And...my first-ever audio book post!
I was reading Stephen King's On Writing last month, and he mentioned how many books he generally reads a year, stating that six or seven of those books every year were audio books. I tend to struggle with paying attention to talk radio in the car, as my mind does its best wandering while I'm driving (I know: watch out!), but when I read this, I thought, of course! Why not squeeze a little more "reading" into the day this way!
The catch for me was that I needed somewhat "fluffy" books for the car, books that wouldn't take too much concentration. First, I bought Three Cups of Tea, by Greg Mortenson. I'm still plugging away at it, but I was a bit disheartened to hear that it's not a completely true story, even though it was marketed as non-fiction. I'm also having a hard time getting into it by just listening to the story. So the last time I was at the public library, I picked up The Shack, thinking this was a book I should probably read at some point since it made such a splash when it was first published (I'm a few years behind).
It was ok. It's the (fictional) story of Mac, whose young daughter is kidnapped and killed by a serial killer, and it follows his journey back to healing. When Mac receives a letter in his mailbox asking him to meet the letter-writer at "the shack" (where his daughter was killed), signed "Papa" (Mac's wife's name for God), he grudgingly goes to the shack. Here, his life is transformed, as he literally meets God/Jesus/the Holy Spirit (each very interestingly portrayed) and is walked through the basics of his faith.
I did get some good things out of the conversations God had with Mac, and there were some thought-provoking discussions pertaining to the deep pain in this world and why God doesn't prevent it, but I also think it's important for people reading this book to understand that while some of the contents of the book may be theologically accurate, most of it is still based on a fictional story, as the author admits himself.
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