We're All Damaged by Matthew Norman

Let me begin by saying that I am a SciFi/Fantasy kind of girl. If I want to read anything I could conceive of happening in my back yard, I pick up a biography; and if I want to deal with "real life" struggles, I grab a self-help book.

Actually, that's what I thought this was, minus the weird subtitle. You know the kind? "We're All Damaged:7 Steps to Unlocking the Power of Your Story". I was disappointed. Instead, this was like one of those romantic comedies that come a dime a dozen in the movie theater. Unfortunately, rather than fitting into a two hour movie slot,  this book was four hours long, although that could have been due to the fact that I was using the text-to-speech feature on my Kindle.  I think in that weird robotic voice now, thank you very much.

The plot of this book is: An insurance salesman from Omaha Nebraska is dumped by his wife and loses his nice, white-collar job as an insurance salesman shortly thereafter. His life in shambles, he moves to New York for a restart and promptly becomes a bartender. His grandfather becomes ill a year later and he returns to Nebraska to prepare for his inevitable passing. While there, he meets this girl who assures him that she is going to help him get back on his feet, which is really where this starts to feel like an overdone chic-flic.

Here's what I liked about the book

1. It was written well.
Norman really considers who would be reading his book and what they would be looking for in a light read. The tone, vocabulary, and scenes match wonderfully.

2. There was a some humor
Monday, as I was entering data for work, with the book playing for added focus, I let out a loud guffaw. My boss looked at me oddly.

3. The novel's treatment of marriage equality
I enjoyed seeing the shoe on the other foot in regards to that issue. Not that I agree with the tactics, but it was interesting to ponder.

Here is what I would have liked to see more of

1. Imagination.
No offense to Mr. Norman, but it's as if he took bits and pieces of romantic comedies and spliced them together in an unbelievably vanilla narrative.

2. Action
Like I said earlier, I'm a sci-fi/fantasy type girl and those typically have a lot of action. They are "true to life" enough that it is possible to feel with and for the characters, but thankfully I don't get too carried away there. Every time I start to go down the road of overly emotional, a dragon comes burns down a nearby village, or a giant bursts through a door frame to give one of the characters a birthday cake. That sort of action releases the pressure we may be feeling from our emotions just enough that we remember we are reading a book. The action in this book offers no such release.

3. Better pacing.
This book was 272 pages. It moved along, but much of the monotony could have been skipped over and replaced with  more of how the scandal was handled between Nancy, her husband and the mistress.

 All in all, this was an average book.The characters were forgettable, the plot was cliche and the setting could have been more diverse. I was able to get it for free via Kindle Owner's monthly pick, but I probably wouldn't have paid for it.


 
 

The Bait of Satan by John Bevere

This is probably one of those books one needs to read over and over again to get the full impact of, but I really found it difficult to put down. It seemed like every page I turned was a message for me. Without giving too much away, this book focuses on very practical and godly ways to deal with offense. 

 John Bevere removes the shame one may be harboring about past actions, or thoughts or feelings through examples that come from his life experience. This allows the reader to relax and really begin to deal with what is burried inside of them that needs to be uprooted. 

 He also provides scriptural evidence for every assertion. It's not only the verses that were meaningful but also the interpretation of the verses related to offense and how to work with it, others and ourselves. It's clear from the way that he works with the scripture in this book that God was with him throughout.

Speaking of God, I will say that I felt convicted quite a few times, but it didn't come with a burden of judgment, the conviction came in love. This new way of viewing the conviction of the Holy Spirit is influenced by John Bevere's work. 

What I loved about the book:

There were testimonies that started each chapter which illustrated what would be discussed in the chapter as well as demonstrated the power of the becoming free from offense.

The writing style is plain, but passionate.

There were declerations at the end of each chapter

The 20th anniversary edition contains a study guide

I will be returning to this book soon. I'd like to complete the study guide.

The Last Swordmage by Martin Hengst

This was a nice short read for a lazy Saturday. It's basic plot centers around a young girl sold into slavery by her father and bought, through a series of events, by the retired captain of the king's army. Without giving too much away, here is what I liked about the novel:
1. I liked the pacing of the novel. There was always a bit of action happening, but not too much to be overwhelming, and a good bit of action happens towards the end there, which is nice.
2. I liked the novel's take on magic. No special tool is needed. In fact, some might say that tools hinder the flow or working of magic, which is very interesting.
3. I liked the building of the central relationship. Perhaps it was the writing, but the building was believable. I began to hinge my hopes on their "happily ever after".

Here is what I would have liked to see more of:

1. What the reasoning was behind the buying and selling of slaves, especially family. The idea that a father would sell his own daughter for two horses and a bit of gold strikes me as farfetched even in this frigid world. And where was the mother?
2. More about the main character's culture. It seems rather flat. We as the reader only see it through the character's eyes, and even then it is very brief. I would have liked to see her engage a bit with the family, get an idea of what her place was from another perspective before being thrown into the meat of the story.
2. More about how magic works. Training begins in earnest without a full understanding of how things work. The main character just knows how to do it from one page to the next. I would have liked to see her struggle the first few times with the elementary parts.
3. More information on the main adversary. What was the reason for the war? I struggled to sympathize or empathize with them and I wanted to. In this book, they are very obviously bad, but a good villain has a few redeeming qualities that allow for the reader to identify with their struggle.
4. A fuller world that sticks with the reader. Perhaps I'm a bit biased by Harry Potter, but the wizarding world in those books was almost tangible. One experienced it with their senses. One dreamt about it, placed themselves within it. I've come to expect that of other stories. I was disappointed when this one did not deliver on this front. By comparison, this world felt like the cardboard on which one would play a table-top game. There are details, but they don't come alive.

This was the first book I had read cover to cover in a long time. All in all, it was decent reading. I ranked it highly because it read well enough to keep my attention. My points of criticism are more for me as an author than for Mr. Hengst as I know he has several books related to this world that expand on the points I brought up. Perhaps the greatest gift Mr. Hengst has given me is the desire to write again. Thank you, Mr. Hengst.