Book Reviews

Takeaway: Most sex books are either Puritan or Pornographic.  This book tries to show the Christian view is neither.

In general I am not a fan of Christian sex books.  Most books either hold people to an impossibly high (and usually non-biblical) standard (a man should be able to train himself to never look at a woman or all dating is wrong, etc.) or promise a ‘mind-blowing’ sex if you just follow the book’s directions.  While this book occasionally veers into the ‘mind blowing sex’ territory, I think it is good at trying to understand the biblical standards and then leave everything else open.  (By the way, I picked this up free from Amazon on kindle.  When I first bought it that it was the James Dobson book “What Wives Wish Their Husbands Knew about Women” and almost did not get it.  It is not that book.  It was published in 2007 and is very current in language and references.)

Honestly, there is not much new info here.  While authors are all psychologists that specialize in couple’s therapy, the advice is fairly run of the mill (woo your wife all day, she is more turned on by cleaning the house than roses, etc).  There is a short section on biology but most of the book is on relationships.  The advice does not really need to be new (and probably is more helpful because it is not new).  Sometimes we just need a reminder.

Read more

Audible.com often has free shorts or prequels and occationally longer books.  Here are three that I have run across lately.  (I have not listened to any of them.)

A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett

257 pages or 8 hrs and 9 mins, 66 of 77 reviews are 4 or 5-star

Bookwi.se Note: You must purchase the free kindle book first and then the audiobook will also be available for free.

10-year-old Sarah Crue lives life like a princess until tragedy strikes, taking away her fine clothes and privileges. Without her velvet and silk and French maids, she’s no longer the envy of all the girls at Miss Minchin’s London boarding school, and even has to live in the school’s attic, working for the students who were once her friends. Will Sarah’s spirit remain unbowed? Follow her through her trials and triumphs in this unforgettable tale beloved by children the world over.

Jump Start Your Business

6 hrs and 5 mins, 49 of 82 reviews are 4 or 5-star

From the ABC hit show “Shark Tank,” this book – filled with practical advice and introductions from the Sharks themselves – will be the ultimate resource for anyone thinking about starting a business or growing the one they have. Full of tips for navigating the confusing world of entrepreneurship, the book will intersperse words of wisdom with inspirational stories from the show.

The Jester by Michael Sullivan

54 minutes pages, 53 of 66 reviews are 4 or 5-stars

WHO WILL HAVE THE LAST LAUGH?

Read more

Takeaway: Reading classic children’s books as an adult is an odd experience.

The first time I heard A Wrinkle in Time was from my 3rd grade teacher. I think his name was Mr Bohanna.  I know he spent more time reading out loud to us than any other teacher I remember.

I have no idea how much of the book I really understood. I know that I read or re-read many of the books he read to us and he has some responsibility for my love of reading. I must have read A Wrinkle in time again on my own at least a couple more times before the end of high school. But I never attached to A Wrinkle in Time like I did to the third book in the series, A Swiftly Tilting Planet. I probably have read the third book at least a half dozen times and could have given you a pretty close summary even after more than 20 years.

Read more

Summary: Third book in a series about a minor British royal that is also an accidental detective.

The Royal Spyness series is a fun light hearted mystery series.  In the first two books, Georgie, the 34th in line to the throne in 1930s England, has found herself an accidental detective.  What makes the series work, is the mix of humor, a dash of romance good character development and some mystery to move the plot along.  Georgie’s family is penniless after her father gambled away most of the money and lost the rest in the stock market.  Georgie has decided that it is better to try to make her own way rather than live under the rules and obligations of her sister-in-law (and henpecked brother) back in Scotland.

Making her own way in depression era London is not easy.  Georgie tried to start a business of opening homes for wealthy homeowners that are coming from their country estates to their London homes,  but no one comes to London in the middle of the summer and she has to find another way to make money.

Read more