Book Reviews – Page 127

Free by Chris Anderson: a post about the church

July 11, 2013 by Adam Shields

This is one of the first reviews I wrote on what eventually became Bookwi.se. I am reposting it because Noisetrade is giving away the MP3 version of the audiobook. It is also available for free as an ebook or an audiobook from Audible.com (see links below)

I am a fan of Chris Anderson’s writing. I really like his first book “The Long Tail“. This second book is good as well. The central idea is that fundamentally the price point of Free is changing the way that we interact.

He believes that free is the common price on digital good, not because all digital good are free or should be free but that most digital goods will be free and the paid versions will support the free in inverse relationship to goods that have atoms. In other words, free goods in the physical world are supported by paid good in a relationship of around 5% or less free to 95% or more paid.

The Last Battle by CS Lewis (Chronicle of Narnia #7)

July 11, 2013 by Adam Shields

Summary: For many, this is an early introduction to eschatology.

It has been years since I have read the Last Battle (probably close to 25). I know it is a book that I read several times. And it definitely influenced my eschatology (theology of the end times).

Lewis was not universally loved for this book. In fact, there are probably few books that generate more frustration from Evangelical readers than the Last Battle.

Lewis always claimed he was not writing Christian Allegory, but it is pretty hard to resist that claim when Lewis clearly is writing an eschatological story. If you write about the end of the world and where the story ends up in ‘heaven’ then you cannot complain when people treat it as a theological work about eschatology.

Once a Spy by Keith Thomson

July 6, 2013 by Adam Shields

Once a Spy is today Kindle Daily Deal and on sale for $1.99. Well worth reading at that price.

Takeaway: An original take on the traditional spy novel.

I originally heard about Once A Spy from Books and Culture Magazine podcast and then an article. The premise is too good to pass up.

Drummond Clark, age 64, is a spy and he has advanced stages of early onset Alzheimer’s. This leads to a problem for the spy masters. How much does he know, who will he tell. Enter Charlie, his estranged son that is in debt to a Russian loan shark over some gambling debts.

Charlie has no idea that his father is a spy. He thinks is father is a mediocre sales manager for a mediocre appliance manufacturer. Turns out Drummond Clark is a super spy that would shame James Bond or Jason Borne. It is just that he believes the best spy is one that no one pays attention to and no one remembers. Drummond Clark fits that mold perfectly.

Most Read Reviews in June 2013

July 3, 2013 by Adam Shields

The most read book reviews in June 2013:

From Russia With Love by Ian Fleming

July 2, 2013 by Adam Shields

Summary: Bond knowingly walks into a trap and still manages to get caught.

Just over a week ago all of the James Bond novels were on sale in kindle format. So I decided to pick up two more. I was frustrated with the last James Bond novel I read, Goldfinger, because it was so cartoonish in its story line.

But I thought maybe an earlier novel will be better. So I borrowed the kindle version of From Russia With Love from Lendle.me and then used promotional Audible credit to get the audiobook.

The story line is that SPECTER, the Russian black ops group, wants to kill a western spy to teach the west a lesson. Bond is the one that is chosen and a young female agent is trained to seduce him and a British turncoat is chosen to kill him.

The Art of Letting Go: Living the Wisdom of St Francis

July 1, 2013 by Adam Shields

Summary: Series of lectures on spiritual development.

Over the last couple months I have come to the conclusion that Evangelicals (of whom I am one) are good at sharing the gospel and keeping the importance of conversion squarely in their sights.

But I have also come to see that groups that assume the large scale Christianity of their communities (those that have been state churches) have done much more thinking about how to live as a Christian.

It is cliche (and I think at least partially true) that Evangelicals are interested in you up until your conversion. After that I think we fall into the Paul problem of continuing to feed one another spiritual milk. We are still trying to save one another. But I think those that theologically are more oriented toward infant baptism and Christendom have thought more about living as a Christian. (The negative for them is that they also now need to evangelize their own as Christendom has broken down.)

Hungry for God: Hearing God’s Voice in the Ordinary and Everyday by Margaret Feinberg

June 28, 2013 by Adam Shields

So how do you review a book that you were supposed to review 2 years ago? I received a copy of the book from Amazon with my first Amazon Vine review. And I put it aside to read later. (It is one of my problems that I tend to have a problem getting to actual physical paper books that I am supposed to review. I am much better about reviewing books if I have a kindle version.)

Eventually I gave away the paperback and bought a kindle version when it was on sale. But it still took me over a year to read it.

And once I have read it? It is a perfectly good book. It is short, well written and about hearing from God and orienting yourself to hear from God.

It is good. There isn’t anything particularly original about it. There are lots of books that are essentially about spiritual disciplines, trying to focus on God, in the end, how to be a Christian.

Where’d You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple

August 23, 2025June 27, 2013 by Adam Shields

Summary: Good writing, mixed storyline.

I picked up the audiobook of Where’d You Go, Bernadette from the library because I thought it has been nominated for an Audie Award.(It was not, I was thinking of Beautiful Ruins).

I am very mixed on the book. Where’d You Go, Bernadette is a satire about the problems up the top 1% in Seattle. The problem is that it fails as satire.

As a story it isn’t bad. But the attempt at satire pushed the characters into a place where they were unlikable for much of the book. Bernadette is an architect, former winner of a MacArthur Genius Grant, wife and mother of Bee. Elgin, her husband, is a genius in his own right. Microsoft bought out his company 20 years ago and he is now the head of a big robotics research project and fully invested in the Seattle lifestyle.

The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

June 24, 2013 by Adam Shields

Takeaway: Fairytales are important, especially for adults.

We need more fairy tales in the world. And I don’t mean either vampire paranormal tales or moralistic children’s stories. I mean stories that show the world we see as part of a greater world. Stories that get at the real meaning of life. Stories that you can lose yourself in. There are lots of great authors, but few people that write fairy tales.

Gaiman is the best modern fairytale writer that I know of. The Ocean at the End of the Lane is either my second or third most favorite book by Gaiman. I think Stardust is his best (also a great fairy tale for adults). And this vies with Neverwhere as his second best book.

Catholic Spiritual Practices: A Treasury of Old and New

June 13, 2013 by Adam Shields

Summary: Short introductions to a variety of spiritual practices. This book is good for what it is, concise introductions to spiritual practices. But the problem is that I am not sure who should read it. When most people are interested in doing many of these spiritual practices, they want more than a cursory introduction. And … Read more