There are about a million
book review blogs out there, coming from amateur literature lovers like me to
famous, talked about bloggers who get a nice sum of money for their opinions.
So I know I’m definitely not breaking any molds with this blog in that sense.
What I am interested in
though is not just providing a “good book/bad book/in-between book” review,
though I will do that, since I just love to talk about books, but I’m also
interested in giving my fellow Christians an idea of what books, as Paul distinguishes
in 1 Corinthians 10:23, “build up.” Many times, I have run into the frustration
of getting 80 or so pages into a book, only to find that it’s gratuitous and
glorifies a wrong world view. So I put the book down, disgruntled at the loss
of time I could’ve spent reading something uplifting and glorifying to the Lord
(even if it’s not a “Christian” book). The point of this blog is to save its
readers that trouble. I figure I might as well put my obsessive reading habit
to good use.
That being said, you won’t
find a review of every book ever written (DUH). In fact, you probably won’t
find much that you’ve ever heard of. I don’t say that to sound pseudo-academic,
like I’m reading these obscure novels talked about in the ivory towers of
university English programs. Far from it. All I mean is that you won’t find a
review of latest John Gresham or Stephen King novel on this blog, simply
because that’s not the kind of literature I’m interested in. I’m really only
going to be reviewing books that I have chosen to read because they are fun and
interest me. That doesn’t always mean I’m reading “light” lit. Sometimes what I
find “fun” is an Austen book or World War II saga. So, the reviews will be
limited to my personal preferences, which may not be yours. For that I
apologize, only to justify that with the fact that I spent 6 years at a
university unable to read much of what I wanted, so now, finally free from the
chains of academia, I never pick up or finish a book that isn’t entertaining me
at that moment. However, I love to have books recommended to me, so if
there’s something that has caught your fancy that you’d like my opinion on (and
don’t worry, I don’t expect you to want my opinion), feel free to send it my
way.
Here is how I plan to set
up each entry about the books I will review:
1. Book
Summary: Don’t worry, I won’t spoil
the ending for you. In fact, if I must spoil the ending in my review, for
whatever reason, I will write SPOILER ALERT (I know, really original) so you
know that if you read further, I will give stuff away. But in this section, I
will just give a general overview, very similar to what you would find on the
dust jacket of a novel. (Isn’t dust jacket a fantastic term? I feel like
some fashion mogul should invent one for people. It would be very earthy and
yet sophisticated).
2. Indulgent
Book Talk: This is where I go all
nerdy on you and gush about the book, or have a grand time tearing it down.
This may be literary. It may be a bit snobbish at times. It may sound like a
grad student in a writing workshop (which I was, at one point). It may sound
book clubby, like we’re chatting about it over a cup of good coffee. But I have
to get this part out of the way before I get into the serious stuff.
3. Glorifying
Elements: Here I will talk about
what was good about the book, what reflected Biblical principles, what reminded
me of Jesus, what encouraged me to live more for Him. I will do this
prayerfully and carefully, and will expect my brothers and sisters in Christ to
hold me accountable where I might have gone wrong here.
4. Worldly
Elements: This will be the section
that will discuss where the lies of culture have penetrated this particular
book, whether that’s in the form of a particular world view, or whether that
manifests itself in swearing, gratuitous sex scenes, pointless violence, or
anything else that may make a Christian want to put down the book and choose
something else. Again, please hold me accountable. I will be doing my best to
follow Biblical principles as I understand them, but I never claim that I have
the definitive authority: only the Bible does! Sometimes, in my own mind, I
find it helpful to assign a book a movie rating (G, PG, PG-13, R). Of course,
we know that movie ratings are used as marketing tools as much as anything
else, but it’s a quick way for me to categorize things, so you may see that
descriptor pop up.
Additionally, you should
know that just because a book has swearing or violence or sex doesn’t
necessarily mean I will not recommend it. I will certainly alert you to those
elements, but other factors will go into determining whether I think a book is
overall glorifying to Jesus. A lot of it will depend on the portrayal of those
elements, and whether they are portrayed in a way consistent with the way the Bible
contrasts sin and righteousness, or whether sin is glorified as being good.
You should also know that
different people have different “tolerance” levels for what occurs in media,
whether it be books, movies, music, etc. What might be okay for me might make
you struggle, or vice versa. So always know where your own heart is with Jesus
before diving into any book I recommend (or don’t). Granted, I think that there
is a standard that the Bible sets forth that all Christians should follow, but
I realize Christian freedom comes into play too, and we all just need to be
aware of the areas with which we personally struggle.
5. General
Recommendation: I will give a yes or a no here, maybe with a brief
summary of my explanation as to why. I should let you know as well, I may not
finish a book and tell you I don’t recommend it—probably because I got 80 pages
into it and realized it was awful. That might make some people think I didn’t
give a book a “fair chance,” but that’s okay with me.
Literature
genres that I read and you will find on this blog:
• General fiction
• Historical Fiction
• Fantasy
• Political Thrillers
• Christian Fiction (may fall in one of the above
categories)
• Young Adult Literature (may fall in one of the above
categories)
• Non-Fiction Theological
• Non-Fiction Historical
• Non-Fiction Biographical
• Non-Fiction Political
Feel free to recommend
others!
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