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Book Review: “Stuff Christians Like” by Jonathan Acuff

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View my disclosure statement for more information on how I choose books to review.

If you’ve never checked out the Stuff Christians Like blog, you’re seriously missing out. Every day Jonathan Acuff (or a wickedly funny guest blogger) posts a satirical piece about some aspect of modern Christian culture.

Acuff is certainly not the only blogger who pokes fun at Christian culture. In fact, such sites abound. But Acuff’s “Stuff Christians Like” manages to set itself apart from other sites in that it’s not cynical. Acuff isn’t giving up on Christians or on the church. He’s not setting himself up as a holier-than-thou. He’s just making observations, in love, about our unique culture (which is also HIS unique culture.)

I don’t usually buy this sort of book. Actually, I try not to buy books if at all possible. I borrow hundreds of books from my library each year, and limit my purchasing to books that I’ve already read and know I want to read again and to library book sale items (bought at the going rate of $0.50-1.00)

But I especially don’t buy this kind of book–little humorous essays that you read once and laugh and then put away, never to pick the book up again.

I did, however, get the downloadable audiobook–and am thoroughly impressed.

Acuff does his own reading, which is genius on quite a few levels. Acuff is a pretty smooth reader–with pauses where they’re needed and proper inflections at varying points. But what’s more, Acuff doesn’t just read. Sure–he reads–but he also sings, uses the occasional odd voice, and makes comments about the reading process. It makes for great hilarity.

The contents of this title are a mix of Stuff Christians Like (the website) classics and brand new humorous essays. Expect to hear about honeymoon sex, popcorn prayer personalities, and being the “token Christian” in your workplace.

Stuff Christians Like would make a great gift book for anyone who grew up in the Christian subculture of the 80s, 90s, and today (fantastic-now I sound like a local radio station “playing your favorites from the 80s, 90s, and today!”)If you’ve been on a church missions trip or had your child’s number appear on a screen during a worship service or given or received a tract instead of candy on Halloween, you’re going to be amused by this book.

The book version would make for good bathroom reading, I think–though nothing can beat this audio version. As an individual who is HIGHLY oriented toward the written word (I require subtitles in order to understand almost any movie), I generally don’t prefer audio books. But this isn’t so much of an audio book–it’s more like a four and a half hour long comedy track. I LOVED IT!

Rating: 4 stars
Category: Satirical Essays on Christian Culture
Synopsis: Jonathan Acuff pokes good-natured fun at Christian culture–in absolutely hilarious essays.
Recommendation: If you grew up in the Christian culture–or now belong to it–you’ll probably be nodding your head and laughing along. You’ll like it. If you aren’t a Christian and/or don’t have any familiarity with Christian culture, this isn’t going to make a lot of sense to you.

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Book Review: “The Boy in the Striped Pajamas: A Fable” by John Boyne

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View my disclosure statement for more information on how I choose books to review.

Author John Boyne describes his work in an author’s note:

“Throughout the writing and rewriting of the novel, I believed that the only respectful way for me to deal with this subject was through the eyes of a child, and particularly through the eyes of a rather naive child who couldn’t possibly understand the terrible things that were taking place around him.”

Naive is right. Nine year old Bruno is completely lost in 1940s Germany. Despite his father being a commandant in the Nazi army, he has no idea what is going on around him. He doesn’t seem to know that the country is at war. He doesn’t understand who Hitler is–and calls him the “Fury” (as if a German child wouldn’t be able to pronounce “Fuhrer”.) When his family is moved to Auschwitz, where his father is to command the concentration camp, he mispronounces this name too, calling it “Out With”. He sees the people walking about inside the camp wearing their identical garb and thinks that they’re wearing striped pajamas.

I had a hard time getting through Bruno’s stupidness to truly appreciate this book. The story of the boy, discontented about his move from the city to this barren countryside until he meets and befriends another boy through the tall fence that surrounds Auschwitz, is touching. The writing style, while written at a very low reading level, is engaging. The narrator describes young Bruno’s thoughts in a unique voice:

“Then the door of the office closed and Bruno couldn’t hear any more so he thought it would be a good idea if he went back to his room and took over the packing from Maria, because otherwise she might pull all his belongings out of the wardrobe without any care or consideration, even the things he’d hidden at the back that belonged to him and were nobody else’s business.”

