My Top Reads from 2011

It’s January. We all make some form of resolutions every New Year’s Eve that we hope to keep. For some of us, that resolution is to read more often. And if any of you are as unbelievably picky as I am when it comes to books, sometimes that resolution is incredibly hard.

These are a few of the books I was able to read this past year, and hopefully it will help you pick out some books you would like to read.

My Top Ten

10. Out of the Silent Planet by C.S. Lewis.

This was my most recent read. I was working at a mall for the holiday season, and I would normally spend my breaks at Barnes and Noble. Soon, I was known as the C.S. Lewis Girl when I would grab my Starbucks.

Out of the Silent Planet is the first installment in C.S. Lewis’s Space Trilogy. It’s main character, Ransom, is a philologist who is kidnapped by a mad scientist and taken to the planet Perelandra. Your normal sci-fi beginning, but the story, as it unfolds, unfolds in a beautiful and thought provoking way. I have yet to read the rest of the trilogy but I fell in love with the unconventional narrative and ideas that go much deeper to your heart.

I suggest this if you already a fan of Lewis. Bonus points if you are a fan of J.R.R. Tolkien and Lord of the Rings. The language the natives speak on Malacandra is similar to elvish and Ransom seems to be based off of Tolkien himself.

9. A Grief Observed by C.S. Lewis.

Yes, another Lewis book. And there will be one more on this list. I read this earlier in the summer when I was going through a hard time, an almost figurative death of something dear to me. It is a heart-wrenching read. A man in such raw form, expressing his grief over his wife, I felt honored that he was able to do this.

I suggest that you pick up this book and read it to familiarize yourself with it so when a tragedy does happen, you can read this and know that you are not alone.

8. Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

If you have been reading my blog for a while, I had written a post about this novel over the summer. I couldn’t put it down. It is about a boy, Clay who finds a bag full of cassettes. He starts listening to them, realizing that it is Hannah Baker, explaining to thirteen people the thirteen reasons why she had committed suicide. It sounds incredibly morbid, but it is ultimately a story about actions and consequences and being aware of others.

"I guess that's the point of it all. No one knows for certain how much impact they have on the lives of other people. Oftentimes we have no clue. Yet we push on just the same." 

–Hannah Baker

You can read more on my previous post here.

You would probably like this book if you have read The Perks of being a Wallflower (which is a book I finally just read. I liked it, but it’s definitely PG13.)

7&6. Love Wins by Rob Bell and Erasing Hell by Francis Chan

Two books I already have a post on as well. I only suggest you read Love Wins so you can read Francis Chan’s response to it in Erasing Hell.

As a Christian, I think you should really figure out what you believe. I feel like Love Wins does approach subjects that Christians tend to avoid and the reasons non-Christians bring up when they explain why they don’t believe in God or Jesus. Though, I don’t approve the conclusions the Bell is leading you to believe (he never quite comes out and say it).

If you want to explore more on this subject, I suggest a lot of prayer and these books: Mere Christianity, The Screwtape Letters, and The Problem of Pain by C.S. Lewis, The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins, The Dawkins Delusion by Alister McGrath, and god is Not Great by Christopher Hitchens.

5,4 & 3. The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins

If you haven’t heard of Hunger Games, then you must be living under a rock. I first heard of this book last spring from my friend, who is a middle school English teacher. I picked it up and was instantly hooked. I managed to get my sister and my entire small group hooked on the series as well.

The story is set in the ‘near future’ where America no longer exists, but is now called Panem which has been separated into 13 districts ruled by the Capitol. After District 13 tries to revolt, it was annihilated. The Capitol decides as punishment to hold the Hunger Games, where each district picks one boy and one girl between the ages 12 – 17 for televised gladiator games. Each child has to fight to the death, with only one winner.

And that’s only the beginning. The way the story unfolds is brilliant and unexpected with incredibly dynamic characters. You will be crying.

If you liked Harry Potter, you probably already have read this. I just fell in love with the idea that one girl can spark a fire in a nation of people. CAN’T WAIT for the movie in March. MIDNIGHT SHOWING. DRESSING UP. HECK YES.

