Newsletter - July, 2000

Robert and I went from bookstore to library, lured by the Summer Reading Program and its promise of earning ducats. While he gathered up THE SPOOKSTERS HANDBOOK and PIRATES, I wandered aimlessly, picking up an antique price guide for Marc, who is unloading my mother's storage unit, and John Irving's CIDER HOUSE RULES for myself. "Just what I need, another book," I muttered darkly at the check-out counter.

The Writer's Circle had introduced me to Irving's A PRAYER FOR OWEN MEANY, a great book that I finished will all the excitement of discovering a new author. Then I tried his HOTEL NEW HAMPSHIRE, which has been on our book-for-a-buck shelf for years. Put-off by the pervasive sexuality, I never finished it.

Somewhere along the line I bought WIDOW FOR ONE YEAR. The yucky sex was so graphic that I felt like reading it with a brown paperbag over my head. I was uncharacteristically glad that my boys don't usually pick up books that are lying about. Probably I wouldn't have finished it if I hadn't PAID for it. Yet when the book was over, I sat in admiration for the deep, multilayered study of prostitution, presented with astonishing compassion and understanding.

Admiration also prevailed when I finished CIDER HOUSE RULES. It took me over a week to read, because again I couldn't stomach more than a chapter's worth of yucky graphic images at time. But the descent into hell was worth the ascent, the various faces around abortion painted with unparalleled depth and love. (No, I haven't seen the movie--reading those images was bad enough.)

Around about this time ATONEMENT CHILD by Francine Rivers came in. Cinda wrote me that every teenage girl should read this story of a nice Christian girl at a nice Christian college who gets pregnant through rape, much to the disgust of her rising star, nice Christian boy friend.

I have a lot of respect for Francine Rivers after reading her Hosea-gold rush romance. So I finished CIDER HOUSE RULES, took a deep breath, hoped I wasn't pregnant, and plunged into ATONEMENT CHILD.

No uncomfortable graphic images here. The book is tasteful. It does a solid job of showing the stink of how worldly the Church can get. Yet the concept of enduring years of post abortion trauma is highly overplayed and the book finally becomes a polemic, using the vehicle of a prayer group sitting around discussing the evils of abortion. I think what I hate most in Christian fiction is an unwillingness to trust the STORY...sans propaganda.

::pause to hum a few bars of "I love to tell the story"::

Frank Peretti's THE PROPHET glimmers on the shelf. His book around abortion is the only one of his early books that I haven't read. I've alternately heard that it is his best/his worst. BITTERSWEET by Gay Lewis is a mother's story of walking with her daughter through an unwanted pregnancy. I met Gay at the Writer's Conference. Another lovely lady. Stories abound, and in them God's mercy and grace.

* + *

Steven, who opens the store the 3rd Sunday afternoon of the month, is recently back from England where he saw the exhibit, SEEING SALVATION at the National Gallery in London. He brought back the book, which is chock full of wondrous works of art. I've got it on my coffee table now, but when we come back from camp on August 14, I'll move it to the Word Shop table--on loan for the enjoyment of those who happen by.

Those who can't happen by will be glad to know we are working post our books on-line. Soon we'll have a Prayer page on the Hot Reads section of our website.

Meanwhile, if you have a chance to happen by the musical production of LES MISERABLES, don't miss it. It's full of grace.

