So…as you can see (or not see), I have been a little busy and blogging has pretty much blipped right off my radar screen. I’m going to try climbing back into the saddle or falling back into the rut or some other cliches and see what happens. I had an awesome first semester: really enjoyed myself, learned a lot and made straight A’s. I started the summer semester yesterday, and so far, so good. I did absolutely nothing on my break except play Frontierville, hang out with my best bud and read. I read several things, but the one I want to talk about today is Journals of the Big Mouth Bass by Debbie Sue Bass Williamson.

This book was a short read for me, being intended for the youth market, but it was….fun is not the right word. It’s a good book, and I will end up reading it to my kids, I am sure, but…if you, like me, are in your forties and vaguely remember being ten-ish with no great desire to re-capture those days, then you may understand what I mean by “fun” not being quite the right word.

Here’s the premise: Debbie gets a journal for her birthday. She uses it to write letters to God, with whom she has a pretty casual relationship. Not casual as in don’t care, but casual as in intimate enough to really talk to Him about what is going on in her life. She talks about her family and her brother and school and the lady down the street and whatever happens in her life. She expects that He listens and cares, and that alone makes the book worth reading. I was reminded of the need for a child-like faith as I read. There are no big theological discussions in the book, but that underlying message of faith s there all through it.

And, no it’s not all child’s play, either. I don’t know what your ten year old life was like, but some pretty stressful things happen to this girl. Not the kinds of horror stories that end up on the news, but some coming to terms with life. She has to learn some lessons the hard way. The author deals with this very realistically and draws a very believable character for us.

Lord help me! I sound like I am writing an essay here! It’s a good book. Get it, read it. If you don’t have kids, buy it for your niece or nephew. Make one up if you have to, because I think you will enjoy the story, and it’s a nice break from “grown-up” books and particle physics.