Indeed, if it weren’t for Bruno’s complete lack of sense, I might have really enjoyed this book.

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas is billed as juvenile fiction, but is really only appropriate for those who already have a basic understanding of Holocaust history. Bruno is completely in the dark about what is going on, and the narrator never explains it to him or to the reader. The assumption is that the reader will recognize “Fury” as the “Fuhrer” and identify that character as Adolf Hitler. The reader must recognize “Out With” as “Auschwitz” and understand that Auschwitz is a concentration camp. He must recognize, even if Bruno does not, the meaning of the cry “Heil Hitler” and the swastikas on the soldier’s armbands and the stars of David on the Jews’ armbands. From beginning to end, this book will cast a child who is not familiar with Auschwitz in advance into deep confusion.

As such, despite its incredibly simple reading level, this book is really more suitable for a teen or adult than for a child.

b>Rating:3 Stars
Category: Juvenile Fiction
Synopsis: Nine-year-old Bruno’s family moves from Berlin to Auschwitz, where Bruno’s father commands the concentration camp. Bruno is lonely for his friends and his old home until he secretly makes friends with a boy across the fence.
Recommendation: Lots of people read this and liked it. I read it and didn’t hate it. It’s a pretty quick read–so you might as well pick it up–but I’m not giving it rave reviews like so many others have.

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Book Review: “Lost in Rooville” by Ray Blackston

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What do you get when you cross two couples, a trip to the Australian outback, and a quest for the perfect place to propose?

A perfectly hilarious novel.

Ray Blackston’s Lost in Rooville had me laughing from start to finish. Main character Jay Jarvis and his girlfriend Allie venture out into the outback alone–ostensibly racing their best friends for most animal sightings, but really looking for a great spot for Jay to make a sunset proposal. They eventually do find some animals–but get hopelessly lost while doing so.

What follows is a wickedly amusing account of Jay’s actions and thoughts as he and his new fiancee sit by their broken-down Land Rover waiting for rescue–if rescue is forthcoming.

Blackston is one of those authors that I picked up willy-nilly from the library shelves one day–and discovered that I really enjoyed. Most Christian “romance” fiction is written by women–and while that’s just fine, it does mean that a lot of Christian “romance” fiction is, well, pretty feminine. Blackston’s romances are definitely not feminine. This isn’t a feel-good, gushy story–it’s a feel-good, almost-wet-your-pants-laughing story. And that’s nice for a change.

Something in the last few chapters tipped me off to the idea that this wasn’t the first Blackston had written of these characters. I investigated a bit–and it turns out that this was a sequel to Blackston’s first novel Flabbergasted. Obviously, since I made it all the way through the book before realizing that this was a sequel–it works fine as a stand alone novel.

This was a fun book, a great turn-off-your-brain read–and I recommend Blackston for anytime you need a nice light laugh.

Rating: 3 stars
Category: Fiction
Synopsis: In the quest for a perfect place to pop the question, Jay finds himself and his girlfriend stranded in the middle of the Australian outback, with nothing to do but wait for rescue.
Recommendation: Amusing but not necessarily profound, the storyline is engaging but not spectacular. Nevertheless, this is a great read for anyone who likes a laugh.

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Book Review: “Home” by Julie Andrews

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I’m not a huge audiobook fan–but I’m even less of a long-drive-on-my-own fan. So when I was planning on visiting my sister during Spring Break, I figured I’d pick up an audiobook to occupy me on the drive up and down. After browsing the library’s collection for what seemed like forever, finding little that interested me, I finally settled on Julie Andrew’s Home read by the author herself.

It turned out I didn’t listen to it on the way up to my sister’s–I was too worked up about other things and needed that couple of hours to pray. I did start the discs on my way back home. And since it’s now springtime when I riding places (on my bicycle) rather than driving, I’ve been listening to Home in my car for weeks now. When you’re listening in fifteen minute chunks or less, it takes an awful long time to get through a book–especially when those listening times are pretty infrequent.

