One of my goals for 2015 is to read two books per month, not counting the textbooks for the classes I am taking. So far I am keeping up with that goal fairly well. I have read three books this year. The last book that I read was a fiction book. I had not read a fiction book since college, I guess. I am not even sure that I read any in college. Professors assigned fiction. We would discuss those assignments. The professors tested us over them. But did I read them? Probably not based on my grades and my reading habits in college.
The book that I read this past week was The Impressionist by Dr. Tim Clinton along with Max Davis. Dr. Clinton is the founder and president of American Association of Christian Counselors. He has written several counseling books and manuals, but this book is his first work of fiction.
As I began to read The Impressionist, I was almost immediately sucked into the story line. I could feel the frustration and fear of the main character as he and his wife fought. I was hooked!! I did not want to put the book down. Now for me to say that is something. I have admitted that reading is a chore for me. I have seen my wife and my kids read for hours and hours. I just thought they were crazy. I had never had that experience until now. The first night I read well after midnight. I didn’t fall asleep while reading. I actually had to make myself put the book down and go to sleep. I couldn’t wait until the next night to pick it back up and continue through the journey. That second night I actually finished the book; again well after mid-night. No sleeping in the middle. No losing my place because I nodded off. Just hooked into the story and wanting to know what was going to happen next. When it was over, I was a little disappointed that there wasn’t a complete resolution in the main story line. I wanted the story to continue until everything was resolved. I guess I have to allow my own imagination to complete the story.
While I said that I could feel the fear and frustration of the main character, I was mostly moved by the protagonist in the story. He was an elderly man who had been hurt and mistreated most of his life in many different ways. Yet, God had led him to be a forgiving and gentle man. He was insightful and bold. He was ready to help others as God led him to them. As I read about Jim Ed, I began to question if I had some of those characteristics. No, I couldn’t relate to the mistreatments of his life entirely. But I realized that the story of what God has done in my life can be shared with others to help them through the journey called their life. I pray that I will be just as insightful and bold as I share in the ministry of helping others.
I would recommend this book to anyone. The story flows well. It has drama and humor. It will make you laugh as well as cry.
Now that I have read this fiction book, do you have any suggestions for me to add to my reading list for 2015? I would love to hear what you are reading.
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I might have to add this one to my ever growing list of books to read. I read not one, but two books this weekend (I am an overachiever and love to read for hours and hours on end). I have been on a fiction kick recently and cannot seem to put down dystopian literature. The current quartet that I am reading is The Maze Runner series. I cannot decide if I like it or not, but of course that seems to be the mark of a good dystopian series in my experience. What seems to be a common theme in dystopian literature is a lack of religion (although it was slightly present in The Giver quartet) and this seeming fear that humanity will either lose our sense of the common good or take the sense of the common good too far – all while not really having a good definition of what is good. I felt like the Hunger Games series and the Divergent series (both trilogies) were written more for a female audience to enjoy, but males could like them too. The Maze Runner series feels like it is written for males to enjoy. The Giver series just felt weird. I enjoy the intellectual challenge of trying to think through the scenarios in the book with a Christian world view in mind. What if the protagonist had faith? What would they have done differently since they do seem to be on a quest to find good and do what is right? How were they guided by “right in their own eyes” principles instead of having the plumb line of the Bible? As our society becomes more secular, is this our future? Questions like this seem to keep me interested in this genre. I have even read a few dystopian series by Christian authors, but they seem to fall short in really capturing the questions that fans of this genre seem to be wanting answered.
I also re-read The Tragedy of Puddinhead Wilson recently. Mark Twain has a way of capturing social issues that are, incredibly, still relevant today and pointing out where society is off in a way that you enjoy being told you are an idiot. The last time I read The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, I realized it was just as much about the loss of childhood innocence as it was about race – probably because I have so often seen the loss of childhood innocence in the line of work I do. If I have to choose a favorite author and cannot say, “The Holy Spirit,” I would definitely have to choose Mark Twain because he is a special kind of genius. Added bonus – his books are free on Kindle and you can even find free audiobook versions.
Finally, a short, quick book with so much meaning in it that I can literally say that it changed my life at the time I first read it – Cry, the Beloved Country. Wowza. What a book of redemption. If you find yourself short on time or really needing a redemptive story, this is a good one. I read it yearly for about 5-6 years after I first read it. Maybe I should pull it off the shelf again since this dystopian literature is causing me to need a redemptive story!
Thank you for the suggestions. I will definitely have to put Cry, the Beloved Country on my list. I’m not sure that I am ready to get into a series of anything. I feel like I’m just learning a new trick. 🙂
Oh my gracious! I am actually very impressed that you finished a book in two days, and that you didn’t want to put it down. I will have to read it, now!
It is worth reading. You will read it in one sitting, probably.