More Book Reviews...

Thanks to Jessica for offering another book giveaway...complete with prizes for writing a review.  Free book...chance at prizes...Woo Hoo!!!  Head over to Jess's blog to read the opinions of other reviewers.

Unlike many of the reviewers, I did not expect Sin Boldly by Cathleen Falsani to include a philosophy of "go ahead and sin because God's grace has got you covered."  I guess because Jessica recommended it and Zondervan published it....I had higher expectations than that for its theological content.

Each chapter is a story from the author's life, meant to portray different experiences of grace.  I enjoyed some of the stories, but the book really didn't grab me.  Perhaps it is because I don't agree with the author on many points of religion, theology, or politics (she labels herself as a liberal, and I certainly bend towards the conservative side).  I don't feel that I learned any deeper theological truths from it.  I appreciated her desire to find, even seek out, grace.  However, the grace she describes is not always Biblical grace.  It is not grace given by a loving Father to His children who love Him.  Many of the stories could be told by pagans.  Yes, they may still describe grace, but they don't bring me to a deeper understanding of Christ and the grace He has given me.

This is an easy read, and the authors style and stories are enjoyable.  However, I would not recommend this to someone looking for a deeper understanding of God's grace.

Three Men in a Boat (to say nothing of the dog) by Jerome K. Jerome was the selection this month for the women's book club at my church.  It was first published in 1889 and is hailed as one of the best and most published books of all time.  It is a comedy, in British humor, based on the author's experiences boating on the Thames river with his two friends.  

This book was a struggle for me.  It is not hard to read or understand the language, but it is so wordy that I had a hard time finding the humor.  I think it would be easier to enjoy by listening to it rather than reading it.  There were parts that made me smile, but in general, I found the characters to be lazy, naive, and self-absorbed with few redeeming qualities.  This seemed to be the consensus of most of the ladies in our club, but clearly the book has lasted through generations is appreciated by many who are more qualified to judge than me.  Still, not one I would say you need to add to your list.