The Infinite Atonement

Title: The Infinite Atonement

Author: Tad R. Callister

Pages: 356

Genre: Religion

Grade: B

Synopsis: The Infinite Atonement is obviously all about Christ's atonement.  The book explores the atonement from all sides, including why it was necessary and important, why only Jesus Christ could provide this sacrifice and why the atonement is infinite, eternal and all-encompassing.

My Review: This book certainly helped me understand the atonement better.  However, I found it to be more of a chore to pick up.  It's certainly not a page-turner and it took me more than 2 months to read (not typical for me). I think that I would have enjoyed the book more had I actually studied it and followed the numerous scriptural references in the book.  While I'm not giving the book high praise at the moment, I do plan on studying this book some future day.

The Count of Monte Cristo

Title: The Count of Monte Cristo

Author: Alexandre Dumas

Pages: 35 dics

Genre: Classic, Fiction

Grade: A

Synopsis: Edmond Dantes is betrayed by his friends and falsely accused of trying to help Napoleon escape from Elba.  He is arrested and sent to prison by an unjust judge where he spends many years confined alone in a dungeon of the prison.  After many years he escapes and find a fortune which he believes God has provided to allow him to extract revenge upon those who have wronged him.

My Review: I was a little nervous getting into the book.  I wasn't interested in reading a book with long unnecessary tangents (ala Les Miserables).  This book was published in the same time period and was absolutely fantastic.  Sometimes you read a classic and think to yourself, "How in the world is this book considered a classic?" (Obviously because of English teachers who are out to get the students).  Other times, after reading a book, it is obvious why it has stood the test of time. This is one of the latter.  A fantastic book!

Slaughterhouse Five

Title: Slaughterhouse-Five

Author: Kurt Vonnegut

Pages: 215

Genre: Fiction

Grade: B

Synopsis: Billy Pilgrim is a time traveler, who was abducted by aliens and forced to live on exhibit in an alien zoo.  Throughout the book there are flashbacks of Billy's time as a soldier in World War II.  The aliens who have abducted Billy Pilgrim do not experience time in a linear fashion as we do, and the book is written along these lines.

My Review: There are lots of well-known books that you hear about and wonder what they're about.  I knew very little aside from the title of this book and found the story and content to be a complete surprise.  It wasn't a bad book, in fact I quite enjoyed it.  It was just a little bit on the strange side, but what else is expected from Kurt Vonnegut? And so it goes.