devouring

As much as I adore books, I have to admit that I am not an avid reader. I do not read a book a week, am not up-to-date on the bestseller lists, do not gobble books up like I do Scandal episodes (did I just admit that?).

Typically, if I read non-fiction, it's from the religious section of the bookstore (Richard Foster, Philip Yancey, C.S. Lewis, etc.). Occasionally the influence of my husband takes over and I branch out into a biography or something historical. When I read fiction, I tend to stick with the classics, not because I'm a literature snob, but rather because I spent so many years avoiding the classics that I feel the need to catch up.

None of these types of books is conducive to fast reading. They're more I-have-to-stop-in-the-middle-of-this-paragraph-because-my-brain-can't-absorb-anything-else types of books. If I do good, I read a chapter a night, which explains why my to-read list never seems to shorten.

Until December.

I re-read The Hobbit (for the first time in 15 years) to gear myself up for the movie, and ever since then I've been devouring fun fiction. Here are my thoughts on what I've read lately:


The Hobbit - The nice thing about not reading a book for 15 years is that you forget the ending! Oh, how I love Tolkien. I love the rich characters, who are selfish and lazy and complainers and yet end up being brave and good and loyal in spite of themselves. I love that there is always an element of fun, even though very grave, dangerous things are occurring. One of my favorite scenes in the book is when they first get to Beorn's cabin in the woods. I also love the Battle of the Five Armies, which to me is such a picture of how our petty differences melt away in an instant when we're confronted with true crises. Unfortunately, while the book confirmed my love of Tolkien, it did ruin the movie for me, despite my hopes to the contrary.

The Golden Compass - The first in a series of three. Young adult fiction, set in an alternate universe, centered around a young girl who's special but we don't know why, most of the adults in her life can't be trusted, blah blah blah. (I know, I'm late coming to the party on this one. Like, two decades late. I kept thinking the author was inspired by Harry Potter, until I realized that this one was written in 1995. Oops.) Intriguing, entertaining; I definitely will pick up the next two books. The idea of the daemons in the book (too complicated to explain here) is especially original. However, there is something intensely unsettling to me about seeing Scripture quoted and twisted and added to. In the last few chapters, a character quotes Genesis 3, the account of the fall, but alters a lot of the story and phrasing. It seems especially disturbing because this was written for teenagers.

Stepping Heavenward (by Elizabeth Prentiss) - I cannot recommend this enough. It was written in the 1800s about a spunky, well-intentioned girl living in the same time period, and it's written from the perspective of her journal entries. The entries begin when she is 16 and continue until she is near-ish the end of her life. It's one of those classics that I wish I had fallen in love with in junior high, but in this stage of life I think it is especially poignant to people who a) have been through an extreme loss or trying time, or b) get frustrated that their spiritual life isn't as far along as they would like, that their selfishness and pettiness and short temper keep bubbling up to the surface even though they desperately want to follow the Lord. If I have a daughter, she will get a copy of this for her 12th birthday.


Right now I'm in the middle of John Grisham's latest, Sycamore Row, which is pretty much exactly what you would exactly a John Grisham novel to be. I can't put it down. Next on my list are The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak; The Subtle Knife, which is the second book in the Golden Compass series; and Lone Survivor (no, I didn't see the movie and have no plans to).

I'm not sure how long this addiction will last, but in the meantime, I'm very thankful for library cards!