder people, and then cowers at the sight of Christians holding up their Bibles. But really, he is something much more evil than that, and he isn't afraid of us. I like books that can portray that in an authentic, non-silly way. The real Villain is much scarier than any fairy-tale villain. The real approach is often much more fantastic than the fictional one.

~Riella

Warrior 4 Jesus, I'm glad to have gotten you interested in Birthmarked.

Regarding Divergent, I should have made my thoughts more clear. My first statement was basically a long way of saying that the novel is for older teens, as you say above.
A book that does not have darker elements to clash with the light would be a bland one. I'm not objecting to the content, but how the author portrays the content. Unnecessary violence is shown in a negative light. But the swearing is just there - the author treats it as normal vocabulary. In no way does the story note that taking the Lord's name in vain is wrong. Also, the heroine and her guy are wrapped [tightly] in each other's arms, kissing, etc., at every opportunity for the last third of the book. By my worldview, that's rather farther than an unmarried couple should take things.
If the author had shown these two behaviors in as wrong, I would have been fine with it. But they are written as normal and acceptable. It is the author's attitude that I have problems with.

Ithilwen, I agree with your comment about the true Satan - we must not underestimate the enemy!

Ithilwen, I'm humbled that you want to use my quote. Cheers! Also, yes, we do need to remember Satan is a crafty one. He's the best biblical scholar ever, besides God/Jesus/the Holy Spirit. There's all the more a reason to study the Bible and practice what we preach as we walk with Christ.

Adeona, yes, I'm going to reserved Birthmarked from my local library. Fair enough about the language concern in Divergent. Maybe kissing and romantic hugging before marriage isn't allowed in your denomination but that doesn't mean it's forbidden by God and that it's contary to Christian belief. People need to know and set up boundaries in romantic endeavours so they know what they can and can't handle before things go too far. That said, the constant romantic clinging sounds a bit too much like a Twilight-ish take on romance for a dystopian novel.

I have recently finished reading for the first time: Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe and Billy Graham's autobiography Just As I Am. And I also reread Born Again by Chuck Colson.

Some interesting and inspiring reading.

Today I began The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom with John and Elizabeth Sherrill. It has been a number of years since I read this book and believe it will be only for the second time.

I wish I could keep up with this topic like I used to, but alas. Anyway, a wee post ...

Glimmie, you and I are reading (or at least thinking) similarly right now: I'm also re-reading The Hiding Place after many year since my previous read. All I can say is if any Narniawebber doesn't have this book, get it. Now!

Just finished The Pianist, another true WWII story of Władysław Szpilman's amazing survival in war-torn Warsaw. The other day I was peering at Just As I Am and Born Again, thinking I should pick those up soon again. Mind-meld, Glim!

Also reading (and getting near the end) of Eric Metaxas' amazingly thorough and fascinatingly inspiring bio of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, as well as Be Still, My Soul (edited by Nancy Guthrie) and A Place of Healing by Eareckson-Tada. In between these, I'm making my way through my 21st read of The Lord of the Rings.

And I was reading When People are Big and God is Small, but want to dedicate more time to that one, so have set it aside ... but not for long. It's excellent!

Next up: Because of Romek and It Happened in Italy, along with Metaxas' Amazing Grace, more about the Wilberforce and the abolition of the slave trade in Britain back in the early 19th century.

along with Metaxas' Amazing Grace, more about the Wilberforce and the abolition of the slave trade in Britain back in the early 19th century.

I know that I mentioned in an e-mail to you that I was able to purchase a copy of this book, but I thought I'd just say here that I hope to read it soon too. That is, after the book I am currently reading about Nelson and the Battle of Trafalgar, and after that I must read a book on the Raj and British India, research partly for school and partly for my prospective NaNo novel. I'll get to Amazing Grace eventually, no doubt!

I cannot recall the last time I posted here, short posts on book worms aside, so I do apologise to anyone who said anything to me, things to which I have not yet replied.

Currently I am reading a so far very engaging book called Seize the Fire: Heroism, Duty, and Nelson's Battle of Trafalgar, by Adam Nicolson. It is quite detailed, and the main purpose of the book examines and looks into the values, traditions, and ways behind not only Lord Nelson and his victory at Trafalgar against the combined French and Spanish fleets, but also what drove on the Royal Navy itself, and the fine and gallant captains who sailed her ships. Good reading, to be sure. The cover artwork is lovely as well, it was what first caught my eye when I was browsing the shelves at the store.