The first few chapters of this title weren’t that interesting to me. Andrews starts her story with a short biography of her parents and then reports her life chronologically. She goes into quite a bit of detail that is frankly boring. Only the melodious qualities of Andrews’ voice kept me listening.

Once Andrews got her first Broadway gig, singing the part of Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady, the content suddenly picked up and I started sitting in my garage to finish a chapter after a jaunt around the town. Julie speaks of the people she met, the plays and shows she did, the places she lived, and the experience of traveling back and forth from England to America.

The story at this point probably appealed to me the most because of my long-time infatuation with My Fair Lady. I loved hearing about the antics Rex Harrison pulled on set and the difficulties Andrews had learning a Cockney accent. I enjoyed the behind-the-scenes stories, the differences between the Broadway and the London shows, and the struggles of maintaining a voice during a 7-show-a-week Broadway run. Likewise, I enjoyed Andrews’ reminisces about working with Richard Burton in Camelot.

I wonder if I would be more inclined to recommend this book if I had read it rather than listening to it. Since silent reading is much faster than reading outloud, I probably could have easily skimmed through Andrews’ early life and gotten right to the exciting bits of her stage career instead of being bogged down with hours of girlhood anecdotes that seem to have little meaning in the overall framework of the story.

As it is, I can only give this lukewarm ratings. Andrews’ (physical) voice is always beautiful and her stage career is fascinating–but I couldn’t care about the lukewarm facts and anecdotes Andrews shared from her childhood. It was as if Andrews’ (authorly) voice abruptly shifted halfway through the title, from being a dispassionate historian of her childhood to being a refined but slightly gossipy actress reminiscing about old times. If the book had been cut in half, telling only the story of Andrews’ Broadway days, I would have been much more delighted.

Rating: 2 Stars
Category: Memoir
Synopsis: Julie Andrews reminisces about her life from birth through her Broadway career immediately prior to starring in the Walt Disney film Mary Poppins
Recommendation: If this book had been split in half and only the second half published, it would have been a much stronger book and worthy of my recommendation. As it is, it’s a take-it-or-leave-it title.

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“The Haunted Cabin Mystery” created by Gertrude Chandler Warner

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Children's Classics Mystery Challenge

I didn’t read this (or review it) with the intent to participate in 5M4B’s Children’s Classics Mystery Challenge. But if the shoe fits…

I don’t remember ever reading on of the Boxcar Children books that was only “created by” Gertrude Chandler Warner rather than written by Gertrude Chandler Warner. But I must have read at least one, because I developed a deeply rooted suspicion of “created bys” and avoided them at all costs through my mid-elementary years. My main beef with the “created bys” was that they returned the four Alden children to their original ages rather than continuing to have them grow in age as they had in the “originals.”

Reading The Haunted Cabin Mystery confirmed my childhood antipathy toward “created bys”. The children abruptly return to being 6, 10, 12, and 14 after 19 books in which they’d aged at least 2-4 years (since Henry is in college in book 19.) This shift, and the uncharacteristic first chapter “recap” of book 1, was jarring to me–but not as worrisome to me as a mature reader than some more subtle elements in the story.

Like the other stories, this one centers around the four children solving a mystery in a relatively independent fashion–while still under the benevolent watchful eye of a concerned adult. Except that this story introduces a new element of secrecy and disobedience. In Warner’s “originals”, the children were always quite transparent with their older caregiver, sharing each new discovery as it occurred. Secrets in the originals were about what they were going to have for lunch or a special surprise gift they were planning–never about the mystery. Here, the children keep the mystery entirely a secret–ostensibly to avoid worrying the older man they were staying with.

In the original series, the children are energetic but obedient, following both the letter and the spirit of the law. In The Haunted Cabin Mystery, the children are expressly told not to go outside after dark–a rule that they routinely broke in solving their mystery. Despite this flagrant disobedience, the children are never punished or made to feel sorry for their behavior (even just in their own consciences.) In fact, the children were commended for solving the mystery with no mention whatsoever made of their disobedience or deception in doing so.

