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Book Review: Finding God in the Hobbit

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Finding God in the Hobbit
Finding God in the Hobbit by Jim Ware

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I loved this in-depth look at the Christian themes found in the Hobbit! Tolkien is one of my top three favorite authors, so I was hanging on every word.

The author takes various characters, events, dialogue, and plot points from the Hobbit and then uses them to illustrate a Biblical truth. He really brought forth some excellent points that I had never thought of before! I loved how the author worked “around” a principle, and showed you all the facets and different sides, and then hammered it home simply and concisely. I loved the forceful writing style!

I wish that there had been more literary analysis though. It read more like a devotional book with personal stories, nuggets of wisdom, and a “thought for the day” kind of moral at the end of each chapter. I liked that, but I was hoping for more analysis of literary history, fairytale story structures, classical writing influences, Greek philosophy, etc…
In short, I wanted it to be more intellectual than it was.

But the devotional style of the book was good too! I enjoyed reading it so much, and I was even brought to tears a couple of times.

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Book Review: Living as a Christian: Teachings from First Peter

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Living as a Christian: Teachings from First Peter
Living as a Christian: Teachings from First Peter by A.W. Tozer

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Tozer goes through most of the verses in 1 Peter, giving an overall view of what it means to be a Christian: what the true Christian believes, how the true Christian acts, and how the true Christian lives in a fallen world.

I found some of the writing to be wonderfully deep and insightful, but other parts were almost childish in their simplicity. There’s also a lot of repetition of the same ideas, same words, over again, and that got on my nerves.

The content is excellent with strong doctrine, but the writing is flabby and could use more editing. Continue reading →

Book Review: Confessions of a Church Kid: Honest Thoughts on Finding God and Becoming Myself

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Confessions of a Church Kid: Honest Thoughts on Finding God and Becoming Myself
Confessions of a Church Kid: Honest Thoughts on Finding God and Becoming Myself by Elyse Murphy

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This is a cute little book, but I DNF’d it. The blurb say it’s a “cheeky memoir” about this girls experiences growing up as a church kid, and while I appreciate her basic concepts and moral lessons about being yourself and relying on God, it was a little too “cheeky” for me. Whatever that means.

It was cliche. It was a little shallow. No new or deep ideas about Christianity or what it means to part of a church. There’s all these cutesy little aside comments to the reader that got on my nerves. Continue reading →

Book Review: I’m Not Afraid

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I'm Not Afraid
I’m Not Afraid by Lee Ann Mancini

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the story of Susie the shark and her friend Rachel, who go to the amusement park, but Susie is too scared to go on the roller coasters. Susie learns that you don’t have to be afraid because courage comes from God! As part of the Adventures of the Sea Kids series, each book of the series has a definite Christian message. Continue reading →

Book Review: Looking for God in Harry Potter

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Looking for God in Harry Potter
Looking for God in Harry Potter by John Granger
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this in-depth analysis of the Harry Potter books, specifically tying together classic Christian themes and symbols. The author has become an expert on Harry Potter and gives lectures at B&N University. He also has a degree in Classical Languages and Literature, so you know he really knows what he’s talking about!

At the time this was written, only the first 5 HP books had been published, so the author also speculates, sometimes with funny results, about what he thought might happen in the final two books. I wish that there were a newer edition of this with thoughts on the final books.

The book begins with a personal story about the author reading HP to his children, and tells how many people in Christian communities have bad-mouthed the books in the past. He addresses concerns some Christians might have about HP enticing children into actual witchcraft, and very thoroughly disproves that notion! He uses Scripture, classic story-telling tools, and quotes from HP to show how the HP books actually give a very clear picture of a Christian world, a loving God, and the everyman’s search for purity through Christ. Continue reading →