Sofa Spotlight - The Shadow Doctor, Adrian Plass

Not a long read but a very interesting one. The basic premise is that the main character, Jack, has lost both parents and his grandmother, who he was particularly close to. She has left him a letter explaining how she met someone called Doc who became a good friend to her in her final months. She wants Jack to contact him as she thinks the Doc will be able to help him. 

Jack does so and as readers we quickly become aquatinted with the Shadow Doctor, who is kind of a like a super hero whose super power is counselling! And Jack soon finds himself acting as side kick. 

There’s a few themes in this book but probably the overall one is of Christians being themselves as created by God, and being hurt by programmes and cultures that try to fit people into one or occasionally several boxes. The shadow Doctor is working to undo some of this hurt and free people to follow Jesus. 

Overall I enjoyed this book but there were a few themes that were left undeveloped and I would have liked to have seen more. But I feel that leaving these things open ended may have been the point. 

Sofa Spotlight - The Essex Serpent, Sarah Perry

This is a very real contender for my favourite book of the year. It’s set in Victorian England and is full of atmosphere and mystery. There are so many things that I love about this book but I’ll try to capture just a few.

The story follows Cora Seaborne who has just lost her husband. Turns out he wasn’t that nice a chap and she’s still very young so she’s in a much better position. There are two potential love interests in the book and I found it hard to decide who I was rooting for! But what I loved about this book is how normal the characters are. All of them are flawed in their own way and that makes them human and very believable. Not one of them is set up as the perfect protagonist. Which makes the ending perfect, because if it had ended any other way it wouldn’t have worked or felt authentic.

A range of themes are covered, evolution as a new, developing theory, the role of women in society and social housing/poverty. It could feel like there’s a lot going on but each thread pulls together to weave into the main story which is Cora’s search for the Essex Serpent which plagues the village of Aldwinter. This is the part that is suitably creepy and the mystery and melodrama is fantastic.

It’s the kind of book that you should read on a cold December night with a mug of hot chocolate!

Sofa Spotlight - Zeal Without Burnout, Christopher Ash

Zeal without Burnout is a very short book, primarily written for pastors and church leaders to help them avoid and deal with burnout and mental exhaustion in the course of their ministry. It’s a very practical book, looking at both the causes of stress and the Biblical principles of being human and the limits that that puts on us. 

Not being in church leadership this book wasn’t strictly relevant but I found it to be an illuminating read. Firstly I was shocked, but also not shocked, to discover that this book was needed, and needed by so many in leadership. It reminded me of how easy it can be to forget how much pressure our church leaders can be under. Secondly the Biblical principles that Christopher Ash goes through are relevant to all of us. We are only human, and not God, and there are limits to what we can do. 

There is real depth to this book as Christopher Ash talks about his own experience and also draws on the stories of others who have gone through breakdowns. I would highly recommend this book, it’s not a long book at all, and it gives insight to those on the outside looking in, but also compassion and help to those in leadership. 

Ronaldo the Flying Reindeer

Earlier this year I reviewed Maxine Sylvester’s book Ronaldo: The Phantom Carrot Snatcher. If you remember my review you will remember how much I enjoyed it. It’s not my intention to give a full review now, that will come later, but I was so excited about the release of The Vixen of Pederson that I wanted to let you know that it was available.

What I love about Maxine Sylvester’s books are the way that they combine fun, gripping storylines and life messages so beautifully. And this is now exception to that. My worry about books that have life messages woven into them is that they can be trite and give and awkward interjection to the flow of the narrative. Which I think is what I love about this whole series, not only are the stories good in themselves but the characters are relatable and so the messages that are conveyed come across naturally.

It’s nearly Christmas and I can’t think of a better way to get into the Christmas spirit than by reading the books in this series.

Sofa Spotlight - The Patricide of George Benjamin Hill: A Novel, James Charkesworth

I took a day to read this, which afterwards I regretted a little bit because it left me feeling sad. But in hindsight I don’t think stretching out the reading process would have helped that. But that’s not to say I don’t think this isn’t a good book or that I regret reading it because it is very well written and seriously intriguing.

