Welcome to Book Club

I have a confession: my idea of a deep read is Dave Barry Is Not Taking This Sitting Down.

Every once in a while, however, I get duped into trying something that's a little less... hmm... how shall we say it... potty humoresque?

Here are a few of my favorite reads from the past several years:


Watching the Tree Limbs by Mary E. DeMuth

An acquaintance recommended this book and I thought I would read it a little at a time. (Haha.)

Unfortunately for me, I had dinner company the day I started reading it. So after 6 hours of reading and 3 hours of entertaining, I had to try to figure out a way to get the guests out the door.

(Was feigning the flu such a terrible thing? OK... I didn't. But I thought about it.)

When the company was finally gone, I stayed up until the early hours reading. There's a reason the pages were water-damaged when I was finished. (No -- it had nothing to do with the fact I couldn't take a bathroom break.)

I wept at Mara's story in relation to my own. That night, I started down the path toward healing from my own similar experiences. Mara gave me the courage to take that first step. Three years later, I'm so grateful for an author who was willing to write about the truly raw stuff.

Escape from Fred, by Brad Whittington

Escape from Fred started out as an escape from math class for me. I ended up passing the class... barely. Good thing for Brad Whittington, or I'd have had to sue him for keeping me awake with his dialogue.

(To me, that's the mark of a good book... it won't let me rest until I've devoured every bit. You may not accomplish anything else in life, but at least you've finished that book...)

****
Some day I want write like Mary DeMuth. I want to tell a story with such power and conviction and feeling that someone's heart is urged to do something life-altering.

Some day I want to write like Brad Whittington. I want to draw the reader in with such wonder and excitement they can't put the book down. (Oh, and sounding like PG Wodehouse doesn't hurt either.)

But for now, I guess I have to stick with the potty humor writing. I should master one thing before I try to move onto another...

****
BJ Hamrick is a proud Scribble chick and the editor of Real Teen Faith.