The Return

Review: The Little Paris Bookshop Nina George, translated by Simon Pare Crown Publishers 2015 The end of this book was such a sad moment for me.   There’s a relationship that develops between the book and the reader that you just want to go on even though the story has been told and you know it done.   It’s all about love, loss, and healing.   It’s written for those that have learned what those words mean.   Maybe the last few pages revisits those themes within the reader one last time.   Yes, breathing does come easier now.     The bookshop Perdu operates from a barge sits on the Seine and is as unique as his approach to his customers. He can read the needs of his customers and points them to the books that would most help them and refuses to sell them ones he feels can harm them.   It is a case of “physician heal thyself” though, and through a series of events and some well-crafted characters he meets along the way, who in the...

Review: No Fear in Love: Loving Others the Way God Loves Us Andy Braner Baker Books 2015 What do love and fear have in common that they end up together in a book title?   Yes, you know the verse from 1 John 4:18 “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.”   But what about ridding yourselves of the fear that keeps love from acting and being complete?   That’s pretty much what this book is about. Braner looks at overcoming that fear through examples from his own life.   He never professes to be perfect though and tells his readers how that worked out for him.   And could also work for you and me. Divided into three sections Braner’s book the basic fear package that most of us haul around, then drills down more looking into world views that are different, and finally cultural factors that can cause fear.   The first section covers some...

Review: Yawning at Tigers: You Can’t Tame God So Stop Trying Drew Dyck Nelson Books 2014 OK.   I admit I chose this book because of the title.   I had to find out how this author would pull off mixing tigers, yawning, and God.   I am here to say that he succeeded and succeeded well.   Part 1: Tiger Territory and Part 2: Divine Embrace work together to balance our perspectives of God.   I really thought my own balance was fine, but discovered it needed a bit of tweaking.   And that is what this book is about and does.   Gently and without needing a dictionary.  The discussion guide is one of the best I’ve seen lately.   It is light enough to work for a group, but deep enough to provide some place to start serious considerations.   Well done there, and combined with the reading a book can change perspectives or rebalance them for nearly anyone.   Mature believer or the new believer. I obviously recommend this bo...