I don’t usually do book reviews, but I have read three books recently that were very different and very thought provoking.  Depending on the person, all of them would make fantastic Christmas (or Hanukkah) gifts. 

The first is THE SHACK by William Young.  This is a rather startling book that raises some interesting questions about how we see God.  The first section of the book is very intense and somewhat difficult to read, but the rest of the book was worth the struggle.  The imagination in this story is amazing.

The second is THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PAJAMAS by John Boyne.  This has been made into a movie.  I bought the book because I wasn’t sure I could deal with the visuals of a movie, and I wanted to read the story.  It’s a very thoughful story, but in some places I wondered if it rang true.  There is an innocence to childhood, but I think even that innocence has limits.  The story was good and caused me to reconsider the lives of the people in Nazi Germany and the difficulties and consequences of the choices they made.

The third is THE CHRISTMAS SWEATER by Glenn Beck.  This is a very emotional story about values and second chances.  It is told through the eyes of a child dealing with a loss in his life and not knowing where to turn for answers.  I couldn’t put it down–it moved quickly through the story and left me with a feeling that all situations have hope.

For the history buff, I have a suggestion for a fourth book as a Christmas (or Hanukkah) gift.  I haven’t read it yet–only a few excerpts, but I think it would be a great book to own.  It is THE AMERICAN PATRIOT’S ALMANAC by William J. Bennett and John T. E. Gribb.  Each day has a short article on one of the events of that day in history and a list of other events on that day in history.

As I said, I don’t usually do book reviews, but these are good books and hopefully I have helped someone with his Christmas (or Hanukkah) shopping.  Happy reading!