Book Report: Blue Like Jazz

So I've heard about this book many different times and from many different people, but I never got around to reading it. I recently paid a visit to the mother of all Half Price Bookstores on Northwest Highway (shout out to Half Price books by the way...teachers get 10% off!), and I picked up Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller on CD.

I've been anti-books on CD since the Jackson/Twilight debacle 0f 2006, but I thought it might be fun to listen to on my little commute to work and back. I cannot tell you what a wonderful surprise of a blessing this book was!

In Blue Like Jazz, Donald Miller shares aspects of his spiritual journey through a series of short essays. His essays are so raw and real, and they particularly appealed to me - a lover of Jesus who at times has a distrust of the institutional church. The best part was that Donald Miller read the book for the CD, so I felt like I had a buddy in the car with me all of the time -- an extremely intelligent, insightful, passionate, Christian buddy. I even found myself sitting in the driveway many times to finish a chapter before going inside.

Blue Like Jazz reminded me that it is important to ask questions, to search, and to discover the truths of the bible. The book is not preachy, but it challenges us to get to the heart of what we believe and live that everyday.

Read this book. That is all.

Stacey

Book Report: The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo

Maybe one of the reasons I love teaching kids to read is because reading is one of my favorite things to do. Some of my earliest memories are going to the library with my mom, loading up our library bag (we were green even then!), and spending the day with my books.

I don't have as much time to read now it seems, but I love it just as much.

My latest read to "diskuss": The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo by Stieg Larsson

After hearing SO much about this book, I finally decided to give it a whirl. It's not the typical book I read (I am much more into cute girly books or anything with a cute picture on the front), but it was super interesting, suspenseful, and intense. It was hard to put down (once I actually found the time to pick it up!)

Something interesting I have heard about Stieg Larsson's inspiration for writing is that he witnessed a gang rape as a teenager, and he felt a strong regret over never stepping up to help the girl. This girl's name was Lisbeth, which is the name of one of the main characters in this book. The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo (and the other 2 books in the Millennium Trilogy) are based on themes of sexual violence. What an important, relevant concept. Consequently, it also makes many scenes difficult to read. I even had to stop reading the book before bed to avoid nightmares.

The book is different for me because I didn't feel myself identifying with any of the characters, but I also found myself so interested in each of them for their unique qualities. The book has so many stories within the story that kept me on my toes, anticipating how the stories would eventually intertwine.

That being said, I would highly recommend reading this book! I can't wait to read the next one.

Have any of y'all read this book? What did you think?

Stacey