The Evangelical Universalist Forum

Your Opinions Please

Hi everyone!

I really love ‘The Shack’ and have decided to read it again as my faith has waned a bit and I love the trinity aspect of the shack.
What other books would you recommend that are similar to the shack or even has the trinity in it.

Thanks.

Brad

“So you don’t want to go to church any more” by Wayne Jacobsen is a good read and similar in style to the Shack (fiction with theology woven in). Doesn’t say anything in particular about the Trinity though, as far as I remember, so that might not be what you’re after. Also in the fiction-plus-theology style is Brian McLaren’s trilogy beginning with “A New Kind Of Christian”, but again, no specific discussion of the Trinity.

not read The Shack, but i found Blue Like Jazz by Don Miller very encouraging for waning faith. can’t remember if there’s any Trinity stuff in it, but it’s pretty awesome and a very relaxing read.

Yeah, I recently read The Shack myself, and found it to be beautifully written and thought-provoking and encouraging. :slight_smile:

I would concur with James (aka corpselight) on Donald Miller. :wink:
And his other books are good as well, which include Searching For God Knows What, Through Painted Deserts, Father Fiction (also known as To Own A Dragon), and his latest (which I haven’t read yet, sitting on my shelf waiting, but I’m sure it’s good too :wink:) A Million Miles In A Thousand Years.
I think my favorite and the most encouraging for me of all his books was Through Painted Deserts, which is a reprint of his first book, which was originally called Prayer and the Art Of Volkswagen Maintenance. :slight_smile:
It’s basically about his laugh out loud and yet profoundly spiritual road-trip with a friend, and their wild and thought-provoking adventures along the way, from Texas to Oregon (my neck of the woods :wink:). I think you’ll love it. :wink:
Or at least James would, with his healthy sense of humor. :wink: :laughing:

Anyways, along with Miller I’d recommend his female equivalent, Anne Lamott. :slight_smile: I’ve only read her book, Traveling Mercies, but that alone endeared her to my heart, and I look forward to reading more of her work. :slight_smile:
She’s raw and real and relevant and hilarious. :slight_smile:

Beyond that, as far as waning faith goes, I highly recommend two of my favorite authors, Philip Yancey (who I’m sure you’ve probably heard of) and Frederick Buechner.

Yancey’s books I’ve found to be really encouraging as well as thought-provoking, and Yancey is humble and gracious and down-to-earth in his approach, and his writings really helped me a lot when I was rediscovering the Christian faith back in my mid-twenties. :slight_smile:
I’d recommend checking out Disappointment With God, What’s So Amazing About Grace?, and Reaching For The Invisible God for starters. :slight_smile:

And Buechner is, well, just wonderful… you might call him an ‘apostle to the doubters’, being a guy who has wrestled with doubt alot himself… he even once said in one of his books ‘if there’s no room for doubt, then there’s no room for me’. :wink:
He was a novelist who became a Presbyterian minister, and it shows… his sermons and other writings are eloquent and poetic and soul-searching and deep… and thinking back on it, he seems to lean a little towards UR, or at least he strikes me as someone who does… his writing speaks to the heart, and is very encouraging and, well, faith-stirring. :slight_smile:
I haven’t read all of his stuff, but what I’ve read was great. I guess you could check out the books I’ve read of his:
Telling The Truth: The Gospel According to Tragedy, Comedy, and Fairy Tale; The Alphabet Of Grace; his books of sermons, The Magnificent Defeat and The Hungering Dark, and A Room Called Remember. :slight_smile:
I think you’ll appreciate his style and approach. :slight_smile:

As far as more fictional/theological work, I’ve heard that George MacDonald, whom the author of The Shack is a big fan of, was adept at writing theological fiction. :wink: I haven’t read any of his stuff really yet, but I’m sure a lot of people on this forum have, and I’m sure they could comment on that. :slight_smile:

And then there’s a book I’m planning on reading sometime soon called Whatever Became Of Melanie?, by Allan E. Chevrier, which is supposed to be similar to The Shack, only openly Universalist instead of subtly so. :wink: May want to give it a look. :slight_smile:

Also, not sure if you heard, but William Paul Young, the author of The Shack, is coming out with another theological fiction book, called Crossroads, sometime this November, so you want to keep an eye out for that. :slight_smile:

As to books that have more of a focus on the Trinity, I’m not sure… I think as far as theological fiction, The Shack may be somewhat unique in that department… but if I ever come across anything, I’ll let you know. :slight_smile:

