Status
Available
Call number
Publication
B&H Books (2010), Edition: 1St Edition, 400 pages
Original publication date
2010
Description
"It was just a letter. Cryptic, yes. Absurd? Absolutely. But Seattle software tycoon Micah Taylor can't get it out of his mind--this claim that a home was built for him, by a great uncle he never knew, on the Oregon coast. In Cannon Beach. The one place he loves. The one place he never wants to see again. Micah goes to Cannon Beach intending to sell the house and keep his past buried, but the nine thousand sqaure-foot home instantly feels like it's part of him. Then he meets Sarah Sabin at the local ice cream shop... Maybe Cannon Beach can be a perfect weekend getaway. But strange things happen in the house. Things Micah can't explain. Things he can barely believe. All the locals will say is that the house is 'spiritual.' Unsettling, since Micah's faith slipped away like the tide years ago. And then he discovers the shocking truth: the home isn't just spiritual, it's a physical manifestation. Of his soul. Will Micah run--or will he risk everything to see what waits for him deep within the house's rooms?"--P. [4] of cover.… (more)
Awards
Romantic Times Reviewers' Choice Award (Winner — 2010)
Language
Original language
English
Physical description
400 p.; 8.35 inches
ISBN
0805448888 / 9780805448887
User reviews
LibraryThing member Eat_Read_Knit
When I open a book and the first thing I see is three or four pages of gushing quotes praising the work in question, my hackles rise: if the book is really as good as all those reviews claim, then quoting all those reviews is surely superfluous. Three-and-a-bit pages of gushing before I got to the
Those three pages do the book a disservice: they make it out be something it’s not. I don’t think that Rooms will be considered a beloved spiritual classic in seventy years’ time like The Screwtape Letters (to which it is also compared), and I certainly don’t think that in 300 years’ time it will be considered one of the most significant works in the canon of English literature like The Pilgrim’s Progress. (And if it is, well, you can track me down in the hereafter and I'll admit I was wrong.) Simply covering similar themes to Screwtape and Pilgrim’s Progress doesn’t make it like them. Rooms is popular fiction, and to pretend it is something else is to do it a great disservice.
This is the story of Micah Taylor: twenty-nine, a software tycoon with a penthouse apartment and a BMW, who has a new and promising personal relationship with his business partner Julie and an appalling relationship with his father. When he inherits a mansion on the beach from his great-uncle, he intends to sell it for a decent chunk of cash and carry on as before. The house comes with an intriguing letter from his benefactor, and when he goes to visit it things get even odder. Things in Micah’s life start changing, strange things happen in the house, and Micah’s enigmatic new friend and neighbour Rick only adds to the puzzle.
It’s an entertaining story, and a Christian allegory with some interesting, possibly valuable, comment on the need to allow God into every part of you and to allow Him to change you, and on the insidious dangers of thinking it’s possible to have a strong relationship with God and at the same time to keep everything else as it would be were He not there. The theology underpinning the allegory is orthodox but with a strong emphasis on experiential aspects of faith, and the book certainly has the capacity to be spiritually helpful and encouraging.
Rubart’s plotting shows a lot of imagination, and is highly creative. The pace is generally good, although a bit slow at the start, and the characters and geographical setting are well drawn. The writing is satisfactory: the prose is utilitarian rather than lyrical or graceful, and the author’s habit of dropping brand names into his descriptions is occasionally irritating and intrusive, but there's nothing objectionable about it.
This is not a spiritual classic or a literary work of great beauty, but it is an intriguing piece of Christian fiction for the popular market that, if you’re a Christian or seriously (and I do mean seriously) exploring Christianity, might just have something to say to you about your relationship with God.
Show More
title page predisposed me to dislike this book. In fact, by the time I got to the final quote—which described it as ‘a modern day Pilgrim’s Progress but so much more’—I was sharpening my red pencil and getting ready to savage it. Those three pages do the book a disservice: they make it out be something it’s not. I don’t think that Rooms will be considered a beloved spiritual classic in seventy years’ time like The Screwtape Letters (to which it is also compared), and I certainly don’t think that in 300 years’ time it will be considered one of the most significant works in the canon of English literature like The Pilgrim’s Progress. (And if it is, well, you can track me down in the hereafter and I'll admit I was wrong.) Simply covering similar themes to Screwtape and Pilgrim’s Progress doesn’t make it like them. Rooms is popular fiction, and to pretend it is something else is to do it a great disservice.
This is the story of Micah Taylor: twenty-nine, a software tycoon with a penthouse apartment and a BMW, who has a new and promising personal relationship with his business partner Julie and an appalling relationship with his father. When he inherits a mansion on the beach from his great-uncle, he intends to sell it for a decent chunk of cash and carry on as before. The house comes with an intriguing letter from his benefactor, and when he goes to visit it things get even odder. Things in Micah’s life start changing, strange things happen in the house, and Micah’s enigmatic new friend and neighbour Rick only adds to the puzzle.
It’s an entertaining story, and a Christian allegory with some interesting, possibly valuable, comment on the need to allow God into every part of you and to allow Him to change you, and on the insidious dangers of thinking it’s possible to have a strong relationship with God and at the same time to keep everything else as it would be were He not there. The theology underpinning the allegory is orthodox but with a strong emphasis on experiential aspects of faith, and the book certainly has the capacity to be spiritually helpful and encouraging.
Rubart’s plotting shows a lot of imagination, and is highly creative. The pace is generally good, although a bit slow at the start, and the characters and geographical setting are well drawn. The writing is satisfactory: the prose is utilitarian rather than lyrical or graceful, and the author’s habit of dropping brand names into his descriptions is occasionally irritating and intrusive, but there's nothing objectionable about it.
This is not a spiritual classic or a literary work of great beauty, but it is an intriguing piece of Christian fiction for the popular market that, if you’re a Christian or seriously (and I do mean seriously) exploring Christianity, might just have something to say to you about your relationship with God.
Show Less
LibraryThing member johnfgaines
This book was my first experience with James L. Rubart's writings, and it left me filled with conflicting opinions. The author's writing is pretty good, while his theology is pretty bad.
