4 stars

Categories Book Reviews

Book Review: “The Sweetgum Knit Lit Society” by Beth Pattillo

1 Comment by

I’ve maligned Beth Pattillo’s authorly name often enough (see here and here) that you probably think I’ve got a personal vendetta against her.

True, I wrote a much-better-but-still-lukewarmish-mini-review of Mr. Darcy Broke My Heart–but you’d still get the overall impression that I’m not a Pattillo fan.

The Sweetgum Knit Lit Society might have forced me to revise my opinion. I might just have to say that Pattillo is a good author so long as she gives Christianity a wide berth.

Knit Lit tells the story of a unique book club in small town Tennessee–a book club that knits a project for every book they read.

The group couldn’t be more diverse: a spinster librarian, an upper middle class housewife, a fashion forward young thing stuck in a small town dressmaker’s shop while caring for her dying mother, a not-exactly-hip-but-eco-friendly church secretary, and the ridiculously rich queen bee of the town. Nevertheless, they manage to maintain a relatively peaceful co-existence until the librarian finds a teenage girl defacing a library book and decides to make her “punishment” include attending the Sweetgum Knit Lit Society.

The introduction of Hannah, the deliquent-wannabe daughter of the last-generation’s white-trash sleep-around, to the society causes the other womens’ well-established facades to come crashing down.

Merry, the middle-upper-class housewife, learns that all is not perfect in her little suburban paradise when taking Hannah under her wing sparks conflict with her own daughter–and when her husband starts with withdraw more and more from family relationships.

Camille, the fashion forward young thing stuck in a small town dressmaker’s shop while caring for her dying mother, ends up employing the young Hannah–and when Hannah learns about the affair she’s having with a married man, Camille has to come to grips with the reality of what she’s doing.

Ruthie (the not-exactly-hip-but-eco-friendly church secretary) and Esther (the ridiculously rich queen bee of the town) have to somehow make peace from their decades-long sibling rivalry complicated by the fact that they both love (or perhaps just want) the same man.

And Eugenie (the spinster librarian) suddenly comes face to face with the future she ran from so long ago in her past–the future embodied in the no-longer-young, now-widowed pastor she refused years ago.

All in all, The Sweetgum Knit Lit Society is a wonderful story and a great piece of women’s interest fiction. The only downside was knowing that Pattillo is a pastor and still seems to have no grasp on how relationship with Christ actually impacts life. You won’t find grand themes of reconciliation, redemption, or righteousness in this book. This is a novel of the world, describing it well, but offering it no lasting hope.

Rating: 4 stars
Category:Women’s fiction
Synopsis:A women’s book club finds themselves in sudden tailspin with the introduction of a young wanna-be delinquent into their midst.
Recommendation: This was a good book in the genre of women’s fiction (that is, the book club/sewing circle/knitting club/country club sorta fiction for women). If you enjoy the genre, you’ll enjoy this book.

Categories Book Reviews

Book Review: “Much Ado About Anne” by Heather Vogel Frederick

4 Comments by

In my experience, lit about lit or books based on books tend to follow a fairly typical pattern.

You know, high school students perform “Romeo and Juliet” only to find that their own lives parallel the play in ways they never imagined (and generally don’t get until the end of the story.)

So I was expecting some orphans or a precocious redhead or at very least someone in need of a bosom friend when I picked up Much Ado About Anne.

When I got a couple chapters into the book and still hadn’t started to see parallels, I got a bit nervous.

It wasn’t what I expected at all.

And that’s a good thing.

Heather Vogel Frederick’s Much Ado About Anne doesn’t try to recreate Anne of Green Gables (as though another author could do it better than L.M. Montgomery!) Instead, Much Ado About Anne finds the mother-daughter book club experiencing their own story while reading through Anne’s story in book club.

Two great conflicts rise in the lives of the book club girls: first, their mothers invite the oh-so-stuck-up Becca Chadwick to join their club–and then Jess discovers that her family may be forced off their ancestral farm.

The girls (and therefore their readers) learn interesting factoids about L.M. Montgomery thanks to one girl’s librarian mother. And, just like good bibliophiles, they find ways of relating what they’re reading to their own lives.

