The One with The Christmas Sweater

131. Title & Author: The Christmas Sweater by Glenn Beck (284 pages)

Genre: Fiction--Inspirational

Completed: 26 December 2009

Summary & Review:

After 12-year-old Eddie gets a hand-knit sweater for Christmas rather than the new bike he so desperately wanted and he felt he deserved, a series of events are set in motion that end in tragedy. Eddie is left bitter and hopeless after the death of his mother and wonders why God is punishing him. With the help of his grandparents and a mysterious neighbor, Eddie learns that everyone must face trials and hardship but that with faith and trust in God we can overcome those and find happiness. Based heavily on events from Beck's own life, The Christmas Sweater is a story of redemption and forgiveness.

While I would never say that Beck is a wordsmith, I think the message of the book was worth reading it. I'm sure a lot of people have trashed this book since Beck is no Charles Dickens, but the lack of eloquence doesn't stand in the way of the lesson found in the story.

This was a Christmas present from my wonderful wife.

Rating: 6.5

The One with Willem De Kooning

130. Title & Author: Willem De Kooning by Barbara Hess (95 pages)

Genre: Nonfiction--Art History

Completed: 18 December 2009

Summary & Review:

Art historian Barbara Hess traces the life and career of Dutch-American artist Willem de Kooning. Along with Hess' commentary are numerous, often full-page, color reproductions of many of de Kooning's seminal works.

I have an interesting relationship with the work of de Kooning. I always feel like I should like it more than I actually do, considering how important he has been to the development of modern and contemporary art. When I see most of de Kooning's canvases, they aren't paintings that elicit a visceral response in me, nor are they paintings that I can stare at for indefinite amounts of time. But, I do respect de Kooning's originality and his ability to change and evolve over his career by continually producing unique images, rather than sticking to a single style.

Rating: 6.5

The One with The Lost Symbol

129. Title & Author: The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown (509 pages)

Genre: Fiction--Thriller

Completed: 15 December 2009

Summary & Review:

Shortly after finding the bloodline of Christ in The da Vinci Code and exposing the truth behind the Illuminati in Angels & Demons, symbologist Robert Langdon is back. When a call from his good friend Peter Solomon brings him to Washington D.C., Langdon finds himself in the nation's capital under very different circumstances than he had anticipated: Peter has been kidnapped, a severed hand is found in the rotunda of the Capitol building tattooed with occult symbols, and a madman is forcing him to find and decode the legendary Masonic Pyramid, a map that leads to the Ancient Mysteries.

A Dan Brown book is an interesting experience, one in which the reader feels like he is being manipulated as he reads. The book is full of passages like, "As Langdon finally opened the door, he gasped. He couldn't believe what he saw." Then the chapter would end and the reader wouldn't be told what caused Langdon to gasp or scream or faint until much later. While this can be an effective tool to increase suspense and to keep the reader turning pages, the number of times that Brown did this caused it to cheapen the effect, catalyzing suspense to turn into frustration. Another quirk that could wear on the reader is Brown's penchant for emphasizing certain words in much of his dialogue. He did this a lot.

Additionally, Brown spent a lot of time in this book defending the Masons. Numerous passages essentially said the same thing, i.e. that Masons had been misunderstood throughout history and that there were dozens of biased, untrue myths spread about them by people who didn't fully understand their practices. One would think that Brown would not then spread such myths about other often misunderstood groups, but in two instances he did so about Mormons.

Thanks to CBO for loaning me this to read.

Rating: 5.5

The One with Teachings of Presidents of the Church: David O. McKay

128. Title & Author: Teachings of Presidents of the Church: David O. McKay published by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (233 pages)

Genre: Nonfiction--Religion & LDS

Completed: 13 December 2009

Summary & Review:

The 24 chapters of this book cover various doctrines and principles taught by President David O. McKay, including the purpose of the church, the importance of temples, agency, and personal responsibility. Along with direct quotes of President McKay's teachings are stories from his life illustrating the principles he taught.

This was an excellent collection of President McKay's words. He taught powerfully and clearly ways to improve and become better members of the church and better people in the world. His teachings are an inspiration to become more like our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Rating: 9.0