Reviewing Books #2

-
Right, so more explanations. Right now I am at least 7 books behind in reviewing books (I think I am missing one or two, but not sure). I will get to them, but I just wanted to share a minor change with you.

I now have 3 categories I will place books into in terms of organization. I don't know if you pay attention to such things, but at the bottom of each of my posts are labels. These labels are intended to help you navigate my blog if you wish to find posts with things in common. So far all of my book reviews have had 3 labels: Book Review (duh), Fiction or Non-Fiction, and then the specific kind of writing (fantasy, science fiction, theology, etc.). I have now added a fourth:

Not Recommended: Pretty self-explanatory.

Conditionally Recommended: This means that it was a decent, or good, book but that something about the book will make some people unable to enjoy it, unable to read through it, or simply not care. I am pretty sure the majority of books I review will fall into this category. (so far, including this post, of 19 book review pages: 2 are like this one, explanatory; 9 are Conditionally recommended, 6 are recommended, and 2 are not recommended).

Recommended: This means that it was a very good book and, not only that, it is a book I think most people can benefit from reading. Now, even here, there are a few implicit assumptions. 1. you like reading, or can enjoy it (even if you don't generally). 2. You like thinking (so, I include some books in this category that are not all easy). 3. You are either Christian or interested in religion (this is not always an assumption, but I have included books like "After You Believe" in this category while being fully aware that a non-Christian who cares nothing about religion will not enjoy this book).

Right, so those are some words of explanation. Back to reviews :)

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Forgiveness: A Hard Word From Luther

-
"Those who follow Christ grieve more over the sin of their offenders than over the loss or offense to themselves. And they do this that they may recall those offenders from their sin rather than avenge the wrongs they themselves have suffered. Therefore they put off the form of their own righteousness and put on the form of those others, praying for their persecutors, blessing those who curse, doing good to the evil-doers, preparing to pay the penalty and make satisfaction for their very enemies that they may be saved. This is the gospel and the example of Christ." - Martin Luther (Quoted by Miroslav Volf, Free of Charge, pg. 161-162)
Read more

A Good Tree Bears Good Fruit....

-
Image
"Every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit." - Matthew 7:17-18 "One of the most powerful ways to influence the behavior of a system is through its purpose or goal. That's because the goal is the direction-setter of the system, the definer of discrepancies that require action, the indicator of compliance, failure, or success toward which balancing feedback loops work. If the goal is defined badly, if it doesn't measure what it's supposed to measure, if it doesn't reflect the real welfare of the system, then the system can't possibly produce a desirable result. Systems, like the three wishes in the traditional fairy tale, have a terrible tendency to produce exactly and only what you ask them to produce. Be careful what you ask them to produce." - Donella H. Meadows, Thinking in Systems. 
Read more

A Gracious Reading of Rob Bell

-
The Journey So Far The controversy rages on over Rob Bell's upcoming new book. No matter what happens now, this controversy has effectively guaranteed that 'everyone who is anyone' will need to read this book. Either to find out what is wrong and bash it, or because someone we generally disagree with also disagrees with the book so it has to be good stuff! Then, because 'everyone' is reading it, people like me will 'have to' read it to. After all, I am a pastor, and if many of my people are reading and being influenced by a book, don't I need to know what is going on as well?  Or so the reasoning will go... and perhaps I will read it, who knows. In the meantime, none of this will stop me from continuing to join this fray which I probably ought to have stayed out of in the first place. Onwards, Christian... :) The Latest Salvo The latest salvo has been fired by DeYoung  claiming that not only do we not need to talk with Bell but, more importantly, it...
Read more