I have tried to freshen up the look of my blog. I hope you like it.
I have added something new. If you scroll down the sidebar you will see a "currently reading" and "recently read" list of books. If you would like to add your two bits about any of those books - I welcome your comments. Some of those books are not necessarily books I would recommend (for one reason or another), but I always think that knowing what people are reading helps in getting to know them.
If you have any books that you highly recommend, I would love to hear about them.
I also hope that by giving a list of "currently reading" books I will feel that much more pressure to actually finish them. I have this problem, see. I love books, but I tend to think that most books are too long. This is especially true for books that would fall under the "Christian Living" title at the Christian book store. I can usually enthusiastically get through the first half of a book in a day or two - but then it takes me months to finish. I tend to think that most non-fiction books could pretty well end by chapter 5 or 6 and save everybody a lot of time. So, I start a book - get tired of it and then start another. Hopefully I can move some of those books into the "recently read" column soon.
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4 comments:
I do like the new site! I see you got the pictures as well! Great job!
I agree with your comments on the books. I can go forever, probably longer than I should, with a fiction book but I also struggle to get through the non-fictions. I have a number of books that I am only part way through. I usually only get to chapters three or four!
I really like the new setup!
So Pasor Greg is "out of the closet" as a fan (or at least a reader) of the Harry Potter books. I applaud your courage, Son-in-Law. I assume they would be in your "not necessarily books I would recommend" category. I would recommend them heartily if I thought people with reservations about them might actually read them and judge for themselves. But some folks are offended by the very idea that you might recommend them, will not read them for themselves, and will therefore remain offended. I also understand that each individual must follow his or her own conscience and that no one ought to be advising kids to disobey their parents.
When I worked with the middle school youth at our church, kids would often ask my opinion. I always started out by saying, "Well I haven't read them, but..." I finally decided that was pretty lame. I'm an adult after all; what was I afraid of? So I read them. And after having read them, I went back to some of the kids who had also read them with their parents' permission and told them that I had discovered I loved the books and felt that they upheld many core values of our faith. For kids whose parents did not approve, I said nothing except what I had told them all along, "My opinion is not important. Talk to your parents about this and listen to them. I would not recommend anything your parents have advised you against."
Of course some kids are just too young or too sensitive for the "scarier" parts of the books and no one can judge that any better than their own parents.
Personally, I think J.K. Rowling is brilliant and I have great respect for the morality & values that remain constant thoughout the H.P. series, in particular the value of voluntary self sacrifice for the sake of others.
Thanks for suggesting "Blue Like Jazz" as a great book to read. After our conversaton, I immediately bought it the used bookstore. I am thoroughly enjoying his literary style, not to mention that I have been incredibly challenged by his honest assessment of his faith. This will be one that I pass along...
Darin read Velvet Elvis and being married to him I picked up some of the concepts from it by default... Although Rob Bell doesn't formally affiliate himself with the Emergent Church movement, it was him and this book that has gotten Darin and I intrigued and wanting to just investigate the whole Emergent Church concept. We're (slowly) reading Radical Reformission together by Mark Driscoll to learn more about it. We'd be interested in your thoughts (if you have any) regarding this movement/trend sometime.
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