Thursday, December 22, 2011

Writing your own

   I keep coming back to this subject. Inside most of us is that urge to write and get published. Sometimes we look around and know that we can write better than what we are presently reading. Or maybe if we just got a chance to get that manuscript out before the public. Now you can.. Feel free to explore and see if it is possible.
  Or maybe you wish to write a book for children. Now You can do that also.
   The internet has opened up so much opportunity. It just needs you to help it along.

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Love,Sex, And Happily Ever After by Craig Groeschel

Love, Sex, and Happily Ever After - Craig Groeschel   Pastor?. Are you looking for a short book to hand to the couple who comes to your office seeking premarital counseling? A book that is written in an easy to read and understand manner?  
   This book, "Love, Sex, and Happily Ever After"; subtitled "Preparing for a Marriage That Goes The Distance" may just be that book.
    Groeschel in fifteen chapters details what to expect in the dating, attraction, courting, and commitment stages. In the fourth chapter he lists what he calls gears or steps that a person should go through in developing your relationship.
    This is also a book for married people. It will help them open a dioscussion.. There is a study guide following the chapters so a person could use this in a small group.
     I received this book for free from Waterbrook Multinomah Publishing Group for this review

Saturday, December 10, 2011

Still a Good Series

   You don't hear much about her anymore. She seems not to have kept her blog up. I have no idea if she is writing another book. I am speaking about Rochelle Krich Her last one I am aware of is Now you See Me which was quite a few years ago.
      I sued to be book review editor for the Santa Monica Daily Press until it was decided that there was no need for a book reviewer column in that paper. Book Reviews seem to be the first thing to go when there is a need to cut back in the cost. Not that I was being paid for the reviews. They were carried without reimbursement. I got to keep the books I reviewed and/or picked up for review from the newspaper site here in the city of Santa Monica..
     Anyway, I haven't heard from her. I think she was thinking of allowing me to review her next book. I do do on- line reviews. I do both Booksneeze which is Thomas Nelson's and am starting Multinomah book publisher.
     Krich is a good writer of the mystery genre and unless she is dead should continue.

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

How to Read

   I found a good book in my library. I tend to read for information. I like to read these types of books to clear out my mind between fiction. This book How to Read and Why by Harold Bloom is refreshing. It was published in 2000-- the turn of the century (I have always wanted to say that and now I have)
   He points out that books should be read for the purest of reasons,which is to discover and augment the self.
                           "Information is endlessly available to us; where shall wisdom be found?"
    He discusses the works of some writers whom he admires. You will find Shakespeare, Ernest Hemingway, Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, William Faulkner used.
    You can also look at my web page http://www.turbo642.com/ for further help. It, of course,. is a book web site full of information and help.
     Stay with me. Enjoy my love for books and reading.
     What have you been reading lately? Comment and let us talk.

Sunday, December 4, 2011

A New Site

      I just want the readers of this blog to know  that I have a web page concerning information on books and things pertaining to books. It is http://www.turbo642.com/.
      This is a blog.
      That is my information page.
       I am currently reading a J.D. Robb book, her latest in the Death series. It is called New York To Dallas.
      It is known that the authors real name is Nora Roberts, a fair writer in the romance genre. Authors do things like this-- write in other genrbooks es under pen names. I enjoy her romance but even more her mystery series. She mixes romance with mystery in this series. It is set, all the series, in the future, around 2060. The main character ,Eve Dallas, is married and horny as all get out. But the job as detective Lieutenant comes first
      In this book she runs into a character from her past. He seeks revenge for her putting him in prison. She must put hiom back in before he kills and rapes more women.
     Maybe not your type of mystery fiction. that's okay.
     Keep reading my posts and I will keep on reviewing and letting you see what I am reeading. Deal?

    .

Friday, December 2, 2011

Nearing Home By Billy Graham


Nearing Home

         The great author called unknown has penned this advice: "Plan for the golden years. You may get to experience them." The Bible says,"There is a time for everything under the sun" As age happens to all of us. There is no way we can escape it. Some people age gracefully and others not so gracefully. Dr. Graham has aged gracefully.
            In this book he provides us with an easy to understand exploration of what aging is and how to comfront it. Of course he provides biblical and pastoral guidance on the journey called aging.
            I found this to be a comforting book The information is presented in Graham's informative style. . It has inspired me to face my aging with hope. Dr. Graham doesn't offer an escape but a vision of hope. For those of us who are Christians the hope is a future with God with no pain or sickness or aging. For those of us who don't know God he offers steps you can take to be assured that you also can be with God when you move through death. 
        I recommend this book to the young to comfort them in the aging process. I recommend this book to the elder to assure them that they still have something to contribute.
      I received this book from the publisher through the Booksneeze.com book review blogger program.I was not required to write a positive review. The opinion I expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255.

Alarming but true.

     Hi. I realize this isn't really about a book. Not at this moment. What I would like to do is tell you that I have set up a web page at http://www.turbo642.com/. It is an information site about books. It is neat. It is a love of mine--books and reading literacy. No doubt if you are following this blog you have figured that one out.
   In fact let me print out an article.
  

