October 2005-February 2006

Augustus Caesar's World by Genevieve Foster
Read in October of 2005

This is a book from the forties, from a series which, I am told, has been revived by the homeschool community. Each book in the series basically follows the life of some notable person and tells what else was happening in the world during that time. This book follows Augustus Caeser, of course. While it mostly focuses on the history of the Roman Empire during his era, it also offers glimpses of the life outside the empire from Gaul to Mayan Mexico. While it's hardly an in depth biography, it does offer a great overview. My only complaints are that Ms. Foster talks a lot about Jesus but seems to see him only as one of many great religious thinkers, and that she has the typical mid-20th Century worldview of progress. If you can get past those two problems, you should definitely check it out.
go back to top ↑

Danger in the Shadows by Dee Henderson
Read in October of 2005

Okay, I admit it. I have actually just read a romance novel. Well, actually on the back cover it's listed as "Fiction/Romance/Suspense". But still, it's a book for girls. What can I say? I'm in China and all my SF books are at home. Seriously, this is a book my wife borrowed and just couldn't put down. She told me a little about it and I was so bored with reading my kids' schoolbooks that I decided to give it a read. Ms. Henderson has done an excellent job of crafting this novel, so that the end of each chapter makes you want to continue on to the next. As a suspense novel, I found it to be okay. It's the story of a woman under FBI protection, who falls in love with a retired football star. Getting involved with a high-profile person like him increases the risk of her being discovered by the psycho who's stalking her. Does she listen to her heart or her common sense? The problem is that this romantic suspense takes up room that could have been used to add to the criminal suspense. But actually, I didn't mind it so much. The characters are extremely likable, which made me willing to forgive a lot. So if you can handle a little romance in your reading, check this one out.
go back to top ↑

Star of Light by Patricia St. John
Read in October of 2005

This is a nice little tale of an African boy who's stepfather is planning on selling his little blind sister to a beggar. Well, the nice part is that he sneaks off with his sister and finds her a nice home with a missionary woman in another village. Of course, there's more substance to the story than that, which is why it's worth your while to check it out. Of course, it is a kids' book from my daughter's school books, so maybe you'd rather give it to your kid, instead.
go back to top ↑

A Glorious Age in Africa by Daniel Chu & Elliott Skinner
Read in November of 2005

When I was growing up, Africa wasn't much mentioned in history class save for when we studied about European and Americans messing around there. That's one thing we were able to change in our kids' education. After all, every place has its own history, even if it doesn't play a significant role in the history of our hometown. This book takes a look at three empires in Western Africa from the years A.D. 700 to the early 1600's. It looks at the politics and a bit of the culture. It's not a long book, but well worth checking out for a small slice of history. After all, West Africa is where many of America's slaves were taken from, so I have to wonder what unknown influence that history may have had upon our own.
go back to top ↑

The Rat-Catcher's Son by Carolyn London
Read in November of 2005

This one's a delightful little book of short morality tales set in Africa. What more can I say? Check it out.
go back to top ↑

Seven Daughters and Seven Sons by Barbara Cohen and Bahija Lovejoy
Read in November of 2005

This is the second romance novel I've read in as many weeks! What's happening to me?? Actually this book, from my daughter's schoolbooks, is an expanded version of an old Iraqi folktale. Buran is a daughter of Malik, a poor shopkeeper who has the burden of seven daughters and no sons. His brother, in contrast, is quite wealthy and has seven sons. The rich brother is a real jerk and likes to rub Malik's nose in his "affliction". (As opposed to, say, giving his ol' bro some cash or something.) What neither man takes into account, however, is Buran's cleverness. Since she lives in the male dominated Arabic culture, she disguises herself as a man and travels to a distant city to try and make her fortune and provide money for her parents and sisters. I don't think I'm spoiling the story too much to tell you she has some success at it. What makes me want to put this book on my shelf is the way Ms. Cohen and Ms. Lovejoy flesh out the folktale and make the characters three dimensional. Well, maybe two and a half. Either way, it's good.
go back to top ↑

The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien
Read in November of 2005

