Blogging Book Goal- Book #19

I may be running a bit behind in my reading goal for the year.

But only a bit.

If all was going smoothly, I would have had 25 done by the end of June, but I did have the slump for almost 2 months where I was disinterested in reading, so the hope is, that that won't happen again.

I quickly finished this book, "The Scribe," by Francine Rivers, but then again, it is a 194 page novella, that is about 6 inches x 4 inches big.

I was interested in, first, on what exactly a novella was, so I thought we would dive deep into the world of Merriam-Webster Dictionary online, where they say a novella is:

"1 plural novelle : a story with a compact and pointed plot
2 plural usually novellas : a work of fiction intermediate in length and complexity between a short story and a novel."

So, there you go and now you know!

I have been a big fan of Francine Rivers for awhile now (um, hello? Redeeming Love or Mark of The Lion Series?) and became an even bigger fan when I explored her website and discovered what a real woman of God she was!

So I was very interested to see how she took a character like Silas, whom we know very little about, and turn it into a novella. (what a cool word.)

I think she did a great job with the story! The characters were intriguing (umm, Jesus and his disciples, haha,) and the plot was fascinating to hear it from a different perspective, other than the Bible. The trick with historical fiction books however, is discerning between what is fact and what is fiction. I spent a lot of time asking my brilliant husband questions and possibly scaring him into thinking that I believe everything Rivers wrote as fact, haha.

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(Ian, who wrote Hebrews?

We don't know Brittney. Some conjuncture it was Paul, but since the style of Greek does not match up in Hebrews with his other books, it is thought to be not likely.

Oh. Well, Francine Rivers says it was Silas.

*perplexed look on Ian's face*

Umm, well, I have never heard THAT theory before, but I suppose it's possible.)

****
haha, that man cracks me up, I tell you.

So, really, as you read a historical fiction book, especially one dealing with the history of the Bible, I would strongly encourage you to do some research as you read. Keep a notepad for questions next to you, or, you know, just keep a really smart husband around. Whatever works.

The thing to remember, is that these authors aren't claiming these stories as whole truths. They would be the first to admit that you should do your own research and remember that this is a story (in fact, Rivers says almost the same thing in her "Dear Reader," section, which shows you that this is a good book!)

This book gave me alot to think about, especially since it paints the disciples in such a vivid picture. I often think of them as flat, 2-dimensional characters, but we forget that they were real people, with emotions and histories.

I can't wait to get my grubby hands on the rest of the series "The Sons of Encouragement, five men who quietly changed eternity." Also, I just discovered she has a series of called "Lineage of Grace, five women who played a key role in the lineage of Christ."

Awesome stuff people.

Now, I am off to finish a CS Lewis book that I have been working on since we moved here! (can you believe we have been living with my in-laws for almost a month and a half?! Me neither.)

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Blogging Book Goal- Book #19