Micah Taylor is a successful Seattle software developer who has taken his company public, becoming a
He investigates the house in Cannon Beach and finds himself drawn more and more to the Oregon coast and away from his business and from Julie,his romantic/business partner, in Seattle. The house is newly-finished even though the great-uncle who had it built for Micah has been dead for a number of years. At first, the beach house seems to be perfectly-suited for Micah, but soon very strange things begin happening in the house.
Micah meets local gas station owner Rick and becomes fast friends with him immediately. Shortly thereafter, he meets a young woman named Sarah, who works in the local ice cream shop. He feels an attraction for Sarah that quickly turns into love.
Rubart's ability as a writer have the reader hooked by this point. _Rooms_ is neither a conventional mystery or a conventional romance, although it has elements of both. The book is a pageturner, a truly-hard-to-put-down book that keeps the reader's attention until the last page.
However, as the reader progresses through the book, he discovers that the author has used the compelling set-up as the context for a sermon about giving your life totally and completely to the Lord. Readers who have little interest in Christian fiction may be turned off by this point. Others, like myself, who are Bible-believing Christians are anxious to keep reading to see how Rubart ties all the strings together.
Unfortunately, Bible-believing Christians are going to be disappointed before they finish this book. Rubart's theology is lacking in a number of ways that seriously undermine the value of reading this book. This review will not undertake to mention all the "doctrinal" deficiencies identified in the book.
That is not to say that some of the author's points do not resonate well with readers who are well-acquainted with Bible teaching. Jesus does need to be first in the lives of his followers. Christians should make the choice of loving Jesus more than we love money and material possessions. Satan is an adversary who will try to deceive us and lead us away from God. However, Rubart goes far beyond those basic points of Christianity. He would have us think that his character can please God only by leaving Seattle behind and living in Cannon Beach, Oregon. Geography is not the issue in discipleship, however. Micah needed to change attitudes and reform some of his business practices, but the notion that one must forsake everything about his old life and go to some new, spiritual place is more cult than Christian. As another reviewer has noted, Rubart explicitly deprecates the idea of being guided by Bible teaching and instead suggests that all one need do is follow the leading of his heart.
Different characters in the book warn Micah about the danger of allowing a small amount of error to become mixed in with truth and, thereby, be deceived about God's will. Such contaminated truth needs to be rejected because it is dangerous to one's spiritual well-being. The author was correct about that point, and if the reader takes takes the warning to heart, he must cast aside the theology advocated in this book.
Rating on the basis on James Rubart's ability as a compelling storyteller, give this book 5 stars.
Rating on the basis of the consistency and logic of the plot, give it 3 stars -- the need for the memory lapses and dual lives scenario is not well explained.
Rating on the basis of the religious teaching in the book, it is seriously lacking and barely deserves one star.
Overall rating - 2 stars
Micah Taylor is a successful Seattle software developer who has taken his company public, becoming a
Show More
multimillionaire before he turned thirty. The reader quickly learns that Micah has had a strained relationship with his father stemming from an incident where his mother drowned trying to rescue a beach ball for the child Micah. The story begins when Micah learns that he has inherited from a great-uncle a house in Cannon Beach, Oregon -- the place where Micah's mother died and where Micah has avoided throughout his adult life. He investigates the house in Cannon Beach and finds himself drawn more and more to the Oregon coast and away from his business and from Julie,his romantic/business partner, in Seattle. The house is newly-finished even though the great-uncle who had it built for Micah has been dead for a number of years. At first, the beach house seems to be perfectly-suited for Micah, but soon very strange things begin happening in the house.
Micah meets local gas station owner Rick and becomes fast friends with him immediately. Shortly thereafter, he meets a young woman named Sarah, who works in the local ice cream shop. He feels an attraction for Sarah that quickly turns into love.
Rubart's ability as a writer have the reader hooked by this point. _Rooms_ is neither a conventional mystery or a conventional romance, although it has elements of both. The book is a pageturner, a truly-hard-to-put-down book that keeps the reader's attention until the last page.
However, as the reader progresses through the book, he discovers that the author has used the compelling set-up as the context for a sermon about giving your life totally and completely to the Lord. Readers who have little interest in Christian fiction may be turned off by this point. Others, like myself, who are Bible-believing Christians are anxious to keep reading to see how Rubart ties all the strings together.
Unfortunately, Bible-believing Christians are going to be disappointed before they finish this book. Rubart's theology is lacking in a number of ways that seriously undermine the value of reading this book. This review will not undertake to mention all the "doctrinal" deficiencies identified in the book.
That is not to say that some of the author's points do not resonate well with readers who are well-acquainted with Bible teaching. Jesus does need to be first in the lives of his followers. Christians should make the choice of loving Jesus more than we love money and material possessions. Satan is an adversary who will try to deceive us and lead us away from God. However, Rubart goes far beyond those basic points of Christianity. He would have us think that his character can please God only by leaving Seattle behind and living in Cannon Beach, Oregon. Geography is not the issue in discipleship, however. Micah needed to change attitudes and reform some of his business practices, but the notion that one must forsake everything about his old life and go to some new, spiritual place is more cult than Christian. As another reviewer has noted, Rubart explicitly deprecates the idea of being guided by Bible teaching and instead suggests that all one need do is follow the leading of his heart.
Different characters in the book warn Micah about the danger of allowing a small amount of error to become mixed in with truth and, thereby, be deceived about God's will. Such contaminated truth needs to be rejected because it is dangerous to one's spiritual well-being. The author was correct about that point, and if the reader takes takes the warning to heart, he must cast aside the theology advocated in this book.
Rating on the basis on James Rubart's ability as a compelling storyteller, give this book 5 stars.
Rating on the basis of the consistency and logic of the plot, give it 3 stars -- the need for the memory lapses and dual lives scenario is not well explained.
Rating on the basis of the religious teaching in the book, it is seriously lacking and barely deserves one star.