Back when The Lord of the Rings movie came out in the theaters, I ignored the hype and rave reviews and told myself that I would just reread the books, which were probably better anyway. Well, I never quite got around to it at the time. And now it's just too late. I left my copy of the trilogy back in the States. We did bring The Hobbit, however, the prelude to LoTR. What can I say? It's a wonderful tale, full of magic and monsters, dungeons and dragons. Check it out.
go back to top ↑

Journey to Jo'burg by Beverley Naidoo
Read in November of 2005

This one is an incomplete book! It's one of my daughter's school books, written and set in the mid-1980s, when apartheid still infected the country of South Africa. It concerns the story of two children, who run away from their village to the city of Johannesburg in order to find their mother. It's a quick travelogue of some of the abuses black people were suffering at that time. Why I call it incomplete is that the ending is less than happy. There's no freedom won for the family or the nation, only the hope that the children might join in the fight against the unjust system and that one day that dream may be realized. Well, now it's 20 years later and we know that things are better. I would love to read a sequel to see what happened to the family. Anyway, while this book is dated, the evil of discrimination is not. This journey is still worth checking out.
go back to top ↑

Shadow Spinner by Susan Fletcher
Read in November of 2005

Another kids book. Another good kids book. You might recall the framing story of 1001 Nights. A Sultan is killing off the wives in his harem every night. That is, until a clever woman named Shahrazad tells the Sultan a fascinating tale and he lets her live another day. And the next day she tells another tale and is spared once again. And again, and again. Until after one thousand and one nights of storytelling, the Sultan calls off his killing spree. An exciting little framing device. But can you imagine what it would have been like to be Sharhazad? To have your life and those women waiting their turn depending on your evening's performance? This tale is set when Sharazad is in the 980s of her ordeal. She's running out of stories and needs some help. Through a twist of fate, a servant girl named Marjan--a budding storyteller herself--is called upon to help the effort. It's a great book which not only had an interesting plot, but also touched a chord in my writer's soul. If my daughter doesn't want it for herself, I'm going to put it on my shelf.
go back to top ↑

Daughter of the Mountains by Louise Rankin
Read in November of 2005

This one's a nice little tale written in 1948. It's the tale of a Tibetan girl named Momo who lives back in the days when the British occupied India. An unscrupulous fellow kidnaps her dog and she goes chasing after to rescue him. What follows is a classic quest story through exotic lands. It's not a perfect tale, of course, but it's one you might enjoy checking out.
go back to top ↑

The Call of the Wild by Jack London
Read in November of 2005

My daughter thought this was the dumbest animal story she ever read. Me, I think it's worth checking out. Obviously, we don't see eye to eye on everything. The Call of the Wild is the story of a dog, Buck, who gets kidnapped from his California home and gets shipped up to the Yukon to be used as a sled dog. It documents his travails and how these, combined with the northern wilderness, draw him back to his ancestral roots. I can't say that I share Mr. London's respect for "the Wild", but Buck's story did strike a sympathetic chord. After all, don't we all get an itch sometimes to howl at the moon? Or maybe it's just a guy thing.
go back to top ↑

Just So Stories by Rudyard Kipling
Read in November of 2005

A nice little collection of short stories that tell why this or that animal is the way it is. Amusing tales written witha very engaging style. Check it out, O Best Beloved. Read it to your kids or something.
go back to top ↑

The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane
Read in November of 2005

One benefit of my exile from American libraries and bookstores is that I'm getting to read a lot of classics. I have two main sources for books here--my kids' school books or books brought by foreign English teachers. In both cases, folks are inclined to avoid the brain candy and stock some quality literature. So anyway, one of the books we've borrowed from one of our collegues was this one. The Red Badge of Courage was one of those books I knew of but would never had bothered to check out. It's the tale of a young man who has enlisted in the Union army during the Civil War. He has yet to see action and wonders if he will be able to take the heat when the battle does come. Of course, you'll have to read the book to see if he can or not. According to the blurb on the back cover, experienced soldiers praised this book for it's realistic description of combat. I'm in no position to judge that, but Mr. Crane has created an extremely vivid setting that seems quite real. Don't make the same mistake I did--read it before you're stuck overseas.
go back to top ↑

