(Mostly) Fun with Fiction

GREEN by Ted Dekker. I read authors, rather than books per se, and I've made my way into over half of Dekker's books, introduced by Noah 6 years ago through the intriguing psychological thriller "Three". I'm not to into psych thrillers (having been raised by psychologists in the 70's- nuff said) along with reading a short story in a magazine years ago that scared the wits out of me for years on end. That was the end of that genre for me- till Noah sent Miss R. Three, at which point I became a Dekker fan- for a while. Got kinda tired of the really sick and creepy descriptions of abject evil. I just don't need it that spelled out for me, thank you very much. Still, I really resonated with the Trilogy series and read Green to kinda finish what I started. Again, the gross stuff is just too gross. I get it already. But I do, do do love the descriptions of Elyon and the Great Romance. Though Dekker makes the bad ugly, he has a way of using his gift of faith and writing to make the good and holy, well...good and holy. Righteousness described. Take me to the river, baby! Dekker covers a plethora of issues in this prequel/sequel to the Circle Trilogy (making it the 4th book in the series- so he can't count). The apocalypse, pre-post and mid tribulation, cessationism, pentecostalism, heresy, apostasy and salvation of the damned, it's all in this not so slim little volume. I thought the ending was weak from a literary stand-point, the conclusion wasn't one, but the theological issue being tackled doesn't have an easy conclusion, so it just hung there. His attempt to speak to those who have family members who are lost, specifically children who have turned their back on the Way, is commendable, just inconclusive. Just spoke to a friend about that recently. Her daughter is living a life that is total grief to her mom. Mom is wondering where she went wrong, what she could have done differently, how she could have provided immunity from wrong choices. And Hunter's heart cry for his son is so full of pain and grief and loss that the hurt of parents everywhere whose child has chosen apostasy is heard.
Though I'm about adrenaline junkied out I have requested Tea With Hezbollah from the library. Dekker clearly has an end in mind and apparently a date as well. I'm curious what Dekker will reveal in Tea.

Jane Austin Ruined My Life by Beth Patillo is, just like an Amazon reviewer claims, "a smart chick lit for Anglophiles and Austen fans a like." Jane and I go way back to the summer before my Senior year in high school when I read 3 of her tomes on our family vacation, laughing out loud at her descriptions and entanglements. We've enjoyed countless hours watching various productions of Pride and Prejudice, Persuasion and Sense and Sensibility and lines are oft quoted amongst our little band of literary geeks. KB asked for this for her Easter Basket (no, you are never too old). Of course, sharing good books is one of life's simple pleasures, so I had to read it as soon as KB was done. Full of witty prose and fun little tid-bits about Austen's private life. The main theme here is about idealism, which those of us middle-aged enough to realize, can erode the goodness of what we have in our hand(s). A fun read and a good reminder to look around at my own happy endings.