Well, hopefully these suggestions help. :slight_smile: Blessings to you :slight_smile:

Matt

Matt, I’d be very interested in hearing your thoughts on Whatever became of Melanie when you’re done reading it. I might get a copy for my parents (my mother has a firm belief in ECT and an entirely non-Christian family) if you think it’s good… no pressure… :wink:

amazon.com/The-Shack-Revisit … y_b_text_z might be of interest to SpiritSeeker too. It says it’s by “a Trinitarian scholar and the Director of Perichoresis Ministries, a ministry dedicated to the recovery of the gospel of the Triune God”

I strongly ditto Matt’s recommendation of MacD’s fiction, although I don’t recall there being much (if any) trinitarianism in it:

Adult Fantasy: Lilith; Phantastes

Children’s Fantasy: The Princess and the Goblin; The Princess and Curdie; various short story collections (a few of those are more for adults).

His adult mundane fiction tends to be rather boring, but it does feature trinitarianism more obviously, as well as some universalism where appropriate.

His non-fiction Unspoken Sermons (three volumes + The Hope of the Gospel + The Miracles of Our Lord, which for all practical purposes are volumes four and five).

I gave up halfway through The Shack. Should I take it up again?

Greetings :smiley:

Andre — If you gave up halfway then why not ? I used to be really close friends with Paul Young …
We went to the same church together too… in the earliest before the Publishing came into view
I read it and made comments about various parts …

      My non going Church parents even sent me a copy -- which shocked me -- 

    Although there is another professor at another seminary in Portland ( not sure shootin from memory )
     who wrote a rebuttal to Paul's book  ---   good for Publishing but since I personally know Paul 
      then it has little Value to me ---  some of the advertisements on it surprised me ..  e.g.
       trying to make it appear more scholarly ( but then again that is very little pet peeve of mine ... ) :laughing:  :laughing: 
     
     I would also recommend Peter Kreeft -- RF Capon --  CS Lewis -- Adult Triology ( book 1 & 2 )
        Andre I also never finished the Great Divorce by Lewis ...  due to the prickling of my emotional 
       feelings of overbearing 'guilt' at that time ... 
         which is one reason that I seldom read much along the traditional Devotional line anymore ...
      not because of the 'guilt' feelings anymore --- those have long since dissipated ...
          
         One of the main reasons I do not is connected with the abstract concepts and ideas within them ...
        I prefer to have more stimulating & thought provoking responses to a book 
           rather than having me ponder how, why or when I could reach such a lofty "spiritual" atmosphere

       Of course -- different strokes for different folks 

          Someday I will spend much more time reading Miroslav Volf ----

          Baxter Kruger has a lot of dvd and writings from the view of Perichoresis --- 
        which I had started to read while contemplating getting a Thd ---  (doctoral degree for Theology )
         ( i added this because some guys I have known on the Net pretend that they got Phd in Theology  :laughing:  :laughing:  :laughing: 

       however, Baxter strikes me more as a halleujah we all goin tuh have wunderful daily livin as we 
           participate in the Dance !   
         Baxter and Paul Young's view of Church History is also divergent from mine as well...    :wink:  :wink:  :wink: 

         what to read ?
          find something that "sparks" Passion into Your Life experience 

         many people are shocked that at my age I still read RL Stine ...   :laughing:  :laughing:  :laughing: 
           if you like to try to get a glimpse of asian detective style writing from a western perspective
          The Chinese Bell Murders is a detective novel written by Robert van Gulik 
               I can even send you one of these ... :wink:  :wink: 

         all the best !

Susan StoHelit

I started “Melanie” but haven’t made it through. It starts well, but bogs down in long “as you know” type discussions pretty quickly. I don’t want to hurt the writer’s feelings, so I kind of hesitate to say this to you. Maybe you’d like it. But for me, it’s a well-intended book which contains at least some good theology (as far as I got, anyway), but the writer needed more coaching. Hardly anyone writes a block-buster novel right out of the starting gate. Like everything, it does take practice, and I’m sure I wouldn’t be any better – but I know good music when I hear it. :wink:

If the theology is new to you and sufficiently engaging to gloss over the slow-moving story line, then you may just love this book. But if you’re looking for one to give your folks, I think I’d reach for The Shack first. It hasn’t got as much theology, but it’s engaging and the author shares his leanings mostly through story – which is, imo, more effective in this genre.