Spelling Power by Beverly L. Adams-Gordon
Read in November of 2005

I normally wouldn't include a textbook on my reading list, but this one has such a long "teacher's guide" that I thought I'd make an exception. Speling Power is literally the only spelling text book that you'll ever need. It is a program that tries to incorporate all the latest research on how kids learn to spell. It starts out by testing the student on the word list, so that they can avoid studying words they already know. Then it uses five minutes (daily) of focused studying and five minutes of spelling activities to teach the unkown words. Is this too good to be true? I don't know, I haven't tried it on my kids yet. Ask me in a few months. The word list looks comprehensive, though, and the concepts seem sound. As far as the readability of this text, it is a textbook. But it was interesting to read through the history and rationale of the program. Since it does look like a great resource, I'm putting it on my shelf.
go back to top ↑

Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes
Read in November of 2005

Another kids' classic that I'm reading in my forties. This one is the story of a young apprentice in Boston on the eve of the Revolutionary War. His own personal turmoils and the turmoil of the British colony combine to make an interesting tale. The historical setting is great, though it is unabashedly pro-American. What really impressed me, however, was the characterization. Johnny has his character flaws and the "bad guys" have their good qualities as well. It's a book I should have had on my shelf years ago.
go back to top ↑

The Great Code by Northrop Frye
Read in December of 2005

When was the last time I read a challenging theology book? Heck, when was the last time that I read a book that took me more than two days to finish? (Spelling Power doesn't count) The Great Code is the book that was central to my wife's master's thesis. She brought it along with her to China in case anybody wanted to examine her credentials and read her thesis. So far, nobody has said word one about it. But it did give me one more book to read. Actually, I erred when I referred to it as a theology book. In The Great Code, Profesor Frye examines the Bible as a work of literature. He's interested in what story it tells and how that tale is told. He doesn't wrestle with the question of whether the story is true or not, or how one should apply it to one's life. It was a different way to look at Scripture and I found it interesting to take a gander from that perspective. A lot of the thechnical terms went over my head, but overall I enjoyed the read. I'm glad I checked it out.
go back to top ↑

Mara, Daughter of the Nile by Eloise Jarvis McGraw
Read in December of 2005

My daughter gets to start out her 8th grade literature class with this book, and it's a pretty darn good one. It's set in ancient Egypt and tells the story of an educated slave girl, Mara, who gets caught up in a plot to overthrow the current pharaoh. The question is, which side is she on? Ah, but that would be telling. Anyway, it's very readable and Ms. McGraw does an excellent job of creating a believable tale. The only weakness is that it's hard for me to believe that a beautiful 17-year old slave girl would be employed as a house slave, rather than as something more degrading. I don't know if that's 1950's sensibilities cleaning up a view of ancient Egypt or my 21st century biases dragging it down into the gutter. Either way, don't let my problems keep you from checking it out.
go back to top ↑

Praying the Names of God by Ann Spangler
Read in December of 2005

There's a place for structure in one's devotional life, in my opinion, but it has to be done well to be beneficial. That's why I'm not too big on using devotional books. A lot of them are, well, lacking. They either need to really relate to my life or be general enough that they can be adapted to it. However, when I was loaned a stack of devotional books a couple of months back, I politely took them. This one looked the most scholarly, so I tackled it first. Praying the Names of God looks at 26 names or titles used by God in the Bible and builds a week's worth of devotions for each one. The rough outline is that the name and meaning are introduced, and then some scripture passages, prayer guidelines and an anecdote are offered for each day. The concept isn't bad, but I probably would have replaced some of the anecdotes with hymn verses or poetry. Also, the prayer prompters occasionally reflected the life of Ms. Spangler more than my own. So while I would never get this book for myself, I would say that it's pretty good waiting room material.
go back to top ↑

