Major Goal: to write a novel.
I wrote a complete outline and the first few chapters before dropping my pen.
Two of my favorite all-time books are The Mirror of her Dreams and A Man Rides Through, both by Donaldson, so I bought the six-ology that he wrote in the '80's that begins with this book. I've heard rumors that these chronicles are of spiritual significance, and it's no secret that Donaldson grew up as a missionary kid in India. This first book is very well-written, and full of new vocabulary words for me. Early in the book, the main character rapes a young girl (around 16 years old), which is very unsettling, but I have to believe there is a profound reason for this that will only become evident in a later book. My thinking is that the main character needs to find salvation, and the reader must believe in the character's NEED for this salvation, so Donaldson gives the reader solid evidence in the form of this rape. If you can make it past this disturbing event, you will not be disappointed. On to number 2!
This is a retelling of the rise and fall of the three greatest kings in Jewish history: Saul, David, and Absolam. But it is written in a devotional format in which many Biblical passages are paraphrased and medidated upon. The point of the book is to give Biblical counsel on how Christians who have been hurt by other Christians should now behave. I found it encouraging and insightful, and would recommend it to all Christians everywhere, for we have all been hurt at one time or another by someone else in the body. The author has written another book called Letters to a Devastated Christian, which encourages Christians who have been subjected to the irrationality of legalism in the church, and I plan to read that one soon as well.
This book is the fifth book of the Old Testament and the last book written by Moses, in which he summarizes the Jew's 40 years of wandering in the wilderness and repeats the 10 commandments. He exhorts the new nation of Israel not to forget God; to remember that it was because of God's promise to Abraham and because of the wickedness of the Gentiles that God favored the Jews--NOT because of their righteousness. He gives the people permission to eat meat and proscribes God's dietary laws and tithing rules to them. He establishes feasts and holidays to be held throughout each year, as well as social mores. He gives a blessing to each tribe and then a general curse to the whole nation if they don't obey God, and then Moses dies. His death is oddly described, giving rise to the belief that he may have been taken up bodily into heaven like Elijah was. This possibility would then mean that when the two prophets "who haven't died" come back to earth at the end times, those two may be Moses and Elijah. But bear in mind that Enoch certainly was taken up bodily into heaven...
I thought this was a well-done piece. The setting and props looked to have been painstakingly arranged, with even the computer-animated areas seamlessly integrated into the background. Jim Carrey performed masterfully and convincingly, losing his popular persona and allowing the character of dastardly Count Olaf to wholly envelope him. Even the children acted well.
The plot, gently narrated by Lemony Snicket (Jude Law), held several small surprises along the way, and rounded itself out in the resolution. I found myself feeling frustrated at a few points because no one was listening to the children. In the end, this turned out to be one of the major thematic points of the film.
Though the movie is rated PG and presented by Nickelodeon, I did not think it was appropriate for children under about 8. It is a dark comedy that’s only slightly dumbed down for the younger audience, and Count Olaf is a scary character. But for the rest of you, I would recommend it for the matinee price.
I've always enjoyed reading novels whose main character has some degree of amnesia. This book adds a unique and nicely woven twist into the eventual flood of memories that makes for a satisfying and compelling read. However, I did have two small criticisms of the book: first, the author mixes points of view within chapters and even paragraphs, and even though this is understandable based on the content, it is still jarring; second, only the main character is multi-dimensional--all other characters (and there are four other main characters and several peripheral ones) appear one-dimensional and cardboard. Nevertheless, these things can be ignored for the ingenious plot.
I bought this book because I have always been fascinated by the real Book of Kells. Since I'd never heard of the author, I figured this would be an average to bad read, but still found myself curious, fortunately. Why do I say fortunately? Because this turned out to be an extremely well-written novel of Ireland in the 10th century, complete with tender emotional moments, hilariously humorous spots, and riveting suspense. Since I began reading it, I have purchased several of this author's books and I am glad to say I've found another favorite writer. You can get this book at Amazon.com for less than a dollar--great value for such a treasure.
