Book Reviews – Page 163

The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander

September 26, 2011 by Adam Shields

The Book of Three (The Chronicles of Prydain Book 1) Summary: A teen leaves home to fix a problem he created and stumbles of a task to save the kingdom from a great evil.

This blog is not going to become a young adult fantasy book review blog. But I am enjoying re-reading some of the books of my childhood. There will be some more weighty books reviewed later this week.

The cover of The Book of Three shown is the cover of the copy that I had when I first read the book. It has been updated, but I still like this cover. It shows well Taran, the main character and the Horned King, the expression of evil for this book.

The Monster at the End of the Book (iPad App Book Review)

September 23, 2011 by Adam Shields

Summary: My favorite of the iPad books

Purchase links: iTunes, Print Book from Amazon

Regular readers of this blog know that I am a nanny for my two nieces. They have just turned 4 and 2.5. I bought an iPad right after it came out and they have been the largest users of it.

We play lots of games on it, and the 2.5 year old really likes to read books on it. But I rarely actually read books with her. Usually she read parts of them herself. She knows how to turn on the narration and turn the pages. But at 2.5 she rarely finishes a whole book. The four year old also rarely finishes a book, but she is more interested in the games than the books.

A Swiftly Tilting Planet by Madeleine L’Engle

September 22, 2011 by Adam Shields

Takeaway: About 25 years after first reading it, this is still one of my favorite novels.

Purchase Links: Paperback, Kindle Edition

I am not sure why I have always been so drawn to A Swiftly Tilting Planet. It has been one of my favorite books since I first read it. I have read it at least a half-dozen times now, although it has been since high school since I last read it.

I was trying to figure out why this is my favorite book of the series. Partially I think it is because it is focused on Charles Wallace. I have always been particularly drawn to ‘special children’. As an adult, I appreciate even more that what he wants to do is take charge and solve problems and use the skills and brain power he has. But as with many of the books, really what is needed is not to take charge and solve problems, but to just be the person that you were created to be. Charles Wallace was created for this problem, and he does not need to work to solve it as much as just be Charles Wallace and allow The Wind (or God) to place him where he need to be.

Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury

September 21, 2011 by Adam Shields

Status: Gave Up I am up for someone convincing me that I am wrong. But I gave up on Something Wicked This Way Comes. I have not actually read anything by Bradbury. I know that is probably reprehensible, but I just have not picked anything up by him before. I saw the audiobook at the library and … Read more

Outspoken: Conversations on Church Communication

September 20, 2011 by Adam Shields

Outspoken: Conversations on Church Communication Takeaway: Wide ranging book on practical, theological and theoretical importance of communication in the church world.

Purchase Links: Paperback, Kindle Edition

Upfront this is not a normal review. I did not read it as I normally read, I read it as I was prepping it for the kindle version. I have not prepped and converted many books, just a handful, but I have done a few based on my own love of ebooks and the desire to get smaller independent books out to a wider audience. Kevin Hendricks, one of the contributors, contacted me about working on Outspoken because I converted his last book, Open Our Eyes: Seeing the Invisible People of Homelessness. Outspoken is a very similar style, lots of contributors, lots of short chapters.

Many Waters by Madeline L’Engle

September 19, 2011 by Adam Shields

Summary: The twins, Sandy and Denis, go back into biblical history and find their place in their special family.

Purchase Links: Paperback, Kindle Edition

Many Waters is the fourth book in Madeline L’Engle’s Time Quintet. It was not published until 1986, almost a decade after the third book and 24 years after the first book of the series. Chronologically, it is set between books 2 and 3. Because I got these at the library, due to availability, I listened to it in chronological order.

Dr No by Ian Fleming

September 15, 2011 by Adam Shields

Summary: Bond fights the bad guy, tries to get the girl

I feel like I watched a lot of James Bond movies growing up. But when I go back and watch old James Bond I do not remember many. So maybe I watched the same ones several times?

I have not actually read any of the original books before. Other than the original Jason Bourne books, I have not really read any of the old spy novels. I have enjoyed some of the newer, post-cold war spy novels.

A Wind in the Door by Madeleine L’Engle

September 14, 2011 by Adam Shields

Takeaway: Continuing with the theme that Love is most important.

Purchase Links: Paperback, Kindle Edition

After reading A Wrinkle in Time, which I have not read in many years, A Wind in the Door was more familiar. I remembered most of the story line and while it has still been 20 years or so I have read it more recently and more often than Wrinkle in Time.

Luke: The Gospel of Amazement by Michael Card

September 9, 2011 by Adam Shields

Takeaway: A guided devotional reading of scripture can bring new insights.

The Gospel of Amazement is the latest in my current bible reading strategy. This is a perfect book to add to a long-term look at Luke. I have read a small group bible study, a book on a short passage in Luke and my next book will be a very academic commentary. But Michael Card’s book is more of a ‘devotional commentary’. Its focus is devotional more than academic, but it still brings in clear academic insights.

~~Card translated Luke himself.~~ The chapters of Luke are separated into chapters in the Gospel of Amazement and Card gives commentary on small sections. I may feel the devotional style more because I actually used it as a devotional.

Inspiration and Incarnation: Evangelicals and the Problem of the Old Testament by Peter Enns

September 8, 2011 by Adam Shields

Takeaway: Scripture is a diverse, important, human-written, God-breathed book.

Over the past couple months I have been wandering through an exploration of scripture, what it is, how we can understand it, what we should be doing with it. Inspiration and Incarnation is the latest book in my exploration. I was lucky enough to read this one with friends and have an email discussion about it.

Emotionally, I am a bit disappointed by this book. I knew it was controversial. Enns resigned his position at Westminster Seminary after controversy with the board of the seminary and this book. After reading the first two chapters, I kept thinking ‘no wonder he was fired’. There really are controversial statements in the book, but I think much of the controversy could have been minimized with a better editor. He seems unnecessarily provocative in a few areas where his point is not controversial. Intellectually, I am intrigued. He is pushing in many of the areas I think need to be pushed in the Evangelical understanding of scripture. I am not sure about some of his conclusions, but the discussion is useful.