Overall rating - 2 stars
Show Less
LibraryThing member jpogue
"Rooms" is James L. Rubart's debut novel - a spiritually-charged tale of Micah Taylor's journey to Jesus' heart and plan for his life. The story centers around a bizarre home, bequeathed to sucessful Micah by an eccentric great-uncle. Unbeknowst to high-powered Micah, the home will forever change
Rubart's novel is full of powerful biblically-based imagery, always focusing on the powers of good and evil that war for our souls' destinies. The twists, the "unseen" in Micah's life, the transformations that take place-not only in Micah's heart but in his confusing life-make for quite an interesting ride. More than once, I had a personal moment of divine clarity, as Rubart's unique perspective on God's work in our lives came into view.
As I couldn't find any glaring beliefs I disagreed with from my Christian perspective, and was grateful for the peek into a spirit world I seldom consider, Rubart was conservatively heavy-handed in matters such as our choice in movies and life-style. Micah's parallel lives often left me frustrated and confused, as well. The constant changes in relationships and financial status didn't resonate with my experience of life on Earth-a culmination of choices that have eternal and irreversible consequences.
Overall, however, this was an entertaining read that challenged my perspective as a Jesus follower. Its ending truly took me my surprise, and the story line was wonderfully resolved by the end of the the book. I look forwrad to seeing Rubart develop as a fiction writer and am grateful for the opportunity to read his first novel.
Show More
the path of his life. Wound through Micah's new life in Cannon Beach, the little coastal town that is host to his strange, spirit-driven home, are two relationships that take residence in Micah's heart as much as a blossoming relationship with his Lord-Rick, an unlikely friend who strikes Micah as curiously balanced and wise, and Sarah, a woman Micah quickly grows to deeply love.Rubart's novel is full of powerful biblically-based imagery, always focusing on the powers of good and evil that war for our souls' destinies. The twists, the "unseen" in Micah's life, the transformations that take place-not only in Micah's heart but in his confusing life-make for quite an interesting ride. More than once, I had a personal moment of divine clarity, as Rubart's unique perspective on God's work in our lives came into view.
As I couldn't find any glaring beliefs I disagreed with from my Christian perspective, and was grateful for the peek into a spirit world I seldom consider, Rubart was conservatively heavy-handed in matters such as our choice in movies and life-style. Micah's parallel lives often left me frustrated and confused, as well. The constant changes in relationships and financial status didn't resonate with my experience of life on Earth-a culmination of choices that have eternal and irreversible consequences.
Overall, however, this was an entertaining read that challenged my perspective as a Jesus follower. Its ending truly took me my surprise, and the story line was wonderfully resolved by the end of the the book. I look forwrad to seeing Rubart develop as a fiction writer and am grateful for the opportunity to read his first novel.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Eruantien
I was somewhat taken aback when I received this novel from Library Thing's Early Reviewers program. It was advertised as something of a Christian thriller, I assumed something similar to House by Frank Peretti and Ted Dekker. The cover itself seems designed to evoke that feeling. Instead it was
The story follows the adventures of Micah, a very wealthy software executive who apparently has it all. A successful software company, a penthouse apartment, a beautiful business partner who is also his girlfriend. He's headed for the top and has no time for religion anymore. One day he is surprised to learn that his dead uncle Archie has left him a massive house in Cannon Beach, the town in which Micah grew up and fled from. He travels to the house, intending to sell it, but is intrigued by it. It seems designed to his every taste. As time passes, he grows to love the house and the people he meets in the little town. He also begins to encounter strange supernatural occurrences within the house, new rooms appearing, even phantom skydiving trips and mysterious disembodied voices. Micah realizes that apparently this entire experience has been set up by God to bring him back to the faith as his reality begins to transform to a simpler alternate universe version of his life.
The characterization in this novel is some of the worst that I've come across lately. The characters are bland and uninteresting. Two-dimensional is putting it mildly and while this might be somewhat acceptable in the secondary characters, the main character himself is bland and uninteresting. The author seems determined to build up Micah as some sort of Tony Stark wannabe, but he fails so badly. The entire plot of the novel is wrapped up in Micah's transformation from a nominal Christian to a devoted follower of Christ, yet he shows very little change in character during the course of the novel. Of course, this is because he has almost no character to speak of. Micah's great vice, the one that causes him to feel guilty and Jesus Himself appears to address, is not casual sex, drinking, smoking, drugs, pornography, or any of the other things one might expect a rich bachelor to indulge in. Instead of all of these, Micah watches raunchy R-rated comedies. I would love to ask the author why Jesus hasn't appeared to deal with my equally trivial vice of spending too many hours on web forums. We are also frequently told that Micah is very sarcastic and has a biting wit. Um, I've got a biting sarcastic wit and I can assure you Micah is a rank amateur in this field. He's only truly sarcastic in a handful of lines across a lengthy novel. And that's one of this novel's problems; we're constantly told things, but rarely shown them.
The secondary characters are as dull as Micah. Micah falls in love with a former Olympic athlete named Sarah who works in an ice cream shop in Cannon Beach, yet their romance is a romance in name only. We're constantly told how much Micah loves Sarah, yet I don't feel any chemistry between them. It's all very bland. Another character, Julie, is the original girlfriend, but is quickly phased out as reality begins to rewrite itself. She is consistently treated as if she's being unfair and mean to Micah, yet he's dated her for six years and they are partners together in a major company. Wanting a marriage proposal after six years in a relationship is not unreasonable. Expecting the head of a company to show up for work is not unreasonable either. The only other character who plays a significant part in the novel is Rick, a man who owns the local garage in Cannon Beach. To be very blunt, I can believe that Rick and Micah had romantic feelings for each easier than I can believe that Micah and Sarah love each other. There are only so many hearty embraces you can have two men share before the reader starts to wonder.
And then we come to the plot. This story in more skilled hands could have been quite good. Instead it reads like the sort of ham-fisted thing you would find in church bulletin or a not-very-good devotional book. It's entirely too long. There's no question about that. It's overly padded out and could have been a hundred pages shorter. Micah's conflicts are solved by deus ex machina, literally. Instead of Micah working through his issues with his father and other relationships with prayer and patience, God shows up and sprinkles magic fairy dust on him and he proceeds to trip out on the divine Ecstasy for a couple of pages. We are initially told that Micah basically fled Cannon Beach, yet his past there is barely dealt with. There's no real conflict or driving force or intensity to novel. Things just happen, people have tepid responses to them, and then some more things just happen. Bland, bland, bland.
