The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis

The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis -- 209 pages

Screwtape is an experienced demon writing to his apprentice nephew, Wormwood, giving him tips and advice on just how to tempt and destroy the souls that he is assigned to. During Screwtape's instruction, he gives insight as to Wormwood's letters, and he also tells us the story of Wormwood's assigned man.

This gives a very interesting and unique point of view on this man's life, which I found fascinating, but it also seems a little tedious as Lewis seems to be trying to give us wisdom about our daily walk with God, and what things the devil might use against us.

I had tried to read this in paperback previously and did not finish, but I listened to it on audio and enjoyed my listen.

Son by Lois Lowry

Son by Lois Lowry -- 400 pages

The fourth book in The Giver Quartet, Son bridges the gaps between the first three books and ties them all into one story.

Son starts where the first book, The Giver starts, in Jonas' community where everything is in order. When Claire was 12, turning 13, she was assigned to be a birth mother, or a vessel. She carried her product and followed the rules, but somehow something went wrong. The birth went wrong. Her job went wrong.
She was then assigned to work at a Fish Hatchery, but she did not forget the baby that she had carried and seen. When she finds him, she keeps him a secret, telling no one that he is her son, but visiting him often and breaking her heart every time.

Claire's story lasts through the first three books and continues the story of the third book, joining all of our favorite characters and answering the questions that we still had.

This was my favorite book in the series.

The Giver by Lois Lowry

The Giver by Lois Lowry -- 240 pages

Jonas lives in a perfect community. No one is unhappy, because the government or "The Elders" have chosen your parents, siblings, job, children, etc. Everyone is the same. Everyone has a place.

Jonas and his schoolmates are at a critical point in their lives as they are 12 and ready to receive the job that they will have for the rest of their lives. But Jonas is not assigned to a job, instead, he discovers, he has been selected, chosen to be the next receiver of memories.

During his training, Jonas receives the memories of what the world was like before their community, and he begins to realize just what they had to sacrifice to get where they are. As he becomes less and less content, he starts looking for a way to restore memory to the community and bring back everything that they lost.

I enjoyed this book very much and I think it is a great children's book.

The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis

The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis -- 160 pages

The Great Divorce is a small book full of very large thoughts. C.S. Lewis writes a hypothetical story of a bus that takes people of hell to heaven, but when they get to heaven, it is so real that they are just ghosts and everything about the world hurts. They are told that if they stay they will adapt and become real, just like heaven is, but each one finds an excuse to leave and go back to hell, where it is not real, but it is comfortable, at least to a certain degree.

I found the Great Divorce to be thought-provoking and entertaining. C.S. Lewis certainly put a lot of thought into this book. It is also gripping enough that it is my "travel book" or the book that I always read on road trips. It is a book I never tire of.