I really wanted this post to have a more appealing title, like some catchy phrase using a synonym for “bookworm” or something.  But, I couldn’t really think of anything good.  I did, however, find out two things about bookworms that I don’t like very much. 

1.  While bookworms are often known for reading many books or being devoted to study, they’re also associated with not appreciating the books they read.  Rather, they devour books quickly as they’re merely feeding an addiction.  Although I openly admit that I am addicted to books and I constantly want to learn more things, I would like the world to know that I do also appreciate the books I read.  I pay attention to style and literary merit, if there is any.  I consider that part and parcel of being a voracious reader.  I don’t know how you can say you love to read if you don’t actually appreciate the writer’s art. 

2.  There really are bookworms.  Like, bugs that feast on books.  Now, that is both disgusting to me as well as utterly terrifying.  Why God would allow such an evil in the world is beyond me.  I love my books.  God, please don’t let bugs eat my books!  I need them!

Anyway, I digress.  I wanted to do a brief post about books I’ve read recently and I just had to settle for a boring title.  Oh well.  Here are the books I’ve read so far this summer and what I think about them:

The Creation: An Appeal to Save Life on Earth by Edward O. Wilson.   
This book deceived me!  I have been on a slight green kick and this book caught my eye because I think we should generally be more responsible and take care of the earth a little better.  Well, it’s definitely marketed to Christians.  After reading the synopsis on the back, I thought it was a book by a Christian biologist.  Well, I certainly didn’t know E.O. Wilson!  I found out that he’s one of the most respected biologists in the field, mainly due to his authoritative research and writings on insects.  I will say that he openly stated fairly early on his belief that Creation and God and all that was simply a bunch of hooey, but he wasn’t disrepectful about it.  He said, in the format of letter-writing to a preacher, that we should set our differences aside and simply take care of the earth.  He was appealing to Christians asking us to respect our Creator’s world and do something to save it.  It wasn’t too bad. 

Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
I picked this up at a church garage sale for 50 cents.  (SERIOUSLY, what happened to the cent sign?)  I grabbed it because I had heard of it and knew Jane Austen was well respected in literary circles.  I often feel out of the loop with those lit types because many of the books I read tend to be historically focused.  There are a lot of classics I need to catch up on.  Anyway, I liked the story overall.  I can’t say that Jane Austen’s prose fit my taste, however.  She beat around the bush a lot and it sometimes got annoying.  In her defense, however, her characters and their conversations were reflective of cultural norms at the time.  That’s just what they did in deference to propriety.  I liked the story, but I wanted her to get to the point! 

The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown
Excellent.  Taboo, but excellent.  I actually already wrote about this book in this post, (in fact, you can read my rant about the cent sign there as well), but I’ll give brief comments here.  Christians, don’t be afraid of this book.  Be offended – that’s okay.  But don’t be afraid.  Never run from books that you hear are “bad” or heretical.  If they’re causing a firestorm and shaking people’s faith, friggin’ read it.  You’ll be able to participate in conversations and it may challenge you into a deeper faith.  I don’t believe in running from topics that are scary.  Then you don’t have an answer for it.  “Oh… DaVinci Code?  No… I… uh… that’s a bad book!  Jesus married?  What?  Do you really think you should be courting the fiery pit of hell like that?”

Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut
Ugh.  I may have to relent on this one.  I really didn’t appreciate its literary merits.  I thought it was mostly awful.  I read it because I never had and it’s famous.  I thought it was unique, but way too out there for me.  I did like the different perspective on time though; that was thought-provoking.   Otherwise, the book was just maddening.

The Broken Road by Macayla Jo Adams
This is the first time I’ve ever gotten to read a book before it was published!  My friend wrote this novel and it’s really great.  (I’m not just saying that because she’s my friend.  If it sucked, I would either not do a list of books on my page, or I would not include this book because it’s unpublished, or I would focus on the good parts.  “She does a great job of naming characters!”)  Anyway, it’s a romance, but it’s not one of those kind of romances.  It doesn’t have cover art yet, but I guarantee it will NOT have Fabio with an enraptured child-lover hanging on his arm and gazing at his waxed pectorals.  When it’s published, get it.  But just know you’ll be invested because it’s a trilogy and you won’t be satisfied with the ending in the first one.  I’m desperately waiting for her to finish writing the series now.  NO PRESSURE, MJ. 

The Institutes of Christian Religion by John Calvin
Ah – there’s the historian and aspiring theologian in me!  This one took a while to read.  It’s not a page-turner and it really requires thought, reflection, a Bible, and a pen.  Calvin, one of the great Reformers of the church, needs to be studied by Christians.  If you are Christian, you need to read him, St. Augustine, Martin Luther, C.S. Lewis, and Jonathan Edwards.  That will get you started. 

Okay!  So, that’s what I’ve been doing with my time.  And I’ve been writing some.  I recommend both, but I also readily admit that I’m a huge nerd, so you might want to take that into consideration!