I am so very grateful I didn't spend my hard-earned money on this novel. I happened to be reading Mere Christianity as I read Rooms and learned so much from C. S. Lewis and felt that he helped me in my spiritual life. Rooms offered nothing of the sort. It offered a foreign version of Christianity to me in which God will deliberately abandon a Christian for the crime of attempting to be wealthy. It showed me a version of Christianity in which working hard, long hours is apparently as serious a sin as blasphemy. In Rubart's version of the world, God is capricious and Christianity leads to a rosy, non-conflicted life as long as you don't step a single toe out of line. You do that and God will apparently take away your romantic relationships and sabotage every aspect of your life. Books like this are the reason why Christians have their own bookstores and their own publishing companies; apparently Christians have lost the ability to write decent fiction.
Show More
another entry in the tired old genre of salvation stories. Perhaps I'm a bad Christian, but unless a miraculous life change is involved, I'm not terribly interested in hearing how someone becomes a Christian.The story follows the adventures of Micah, a very wealthy software executive who apparently has it all. A successful software company, a penthouse apartment, a beautiful business partner who is also his girlfriend. He's headed for the top and has no time for religion anymore. One day he is surprised to learn that his dead uncle Archie has left him a massive house in Cannon Beach, the town in which Micah grew up and fled from. He travels to the house, intending to sell it, but is intrigued by it. It seems designed to his every taste. As time passes, he grows to love the house and the people he meets in the little town. He also begins to encounter strange supernatural occurrences within the house, new rooms appearing, even phantom skydiving trips and mysterious disembodied voices. Micah realizes that apparently this entire experience has been set up by God to bring him back to the faith as his reality begins to transform to a simpler alternate universe version of his life.
The characterization in this novel is some of the worst that I've come across lately. The characters are bland and uninteresting. Two-dimensional is putting it mildly and while this might be somewhat acceptable in the secondary characters, the main character himself is bland and uninteresting. The author seems determined to build up Micah as some sort of Tony Stark wannabe, but he fails so badly. The entire plot of the novel is wrapped up in Micah's transformation from a nominal Christian to a devoted follower of Christ, yet he shows very little change in character during the course of the novel. Of course, this is because he has almost no character to speak of. Micah's great vice, the one that causes him to feel guilty and Jesus Himself appears to address, is not casual sex, drinking, smoking, drugs, pornography, or any of the other things one might expect a rich bachelor to indulge in. Instead of all of these, Micah watches raunchy R-rated comedies. I would love to ask the author why Jesus hasn't appeared to deal with my equally trivial vice of spending too many hours on web forums. We are also frequently told that Micah is very sarcastic and has a biting wit. Um, I've got a biting sarcastic wit and I can assure you Micah is a rank amateur in this field. He's only truly sarcastic in a handful of lines across a lengthy novel. And that's one of this novel's problems; we're constantly told things, but rarely shown them.
The secondary characters are as dull as Micah. Micah falls in love with a former Olympic athlete named Sarah who works in an ice cream shop in Cannon Beach, yet their romance is a romance in name only. We're constantly told how much Micah loves Sarah, yet I don't feel any chemistry between them. It's all very bland. Another character, Julie, is the original girlfriend, but is quickly phased out as reality begins to rewrite itself. She is consistently treated as if she's being unfair and mean to Micah, yet he's dated her for six years and they are partners together in a major company. Wanting a marriage proposal after six years in a relationship is not unreasonable. Expecting the head of a company to show up for work is not unreasonable either. The only other character who plays a significant part in the novel is Rick, a man who owns the local garage in Cannon Beach. To be very blunt, I can believe that Rick and Micah had romantic feelings for each easier than I can believe that Micah and Sarah love each other. There are only so many hearty embraces you can have two men share before the reader starts to wonder.
And then we come to the plot. This story in more skilled hands could have been quite good. Instead it reads like the sort of ham-fisted thing you would find in church bulletin or a not-very-good devotional book. It's entirely too long. There's no question about that. It's overly padded out and could have been a hundred pages shorter. Micah's conflicts are solved by deus ex machina, literally. Instead of Micah working through his issues with his father and other relationships with prayer and patience, God shows up and sprinkles magic fairy dust on him and he proceeds to trip out on the divine Ecstasy for a couple of pages. We are initially told that Micah basically fled Cannon Beach, yet his past there is barely dealt with. There's no real conflict or driving force or intensity to novel. Things just happen, people have tepid responses to them, and then some more things just happen. Bland, bland, bland.
I am so very grateful I didn't spend my hard-earned money on this novel. I happened to be reading Mere Christianity as I read Rooms and learned so much from C. S. Lewis and felt that he helped me in my spiritual life. Rooms offered nothing of the sort. It offered a foreign version of Christianity to me in which God will deliberately abandon a Christian for the crime of attempting to be wealthy. It showed me a version of Christianity in which working hard, long hours is apparently as serious a sin as blasphemy. In Rubart's version of the world, God is capricious and Christianity leads to a rosy, non-conflicted life as long as you don't step a single toe out of line. You do that and God will apparently take away your romantic relationships and sabotage every aspect of your life. Books like this are the reason why Christians have their own bookstores and their own publishing companies; apparently Christians have lost the ability to write decent fiction.
Show Less
LibraryThing member True54Blue
They say to write about what you know and clearly Rubart knows about Seattle and the Oregon coast. His description of the beach and the parks are excellent and you almost feel like you have been there. However, the point of the novel is to understand the protagonist Micah's soul as personified by a
This book is clearly aimed at Christians and encourages them to live in accord with their calling. I had a very hard time rating this book because the writing is solid and the locations are well drawn. However, the core of the book is lacking something such as pathos. I ended up giving it four stars because it meets the expectations of its target audience and it speaks to them on a soul level.