Blessings, Cindy

Thanks Cindy, I appreciate that. It doesn’t sound like something they’d read then - my mother is definitely one for theology through story. My parents loved the Shack - in fact they gave me a copy, not the other way around. I think they just ignored the more universalist-leaning bits of it. They’re keen on Rob Bell too.

Spiritseeker, I second the recommendation of C.S Lewis’ adult trilogy. There is a kind of trinity-ness about it although the third book is… odd. But then the Holy Spirit can be odd. (I’d say the first book has more to do with God the Father, and the second with God the Son. You don’t see the Trinity in relationship like you do in The Shack. But it has been a while since I read them, so I may be wrong).

One of these days I’ll get around to reading his stuff… thus far all I’ve ever really read of his work is his sermon Justice… really gotta expand on that… I’ve got a bunch of his stuff in my possession, but just haven’t gotten around to reading any of it yet… I’ll get around to it eventually though. :wink:
Oh, and you forgot to mention At Back Of The North Wind, that’s another one of his popular Children’s Fantasies. :wink:

I would, bro, it’s a really encouraging book, and concludes beautifully. :slight_smile:

Can’t say I’m a Goosebumps fan, but I do love a lot of Children’s Lit, even at 30 :laughing:
In fact, my screen-name is from a children’s book, The Miraculous Journey Of Edward Tulane by Kate Dicamillo, which spoke deeply to my soul… among my other favorites are The Neverending Story by Michael Ende, I Am David by Anne Holm, Goodnight Mr. Tom by Michelle Magorian, Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli, Slake’s Limbo by Felice Holman, Out Of The Dust by Karen Hesse, Bridge To Terabithia by Katherine Paterson, and The Janitor’s Boy by Andrew Clements, to name a few… :slight_smile:

That said, SpiritSeeker and AndreLinoge, I’d highly recommend both of you read some children’s books and young adult books, even if you feel silly doing so not being kids anymore… you’ll probably find more encouragement and inspiration in such books than anywhere else… :wink:

Ah, you’re breaking my heart, Cindy :laughing: I’ll probably still read it sometime though. :wink:

But hey Susan, did you catch that bit about Paul Young’s new book, Crossroads, coming out in November? May want to mention that to your parents if they didn’t know yet. :slight_smile:

And I’ve gotta read the Perelandra trilogy one of these days… I tried to pick up the first one, Out Of The Silent Planet, but couldn’t get into it, may try again sometime…
I guess I’m more of a John Carter Of Mars kind of guy when it comes to sci-fi adventures :laughing:

Speaking of sci-fi, another set of books maybe worth mentioning here is the Wrinkle In Time series, by Madeleine L’Engle…
I’ve read the first three books in the series, which though not heavy on theology, do have some subtle hinting here and there of it, and I heard that the late L’Engle was a universalist. :wink:

Blessings to you :slight_smile:

Matt

Yes, definitely read the childrens’ literature. It is among the absolutely BEST stuff out there. CS Lewis dedicated one of his Narnia books to, a niece, I think, and in the dedication mentioned that girls grow faster than books, and that while she was probably too old to want to read it now, in a few years she would be young enough again. :laughing: I agree.

I love MacDonald’s fiction. It won’t appeal to the rough and tumble sword and sorcery space opera guys, and that’s fine. They are what God made them. But I like it. Stories like his teach without knowing it and seep down into your foundations, making gentle changes (a good reason to be careful what you read/watch). The ideas incubate in your subconscious until the water becomes wine. Yes, his writing is not “up to” modern standards. The fashions have changed, and what was popular back then would have to be self-published today – not by choice, but because no one else would take it. Quite a lot of CS Lewis’ fiction comes to mind. It doesn’t follow the formula, but overlook that for a few paragraphs and you’ll be unable to put it down.

At any rate, MacDonald’s stuff is free! (Assuming you get it on your e-reader.) And if you get hard copies, they’re still low-cost. I don’t understand quite a lot of it, but I think my subconscious does. His more fantastic writings seem to me beautiful and compelling and even though I may have trouble finding and following the plot, I can’t put them down. His writing in these works is kind of dream-like – like a really well-made collage with depth and contrast and things you can’t quite tell what they are . . . .