As a youngster, I probably wouldn’t have caught onto this. It was subtle, not intrusive. It wasn’t like the children were disrespecting their caregiver to his face. They were just ignoring his directives. But it’s the subtlety of this disrespect that most concerns me as an older reader. When “badness” is flagrant and straightforward, it’s easy to condemn it. The reader can easily see that they should not emulate the characters in that aspect of their actions. The reader is forced to read with his filter on when “badness” is clearly seen. But when something is billed as wholesome, the story can slip in bits of compromise to an unsuspecting reader. Without even realizing it, children can begin to think that there is no need to be obedient and no consequences for disobedience. They can begin to think that concealing the truth is a better policy than telling the truth. After all, the Boxcar children did and it all turned out for the best.

My opinion of the “created by” is hereby reinforced. I am highly in favor of the original nineteen Boxcar children books. But I can’t place my mark of approval on the subsequent additions to the series. Not only are they more clunky stylistically than the originals (admittedly, the series was never about literary style)–but I fear that they leave the moral high ground and embrace a relativistic approach to morality. I cannot recommend the “created bys”.

Rating: 0 stars
Category: Children’s fiction
Synopsis: The four Alden children go to stay with a retired sea captain and discover a mystery surrounding the cabin he lives in.
Recommendation: Tolerable story, intolerable moral relativity. I cannot recommend this book.

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Book Review: “The Stunning Science of Everything” by Nick Arnold and Tony de Saulles

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Got a child (or a father) who’s crazy about science? The Stunning Science of Everything: Science with the squishy bits left in might be just the book for you.

Stunning Science is filled with hard-core science (chemistry, physics, biology, astronomy, cosmology, geology, and more) delivered in a seriously fun way. Stunning Science includes comic strips, quiz shows, letters home, and some crazy amazing recipes.

Check out this first recipe for a hydrogen atom:
(Ingredients and extra notes omitted to avoid overly plagiarizing!)

  1. Preheat your universe to 10 billion degrees Centigrade and set off Big Bang
  2. Mix in the quarks and stir well.
  3. Cook the quarks for a split second until the strong force glues them together to make a proton. Be careful–if you mix two up quarks and one down quark you’ll be making a neutron by mistake!
  4. Cool slowly for 380,000 years, add an electron and serve.

If you haven’t figured out yet, this book is Big-Bang friendly. In fact, the Big Bang is probably found in half of the layouts. Those who are uncomfortable with the Big Bang might find this a bit too much. As for myself, I am pleased to see the topic addressed in a matter of fact way with good explanations of the implications of the big bang to life (creation of matter, heat, etc.) The big bang is currently the best theory for the origins of the Universe, and it clearly affirms the doctrine of creatio ex nihilo (creation from nothing). I am pleased to see a children’s science book focusing on this, rather than, say, evolution.

Speaking of evolution…this title includes the obligatory spread or two on evolution, but I found the coverage of evolution to be remarkably understated. While parents would want to talk openly with their kids about what the children are reading, I don’t think the inclusion of the couple of spreads on evolution should be reason to not select this book.

I was most impressed with the science found in this book–and how remarkably accurate and detailed the information is. Stunning Science doesn’t water down the facts or give simplistic explanations. It says science the way it is. My dad, on the other hand, was impressed by the humour found in this book. This title is absolutely comical. From word-play to geeky humour to occasional “bad guy gets bad stuff” and the more common bathroom humour, this book is packed with puns and more that’ll keep kids (and fathers) laughing out loud as they learn.

Rating: 4 Stars
Category: Children’s Science
Summary:A quick and humorous science of everything, from the tiny atom to the enormous universe and everything in between.
Recommendation: This title is a great bet for science-loving kids (or kids at heart). Parents might want to preview it before buying, though, to determine whether the Big Bang cosmology, discussion of evolution, and bathroom humor are within their standards of acceptability.

