Bookwi.se – Page 141 – A few thoughts about books, kindles and Christianity

Jim Henson: The Biography by Brian Jay Jones

July 17, 2024February 9, 2014 by Adam Shields

Summary: Fascinating and in depth look at a man that changed TV. Everyone knows that Jim Henson was the creator of the muppets and was instrumental in the creation of Sesame Street. But that is really where my knowledge of Henson stopped. My shortest review of this book is that if you like Steve Job biography … Read more

Nothing to Hide by J Mark Bertrand (Roland March #3)

February 5, 2014 by Adam Shields

Summary: More back story on Roland March and a step outside of the traditional police procedural. I have loved the first two books of this trilogy, and I would love to read any future books that J Mark Bertrand writes about Roland March. The mix of subjects shows that even within the context of a … Read more

What Wives Wish their Husbands Knew about Sex: A Guide for Christian Men

February 4, 2014 by Adam Shields

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.

5 Free From Audible.com

February 3, 2014 by Adam Shields

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?

January Most Read Reviews

February 3, 2014 by Adam Shields

Discovering Your Heart with the Flag Page Test by Mark Gungor Beautiful Ruins: A Novel by Jess Walter Packing Light: Thoughts On Living Life With Less Baggage by Allison Vesterfelt Timebound by Rysa Walker Monk Habits for Everyday People: Benedictine Spirituality for Protestants by Dennis Okholm Divergent by Veronica Roth

The Wolf of Wall Street by Jordan Belfort

January 31, 2014 by All Old Users

The Wolf of Wall Street is a memoir written by the wolf, himself, Jordan Belfort. The book is about how Jordan got his start in the stockbroker business, how he made as much as 23 million dollars in one day, how he got wrapped-up into drugs and sex, and how it all came crashing down. A movie with the same title was released in December of 2013 and has garnished some major notoriety, good and bad.

Belfort writes in his introduction that his memoir is “œa true story based on his best recollection of events” that happened in his life and that he used the real names of people in the book, unless indicated otherwise. He also states that some of the events have been compressed for the sake of the narrative and that some dialogue was recreated to best match the exchanges between people in the book. In the prologue, after relaying his meeting with Mark Hanna, the man said to be his mentor, he states that this memoir is a “œsatirical reconstruction of the insanity” that took place. He explains that he primarily hopes that his story will serve as a cautionary tale to the rich and the poor, “œto anyone living with a silver spoon on their nose and a bunch of pills in their stomach sack and to any person who is considering taking a God given gift and misusing it.” Having said all that and knowing that he spent much of his time being high, I have some major doubts about what actually did happen (although I am not sure how relevant that is). Essentially, here is an expert snake oil salesman selling his own story. You do the math.

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle

November 26, 2023January 27, 2014 by Adam Shields

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.

Royal Flush by Rhys Bowen (Royal Spyness #3)

January 27, 2014 by Adam Shields

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.

Pattern of Wounds by J Mark Bertrand (Roland March #2)

January 24, 2014 by Adam Shields

Summary: A well written standard police procedural that stands out precisely because it is a Christian fiction book

Pretty soon I am going to stop saying I tend to not be a fan of mysteries. Because the books I have been enjoying the most lately are mysteries.

Pattern of Wounds is the second in a trilogy of books about a homicide detective in Houston. Roland March is a cop that has seen better days. But he feels like his work, as little as he likes it most of the time, does something.

In this book, a young woman is found floating in a pool, stabbed to death. Detective March is called and despite what everyone else says, he feels like this case has some relationship to an earlier case that he broke.

Overdrive Drops DRM on Audiobooks

January 23, 2014 by Adam Shields

As I said earlier, I have decided to not buy more than one book a month for the first six months of 2014. This is to force me to read some of the books I have already purchased, catch up on books that I said I would review months ago and to save a little … Read more