Quarterly Book Reviews #8

FICTION
Peace Like A River by Leif Enger

A perfect book for those chilly late autumn evenings. It's a wonderful story of faith, hope and opportunity for mercy in the midst of family tragedy. I seldom write notes in the books I read, but while reading this one I had to have a pencil and post-its at hand. One of my favorite sentences: "...exile is a country of shifting borders, hard to quit yet hard to endure, no matter how wide your shoulders, no matter your toughened heart." Enger is now officially one of my favourite authors.

RELIGION
The Holy Wild by Mark Buchanan
Walk with God can be, and often is, a troubling affair. Prayers go unanswered, the whole world seems to conspire against you, there are dangers and difficulties regardless of one's piety and devotion. Buchanan writes about experiencing God in the midst of hardship and heartache, explaining that the God of Judeo-Christianity is both unpredictable and dangerous on one hand, loving and faithful on the other. For those struggling with the eternal question of why would a good God allow bad things to happen, this book may provide some insights.

RELIGION
The Pietists, edited by Emilie Griffin and Peter C. Erb
Does the name Jacob Spener sound familiar? August Hermann Francke? Johann Anastasius Freylingausen? Probably not, yet those are some of the leading people of an influential spiritual movement of the 17th and 18th century Christianity, known today as Pietism. It's surprising how little we know of them today. Placing emphasis on one's personal relationship with God, they heavily influenced Wesley and the nascent Methodist movement. They seem to be the first ones who came up with the idea of Bible study groups. This collection serves as a reminder on the origins of some of the beliefs and practices that contemporary Christianity takes for granted, but which were quite revolutionary at the time.

BIOGRAPHY
Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer
Chris McCandless had a burning wish to abandon a life of materialism, meaningless college diplomas and dehumanizing 9-5 jobs. The wish became a journey of a lifetime that ultimately led him to Alaskan wilderness where he tragically died. Krakauer has done a superb job investigating McCandless' enigmatic personality and narrating his heartbreaking story. Makes you question your ideals and how far you're ready to go in pursuit of happiness. Inspirational and cautionary.