Sleep No More by Greg Iles; 2002; G.P. Putnam’s Sons, New York; 382 pages;Fiction Iles/0-399-1881-7; 2/23-2/28

What if someone approached you and said that they were a lover that had died 10 years ago, then told you things that only the lover would know. Would you believe them? Then they seem to move from that person to another and really freak you out. Is someone trying to drive you insane for some reason? Could they really be possessing people? I know it somes way too bizarre but in Iles capable hands it is believable. RRr

On Deck; Under the Overpass by Michael Yankoski

A Theology as Big as The City by Ray Bakke; 1997; InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, IL; 221 pages; 680.C5 B35/0-8308-1890-1; 2/20-2/23

Take one young man from a rural Washington community with a Lutheran upbringing and set him down in Chicago at Moody Bible Institute and this is what you get. Examining the dichotomy between the United States Christian Evangelical movement to the suburbs and rural areas and the prevalance of ministry done by God and Jesus in cities in the Bible. Also Bakke points out that we don’t have to go overseas to pursue a cross cultural minisitry because most cities are multicultural. This may make you rethink how you relate to the Bible and your cultural definition of evangelism. It will make you think. RRR

On Deck; Sleep No More by Greg Iles

Waking Samuel by Daniel Coyle; 2003; Bloomsbury, New York; 243 pages; Fiction Coyle/1-58234-281-4; 2/16-2/20

The story of Tom and Sara Black and the loss of their young son and how each of them deal with the loss. The story is mainly of Sara and a patient at the hospital she works at and how she places the patient squarely into her life. It is a beautiful of loss, separation and reconcilation without being phony in any way. The quiet way that life often travels after a dramatic pause. RRR

On Deck; A Theology as Big as The City by Ray Bakke

Working Fire, The Making of an Accidental Fireman by Zac Unger; 2004; The Penguin Press, New York; 260 pages; B Un311w/1-59420-001-7; 2/13-2/16

The son and grandson of teachers and doctors, he became a firefighter. Most of his co-workers had worked for multiple departments or had taken multiple stabs at getting a job, Unger saw a bus bench advertisement and took the test and got the job. This gripping memoir is at times poignant, humorous and enlightening. This is one that I didn’t want to put down, it covers Ungers first few years with the Oakland Fire Department. Coming from a new agey type upbringing to the macho job of firefighting and he ably expresses how he is able to reconcile the worlds that he is in at the same time. I would be interested in reading more from him. RRRR

On Deck; Waking Samuel by Daniel Coyle

Growing your faith, how to mature in Christ by Jerry Bridges;2004; Navpress, colorado springs, CO; 189 pages; 248.4 B851g/1-57683-475-1; 2/12-2/13

This book made me feel about Christian authors as Kelly did about the church she went to on Sunday. Bridges used too many big words, too many round-about sentences and is just way obtuse. So much so that I couldn’t get past the third chapter.

On Deck; Working Fire, The Making of an Accidental Fireman by Zac Unger