Before that, most notably, I read a book on Churchill's leadership style, written by his grand daughter, and before that was Out of the Silent Planet, a book no doubt quite familiar to NWebbers. I feel a bit embarrassed to say that I am only now reading through the series, but tis the truth. I enjoyed it more than I thought I would, considering I'm not exactly the world's largest fan of science fiction or fantasy.

*goes in search of last posts here, and finds that the one for which she seeks was from July*

(I therefore do apologise for the outdated-ness!)

hehe, that's awesome! I really, really like him too - have you read Mountain Meadow? It's so sad.

Alas, no. I have not read it. But, my sister gave me John Macnab for my birthday (along with John Buchan's History of The First World War, alas, the abridged version and not his seven+ volume series, no matter!), so I hope to read it soon.

Has anyone read Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld? It's probably the only book I've bought without reading it first. I read it maybe last year, and I'm working on Behemoth now. I really like Deryn's character. Normally I'm annoyed with that type of character, but the author treats it with such comedy that I don't mind at all. And I love Alek's and his little entourage! They're just plain awesome! So far Behemoth is the better of the books, but I think that's because it has the chance to shine more since it doesn't have to explain everything like Leviathan did.

Also, geez Louise, did anyone else notice how many curse words there were The Power of Six (the sequel to I Am Number Four)? I remember a few of the milder curse words in the first book, but they were just setting them off everywhere in this second one!

I've read most of Scott Westerfield's books; Leviathan and Behemoth are two of my favorites. I'm a big steampunk fan and it's always nice to see the genre getting some excellent representation in the YA field.

Eh, I didn't bother with Power of Six. I hated I Am Number Four so much I could finish it. Finding out about the controversy surrounding the author didn't improve my opinion either.

I just went to the bookstore yesterday and saw the third book, Goliath, on the shelf! I have to finish Behemoth because Goliath's cover look way too awesome!

Oh he has a controversy? Uh oh! *chuckle* Well, I thought I Am Number Four was an OK book, but The Power of Six was confusing and the characters just got whiny all of a sudden. I had already made up my mind not to read any others that came.

Another set of books I'm reading is the Bright Young Things series by Anna Godbersen. I read the first couple of books of The Luxe series, but honestly it was way too cliche- so I went into reading Bright Young Things with a very low expectation. It was so much better than The Luxe. There are still a few cliches, but overall its characters are much more likeable and original. I especially like the boys she's written. They're a lot more 3 dimensional than her previous male characters.

I've been re-reading The Chronicles of Prydian - I haven't read them in several years. They're really classic and wonderful books, with lots of interesting characters, and a slightly creepy and cool storyline. I'm in the middle of The High King, but now I can't find it. xDD
One thing that annoyed me was Taran, in the first book. The first chapter, he was this little boy acting silly - and all of a sudden, he's this noble brave man. I kept thinking Lloyd Alexander was trying to be sarcastic - but he wasn't.
But I love how all of the characters have a big role in defeating evil - it's not just Taran. Good books.

I am currently reading War Horse, and enjoying it a lot. The basic plot of the book is a horse named Joey is taken off to training to be a horse in the WW1 battle field, in hopes that he will one day meet again with Albert, his boy who took good care of him before his father sold Joey.

I might try to read The Hunger Games soon because it seems to be the most popular and only book being read by kids my age. I've heard many good things about it, but what is it that makes it the book that people want to read? I just want some opinions and things before I read it.

I might try to read The Hunger Games soon because it seems to be the most popular and only book being read by kids my age. I've heard many good things about it, but what is it that makes it the book that people want to read? I just want some opinions and things before I read it.

I'm currently reading The Hunger Games, and am almost a third done with it. I'm pretty cynical of books, and I don't often find a book I like, even in the Classics. And modern books I usually find atrocious. But I have to admit -- The Hunger Games is brilliant. It's a bit odd in the way that it's written in present tense (instead of past tense like most books), but that does at least serve to make it more original and unusual.

As I said, I've only read about a one-third, so I haven't finished the whole story yet. But what I've read so far has been told marvelously -- the narration, the characterization; the descriptions are in such detail, you can picture everything perfectly, and yet it doesn't feel like an overload. Plus, the relationships and tensions between characters are what really shows off the author's talent. I haven't seen someone -- whether it be authors or filmmakers -- that could present character relationships that brilliantly since... I don't know when. It was very refreshing to see another great story come along, since there doesn't seem to be very many of them nowadays, unfortunately.

The world needs more stories like The Hunger Games. I definitely recommend them.

~Riella