From the Library of A.W. Tozer...Selections From Writers Who Influenced His Spiritual Journey

A.W. Tozer is a man known for his passion for purity in the church and deep devotion to God.  His writings have been read and studied throughout the 20th and 21st Century.  Many of his writings are chronicled as Christian classics.  With these facts in mind, why wouldn't you want to read a compilation of writings from the men and women who influenced him?

Excited to have a "library"  of "nearly two hundred excerpts from godly men and women" who Tozer read, studied and were mentored by, I eagerly began to read.  Quickly you discover the book is divided into 8 sections, reflecting the main subjects Tozer taught on - Worship, Prayer, Exhortations, The Holy Spirit, Jesus, Practicing the Presence of God, Doctrine, and Christian Life.  Additionally, Bell has organized the excerpts into short devotional-type readings whereby you can either read them as such in a short sitting or read several together.  The book lends itself to being an easy read.  

However, I have to admit my excitement began to wane as I noticed some of the men and women that influenced Tozer.  Madame Guyon, a mystic, and Tauler, a Christian Universalist, as well as many Catholic writers are among the authors.  It is here where I miss the voice of Tozer himself.  I would want to know why Tozer would include them among his most influential men/women.  Or were these writings among his belongings and the assumption made that they influenced him?  We won't know the answer to this question unless somewhere Tozer recorded how these authors impacted his thoughts and devotion to the Lord. 

Overall, this is a good resource and one I am thankful to have in my own personal library.  I am sure I will be reading from it in my own personal devotional times. 

4 stars

I received a complimentary book for review from Bethany House Publishers.

Just Jane...A Novel of Jane Austen's Life by Nancy Moser

"Oh Mr. Darcy..."  

I believe Pride and Prejudice is the most famous of Jane Austen's novels.  Set in the English countryside, who cannot fall in love with the Bennett family as Mrs. Bennett desires to wed her young daughters to a better station in life?  And with such drama and flair, Mrs. Bennett is a character to watch.  One of my favorite lines said by Mrs. Bennett is this, ""Nobody can tell what I suffer! -- But it is always so. Those who do not complain are never pitied."  But it is her daughter, Elizabeth, and the young Mr. Darcy that captures one's attention.  It is about this character that Moser notes about Jane, "unable to find her own Mr. Darcy, she created him."  

Just Jane is a fictional autobiographical story of what Jane Austen's life could have been like based on family letters, historical writings and research.  Moser takes the reader back to the early 1800s, to the English countryside, to experience life as Jane Austen.  What was it like having grown up as a daughter of a clergyman?  Did she obtain ideas for her characters in her novels from life at home?  Is Mrs. Bennett similar to her mother?  an aunt?  a neighbor?  

Or how did Jane begin to write stories?  who read them?  

Did she fall in love?  find HER Mr. Darcy?  

Interestingly, Jane Austen writes about romance but truly never experiences the romance that she penned.  So her life story is not what you would expect....or it wasn't what I expected.  I have read all of the Austen novels and why did I think her life would be like her stories?  Just the opposite....her real life was full of disappointments, trials, and heartache.  Yet somehow she managed to create novels that have endured centuries, been made into movies many times over, and are studied as classics.  Yet...Moser captures her life in two simple words....Just Jane.  I would add "a real woman."

If you like anything about Jane Austen....her novels, her biography, any movie that has been made about her.....you would probably enjoy this book.  Nancy Moser has a way of writing that draws you into the time period....where you can almost taste, smell, and hear what is happening.  She does the same with the characters in the book...they have become your friends (or enemies) by the end.  

Go ahead, grab a cup of coffee, and pick up this book for a relaxing read.  Just be careful....you might not surface again until you have reached the end!

4.5 stars