February Book Review

The second month has ended and so it's time to discuss the books I completed this month. Not nearly as many as last month but that's okay. I have no idea how I finished so many in January - probably neglected responsibilities like cleaning and laundry.

1. Eve: A Novel by Wm. Paul Young

I had read The Shack years ago when it came out and thoroughly enjoyed it. I like seeing various perspectives on how people understand God. I thought it would be fun to read his new one since it is obviously a fictional account related to the Eve of the Bible. It seemed like it would fit into a science-fiction category and it took me a bit to feel like I had a grasp on the world being described.

The story is about a young girl who is found barely alive in a shipping container. It appears the container ends up in some other dimension and time and the people there work to resuscitate and heal her. She cannot remember who she is or where she is from and keeps having lucid dreams that she is witnessing Creation with Eve. It sounds weird and the story kind of jumps around some but it did describe Eden and the fall in an interesting way. I was kept guessing about what would happen and who was trustworthy throughout the story. I found it very engaging.

2. Balancing It All: My Struggle of Balancing Priorities and Purpose by Candace Cameron Bure and Dana Wilkerson

I watched Full House growing up and thought this might be an interesting read. In it Candace talks about growing up in her family and on the hit show. She talks about how she met her hockey-player husband and the challenge of deferring her career dreams so that he could pursue his along with everything that comes with having and raising a family. She talks about not growing up a Christian but still with Christian-like morals and her journey to accepting Jesus and trying to become the wife, mother and woman she felt she was called to be. I appreciate her candidness and honesty about not always getting things right. I know she's not perfect and I didn't necessarily agree with all that she said but I enjoyed learning more about her and what she's learned. It also makes me want to watch Fuller House but we don't have Netflix. [I did get to watch the first episode and enjoyed all of the nostalgia from the original show.]

3. Room: A Novel by Emma Donoghue

I hadn't heard anything about this book until my husband gifted it to me for Valentine's Day [books are kind of my love language (actually it's words of affirmation but books contain lots of words)]. I read the back and, as I dove into it, was hopeful that it would end positively. The book is from the perspective of a five-year-old by named Jack who lives in Room with his Ma. We learn that his mother was kidnapped as a teenager and has spent nearly eight years imprisoned in this room by her captor. From Jack's perspective we see how his mother has tried to protect him from understanding the truth of their situation while also giving him as full and normal a life as possible. 

I struggled with this book from the beginning being a mother of both a daughter and a son. I desperately wished that Jack would stay safe and they would both somehow make it out of the room. I felt like I had to keep going despite the sad circumstances just to see if there was light at the end of the tunnel. I felt that using Jack's perspective helped the book not to be so dark and depressing. A very interesting read.

Did you read anything worth recommending in February? As always, I love to hear about what others have enjoyed.