Stories Are Universal!

‎"The story — from Rumplestilskin to War and Peace — is one of the basic tools invented by the human mind, for the purpose of gaining understanding. There have been great societies that did not use the wheel, but there have been no societies that did not tell stories."
                                                                     ~ Ursula K. Le Guin

Audio Book Review - "The Bride Collector" by Ted Dekker

Sick, twisted, creepy - all of these terms have been used to describe Ted Dekker's books. Come to think of it, they've been used to describe Ted Dekker.  I must confess, Dekker is one of my favorite authors. I enjoy his explorations into the mind.

I just finished listening to the unabridged version of Dekker's novel The Bride Collector. This book will give you the creeps. A serial killer is killing women so they can be God's brides. The FBI special agent in charge of the investigation  but I can't imagine it being better without the voice acting talent of John Glover. He played Lex Luther's dad on Smallville, and his narration of Dekker's novel is superb.

It's a deep exploration into how we see value, beauty and worth.

In an interview at the end of the audio book, Dekker says the theme of the book is "what if every person is the most important person in the world?"

Everybody Has a Story!

One of the most memorable scenes in the movie Pretty Woman was that of a man walking down the street asking each person he saw and nobody in particular, "What's your dream?" Something about the way he says it, though, makes you wonder, "What's my dream?" I don't know if everybody has a dream, but I know everybody has a story!

CBS reporter Steve Hartmen believed that too, and in 1998 he set out to prove it. To find a story, Hartman would toss a dart over his shoulder at a map of the United States, and then travel with his cameraman, Les Rose, to wherever the dart landed. Upon arrival, he would find a phone booth with a phonebook, and then, after choosing a name at random, would call that person, hoping to tell their "story." He produced more than 100 episodes of the award-winning series, and his adventures took him around the country. And while each episode was a testament to Hartman's talent as a storyteller, he first had to have a story to tell. Those came from the people he met. Each episode I saw was fascinating; Steve Hartman proved everybody has a story!

Everybody's got a story! What's your story?

Book Review: I'll Make You an Offer You Can't Refuse

Wanna bet!

I looked forward to reading this book, yet once I started reading it, I kept putting it down. The cover of the book communicated something totally different than what was inside. Don't get me wrong, Franzese writes a lot about how he made the mob millions engaging in illegal commerce. But it comes across as, “Hey, kid! Look at me! I'm a made man!” It seems just a little too Scorsese. I kept looking around the room for Michael Corleone.

This is a little book at 152 pages; it should have been easier to read. Franzese writes nothing in the early part of the book to make the reader care about learning the principles he lays out. There is something slimy about looking to a former mob boss to get business principles. Somehow, I can't see Joel Comm or Dan Cathy turning to this volume searching for nuggets of truth related to business.

While I did not care for this book, I think I would enjoy reading Franzese's other books about life in the mob. The subject is always fascinating, as mystery envelopes anything related to organized crime.

Without a doubt my favorite thing about this book was Thomas Nelson's experimental program, Nelsonfree! When you get the hardback version of the book, you also get access to a free ebook and an audio version of that book. I love this idea! I hope the Nelsonfree program extends to their other selections as well. I'm just bummed I had to learn about it with a book I couldn't bear to trudge through.


Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Unplugged - For a Little While

The weather here in north Georgia has been so unusual over the last week, it actually made the national news. We were snowed in after only 4” of the white stuff. (Cue Yankees laughing) The snow, sleet and freezing rain, followed by a week of freezing temperatures made roads impassable. 

Now that the weather is back to normal in north Georgia; life is also returning to normal. The Winter storm of 2011 is a memory . . . almost. Yesterday was one of those blue sky days that begs you to go outside and have some fun, so we answered the call. We went over to a local college (the largest college in the country) to walk along one of its many trails. The sky was clear, and the wind was crisp; it was one of those days when the temperature is fine when you’re standing in the sun, but really cold when you move into the shade. It seemed we had the whole place to ourselves. . .  us, and the deer.

Following the trail and enjoying the warmth of the sun, we snaked across a field and made our way to the woods. From there the trail turned to mimic the line where the woods met the field and we rounded a corner into the shade. We were thrilled! On this beautiful, fifty-something degree day we traipsed into four inches of snow still clinging to the shadows. My kids threw snowballs, climbed snow-covered hills, and made snow angels. They chased deer in the field, in the woods, and through the field. Our dog tried to run from the snow, only to find out it extended far beyond her leash. The winter storm was extended in our world at least for a little while, and we were thankful. We finished our little adventure as the sun fell below the trees, thankful to God for the blessing being outside together. 

Sometimes it's good to be unplugged.