And so, they realize that Becca is a Pye, and must be tolerated as a Pye. They relate to the utter mortification Anne felt when she dyed her hair green–although, of course, their mortification is over something entirely different. And they emulate their new heroine by naming the lands around them with fanciful names.

I enjoyed this book a great deal. It has just enough Anne to make it worth its title–but not so much Anne that it’s lacking any substance of its own.

I’m glad I took the opportunity to take a glimpse at Anne through the eyes of four fictional middle-school girls. As a long-standing Anne-fan, I found myself thrilled with these girls’ glimpses of Anne–and I’m willing to bet that this book would be a great way to introduce a young reader who’s reluctant to read “old” books into the great story that is Anne. Once she’s read this, I can almost guarantee she’ll want to read the “back-story”–the novels the mother-daughter book club read and discussed and applied to their own lives.

Rating: 4 stars
Category:Middle grade fiction (female)
Synopsis:The mother-daughter book club gets busy reading Anne of Green Gables, dealing with their very own Josie Pye, and racking their brains to save Half Moon Farm.
Recommendation: Great for lovers of Anne, or lovers of YA fiction/young chick lit, or anyone who wants to introduce a younger girl to the joys of Green Gables.

L. M. Montgomery Reading ChallengeI read this as a part of Carrie’s L.M. Montgomery Reading Challenge. Check out the link for more people’s comments on L.M. Montgomery. Visit my books page for more book reviews and notes by me.

Categories Book Reviews

Book Review: “The Narnian” by Alan Jacobs

5 Comments by

I’ve read biographies of soldiers, of statesmen, of starlets. I’ve read biographies of philanderers, philanthropists, and even families. But until The Narnian, I’d never read a biography of a mind.

Unlike the more traditional biography, which seeks to relate the events of an individual’s life first and foremost, The Narnian chooses to focus on how the events of C.S. Lewis’s life shape and are shaped by Lewis’s powerful imagination and thought life.

As a fan of Lewis’s fiction dating from my early elementary years, later turned a lover of his more philosophical works, I took great delight in reading The Narnian. Unlike the misnamed C.S. Lewis: Chronicler of Narnia (My Review), The Narnian is shot throughout with references to Lewis’s imaginative works.

It has now been months (unfortunately) since I read The Narnian, and the fine details of the book have faded from my mind. I cannot remember the specific points that Jacobs makes better than other biographers or the characteristic manner in which he made his points. I cannot give details of his writing style. Such details have been lost in the hubbub of moving.

But one thing has not been lost—my sense of deep gratitude to Jacobs for his fine biography of a mind that has so shaped my own mind through his writings, both fiction and philosophy. Jacobs treats Lewis respectfully as he seeks to describe Lewis’s life and the development of his imagination. Jacobs does not blindly bow before Lewis’s memory as though Lewis were incapable of doing wrong—but he also avoids the trap of pigeonholing Lewis into one or another category, suggesting that he was a master at X (philosophy or apologetics or criticism of Medieval literature) while pooh-poohing the rest of his life and work.

This is truly a wonderful biography of Lewis, presented in an engaging and honest manner. I definitely recommend it.

Janet also read and reviewed The Narnian over at Across the Page. Her review is a bit more in-depth with hints of what can be found within the book. Check it out!

Rating: 4 stars
Category: Biography
Synopsis:A biography of C.S. Lewis that focuses on his inner life–his mind and imagination.
Recommendation: If you’ve read and enjoyed Lewis, be sure to check out this book for a fantastic look at the man behind the books you’ve read.

Visit my books page for more reviews and notes.

Categories Book Reviews

Book Review: “The Checklist Manifesto” by Atul Gawande

1 Comment by

I’m quite fond of checklists myself. I use them for practically everything. They save me time, money, and energy–but did you know that checklists can save LIVES too?

And I’m not being facetious.

Atul Gawande’s The Checklist Manifesto tells the story of how simple checklists save lives–in the building of skyscrapers, the flying of planes, and in the running of operation rooms.

Gawande is a surgeon, and the bulk of the book concerns how he and a number of colleagues in the WHO developed and implemented a checklist to reduce surgical complications–with stunningly positive results.

