Sofa Spotlight - Moby Dick, Herman Melville

If you like whales and by that I mean really like whales, and want to know all about them in detail, then this is the book for you.

Reading this book was a challenge and not just because of it's length. What I found disappointing was that I found early on that I enjoyed Melville's style of writing but he used a lot of ink describing whales and not telling the story. In fairness understanding whales and what happened on whaling ships is important for the plot. But I felt it was too much. To get through the book I found that it was necessary to read it in one hundred page chunks. That way I felt I had achieved enough not to get discouraged by slow progress.

So the plot. The narrator of the story is a sailor called Ishmael who joins a ship called the Pequod, captained by Captain Ahab. Ahab has only one leg, having lost one whilst trying to catch a famous white whale. The white whale is known as Moby Dick and seems to have torn Ahab's leg off, which didn't make Ahab very happy. Once they set sail it becomes clear that Ahab isn't interested in whale fishing as he is supposed to be - he is out to hunt Moby Dick and take revenge. Which is what the book is about, as well as an extensive history of whale fishing and whale biology.

Sofa Spotlight - When People are Big and God is Small, Edward T Welch

Whenever I talk about this book one of the problems I have is with the title. It's really easy to get the words the wrong way round and then you end up making a new title for the book - When God is Big and People are Small. And then there is no end to the confusion when you go on to describe what the book is about!

So I've checked that I've got the title right and now I can tell you what it is about.

In a nutshell this book is about what the Bible says about the fear of God and the fear of man. When the fear of man is greater than the fear of God that is when our view and perspective becomes distorted. This something that affects everyone and what is great about this book is that it highlights the places where we might not even realise that we fear other people more than God.

I've read this book a couple of times now and each time it has proved useful. The fear of God was always something that I wondered about whenever I came across it in the Bible. So to find out what it means and that fear of man is an easy thing to do without being aware of it was ground breaking. There is no denying that quite often it is easier and less frightening to please people rather than thinking about how to please God.

One that  I would highly recommend.

What's Big and Small on the Shelf?

The answer is the title of the book I started this week:

When People are Big and God is Small - Edward T. Welch

This is the same author of Depression: Looking up from the Stubborn Darkness and also one that I have read and enjoyed before. The main subject is the fear of man - how the way we live is shaped by fearing people rather than God. I remember it being very relevant so I'm looking forward to revisiting it. 

Sofa Spotlight - Cards on the Table, Agatha Christie

I had a lot of fun reading this. It is very short, just over 200 pages and I would recommend trying to read in one or two sittings. The one thing that I did find was that it had a very exciting beginning, had a brief lull (possibly caused by where I decided to break off reading) and then got exciting at the end again.

So it starts off with a man who claims to collect murders. Yes I bet you are looking as baffled as I was when I first heard/read it. But it's true he claims to work out people's secrets and enjoys spending time in their company. Problem is he gets murdered while sitting in a room with four people playing bridge - one of whom is the murderer and the other three saw nothing.

Could be an impossible crime for Poirot to solve. All I'm saying is that it was brilliant. Health warning - don't read it before bed, work or any important important. You will neither sleep or be on time. I nearly didn't get off the train at the right time, because, well, there is always time for one more page!

Cards on the Shelf

So only one book started this week but it looks good:

Cards on the Table - Agatha Christie

Loving Agatha Christie at the moment, and this is one that I have never heard of before. I've heard claims that it was her best work so I look forward to reading it. I also love that it starts by saying that Hastings found the case boring when he heard it.

Sofa Spotlight - Depression: Looking up from the Stubbon Darkness, Edward T. Welch

This may not be your choice if you are looking for some light reading before bed. But that isn't a reason not to read it. Nor should you not pick it up if you don't suffer from depression or know anyone who does (but I imagine people in that last category are few).

So why would you read it? Well it has an obvious audience in those who have depression and their friends. And I think for that it works really well. It is a book you can work through together or alone, and Welch's purpose is to move your eyes from the depression and point them at Jesus. From there you look at depression and all that comes with it from the point of view of knowing who you are in Christ.

And it is that view point that makes this book valuable to everyone. It teaches you how to understand emotions in the light of the Bible and our current position before God. When you realign your vision you see life differently. 

There is nothing harsh or unfeeling in this book. It is written by someone who cares about those who suffer from depression and who understands that it is not an easy battle.

Sofa Spotlight - The ABC Murders, Agatha Christie

I was looking forward to reading this book because of the memories I have of watching the TV adaptation. It was good, I was hooked, intrigued and also a little bit scared. (In fact it wasn't long after this that I wasn't allowed to watch murder mysteries on TV because I was too scared to sleep afterwards.

This one is different because the murderer is a serial killer, seemingly selecting his victims at random. It's a race against time for Poirot and the police to find and stop them. Hastings is the main narrator, which of course is funny, but there are some chapters that are told with someone else's voice. And they are creepy. True shiver down your spine stuff.

I say that the victims are selected at random, but actually it appears that their locations are taking from the ABC Railway Guide. A copy of which is found at each murder scene. Murder one is A and the B and so forth. It's a clue but it doesn't really help.

It's a fun book, I loved it and it wouldn't take you long to get through it.