Inklings News

February, 2008

 

   Hello, people! I am really excited to see that there is actually an interest in the Inklings Book Club! I hope that you will all tell your friends about it; I still don’t have as many members as I would like to have, but I’m sure that we can all have fun anyhow.

   I have had several people ask me about how to rate books, so here’s the low-down on that topic:

ü      I ask that all members please rate at least one book every month. It helps add substance to the newsletter if I happen to have a slow month where no one sends in any reports.

ü      Ratings are 10 for best, 0 for worst. An example rating:
Emily read: The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas and rated it 8.5 Comments: I love the action! The beginning was really boring… but I am so glad I stuck with it!

ü      Comments are not necessary, but they are helpful. J

ü      Put basically: I need the book title, the author’s name, and your personal rating.

 

Also keep in mind that if you read a book that has been made into a movie, you may write about the movie, too. However, if you write about the movie, please be sure to write about the book as well. This isn’t a movie club! :D

Thanks! And now we’ll start with a book review by JoAnna T.

 

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If you've been keeping up with some of the world news lately, you've likely heard the words "Columbia" and "guerillas" mentioned in the same breath. Two women hostages were recently released after being held for years in the Columbian jungle. This South American country has been a hotbed for kidnappings and internal terrorist activity for years. While this would make many of us a lot less likely to desire to go to Columbia for a visit, two brave American men and their families chose to make Columbia their home for the sake of Jesus Christ and the spreading of His Gospel. Their stories are very different, but the theme is the same--all for Jesus.

 

Called to Die by Steve Estes is the moving story of Chet Bitterman, an American linguist, whose kidnapping and eventual martyrdom in the 1980's turned the world spotlight on Wycliffe Bible Translators and resulted in a powerful testimony throughout Columbia and the world. Teens especially can identify with Chet's youthful struggles and his growth in Christ. This book is very well written, capturing the feelings of all involved excellently. You'll find it absorbing and I think it'll open your eyes to the calling of the Great Commission and the dedication the Christian life requires.

 

As a Wycliffe worker is quoted as saying on the back cover:

"It's very simple to stand before the church, where everything is comfortable and safe and say, 'I'm willing to give my life to God.' The decision must come all over again when you're faced with the reality."

 

 

 

Rescue the Captors by Russell Stendal was also written in the 1980's. It is unique in that it was mainly written while the author was a captive in a Marxist guerilla camp in Columbia. Mr. Stendal was a jungle pilot whose parents had come to Columbia to work as missionaries with Wycliffe Bible Translators. His account of his captivity, interspersed with flashbacks of his life growing up, became a bridge for him to share the love of Jesus with his captors. This book gives you an up-close look at the guerillas and helps you to find a love for them and a desire to see them come to know Jesus. Mr. Stendal's reflections on living the Christian life, especially touching on family reconciliation and living a life of love and forgiveness, will impact you. You'll enjoy his humorous incidents and down-to-earth style (be prepared for a lot of plane "lingo" and illustrations!), even as you're sobered by the challenges missionaries face in hostile areas and tough geography like Columbia.

 

The only "negative" I have about the book is that the author seems to oversimplify the differences between Protestants and Catholics.

 

Both of these books are pretty intense and deal with real-life violence and danger. Both include the true love/marriage stories of the subjects, handled in a simple but instructive manner. Written for adults, but inspiring for teens to get a true look at the trials and persecutions Christian brothers and sisters are facing today.

 

Both of these books are available from The Voice of the Martyrs, or you can look around on eBay or on Paperback Swap.
 
 
 
Bittersweet
By Cathy Marie Hake a book review by Bookgirl
 
Cathy Marie Hake's Bittersweet is just like a bar of really good bittersweet chocolate. Sure, there are plenty of foods out there that are supposed to be "better-for-you," but very few that are more enjoyable. And once you take the first bite, you will finish the bar in one sitting for sure...

Bittersweet is set in California in 1860s. A young woman, Laney, is determined to marry her brother's best friend, their neighbor Galen. Galen never looks at her; and if he does, he only sees his friend's kid sister. But Laney does not give up hope and is convinced that one day Galen will return her feelings. Things seem to start going in that direction, but then Galen lets a couple of squatters stay on his land after the untimely demise of their father. The squatters, Ishmael and Ivy, are pretty tactless and lack all social graces, but they are extremely hard workers. Galen could certainly use their help on the farm.

Yet that very merciful and most Christian decision threatens the life Galen and Laney are starting to envision for themselves. The Grubbs accuse Galen of a very dishonorable deed; so he cannot marry Laney who he has already started to love deeply. How is Galen going to deal with this? Will Laney keep her faith in Galen?

The story in Bittersweet is fluid and keeps moving at a quite rapid pace. While I enjoyed it greatly and was quite surprised by the twist in it, I have to admit that after the twist I quickly realized that there was only one possible solution for Galen's predicament - if the author wanted to stay true to her set of values and morals. This slightly spoiled my enjoyment. I do not want to give the plot away here, so let me just add that I found it slightly hard to accept that nobody would believe such an exemplary, upstanding member of the community like Galen. This was just a bit hard to swallow.

With the exception of those two points, I found Bittersweet a worthy and pleasant book, filled with believable, likeable and interesting characters. I particularly enjoyed the descriptions of the everyday life on the farm and in the little town.
 
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   I received a few more book reports, and intended to use a few more, but I think I’ll save them for now. If I receive a few more reports within a short period of time, I may increase posting, but for now I intend to post on a monthly basis. Please tell me what you’ve read and make an endeavor to write something! No matter how short it is, your mentioning a book could lead to an hour’s enjoyment for someone else! (Or even more, if the book is long!)

   When the Inklings was a person-to-person club, I used to make suggestions of what to read throughout the month. If you think that it would be a good idea for me to continue doing that, please let me know. I decided not to in this issue because ya’ll seem to have enough ideas!

   Have a wonderful month, and I’ll be back soon! Feel free to leave comments on what you read, or even make suggestions.

   ‘Til next month - good reading!

  

 

   The Inklings is a Christian, home school book club for all ages. We were named after the book club that C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkein were members of. Our mission is to honor God in all that we read as well as to edify believers.

   If you are interested in becoming a member, you should have the same goals. You should also be willing not only to read books, but to write reviews. We had this club going through the mail for several months, but found that we did all of the writing and none of our members were getting involved! If you want to be a member, you MUST contribute something. Whether you just rate a book, or do extensive reviews, your contribution is necessary to the health of the club.

   Our rating system is simple. 0 means, "You really do not want to read this book." 10 means, "This is a must-read!" You can figure out the in-between numbers yourself. When you rate a book, feel free to make a short comment as well.

   When you rate a book or do a review, please PLEASE inform us of any use of foul language. (Including euphamisms) As we desire to please God, we cannot feel right about suggesting that others read books that include such things.

   If you read a book that has been made into a movie, we would love it if you could watch and rate the movie as well.

   Our club is open to anyone of any gender.

   Please inform us if a book is a romance. Not only do boys not want to read them (I hope), but some girls (including myself) are not allowed to read them.

   Thank you, and happy reading!

   P.S. I am only fifteen, so please forgive the fact that I'm somewhat inexperienced. Feel free to comment with any questions!

Q. What is considered a romance?
     A. All fiction that has love as a  main theme or throughout the book.

I will be adding to this as questions come in!