The Shack | Wm. Paul Young

A lot has been said about this novel and there are many blogs dedicated to it and many will be familiar with the general story line. I think this is a very good allegory, showing that in the modern day we can still have a new perspective on the Christian story. 

Just as C.S. Lewis in his writing embodied a new way to see Christianity, this novel opens up the way for our imagination and reinterpretation of facets of the Christian faith. Very well done and I hope he continues with this kind of work.

What we did on our holiday | John Harding

I was so pleased to come across another Harding. I have thoroughly enjoyed Florence and Giles, and One Big Damn Puzzler, and with this one I was not disappointed.
Harding creates memorable characters and there are laugh out loud parts. The holiday in question is a return to Malta for Nick, his wife and his elderly parents. So far, so simple. But his dad has Parkinson's disease, his mother is obese and his wife is desperate to get pregnant.
The descriptions of the challenge and routines of getting Dad out of bed every morning are treated in a humorous way although describe the degree of tedium and hardship in dealing with Dad's degenerative disease. Mum is controlled by food and there is a sadness about her condition too. Nick has a strong voice in the story and he tries very hard to please everyone.
Tying all the characters together is the search for Dad's illegitimate son who was conceived during a brief stay on Malta during the War. The story is very successful because Harding has just the right elements to make us sympathise with the characters, be intrigued by the search for the lost son and gives us a touching conclusion to the story. I highly recommend Harding's books and have enjoyed all of them immensely.

Check out  One Big Damn Puzzler, Florence and Giles.

Clippings from my notebook | Corrie ten Boom

Corrie ten Boom has been an inspirational figure in my life since I was young. Not only her story of survival in a concentration camp during World War II but her abundant faith and positive outlook on life regardless of her suffering.

This small book is a collection of her insights and observations during her lifetime. She always kept a journal where she recorded her thoughts and those of others which inspired her. 

The entries are short, small bites to read and chew over.

I re read this one every few years. It has an inspiring quality to it.

Her autobiography is “The Hiding Place”.

The Winter Vault | Anne Michaels

I love Michaels’ writing. She has a wonderful way with words and images stay indelibly in my mind. In this novel a young Canadian couple Avery and Jean who meet on the banks of the St Lawrence river, embark on a journey to Egypt. They live in a houseboat moored on the Nile close to where Avery is overseeing the dismantling of the temple of Abu Simberl and its reconstruction further downriver. Jean is a botanist by vocation and passion and observes the transition of the historical monument and the environmental changes brought about by the building of the dam with mixed emotions.

The descriptions of the landscape, the heat and the people are gorgeous and we get a sense of the desert's beauty. The marriage begins to unravel after the loss of a child and there is a huge sense of sadness and pathos as they return to separate lives in Toronto. They long for healing and yet are torn apart by the death of their baby. The story shifts to an affair Jean has with a Polish artist and Avery begins architecture school. We meet more characters who are beautifully drawn. 

I loved this book because Michaels puts together beautiful sentences, uses words carefully and is evocative in her writing. She also really 'gets' people and translates their emotions well into a story. This is a beautiful book!
She is also the author of Fugitive Pieces which has been made into a great film. 

Buy at Fishpond.co.nz