Take a chance / Don't be shy / Read a book / Please just try!

Today's title was of course inspired by the lovely book I just finished reading entitled The Gospel According to Dr. Seuss. The author, James W. Kemp, is a retired pastor who often used the stories of Dr. Seuss, aka Theodor Geisel, in his sermons because he felt (and I have to agree now) that you can equate many of them to biblical principles. For example, in the story On Beyond Zebra!, the narrator insists that there are more than just 26 letters in the alphabet. In fact, there's quite a bit more after one reaches Z (or Zebra). Kemp compares this to characters in the bible such as Abraham that went well beyond Zebra when they were called to do so by God. Abraham was called many times to go the distance but in one instance in particular he showed his true faith in the Lord when he was willing to sacrifice his only son as an offering simply because he was told to do so. Each chapter of Kemp's book begins with a section of the Bible along with a reference from a Seuss book and following this is the reasoning for the comparison. Not only was it very interesting to see how these tied together but I realized that I am unfamiliar with a lot of Seussian (yes, I've made that up but I'm allowed because it's Seuss) literature. I must remedy this ASAP!

Following this delightful romp, Room by Emma Donoghue is a story narrated by a 5 year old who grows up trapped in a room with his mother who has been held there by a man for seven years. The story was apparently inspired by a real life case of a woman who was help captive by her father in their home's basement for 24 years. The book received multiple honors and a film adaptation of the novel is in the works. I have high expectations for this one but something tells me that I won't be disappointed. Review up soon!


And don't forget that summer time is all about BOOKS, BOOKS, BOOKS!!