The main thrust of this book is that each person has dominant and inferior functions of the Myers-Briggs personality types, and that the goal of the organized church should be to cultivate and strengthen the inferior functions so that each of us can become more like Christ, who had no preferred functions, but rather used all 8 of his in balance, switching back and forth where appropriate (I know, that is a looooong sentence).
Though I'm only about a quarter of the way through this book, it has already raised more questions than I had when I began it, which I believe is a good thing. One of the first issues the author takes up is this notion that God answers prayer in three ways: (1)Yes, (2)No, and (3)Wait awhile. The author challenges anyone to show him where the Bible teaches this widely-held 'truth'--and he's right, I've never read this in my Bible. Instead, my Bible confidently repeats that he who asks will receive. Based on the Bible's attitude toward prayer as a way to get things from God, the author of this book states that the only answer God gives is YES. If we are not getting a Yes to our prayer, the problem is not with God, it is with us. I'll update this as I get further along in the book, but I would welcome anyone else's perspective on this (email me).
Out of the last 34 movies I’ve seen, this one ranks in the top five because it never messes up. The fact that the movie is about a treasure hunt might scare you because it’s really hard to pull something off that doesn’t smack of the ridiculous or of Indiana Jones, but National Treasure will surprise you.
The characters visit several of the most famous cities in America without going back in time. The plot bursts with facts and figures of American history that are either true or believed by many to be so. The action occurs intermittently, allowing you to rest occasionally. Though you will probably be able to guess the climax and resolution, the twists and turns along the way are pleasantly unpredictable. And finally, there’s even a little romance for the ladies and a little humor for the gentlemen.
This movie increased my interest in and passion for learning about American history. I definitely recommend it, and I hope many high school history teachers will offer extra credit for students who see it.
This is the fourth book of the Old Testament, and it's called Numbers because it contains the first known record of the census of Israel. This is also an oft-overlooked book because it starts out with the census, which is not very exciting to read. However, if you will stick it through, you can find some gems of historical and spiritual significance within its pages. For example, the book of Numbers describes the continued journey of the Jews through the wilderness and explains how God used the appearance of a cloud over the tabernacle to indicate that they were to rest for a while.
The book of Numbers gives a detailed account of how God sent manna from heaven to feed them, and when they complained about having no meat to eat, He send quails to them daily for an entire month. It was during this time that God was so displeased with that generation that He caused them to wander in the wilderness long enough for all the oldtimers to die off. The book of Numbers describes how Aaron's staff budded and blossomed--a sign that showed God had chosen the tribe of Levites to be the priestly tribe. The book of Numbers also recounts how the prophet Baalim went against the will of God and how finally Baalim's donkey spoke and rebuked him!
Generally speaking, anything that makes it into Oprah's Book Club is bound to be above average, and this book is no exception. It is a coming-of-age story about a girl who goes through a traumatic event as an early teen and fights her trauma with food. The fact that she is grossly overweight is what gets most attention from the outside world, but the reality is that her obesity is simply an indicator of the overwhelming odds she's struggling with internally. The book chronicles the steps she takes to get better and the lessons she learns along the way. I found the book to be well-written and very engaging, with brilliant flashes of insight and wisdom. Be aware before reading this that some of the situations in the story can be very disturbing, making this book less recommended for younger audiences.
I've heard it said that every believer should find a spiritual classic and adopt it, reading it over and over again throughout the course of his life. I believe that I have found mine in this book, and I've already started re-reading it. The book is a study of God, but it shouldn't be categorized with all those stuffy doctrinal theses that only seminary students can understand. What makes this book different from those is its main thrust--to come to a deeper knowledge of God. If you are looking for ways to thwart the erroneous views of other religious sects, this is not the book for you. If you are looking for a syrupy sweet emotionally inspiring daily devotional, this is not the book for you. But if you truly want to cultivate a deeper knowledge of God, to know how you can begin to bridge the mighty gap between the human and the divine, to take clues from the Word of God about what pleases Him, then this is the book you should be reading.
