More books

About a year ago, I read The Awakening. It's about a Lutheran pastor assigned to a little German village in the 1850s. Yet when he arrives, he soon discovers that there is demonic activity going on. The Awakening is a summarization of his journal entries together with helpful editing. His efforts to inform his superiors, etc are even discussed. Very interesting read! and all true and documented.

And then the next book I read was A Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks. Historical fiction written about a small village in England in the 1660s that was wracked with plague, and thus quarantined from the surrounding world. Nowhere is it ever mentioned that it could be demon possession, but having just read The Awakening, the thought crossed my mind. The village did try to burn the local midwives as witches, but we all know that not all midwives are witches. (I probably have come across a few midwives that are though.) So even though the author is using license in the book, there's still an element of history taken from fact. I could not ignore the constant question of demonic activity in the village. another book group discussion....

Peace Like A River

I finished Peace Like a River by Leif Enger last week. hmmmm.... Things were resolved at the end, yet also unresolved. I guess that's a good place to end. The plot? well, I'm not an English student. The book definitely left me a little unsettled. Afterall, the young man kills someone, two people. Yet Enger wants us to cheer him as he escapes. And I was. Is that right? Were the killings justifiable? "The Law" has been a little too close to home lately. Waiting on "the law" to work can be frustrating, since during that wait there are many questions of "right and wrong." In this book, I found myself not wanting "the law" to catch Davy. yet in my own life right now, I desperately want "the law" to punish the perpetrator. So in one sense I'm glad for things taking so long for Davy, hoping that people will forget. Yet in my life, things are not happening soon enough. Perhaps my impatience has more to do with the personal aspect of crime. When it happens "to me," punishment seems to take forever. Interesting too that God placed this book in my life at this time. I think Peace Like a River would be a good book for a discussion group. So if that's what makes a good read, then this is one.