The Shack, Where Tragedy Meets Eternity by William P. Young;2007; Windblown Media, Newbury Park, CA; 248 pages; 978-09647292-3-0; 10/23-10/29

There is so much here to think about. Mack Phillips’ youngest daughter is murdered by a serial killer, this Great Sadness drives a wedge between Mack and God. One day Mack gets a note from God inviting him to spend a weekend with him at The Shack, where evidence of the murder was found. Mack goes and spends the weekend learning from God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Each is separate, but complete in each other. The personafaction of each part of the Trinity is simply amazing. So many aspects of theology are talked about during the weekend. RRRR

The picture of the book is mine that I read in preparation for book group tomorrow night. We are meeting for dinner and discussion and the author is meeting with us. The red flags are discussion points, blue are sad parts and yellow is things that make me smile. I am looking forward to our discussion. I am planning on reading this book many more times and applying the things I learn.

Up All Night by Martha Gies; 2004;184 pages; Oregon State University Press, Corvallis, OR; 0-87071-028-1; 10/22-10/23

I read this for a couple of reasons, I worked for awhile at a bakery packaging pizza crust for 12 hours a night in a cooler, I still have marks on my thumb from where the machine cut me.  On Wednesday, October 24, Martha Gies is coming to the Title Wave to interview me for an article in the Elliott News.

The book is a compilation of stories of people who work graveyard shift in and around Portland.  An interesting group of people is profiled here from a wide economic and ethnic background.  From an illegal immigrant who cleans at the Rose Garden to the Night Manager at the Multnomah hotel.   Ms. Gies writes in such a way that it highlights each person and doesn’t impose her own point of view on the story.  I am looking forward to meeting her. RRRR

The Tiger’s Egg, The Wednesday Tales, No. 2 by Jon Berkeley; 2007; HarperCollinsPublishers, New York; 400 pages; 978-0-06-075510-2; 10/16-10/18

Miles Wednesday, friend of Tigers and Song Angels is back for another adventure. He and Little are living with Lady Partridge when the Circus Bolsillo comes to town. They begin to travel with the circus, Miles as a magicians assistant and Little as an acrobat. They fall in with the mentalist Doctor Tau-Tau, who allegedly knew Miles parents. The brothers Bolsillo also drop hints that they may know about Miles parents. As they travel Miles finds out more and more about his parents. His father may not be dead as he thought and things may not what he thought. Berkeley pads the book by having minor characters tell stories about their past adventures which take up several chapters, and may or not set up sequels. RRR

HeartSick by Chelsea Cain;2007; St. Martin’s Minotaur, New York; 326 pages; 978-0-312-36846-3; 10/11-10/16

Chelsea Cain writes a weekly column for the local newspaper, The Oregoonian.  I have tried reading these articles, but have never really connected with them.  However I would read more fiction from her.

Archie Sheridan was the lead detective on the Beauty Killer task force and he captured the killer, sort of.  She also took him captive, in more ways than one, and upended his life.  Gretchen Lowell is one great character, on a par with Hannibal Lechter.  She is one cold manipulative bitch.  It has been two years since her capture and she is still running Archies’ life.

He comes back from medical leave to head up a new task force for a new serial killer, the Afterschool Strangler.  Every decision that he makes as head of this task force ties in with the relationship between Archie and Gretchen.  Set in and around Portland, Chelsea Cain captures the spirit of Portland, especially in her description of the weather.  This is an exciting page turner with fully rounded characters who will linger in memory.  Many characters in fiction are easily forgettable, but no one here is.  RRRR

Mr. Dixon Disappears, A Mobile Library Mystery by Ian Sansom; 2006; Harper, New York; 257 pages; 978-0-06-082253-8; 10/10-10/11

Israel Armstrong is an Englishman serving as librarian aboard a mobile library (a bookmobile to us Yanks) in Northern Ireland.  He becomes the main suspect in the disappearance and robbery of Mr. Dixon of the Dixon and Pickering Department Store.  He loses his home and job because of being named as a suspect.   As he investigates, he stumbles over himself trying to find out what really happened, his mate Ted does most of the investigation.  In the genre of Murder She Wrote and Diagnosis Murder, some one other than an actual policeman or detective solves the crime.  There were many funny scenes but there were some instances of the story just being way too British for me.  RRr