Although I am not sure what I was expecting, this book wasn't it. This is the story of a young shepherd boy who had a dream about treasure and then spent a significant portion of his life searching for the treasure. He learns a lot of philosophy along the way, but it's a hodge-podge of Christian and Eastern religious philosophy and ends up making no sense.
I only made it halfway through this book. It is set in a fictitious town that just happens to resemble Winder, Georgia, where my mom lives. The author went way overboard in her descriptions of southern life, trying to make us country folk out to be dumb and dirty. I was offended. The story was average, but there wasn't enough meat in the telling of it to keep my attention. I felt like I would take nothing away from the experience, so I decided not to finish it.
I picked this book up because of its favorable comparisons to Dune. I thought it would be similar in content as well as in scope. I was wrong. The author does create a very realistic new world and has oodles of geological history interspersed in the action, but that's about as far as the similarity goes to Herbert's triumph.
Helliconia Spring was more along the lines of what I imagine Jean Auel's books to be--full of nearly brainless bipeds warring and loving as the earth grows up around them. I was hoping for a much more "gadget-y" read, which is what I think of when I hear "science fiction."
Nevertheless, though I didn't get what I expected, I did get an engrossing read. The story picked up about halfway through and held me firmly till th end. The first half of the novel felt like a preface...
There are 2 books left in the series. I think I will read something else less primordial before going to the second novel.
I would hazard a guess that this is the least read book of Moses because it contains no action/adventure, no romance, no plot of any kind, really. This book discusses the details of God's law to the Hebrews and includes instructions about diet, relationships, feasts, and the way in which lands can be bought, sold, or redeemed. This is the book that is most quoted to illustrate that God views homosexuality as not only unnatural, but worth of death, and on a par with bestiality. In addition, this book contains laws against getting a tattoo or seeing a fortune teller.
This is arguably the most famous book of the Bible. It begins with the birth of Moses, chronicles the 10 plagues against Egypt, and describes the exodus of the Jews from Egypt, during which many miracles occurred including the parting of the Red Sea and the showers of manna from heaven.
In addition, within this book, Moses is given the Ten Commandments as well as the specific instructions for building the Ark of the Covenant. Herein also we have a new insight into God Almighty: "For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God." (chapter 34, verse 14)
After finishing this book, I am amazed at the "controversy" it stirred in the media. I hope that I can publish a book that gets so much free publicity! This is a murder mystery in which the main character happens to be a symbologist. Since the majority of the novel was written in his point of view, everything that happens or doesn't happen is seen as symbolic.
The "controversy" arises at the point where the main character begins acusing the modern Catholic church of rewriting history and of being evil. Since the character bases half of his suppositions on the assumption that the Bible is trustworthy, and the other half on the assumption that the Bible is NOT trustworthy, his logic shortly unravels into nonsense.
The plot itself is riveting until about halfway through the novel, when I found myself tiring of the same old teases that the author uses ad nauseum to keep the reader hooked till the end. And by the way, the ending resolved only about 10% of the mystery.
A friend recommended this book, and I am grateful. It is written in the tradition of Pilgrim's Progress and details the fictitious story of a woman's lifelong attempt to be a true Christian, beginning from her sixteenth birthday and ending shortly before her 50th. The book is well-written and thought provoking, and I believe it should be required reading for all girls over 16 who strive to be Christ-like.
This is Tor Double Novel #11, and I purchased it for the flip story, Souls, by Joanna Russ. Both novels are pretty pro-female, and both more or less conclude that human males are brutish. While I don't subscribe to that theory, I still found the ideas in each novel to be well-thought out and well presented. Both were Hugo winners.
This is a cute paperback good for a lazy day. The story involved a woman who has been pictured in paintings for 8000 years and yet she is an unknown. She appears mysteriously to some men on their deathbeds. Is she human? Is she a ghost? Read the book and you won't really find out. The ending was very ambiguous.