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Book Review: “What Your Counselor Never Told You” by Dr. William Backus

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What if some of your emotional and psychological problems aren’t just a medical problem–what if sin is playing a role?

Dr. William Backus challenges the common assertion that all psychological illnesses are merely a physical or medical phenomenon in this fascinating treatise on the seven deadly sins. Note the word “merely” carefully. Backus does believe that true psychological illnesses do exist–problems that are medical or biochemical in nature and require medical treatment. But, he argues in this book that many psychological illnesses also have a component of sin co-existing with, and often intensifying the effects of, that psychological illness.

One might think that a book about sin would be a book filled with condemnation. What Your Counselor Never Told You is anything but. Backus does more than encourage his readers to examine themselves regarding sin–he also offers his readers practical steps for getting out of sin.

Backus’s stresses repentance and reliance on Christ as the most important step in becoming free from besetting sin. Then, he speaks of “three important rules for success”. First, he encourages his clients to “check [their] Spirit-given internal speech”. Basically, he is saying that we should choose to listen to the Spirit of God rather than the sin-driven self-talk. Second, he encourages his client to “choose incompatible behavior.” If greed is your problem, learn to practice charity. If pride is your problem, choose to praise others. If envy is your problem, choose to rejoice in others’ fortune. The third principle Backus speaks of is “zealous determination.” Here, he says that we really need to WILL to overcome sin. We need to decide that we are no longer WILLing to let sin have mastery over us.

As someone who has struggled with seasonal depression, which certainly has a physical and biochemical link, I struggled a little with the discussion of depression in this book. Backus’s studies have found depression to be highly correlated with the Deadly Sin of Sloth. I struggled with this chapter because I experienced such a rapid and life-altering response to beginning antidepressant medication that I felt sure that MY condition was ONLY the result of biochemistry and had nothing to do with sin in my life.

But as I read Backus’s discussion of depression and sloth, I became more and more convinced that this information, however difficult it might be, is vitally important for anyone who suffers from depression. Backus does not downplay the role of the psychological and clinical diagnosis depression–but he challenges the idea that all depression is “nothing but” biochemical. Backus describes sloth as “sadness and apathy in the face of spiritual good.”

At least from my reading, Backus seems to suggest that many individuals use the real, biochemical, clinical depression as an excuse for sinful thoughts and behaviors. Often depressed individuals assume that because of the feelings brought on by the depression, they have no choice in the matter–and they give in to apathy, slothfulness, and a sinful view of God and His blessings.

I think of Romans 1:21 and begin to see how Backus’s assertion has been true in my own life: “because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.” There were certainly times when, in the depths of my depression, I turned my eyes from Christ. Even though I KNEW Him, even though I had EXPERIENCED His great love, I turned my eyes to my feelings and was not thankful–and it led me to increasingly futile and dark thoughts. At that point, my condition went from merely the biochemical seasonal affective disorder to the spiritual sin of despair. Marilla Cuthbert was right when she said, “To despair is to turn our backs on God.” The sin of sloth is when I look at my circumstances or feelings as greater than God and His mercies and despair.

While Backus’s book is undoubtedly not perfect, I think it is a worthwhile read for any Christian–particularly for those who suffer from or have friends or family who suffer from a psychological illness. This book can raise questions that can allow you to begin to truly take your thoughts captive to the obedience of Christ. And, if you gain nothing else from this book, Backus’s three step “plan” for freedom from sin include some of the most simple and powerful concepts I have ever seen in relation to overcoming the power of sin. I highly recommend this book.

Rating: 5 stars
Category: Psychology/Christian
Summary:Dr. William Backus discusses psychology and the 7 deadly sins.
Recommendation: A thought-provoking, and spiritually adept discussion of psychology and sin. I highly recommend this title.

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Book Review: “The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey”

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A little less than half a year since the four children of the Mysterious Benedict Society have seen one another, Mr. Benedict calls them together for a second mission. But while their first mission sought to stop the power-hungry Mr. Curtain, this mission will allow the children to enjoy themselves on an international scavenger hunt set up by Mr. Benedict. That’s the plan, at any rate.

