Saturday, January 31, 2009

She's Turning Into One of Them!

by Lynn Johnston

Ah, now this is the collection where For Better or For Worse jumped the shark. It's the era when the moralizing started to started to overtake the jokes. Which is not to say that the book is totally lacking in the latter. It just makes me wonder if it's worth slogging through the sermonizing to enjoy a few chuckles. Maybe I could mark up the book so I could enjoy the strips about Weed's relationship problems, the Ned controversy and Grandpa Jim's new avocation while blipping over April's witchy friend, the Mtigwaki social study lessons and the marshmallow who has replaced Anthony.

'Tis only waiting room material.
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Tuesday, January 27, 2009

The Treasure Principal

by Randy Alcorn

I picked this book up used from Harvest Logos bookstore and I'm afraid that I'm going to donate it right back. I was looking for a resource to help me discover what the Bible says about money. While this little book has plenty of Bible references, it's essentially a glorified sermon on generosity with various proof texts attached. Mr. Alcorn's conculsion is good, but I think he oversimplifies the topic and fails to connect it with other aspects of money and stewardship.

It's very good waiting room material.
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Saturday, January 24, 2009

Jesus in Beijing

by David Aikman

This one's a look at the state of Christianity in China today (okay, six years ago), looking at how the religion has sprung back from earlier persecution and is now thriving to a greater degree than at any point in China's history. Mr. Aikman pretty much traces the history of the Chinese church through the 20th Century, highlighting the individuals who have had an impact on its development. It's an interesting tale that's easy to read. It made me feel somewhat foolish. I've lived in China, gone to church there, and met Chinese Christians--all this while being quite ignorant of what they might have gone through. I definitely wished I checked this book out before I went. Oh, well. I suppose I could always go back.

It sort of fits on my shelf.
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Friday, January 23, 2009

Reconstructing America

by Joy Hakim

Book seven of A History of US covers the late 19th Century, 1865 through 1890. Ms. Hakim looks at Reconstruction, the Westward Expansion and immigration with her usual attention to discrimination and civil rights. Like the other volumes of the series, its a nice mix of social and political history that's quite engaging to read.

Check it out.
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Saturday, January 10, 2009

The Infamous Car-chase of Beacon Hill

by Catherine Graham

If you're an average American, you've probably seen dozens of car chases over the years, dashing across the television or movie screen, wreaking havoc on the streets of New York, LA, Chicago, San Francisco, et al. But have you ever wondered what a car chase in your neighborhood would look like? Who would be chasing whom? Where would they go? What obstacles would a chase need to overcome if it avoided the city expressways? Well, Ms. Graham has turned her creative talents to those very issues. The Infamous Car-chase is an excerpt that's not really an excerpt. It could have been a chapter of her earlier work, Gathering Seeds, if you didn't mind the plot taking a 90-degree turn and theme collapsing into total silliness. Instead, she's kept it as a separate entity, an untold story, a dream, a hoax, an imaginary tale. What if Elena Meyer, in a fit of rage, drove off in her music teacher's car? What if Sean Reilly commandeered the closest available vehicle to try and catch her? What if Elena's mother chased both the car and the ice cream truck, her fear for her child making her oblivious to the sirens travelling in her wake? What if Catherine Graham so lavishly illustrated and illuminated the manuscript so that each page was a work of art? Ah, then you would have a fine tale to keep on my shelf.

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Friday, January 09, 2009

Heart of Darkness

by Joseph Conrad

Heart of Darkness is a tale of a seaman, Marlow, who pilots a boat up the Congo River around the turn of the 20th Century. His mission is to make contact with an ivory trader named Kurtz on behalf of their mutual employer. Kurtz is a mysterious fellow who not only has a unique relationship with the nationals, but also has an uncanny ability to provide ivory for the company. As Marlow's journey progresses, he becomes more and more eager to meet Kurtz, all the while becoming more and more disgusted with his fellow expatriates. It's a dark and dreary tale, but so very well written. As a good Lutheran, I had to admire Mr. Conrad's ability to paint such a realistic of human sin. The pity is, he also seems to have no concept of or use for forgiveness and the ability of God to bring about good even amongst us petty, nasty humans. I'm tempted to hang onto this book for its craftsmanship, but I don't know if I'd ever care to delve into Mr. Conrad's world again.

I guess that evens out to "check it out".
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Sunday, January 04, 2009

The Best Time Travel Stories of All Time

edited by Barry N. Malzberg

Over the years, I've found that a collection of the "best" stories of a year usually lives up to its title. Any other "bests" tend to fall short. This one came close, however. Mr. Malzberg has collected tales from the forties through the nineties--ah, given the focus of the book, I should say the nineteen-forties through the nineteen-nineties. There are nice, solid time travel tales in here, including one of my personal favorites, "Brooklyn Project". While not spectacular, it's definitely a keeper.

Check it out.
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Thursday, January 01, 2009

The Great Brain

by John D. Fitzgerald

"The Great Brain" is Tom Fitzgerald, a ten-year-old boy who lives in Adenville, Utah in 1896. The book is about his shenanigans, as recounted by his younger brother John. It's an entertaining enough read, should you be looking for some waiting room material to pass the time, but as I read the book, I kept thinking that Tom seemed too much like a Tom Sawyer wannabe.

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