Off Site Reviews – Page 10

Old Man’s War is the January Sword and Laser Book Club Pick

January 7, 2013 by Adam Shields

In a previous iteration of my life I spend a lot of time listening to podcasts and one of my favorite was the CNet’s Buzz Out Loud. When I was listening to it Tom, Molly and Veronica were the main hosts. Since then Tom Merritt has spun off his own show on the TWiT network, Tech News Today and Veronica Belmont is the co-host of Tekzilla on Revision3 network.

For the past several years Tom and Veronica have co-hosted a Science Fiction and Fantasy book club podcast, Sword and Laser.

This month they are discussing The Old Man’s War by John Scalzi. Bookwi.se reviewed the Old Man’s War last fall and I know a few people have read it since then. You might find the book club discussion interesting.

Offsite Review: The Best Question Ever by Andy Stanley

January 6, 2013 by Adam Shields

Seems like a good book to read at the beginning of the year when people are making resolutions.

We all face difficult decisions. We also carry regrets from bad choices (i.e. buyer’s regret, relationships gone sour, a poor business decision or watching the Spice Girls movie). Most of these poor choices could have been avoided if we asked ourselves the right question.

When facing important decisions, Andy Stanley, author and pastor of the second biggest church in America (when you’re second you try harder), contends that he has the best question ever for you to ask yourself. Taking Paul’s warning in Ephesians 5:15-17 to not be foolish, Stanley posits that when we are faced with difficult circumstances, we should ask ourselves, “œWhat is the wise thing to do?” This is the Best. Question. Ever.

continue reading the rest of the review

Andrew Toy Thinks You Need to Read More Fiction

January 4, 2013 by Adam Shields

Andrew Toy, blogger at AdoptingJames and author of the recent book The Man in the Box has made a commitment to read more fiction. I fully agree with this commitment and I have been increasing my amount of fiction the last couple years. I think it is particularly important for Evangelicals that tend to be too … Read more

Offsite Review: The Quest for the Trinity

January 3, 2013 by Adam Shields

I am interested in The Quest for the Trinity: The Doctrine of God in Scripture, History and Modernity as a corrective to some other modern theology movements around the trinity. It is finally available for kindle and so I will probably pick it up soon. Nick Norelli’s review is mixed, but positive enough in the areas … Read more

Offsite: Who Do You Think You Are by Mark Driscoll

January 2, 2013 by Adam Shields

I frequently disagree with Challies, but I think he is worth paying attention to because he is well read, theologically clear (even when I disagree, I understand why he believes as he does), and because I like to read people that I disagree with because I know I have blind spots. So I found Challies … Read more

Offsite Review: Torn by Justin Lee

January 2, 2013 by Adam Shields

I have seen several very good reviews of TORN: Rescuing the Gospel from the Gays-vs.-Christians Debate by Justin Lee. I could link to several different reviews (and I may link to more in the future) but I thought this was a good review because it is a personal review of a pastor that has been struggling … Read more

Four More Best of 2012 Book Lists

January 1, 2013 by Adam Shields

I really do like to read what other people think about book and find new books to read. So I keep reading best of book lists. Here are four lists from blogs I read regularly. John Chandler is a pastor in Austin, TX and an online friend. We have similar tastes in books and similar … Read more

History News Network Best History Books of 2012

December 30, 2012 by Adam Shields

George Mason University’s History News Network has the best history books of 2012. These are all US history, but have a pretty wide range. The fourth volume of Robert Caro’s series on Lyndon Johnson is the book of the year, which I have seen on several other best books of the year list. h/t Challies

Near Emmaus Top Ten Books of 2012

December 29, 2012 by Adam Shields

I was referred to NearEmmaus by a friend earlier this year and I have been consistently impressed with the quality of blogging the whole team, but particularly Brian LePort the main blogger. NearEmmaus is a serious biblioblog that is still accessible by an academic wannabe like myself. Many of the books the Brian and other … Read more

New York Times Article About Libraries Filling Bookstore Niche

December 29, 2012 by Adam Shields

This is a pretty good article in the New York Times about how Libraries are filling a niche of books stores as the large bookstores are closing. Lots of libraries are trying to reinvent themselves as meeting spots, including coffee shops and large comfy chairs, study rooms, etc. The article also talks about the need … Read more