As a dietitian (and sister and roommate of a physician assistant), I was fascinated by Gawande’s stories of operating rooms, emergency rooms, and public health campaigns. But this book isn’t just for people who like medicine. Gawande stretches outside the constraints of medicine to discuss how checklists are used in architecture and aeronautics, in disaster relief (well, by Walmart during Katrina, at least) and in investment.

Gawande makes a compelling case for the necessity of checklists, even among highly trained professionals, to deal with the problem of extreme complexity. He argues that in the world in which we live, there are hundreds (even thousands) of opportunities for something to go wrong. Even the most advanced practitioners need only forget one thing for a fatal error to occur. Checklists can be used to reduce these errors by ensuring that all of the most important considerations are made.

As I read, I found myself thinking of ways I could use checklists in my own work. Maybe checklists for weight loss interventions (I find myself typing the charting shorthand “wt” instead–I think I may be spending too much time charting at work) or for tube feeding initiation. I toss around a half dozen ideas, start compiling mental checklists. Yes, I’m going to be implementing checklists soon.

The Checklist Manifesto isn’t a self-help book or a “how to” manual–but I can almost guarantee it’ll get you thinking about how you can use checklists to make your life and your work better, faster, and more efficient.

I read this book on recommendation from Lisa Notes. Check out her review.

Rating: 4 stars
Category: Medical(?)
Synopsis:A history and defense of the checklist as a life-saving tool for modern days.
Recommendation: Definitely of interest to medical types, probably of interest to quite a few more. A fascinating story told well.

Visit my books page for more reviews and notes.

Categories Book Reviews

Book Review: “Nasty, Brutish & Long” by Ira Rosofsky

4 Comments by

Working in a nursing home isn’t easy. There are cantankerous residents, sleep-deprived coworkers, and governmental forms to be filled out in triplicate. There are hoops to be jumped through to provide care–and hoops to be jumped through that inhibit care. There’s the pecking order of doctors, nurses, therapists, and other care staff. There’s the often contradictory demands of residents, family members, physicians, and government regulations. And then there’s the emotional toll of caring for people who inevitably die.

Living in a nursing home isn’t easy. There are bossy staff who insist that you can’t get out of your wheelchair but must wheel yourself on the long way to the dining room. There are buzzers and beepers and lights going off everywhere at all hours of the day or night. You can’t pick your neighbors–you can’t even pick your roommate. You’re constantly being interrupted by staff who insist on interviewing you about the same old stuff–or who keep asking you if you know your name and where you’re at. Staff insist that you go to “activities”; but the one activity you’d really like to enjoy–spending time with your children and grandchildren–isn’t available. And then there’s how everybody inevitably dies.

Ira Rosofsky’s Nasty, Brutish & Long: Adventures in Eldercare tells just some of the stories of life in a nursing home. Rosofsky, a consultant psychologist for a variety of long term care facilities, writes of life on both sides of the nurse’s station. He sympathetically shares the stories of the elders he’s met (fictionalized, of course, per HIPAA). He tells of the processes and paperwork that come along with working in long term care. And he reveals his own story as a son placing his father in a long term care facility.

As one who has had a lengthy acquaintanceship with long term care (considering my relatively young age), I found Rosofsky’s story to be… true. His writing resonates with the girl who went to assisted living facilities to conduct Sunday afternoon worship services–who gladly sang the old hymns at the top of her lungs and then listened as the residents told her about their parents, their children, and their grandchildren. His writing resonates with the girl who served coffee and wiped tables and fell in love with her elderly residents. It resonates with the girl who still remembers sitting with an elderly woman, reading her Psalm 23, explaining to her the gospel, describing how she can have assurance of salvation. It resonates with the girl who later that week removed that same woman’s tray ticket from the stack before meal service–she wouldn’t need a tray anymore. She was dead. Rosofsky’s story resonates with the girl who grieved as her grandmother moved from a retirement community to assisted living to a nursing home–a girl who felt increasingly helpless as her grandma’s dependence on the nursing staff grew. It resonates with the girl who is now a nursing home dietitian, loving to care for her residents, hating how hard it is to care for her residents.