But when Mr. Benedict is kidnapped, the Society begins a more dangerous mission–escaping the many protective (or not so protective) adults around them in order to rescue Mr. Benedict.

The perilous journey will send the children racing through Mr. Benedict’s scavenger hunt, trying to find him before it’s too late.

Like most sequels of truly superlative books, The Perilous Journey is a bit of a letdown. Not because it’s terrible, nor even because it’s mediocre, but because it’s simply “good”. The Perilous Journey is interesting, engaging, and thought-provoking–just not as much so as The Mysterious Benedict Society.

If you read and enjoyed The Mysterious Benedict Society and tend to like young adult fiction, you’ll still enjoy this one. If you’re not generally a fan of young adult fiction, no need to worry about missing this one (but give the first in the series a try!)

Rating: 4 stars
Category: Young Adult General Fiction
Synopsis: The Mysterious Benedict Society reunites for an adventure-filled getaway to save the kidnapped Mr. Benedict.
Recommendation: A good book for all lovers of young adult fiction.

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Book Review: “The Mysterious Benedict Society”

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“ARE YOU A GIFTED CHILD LOOKING FOR SPECIAL OPPORTUNITIES?” Reynie Muldoon is somewhat surprised when he sees that the newspaper advertisement addresses itself directly to children. But he’s intrigued, and lobbies the orphanage director for a chance to take the tests that might qualify him for “special opportunities”.

After a series of odd tests–with an even odder series of encounters–Reynie finds himself as one of the four privileged (?) children who meet the green plaid clad Mr. Benedict and are invited to join a secret mission to save the world.

The newly minted “Mysterious Benedict Society” goes undercover inside the Learning Institute for the Very Enlightened. The four children’s intelligence and trust are immediately put to the test when they discover…well, I won’t tell you what they discover.

I picked up The Mysterious Benedict Society after having heard rave reviews of it from all over the bookie blogosphere. I was not in the least disappointed. The Mysterious Benedict Society is undoubtedly one of the best young adult novels I have read to this point. It has an engaging storyline, fascinating characters, and a truth to it that is altogether remarkable.

Without preaching, this book touches on topics as real and diverse as: trust, interdependence, intelligence, integrity, fear, temptation, control, desire, friendship, and truth. What’s more, Mr. Stewart engages these topics in a style distinctly unlike the moral relativity our day.

This book is a great book on so many different levels. It is a great book because it is truthful. It is a great book because it addresses real life. It is a great book because it makes the reader ask questions. It is a great book because it is READABLE and ENJOYABLE at the same time as it is all of the above. This is truly a FANTASTIC book.

Rating: 5 stars
Category: Young Adult General Fiction
Synopsis: Four children embark on the adventure of their lives as they attempt to save the world from ruthless madman.
Recommendation: Adults and children alike will enjoy reading this book–and will find plenty to think about within it.

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Book Review: “Forever, Erma” by Erma Bombeck

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Forever, Erma cover

In a world where humor is euphemism for vulgarity and attacks on traditional morality, Erma Bombeck is sweet relief. Her columns addressed home life with humour and class–without requiring the “potty language” and liberal venom so characteristic of today’s “humor”.

Forever, Erma is a collection of Erma Bombeck’s best columns compiled post-humously. The short columns address everything from teaching your children about the “birds and the bees” via fish, the power of a mother’s saliva for cleaning a child’s face, dealing with a child saying “you don’t love me”, never being able to find a pencil when you need one, and the never ending mystery of the uncoupled sock.

Erma primarily focuses on day-to-day home life–things everyone can identify with, either as a parent, a householder, or as a child within a household. The columns in this collection were written from 1965 to 1996–but they carry timeless appeal. As long as the laundry still needs done and carpools still need managing, Erma Bombeck’s writing will remain current.

Rating: 4 stars
Category: Humour
Synopsis: a gentle look at the humour of everyday life as a homemaker and mother
Recommendation: A great chance for homemakers and mothers (stay-at-home or work-away) to laugh at life without feeling sorry for themselves.