The Shack by Wm. Paul Young

I read this book and wrote the review (in a book journal I keep) about two and a half years ago.  I know this book has been read by many of you, but I thought I would post this while I finish up about three different books.  That way I can think about the other books and hear from you about this particular book as well.  I will say, that I'm never sure I "get" what I'm supposed to "get" from books written with obvious religious purpose.  That does not mean I don't like them, but there's always a Doubting Sarah voice in my head telling me that better people understand the book on a deeper level.  It's a small voice and I don't like her, but she pops up every once in awhile.  With this particular book, I had a hard time separating my mothering emotions from the rest of the story (I was pregnant with my second at the time I read this).  I always wonder if the child is frightened in situations such as this, or situations of abuse, and if they're able to feel God's love around them despite the fear.  And then I can't think about anything else and I end up crying in an airport and wishing I could hug every kid around me, cause who knows what might happen?  And don't we all deserve to physically feel love and kindness? And then I stop crying because there was a short circuit between my head and my heart.  But I still want to hug all the kids I see.  That's frowned upon, in case you were wondering.  Anyway......here are my thoughts about this book but what I really want to know is what were your thoughts?


Truthfully, I'm not sure what to make of this one.  I picked it up at O'Hare on my way home from Carrie's and I read it quickly.  Thought I'm still not sure if I truly understand or am taking the right things away from it.....but I guess just the wondering is part of the book's goal.

Mr. Young is telling this story for his friend Mac.  Mac's little girl was kidnapped and murdered by a serial killer while Mac had his kids on a camping trip.  Mac's relationship with God was already cautious, but after that tragedy it became contentious.  After receiving a note from "Papa" to meet at the shack (where his daughter was killed), he goes not knowing what to expect.

He spends the weekend with three representations of God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.  He asks questions, makes judgments, walks on water, sees his daughter, heals his relationship with his dead father and ultimately decides to go back to the "real" world when given the choice to stay in this alternate existence/reality/fugue state.  Mac wakes up in a hospital after a terrible car accident.  There are more details, but I think the point is that God loves us despite and because of ourselves even when we struggle to do the same.

Carrie's Top Five for The Family Addiction

Color me baffled.
I had no idea I read so much non-fiction this year.

I demand a recount.  Except, that, um, these are MY calculations that leave me so baffled.  By my count, of the 30 literary works I reviewed during the first year of The Family Addiction, I can classify almost all of those works as equal parts fantasy (7), romance (7), mystery (7), and non-fiction (7).

Equal parts non-fiction?

How did that happen?

I am a self-proclaimed escapist reader.  Just look at my profile page!  Serious reading = work reading.  Fun reading = steampunk, detectives, and happily ever after.  (Not, of course, all in the same story.)

Perhaps I tried to make myself look like a smarter reader once I realized I'd need to admit, aloud (or online, at least), what I read in my free time.  Except . . . once you remove the two China books I read for work-related reasons, every one of those non-fiction books was something that really appealed to me. That's so weird.

As there will be no recount, how about we just pretend this little fact-finding mission never happened? Then do me a favor and don't count how many non-fiction books made my top five list.  That way I can go back to thinking of reading as escapism instead of work.

As we approached our first blogiversary last Wednesday, it seemed right for Sarah, Amy and me to write recap posts (of sorts).  We settled on this top five list because it mirrored the list of five favorites we post over there. ==>

(We may move those soon to our profile pages, but for now, they're really over there. ==>)

Picking a top five wasn't easy for me.  Some of my favorite authors wrote books that were good, but not as great as their best work.  Some of my favorite authors were reviewed by my sisters.  Some pod people took over my body and had me reading outside my comfort area.  (I might have made up that last one.)  I decided that my top five needed to be books that I would enthusiastically recommend, without reservation, because that, after all, is the whole point of The Family Addiction.

And here they are:

5) China Road by Rob Gifford  Last April I wrote "It should've read like the road trip from hell--two months traveling 2,998 miles from Shaghai to the China-Kazahkstan border. Instead, it read like the end of a really good date the author never wanted to end, the kind where he keeps delaying the inevitable good-bye. Arguably, a two-month trip through China via taxi, truck and bus may be longest and oddest end of a date on record, but it was a lovely good-bye nonetheless."


This book was a labor of love and labor of hard-earned insight.  If you struggle with the endless possibility and the imminent threat that China seems to be, you should read China Road.


4) River Marked by Patricia Briggs In this review, I admitted that I spend insane amounts of time wondering how I might fit into the fictional lives of my favorite fictional people.  What can I say? Patricia Briggs writes such good stuff I can't help myself. As I wrote in my review, River Marked is the sixth book in a series, and I adore the entire series.  I think what makes this book so amazing is that it's so complete.  All the pieces of Mercy's life fit together in the plot.  Plus, what's not to love about a VW mechanic?