The tale Rosofsky tells in Nasty, Brutish & Long is a true story–and it’s a story that’s being played out in nursing homes around the nation.

This is a memoir. It describes but doesn’t necessarily explain. It raises questions but doesn’t necessarily give answers. You’re not going to find the solution to the long-term-care crisis within the pages of this book. But you will find a powerful description of the realities that face many of those working or living in long-term-care.

I feel like everyone should read this–but then I wonder if I’m just being selfish. Maybe I just want everyone to read it so they can understand my world. Maybe that’s it. But the truth is that even if this isn’t your world now, long-term-care will likely be your world in the future. Maybe you’ll place a parent in a LTC facility. Maybe you’ll find yourself in one when your recovery from a surgical procedure takes longer than expected. Maybe you’ll find yourself in one long term. Or maybe you just need to be reminded of how vital your visits and prayers are to your church’s elderly. At any rate, I think this book is a valuable tool for understanding the challenges of life in long-term-care.

You should probably read it.

Rating: 4 stars
Category: Memoir
Synopsis:Ira Rosofsky paints a picture of life in long-term-care from the perspective of residents, staff, and family members.
Recommendation: This is a great intro to the challenges and pressures of life in long-term-care. It’s worth reading–if long-term-care doesn’t affect you now, it may very well affect you tomorrow.

Visit my books page for more reviews and notes.

Categories Book Reviews

Book Review: “Dreaming of Dior” by Charlotte Smith

1 Comment by

Clothes horse. Fashion plate. Trendy. Style watcher.

Words you won’t hear used to describe me.

I’m a classic dresser, a fairly formal sort, with just a touch of whimsy. Unlike many women, I don’t generally take pleasure in clothes shopping and couldn’t care less about the latest styles.

But vintage clothing is one of my weaknesses.

I have dozens of dresses culled from used stores that I proudly wear. A 1940s gown, which I rarely have occasion to wear, not being used to formal dinners. A 1950s housewife’s dress. A 1960s Jackie O sheath. A shirt dress from the fifties or sixties. A maxi (that doesn’t quite make maxi status on me and is therefore slated for conversion to a modest “mini”) from the sixties/seventies. I just adore vintage.

So when I read Bermuda Onion’s review of Dreaming of Dior, I knew I wanted to take a look. Thankfully, my library had a copy and I snatched it right up.

The book contains illustrations of the stunning gowns from Doris Darnell’s collection–along with anecdotes about the former owners of each outfit. The illustrations alone are worth looking at–but the stories only make it better.

The stories feature a jet-setting crowd, traveling the world, meeting foreign dignitaries, dropping names left and right. It’s a world completely foreign to me, but one that I enjoy reading about nonetheless.

Many of the anecdotes reminded me of a favorite memoir of mine–Letitia Baldridge’s A Lady, First. I love those stories of diplomacy and etiquette and dinners that require fancy dress. Dreaming of Dior is just the sort of book for a story-loving, vintage-clothes-obsessed dreamer like myself.

Rating: 4 stars
Category: Fashion History
Synopsis: Charlotte Smith displays the fabulous collection of vintage outfits she inherited from her godmother–and tells the stories that go along with the gowns.
Recommendation: Lovely illustrations of lovely gowns with entertaining anecdotes to go along. This was a beautiful little book.

Visit my books page for more reviews and notes.

Categories Book Reviews

Book Review: “Founding Faith” by Steven Waldman

Leave a comment by

To listen to today’s secularists talk, one might get the impression that America’s founding fathers were ardent secularists, devoted to Enlightenment thinking, and irreligious if not antireligious. Conservative Christians tell a whole different story–a story that stars devoutly religious founding fathers who hold to an orthodox Christian faith.

Steven Waldman’s Founding Faith explores this controversial topic in a scholarly but still accessible manner. Waldman asserts that to lump “The Founding Fathers” together as though they all had the same views is a disservice to them. Instead, he explores the religious beliefs and actions of five “founding fathers” who were prominent in framing the debate for issues of religion and state.

Waldman explores the personal piety, personal and public writings, and public actions of Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison. He makes a good case for the plurality of religious beliefs among the founding fathers–as well as for the plurality of interpretations of how church and state should best interact.

