Book Reviews

Steve Jobs by Walter Issacson (Seth’s Review)

October 4, 2026October 5, 2012 by All Old Users

Steve Jobs

This was an incredible, riveting biography. Isaacson does a phenomenal job bringing the story of Steve Jobs to life. For me there was a natural division in the story.

The “old history”–events prior to my own experience–was great fun to read, because I learned a lot about the tech world of software and hardware that was emerging in the 70s and 80s. The inception and early development of Apple, and the fact that Jobs was kicked out of his own company (and then brought back!), was fascinating.

The “contemporary history” began with events that I know personally. The trigger for that was Jobs’ involvement with Pixar, and culminating in Apple’s introduction of revolutionary portable devices (iPods, iPhones and iPads) and the major disruption of multiple industries (music, cell phones, the creation of a market for tablets out of thin air).

How Harry Cast His Spell by John Granger

July 15, 2026October 3, 2012 by All Old Users

In this book John Granger succeeds phenomenally in describing–and defending the very existence of–the Christian symbolism and doctrine that veritably burst from the seams of the Harry Potter series. There is a reason the books are so popular: Rowling is writing subversively edifying Christian fiction in the tradition of all the “greats” of classic English literature, for the postmodern reader of the 21st century. A golden quote from the final chapter:

J.K. Rowling delivers difficult truths to a postmodern audience in such a way that they accept the ideas they would otherwise reject, even laugh about. The existence of the soul? The importance of choosing to believe? The certainty of a life after death and a judgment of those with atrophied souls and darkened hearts? Rowling smuggles these golden wheelbarrows and quite a bit of Christian doctrine and ideas about the human person via her story line right past the most skeptical, even cynical, readers in history. (269)

Sex, Mom and God by Frank Schaeffer

October 4, 2026October 2, 2012 by Adam Shields

Take Away: Our ideals and reality rarely match up. Frank Schaeffer is the son of Evangelical power couple Francis and Edith Schaeffer. He is an author of a number of fiction books and several interesting non-fiction books (like his series on the military). But he is probably most well known either for his late 80s … Read more

Ghost Ship (Theo Waitley #3) by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller

September 27, 2012 by Adam Shields

Summary: Theo meets the rest of the Clan Korval Family and meets her new ship.

How do you review a book that is #3 is a sub-series and number 14 is a larger series?

After all most people will either not be interested because they have not read any of the previous books, or they are not interested because they have already invested so much time reading the series that they are going to read the book regardless of how well it is written.

Saltation by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller

September 21, 2012 by Adam Shields

Several years ago I was reading a book review; I don’t remember where or what book was being reviewed. I just remember that the reviewer said that she (I do remember it was a she) rarely reads series fiction. I thought that was odd, but because I had never thought of books that were written as a series being a category and the fact that you would exclude a type of books because there were more than one.

The longer I thought about it the more I understood. Series require a lot of investment. You both have to read a number of books to get to the end. And quite often the series is drawn out over years if not decades. (I still have refused to read the fifth book in the Game of Throne series because I am pissed that it took so long for George RR Martin to get around to writing it.)

At the same time, Series fiction has its own benefit. The reader is able to connect with characters over thousands of pages instead of hundreds. Usually that means a more well rounded character and a longer character arc to the story. It may mean a more fleshed out setting than would be possible in a stand alone novel.

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

October 4, 2026September 19, 2012 by Adam Shields

Summary: A Faustian bargain to keep beauty and youth in exchange for your soul.

One of my reading priorities this year was to read more classics. I have not done very well on my other reading goals, so when Amazon and Audible released a ton of free classics to promote their new Whispersync for Voice I decided to pick up most of them and try to start reading more classics.

Honestly, other than the reference in the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, I had never heard of Dorian Gray (and I did not even know there is a Dorian Gray movie until I started looking around for this review.) I knew that his portrait aged instead of his body. I assumed it was some sort of faustian bargain with the devil.

The actual book leaves a lot to the reader. There is a sort of prayer that Dorian Gray says when he is first shown the portrait where he says that he would give anything to keep his beauty and youth as the painting shows. But there is no explanation, supernatural or otherwise, for why Dorian stops aging and his portrait starts aging. Similarly, we are not really told whether it is Dorian’s own nature that he becomes evil and depraved or whether there is some connection to his soul being lost in the bargain that causes him to become depraved. I assume that Wilde just was allowing his reader to make the faustian connection.

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest by Stieg Larsson

October 4, 2026September 17, 2012 by Adam Shields

This is really the second half of the second book. There is no real separation other than the fact that it is too long for a single book.

Larsson split the two books in a good place. There was a nice cliff hanger and it made sense. But this third book picks up immediately after the conclusion of the second.

Again, this book is fairly focused on Lisbeth (my preferred main character) but because of the result of the second book her actions are restricted. In many ways, this book is about Lisbeth allowing people into her life and understanding her need to depend on others.

Conquests and Cultures: An International History by Thomas Sowell

October 4, 2026September 14, 2012 by Adam Shields

Takeaway: Culture is the result of a wide variety of influences.

Thomas Sowell is an economist. I have read three of his economics book (Basic Economics, Applied Economics and Economics Facts and Fallacies). These books, while clearly from a conservative approach to economics were focused on education and not propaganda. I would recommend any of the three books to help you understand how economics works. (Basic Economics is an intro to economics, Applied Economics focuses on national level and Facts and Fallacies is more focused on countering bad economic thinking at many levels).

Conquests and Cultures is the third book in a series of historical exploration of culture. (Race and Culture and Migration and Culture are the first two). These are historical looks at culture using Sowell’s common tools of economic and broad level research.

Sticky Faith: Everyday Ideas to Build Lasting Faith in Your Kids by Kara Powell and Chap Clark

July 16, 2026September 12, 2012 by All Old Users

Bookwi.se Note: Vikki Huisman wrote this review for her church blog but agreed to let Bookwi.se repost it here.

You shouldn’t wait to get this book.

Seriously.

Youth experts, Chapman and Powell completed a 6-year research project, “œThe College Transition Project”. Based on their research, they concluded that between 40-50% of youth group kids stick with their faith in college. If you have two children, the odds are only one of them will stick with their faith after college.

Sticky Faith contains a lot of research and data at the beginning of the book and I must be honest, the statistics are unnerving. I was ready to toss the book aside and never finish it because it seemed so depressing. But I’m glad I didn’t.

Powell and Clark tell us that there is no magic formula or quick fix to guarantee that your kids will have a faith that lasts. This book is not a 10 step program to turn your child into Billy Graham by Monday. Just as there are many different types of people, there are many avenues you can choose to pursue in your home to point your child in the right direction.

The Dip: When to Quit (And When to Stick) by Seth Godin

October 4, 2026September 11, 2012 by Adam Shields

“The difference between a mediocre club player and a regional champion isn’t inborn talent. It’s the ability to push through in the moments when it is easier to quit.”

Those words so struck me that I stopped and copied them down while I was listening to this short (free) audiobook. Seth Godin likes provocative phrases. And after listening to the whole book, I know that what Godin means is that it is inborn talent and the ability to push through in hard times. But that is not what he was actually saying here.

The story of Rudy isn’t that he worked really hard and his hard work paid off and he became a great football legend. He worked really hard and after years, and a lot of points where most people said he should quit, he got a chance, not because of his performance, but because of his heart and other people’s willingness to step aside to help him out.