3) The Sword-Edged Blonde by Alex Bledsoe  This was a new author for me, but I after I posted this review on February 20, I ran straight to the library to get two more books by the same author.  Happily, one of those books follows The Sword-Edged Blonde in a series.  Here's how I characterized Eddie LaCrosse, the protagonist of this series.  "See, Eddie is tough guy, a sword for hire.  Living in a place that feels a little bit Medieval Times and a little bit Tombstone, Eddie makes a living by his wits, by his word, by his weapon.  I don't want to date Eddie, and I really don't want to be Eddie, but I would love to have a guy like Eddie at my back.  When you're in a pinch, and you need someone discreet to straighten out your mess, Eddie is your guy. He's a little bit Sam Spade, little bit Harry Dresden, and whole lot of Easy Rawlins."  Just like in River Marked, what's not to love?


2) Destiny of the Republic by Candice Millard So, President Garfield held the Oval Office for all of about six minutes because of delusions of grandeur on the part of the man who shot him and the man who doctored him.  Destiny of the Republic outlines this story in a compelling and revealing manner.  If you think underhanded political behavior is a new twist on democracy, you should read this book.

I always cry along with tears of joy.

1) The Help by Kathryn Stockett  I loved this book even as it made me cry in sympathy and ache in frustration.  You may have seen the movie.  You should know that Octavia Spencer won an Oscar for her portrayal of the best damn cook in Jackson.
I think you should read The Help because, in my own words, it's "a story about the way we are when we think no one (or no one of consequence) is looking. This is a story about the way we are with people we don't understand and don't know. This is the story about the way we are with children; with our friends; with privilege; with adversity. I hope you read it. I hope it speaks to you, too, because it is, simply, a story about the way we are."


So that's my contribution to The Family Addiction for this first year.  What do you think? Have you read these books? You should!  As the second year of this blog rolls along, what do you think I should read?  

Amy's Top Five for The Family Addiction

In honor of our blogiversary (yes, I know that was technically earlier this week, but we like to stretch things out a bit around here) it is my turn to take a trip down memory lane.  This past year I reviewed 29 books for The Family Addiction. Wow.  That was a lot of reading!  And typing!  And ignoring my household duties! Yay! You would think that composing a list of my top five favorites should be easy, right?  Wrong.  It would actually be easier for me to list my top five LEAST favorites that I have reviewed this year (I'm looking at YOU, Sweet Valley High Confidential: 10 Years Later).  When I don't like something, I REALLY don't like something.  But when I like something, I LOVE something and there were a lot of books that I LOVED this year.  I'll do my best to break them down for you here. 

5.  Crush by Alan Jacobson
Months later, I still find myself comparing female crime fighters in books and even on TV to Karen Vail.  She is tough in a male-dominated profession and yet has a likable feminine side to her also.  She balances her duties as mom, cop and girlfriend the best she can, even when surrounded by a gruesome murder during what was supposed to be her vacation.  It didn't hurt that this particular mystery was set in California; more specifically the wine country. Jacobson crafted some memorable characters in a realistic setting and I am looking forward to reading more.

4.  Iron Lake by William Kent Krueger
Again, love the strong crime-fighting main character in this one.  This time it's an ex-sheriff of a sleepy Minnesota town by the name of Cork O'Connor.  He's Irish, rugged and no-nonsense.  Cork's main focus is finding the truth even if it means he has to make some major sacrifices on his part.  He is part loving dad, part loyal ex-sheriff and part torn ex-husband.  Bonus:  there are ten more Cork O'Connor novels for me (and you!) to read.

3.  My Blood Approves by Amanda Hocking
Finally a vampire novel I could read without being annoyed!  And this one even made my top five list!  Hocking made her mark as an e-publishing dynamo with this series that she wrote in her spare time. Even though it is a young adult novel, I didn't FEEL like a young adult when I read it.  The characters are mature without taking themselves too seriously.  The book is fun, short and is exactly what I want in a paranormal romance. 

2.  There Are No Children Here by Alex Kotlowitz
I was blown away by how much this book affected and still affects me.  Set in Chicago, There Are No Children Here is the story of real life for two young men raised in the Henry Horner homes. The day-to-day living of these particular boys was riveting and heart-breaking at the same time.  Drugs, crime and poverty invaded every moment of their lives in the early 1990's.  What could just a few more dollars and a little bit more opportunity have done for them?  Would their lives have been any different?  I wish I knew.

1.  The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Surprised?  You shouldn't be.  I talk about this book all the time!  By far my favorite book this year.  If you haven't read it DO.IT.NOW.  (Sarah...this means you!).  Almost daily, I see where more and more people are reading this book or have teenagers that are reading this book. What is all the fuss about? Set in the future after the fall of the North America, the country of Panem now exists in twelve districts that must send one person each year to The Hunger Games to fight to the death.  It's full of action, suspense and drama.  Once you start, you'll be hard-pressed to put it down. I promise.

What were your favorite books in the past year?  What would you like to see us review in the future?  Leave us a comment and let us know.  It just might make my list of favorites for next year!  Happy Reading!