I enjoyed Founding Faith tremendously, finding it to be a balanced, scholarly work that shines a great deal of light on the difficult question of what the Founding Fathers believed about religion in general and about state involvement in religion in particular.

I was interested to see the emphasis Waldman places on Madison as a primary framer of the “Establishment of Religion” clause. Waldman introduces Madison as a pious man, perhaps the most orthodox of the five men considered in this book. Unlike Jefferson, who primarily wanted separation of church from state for the sake of the state, Madison was interested in preserving the purity and vitality of the church from state intervention. Madison wished for an even more stringent separationist position–in part because of his sympathy for Virginian Baptists who decried the establishment of religion as oppressive to minority sects such as themselves.

As I said, this book is balanced and informative treatment of the faith of America’s founders and their views of how state and religion should interact. Lovers of history will enjoy this book–as will anyone who has ever been confused by contradictory reports of the Founders’ faith (or lack thereof).

Rating: 4 stars
Category: American History/Religion/Church and State
Synopsis: Waldman describes the religious beliefs of five founding fathers–and how each founding father felt the church should (or should not) be involved in religious affairs.
Recommendation: A wonderfully balanced portrayal of the faith of the founding fathers. Definitely worth reading.

Visit my books page for more reviews and notes.

Categories Book Reviews, Homemaking

Book Review: “Handmade Home” by Amanda Blake Soule

3 Comments by

My friend read it and loved it.

“You’ve got to read this book,” she said.

I dutifully placed it on my TBR list and waited for it to become available at my library.

It took awhile. It’s a popular book.

But once I got it, I knew why.

It’s filled with gorgeous projects for re-purposing old items into new “pretties” (and “usefuls”) for your home.

Projects range from bags and pillows to children’s toys to “green” items (cloth diapers and women’s cloths) to clothing items to curtains, banners, and table runners.

And there’s the lovely towel rug that I decided to make for myself. I have dozens of vintage towels I saved from my Grandmother’s collection, intending to repurpose them into something. I originally thought I’d make a throw–but for the last year or so, I’ve been thinking I’d use them to make some easy washable bath mats.

Towel rug

Soule’s towel rug, made with a towel and a garage-saled pillowcase, fit the bill perfectly. Having made this one, I’m keeping my eyes peeled for more garage sale/thrift store sheets and pillowcases. ‘Cause I don’t think I’ll be done until I’ve made a whole set of these!

Towel rug

Rating: 4 stars
Category: Sewing Crafts
Synopsis: 30 Household Sewing Projects from Amanda Blake Soule, blogger at SouleMama.com
Recommendation: Lovely projects, pretty pictures, engaging commentary. Sewers and crafters will want to take a peak at this book.

Visit my books page for more reviews and notes.

Categories Book Reviews

Book Review: “The Myth of a Christian Nation” by Greg Boyd

1 Comment by

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

America is a Christian nation founded on Christian principles. Our founding fathers were Christians. America is a second Israel, a chosen nation to promote God’s message around the world. Christians in America need to take America back for God–we need to outlaw abortion, pass laws to protect the sanctity of marriage, and fight for Christian prayer in schools.

Does any of this sound familiar?

It certainly does to me–a homeschooled daughter of conservative Christians. My school textbooks read America as a Christian nation through and through–until the corrupt sixties destroyed everything. Admittedly, I generally took this story of history with a grain of salt–but I know plenty who had been raised on the secularly revisionist history of the US who now take this “Christian” version as gospel truth. To them, the call to “take America back for God” is THE calling of the American church.

Greg Boyd’s The Myth of a Christian Nation challenges these and other assertions of the “religious right.”

Boyd’s primary thesis is that Christians miss the point when they make political involvement central to faith. Boyd argues that there is a fundamental difference between the way “the kingdoms of the world” operate and the way “the kingdom of God” operates. The kingdoms of the world attempt to change behavior by exercising power over people; while the kingdom of God changes hearts as the church demonstrates what Boyd calls “power under” living–service and self-sacrifice, following the example of Christ in the cross. Boyd argues that when Christians emphasize politics (a “power over” approach), they dilute or pollute their Christian witness–and fail to walk in Christ-like “power under” love.

