There have been a few books from authors I’ve previously read and enjoyed that just haven’t captured my attention.
For example, I bought and Her Mother’s Hope and Her Daughter’s Dream by Francine Rivers. I read the first and while it was well-written, I found the story depressing (which shouldn’t be a surprise: it was set in the 1930s Depression, and ended just as the USA entered World War II). I never even read the second book.
I loaned both books to a friend who loved them, as did most online reviewers.
I’m glad she enjoyed them, even if I didn’t.
There are other authors (more than a few)I’ve tried to read based on reviews and the recommendations of multiple other Christian readers, but I haven’t been able to get into their stories.
One of the culprits might be the attitude of Christians toward book reviews. There’s a view that if reviewers can’t give a glowing five-star review, then they shouldn’t review the book at all (a variation of Thumper’s rule, perhaps?).
So perhaps I’m not the only person disappointed by certain books. Perhaps we’re all ignoring Matthew 7:5, John 8:32, and similar verses because we’re following the Bambi rule, not the Bible.