There is the struggle between the "old man" and the "new" but with events constantly changing based on Micah's closeness to "God" it is hard to think that he is actually making a choice. We are told that he has grown close to God in Oregon but we are never shown that. He doesn't really do anything just makes the statement. I am also a little concerned about his choice and ours. He has to chose between being the multimillionaire owner of a software company and the inhabitant of a 9000 square foot house on the Oregon coast. That's a real step down! The condition of his soul and his earthly wealth are intimately connected and I don't see that in the Bible.
The one area we could really see the core of Micah is in his relationship with his father but unfortunately we never really see it happen. We are left with the impression that things will work out in the future at a baseball game but we aren't really shown the depth of the despair or the potential hope. This novel is a strong start and I hope that Rubart will continue to write and develop his characters in greater depth.
Show More
house on the beach. I wish that was a spoiler but it's not - the back of the book tells you explicitly. I wish Rubart had been on the one hand, a little more subtle about the connection, and on the other, a little deeper with regards to Micah - it is his SOUL after all.This book is clearly aimed at Christians and encourages them to live in accord with their calling. I had a very hard time rating this book because the writing is solid and the locations are well drawn. However, the core of the book is lacking something such as pathos. I ended up giving it four stars because it meets the expectations of its target audience and it speaks to them on a soul level.
There is the struggle between the "old man" and the "new" but with events constantly changing based on Micah's closeness to "God" it is hard to think that he is actually making a choice. We are told that he has grown close to God in Oregon but we are never shown that. He doesn't really do anything just makes the statement. I am also a little concerned about his choice and ours. He has to chose between being the multimillionaire owner of a software company and the inhabitant of a 9000 square foot house on the Oregon coast. That's a real step down! The condition of his soul and his earthly wealth are intimately connected and I don't see that in the Bible.
The one area we could really see the core of Micah is in his relationship with his father but unfortunately we never really see it happen. We are left with the impression that things will work out in the future at a baseball game but we aren't really shown the depth of the despair or the potential hope. This novel is a strong start and I hope that Rubart will continue to write and develop his characters in greater depth.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Mary6508
On reviewing my Early Reviewers books received, I find that I did not win this book from the monthly list. I believe it was sent to me unsolicited by the publisher, B&H. Is this what B&H usually does? If so, I will in future remember not to choose their books from the list. I'm not really a fan of
5/20/10: I started reading this book, and I'm not sure if I can finish it. It's way too over the edge preachy, as far as I'm concerned. I don't read Christian literature, and I don't like to be preached at and told how I should view God. I prefer the material to be presented to me and I decide for myself. More to come.
I could not finish this book. I don't even think I want to pass it on to anyone. This will go in my recycle bin.
Show More
Christian 'literature'.5/20/10: I started reading this book, and I'm not sure if I can finish it. It's way too over the edge preachy, as far as I'm concerned. I don't read Christian literature, and I don't like to be preached at and told how I should view God. I prefer the material to be presented to me and I decide for myself. More to come.
I could not finish this book. I don't even think I want to pass it on to anyone. This will go in my recycle bin.
Show Less
LibraryThing member lostinmyownlibrary
Disclaimer: I am easily entertained. I am NOT an english professor, or a professional reviewer.
Just a normal person who finds reading and sometimes commenting on books enjoyable.
Read what follows with that in mind. Thanks.
Micah Taylor has it all: wealth, career, girlfriend, and goals. That is
A home left to him on the Oregon coast by an great uncle he doesn't know, but it is more than a house. Rooms keep appearing that weren't there the day before.
The one word that comes to mind when I think of this book: Choices.
I enjoyed this book and will definitely read it again. I will also look for more books by this author.
I recommend this book to anyone who likes Christian fiction. This was a good book
Just a normal person who finds reading and sometimes commenting on books enjoyable.
Read what follows with that in mind. Thanks.
Micah Taylor has it all: wealth, career, girlfriend, and goals. That is
Show More
about to change with the arrival of a letter that sets his life into a tailspin.A home left to him on the Oregon coast by an great uncle he doesn't know, but it is more than a house. Rooms keep appearing that weren't there the day before.
The one word that comes to mind when I think of this book: Choices.
I enjoyed this book and will definitely read it again. I will also look for more books by this author.
I recommend this book to anyone who likes Christian fiction. This was a good book
Show Less
LibraryThing member wdlaurie
I received this through the Library Thing's Early Reviewer program. Either I didn't read the description closely enough, or it wasn't mentioned in the summary of the book that this is a Christian novel. Unfortunately, this is a no-go area for me. Books whose main purpose is to support a religious
Show More
viewpoint through fiction are just impossible for me to enjoy. Show Less
LibraryThing member teresa1953
I was very surprised at how much I enjoyed this book. It deals with one man's journey towards surrendering his heart to God. Now that may seem a little off putting to some people, and it may cause many to close their minds to it right from the start. However, I would urge them not to do so, as it
Michah Taylor has it all. The owner of a flourishing software company, he has the penthouse apartment, the cars, the vacations and a beautiful girlfriend who is also his business partner. One day, he receives a letter from an uncle who has been dead for 12 years. Michah has inherited a beautiful, newly built house by the sea and he duly travels to see it with the intention of putting it straight on the market and returning home. Why not? He doesn't need the place after all. That's when strange and inexplicable things begin to happen in the house and, try as he may to reason with himself, he finds it hard to even leave this place. Because God is at work there and He needs Micah to see that the life he has chosen and the path he has taken may not be all there is to offer.
It goes without saying that those with a deep Christian faith will derive much from this novel, but I urge all people to read it. Perhaps if more of us followed that road less travelled, the world would be a kinder and less selfish place.
I am deeply grateful that I was given the opportunity to read this novel via Early Reviewers. Thank you.
