A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin

I tend to think of myself as a non-fantasy genre individual. Yet somehow I keep getting sucked into and hooked on fantasy series: Chronicles of Narnia, Lord of the Rings, Hunger Games, etc. A Game of Thrones did it to me again.
Much like The Fellowship of the Ring for the Lord of the Rings trilogy, this first book in the Song of Ice and Fire series had the heavy task of serving as introduction to the world(s) grown out of Martin's detailed imagination. As such, I found that it took me a better part of the first half to get to the point where I couldn't put it down. However, I found it difficult to walk away once I was immersed in the life of charaters such as Lord Eddard Stark of Winterfell, who becomes the king's right hand man in place of his (allegedly) murdered predecessor and has the task of solving the mystery of the last hand's death. And characters like King Robert Baratheon and his scheming wife, Queen Cersei; Viserys and Daenerys Targaryan, whose family was ousted from the throne and murdered by King Robert and who are now, through marriage to a barbarian king, working to take back that throne. (Ok, somehow making that list made me feel exceedingly nerdy.) And as the storyline of a kingdom full of tension and mixed loyalties unfolds, I found I had to see it through. The end of the book cleverly left me hanging, anxiously waiting to get my hands on the next in the series (thanks, HBO, for boosting the popularity and making this virtually impossible at my library).
BOTTOM LINE: You don't have to be a fantasy-genre-type person to get sucked into the Game of Thrones, which apparently, you either win or you die.

Choosing to See by MaryBeth Chapman

As a believer in Christ and the hope that He brings us, I find shame in admitting that lately I live under a cloud of fear. It's kind of a small cloud, but it's there, nevertheless. You see, everyday I hear a new story of heartbreak, pain, or sickness being experienced on this earth, and I end up thinking "Why not me?" and then I wait for the other shoe to drop. My life is so full. My heart so full. And I just find myself wondering when it will be ripped away.

Ahem. Depressed yet?

All this is to say that through the book I literally JUST finished reading, I was reminded powerfully that though, yes, there is great pain and suffering in this world, Christ has overcome it! (John 16:33 - an amazing verse of truth and comfort! See below.) In Choosing to See, Mary Beth Chapman walks us through her journey of wrestling with God to give up the illusion of control we all seem to have in our lives but specifically how that looked in hers. Most particularly, in the loss of her five-year-old daughter, Maria, in the spring of 2008. I am so grateful for the way Mary Beth allowed her and her family to be used as she so transparently laid out their grief, pain, wrestling, and moments of hope. She shares the ways in which they have seen God so powerfully work in and through them while at the same time not hiding the earthly struggle with loss and the emotions that accompany it.

BOTTOM LINE: While I cried many tears through the pages, I was left feeling an immense hope that if I CHOOSE TO SEE God at work, I have nothing to fear. I am reminded that He is my guide and my strength and completely outside of MY control and MY desires, His plan will be carried out in my life.

I have said these things to you that you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world." John 16:33

Room by Emma Donoghue

I believe this book falls under the category of "Don't pick it up unless you have the time to not put it down". Which I generally don't have. Time, that is. But somehow this week I found a way to plow through this heart-stopping tale. Having a five-ish-year-old boy in my life made it difficult, nay, impossible, to make my way to the end without shedding tears, as the narrator in this story is a five-year-old little guy named Jack. The brilliance in Ms. Donoghue's writing of this tale is in telling it from Jack's perspective.
"Home" to Jack and his ma is Room. In Room we are introduced, among others, to Wardrobe, where Jack goes to sleep each night, Rug upon which Jack was born, Rocker in which Jack and his mom spend time reading the five books that are in their possession, and T.V. whose images Jack takes to be fantasy rather than a picture of the real world outside. Because you see, Room and the items in it, are Jack's world. For five years this has been his life and for seven it has been the prison of Jack's mom, abducted from her college campus when she was 19 years old.
The first half of the tale chronicles Jack's days with his mother in their closely confining quarters, and we are shown a portrayal of the unconquerable bond of love between mother and son as well as the fierce protection of parent over child. The second half of this gripping book follows Jack and Ma as they recover and reacclimate to the outside world after their daring escape from their captor.
The at-times difficult subject is tinged with the innocence of a child and through this perspective we as adults are also able to take a hard look at the media sensationalism surrounding stories such as these to which we so often succumb.
BOTTOM LINE: This book will stick with me for a long time.