Secrets of the Vine by Bruce Wilkinson
Read in December of 2005

Should I toss this one, or not? Hmmm....Waiting room....Toss it....Waiting room...sploosh! Yeah, I had to toss it into the Elbe River. Basically, this book is one of those spiritual self-help books. You know: "How to get your spiritual act together and stop being such a religious loser." It wasn't hideously horrible, the author just committed a couple of unforgivable sins. First, Dr. Wilkinson claims to base the book on the first few verses of John 15. But then he goes on to say that in verse 2, the Greek word airo should be translated as "lifts up" rather than "takes away", as it is translated in the Bible version he quotes. Also as translated in the four other translations I checked. He then goes on to explain "lifts up" as a metaphor for discipline, even though (I quote) "airo is not used elsewhere as a synonym for correction." Quite lame. Anyway, the book then goes on, trying to pull four spiritual conditions from a passage that, to me, only speaks of two. Lame, but not unexpected. But then the kicker, which really made me want to dunk it, was at the end of the book when he makes a covert pitch for his other book, The Prayer of Jabez. Sheesh. I bet this will be another one of those best-selling books that will be clogging the bookshelf at the thrift store in a year or so.
go back to top ↑

The Story of the World: Ancient Times by Susan Wise Bauer
Read in December of 2005

This is the first volume of a series subtitled "History for the Classical Child"--part of the Sonlight curriculum. It's a summary of the ancient history, up through about 500 AD, written in a very readable style. Almost like reading a novel. One pleasant touch in this book is that even though it was written to be part of a classical education, it acknowledges that there were civilizations elsewhere in the world besides just in the Fertile Crescent and around the Mediterranean. 'Tis a volume worth checking out.
go back to top ↑

Stuart Little by E. B. White
Read in January of 2006

Eh, this one is somewhat lacking. The concept is that this family has a child that is essentially a mouse. He manages to mature within a few days, so you don't have any tedious backstory as to how a human family manages to raise a mouse-child. Instead you have a collection of amusing moments dealing with how a two-inch person might function in a normal world. But alas, amusing anecdotes do not a good book make. This tale is lacking an overall plot and so I was left quite unsatisfied with the whole thing. Would've made okay waiting room material, though.
go back to top ↑

The Golden Goblet by Eloise Jarvis McGraw
Read in January of 2006

Another tale from ancient Egypt by the author of Mara, Daughter of the Nile. Goblet tells the tale of a orphaned boy, Ranofer, who is at the mercy of his abusive half brother, Gebu. When the tale starts out, Ranofer is working as a gofer in a goldsmith's shop. Somebody has been stealing small amounts of gold from the shop and Ranofer begins to suspect that Gebu is involved. What follows is a complicated tale of intrigue. Well, complicated for a kids' book, anyway. Over all, it was well done. To read it would be a quite enjoyable way to spend an afternoon. I'm glad I checked it out.
go bac k to top ↑

Hittite Warrior by Joanne Williamson
Read in January of 2006

My older daughter's probably not going to like this one. It's a guy story, a historical tale set in ancient Israel. It's based on the Biblical tale of Deborah and Barak from the book of Judges. It tells the tale of Uriah, a young Hittite man who journeys to the land of Canaan and gets involved in the events there. It's an interesting and enjoyable tale. Ms. Williamson's plan was to write a story that brought the historical time to life, to show how the various peoples of that era were interrelated. She's done a great job of it. Check it out.
go back to top ↑

God King by Joanne Williamson
Read in January of 2006

This is another historical tale tagged onto a Biblical story. This time it's tied into the story of King Hezekiah of Judah. It seems to take a bit more of historical liberty with the biblical account than did Hittite Warrior, but on the other hand, I liked the characters and story are a bit more. God King is the tale of Taharka, a younger son of the pharaoh of Egypt. He wasn't expecting to succeed his father, but then is thrust into the position. Other folks don't like it. So you end up with a story of palace intrigue and a young man coming to terms with his role in life. Good stuff, well worth checking out.
go back to top ↑

D'aulaires' Book of Greek Myths by Ingri and Edgar Parin D'Aaulaire
Read in January of 2006

If my library were for myself alone, I would only have one book of Greek mythology: Edith Hamilton's Mythology. But I have children, so I also want to have the D'aulaires book on my shelf. This book is a complete survey of Greek mythology, adorned with wonderfully engaging illustrations. Even though it's written for kids, it was a delight to page through and read. I would recommend it for any child's library. I may have to see about getting a copy for the campus English library, too.
go back to top ↑

