Starlight Book Review – Ann Dávila Cardinal’s The Storyteller’s Death 🇵🇷

Cover of The Storyteller’s Death on a dark chartreuse background | Image Source: Goodreads

Regional U.S.A. (RUSA) Tour Stellar Reading Challenge – Bonus – Puerto Rico

3.8/5 After I posted my last review for the World Tour Stellar Reading Challenge (SRC), I realized I still owed my Gnomies one more Starlight Book Review (SBR) for the RUSA SRC. Initially, the idea of reading something set in a U.S. Territory thrilled me. Since the Book Girls’ Guide inspired this SRC region, I also looked to them for direction on reading. Check them out by clicking here. This, of course, led me to discovering Ann Dávila Cardinal’s The Storyteller’s Death. I chose to read with my ears with the copy narrated by Marisol Ramirez that I purchased on Audible.

Learn more about these 2023 SRC by clicking here.

Click here to discover more about 2024 SRC.

Trigger Warnings (TW): Mention of suicide, racism, colorism, classism 

“From International Latino Book Award-winning author Ann Dávila Cardinal comes a gorgeously written family saga about a Puerto Rican woman who finds herself gifted (or cursed?) with a strange ability.… There was always an old woman dying in the back room of her family’s house when Isla was a child…Isla Larsen Sanchez’s life begins to unravel when her father passes away. Instead of being comforted at home in New Jersey, her mother starts leaving her in Puerto Rico with her grandmother and great-aunt each summer like a piece of forgotten luggage… When Isla turns eighteen, her grandmother, a great storyteller, dies. It is then that Isla discovers she has a gift passed down through her family’s cuentistas. The tales of dead family storytellers are brought back to life, replaying themselves over and over in front of her… At first, Isla is enchanted by this connection to the Sanchez cuentistas. But when Isla has a vision of an old murder mystery, she realizes that if she can’t solve it to make the loop end, these seemingly harmless stories could cost Isla her life.”

Once I finished my library books and began reading The Storyteller’s Death, I read this book with ease. Isla passed the “Dad Test” of sympathetic character, so much so that I cringed right along with her at her mother’s various gaffes. I liked how the author showed Isla’s grieving process. Cardinal set the scenes well enough that I saw that parts took place in Puerto Rico. Yet, I found the ending too tidy. Yet, the author evoked a strong sense of both Puerto Rico and New Jersey. I recommend this to fans of magical realism.

Quotes come from book flaps/cover and are featured on color blocks.

Starlight Book Review – Muriel Barbery’s The Elegance of the Hedgehog 🦔🇫🇷

Cover of The Elegance of the Hedgehog on a blue background | Image Source: Goodreads

World Tour Stellar Reading Challenge – Bonus – France

Translated from French

3.8/5 In my reading life, I felt I ventured to literary darling Paris, France numerous times. For the World Tour Stellar Reading Challenge (SRC), I aimed to read books written in the main language and translated to English for the In Translation Journey SRC. After pouring over scads of reviews, I chose Muriel Barbery’s The Elegance of the Hedgehog despite the fact that the book isn’t the first in a series.

Learn more about these 2023 SRC by clicking here.

Click here to discover more about 2024 SRC.

Trigger Warnings (TW): This novel contains references to self-harm and death by suicide.

“A moving, funny, triumphant novel that exalts the quiet victories of the inconspicuous among us…. We are in the center of Paris, in an elegant apartment building inhabited by bourgeois families. Renée, the concierge, is witness to the lavish but vacuous lives of her numerous employers. Outwardly she conforms to every stereotype of the concierge: fat, cantankerous, addicted to television. Yet, unbeknownst to her employers, Renée is a cultured autodidact who adores art, philosophy, music, and Japanese culture. With humor and intelligence she scrutinizes the lives of the building’s tenants, who for their part are barely aware of her existence…. Then there’s Paloma, a twelve-year-old genius. She is the daughter of a tedious parliamentarian, a talented and startlingly lucid child who has decided to end her life on the sixteenth of June, her thirteenth birthday. Until then she will continue behaving as everyone expects her to behave: a mediocre pre-teen high on adolescent subculture, a good but not an outstanding student, an obedient if obstinate daughter….Paloma and Renée hide both their true talents and their finest qualities from a world they suspect cannot or will not appreciate them. They discover their kindred souls when a wealthy Japanese man named Ozu arrives in the building. Only he is able to gain Paloma’s trust and to see through Renée’s timeworn disguise to the secret that haunts her. This is a moving, funny, triumphant novel that exalts the quiet victories of the inconspicuous among us.”

While uncomfortable with Paloma’s plan to kill herself, I found myself enjoying The Elegance of the Hedgehog. I smiled when Renée said she liked reading Harry Bosch books because I was on a Michael Connelly kick at the time. I consider The Elegance of the Hedgehog a leisurely stroll of a book. I admit, though, I became impatient for the initial interaction between the two main characters. Also, the booked ended on a rather bittersweet note. Still and all, I liked visiting Paris on the ticket provided by Barbery.

Quotes come from book flaps/cover and are featured on color blocks.

Starlight Book Review -Martha Batalha’s The Invisible Life of Euridice Gusmao – 🇧🇷

Cover of The Invisible Life of Euridice Gusmao by Martha Batalha on a green background | Image Source: Goodreads

World Tour Stellar Reading Challenge – Brazil

Translated from Portuguese

4/5 I have always wanted to visit Brazil. Of course, an easy ticket to this glittering jewel in the Southern Hemisphere is via literature. My search for such a book led me to The Invisible Life of Euridice Gusmao by Martha Batalha.

Learn more about these 2023 SRC by clicking here.

Click here to discover more about 2024 SRC.

Trigger Warnings (TW): period typical racism (also showing as fetishization) and sexism.

“Euridice is young, beautiful and ambitious, but when her rebellious sister Guida elopes, she sets her own aspirations aside and vows to settle down as a model wife and daughter. And yet as her husband’s professional success grows, so does Euridice’s feeling of restlessness. She embarks on a series of secret projects – from creating recipe books to becoming the most sought-after seamstress in town – but each is doomed to failure. Her tradition-loving husband is not interested in an independent wife. And then one day Guida appears at the door with her young son and a terrible story of hardship and abandonment. The Invisible Life of Euridice Gusmao is a wildly inventive, wickedly funny and keenly observed tale of two sisters who, surrounded by a cast of unforgettable characters, assert their independence and courageously carve a path of their own in 1940s Rio de Janeiro. A deeply human and truly unforgettable novel from one of the most exciting new voices in world literature.”

At first, I enjoyed reading The Invisible Life of Euridice Gusmao. I liked and cared about the titular character, Euridice. I often wanted to climb into the book to give her husband, Antenor, a piece of my mind. Batalha painted a vivid picture in this charming work of the Gusmaos’ home life. I docked the book a star, though, because it delved into many of the other characters and I wanted more Euridice. Nevertheless, I highly recommend to fans of historical fiction with a dash of magical realism.

Quotes come from book flaps/cover and are featured on color blocks.

Starlight Book Review – Lene Kaaberbøl and Agnete Friis’ The Boy in the Suitcase 🇩🇰

Cover of The Boy in the Suitcase by Lene Kaaberbøl and Agnete Friis on a light cyan background | Image Source: Goodreads

World Tour Stellar Reading Challenge – Denmark

Translated from Danish

3.8/5 In 2023, I aimed to read books by “new to me writers” alongside the Stellar Reading Challenges (SRC). Since some of my heritage and much of the “Starry Night Elf” persona derives from Denmark, this seemed extra challenging as I previously sought out Danish writers. Of course, I read Hans Christian Andersen. I also read mysteries by Jussi Adler-Olsen and Sara Blædel. At the start, I wanted a book other than something “Nordic Noir” but, just the title alone of The Boy in the Suitcase by Lene Kaaberbøl and Agnete Friis compelled me to read the book.

Learn more about these 2023 SRC by clicking here.

Click here to discover more about 2024 SRC.

Trigger Warnings (TW): Adult/minor relationship, Pedophilia, and Trafficking

“Nina Borg, a Red Cross nurse, wife, and mother of two, is a compulsive do-gooder who can’t say no when someone asks for help—even when she knows better. When her estranged friend Karin leaves her a key to a public locker in the Copenhagen train station, Nina gets suckered into her most dangerous project yet. Inside the locker is a suitcase, and inside the suitcase is a three-year-old boy: naked and drugged, but alive… Is the boy a victim of child trafficking? Can he be turned over to authorities, or will they only return him to whoever sold him? When Karin is discovered brutally murdered, Nina realizes that her life and the boy’s are in jeopardy, too. In an increasingly desperate trek across Denmark, Nina tries to figure out who the boy is, where he belongs, and who exactly is trying to hunt him down.”

The Boy in the Suitcase made for a quick, fast-paced read. Kaaberbøl and Friis pulled me in with a stunning amount of ferocity. Nina Borg and the three-year old child of the title gained my sympathy in an instant; I finished this book because I wanted to see the kid through to a safe and prosperous end. I must also mention that a quarter of the action, possibly a third, took place in the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius which added a language barrier to the already dire situation on Borg’s hands. In the end, though, I deducted stars from The Boy in the Suitcase for some of the major ick factor (i.e. – who drugs a child and stuffs him in a suitcase?) and that the book seemed written for a Danish audience. Regarding the latter, the book assumed I knew more about Copenhagen than I do. Still, the book riveted me to it and I might try others in the Nina Borg series.

Quotes come from book flaps/cover and are featured on color blocks.

Starlight Book Review – Basma Abdel Aziz’s The Queue 🇪🇬

Cover of The Queue by Basma Abdel Aziz on an “Egyptian Blue” background | Image Source: Goodreads

World Tour Stellar Reading Challenge – Egypt

Translated from Arabic

3.6/5 When I sought a books set in Egypt, preferably translated from a language other than English for the 2023 World Tour Stellar Reading Challenge (SRC), all roads led to Basma Abdel Aziz’s The Queue. In fact, this shorter book, available via my library’s Libby holding, seemed designed for this particular SRC. The cover, an Egyptian-style eye, further compelled me to read it.

Learn more about these 2023 SRC by clicking here.

Click here to discover more about 2024 SRC.

Trigger Warnings (TW): body horror (gun wound), torture, sexism, religion, war, governmental oppression, loss of a loved one

“Set against the backdrop of a failed political uprising, The Queue is a chilling debut that evokes Orwellian dystopia, Kafkaesque surrealism, and a very real vision of life after the Arab Spring.… In a surreal, but familiar, vision of modern day Egypt, a centralized authority known as ‘the Gate’ has risen to power in the aftermath of the ‘Disgraceful Events,’ a failed popular uprising. Citizens are required to obtain permission from the Gate in order to take care of even the most basic of their daily affairs, yet the Gate never opens, and the queue in front of it grows longer… Citizens from all walks of life mix and wait in the sun: a revolutionary journalist, a sheikh, a poor woman concerned for her daughter’s health, and even the brother of a security officer killed in clashes with protestors. Among them is Yehia, a man who was shot during the Events and is waiting for permission from the Gate to remove a bullet that remains lodged in his pelvis. Yehia’s health steadily declines, yet at every turn, officials refuse to assist him, actively denying the very existence of the bullet… Ultimately it is Tarek, the principled doctor tending to Yehia’s case, who must decide whether to follow protocol as he has always done, or to disobey the law and risk his career to operate on Yehia and save his life… Written with dark, subtle humor, The Queue describes the sinister nature of authoritarianism, and illuminates the way that absolute authority manipulates information, mobilizes others in service to it, and fails to uphold the rights of even those faithful to it.”

The Queue pulled me in early in my reading of it. This book possessed many characters who passed the “Dad Test of Sympathy.” Among these happens to be Tarek, the doctor seeing to the care of Yehia, another sympathetic character. Yet, I doubt one should feel at ease reading The Queue; the realism of this book shook me up for sometime after I read the last page. All these months later, I still vacillate on my feelings on The Queue.

Quotes come from book flaps/cover and are featured on color blocks.

Starlight Book Review – Mansi Choksi’s The Newlyweds… 🇮🇳

Cover of The Newlyweds: Rearranging Marriage in Modern India by Mansi Choksi on a “Tangerine” background | Image Source: Goodreads

World Tour Stellar Reading Challenge – India

3.85/5 While India remains on my leap list of places to visit, I have read many books at least partially set there. In fact, Jhumpa Lahiri holds a prominent spot on my list of favorite authors. Yet, I challenged myself to read “new to me” writers in 2023. When I saw The Book Girls’ Guide’s recommendation of The Newlyweds: Rearranging Marriage in Modern India by Mansi Choksi, I felt this work of nonfiction met much of my 2023 reading criteria. Check out this and more suggestions from The Book Girls’ Guide by clicking here.

Learn more about this 2023 SRC by clicking here.

Click here to discover more about 2024 SRC.

“A literary investigation into India as a society in transition through the lens of forbidden love, as three young couples reject arranged marriages and risk everything for true love in the midst of social and political upheaval… In India, two out of every three people are under the age of thirty-five. These are men and women who grew up with the internet and the advent of smartphones and social media. But when it comes to love and marriage, they’re expected to adhere to thousands of years of tradition. It’s that conflict between obeying tradition and embracing modernity that drives journalist Mansi Choksi’s The Newlyweds… Through vivid, lyrical prose, Choksi shines a light on three young couples who buck against arranged marriages in the pursuit of true love, illustrating the challenges, shame, anger, triumph, and loss their actions and choices set in play… Against the backdrop of India’s beautiful villages and cities, Choksi introduces our newlyweds. First, there’s the lesbian couple forced to flee for a chance at a life together. Then there’s the Hindu woman and Muslim man who escaped their families under the cover of night after being harassed by a violent militia group. Finally, there’s the inter-caste couple who are doing everything to avoid the same fate as a similar couple who were burned alive… Engaging and moving, The Newlyweds raises universal questions, such What are we really willing to risk for love? If we’re lucky enough to find it, does it change us? If so, for the better? Or for the worse?”

The Newlyweds… made for a quick read. Choksi’s book read like many novels with the narrative alternating among these three different couples. I felt I came away with a considerable amount of knowledge about the state of Indian marriages. In particular, I rooted for Neetu and Rani, the inter-caste couple. Sometimes, I found myself bogged down with some of the statistics and I might have preferred less “couple hopping” but I don’t begrudge Choksi that too much. At the end of the day, I encourage anyone seeking more information about marriage in India to read The Newlyweds…

Quotes come from book flaps/cover and are featured on color blocks.

Starlight Book Review – New Testament – Book of Revelation

The Vision of John on Patmos by Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld (1860) on a dark blue background with the Starry Night Elf avatar in the lower righthand corner | © Starry Night Elf

Part of a series of SBR on NT Books of the Bible. Click here to see other NT SBR.

* The following post transparently exhibits my Christian faith.

5/5 Last week, I wrapped up my Starlight Book Reviews (SBR) of the Old Testament Prophets with “Minor Prophets IV.” Click here to read my SBR of Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi. Today, I conclude my SBR of individual books of The Bible for 2023 (yes, last year) with the Book of Revelation.

“The Book of Revelation, also erroneously called the Book of Revelations, is the final book of the New Testament (and therefore the final book of the Christian Bible). Written in Koine Greek, its title is derived from the first word of the text: apokalypsis, meaning ‘unveiling’ or ‘revelation’. The Book of Revelation is the only apocalyptic book in the New Testament canon. It occupies a central place in Christian eschatology… The author names himself as simply “John” in the text, but his precise identity remains a point of academic debate. Second-century Christian writers such as Papias of Hierapolis, Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, Melito of Sardis, Clement of Alexandria, and the author of the Muratorian fragment identify John the Apostle as the “John” of Revelation. Modern scholarship generally takes a different view, with many considering that nothing can be known about the author except that he was a Christian prophet. Modern theological scholars characterize the Book of Revelation’s author as “John of Patmos”. The bulk of traditional sources date the book to the reign of the Roman emperor Domitian (AD 81–96), which evidence tends to confirm.”

With each read of Revelation, I feel the need to eat my proverbial Wheaties. Yet, as I do visit this book every year, I see many of the comforting promises of the Lord. Also, I marvel at God’s love for His people. Speaking of comfort, promise, and love, here’s my all-time favorite verse from this last book of The Bible.

Here is a verse which resonated with me:

²⁰ Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.

Revelation 3:20

Select Bibliography

• Bauckham, Richard (1993). The Theology of the Book of Revelation. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-35691-6.
• Carson, Don (2005). An Introduction to the New Testament (2nd ed.). Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan. pp. 465ff. ISBN 978-0-310-51940-9.
• Collins, Adela Yarbro (1984). Crisis and Catharsis: The Power of the Apocalypse. Westminster John Knox Press. ISBN 978-0-664-24521-4.
• Holmes, Michael (2007). The Apostolic Fathers: Greek Texts and English Translations. Baker Academic. p. 749ff. ISBN 978-0801034688.
• Martin, Dale B. (6 April 2012). “The Last Trumpet”. The New York Times.
• Stuckenbruck, Loren T. (2003). “Revelation”. In Dunn, James D. G.; Rogerson, John William (eds.). Eerdmans Commentary on the Bible. Eerdmans. p. 1535. ISBN 978-0-8028-3711-0.

Starlight Book Review – Old Testament – Minor Prophets IV

Images of Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi (works by James Tissot) on a Dark Blue Background.
| © Starry Night Elf

Part of a series of Starlight Book Reviews (SBR) on Old Testament (OT) Books. Click here to see other OT SBR.

* The following post transparently exhibits my Christian faith.

5/5 With this Starlight Book Review (SBR), I wrap up my focus on the Minor Prophets/ Twelve Prophets Books. The last three are Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi.

Click here to check out the Sacred Texts Journey SRC.

The Minor Prophets or Twelve Prophets (Hebrew: שנים עשר, Shneim Asar; Imperial Aramaic: תרי עשר, Trei Asar, “Twelve”) (Ancient Greek: δωδεκαπρόφητον, “the Twelve Prophets”), occasionally Book of the Twelve, is a collection of prophetic books, written between about the 8th and 4th centuries BCE, which are in both the Jewish Tanakh and Christian Old Testament… In the Christian Old Testament, the collection appears as twelve individual books, one for each of the prophets: the Book of Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi. Their order, and position in the Old Testament, varies slightly between the Protestant, Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Bibles.

“The Book of Haggai (/ˈhæɡaɪ/; Hebrew: ספר חגי, romanized: Sefer Ḥaggay) is a book of the Hebrew Bible or Tanakh, and is the third-to-last of the Twelve Minor Prophets. It is a short book, consisting of only two chapters. The historical setting dates around 520 BC before the Temple had been rebuilt. The original text was written in Biblical Hebrew.”

“The Book of Zechariah, attributed to the Hebrew prophet Zechariah, is included in the Twelve Minor Prophets in the Hebrew Bible… Zechariah’s prophecies took place during the reign of Darius the Great and were contemporary with Haggai in a post-exilic world after the fall of Jerusalem in 587/586 BC. Ezekiel and Jeremiah wrote before the fall of Jerusalem while continuing to prophesy in the early exile period. Scholars believe Ezekiel, with his blending of ceremony and vision, heavily influenced the visionary works of Zechariah 1–8. Zechariah is specific about dating his writing (520–518 BC).”

“The Book of Malachi (Hebrew: מַלְאָכִ֔י, Malʾāḵī) is the last book of the Neviim contained in the Tanakh, canonically the last of the Twelve Minor Prophets. In most Christian orderings, the grouping of the prophetic books is the last section of the Old Testament, making Malachi the last book before the New Testament.

Of these three books, Malachi stands out the most to me since it’s the last book of the Old Testament. With this latest read, though, as a Christian in a particular, I developed a strong liking for Zechariah as it prophesied the coming of Jesus. Below are favorite passages from Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi.

These verses stood out to me:

⁹ ‘The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house,’ says the Lord Almighty. ‘And in this place I will grant peace,’ declares the Lord Almighty.”

Haggai 2:9 NIV

⁹ Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion!
    Shout, Daughter Jerusalem!
See, your king comes to you,
    righteous and victorious,
lowly and riding on a donkey,
    on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

Zechariah 9:9 NIV

¹⁰ Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.

Malachi 3:10 NIV

One special resource which helped me in both reading and SBR was “Major and Minor Prophets Infographic” by Jordan Ladikos. Click here to access it.

Select Bibliography (Alphabetical Order by Author’s Surname)

• Coogan, Michael D. “A Brief Introduction to the Old Testament.” Oxford University Press, 2009. o. 346.
• Dempster, Stephen G., Dominion And Dynasty: A Theology Of The Hebrew Bible. Illinois: Intervarsity Press, 2003. ISBN 0-8308-2615-7
• “Ezra the Scribe by Mendel Adelman, Chabad.org“.
• Grudem, Wayne; Dennis, Lane T.; Packer, J. I.; Collins, C. John; Schreiner, Thomas R.; Taylor, Justin, eds. (2008). ESV Study Bible. Wheaton: Crossway. ISBN 978-1-43350241-5.
• Josephus, Flavius (1958). Vol. VI: Jewish Antiquities, Books IX–XI. Loeb Classical Library. Vol. 326. Translated by Marcus, William. London: William Heinemann. pp. 125–129, XI.xi.2–3.
• Keck, Leander E. 1996. The New Interpreter’s Bible: Volume: VII. Nashville: Abingdon.
• Kent H. Richards, Nahum Introduction: The Harper Collins Study Bible, (New York: Harper Collins, 2006) 1250.
• Metzger, Bruce M., et al. The Oxford Companion to the Bible. New York: Oxford University Press, 1993.
• Nahum, Habakkuk and Zephaniah. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press. p. 18. ISBN 978-0-8308-9482-6.

Starlight Book Review – Old Testament – Minor Prophets III

Images of Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah on a Dark Blue Background.
| © Starry Night Elf

Part of a series of Starlight Book Reviews (SBR) on Old Testament (OT) Books. Click here to see other OT SBR.

* The following post transparently exhibits my Christian faith.

5/5 In this Starlight Book Review (SBR), I look at the Minor Prophets/ Twelve Prophets Books of Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah.

Click here to check out the Sacred Texts Journey SRC.

The Minor Prophets or Twelve Prophets (Hebrew: שנים עשר, Shneim Asar; Imperial Aramaic: תרי עשר, Trei Asar, “Twelve”) (Ancient Greek: δωδεκαπρόφητον, “the Twelve Prophets”), occasionally Book of the Twelve, is a collection of prophetic books, written between about the 8th and 4th centuries BCE, which are in both the Jewish Tanakh and Christian Old Testament… In the Christian Old Testament, the collection appears as twelve individual books, one for each of the prophets: the Book of Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi. Their order, and position in the Old Testament, varies slightly between the Protestant, Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Bibles.

“The Book of Nahum is the seventh book of the 12 minor prophets of the Hebrew Bible. It is attributed to the prophet Nahum, and was probably written in Jerusalem in the 7th century BC… The subject of Nahum’s prophecy is the approaching complete and final destruction of Nineveh which was the capital of the great and flourishing Assyrian empire, at that time. Ashurbanipal was at the height of his glory. Nineveh was a city of vast extent, and was then the center of the civilization and commerce of the world, according to Nahum a “bloody city all full of lies and robbery”, a reference to the Neo-Assyrian Empire’s military campaigns and demand of tribute and plunder from conquered cities.”

“The Book of Habakkuk is the eighth book of the 12 minor prophets of the Bible. It is attributed to the prophet Habakkuk, and was probably composed in the late 7th century BC. The original text was written in the Hebrew language… Of the three chapters in the book, the first two are a dialogue between Yahweh and the prophet. The message that “the just shall live by his faith” plays an important role in Christian thought. It is used in the Epistle to the Romans, Epistle to the Galatians, and the Epistle to the Hebrews as the starting point of the concept of faith. A copy of these chapters is included in the Habakkuk Commentary, found among the Dead Sea Scrolls. Chapter 3 is now recognized as a liturgical piece. It is debated whether chapter 3 and the first two chapters were written by the same author.”

“The Book of Zephaniah (Hebrew: צְפַנְיָה, Ṣəfanyā; sometimes Latinized as Sophonias) is the ninth of the Twelve Minor Prophets of the Old Testament and Tanakh, preceded by the Book of Habakkuk and followed by the Book of Haggai. Zephaniah means “Yahweh has hidden/protected,” or “Yahweh hides”. Zephaniah is also a male given name. The original text was written in Biblical Hebrew.”

With my eighth reading of these three books – Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah, what stood out most to me was God’s love. Each of these tried to reach the people, to help return them to God. Below are verses which I found outstanding in my eighth reading in 2023.

These verses stood out to me:

⁷ The Lord is good,
    a refuge in times of trouble.
He cares for those who trust in him,

Nahum 1:7 NIV

⁴ His splendor was like the sunrise;
    rays flashed from his hand,
    where his power was hidden.

Habakkuk 3:4

¹⁷ The Lord your God is with you,
    the Mighty Warrior who saves.
He will take great delight in you;
    in his love he will no longer rebuke you,
    but will rejoice over you with singing.”

Zephaniah 3:14 NIV

Select Bibliography (Alphabetical Order by Author’s Surname)

• Carson, D. A.; Hess, Richard S.; Alexander, T. D.; Moo, Douglas J.; Naselli, Andrew David, eds. (2015). NIV Zondervan Study Bible. Grand Rapids: Zondervan. ISBN 978-0-31043833-5.
• “The Chronology of Biblical Prophets”, Adapted from Hauer, C.E. & Young, W. A., An Introduction to the Bible: A Journey into Three Worlds, p.123, Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1994.
• Cross, F. L. & Livingston, E. A., eds. (2005). The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church (3rd ed.). New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-280290-9.
• Grudem, Wayne; Dennis, Lane T.; Packer, J. I.; Collins, C. John; Schreiner, Thomas R.; Taylor, Justin, eds. (2008). ESV Study Bible. Wheaton: Crossway. ISBN 978-1-43350241-5.
• Josephus, Flavius (1958). Vol. VI: Jewish Antiquities, Books IX–XI. Loeb Classical Library. Vol. 326. Translated by Marcus, William. London: William Heinemann. pp. 125–129, XI.xi.2–3.
• Kent H. Richards, Nahum Introduction: The Harper Collins Study Bible, (New York: Harper Collins, 2006) 1250.
• Nahum, Habakkuk and Zephaniah. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press. p. 18. ISBN 978-0-8308-9482-6.

Starlight Book Review – Old Testament – Minor Prophets II

Images of Obadiah, Jonah, and Micah on a Dark Blue Background.
| © Starry Night Elf

Part of a series of Starlight Book Reviews (SBR) on Old Testament (OT) Books. Click here to see other OT SBR.

* The following post transparently exhibits my Christian faith.

5/5 Next up, in this Starlight Book Review (SBR), I look at the Minor Prophets/ Twelve Prophets Books of Obadiah, Jonah, and Micah.

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The Minor Prophets or Twelve Prophets (Hebrew: שנים עשר, Shneim Asar; Imperial Aramaic: תרי עשר, Trei Asar, “Twelve”) (Ancient Greek: δωδεκαπρόφητον, “the Twelve Prophets”), occasionally Book of the Twelve, is a collection of prophetic books, written between about the 8th and 4th centuries BCE, which are in both the Jewish Tanakh and Christian Old Testament… In the Christian Old Testament, the collection appears as twelve individual books, one for each of the prophets: the Book of Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi. Their order, and position in the Old Testament, varies slightly between the Protestant, Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Bibles.

“The Book of Obadiah is a book of the Bible whose authorship is attributed to Obadiah, a prophet who lived in the Assyrian Period. Obadiah is one of the Twelve Minor Prophets in the final section of Nevi’im, the second main division of the Hebrew Bible. The text consists of a single chapter, divided into 21 verses with 440 Hebrew words, making it the shortest book in the Hebrew Bible, though there are three shorter New Testament epistles in Greek (Philemon with 335 words, 2 John with 245 words, and 3 John with 219 words). The Book of Obadiah is a prophecy concerning the divine judgment of Edom and the restoration of Israel… The Book of Obadiah is based on a prophetic vision concerning the fall of Edom, a mountain-dwelling nation whose founding father was Esau. Obadiah describes an encounter with Yahweh, who addresses Edom’s arrogance and charges them for their “violence against your brother Jacob.”

“The Book of Jonah is one of the twelve minor prophets of the Nevi’im (“Prophets”) in the Hebrew Bible, and an individual book in the Christian Old Testament. The book tells of a Hebrew prophet named Jonah, son of Amittai, who is sent by God to prophesy the destruction of Nineveh, but attempts to escape his divine mission… The story has a long interpretive history and has become well known through popular children’s stories. In Judaism, it is the Haftarah portion read during the afternoon of Yom Kippur to instill reflection on God’s willingness to forgive those who repent, and it remains a popular story among Christians. The story is also retold in the Quran.”

“The Book of Micah is the sixth of the twelve minor prophets in the Hebrew Bible. Ostensibly, it records the sayings of Micah, whose name is Mikayahu (Hebrew: מִיכָיָ֫הוּ), meaning “Who is like Yahweh?”, an 8th-century BCE prophet from the village of Moresheth in Judah (Hebrew name from the opening verse: מיכה המרשתי)… Micah reproaches unjust leaders, defends the rights of the poor against the rich and powerful; while looking forward to a world at peace centered on Zion under the leadership of a new Davidic monarch… Micah reproaches unjust leaders, defends the rights of the poor against the rich and powerful; while looking forward to a world at peace centered on Zion under the leadership of a new Davidic monarch. While the book is relatively short, it includes lament (1.8–16; 7.8–10), theophany (1.3–4), hymnic prayer of petition and confidence (7.14–20), and the “covenant lawsuit” (6.1–8), a distinct genre in which Yahweh (God) sues Israel for breach of contract of the Mosaic covenant.”

Of these three books, I’m most familiar with Jonah. This is perhaps the funniest book in the Bible! I did laugh when he sulked about the Ninevites. Also, I learned that Obadiah is the shortest book in the Old Testament. Micah, like Isaiah, also lamented without clothing which truly stood out to me.

These verses stood out to me:

²¹ Deliverers will go up on Mount Zion
    to govern the mountains of Esau.
    And the kingdom will be the Lord’s.

Obadiah 1:21 NIV

¹⁷ Now the Lord provided a huge fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.

Jonah 1:17 NIV

⁸ He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
    And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
    and to walk humbly with your God.

Micah 6:8 NIV

Select Bibliography (Alphabetical Order by Author’s Surname)

• Allen, Leslie C (1976). The Books of Joel, Obadiah, Jonah, and Micah. Eerdmans. ISBN 978-0802825315. Micah
• Coogan, Michael (2009). A Brief Introduction to the Old Testament. Oxford University Press.
• “Jonah’s Path and the Message of Yom Kippur”. Archived from the original on 2008-11-18. Retrieved 2009-08-18. United Jewish Communities (UJC), “Jonah’s Path and the Message of Yom Kippur.”
• King, Philip J (1988). Amos, Hosea, Micah: an archaeological commentary. Westminster John Knox Press. ISBN 978-0664240776.
• Limburg, James (1988). Hosea-Micah. Westminster John Knox Press. ISBN 978-0664237578.
• Mays, James L (1976). Micah. Westminster John Knox Press. ISBN 978-0664208172.
• Nelson’s Compact Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1978, p. 191, ISBN 0-8407-5636-4
• Sweeney, Marvin A (2000). The Twelve Prophets. Liturgical Press. ISBN 978-0814650912.