Summer Reading (& Shameless Contest Entry)

Well, over at Brandywine Books there is a contest to win three books by Lars Walker. Basically, you have to blog on what you read over the summer. I've been wanting to read his books myself, so here's my entry. I'll just focus on a few of the more interesting books.

Redwall, Brian Jacques - I've heard of this series but had never read any of it. It's a fun book (as are the next two), with clear good guys and bad guys in a struggle for control of Redwall Abbey. One thing that stood out to me was the strong contrast between the harmonious community within the abbey and the bullying and fearful band of raiders that threaten them. Also, a surprising amount of death is there for a "kids" book.

The Chosen, Chaim Potok - This was a very eye-opening book. If accurate (and I have no way of judging that), it was a look into a culture that I have basically no knowledge of or contact with. It may be slow in parts, but the story sucked me in quickly and kept me reading.

The Bible and the Future, Anthony Hoekema - This book has been very beneficial to me in preparing for my Sunday School class on Eschatology. One thing that impressed me the most was his attempt to stick VERY close to what the Biblical texts say about eschatological events. (I'm sure it helped that I'm amil.) Of particular help was his section on the Kingdom of God. I highly recommend this book.