Irma Voth by Miriam Towes

I finished this book a few days ago and since then I have been pondering. I am still not sure if I liked this book. It is the story of a young woman who is Mennonite and lives in Mexico. She is married to a young Mexican man and has been shunned by her family. However, her father has allowed Irma and her husband to live in a house on the family's ranch. A film crew arrives in the area to film an art film involving Mennonites and Irma is hired as a translator. The book was fascinating for it's brief insights into the Mennonite lifestyle. The book was disturbing and dark for no apparent reason through the beginning. I *think* I liked the book, but I still can't decide. The book jacket states that the author was born in a small Canadian Mennonite community and has written several books and a memoir of her father. I would LOVE to read the memoir just wondering if any of the father in THIS book was based on her father (and I really hope not!!). I think this book just wasn't Mennonite-y enough for me. I will check out her other books and think this would be a great book club book.

Lilies of the Field by William E. Barrett

This is the story of a black day laborer who builds a chapel for a group of German nuns in the middle of America. It is a quick fast read (as well as a movie starring the fabulous Sidney Portier). Homer Smith is a veteran. He has enough money that he doesn't have to work a regular job so he travels around the country, sleeping in his car and working when the mood hits him. One day he comes across a delapidated farm and sees women trying to build a fence. He stops, sensing that they will have some work for him. It turns out that the women are a group of nuns, sent to America from Germany, to build a church. The Mother Superior of the group tells Homer that he has been sent by God to build their church. Homer is pretty sure that he was NOT. With no tools, no labor and no knowledge, he is pretty clear that no church will ever be built, let alone by him. This is a sweet story based on a group of nuns in Colorado (I think). It is also my book club's December selection. I will post more after our meeting!

Touching the Clouds

This book is considered "Christian fiction" because God is mentioned as is prayer. I never get that. Anyway, it's a cute book about a female pilot in the 1930s who leaves her home and potential fiance in Washington to go to Alaska and become a bush pilot. It is fluffy and sweet and it is not necessary for you to read. It is the first in a series. Good book for non-readers.

The God Hater by Bill Myers

This book is really, really thought-provoking. As a stay-at-home mom for the past 10 years, my brain is slowly withering away and I can use some provoking of my thoughts. Here's the story: A computer programming has set up a virtual civilization that mimics ours. The point? To be a market predictor of everything from goods and services, outcomes of elections, catastrophes and anything else you might need or want to predict. The problem? 1. He is having to steal computer memory in order to keep it up and running so the government isn't thrilled. 2. He has created artificial intelligence and a lot of nebulous bad guys would like to steal the technology 3. The civilization keeps killing itself off.

It seems that without order and law they just can't survive. And so, the law must be introduced from an outside source. It is and it helps, until the inhabitants decide that the law is all-powerful and once again start killing each other off. And so an itermediary arrives, to interpret and apply the law. Sound familiar? It is an allegory of Christianity and a very interesting one. And while all of THAT is happening in the virtual world, in our world, their are explosions, gun battles, kidnappings, and killings.

I will think about this book for a long time coming. If you end up reading this book and like it, check out the VERY dark The Sparrow, one of my favorite all-time books.