The Search for Delicious by Natalie Babbitt
Read in January of 2006

My older daughter is not the only one who has school books to read, so occasionally I have to check out what my younger daughter has been assigned. The Search for Delicious is a delightful little fairy tale, set in a medievel-like kingdom. The valley in which the kingdom is located is also inhabited by supernatural creatures, but they have little to do with mankind. Their existence was only believed by "the occasional child or an even more occasional worker of evil." Anyway, the tale is of a young lad, Gaylen, who's adoptive father is the kingdom's prime minister. The PM is working on a dictionary and runs into a problem when attempting to define "delicious". He wants to say, "Delicious is fried fish." The king, however, thinks, "Delicious is apples." The queen votes for Christmas pudding, the general for beer and so on until discord reigns. Gaylen is assigned the task of polling the kingdom for the agreed definition of "delicious", but the Queen's brother, Hemlock, takes the opportunity to use the resulting discord to further his own ambitions for power. So the race begins and along the way, Gaylen is young and Hemlock is evil enough to encounter the more fanciful residents of the realm.
go back to top ↑

Theras and His Town by Caroline Dale Snedeker
Read in January of 2006

This kids' book is the tale of boy in ancient Athens who gets hauled off to Sparta after his father is lost in a war. In those days, of course, Athenians and Spartans had different cultures and really didn't care for each other. So you get a nice peek into the different cultures and lives of the typical residents. (Though I have to warn you that the author has a bit of a preference for the Athenian lifestyle.) It's a somewhat interesting tale, but the historical exposition is a bit overboard and the characters rather two dimensional. True, it's only a kids' book, but in the past year I've descovered what good childrens' literature is like. This is only good waiting room material.
go back to top ↑

Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Read in January of 2006

Now this is what childrens' literature should be like. This is the first Little House book, the one that started it all. It tells the story of Laura, a five-year-old girl, and her family who live in the Big Woods of Wisconsin in the early 1870s. There's no overall plot, just a series of vignettes of daily life in the Big Woods. The characters are very appealing--the parents being virtual demigods. Now normally I don't care for such perfect characters, but Ma and Pa Ingalls just happen to behave like parents should. (Of course, if I were their kid I probably would have some suggestions for improvement.) If your childhood reading was as deficient as mine, check this out ASAP.
go back to top ↑

Hudson Taylor by Vance Christie
Read in February of 2006

This one is a nice little biography of Hudson Taylor, missionary to China and founder of the China Inland Mission. Taylor was a bit of a maverick by the day's standards. He dared to venture out of the European compounds and attempted to live among the people he was seeking to serve. He was willing to live simply and trust God for his every provision. He was an amazing man whom God used to bring His gospel to many in China. Definitely worth checking out, if you don't mind risking a bit of guilt thinking about how you're living your life.
go back to top ↑

The Trojan War by Olivia Coolidge
Read in February of 2006

The Trojan War is one of the great tales of Western culture. If you don't know even the bare bones of it, you are really missing an important bit of cultural literacy. Of course, like many of our ancient stories, we never get to encounter the originals, but rather hear someone's retellings. Well, this isn't anything like an original. Because, really, in addition to The Illiad, there's been all sorts of tales tied in with the Trojan War. So Ms. Coolidge has taken it upon herself to try and blend all these tales into a single narrative. In my opinion, she's done a pretty good job of it. The Trojan War is a 251 page book that tells the tale of the War from the judgment of Paris to the return of Odysseus. I'm tempted to keep this one, but in the end, I can only recommend (highly) that you check it out. The bottom line is that as famous as the story is, the Greek heroes are a bunch of arrogant jerks.
go back to top ↑

The Last Juror by John Grisham
Read in February of 2006

I finished this book today and wondered if it was a bait and switch. I mean, there are jurors in the book and all that, but they often fade into the background. The main character is actually reporter/editor of a small town newspaper and the story is arguably about his 10 year odyssey in the town. The book is a broad tapestry, with scenes of family, coming of age, politics, religion, urbanization and, oh yeah, a murder trial. If you're looking for a straightforward thriller, you might find this one lacking. But maybe you should check it out anyway. It's well written and entertaining.
go back to top ↑