"Amateurs didn't find ways to pay off veteran FBI agents. They didn't hire hit men who lurked in the woods waiting for their prey. They didn't impersonate FBI agents with credentials so authentic they had scared off the cops. Sinister theories of conspiracy swirled in her head, sending a shiver of fear down her back. No matter how long you did this, the fear was always there. To be alive was to be afraid. To not be afraid was to be dead."
-thoughts of FBI agent Brooke Reynolds from the novel
I like Baldacci so when I found this one, a used paperback at a tiny cost, I brought it home. You could call it a political thriller or a suspense or spy novel. After reading several chapters, I was very confused---so many characters chasing other characters. I was still trying to figure out who the good guys were. I figured Faith must be OK because of the title of the book. By the halfway point, I was pretty much hooked.
It soon becomes clearer that Faith Lockhart, a lobbyist and whistle-blower, is on someone's hit list. When the assassins blow their first chance to take her out, they end up killing an FBI agent and sending Faith on the lam with Lee Adams, a PI who had just happened to be looking for her, too.
A secondary plot has veteran FBI agent Brooke Reynolds losing her job over an unauthorized search and later, hunting for Faith in an apparent attempt to save her life. The story involves some serious animosity between FBI and CIA to the point of violence. I wonder if any of that competitiveness is true in real-life Washington, D.C.
I probably can't say much more without spoilers. I will rate this one a 3.5, not the best by this author, but after reading The True Jesus, it was quite entertaining.
Saturday, March 28, 2020
Tuesday, March 24, 2020
The True Jesus--Uncovering the Divinity of Christ in the Gospels--by David Limbaugh
13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” 14 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets." 15 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” 16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God. " -Matthew 16:13-16(NIV)
I had this book on my list for Page Turners for a while but I have forgotten why. When I announced it as a March selection, I got the feeling some folks were less than thrilled. Now I may know why...more later.
Limbaugh begins Part I with explanation of the intertestamental era, which I learned is the 400 or so years between the end of the Old Testament and the beginning of the New Testament. That was a new word for me. Also in Part I he describes the Gospels as 4 perspectives but one message, Jesus Christ as the Son of the Living God, the promised Messiah. It was interesting to read his ideas on the backgrounds of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John and how it affected their accounts.
In Part II the author uses a format I haven't seen before. He tells the story of Jesus life as chronologically as he can, for example starting with Jesus' genealogies and birth in Matthew and Luke and moving to His baptism in all 4 Gospels and turning water to wine and cleansing the temple in John. It is probably something like a parallel version of the New Testament but with much commentary on the events. I must give Limbaugh credit for a great deal of research since he includes 72 pages of notes and citations. (I didn't read them!)
In my reading of The True Jesus I learned some new things and was reminded of even more that hadn't crossed my mind in a while, especially the numerous OT prophecies of the coming of the Messiah.
This book was not a page-turner, far from it, but it was a very timely choice for me for a few reasons. First I was reading it during Lent and, of course, with its concentration on the Gospels, I was powerfully reminded of Jesus' last days and His supreme sacrifice. Second, since January 1, I have been reading The Bible in One Year with Nicky Gumbel on the Holy Bible application on my phone and so far, we have covered Matthew and Mark and are currently in Luke, so I could remember some of the scriptures vividly. Last, our pastors have been preaching on the Gospel of John during Lent so the stories of the temptation of Christ, the interaction with Nicodemus and the woman at the well were repeated with different perspectives.
I will rate The True Jesus a 3. It was very dense and not exactly entertaining but I am glad I read it. And it is good that I read it before knowing about the author who, it turns out, is Rush Limbaugh's younger brother and apparently just as rabid of a conservative political commentator and author, judging by the titles of other books he's written including two about Barack Obama, with very disparaging titles. ( I greatly admire the former president.) I should have suspected from his last name but when I saw a YouTube interview with Sean Hannity on FOX, the handwriting was on the wall! At least this book was not at all political. But I could guarantee you I won't look for another by this author!
Maybe a bit more to wrap up after our online meeting Thursday...
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Facebook Live Page Turners was broadcast as promised with varying levels of success. Several people viewed and most had not read the book and so had little to say. One of our members, a retired pastor, had this to say: I bought the book, Anne and read the intro. The author describes a blending of the four gospel narratives to discover the true Jesus. I was taught that that approach is more isogesis than exegesis, that is reading into the text rather than critically interpreting what is in the text. The four gospel writers wrote to different audiences to offer them the truth of faith in language they could understand. They weren't offering a biography but rather a declaration of faith, a witness by each to his own experience of Jesus. Many Christians approach Scripture as David Limbaugh does. For personal devotional use, I can understand looking for the common threads to catch a glimpse of the man, Jesus, but it does tend toward trying to make the Bible say what we want rather than looking for what's there.
Food for thought, I would say.
