Update on Books I've Read

I recently finished several books that I had been reading and wanted to provide a short summary as I have done before. I usually am reading at least three books at once, and sometimes I put down a book that I have been reading so that I can put my attention on another one. I then get back to the original book to try to finish reading it before something else gets my attention. You will notice that I have temporarily set aside the books listed on the side bar to the right under “Books I’m Reading...” so that I could take time to read these and others. But just in case you wondering about the books on the side bar, I have not completely forgotten them and will finish them in due season.

I most recently finished an early book of Mark Buchanan entitled Your God Is Too Safe. This book was given to me by a member of the First Baptist Church in Brunswick while I was their interim pastor. To be honest, I had not heard of Mark Buchanan and was not very interested in reading the book. But I read another one of his books, entitled The Rest of God, which made a profound impact upon my understanding of the Sabbath. So, since I had his other book already in my possession, I decided to read it as well. In Your God Is Too Safe, Buchanan challenges his readers to let God lead them in deeper and more intimate ways, realizing that most of us want a “safe” God who never asks us to move beyond our comfort zone. Mark Buchanan is quickly becoming one of my favorite Christian authors, and I would recommend his works highly. He is a gifted writer who is a blend of Max Lucado and Phillip Yancey—which puts him in pretty high company in my estimation.

Another book I finished not long ago was John Grisham’s Bleachers. This short novel by a widely popular author tells the story of former high school football players who return to their small town upon the death of their legendary coach. The stories that are told and the emotions they evoke could be replayed in almost any small town where high school football is king—and Grisham seems to understand this small town American phenomenon very well. At the heart of Grisham’s novel is a lesson about grace. Even though the successful coach was legendary, he left a long trail of hurt, brokenness, and anger, mostly from his former players who endured his unrelenting pressure to succeed. But as they gather for his funeral, they relive the experience and find the joy that comes from forgiveness. Although this is purely a fictional story without a religious bent, it does not take too much work to see Grisham’s Christian faith influencing the novel. Learning to forgive and releasing the past is a powerful thing, whether you are a former football player or just simply someone struggling with hurt or unresolved pain from your past. If you haven’t read Bleachers, you just might enjoy the lessons it teaches. And the football stories aren’t too bad either.

Finally, I also recently read an early work of Scott Turow entitled Pleading Guilty. Turow writes in the genre of legal thrillers, using his training and experience as an attorney to flesh out his stories. Several of his books have been made into movies, and they have been well-received by those who like the suspense of a legal thriller. In Pleading Guilty, millions of dollars have gone missing, and the firm responsible for managing the funds asks a burned out cop to track down a bank executive who mysteriously disappears at the same time as the money. He used his investigative skills to find the banker and to unravel a story that of course contains more twists than initially meet the eye. I was not too impressed with Turow’s plot, which seemed a little simplistic and bland. He may improved in his plotting skills in some of his earlier works, but this one was not too impressive. There are plenty of good authors out there, so I don’t think I am going to waste my time giving Scott Turow another chance. I wouldn’t recommend any of his books for you either.