A Couple of Weekend Picks

World Trade Center (Widescreen Edition)
I was going for the patriotic build-up to the 4th of July with this movie last night. Ultimately it will remind you of the courage and goodness deep within the ordinary man, shown in the stalwart love of the husbands and wives for each other, the determination of the rescuers, and in support of the two trapped Port Authority partners for each other. You don't leave this necessarily uplifted as it takes you right back to those dreadful days but it does remind us that love for our country and our countrymen is more than skin deep and a wave of emotion. Highly Recommended. ****

The Book of Jane by Anne Dayton and Mary Vanderbilt
Light and fluffy, this is a retelling of the Book of Job as chick lit. Yep. You heard me. And you're right. It goes skin deep and no further. However, that doesn't mean it isn't an entertaining book. Jane Williams has a glamorous job in NYC, a perfect boyfriend, loving parents and friends, and a much loved dog. She thanks God for her many blessings and then is put to the test of whether she will still be thankful when all these things seemingly vanish as she realized that very little is as it seemed. The parallels to the Book of Job are tenuous once the book is halfway through as Jane's trials seem to dissipate very quickly. However, she does look at the world through new eyes, trying to apply the lessons she's learned. It would be nice if the Christian aspect went a bit deeper than a declared love for God with the occasional prayer of thanks and reference to going to church with the boyfriend, but those are more than you get from most books of this genre so we won't go for perfection on this round. Altogether an enjoyable book and one that won't embarrass you if others pick it up, which can't be said for all chick lit. I actually am going to check the library for the authors' other two books, "Emily Ever After" and "Consider Lily" as these make nice contrasts for all the heavier reading I have been doing lately. Recommended for easy summer reading. ***