First things first: Prison Break returns tonight with its second season premiere.  Don’t miss it.

Also, Spike Lee’s two-part, four hour documentary on Hurricane Katrina, When the Levees Broke, premieres tonight.  Set your Tivo’s.  It looks compelling.

I set the month of August aside for a return to the world of fiction.  I’ve moved more toward non-fiction in the last few years. Part of the reason was that in the past I had read primarily mysteries and thrillers.  My kinder, gentler self that has emerged in recent years has lost much of my desire for that kind of reading.

But, last month I read The Kite Runner, and realized that I missed delving into stories. So, I set aside this month to read fiction.  I decided to focus on 5 books that have been recommended to me.  I finished the last of those yesterday.  Some thoughts (you can find the Amazon link to each of these books on my sidebar):

The Time Traveler’s Wife is a stunning, beautiful tale.  I’m not much for love stories but this transcends the genre. I devoured this 500+ page book in about 3 days reading deep into the night. I still find myself drawn to the story of Henry and Clare. This novel will tug at your heart without being manipulative.  You will come to care about the characters.  If you haven’t read it, pick it up now.

Never Let Me Go is a dystopian tale told from the perspective of Kathy, a “carer” who looks back on her days in an English boarding school and her relationships through the years with Ruth and Tommy.  There is a mystery here that is not all that difficult to figure out.  I still don’t know if I liked this book or not.  I don’t really think that I did. Sure I get the themes of innocence lost and the dangers of progress but it left me cold.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is narrated by a fifteen year old autistic boy.  He finds his neighbor’s dog mysteriously murdered and set out to solve the crime. The novel is light, unorthodox and creative.  Although I felt that it lagged a little in the second half it was still a delightful read.

The Life of Pi was sent to me by my good friend Jim MacKenzie.  This is a story of faith in the midst of life’s bizarre trials.  It is captivating and, as someone has said, will make you believe in God.  What do you want to believe? The simple story that makes the most sense? Or the story that is the most improbably but the most life-affirming? The story of mere survival? Or the story of overcoming?  Get this book.

The Chosen was sent to me by my good-friend-who-I-haven’t-met Matt Elliott.  I first encountered this classic almost 25 years ago when HBO would play the movie incessantly.  I remember watching it but many of the details were blurry in my mind.  I’ve known people through the years who have read it and loved it.  Now I know what all the fuss is about.  I read it in about a day. This book is a must-read.  It’s themes of faith, friendship and religious differences are timeless.  Danny is raised in an authoratative, legalistic community and becomes friends with Reuven who is a modern Orthodox Jew.  Their disparate backgrounds serve as the context for their growing alliance.  Get this book.

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For those of you who have read The Chosen I have one thought I’d like to share: we all know that our view of our father’s often shape our views of God.  But I see in Danny’s father an allegory for how many of us who are a part of more traditional Christian fellowships might see God as well.  Rabbi Saunders raised Danny in silence, speaking with him only when they are studying the Talmud.  Or when he explodes in anger.

How often do we view God that way?  That He only engages and delights in us when we are doing “holy” things.  We often believe that God is pleased with us only when we are reading the Bible, going to church or praying.  That is one of the reasons why I believe we have created such a legalistic, works-oriented approach to church, prayer and Bible study.  The rest of the time, when we are at work, play or leisure we feel that God is standing by silently (and often disapprovingly) waiting for us to “get our priorities straight.”  And if we stray too far then we invoke His explosive wrath.

But I believe Reuven’s father gives us a greater insight to the character of God as Father: one who delights with us in all of our endeavors, who celebrates in our victories, who encourages our growth, who weeps in our pains and shapes us into someone greater.  God is actively involved in our lives, not just in the “going to meeting” times.

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I guess my month of novels is over early.  Now, I have a very eclectic selection of non-fiction books to read.  Here are the topics: the Kingdom of God, Marijuana growing in Michigan, universalism, and Shakers.

I’m about half-way through The Myth of a Christian Nation. It’s good but really offers nothing new from what I have previously read.  If you have not tackled Yoder, Hauerwas, or Lee Camp’s Mere Discipleship, then this may be a great way for you to dip your toes into that water.  Myth is more accessible than those offerings and really is a primer for these other works.  He seems to borrow heavily from those guys as well as from Richard Hughes’ Myths America Lives By