The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt

I've never been a seventh grade boy, but I'd have to say that reading Gary Schmidt's Wednesday Wars gave me as clear a picture as I could get about being twelve in the late 1960's. Issues such as the Vietnam War, family relationships, and disillusionment with childhood heroes mingle with the typical challenges a kid in junior high faces: conflict with bullies, middle school romance, and the all-important reputation. Tying them all together? Shakespeare.
Holling Hoodhood is convinced that his homeroom teacher, Mrs. Baker, hates his guts. On Wednesday afternoons, while his Jewish classmates attend Hebrew study and his Catholic classmates attend Catechism, Holling, the lone Presbyterian, is left to suffer his teacher's scrutiny as well as her chores. Somewhere along the way, Mrs. Baker decides that reading Shakespeare together will be a far more worthwhile use of their afternoons together. While initially intrigued only by Shakespeare's colorful curses and insults, Holling comes to genuinely enjoy the Bard's tales and beyond that, finds life application as he navigates junior high.
This book had me both laughing and crying, by turns. Which is absolutely my favorite kind of book to read.
BOTTOM LINE: A southwest blow on ye and blister you all o'er if you choose never to read this book. It would make you pied ninny.

Loving Frank by Nancy Horan

Living in Chicagoland I'm particularly aware of Frank Lloyd Wright and his brilliant architecture. Many a time I've driven through Oak Park where his work abounds. Never before have I been interested in the man's personal life, until our most recent book club pick was a work of fiction based on him and his seven-plus year affair with a married woman. While a fictional piece, the book is based on facts, and the author dug into these facts as well, drawing from newspaper accounts, diaries, letters, and the like. The love affair of these two people and their quests to find their true selves brings them Westward, overseas, to the heart of Chicago as well as the countryside of Wisconsin. Woven throughout the tale is heartbreak as the families of Mamah (Wright's lover) and Frank are brought under public scrutiny, children are left in the lurch, and Wright's career is nearly derailed due to the scandal. Most tragic is the abrupt end to their affair (is that too much of a spoiler?). In the midst of it all is the story of Wright's genius in architecture and his artistic process.
BOTTOM LINE: I found myself by turns cheering for and condemning Frank and Mamah. I also found myself spending long hours Googling images of the amazing buildings Wright designed.

Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett

When I picked up this very. large. book it was mainly because I had, ambitiously, joined our library's summer reading club. One requirement for said club was to read a book along the lines of this year's theme, which was something medievalish - I don't remember the clever title they gave it. Anyhoo, this book was there amidst the suggested titles, and I picked it up. It's kind of your age-old tale of good versus evil, with good looking like it's doing pretty well until evil comes along with one of its evil-type schemes and proceeds to smash and burn good, after which good rises from the ashes and begins to rebuild, prompting evil to rape and pillage and steal, to which good counteracts with a clever plan, at which point evil gets desperate and swoops in with an under-handed plot, causing good only to rally harder and triumph in the end. Basically.
The story takes place in the middle of the 12th century and centers on the fictional town of Kingsbridge in England. Tom the stonemason, homeless, penniless, and with his family in tow, desperately searches for work, always hoping to realize his dream of building a beautiful cathedral. He comes upon Kingsbridge and its monastary, where he and the prior, Philip, join forces to build a cathedral that will glorify God and turn the world's eye to their humble village in the process. Countless forces work against them, time and again nearly dashing their vision and seeking to take their very lives, but their perseverance along with Philip's vigilance in following the Lord's will with their actions (and counteractions) lead to ultimate victory.
BOTTOM LINE: I know - a book about building a church? With lots of architectural terms to wade through? And raping and pillaging thrown in there? I don't necessarily understand why to this day, but I found myself drawn into the story and its characters and had to continue to the end. I'm glad I did. Because (spoiler) good triumphs.

Stealing Faces by Michael Prescott

When we got our fancy-dancy new phones last year, I promptly downloaded the Kindle app, thrilled that I could now have books with me wherever I went. It's certainly convenient to always have reading material on hand. I also love the plethora of books to choose from and the fact that they're cheaper than purchasing them from the store. However, the level of thrill does not compare, for me, to how I feel coming home from the library with a big pile of books (that I know will never get plowed through before the due date) or to the satisfaction of turning page after page. BUT - I digress. The best part of the Kindle are the free classics you can download as well as the cheapity-cheap fiction that can be found. Case in point - Stealing Faces by Michael Prescott. This was a 99-center and sounded interesting enough for me to drop a buck, so I promptly downloaded. If you are a fan of thrillers (serial killers, games of cat-and-mouse, and the like) this one's up your alley. The twist in this book is that you are given the story from two points of view: that of the hunter (whose identity you know all along) and the hunted. I found it difficult to put this story to the side as you are always wondering who will stay one step ahead. The victim in this story is one whose story is often not believed, which adds to the suspense as time and again the criminal closes in on victory.
BOTTOM LINE: Looking for a quick, end-of-summer read? I'd definitely pick this one up.