I have to say that this book was rather uncomfortable for me–pretty much all the way through. While Boyd states from the beginning that his beef is not merely with the “religious right” but with any political agenda that the church takes on as its own, 100% of his criticism is of the religious right. As a conservative, and one who would probably be lumped by pollsters into the category “the religious right”, I struggled against the temptation to be offended by Boyd’s one-sided criticisms of conservatives.

I spent at least the first three chapters “reserving judgment”. I wanted to hear Boyd out, to really listen to what he had to say. And I’m glad I did.

Boyd’s strength in this book is his clear emphasis on how the kingdom of God differs from the kingdom of the world–and that the primary concern of the Christian should be to exercise kingdom of God “power under” rather than kingdom of the world “power over”. He makes a wonderful point that the kingdom of God and the kingdom of the world are completely distinct–and should be kept completely distinct.

“To be sure, a version of the kindgdom of the world that effectively carries out law, order, and justice is indeed closer to God’s will for the kingdom of the world.… But no version of the kingdom of the world is closer to the kingdom of God than others because it does its job relatively well. For God’s kingdom looks like Jesus, and no amount of sword-wielding, however just it may be, can ever get a person, government, nation, or world closer to that. The kingdom of God is not an ideal version of the kingdom of the world; it’s not something that any verison of the kingdom of the world can aspire toward or be measured against. The kingdom of God is a completely distinct, alternative way of doing life.”
~Greg Boyd, The Myth of a Christian Nation

Boyd does a good job, in my opinion, of urging Christians to see living in a Christ-like, others-serving, “power-under” manner as their primary call; rather than seeking political influence as their primary goal. What Boyd does less well is clearly articulate how a Christian might have a godly attitude towards and involvement in politics. That is, one could easily read Boyd and think that the only appropriate thing a Christian can do in relationship with politics is to quietly vote his or her conscience. While Boyd never explicitly says that a Christian could never campaign for a candidate or cause, run for office, or otherwise “move and shake” politically–that is the impression that this book gives.

Because I am not a huge fan of the “Christian nation” narrative made popular in works such as Peter Marshall and David Manuel’s The Light and the Glory, I was not particularly worried about or offended by Boyd’s alternate narrative which makes America out to be an almost completely secular nation (a la current secular revisionist history.) However, my reading on the subject (two excellent books on church and state and the founding of America are Jon Meacham’s American Gospel and Steven Waldman’s Founding Faith) suggests that the reality fell somewhere in between these two extremes. Again, since my presupposition (as well as my reading of history) falls somewhere between the two extremes, I took Boyd’s rendering with a grain of salt, just as I have with Marshal and Manuel’s. But I wonder if Boyd’s extreme secular interpretation fo history would drive away those who have fully bought into what Boyd calls the “Myth” of a christian nation–making them unable or unwilling to see his true thesis amidst their (partly justifiable) outrage.

I have tons more thoughts on The Myth of a Christian Nation–but I’m already running rather long. This book (and the book club with which I read it) challenged me greatly, changing my mind on some things, clarifying my thoughts on others, and encouraging me to search deeper on yet more. Even though I do not find myself agreeing with everything that Boyd has written (or perhaps because I do not agree with everything Boyd wrote), I am very glad that I read this book–and that I chose to hear Boyd out through the sections which I could have chosen to take deep offense at.

I encourage other readers to do the same. Read this book, choose to reserve judgment, choose to quell the offense you might be tempted to take, choose to search through and pray through Boyd’s thesis. Maybe Boyd will change your mind. Maybe he won’t. But I promise you that you’ll have a deeper and wider perspective on the kingdom of God and on how politics may or may not fit in that for having wrestled with Boyd’s arguments.

Rating:4 stars
Category: Religion and Politics
Synopsis: Boyd argues that “the quest for political power is destroying the church.”
Recommendation: Many may find this book offensive (I know I was definitely tempted to take offense)–but I think Boyd’s thesis is certainly worth grappling with. Christians (particularly those who are interested in politics) would do well to read this book and wrestle through the ideas found within.

Categories Book Reviews

Book Review: “Stuff Christians Like” by Jonathan Acuff

Leave a comment by

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.