2. ‘Till We Have Faces by C.S. Lewis

I had never heard of this book till a little over a year ago when a few of my friends were reading it. I ended up buying it over the summer for my 10 hr flight to Brazil, but I realized this is definitely not a ‘easy read’. I think I had read it three or four times this year.

It is the retelling of the Cupid and Psych myth through the perspective of Psyche’s sister, Orual. But that’s just the surface. The story is essentially Orual’s case against the gods, if the gods exist at all. There are so many levels to this book that the first time I read it, my mind was blown by just the sheer depth. I unintentionally wrote a letter/essay while I was staying a few days at a beach house on the jersey shore (the week of Hurricane Irene) which I will be editing as a post in the near future. 

This might be my favorite work of C.S. Lewis, and possibly his most personal, at least it was to me. I suggest it if you enjoy Greek mythology, ancient history and classic literature. 

" 'Child, to say the very thing you really mean, the whole of it, nothing more or less or other than what you really mean; that's the whole art and joy of words' ...I saw well why the gods do not speak to us openly, or let us answer. Till that word can be dug out of us, why should they hear the babble that we mean? How can they meet us face to face till we have faces?" 

-Orual remembering her mentor, Fox
Book II, Till We Have Faces

1. The Bible

This was the first year where I actually read the Bible almost every day, cover to cover. I read the New Testament twice and most of the Old Testament except for the minor prophets. (If anyone knows of a good book that explains/gives historical context for the minor prophets, that would be great.) Being able to do that gave me real context to the book that we base our faith and modern western civilization on. The two things I walked away with were, (1) the New Testament has way more references to the Old Testament than I ever realized and (2) you should always read the genealogies, you never what two-verse story you might miss.

My Other Suggestions (the honorable mentions)

If you like young adult fantasy…

The Books of Pellinor by Allison Croggon: If you like Lord of the Ring you would love the four part series about a girl and her lyre on an epic journey against evil incarnate in a Middle Earth like landscape.

Reckless by Cornelia Funke: I was a huge fan of her Inkheart series, but Reckless series is completely different. It is based of german fairy tales and a modern take on the Grim Brothers.

The Warrior Heir by Williams Chima: A good, fun easy read. Its about a 16 yr old boy who discovers he is both a wizard and a warrior, and two ancient warring wizard groups are fighting to have him on their side.

If you like historical fiction…

The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova: You are taken on academic adventure across early 20^th century Eastern Europe over three generations of mysterious murders and disappearances with all evidence pointing to Dracula. Warning: if you don’t like history or a lot of textbook-like information, this book is probably not for you.

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen: Set during the depression. After the recent death of his parents, vet-student Jacob runs away the day of his final exams when he realizes he can’t pay his college tuition. The train he jumps on happens to be a circus train. A rather interesting love story between Jacob, Rosie the elephant and Marlena, a performer, wife of the circus ringmaster, that takes an interesting turn. I didn’t see the movie so I have no opinions about the film.

In Erasing Hell does it really mean that Love Wins?

So I was finally able to read Rob Bell’s controversial book Love Wins as well as Francis Chan’s response to it, Erasing Hell. (I will be referring to Rob Bell as RB, Love Wins as LW, Francis Chan as FC and Erasing Hell as EH for the duration of the post.)

LW has been the ‘it’ book to argue, I mean, discuss about for the last few months. The book is actually not introducing a new perspective on Christianity. RB is persuading to see a different interpretation that Heaven and Hell are not real places, but are in the here and now. As well as how can an all-loving, all-powerful God would send people to torment and punishment forever in Hell simply because we made the wrong choice in this short life. He also discusses the idea that Jesus is not the ‘only way’ to heaven.

I wanted to read LW out of sheer curiosity to see what all the hype was about. My plan was to give it a fair chance, to not jump to conclusions or get angry at the first statement I didn’t agree with. I’m not here to knock RB, to be holier-than-thou or be a ‘spiritual peacock’ and self-righteously spew out all my biblical knowledge on the topic. I’m here to give my take on it. So without further ado, I found it to be a tough read for two reasons.