Show More
is a very relevant book for our times and I personally found it deeply moving in places. It actually reduced me to tears on two occasions. Michah Taylor has it all. The owner of a flourishing software company, he has the penthouse apartment, the cars, the vacations and a beautiful girlfriend who is also his business partner. One day, he receives a letter from an uncle who has been dead for 12 years. Michah has inherited a beautiful, newly built house by the sea and he duly travels to see it with the intention of putting it straight on the market and returning home. Why not? He doesn't need the place after all. That's when strange and inexplicable things begin to happen in the house and, try as he may to reason with himself, he finds it hard to even leave this place. Because God is at work there and He needs Micah to see that the life he has chosen and the path he has taken may not be all there is to offer.
It goes without saying that those with a deep Christian faith will derive much from this novel, but I urge all people to read it. Perhaps if more of us followed that road less travelled, the world would be a kinder and less selfish place.
I am deeply grateful that I was given the opportunity to read this novel via Early Reviewers. Thank you.
Show Less
LibraryThing member LaBibliophille
I had previously won a book from LibraryThing Early Reviewers that was published by B & H Publishing. It made me realize that I needed to be more selective in the books I requested. For some reason, B & H send me this book unsolicited, and I felt the need to read it.
This is certainly not a book for
As with other modern “Christian” novels I have read, the plot is simplistic and formulaic. I do not recommend this book at all.
This is certainly not a book for
Show More
me. Rooms by James L. Rubart is a “Christian” novel. The protagonist is saved only by surrendering his life, heart, soul and spirit to Jesus. Yawn!As with other modern “Christian” novels I have read, the plot is simplistic and formulaic. I do not recommend this book at all.
Show Less
LibraryThing member JoClare
I started out enjoying this read tremendously, but within a few chapters I found myself rolling my eyes at some of the cliche phrasing and sadly lacking connection with the characters. Although I finished the story I was disappointed in the promising story that was not able to carry me into it's
Show More
world. Show Less
LibraryThing member whiteknight50
It is going to be hard to express in words what this novel was like for me. I am so glad I received this novel from Early Reviewers. I would have been poorer for not having read it.
This novel was like watching a flower unfold. At first, impatient to get to the story, then excited by the promise of
I have rarely had the feeling that a fiction novel was life changing. But this one can be, depending upon the heart of the reader. As an allegory, it perfectly represents the difference between living a "religious life" and truly "giving over a heart to God". Its message is powerful to those who are searching for that sort of meaning. I loved something that the author says in his letter to the reader, "I didn't write it for readers as much as I wrote it because I wanted to read Micah Taylor's story. A story of freedom. A story of healing." This to me absolutely captures the spirit of this novel. It is less a novel, and more an experience of healing.
This novel is going to be one that people love or hate. Those who are searching for truth and meaning in their lives will find they resonate with the book. Those who are not in that state in their lives are likely not to like it.
The book while very different than Pilgrim's Progress, has the same sense of striving toward freedom through conflict.
I appreciated deeply the opportunity to read and experience this novel.
This novel was like watching a flower unfold. At first, impatient to get to the story, then excited by the promise of
Show More
some exciting reading..then frustrtation at the turn it took, toward the deeper heart, then that feeling of excitement at the promise of the bud beginning to grow, and then at the end, the glorious, beautiful, perfect flower. Finishing this novel was like breaking into the light out of the darkness. It had that sense of unfolding, of deep, incomparable beauty, a sense of arrival at a perfect destination. I have rarely had the feeling that a fiction novel was life changing. But this one can be, depending upon the heart of the reader. As an allegory, it perfectly represents the difference between living a "religious life" and truly "giving over a heart to God". Its message is powerful to those who are searching for that sort of meaning. I loved something that the author says in his letter to the reader, "I didn't write it for readers as much as I wrote it because I wanted to read Micah Taylor's story. A story of freedom. A story of healing." This to me absolutely captures the spirit of this novel. It is less a novel, and more an experience of healing.
This novel is going to be one that people love or hate. Those who are searching for truth and meaning in their lives will find they resonate with the book. Those who are not in that state in their lives are likely not to like it.
The book while very different than Pilgrim's Progress, has the same sense of striving toward freedom through conflict.
I appreciated deeply the opportunity to read and experience this novel.
Show Less
LibraryThing member busyreadin
I wanted to like the book. I thought the premise was very good, I like Christian fiction as well as any other genre I read, and it was a free read. But, anytime I have a book that I've been trying to finish for over 2 weeks, there's something wrong, and after 120 pages I've given up.
I found nothing
I found nothing
Show More
in this book to care about. The characters were wooden and somehow irritating. I found the "plugs" for various brand names to be glaringly obvious..not a surprise since Mr Rubart is a professional marketer. Unlike a lot of Christian novels I've read that bring the message subtley into the story lines, I felt this story was contrived to showcase the author' s beliefs. It seemed like he wanted to jump on the bandwagon of the recent success of The Shack, and came up with a much poorer product. Show Less
LibraryThing member ponder
If not out right intriguing the characters are captivating. However, I felt the heft and lack of subtly of the messaging made me pull away from the characters. If Rubart had trusted in the intellect of his readers this could have been an eloquent. It is not that it is a Christian message but rather
Perhaps if I were a young person searching for myself I would feel differently about the book. It was not for me.
Show More
the author does not have enough faith in the message to sell its self. Perhaps if I were a young person searching for myself I would feel differently about the book. It was not for me.
Show Less
LibraryThing member jmchshannon
For me, reading is about learning. It means reading outside of comfort zones to learn more about yourself and other cultures. I consider myself fairly broad in what I like to read. In the last sixteen months of blogging, I have covered everything from children's literature to business/self-help
Rooms is Christian fiction as well as a thriller. The basic premise is intriguing - a mysterious house that constantly changes? I quickly found myself enthralled with the idea of a house that changes as you change, that is so perfect for you it becomes sanctuary in a crazy world. This part of the story kept me turning the pages. It may have been predictable in how it will all end, there were enough twists and turns along the path to the plot's resolution that the predictability was not a turn-off. The characters were even fairly likable. Who hasn't been at a crossroads with the need to dig deep and uncover one's core values? Who doesn't want peace and love and harmony?