Lewis’ Space Trilogy is… well, an acquired taste. If you’re fond (like Lewis) of Verne and Wells, it’s in much the same vein (except critical of their worldview approaches. Verne even has an guest-cameo appearance in That Hideous Strength, inadvertently supporting the devil.) Not at all the kind of writing as Burroughs’ Mars or Venus series. (Or his Pellucidar/Earth’s Core series for that matter. Closer to his Caspak/Time Forgot trilogy come to think of it…)

Perelandra, the middle book, would be the closest to the John Carter books in several ways I guess. It was also Lewis’ personal favorite work until he wrote his final novel Till We Have Faces. (Which I still haven’t read after all these years. Despite a few interesting parallels between its plot and CoJ!–but then, that’s partly why I’m holding off now until I finish writing Book 6, so I don’t pick up and use things from it. :wink:)

I agree about Lewis’ space trilogy. I read it a long time ago and while it had its highlights, it is my least favored of his works. I would go back now and see if I appreciate it more at this point in my life, but I no longer have the books and last time I checked they were more than I wanted to pay for something I did read once and didn’t really care for.

However . . . I only recently read “'Til We Have Faces” and enjoyed it very much. :slight_smile: It seems to me similar to some of MacDonald’s more fantastical writings.

I decided to go ahead and order this one that you recommended, Susan, instead of Whatever Became Of Melanie?, 'cuz it’s cheaper and it sounds a little more interesting to me at the moment. :wink:

I know that Wayne Jacobsen is an annihilationist rather than a universalist (or at least I think he is anyway…), but awhile back I listened to one of his sermons online that a friend had posted (maybe some time I can find it again and share it here :slight_smile:), and though I could sense his annihilationist leanings a bit in his message, I really appreciated the positive and encouraging picture that he painted of God, that of a loving and trustworthy Father, and how he spoke to the fears and doubts that we have about God… so I’m intrigued about his theological novel, and am encouraged by your recommendation as well. :wink:

I’ll let you know what I think. :slight_smile:

I’ve got all three of the books in the trilogy sitting on my shelf, along with A Generous Orthodoxy…plan on reading them all sometime in the near future. :slight_smile:

Blessing to you :slight_smile:

I enjoyed “So You Don’t Want To Go To Church Anymore” very much. Alas, it isn’t very workable, so seriously – don’t think you can “do church” this way because I promise you almost nothing will happen. :laughing: We actually sort of “semi-tried” this for a while. Unless you decide to meet, or live on the same block, or are naturally highly compatible with one another, it’s not going anywhere. But it’s a lot of fun to read. And I believe you can download it for free from his website. I actually read the whole thing the computer and then bought a hard copy because I liked it.

A good discussion here. I’ll throw in my two-pence worth.

I read The Shack a couple of times last year. I read it twice because I found its themes and its theological stance compelling and uplifting. I thought the depiction of the Trinity was refreshing and clever, and Paul Young is clearly a jolly nice chap in whom the Spirit dwells far more than in a miserable old git like me.

Because I’m afraid I found it all too amateurish as a piece of fiction. The actual writing was limp and cliched, and the characterisation, such as I recall it, shallow. For me, *The Shack *suffers from the same faults that handicap a lot of (most?) overtly *Christian *fiction, and indeed overtly *Christian *rock music - blandness, twee saccharinity, and a failure to engage with the reality of human life in all its grimy, painful glory.

Paul Young is very brave to take on the sensitive subject of child murder. But unfortunately he fails to pull it off because he is unwilling or unable to penetrate the true darkness at the heart of his subject. He’s also just not a particularly good writer.

I hope I don’t come across as uncharitable in what I’m saying. I know *The Shack *has sold gazillions of copies. And God knows the writing isn’t much worse than, say, Dan Brown’s egregious Da Vinci Code, or indeed any of the *Harry Potter *novels. But like I say, if you want to take on a subject like the killing of a child in fiction, you need to be brave enough to go the whole hog, to plunge headlong into that darkness.

And that is something only the great Christian novelists have done successfully - Graham Greene, William Golding or Dostoyevsky for example – that great Russian author’s Notes from Underground being a particularly fine example.

Even CS Lewis, who I admire hugely, struggles to ‘do evil’ convincingly in his adult novels. (Although I seem to recall him admitting as much.)

For me, the best ‘Christian’ fiction, like the best ‘Christian’ music, is that in which any religious themes are latent rather than overt. Too much ‘Christian’ fiction I’ve read – which isn’t much, admittedly – reads like an extended homily, with the story merely a framework on which the author hangs his own theological beliefs.