My first reason is that it was really hard to follow. It’s one question, followed by another question by another, leading you down this perplexing journey of questions. These questions had a tendency to go off on strange tangents. Simply because I was confused by his writing style, I decided to take notes (not in the good way) so i could work out his thought process fully in the way it deserved.

Asking hard questions are not necessarily a bad thing, actually asking hard questions is quite important. I don’t believe you should believe anything blindly. Asking questions helps you reach a better understanding.

But in my very honest (and bookworm) opinion is that he was trying to throw dust in your eyes, play devil’s advocate and manipulate people. I have read enough books in the same nature and genre to realize this type of writing. He’s playing Christians like a violin to intentionally stir controversy. 

Which got me thinking, if he really is writing with this in mind, what are his real intentions? Does he really care about people like he is claiming to do in LW? **

My second reason was that everything discussed in the book disturbed my soul deeply. It brought up some hard questions that I needed to come to some conclusion myself. When you’re asking these types of questions, one book is not enough to form a conclusion. RB is asking a lot of questions,  so you should look further and ask more. I had to read EH to see both sides of the argument and get a fully rounded understanding. It was a huge help in directing me to my own conclusions.

So it boils down to one question in the end.

In erasing Hell, does it really mean that love wins?

(See what I did there? I’m so clever. Haha JK)

In LW, it brought something to light. We don’t like talking about Hell. We don’t like talking about the possibility of people we know and love being punished because of a choice made in this life. We don’t like a God that judges us. We’re not big fans of a preacher who talks about fire and brimstone and condemnation. When I say, I’m including myself in this. It’s scary.

But just because we don’t like to talk about some things does not make it okay to ignore them completely.

If Hell is a real place that means that what we do in this life has real and serious consequences. The reality of Hell reflects a heavier responsibility on us.

With this knowledge, you and I cannot simply sit around and argue that I like the term Christ Follower more than Christian over our Starbucks coffee anymore. The harsh truth that Hell exists should compel us to act immediately. We need to get out of our own comfort, to reach out to everyone and share that there is a God who loves them.

RB in the first chapter also brings up a few good questions about what it is to be Christian though he never gives us a clear answer. The conclusion I came up with is this. To be ‘Christian’ it is not just believing and saying the right words with your eyes closed. RB was right when he said Jesus is bigger than any one religion. It is the daily decision to choose your fate. It is constant denial of your selfish intention, to die daily. It is to get to know God more intimately by studying His Word everyday. It is to love your neighbor (which is EVERYONE). It is to care for the single moms, the elderly, the least of these. It is to help the helpless, feed the hungry and care for the poor. It is to baptize and create disciples in every nation.

God’s amazing and overflowing love can only win if we change how we live and share that Jesus is the only way as is clearly stated in John 14:6.

“This is not just about doctrine; it’s about destinies. And if you’re reading this book and wrestling with what the Bible says about hell, you cannot let this be a mere academic exercise. You must let Jesus’ very real teaching on hell sober you up. You must let Jesus’ words reconfigure the way you live, the way you talk, and the way you see the world and the people around you.”

-Francis Chan, Erasing Hell

So in erasing Hell does Love win? Well, the answer for me is no. Hell is a harsh truth and a real consequence. Jesus is the only way. I won’t apologize for my complex God. And being a Christian isn’t all rainbows and unicorns but a daily choice and action.

But don’t take my word for it. Ask the hard questions and find out for yourself.

---------

Here are some other books I suggest for you to read as well as Love Wins and Erasing Hell:

Mere Christianity and The Problem of Pain by C.S. Lewis… actually, all of his books.

The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins

The Dawkins Delusion by Alister McGrath

god is Not Great by Christopher Hitchens

Notes from Underground by Fydor Dostoevsky (It’s not totally on the same topic, but it’s kind of a stream of consciousness writing about thinking too much and existentialism. One of my all time favorite quotes is from this novel, “To be acutely conscious is a disease, a real, honest-to-goodness disease.”)

**As a reader, I like to get to know the author a bit. I think it helps in understanding their writing no matter what the genre is.

