The Pawn by Steven James (2007)

It's a crime thriller/mystery. It's a novel about an FBI agent who specializes in how time and geography help to solve the crimes. The criminal in this book is a serial killer (hence a few gory/messy parts). It is published by a Christian publisher but the book tends toward the philosophy that people will come to know God more by actions than by words (and outright evangelistic sections). The books has great plot twists and the quality of the characters is very high. The multi-layers to the plot and problems are definitely what makes it good. It's worth recommending.

A Clergyman's Daughter by George Orwell

A well-written book that explores how real and necessary faith is. I am not certain whether Orwell intended the book to argue that faith is something one does out of custom and is completely unnecessary otherwise. Yet, the idea that life is meaningless without faith, although problematic to Orwell, is not something that I, as a Christian, find problematic. As a Christian I would argue that we are created to find life meaningless without faith - for one should not live without it. The despair in the daughter's life seems to point to the validity of faith, although the faith that she chooses is not so much life-giving as settling. He paints a poor picture of how things should be - and it is not actually surprising then, that he questions whether one should really have this kind of faith in one's life.

The Sacred Diary of Adrian Plass on Tour by Adrian Plass (2004)

The diaries of Adrian Plass are delightful. They're humourous and honest - and most of all remind me of how much God uses ordinary people (and weird ones, too) to show us better who He is. This book tended to have more questions and answers related to faith than the other ones, but the answers and questions did a great job of reminding how the Christian life is about being faithful in all things including the ordinary (and thus difficult) things. And there was a strong compassion shown towards people who had been hurt (and even pushed away from God) through good intentions and misguided ideas. Overall, reading the book was a wonderful way to spend part of a Sunday.

The Diviners by Margaret Laurence (1974)

This is Laurence’s fifth book on a small town in Manitoba. Her first was The Stone Angel, which I read in university and utterly disliked. My taste in literature has clearly changed, as I quite liked this one. It tells the story of a woman finding herself, trying to separate herself from the town and patterns that formed her, while also coming to terms with how the small town is part of who she is. The main character is not overly good nor overly lovable – but she is honest and real – and for that reason a delightful person to get to know.

The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood (1986)

I couldn’t remember if I had read this previously, and it being a classic, thought I ought to do so again just to make sure. I also wanted to read it in light of all the books on prostitution I had been reading. It is a story of both survival and weakness. I’m no longer sure how believable the main character (the handmaid) is, as she slowly chooses to deteriorate, instead of continuing to fight using the many opportunities given to her. Yet, Atwood depicts none of the handmaids as really surviving – even those who choose to fight lose their life in some way or another. The same cannot be quite said for our society or even those who have been pushed into prostitution. The cost for those in prostitution is high but not as high as for those in Atwood’s novel.
I think, though, I discovered why I don’t remember reading it previously – I’m still not entirely sure what to make of it nor even what to make of a juxtaposition of prostitutes with handmaids.

The Deptford Trilogy (Fifth Business, The Manticore, World of Wonders) by Robertson Davies (1970-1975)

The stories are biographies each told in a different style. The first is in the form of a letter, the next is the recording of Jungian psychological understanding with the less section being in the present, and the final book is a tale of a man reminiscing with people who have shared different pieces of his story. Besides being a wonderful study in character, the combination of different biographies that make up the trilogy does a great job exploring and explicating the subjectivity of each person’s own view – both of the world and even their own story.

The Golden Rendezvous by Alistair MacLean

pure entertainment. almost all plot and action. quite predictable. the good guys win. the bad guys lose. and the boy gets the girl. delightful reading in the midst of a world where things aren’t quite so simple – and where the plot twists are met with a lot more emotional turmoil.

At Play in the Fields of the Lord by Peter Matthiessen (1976)

along the same lines as The Poisonwood Bible, it explores the lives and work of all too human missionaries as they bring the gospel to the middle of nowhere. the mode of story telling and character sketches aren’t quite as good as The Poisonwood Bible but it does raise a lot of fascinating questions. it paints a picture of what happens when Christianity goes wrong – of the problem of rice Christians brought on by bad American evangelical mission work, of how one who rejects the faith doesn’t entirely leave it as he tries to live as a saviour, and of the inability of someone who questions the ‘right’ version of Christianity to be able to do the work he loves which would really be of use.

The Oxford Murders by Guillermo Martinez (2006)

it is a winner of some literary award, which it highly deserves as it is an intriguing mystery. what i appreciated most about was its use of mathematics – and showing how the most obvious solution (or next step) is not the only possible solution. translated into every day life, our actions and words sometimes produced solutions (and consequences) which we never intended or expected. and the mystery is unravelling those unexpected connections.

The Unicorn by Iris Murdoch (1987)

odd but fascinating. it’s one gleaned from the english books in the house’s library. the setting is a couple of isolated houses and the central character is a woman forced into solitude by a jealous house. everything revolves around her – and what everyone believes is best for her. the best parts are the exploration of how circumstances very much affect one’s actions – and the problems involved in trying to control other’s lives or to manipulate events for your own version of what’s best for someone else.

Joyce Carol Oates, Rape a Love Story (2003)

although the title got me interested in the book, the title itself unsettles me. but i had heard of Oates so thought it wouldn´t hurt to pick it up. it was decent enough of a story - her depiction of the victim´s daughter learning the patterns of silence were probably the most insightful. but in thinking of it now, i was a bit disappointed - because her title suggests a connection between brutality and love. and the book allows this false connection to continue.