An absolutely textbook example of this sort of guff is a recent novel called The Influence by Matt Slick. Some of you may have heard of Mr Slick, as he runs a pompous vanity website called CARM – Christian Apologetics Research Ministry. The site has a prima facie veneer of authority, which is very sad as its content is toxic rubbish, the absolute epitome of intolerant, ultra conservative Calvinist fundamentalism.

Anyway, Matt Slick has churned out a Christian ‘thriller’ in the vein of Frank Peretti’s This Present Darkness. Now any of you who have read Peretti will know that he won’t be troubling the Nobel prize committee any time soon. But compared to Matt Slick he is a literary giant. Slick makes old Frank look like Herman Melville!

I downloaded a free sample of The Influence onto my Kindle (almost causing it to malfunction permanently in protest). If you’re brave enough, here’s the opening sentence:

Near the ceiling of an immense, dark cavern, a tear in the fabric of space wrenched open and was followed by a twisting metal sound that echoed among the craggy walls.

There’s only one word for this: yeeuurrcchhhh.

It’s quite amusing, actually, as Mr Slick tries to depict a demon-infested hell in The Influence. Well I certainly felt like I was in hell during the few long minutes I spent reading the opening chapters.

Luckily for my sanity the free sample didn’t take me too far into Slick’s poisonous theological browbeating. Sadly some gullible Christians already seem to have shelled out for this garbage. Some of them, judging by the reviews on Amazon, actually seem to have enjoyed it – those who aren’t Slick’s minions, that is.

The Shack, with all its faults, is as far above The Influence as The New York Times is above The National Enquirer.

So, to return to the OP’s question, are there any books I’d recommend? Well, bearing in mind my literary taste – which hopefully I’ve made clear :smiley: – I would recommend CS Lewis’s The Great Divorce. It’s a quick and easy read, compelling, clever, theologically challenging, and you get to meet George MacDonald in it!

I’d also recommend Crime and Punishment and The Brothers Karamazov by the aforementioned Dostoyevsky. Be warned, though, these are definitely not quick or easy reads :smiley:. Plus pretty much anything by Greene or Golding, although Lord of the Flies is always a good one to start with.

Actually, Brad, on reflection maybe you might want to skip Greene for a while if your faith is feeling a bit downtrodded. He was a tortured Catholic who suffered from severe depression, and most of his novels demonstrate that. Golding called him, “the ultimate chronicler of twentieth century man’s consciousness and anxiety”. Gives you an idea of where he’s coming from!

I don’t know, Brad. I guess fundamentally I believe that life is – for the most part – a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing, and my taste in novels reflects that sensibility. But by the Grace of God I do occasionally manage to raise my head up above the cesspit of my angst, snatch a few quick breaths of God’s clean air, catch tantalising glimpses of something bigger and brighter. And in that I put my faith.

All the best to you

Johnny

Ah, you’re such a party pooper, Cindy :laughing:

I guess I’ll still read it though. :wink:

.

Ah, Johnny, old boy, you are a harsh critic :laughing: I thought it was a lovely book, and well-written, but then to each their own, I suppose. :wink:

What, you’re a Brit and you dislike Harry Potter :open_mouth:

I can’t say that I’ve read The Da Vinci Code (and don’t intend to, as it doesn’t sound like my cup of tea), but I can say, thanks to my fiancee who adores Harry Potter, that I’ve read the whole series, and thought they were all perfectly lovely, and masterfully written, and immensely entertaining and fun to read… in fact, I think Rowling is something of a genius, and has earned every penny. :wink:

But again, to each their own… one man’s trash is another man’s treasure I suppose. :wink: :laughing:

But I agree that taking on the subject of the death of a child is no light matter, though perhaps you can’t blame someone for not allowing their psyche to delve too deeply into so dark a place as that, especially if they are a parent, and of four no less, like Paul Young… it may be too painful to dwell too much in your imagination on such a thing as that… :neutral_face:

I do have to agree with you here, bro :slight_smile: Sometimes less is more :wink: I have often found more spiritual encouragement in technically secular (though not overtly secular, necessarily) literature and film and music than in overtly Christian works (though like yourself I haven’t read, watched, or listened to too much overtly Christian stuff, to be fair), to be honest. :wink:

I’ve still gotta get around to reading that one. :wink:

I also plan on reading The Brothers Karamazov someday, as I’ve heard that it’s one of the greatest novels ever written, and has been referenced and recommended by some of my favorite authors, and it is considered Dostoyevsky’s greatest work, and I’ve also heard that Dostoyevsky was a Universalist, so I’m intrigued. :slight_smile:
I’ve got a copy sitting on my shelf, and will get around to it eventually. :wink:

I read Lord of the Flies back in high school, and I didn’t care for it too much… but I will say it was worlds more exciting than The Great Gatsby :laughing: And not quite so depressing as Animal Farm :wink:

Aye, we all have different tastes, bro… I too like some books like that, that are very raw and honest and earthy in their portrayal of life and faith… it sounds to me like you would dig Frederick Buechner, who is a fan of many of the same kinds of work that you seem be a fan of, and has a similar approach in his writing… his writing is that of a man who is grasping with all his might at the straws of faith that he has… I think you’d appreciate him. :slight_smile:
If you wanted to check him out, you could start with the books I recommended to Brad and Rob. :slight_smile:

And I can relate by the way, bro… I too hold onto those glimpses, and that’s what keeps my head above water… we may not have enough faith to walk on water, but at least we have enough to keep afloat. :wink:

Blessings to you, bro :slight_smile:

Matt

Hi Matt

The world would be a very dull place indeed if we all liked the same things. :smiley:

Maybe I was a bit harsh on The Shack - and as I say, I think its message is wonderful and uplifting. Its heart, as they say, is in the right place. Much like yours, my friend. :smiley:

As for Harry Potter, I’m afraid that’s just the literary snob in me. The success of the Harry Potter books massively outstrips their literary merit, which is mediocre at best. But take nothing away from JK, she’s written books that kids love to read, and that can only be a good thing. I’m just jealous because she’s a wildly successful novelist with a fortune in the bank, while I’m a bitter and twisted failed novelist (two written, two rejected) with sweet fanny adams in the bank. :smiley:

You’re right in what you say about The Brothers Karamazov. It is often hailed as ‘the greatest novel ever written’ (although who could possibly adjudicate between all the great novels). The profundity of its theological and philosophical themes is extraordinary, particularly its meditation on the problem of evil. But man it’s hard work! And yes, I’m pretty sure old Fyodor was a universalist.

My own list of ‘greatest’ novels would include: lots of Dickens (*Great Expectations * and Our Mutual Friend being particular favourites); most of Jane Austen’s work (*Mansfield Park *used to be my favourite novel, until I read Raymond Chandler’s The Long Goodbye); Catch 22; *The Adventures of Huckeberry *Finn (possibly *the *greatest American novel); Moby Dick (which to my shame I still haven’t finished :blush: ); and *The Influence *by Matt Slick. Not.

Interesting that you found *Animal Farm *depressing. Orwell is one of my heroes, a brilliant writer and a man with a huge social conscience.

Thanks for the tip-off about Frederick Buechner. I’ll try and check him out.

I seem to recall you asked me on another thread whether I liked Simon and Garfunkel. Well I do, very much. Bridge Over Troubled Water is one of the all-time great albums, beautifully written and even more beautifully sung. As a fully paid up member of the Bob Dylan fan club I always enjoy listening to beautifully melodic singing :laughing: . Actually Bob has an *amazing *blues voice. But beautifully melodic it ain’t.

Now that, Mr Wiley, is poetry! :smiley:

Peace and love to you my good American friend

Johnny

I certainly did - recommended it to them almost before I’d finished reading your post. :slight_smile:

I’ll be interested to hear what you think of Jacobsen’s book. Cindy may be right that it can’t really be done, I don’t know. We have something similar with our homegroup, but we do arrange to meet regularly and we do all live with 15 minutes’ drive of each other. But I won’t say more till you’ve read it. :smiley:

Cindy, I recently reread Till We Have Faces and loved it. Makes a whole lot more sense now that I’m not a teenager any more, too! And I agree with Johnny that The Great Divorce makes excellent reading.

As an aside, I love Harry Potter. But I’m happy to admit that I’ll read anything that has a good storyline, regardless of style. (Well, pretty much regardless). One of the things I enjoy about Rowling’s books is how she has worked in a lot of genuine mythology and folklore, although I guess that’s not immediately obvious unless you’re into those things already. I also like that they read aloud pretty well - I don’t have to keep replacing “said” with alternative verbs, for example, which is a problem I often encounter when reading to my children! :unamused: