Marrying Daisy Bellamy, by Susan Wiggs

Marrying Daisy Bellamy by Susan Wiggs
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thanks to my Kindle, I breezed through most the Lakeshore Chronicles in the space of a few weeks, most of them on my vacation last week. I fell in love with Avalon, the people living there and the way Susan Wiggs portrayed them.

Marrying Daisy Bellamy was a difficult read for me, due to the subject matter. Because, like Daisy, the love of MY life is overseas right now, giving his all for the good of his country. In her struggles to find with Julian always at a distance, I was reminded of myself as a young college student fighting the insecurities which came from having a boyfriend (and later fiance) in the Navy.

Pagan Christianity: Exposing the Roots of Our Church Practices, by Frank Viola

Pagan Christianity: Exposing the Roots of Our Church Practices by Frank Viola
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I’ve long know that Christianity borrowed or absorbed much of its practices from the pagan religions it also absorbed, so I was curious about what the author had to say. The book starts off, however, with an erroneous assumption of what “pagan” is and the first chapter is littered with easily editable typos and commas in odd places.

Although the premise is interesting, I found the structure of the book – a history lesson followed by a Q&A that repeats the history lessen in confusing terms – to be annoying. This structure appears at the end of each chapter like a summary.

The author, Frank Viola, uses the premise that the contemporary church employs methods of worship that are NOT found in the Bible to totally deconstruct and effectually discredit everything about modern Christian worship… including the way we read and interpret the Bible itself. He finds fault with everything: building church buildings, tithing, having bishops/priests/pastors, sermons, songs, and yes, even how we read the Bible.

Sadly, it’s this last one that’s the most ironic. Viola states that because of a faulty “chapter and verse” format which was imposed upon the Bible, believers erroneously cut and paste verses to fit their needs instead of looking at the “whole, bigger story” in which they are set.

I agree with the need for seeing/knowing the historical and social context of what we as believers are reading, but no offense, Mr. Viola, you did the same cut and paste job when you wrote this book.

In short, an interesting premise, an interesting history lesson, but a lot of hypocrisy from the author. I will give it kudos for offering an intriguing alternative to the traditional church service. A “house church” meeting sounds like a lot of fun and something I wouldn’t mind trying once.

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The Murder Room, by Michael Capuzzo

The Murder Room: The Heirs of Sherlock Holmes Gather to Solve the World’s Most Perplexing Cold Cases by Michael Capuzzo
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I really like mysteries. I love reading them. I love watching them on television. My husband and I often watch movies or crime drama just for the fun of solving the mystery before the heroes do.

This book book was slow starting, but it wove together the solving of several mysteries at the hands of the Vidocq Society over several decades. It was enjoyable to watch Walter, Frank and the others use their considerable talents to solve the unsolvable cold cases they tackled.

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Under the Dome, by Stephen King

Under the Dome by Stephen King
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I finished reading this book two days after I started reading it — that’s how quickly it sucked me in and hooked. Possibly almost as smoothly as Big Jim himself reeling in someone at his used car lot.

In this story, Under the Dome, Stephen King gives his readers a glimpse at life inside a fish bowl… except that ‘fish’ weren’t always ‘fish’ and their bowl wasn’t always there. Moreover, some of the fish in question are dangerous and very insane sharks.

Said sharks are led by Big Jim Rennie, a used car salesman, town Selectman and closet drug dealer. He fancies himself to be THE LAW in Chester’s Mills and therefore above the law. His son, Junior Rennie, is a chip off the old block and they both have with lackeys who do their dirty work for them.

His ‘adversary’ is a short order cook and drifter named Dale Barbara… or Barbie. When the book opens, Barbie is trying desperately to leave town, but as the Dome come crashing down around Chester’s Mills, he’s locked inside with his enemies and a town which barely knows him. Later, when he is tapped by the president to be the town’s liaison with the military, he must do so at his own peril, with Big Jim opposing him at every turn.

I like the dichotomy between Big Jim and Dale Barbara… one one who wants all the power and authority but would never have had it save for his ‘connections’ and schemes… and the other man, who wanted none of it even after it was thrust upon him by a higher authority. While time runs out inside the Dome, Big Jim cuts his losses and undermines his friends until he is left alone to die in an ill-equipped bunker. Barbie, on the other hand, rallies as many of the survivors as possible and then undertakes a suicide mission to try and save them all from a certain death.

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Happily Ever After, by Susan May Warren

Happily Ever After by Susan May Warren
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

‘Happily Ever After’ was quick read and a pleasant little romance, despite the sometimes ‘preachy’ tone it takes. I realize this is because it is a Christian romance, but it’s still a minor turn off in an otherwise good romance. I’ve read other Christian romances that didn’t insist upon hitting readers over the head with scripture every chapter. Just an observation, Ms. Warren.