Only a few members felt they had read enough to rate the book. The average of 4 ratings is 2.5.
------------------------------------
Facebook Live Page Turners was broadcast as promised with varying levels of success. Several people viewed and most had not read the book and so had little to say. One of our members, a retired pastor, had this to say: I bought the book, Anne and read the intro. The author describes a blending of the four gospel narratives to discover the true Jesus. I was taught that that approach is more isogesis than exegesis, that is reading into the text rather than critically interpreting what is in the text. The four gospel writers wrote to different audiences to offer them the truth of faith in language they could understand. They weren't offering a biography but rather a declaration of faith, a witness by each to his own experience of Jesus. Many Christians approach Scripture as David Limbaugh does. For personal devotional use, I can understand looking for the common threads to catch a glimpse of the man, Jesus, but it does tend toward trying to make the Bible say what we want rather than looking for what's there.
Food for thought, I would say.
Only a few members felt they had read enough to rate the book. The average of 4 ratings is 2.5.
Sunday, March 1, 2020
Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis by J. D. Vance
"It would be years before I learned that no single book, or expert, or field could fully explain the problems of hillbillies in modern America. Our elegy is a sociological one, yes, but it is also about psychology and community and culture and faith."
-J.D. Vance, Hillbilly Elegy
I had wanted to read Hillbilly Elegy for some time, since it was on the NYT best-seller list. The title intrigued me since I have often considered myself a hillbilly, having been born in East Tennessee. When I found I could check out 10 copies from our library, called a Book Bundle, I selected it for Page Turners.
I found Vance's memoir compelling. He describes his life among the working class in the Rust Belt town of Middletown, Ohio, but with family roots in Appalachia. A self-proclaimed hillbilly, Vance was able to survive a dysfunctional family, become a U.S. Marine, graduate from Ohio State and Yale School of Law. He gives his grandparents, Mamaw and Papaw, and his older sister, Lindsay, a great deal of credit for his eventual success in life.
Mamaw is a fascinating character, a force-to-be-reckoned-with, especially if someone crossed a family member. She added much humor to the story.
I thought Hillbilly Elegy might be comparable to Educated, also a memoir but that's probably where the likeness ends. Tara Westover had to become educated in spite of her upbringing while, at least, Vance was encouraged in his education by several family members.
Hillbilly Elegy is somewhat political and has been met with controversy as Vance discusses the problems of this [hillbilly] culture in crisis and what he sees as causes and suggested solutions.
I rate the book a 4. I thought it was well-written and educational. For one thing I learned I must not be a hillbilly; my life was surely nothing like he described!
I look forward to discussing the book at our meeting later this month. More after that....
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Nineteen members attended our February meeting---a larger group than in the past few months. The book's rating by the group was 3.5 with no 5's and no 1's. I believe everyone learned some things by reading Hillbilly Elegy and some had very personal reactions to the book's content. Our discussion was lively, and as I hinted, somewhat emotional. Some found the author a bit self-serving but most agreed it was likely the encouragement of family members that helped him rise above his hillbilly roots.
-J.D. Vance, Hillbilly Elegy
I had wanted to read Hillbilly Elegy for some time, since it was on the NYT best-seller list. The title intrigued me since I have often considered myself a hillbilly, having been born in East Tennessee. When I found I could check out 10 copies from our library, called a Book Bundle, I selected it for Page Turners.
I found Vance's memoir compelling. He describes his life among the working class in the Rust Belt town of Middletown, Ohio, but with family roots in Appalachia. A self-proclaimed hillbilly, Vance was able to survive a dysfunctional family, become a U.S. Marine, graduate from Ohio State and Yale School of Law. He gives his grandparents, Mamaw and Papaw, and his older sister, Lindsay, a great deal of credit for his eventual success in life.
Mamaw is a fascinating character, a force-to-be-reckoned-with, especially if someone crossed a family member. She added much humor to the story.
I thought Hillbilly Elegy might be comparable to Educated, also a memoir but that's probably where the likeness ends. Tara Westover had to become educated in spite of her upbringing while, at least, Vance was encouraged in his education by several family members.
Hillbilly Elegy is somewhat political and has been met with controversy as Vance discusses the problems of this [hillbilly] culture in crisis and what he sees as causes and suggested solutions.
I rate the book a 4. I thought it was well-written and educational. For one thing I learned I must not be a hillbilly; my life was surely nothing like he described!
I look forward to discussing the book at our meeting later this month. More after that....
-----------------------------------------
Nineteen members attended our February meeting---a larger group than in the past few months. The book's rating by the group was 3.5 with no 5's and no 1's. I believe everyone learned some things by reading Hillbilly Elegy and some had very personal reactions to the book's content. Our discussion was lively, and as I hinted, somewhat emotional. Some found the author a bit self-serving but most agreed it was likely the encouragement of family members that helped him rise above his hillbilly roots.
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