The basic storyline was enjoyable. For me, the rest was not. I am a Christian, born and raised Catholic, and yet, I found the message too strong, the faith too obsessive. It bothers me when someone quotes the Bible as the ultimate instruction manual for life. The pragmatist in me knows that the Bible was written by man and that man is fallible, that before the printing press, it was subject to copying by illiterate copyists who could not distinguish one word from the next. Therefore, the versions that now exist are riddled with mistakes. To base one's entire life on something filled with errors, that is subject to interpretation and intense debate and full of contradictions is not something about which I feel comfortable. The fact that all of the characters in Rooms starts spouting Scripture as the last word in how to act was disconcerting to me. I could not empathize with the characters. I wanted to be able to put myself into Micah's shoes, imagine what he was feeling and thinking while living in his special house, what Sarah was thinking when she saw Micah for the first time. While they were enjoyable, I could not empathize with them. Once they started discussing Scripture, they lost me. It is a comfort thing; others may find them more believable.
The lessons mentioned throughout the book I found disconcerting as well. For example, watching certain movies and music is unchristian. So, according to the message I gleaned from the novel, watching horror films or campy, stupid male-bonding films are unchristian and therefore could land me in deep trouble with the Big Guy. Really? Also, one must choose between a secular life and one filled with God's purpose. You cannot concern yourself with money and its trappings and still be considered Christian. The choice between one or the other is the driving theme behind the entire story, and it is the one which I found the most troubling. Why can't you live a successful life and still follow God? Is it really as black and white as the book implies? Should it be?
As my first foray into Christian fiction in several years, Rooms was not bad. I found some of the issues objectionable because of my own thoughts on faith; this is a risk that every reader takes when picking up Christian fiction, in my opinion. The story itself was enjoyable, and I find myself still contemplating the messages delivered throughout the novel. While I may not consider this the best book I have read all year, Mr. Rubart did get me thinking about my own faith. In the end, isn't that what this genre is all about - getting readers to think about their faith, to discuss it openly and honestly? With this in mind, I feel Mr. Rubart created a book that forces the reader to do just that.
Show More
books. I live my life around the idea that if a book topic interests me, I will read it no matter what genre it is. Even though I pride myself on my well-roundness when it comes to reading, I have failed pretty miserably when it comes to Christian fiction. It is a genre I have read in the past, thanks to the Left Behind series, but one I tend to avoid when given a choice. However, recently I made a concerted effort to consider this genre, following the same rule of whether the basic premise of the novel interests me. This is how I came to request and receive a copy of Rooms. Rooms is Christian fiction as well as a thriller. The basic premise is intriguing - a mysterious house that constantly changes? I quickly found myself enthralled with the idea of a house that changes as you change, that is so perfect for you it becomes sanctuary in a crazy world. This part of the story kept me turning the pages. It may have been predictable in how it will all end, there were enough twists and turns along the path to the plot's resolution that the predictability was not a turn-off. The characters were even fairly likable. Who hasn't been at a crossroads with the need to dig deep and uncover one's core values? Who doesn't want peace and love and harmony?
The basic storyline was enjoyable. For me, the rest was not. I am a Christian, born and raised Catholic, and yet, I found the message too strong, the faith too obsessive. It bothers me when someone quotes the Bible as the ultimate instruction manual for life. The pragmatist in me knows that the Bible was written by man and that man is fallible, that before the printing press, it was subject to copying by illiterate copyists who could not distinguish one word from the next. Therefore, the versions that now exist are riddled with mistakes. To base one's entire life on something filled with errors, that is subject to interpretation and intense debate and full of contradictions is not something about which I feel comfortable. The fact that all of the characters in Rooms starts spouting Scripture as the last word in how to act was disconcerting to me. I could not empathize with the characters. I wanted to be able to put myself into Micah's shoes, imagine what he was feeling and thinking while living in his special house, what Sarah was thinking when she saw Micah for the first time. While they were enjoyable, I could not empathize with them. Once they started discussing Scripture, they lost me. It is a comfort thing; others may find them more believable.
The lessons mentioned throughout the book I found disconcerting as well. For example, watching certain movies and music is unchristian. So, according to the message I gleaned from the novel, watching horror films or campy, stupid male-bonding films are unchristian and therefore could land me in deep trouble with the Big Guy. Really? Also, one must choose between a secular life and one filled with God's purpose. You cannot concern yourself with money and its trappings and still be considered Christian. The choice between one or the other is the driving theme behind the entire story, and it is the one which I found the most troubling. Why can't you live a successful life and still follow God? Is it really as black and white as the book implies? Should it be?
As my first foray into Christian fiction in several years, Rooms was not bad. I found some of the issues objectionable because of my own thoughts on faith; this is a risk that every reader takes when picking up Christian fiction, in my opinion. The story itself was enjoyable, and I find myself still contemplating the messages delivered throughout the novel. While I may not consider this the best book I have read all year, Mr. Rubart did get me thinking about my own faith. In the end, isn't that what this genre is all about - getting readers to think about their faith, to discuss it openly and honestly? With this in mind, I feel Mr. Rubart created a book that forces the reader to do just that.
Show Less
LibraryThing member MichelleSutton
Fascinating look at the human soul and the choices we make. This book really makes you think about your life and which things are worth pursuing. It's profound and insightful with unexpected twists and turns. I read it quickly and loved every minute of it!
LibraryThing member Lori_OGara
Rooms is a mesmerizing trip into the soul. This book left me breathless and all I can say is WOW. Rubart writes a thrill ride into the relationship between man and God with amazing characters, beautiful scenery and intriguing dialogue. Rooms will take you on an adventure through your own soul as
Show More
you accompany Micah on his exploration of his life with and with out God. A read for anyone who thinks God can’t control their destiny while they make life choices and for everyone else, Christian, religious or not! I highly recommend Rooms and anxiously await Rubart’s next book. Show Less
LibraryThing member MsNick
I completed reading this book because I felt obligated to do so. I will read books deal with spirituality, but I don’t enjoy being beaten over the head with religious messages. Reading this novel felt like being trapped in Bible school boot camp. Rooms reads like a trite imitation of The Shack by
Show More
William P. Young, which I enjoyed. Show Less
LibraryThing member msh09
I could hardly put this book down, it was awesome! It is a great story that is thought-provoking and forces you to think about life and decisions made along the road of life. Where are your priorities? Where is your treasure? The book is different, but don't let that sway you. It is a must-read.
