Sofa Spotlight - Measure for Measure, William Shakespeare

The latest conquest in my read all of Shakespeare mission this year. And also the first that really engaged me, to the point where I wasn’t sure how this was going to end and I needed to find out. So well done Mr. Shakespeare – you had me going there.

Once again characters in disguise feature heavily in this. Basically the Duke of Vienna leaves for a while and leaves Angelo in charge. Angelo is very much a “do it by the book” kind of guy. Which doesn’t work out well for Claudio who is sentenced to death for getting Julietta pregnant. Claudio’s sister Isabella goes Angelo to plead for Claudio. Angelo unsurprisingly says no. But then he has a second thought, because it occurs to him that he quite likes Isabella and would marry her. But Isabella is a nun so there’s the problem. Angelo gives her the ultimatum – be his wife or he makes sure Claudio is executed.

There are some great lines in this and I loved reading it. Angelo is despicable but with the help of some characters in disguise, the story ends satisfactorily. So yeah I would recommend this one.

Sofa Spotlight - Bible Matters, Tim Chester

After reading Mission Matters, it made sense to follow it up with this one. And this is my favourite of the two. Which on reflection might say more about me than the book, in that I probably find the Bible a more interesting topic than mission!

But that doesn’t lessen how exciting this book is. It gets you excited about the Bible. And I already like the Bible (a lot) but this inspired me much more than I was expecting. It isn’t a long read – I read it in a couple of ours. Once I got going with it I couldn’t put it down but I think a slower pace would work equally well.

This is an important book because it reminds us of how important and unique the Bible is. It inspires us by telling the story of what it has cost to have the Bible in many languages, and how highly it has been valued in the past.

If I had one criticism it’s that I’m not a huge fan of the cover – but the contents of the book more than made up for it and put it as one of the best books I read last year.

So not only inspiring but challenging as well.

Sofa Spotlight - Catching Fire, Suzanne Collins

For me this is the most interesting book in the series. While The Hunger Games did a good job at setting up this word, Catching Fire allows us to explore further. It’s the Quarter Quell and that lines up all kinds of action and drama to follow. I love that we get to see victors from previous games and understand their characters. Haymitch I found interesting but it is Finnick who I love the most, followed closely by Johanna Mason.

So President Snow is out to make sure that the inflammatory actions of Katniss Everdeen, at the end of the previous, book don’t ignite a rebellion, but I think we all know how that is going to work out. On her victor tour of the districts with Peeta it becomes clear that there’s a massive problem in the districts. So when the Quarter Quell comes along (the 75^th Hunger Games) Snow takes the opportunity to retake control.

All that to say that there is so much in this book that helps make sense of what makes up the world of Panem and the Capitol. And of course who can you trust? Because right up until the end you just don’t know. Throughout the entire series there are many twists that I enjoyed being shocked by. And I do think that Catching Fire has the best ones. Although sometimes I worked them out just a little bit ahead of the characters, but still they were fun!

Sofa Spotlight - Cymberline, William Shakespeare

I feel like I’m doing well at my Shakespeare challenge this year (if you missed it, I want to read all his plays in 2020). This is my latest read and probably the one that I’ve got emotionally involved with the most. There’s a lot that goes on and I couldn’t really work out if this play falls into the tragedy or the comedy camp. Lots of places put them in one of these but I couldn’t find a consensus and to be honest I couldn’t work out if it was meant to make me laugh or cry. Mostly I was left thinking “don’t be so silly.”

Anyway the play itself is about Imogen and her husband Posthumus. You know it’s not going to end well when it turns out they’ve married secretly. In true Shakespeare style there’s a lot of mistaken identity and people who think other people are dead, when actually they are just in a mysterious comatose state that mimics death. One of these one of them will get buried alive! Imogen and Posthumus are separated by different events and the play is about how they are reunited against, what I think are staggeringly intense odds.

I’d certainly recommend giving this one a read. It’s easy to follow, and some excellent scenes in there.

Sofa Spotlight - The Pastor's Kid, Barnabas Piper

There was a good reason for me reading this book. It resonated with me because I grew up in a home where my dad was the minister of our small Baptist church. And although Barnabas Piper is an American, and the son of the pastor of a much larger church, there was still much in this book that translates to my experience.

What is great about the book is that it takes both sides. What it’s like for the child of a pastor but also what members of a church can do to help. My own experience was kind of alright, it had its rougher moments, but some children find I hard to grow up in that environment.

For me there were some very challenging chapters. They highlighted things that I’m guilty of – and the frightening part was that I wasn’t always aware of them. So I’m grateful to this book for not only shining a light on those areas, but also talking about the grace of God and showing a different way of responding to church life.

I cannot recommend this book highly enough. It’s worth reading if you part of a church because if you’re not part of your pastor’s family, then it’s good to know what it might be like for them, and how you can help them. And also if you are a PK have a read. I was glad to know that my experience was not unique and particularly that it hadn’t gone unnoticed by God.