Lynn H. Blackburn

Did the title of this post get your attention?

‘Cause it sure got mine!

So, what on earth would make me pick up a book entitled Demon: A Memoir?

I have serious issues with all things horror. In particular, horror that in anyway involves the satanic realm.

But this book was the She Reads bookclub recommendation for August. She Reads is a group I discovered on Facebook a few weeks ago and it’s a part of Proverbs 31 Ministries. I don’t claim to know much about Proverbs 31 ministries, but the little I do know leads me to believe that they wouldn’t recommend a book that was inappropriate.

However, I still wasn’t sold. I looked up the reviews. And they were impressive. People talked about how they couldn’t put it down. How they were moved by the book.

Moved? Really?

I debated for a few days and then took the plunge and ordered it (no, the library didn’t have it). It took several days to arrive, during which time I wondered if I’d lost my mind and wasted $10. Well, actually $28 because I needed to spend over $25 to get the free shipping so I ordered a few more books. (Please tell me I’m not the only one who does this!)

Anyway, I didn’t start reading it right away. I looked at it for a little while. Took it out of the box. Wondered, again, if it was worth reading or if I was getting ready to squander my precious reading time on something I wouldn’t enjoy or benefit from in any way.

As it turns out, all I wasted was a lot of mental energy worrying over nothing.

I read Demon: A Memoir in less than 24 hours. I would have finished in less than 12, but life did its thing. And I had to sleep a little.

After, oh, three pages or so, I couldn’t put it down.

Why? Well, I don’t want to give it all away. But Demon: A Memoir is actually a love story.

No. Not that kind of love story.

The very best love story of all time. The one we live in everyday.

I finished it last week and I’m still thinking about it. Thinking about re-reading it actually.

Tosca Lee’s writing was beautiful. I loved her descriptions of the fall of Lucifer, of creation, of the virgin birth and of the way God is involved in the details of our lives today. I even loved the way the book ended – and it wasn’t what I was expecting.

When I turned the final page, I felt compelled to pray for the main character, even though I know he isn’t real. Um . . . well . . . maybe that doesn’t happen to you. And it’s not often that it happens to me, but it did this time.

I also felt a renewed sense of awe and wonder that the Almighty God not only tolerates humanity, but He loves us, with a never-ending love. Loves us so much He sent His son to die for us. Loves us. Even though we so often throw that love back in His beautiful face.

That’s not the way I usually feel when I finish a book.

Which is the very reason I wanted to share Demon: A Memoir with you.

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Because I know many of us are always on the lookout for a writer we’ve never had the pleasure of experiencing before, I’ve decided to post an occasional “review” of a book that I’ve read. If you enjoyed this and would like to see more, please let me know in the comments.

Side note: My “reviews” will not be critiques. We’ve already covered how I feel about criticism and as such, I do not feel in anyway inclined to go around critiquing writers who have actually managed to get their books published! If I write a post about a book, it will be because the story captured me and I want to share it with you.