LibraryThing member GrazianoRonca
Rooms: A Novel
by James L. Rubart
B&H Books, (2010)
I received this free ebook from NetGalley.
Micah Taylor runs a software company and unexpectedly inherites a house (with a lot of strange rooms) on the Oregon coast. A new way of life starts, all happens with no reasonable grounds. A spiritual
Rubart writes: 'Micah, you have to decide once and for all which kingdom you want to live in. Because eventually one of the kingdoms has to -and will- disappear.' p. 186
This is a book of decision-making and like in every christian path Micah has to know the hell before the heaven.
Well written, but apart from this statement I didn't like Rooms.
I started reading this book thinking about a mystery-detective ones, but when Micah's ordinary life swings towards an extraordinary-faith-no faith life, all falls apart: both for the main character and myself.
A cybernetic God appears (Micah plans to project a 'Software that would change the Kingdom of God' p. 161). Micah starts a search of the lost truth in these rooms and small clues-madeleines (several letters, strange appeareances, new friends) help him in this hunting.
Micah as Mr. K. from The Castle by Kafka struggles to understand the misteries of these rooms, and he is alienated from the truth until the end of the book.
I recommend this book to those who love christian fiction and not just mystery books.
by James L. Rubart
B&H Books, (2010)
I received this free ebook from NetGalley.
Micah Taylor runs a software company and unexpectedly inherites a house (with a lot of strange rooms) on the Oregon coast. A new way of life starts, all happens with no reasonable grounds. A spiritual
Show More
book.Rubart writes: 'Micah, you have to decide once and for all which kingdom you want to live in. Because eventually one of the kingdoms has to -and will- disappear.' p. 186
This is a book of decision-making and like in every christian path Micah has to know the hell before the heaven.
Well written, but apart from this statement I didn't like Rooms.
I started reading this book thinking about a mystery-detective ones, but when Micah's ordinary life swings towards an extraordinary-faith-no faith life, all falls apart: both for the main character and myself.
A cybernetic God appears (Micah plans to project a 'Software that would change the Kingdom of God' p. 161). Micah starts a search of the lost truth in these rooms and small clues-madeleines (several letters, strange appeareances, new friends) help him in this hunting.
Micah as Mr. K. from The Castle by Kafka struggles to understand the misteries of these rooms, and he is alienated from the truth until the end of the book.
I recommend this book to those who love christian fiction and not just mystery books.
Show Less
LibraryThing member croknot1
I read "The Shack", and loved it, This novel is comparable, but in my opinion, much better. Had my eyes not gotten tired, I would have read it in one sitting.
It took me two. I have to say, I really wanted it to go on and on. Well done!
It took me two. I have to say, I really wanted it to go on and on. Well done!
LibraryThing member polingspig
Micah Taylor meets God head on. Rooms is a book which carries on the tradition of Plgrim's Progress. I haven't been so moved by a work of fiction in years. I felt myself grow closer to the Father while reading.
LibraryThing member Nextian
The obvious comparison for Rooms would have to be The Shack, but luckily it is not quite as much of an emotional whirlwind. That being said, Rooms is a good novel which shows the spiritual reawakening of the protagonist, Micah Taylor. When Micah inherits a strange house in Cannon Beach from a
From a Christian standpoint, Rooms contains a wonderful message about finding out who you really are and God's place in your life without the trappings that society places on you. From a literary perspective, the book offers a quick and enjoyable read but lacks the marks of greatness. Overall, I enjoyed this book more than I had expected. It's definately not for everyone though. In the end, it's probably best fit for those who already like Christian literature.
Show More
relative he has never met, his life changes in drastic ways which he never expected. New relationships bloom and the old harmful ones fade. All the while a battle rages for Micah's soul.From a Christian standpoint, Rooms contains a wonderful message about finding out who you really are and God's place in your life without the trappings that society places on you. From a literary perspective, the book offers a quick and enjoyable read but lacks the marks of greatness. Overall, I enjoyed this book more than I had expected. It's definately not for everyone though. In the end, it's probably best fit for those who already like Christian literature.
Show Less
LibraryThing member journeygirl
Rooms started off grabbing my interest, but bogged down in the middle before picking back up. Finishing the book still left me feeling a bit up in the air. This is really one of the hardest books for me to review. I love the overall message of turning over your life to the Lord's guidance. Rooms is
Show More
so thought provoking for Christians, and I would highly recommend it to those with a strong faith. The novel encourages the reader to think about those aspects of their own life which may be causing a barrier between a deeper relationship with God. In addition, Rooms encourages the reader to think about their "calling" in life. However, I think for a reader who is not a Christian or is a new Christian, then Rooms would be rather confusing. I am all for the concept of dying to self and rising to new life, but the way the Lord accomplishes this in each person is as unique as each individual - this message doesn't seem to come across. At times, when I think of Rooms, I think I enjoyed the book and it's message. Other times, I'm left feeling slightly off-kilter, like the message was coming, but was delivered just off of where it should have been. Show Less
LibraryThing member NMayberry
I was very excited to receive this book as I've been reading many spiritual books, and I loved The Shack. I guess I hoped that Rooms would be something along the same lines. Unfortunately, it was too blatantly, in-your face-Christian for me. I was particularly disappointed with the demon voice. It
Show More
seemed like a cop out climax. In all fairness, Rubart is a fine writer and it's probably my own biases against religions causing fear and separateness in people that caused me to dislike this book. I was never convinced that Micah's life in Seattle was that bad. Yes, he had a nasty father and many issues from his childhood to deal with, but enough that he had to give up his life in Seattle? And what was with the memory lapses? I just didn't enjoy it, though I really did want to, and put aside many other books in order to read it in one weekend. Show Less
Similar in this library
Green by Ted Dekker
Three by Ted Dekker