Okay. I picked three titles. One of them, The Shack, I have had a copy of for years and was just never drawn to. But the other day, it popped back into my mind – out of nowhere – and I found myself, though not even clear as to  what it was about, wondering whether I might pull that one soon.

When I then picked three titles and it was one of them, I knew I needed to go for it. So here we go!

Also, it turns out to be a story about God that people quoted as being life changing on the cover. After the grittiness of the last few books, I think a little God couldn’t hurt! So here we go…

• THE SHACK
• by William Paul Young
• [rated by PBS readers as #57]
• 248 pages

One day and 70 pages in… Here’s the deal. It’s raining outside and I’m still recouping from a weekend of big shows with my choir, which leaves me a bit unable to concentrate on the TV, something which rarely happens.

So? The Shack is a tale of a father whose child is abducted and murdered, the trail of her demise leading to a shack where it ended. A year later, he gets a note to meet at the Shack. From God. No less.

Sounds like fun! I mean, of course, it isn’t fun but some pretty good plot reasons to read on! Apparently, the book has changed a lot of people’s lives, so I look forward to that.

Funny thing, though. When the last book you read was James Baldwin’s, it takes about 50 pages to give the next guy a break for writing only ordinary sentences! Like thinking, you’re really going to say he walked into the kitchen by writing he walked into the kitchen? Any fool can do that! Baldwin would have written it like a street beat haiku.

But everyone isn’t Baldwin and so I am landing slowly back down on more commonplace writing turf. Having said that, the beginning of the book is compelling.

still at 70 pages –

Just wanted to drop in and apologize. The Shack, described by many as a book unable to be put down, was put down by me. It’s fine and I’ll explain more later. But I took the Christmas holiday and read a bunch of other stuff. But I’ll get there, God! Meet you at the Shack!

This will make more sense later.

a little further in –

As I alluded to earlier, I did read other books over Christmas but that isn’t wholly the reason for my shut down on this book.

The Shack has a great premise. This isn’t giving anything away, as it is on the jacket of the book! A man takes his kids on a camping trip. He jumps into the water to help one kid as his canoe tips over and when he gets back to shore, his youngest daughter has been taken. They find, after an extensive search, her bloody dress at this run down shack, so obviously she is gone. Plus there is evidence that it was part of a serial abductor, so they have to accept that she is gone.

A year later, the father receives a note from God, asking him to meet at that shack that weekend. So he goes.

Cool premise, right? I thought so. I couldn’t wait to hear how the author decided to portray God. That part was a page turner.

And then. I got to God. Now, I should again emphasize that I’m not at all turned off to this premise. Problem being that I’ve read many things that either are fictional or non fictional – depending on your beliefs – words from God. Halfway into it, these are the least interesting or thought provoking of what I’ve previously read. Plus, this is a very Christian – in the sense of traditional Christian – point of view, so they explain things like the Garden of Eden (and not well), something most even religious sorts would pass on as a metaphor…

So I find myself in this weird dilemma. Not being that interested in this author’s words – at least so far – coupled with reading different books – all of which I was more interested in than continuing this – and you’ve got a total blog work shutdown!

But I tried to read more today and there are two things moving me at least a little bit forward. Okay, three. One – that I only have about 100 pages to go. Two – my internal and eternal optimist hopes that something will happen that will knock my socks off.

You know me. Just a simple girl with a dream.

And the third? A chance to read something else when I’m done! C’mon Cyn – finish up this bad boy!

One more thing –

I am rather continually amused by what books are an easier read and which ones are harder. Never what you would expect! This one should be easy! Ah well. Isn’t that just like life?

And while I’m waxing philosophical, perhaps I should go back and slog through ten more pages.

still almost done –

Okay, this is getting positively weird. My new theory (cuz I might be going crazy, but I have to at least theorize about it on the way down!) is this.

We are familiar with writer’s block. I think that I have reader’s block. Toward the end of last year, I felt like I could actually read War & Peace. I was on the reading train big time.

Then the new year came and with it, another tradition that I have been doing for about 20 years. I am a member of Film Independent and we vote for film’s Independent Spirit awards. The period of time you have to see all the nominated films is fairly short, so January has a different film or films to see almost every day. I’ve been energized and inspired by these incredibly brave, cativating and creative films.

So I think that when I finally got back to this book, I wasn’t really interested. But I like the premise! There is nothing odious about a guy talking to God. I took the book with me to lunch today, sat there for an hour and only got through 10 pages!

And what is even more perplexing is that I predict I will have a pleasant aftertaste from this book when I’m done with it. This hasn’t been Gulliver’s Travels. Now if I could just get through it to that pleasant aftertaste, I’d be pretty darned happy!

Less than a hundred pages left. C’mon Cindy, put your nose down and grind it out!

Well, I will. Really I will. Well, not tonight. Just not tonight.

I’m….done.

Well, saints be praised! I finished the tiny Christian opus!

Honestly, this has been an eye opener for me in its difficulty. Not a tough subject and a relatively short book, but it officially took me more time than any three of the others! If that bodes well for War & Peace, I’ll be confused but maybe it does!

And it ended well. It concluded as a rather sweet little fable. I may have resistance that played into this. If so, I hope that the book will do some magic on me in the days ahead. And if it does, I will be sure and let you know.

I ended reading it a bit charmed but I see the toll it has taken as I pick new titles. I couldn’t wait for any of them!

I actually picked four titles. The last one I threw back in, Pilgrim’s Progress. Wasn’t speaking to me. But I have out Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Lord of the Rings and The Intuitionist. They all vary radically, including their rankings – Intuitionist is #99, where Lord of the Rings is #5 – but I think I might let my local bookstore choose for me by having one of them in. I’ll let you know!

Whee! On to a new book!