Ah...books!
One of the things I really miss from home is my bookcase…or more specifically, all my books. I’ve rambled other times about my love of books and whenever I move somewhere, it’s always a hard decision as to what books to bring along since I’ll never have room for all of them until I have a house of my own…something that probably won’t happen until I’m married. I chose carefully which books to bring to Bible college, though I didn’t bring many since I didn’t think that I’d have much time to read…and that was a very correct assumption! I don’t have much time to read at all, but I like having my favorites on hand to re-read thoroughly or just skip around in if I am in desperate need of a break from studying. When I came to college in August, I left three of my favorite books back home because they had composed part of my small library of books in Florida and I wanted some books I hadn’t read for awhile for the fall. But good books you can re-read many times, even several times within the same year so when I met my family for Christmas I had them bring these favorites with them. I had to tote them all around in my carry-on (I'm so glad they don't weigh those things!) so that it wouldn't make my checked suitcase go over the weight limit, but it was worth it for them to become a part of my expanding at-school library…these three books are The Last Sin Eater, The Atonement Child and The Veil. All three are fiction and the first two are by Francine Rivers (an excellent author) and the last by Diane Noble.
A brief synopsis of each…
The Last Sin Eater takes place in the Appalachian Mountains, in the mid 1800s. The people there are held bondage to fear and superstition as horrible secrets cloak their valley. They also are in bondage to their belief in a sin eater, a man who takes on the sins of the dead at their burial.
My mom often says that she thinks every young woman should read The Atonement Child and I agree. It tells of a young woman, attending a Christian college, engaged to a budding pastor, with a seemingly perfect life stretched in front of her…who is raped and finds that she is pregnant. She then struggles with the decision as to whether or not to abort the baby. Be prepared to cry…especially at the end.
The Veil is especially interesting to me due to the large Mormon population in the area of Idaho that I grew up in. The book follows some early Mormon history and their practice of blood atonement and the killing of those who did not accept and follow their doctrine. It adds a story to the true account of the Mountain Meadows Massacre that took place in southern Utah in the 1850s. Another ending that brings tears.
I’d be hard-pressed to choose which is my favorite of the three and I would recommend each of them to almost anyone (over the age of fifteen or so [due to some of the “mature“ topics dealt with…but there‘s nothing explicit]). So take this post as a hearty recommendation to anyone (of suitable age) reading this…and if you do read the books, I’d love to know what you think of them!
"He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and broke their chains in pieces. Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men!" ~Psalm 107:14-15