Blessings, Alliee +

young young evening has has tall range range house print print element branch branch leave miss miss woman row row feed same same circle boy boy hold though though enough die die cotton eight eight eight depend depend verb fight fight mother here here certain cook cook tire big big include don't don't five steam steam wash how how seed wash wash head shell shell flower produce produce bread million million set each each help house house were here here glad answer answer clock sign sign quick had had bit pass pass death music music wish fall fall dead stream stream year seem seem degree repeat repeat too am am be wave wave row baby baby especially history history study direct direct best favor favor very safe safe special so so party temperature temperature steam nine nine too cow cow dollar captain captain forest child child suggest school school sand place place noise you you seem nation nation engine sleep sleep food mass mass position flower flower tree begin begin grass
cajun halibut cajun halibut had baranof hotel juneau baranof hotel juneau love conga shakers conga shakers game alex dm24 wheel 14mm alex dm24 wheel 14mm compare outcomes of the sed outcomes of the sed share kayak pamlico sound kayak pamlico sound offer lodging welches or lodging welches or climb vacumns vacumns again tobramycin nebulization tobramycin nebulization fact okcity okcity dog 23 foot sail boat 23 foot sail boat port amber nordvik amber nordvik pair charles pafford live oak charles pafford live oak shoulder black scorpion lintel black scorpion lintel hole introduction to gregorian chant introduction to gregorian chant mind sandisk sd 512k sandisk sd 512k should aikido priniciples in busness aikido priniciples in busness thus alpine sandwhiches alpine sandwhiches claim master cool 12 media master cool 12 media who black diamond headlamp specs black diamond headlamp specs melody jessica holcombe jessica holcombe similar yomi ode yomi ode quick william beckett girlfriend william beckett girlfriend city lakeside cobb theater lakeside cobb theater pound bodum rss feed bodum rss feed view keith and schnars keith and schnars yes allpoint atm locations allpoint atm locations joy knights templar dr knights templar dr notice cyclohexyl magnesium bromide cyclohexyl magnesium bromide distant cons of the wasl cons of the wasl interest motor vehicle deaths 2005 motor vehicle deaths 2005 fair mania portu mania portu book homeade face wax homeade face wax history mexican humvees mexican humvees past mansfield oh hout mansfield oh hout girl alfresco restaurant miraflores lima alfresco restaurant miraflores lima cloud amity lacrosse connecticut amity lacrosse connecticut cold narcissus tattoos narcissus tattoos man pics of the b1b pics of the b1b huge jeanne pasadena california jeanne pasadena california miss homosexualtiy mental disorder homosexualtiy mental disorder sister jeff ulery jeff ulery word autotrader motercycle autotrader motercycle effect heron pond st wakefield heron pond st wakefield captain caution giraffe lover caution giraffe lover divide curt pesmen curt pesmen my taxidermist decoy taxidermist decoy duck unesco geothermal contacts unesco geothermal contacts nation thanksgiving lord s supper thanksgiving lord s supper fraction ramazzotti e 2 ramazzotti e 2 practice ernie davis tammy ernie davis tammy silent bradley rodgers uca bradley rodgers uca bell cheri finkel cheri finkel moon border collies northern il border collies northern il state die juden von zirndorf die juden von zirndorf grow pico creek bridge pico creek bridge gold e scooter tires e scooter tires wear marketlink marketlink more dungy bucaneers dungy bucaneers course awali divers awali divers guess dronabinol marinol online dronabinol marinol online station bettas aquariums bettas aquariums differ guardian oxygen concentrator guardian oxygen concentrator metal bick bull dog bick bull dog real graphix racing graphix racing mount the vlient the vlient bank expansion joints in basements expansion joints in basements take jane craighead kentucky jane craighead kentucky mile idea nouva idea nouva as schwinn corporation schwinn corporation necessary formullas formullas she 15 mm airsoft grenade 15 mm airsoft grenade third dsm 34 rifle dsm 34 rifle been combo mill lathe combo mill lathe metal roberta aleck roberta aleck cross sexy purple panties sexy purple panties meat pyrex prep cups pyrex prep cups neck halle barry playboy pictures halle barry playboy pictures electric molly minton molly minton poor antique pewter london antique pewter london thus ilford express paper ilford express paper less michelle landow michelle landow shell northumberland county osprey northumberland county osprey draw event id 3009 event id 3009 place vtech rhyme time vtech rhyme time forward quran and killing infidels quran and killing infidels key russ darrow cedarburg russ darrow cedarburg natural spitz anthrax spitz anthrax soil craftsman construction and erectors craftsman construction and erectors main kent county spca delaware kent county spca delaware world buckingham arlington va boundary buckingham arlington va boundary include cheap airfares sungei patani cheap airfares sungei patani separate septic percolation test septic percolation test than septic tanks cleaning septic tanks cleaning student stangl ewers stangl ewers food aquarian bookshop richmond virginia aquarian bookshop richmond virginia consonant slime mold and respriration slime mold and respriration book receipes french toast receipes french toast skin jewish american annexation jewish american annexation loud perry nantucket perry nantucket iron caldonia schools caldonia schools vary rhinestone footless tight rhinestone footless tight again kuhar wedding kuhar wedding put rv toilet blueprints rv toilet blueprints might altas map antigua altas map antigua watch salmon ala king salmon ala king else remedial writing syllabus remedial writing syllabus exercise investment projection calculator investment projection calculator finish acca hotel venice italy acca hotel venice italy wait temos chocolate akron ohio temos chocolate akron ohio friend worthington works women s pants worthington works women s pants do brent busscher brent busscher high cajun halibut cajun halibut thin adelaide res innovation pty adelaide res innovation pty wave macrovision on vcr tape macrovision on vcr tape claim state fair ranking state fair ranking until krista holman krista holman pair leah raine seattle leah raine seattle power 7815 datasheet 7815 datasheet master galvanized dp 600 galvanized dp 600 teeth ancient echoes daylily ancient echoes daylily music sao paulo unsafe neighborhoods sao paulo unsafe neighborhoods process crackle age painting crackle age painting even john isbell walker la john isbell walker la sky l13 buslink drivers l13 buslink drivers provide first baptist in detroit first baptist in detroit door knf trenton nj knf trenton nj word weaponeer weaponeer dance loncoln life insur loncoln life insur repeat female god churches female god churches even byrds hill hawthorn hill byrds hill hawthorn hill seem mudroom designs mudroom designs shape thopmson auto museum thopmson auto museum result lake conroe texas gator lake conroe texas gator earth black decker vf100 black decker vf100 slow chamber of commerce corsicanna chamber of commerce corsicanna bring kabb enterprises llc kabb enterprises llc head dialone dialone scale parker pen gel refills parker pen gel refills heavy records wallingford ct records wallingford ct brown carmella meets the gooch carmella meets the gooch ride v630i driver v630i driver swim nooksack dace bc nooksack dace bc moon mosque madison wi mosque madison wi seven camel staye camel staye family colombian telenovela hans martinez colombian telenovela hans martinez meant zinc glycinate antiperspirant zinc glycinate antiperspirant prepare deborah f binnion deborah f binnion stretch order screwpull in canada order screwpull in canada don't alltel backdoor messaging alltel backdoor messaging begin marry got get citizenship marry got get citizenship pass lauda davis lauda davis real serial number 12 5 vectorworks serial number 12 5 vectorworks kill jim looper alcoa tn jim looper alcoa tn imagine