Francis Chan was the founding pastor for Cornerstone Community Church in CA and stepped down recently in 2010 from his pastoral role. He has written several books (Crazy Love is on my list of books to read next) as well as speak at conferences (which I have had the pleasure of seeing him in September 2010). 

He “gives away about 90 percent of his income (though his church administrator preferred the phrase "most of his income"). Chan doesn't take a salary from his church, and his book royalties, which total about $500,000, mostly go to organizations like International Justice Mission, which rescues sex slaves in foreign countries.”

Rob Bell has also stepped down from his pastoral role at Mars Hill Bible Church pretty recently to pursue other avenues in publishing and speaking tours. One such project is a new spiritual drama on ABC. The show will be cowritten with a writer from the hit show LOST. The show ‘Stronger’ will be loosely based off his life. He and his family have relocated to LA for this new venture.

‘While based on biblical principles, Bell's brand of spirituality is not about hard-core evangelical, fire-and-brimstone teachings,’ New York Magazine reports. ‘Instead, his goal is to service folks' spiritual needs without the overlay of religious dogma.’ "

Sources

Love Wins by Rob Bell.

Erasing Hell by Francis Chan

Article on Franics Chan

Article on Rob Bell stepping down from Mars Hill

Article on Rob Bell’s spiritual drama

Current Read: Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

 
 I highly suggest this book. I finished it in one night and one day… I just could not put it down. Jay Asher’s debut novel was a brilliant and mind blowing read. And if you let it, this book truly pierces you to the heart.

“Hello, boys and girls. Hannah Baker here. Live and in stereo. No return engagements. No encore. And this time, absolutely no requests. I hope you’re ready, because I’m about to tell you the story of my life. More specifically, why my life ended. And if you’re listening to the tapes, you’re one of the reasons why.”

The story is about the aftermath of girl who had lost all hope and faith in life and commits suicide. But, she created thirteen tapes for thirteen people the thirteen reasons why she did it. We hear the tapes from the perspective of Clay Jensen, a boy who doesn’t understand why he’s even on the tapes.

What scared me when I was reading the book was that I understood Hannah a little too well.

She didn’t have just one reason for what she did; it was one small thing that leads to another slightly bigger thing. “Everything…affects everything.” She referred to it as a snowball effect. It’s amazing how everything in life flows in and out of one another.

An ‘innocent’ rumor from a ‘slight’ exaggeration creates a reputation. An image people assume is really you, never trying or even wanting to find out the truth about a situation…or themselves.

"I guess that's the point of it all. No one knows for certain how much impact they have on the lives of other people. Oftentimes we have no clue. Yet we push on just the same." –Hannah Baker

Do you ever wonder about this? How something you consider small affects someone else? The interactions we have with people, the true weight they could carry?

I constantly think about this. Isn’t it the smallest things that could change our life forever? It’s just one moment. A smile, a look, a hello, a goodbye, or simple silence could change our lives in a blink of an eye.

Also, fear. The fear of being hurt by others, the fear of rejection and of failure. This fear…it governs how we think, how we act. When you really think about it, it’s a very selfish way to be. How willing we are to take the blame off ourselves, to blame circumstance and others, but we never can blame ourselves. Our pride and our selfishness can cause so much pain and hurt and destruction…it can even take someone’s life.

Like Hannah, I’ve pushed people away after being hurt so much. To lose faith in people because of betrayal is a lonely place. You push everyone away as a last defense to protect yourself. I thank God that there is a God because when I was at my lowest, He truly held my hand and carried me through. I didn’t realize it then, but now looking back, I don't know where I would be without Him.

I won’t tell you Hannah’s reason for Clay, but it was an …interesting reason. If and when you read this book, all I will say is don’t let fear hold you back. Take a risk and live. What ifs are worse than apologies and mistakes. Even if it hurts right now, you at least can say that you tried. And in the end, trying and failing is better than never doing anything at all.

Read Hannah’s story. Learn from her mistakes. Learn from Clay’s mistake. Learn from her thirteen reasons.

And more importantly, live.