Wicked by Gregory Maguire

Wicked

The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West

by

Gregory Maguire

The fiction novel Wicked is totally out of my genre but I have to say it is one of the best books I have ever listened to on audio.  I have been enthralled by it all the way through.  It is very much an adult book and not a children's story but it is an adult fairy tale.  The story begins with the birth of the Wicked Witch of the West from the well known movie The Wizard Of Oz and tells her side of what happened.  While she lacks social skills and is not attractive to her peers,  she is very bright and grows from an infant into a young woman who is an humanitarian and an animal rights activist.  In the end my heart was heavy as she melted.  While I enjoyed listening to it on audio I feel I want to read the book in print and experience it again.  There are so many levels of meaning in its pages and although   I enjoyed the book I  feel there is much more to glean from it.  In fact it is a book I would like to take a class on to really understand all the imagery contained in the pages.  The book is about good and evil and where it comes from.  About two thirds of the way through the book I got the bug to see the broadway play and was very excited to learn it was traveling to Dayton the first two weeks in May.  A friend and I have our tickets and I am thrilled to be able to attend the production.  Please click on the title and the author's name above to follow the links to more information and enjoy the video that follows.  Gregory Maguire is now on my list of authors that I want to read more of and I highly recommend this novel.

Saving Amelie by Cathy Gohlke

Saving Amelie

by

Cathy Gohlke

This novel was the April selection for the Columbia City library book discussion group but I have heard they have bumped it till later in the year in order for it to be easier to obtain copies of the book. I was already reading it by the time I was updated with that news though so I continued and finished it up Saturday night.  When I first saw that they had picked this novel I admit I rolled my eyes.  I do not think Christian Literature is appropriate for a community group.  Better to discuss such books in a church group reading group.  But I have to admit the book was fast paced and well written.  Although it was a bit to preachy for my tastes here and there overall I have to give the novel a good review.  It is a story about Nazi Germany and a lot of thought provoking ideas about standing up for what is right are present to make the book a good reading club selection.  The book is a fiction novel but contains some historical characters and places.  Since my genre of choice is the historical novel it fits for me in that respect.  I have to agree that the Christian church has a responsibility to stand up against the type of atrocities that were going on at the time.  I just think it should be taken a step further and stated that all people have the responsibility to do the same.   The little girl Amelie in the story is deaf.  So she is slotted to be put to death in the Nazi climate of death sentences for the handicapped.  The novel is a fiction story about this fiction little girl and the fictional people that hid her and kept her safe.   There are real historical people in the novel of course and one is Dietrich Bonhoeffer.  He is an inspirational individual who gave his life trying to fight against the atrocities in Nazi Germany.  Please click on the author's name and book title above to follow the links to more information.  And enjoy the video that follows.

The Abomination by J. E. Rohrer

The Abomination

by 

J. E. Rohrer

I finished up the last novella of my brother's An Apocalyptic Adventure Series the other night and always enjoy his books.  They have a more religious emphasis than my normal genre but I enjoy the light hearted approach to the characters and the way  serious subjects  are presented in an entertaining manner.  For example,  at one point in the book the main character,  Ed,  has to choose between being true to his beliefs and convictions and risking the safety of his wife when the new state insisted that a state church is attended by all or imprisonment will result. Some how when he ended up at the state church I chuckled at the way the events were presented.   I would recommend reading all the novellas in a row now that they are all out rather than waiting in between them like I did.  I found that reading other books in between I forgot some of the people and details in the interim.  Please click on the title and author's name above to follow the links to learn more about the series.  The video that follows is of a song that came to mind when I was reading the book.