I wanted to read this book before seeing the new movie that's out (the movie just can't be good, can it?). The book turns out to be a series of short stories about robots that is strung together under the guise of a woman doing an interview. Each chapter is a different story containing some sort of riddle about a robot's behavior, so this is something of a science fiction mystery book. I liked it!
A friend recommended this book, and I am indebted to her. This was a pure work of art. In spite of the fact that the author used some of her characters to voice her own political opinions (which I happen to disagree with), the novel still enthralled me. The biggest thing I carry away from it is the fact of my great luck in being born and raised in America. Why I am here when so many are on the other side, poverty-stricken, ignorant, living lives of daily tragedy, is a riddle I am consumed with solving.
I read only the first novel, Terminal. I had recently purchased the "Coma" DVD, which is Robin Cook's most famous work, and wanted to read something else by him. Terminal turned out to be a medical thriller with average characters, average plot, and average setting. I felt that I wasted my time reading it, considering how many other books in my library are actually investments. I won't read any more by this author.
I found this book to be simplistic and unconvincing--I felt like I was reading a book of cliches instead of a well-researched and thought-provoking work. After thinking about it, I decided that this book is milk for the newborns of the church, and is not intended to be meat for more mature Christians. The hope would be that a new Christian would devour this book with the understanding that a wide world of deeper and more complicated understanding awaits them, and that this is NOT all there is to knowing God.
As my life gets more and more hectic, I have ordered a new planner from Franklin Covey. If you are familiar with their products, they emphasize having a mission statement from which to decide what goals I should strive for on an annual, monthly, weekly, and daily basis. This book I am reading claims to provide a formula by which one's mission statement can be created with hours after finishing the book. If it works, you'll be seeing a new paragraph on my website called "My Mission Statement". :)
UPDATE: It didn't work. Following the author's directions, I created a hodgepodge sentence full of dreams and half-wants--nothing I'd let anyone actually see, mind you.
I came across this book in the pyschology section of my favorite used bookstore, and it has already been a lifechanging read (I'm only half-way through it). The main premise of the book is that people who have innate artistic ability have simply learned to view the physical world in a different way than those who "can't" draw. Since the right side of the brain perceives objects and the left side of the brain uses symbols, those of us who cannot draw need to learn how to shut off the left brain and turn on the right brain.
The first exercise of this book had me draw myself from a mirror, which I have posted here for your ridicule. The last exercise of the book will have me draw myself again after learning how to use the right brain to do so, and I shall post that one when it is complete, for your admiration. :)
I read this book while I was in college (over 10 years ago) and didn't think much of it. Just recently, my husband pulled it out of his bookshelf and read a few excerpts from it. I was so intrigued that I began reading it for myself, and this go-round, I actually understood what I was reading! It is amazing to see how much much more mature my mind and emotions have become in just 10 years. In addition, the fact that I have now been acquainted with so many people of such varied backgrounds has given me a better overall sampling of humanity, through which I can better grasp the explanations set forth in this book. I recommend this book without reservation to any and all who wish to better their minds.
Subtitle is "The trouble with Gold Stars, Incentive Plans, A's, Praise, and Other Bribes."
I am only on page 68 and I'm already intrigued. You see, I have always tried to "handle" my students by using some type of rewards system. Unfortunately, my rewards never seemed to work for very long, and I never understood why. The author of this book suggests that rewards don't work because they devalue learning and encourage laziness. So far, what he states makes all the sense in the world to me. Has anyone else ever read this book? Let me know.
I am an introvert, so I'm naturally drawn to these types of books. I have particularly enjoyed reading this one because the language used is not very technical. The analogies the author uses are striking. For example, she explains why introverts get exhausted more easily than extroverts: "focusing on the outside world is like driving an SUV: it's a gas guzzler." pg 193
I would recommend this book to everyone, introvert and extrovert alike. It's important to understand yourself and those around you, and where a person gets his energy determines a lot about his habits, preferences, and communication styles.