The story is about a man who made his money as a US fast food and oil tycoon, but as much as he was successful in business he wasn’t successful with relationships and left a trail of broken people, in the form of his children, behind him. Now middle aged the four of them, scattered to different parts of the country and very different lines and heading in their father’s direction for a confrontation.

It’s all about how each of the four children have ended up where they are, and follows the thread of destruction that leads back to their father. It’s a fascinating read, but maybe not a comfortable one. I couldn’t put it down but nor could I find a character that I was rooting for. And that to me was the one downside to the book. Having said that, I think the book would have lost some of its power if it had had a likeable protagonist, so although I missed liking a character it’s not something I would change. For me it really was a window into another world and that is why I would recommend it.

Sofa Spotlight - Everyday Church, Tim Chester & Steve Timmis

This isn’t a new book, in fact when I went to check when it had been written I was shocked to discover that it’s not far off being ten years old. But its age doesn’t mean that it has lost any of its relevance. In fact if anything it has probably become more relevant. The message it is speaking is one of how the church can reach out to our generation with the message of Jesus as a community.

The book starts with facts and figures that paint a dark picture of where we are as a church in terms of numbers in pews. But this isn’t designed to be depressing (though it is a little discouraging) but to state the fact that the world in which we live is different to the world in which our grandparents went to church.

What I loved about this book was the way they used 1Peter to illustrate and explain what it is like to live as a Christian on the margins of society. It described how communities look different on the margins rather than at the centre of society. Implications for evangelism are also described and make for an interesting read as it turns typical methods which I grew up in their head.

So yes well worth a read and I’m glad I found it lurking on my bookshelf.

Sofa Spotlight - Darkness Follows, L A Weatherly

The sequel to Broken Sky and although I found the start a little tricky I would say it’s equally as good and intriguing. And full marks because I did not see the ending coming!!!

I had a little trouble with the start because it deals with concentration camps and given that I was reading this soon after having read Gulag Archipelago and The Diary of a Young Girl I found it a bit hard to take. That’s not to say that it wasn’t well written, it was, and very believable. It just wasn’t great timing because I was still processing the horrendous true stories I had read.

But the whole story didn’t just involve concentration camps so it’s all good. In this book the characters of Amity, Collie and Ingo are developed further and Collie is the interesting party in all this because you’re not certain about any of his motives. My favourite character so far is Ingo and if I’m rooting for anyone it’s him. He seems to be the most honest of the bunch. Just hoping a plot twist doesn’t take him out.

If you enjoyed Broken Sky then you need to read this. Because otherwise, how will you know what happens next?! It’s a great series for fans of the YA dystopian novel.

Sofa Spotlight - Related by Blood, Holly Sheidenberger

As a heads up I received a free copy of this book in return for a fair and honest review.

Formality aside and on with the show. You know a book is good when you don’t want it to end and when it does end you sincerely hope that the author is planning a sequel. It was so with this book. The plot follows the son of a senator who is also hoping for a high profile political career.

The book begins as Harris (the aforementioned senator’s son with political career hopes) is on a date with his college girlfriend. Things take a nasty turn when he hits a little girl and then drives off with Cleo (the girlfriend) as a witness. Their relationship is ended as part of a cover up by Harris’ dad which leaves Harris completely in the clear. Apart from Cleo isn’t completely out of the picture.

Cleo’s narration slowly reveals how much of an unreliable narrator she is. Appealing if you’re a fan of books like The Girl on the Train or A Stranger in the House. Her story comes in fifteen years after the accident and the story follows her reconnecting with Harris and her hopes of becoming his wife.

I loved reading this. It’s not a full novel but comes in parts that you can keep up with on Kindle Unlimited as they come out. It’s punchy and you will fly through reading this. Sheidenberger doesn’t let the narrative slow down the pace of the storyline so you get all the drama at the speed that you will want. I was surprised at how quickly I was drawn in and I am now completely hooked on this series.

If a psychological thriller is your cup of tea then I recommend that this be your next read. My only criticism is that it just wasn’t quite long enough, which is no bad thing if it leaves you wanting more.