Summer Reads in Sixty(ish) Seconds

I love the summer holidays because you can sit and read a whole book in one sitting and not feel bad. Except for the inevitable numb bum, but it's sort of an okay pain.

First up this summer;

Counterfeit Gods by Timothy Keller

My rating: ***** 5 stars

I'd been recommended this book for a long time. Perhaps my friends all think I need to get my priorities sorted! Anyway, as much as I'd love to prove them wrong, they totally hit the nail on the head. This is a challenging and very very readable book, asking us to take a look at the things in our lives which all too often take the focus away from God - the only God who deserves our time, money, enthusiasm, respect, pursuit, dedication and love. Keller deals with all the main contenders for our attention; money, relationships, status, approval. And it's an eye opener.

Next to be curled up in a beach bag and filled with sand;

Mud, Sweat and Tears by Bear Grylls

My rating: **** 5 stars

Make no mistakes, I am a big big fan of Bear Grylls, but I wasn't quite sure what to expect when I picked up his autobiography. Would it be all about his rise to fame as an extreme survival expert, or a how-to-survive book? Actually, I was pleasantly surprised as I read a very honest, sometimes very funny account of Bear's childhood and formative experiences growing up. From tales of evading a lashing at school, to climbing on rooftops, failing at getting girls and travelling on the long and painful road back from a serious spinal injury, this book is jam packed with stories and lessons which completely explain how Bear Grylls can do what we see on our TV screens today. The guy is a nutter, a gentleman and a true inspiration.

And finally, for a change of direction;

Running Wild by Michael Morpurgo

My rating: **** 4 stars

Yep, it's another kids book. You'd be silly to think it's an easy read though. Morpurgo has done it again - successfully writing a children's book that had me enthralled from the start and sobbing by the end. Inspired and shocked by the Boxing Day tsunami of 2004, the Iraq war, and the rising problems of deforestation and illegal animal trade, Morpurgo tells the story of one boy who finds himself at the centre of all of these huge issues. The jungle comes alive through his brilliant descriptions, and the characters (including that of the wonderfully maternal Oona the elephant) are vivid. For me, the ending came too abruptly, though I understood why he did this, and that is certainly not enough to put me off recommending this book to Morpurgo fans and newbies!

And that's all my summer reading so far. Just over 2 weeks left, and I'm sure I'll fit some more in!