Literacy Rate -
How Many Are Illiterate

The literacy rate in the US has many educators in search of answers about this problem that has plagued our country for decades. Instead of decreasing, the numbers of literacy has steadily increased over the years. This raises a lot of questions about our education system, how it is ran, and why there is such a problem with illiterate people in our country.
The NAAL (National Assessment of Adult Literacy) administered tests which revealed that an estimated 14% of US residents would have extreme difficulty with reading and written comprehension. These people can legally be defined as illiterate. This could lead to numerous problems for these people now and in the future. When looking to apply for a job, there are forms that have to be filled out. Adults with literacy issues are unable to fill out these forms which decrease their chances of getting a job and raises unemployment issues.
According to international charts has a literacy rate of 21.8%. Education completion among males and females is drastically low. There are six years of primary level education and seven years of secondary level education offered. The United States requires six years of primary level education and seven years of secondary level education.
Greenland has fallen in the number one spot for literacy rates which is defined as anyone over the age of fifteen years old that can read and write. Both males and females have are at 100% literacy. In the US, adults with a high level of literacy are at 19%, a low level of literacy are at 49.6% and a moderate level of literacy at 31.4%. That difference in literacy rates are outstanding.
When compared with international figures, out of 205 rated countries, the US falls into the 27th slot of 205. While this isn't a dangerous place to be in, we need to research what it is countries such as Greenland, Luxembourg and Norway are doing differently. Perhaps there is something within our school system that we can alter to better accommodate students with literacy problems and prevent future issues.
Literacy issues affect daily life. Those who are illiterate face problems, not only in the workforce but at home as well. How can anyone with a low literacy rate complete daily tasks such as writing a letter, filling out forms, helping their child with homework and so on. The issue of literacy rates is a concerning one. With the proper research and adjustments we can better these rates from what they are now and educate our students further to prevent adult literacy problems.
If we fail to fix the literacy problems that we face today it may one day become a crisis issue. All one has to do is look at the facts and figures to figure out that there is a phenomenal difference internationally between countries and their literacy rates. Low levels of literacy result in people being uninformed or misinformed about certain issues. This can lead the way to crime, mis-education, and the failure to live life properly. For example, it has been stressed over the years that parents should read to their child. How can a parent do something like that if they are unable to read more than a few short sentences?
No matter what the circumstances behind the issues of literacy, we need to take a step back and analyze our options and move forward from there. Children of today are the future for tomorrow and we need to do all that we can to make sure that those children graduate from school able to read at a moderate to high literary level. Their comprehension is important and testing needs to be done in order to assure that they are where they need to be before moving ahead and graduation out of the school system. These are steps that will help our students not only avoid the disadvantage of being illiterate for the well being of their own future, but also that of our entire country and how competitive we can stay in the global economy.

    This shouldn't be. So I have a web site up.
    Enjoy it.
  Send me comments. How do you like what I am doing? Is there any other information I can impart on this subject that will help you?

Saturday, November 26, 2011

Dr Leman's recent book

The most recent book of Dr. Leman is called "Have a New Teenager by Friday".I found this to be a very enjoyable and informative book. If you have a teenager or are about to soon have one, this is the book you should read. Respect is hard to get from a child of any age. The process starts at an early age. leman gives things to do to help the teenager survive the years between 11 and 19. Every teenager is different. it just comes with the territory. but you are the couch. You are the boss. Don't forget that. This enjoyable book will help you make it through and have a human child on the ride. That is a child that is respectable and enjoyable.

Friday, November 18, 2011

America The Last Best Hope, Vol 3 by William J. Bennett


    America is an organism. It is somewhere in the mid-life of its growth cycle. This volume of the series "America The Last Best Hope" brings American history up to 2008. Volume one covered 1492 to 1944. Volume two covered 1914 to 1989.

America: The Last Best Hope (Volume III)    Bennett uses an easy to follow style that moves from event to event in context.. These years from the end of the Reagan presidency to the election of Barack Obama were action packed. Bennett attempts to let events speak for themself. No nation stands independent of any other.   Bennett was active in the political realm during this period. This  makes some of his observations timely.     Bennett was able to hold my arrention. The information is presented in a appealing manner to a student of Western civilization. I enjoyed the book as I enjoy history and events that inpact my life.
    I feel that the history of this time period is still too recent to be objective.  Yet we need source material. Bennett has provided the source material.
   This book I do recommend for those who want an easy to follow yet thought provoking book.
    I recieved this book free from the publisher through BookSneeze.com's book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's  16 CFR, Part 255.  

Monday, November 14, 2011

Period Fiction

   There is a book out there which everyone is talking about. It is The Help by Kathryn Stockett. I find it a very good book. It is well written. You get caught up in the flow of the story that you lose account of time.  And that is good. You don't wish to read a book and wonder when the story will ever end. You have the choice of stopping reading or suffer through it. Not so with this book.
   It is told from the first person point of view and three voices. Yes, I said three voices. All firsr person. Two of the people are the maids themselves, Aibileen and Minny. The other voice is Miss Skeeter who is planning to write a book on the treatment of maids.
    It is a easy read of a time period when houses had maids and the maids were there to clean house and care for the kids so that the white people could do other things. The parts told by Aibileen and Minny are written in black candance but not in dialect. (I go like she tell me to. Even though they cups in full to the rim.)
    I found the craftmanship to be excellent.
    Recently there was a movie done. I don't know what part they used to film.. but the book is always better than the movie. I have heard that you should read the book first. That is a suggestion that I would second.
     This is a good first book. It takes place in Jackson, Mississippi which is where Stockett grew up.

Sunday, November 13, 2011

Books to come

  I don't want you to think I have forgotten this, my book blog. I am presently setting up books to be reviewed. Hold on as I plan  to read and review The Help by Kathryn Stockett, copyright 2011. I just found it this morning in our local library here in Santa Monica. I was thinking of downloading to my Kindle the text, but something was saying to me to waiting until it got in our library.
    I listened to the voice. (No, It is merely a phrase. I don't hear vioices)
   Another book is America the Last Best Hope Vol 3 by William Bennett This one is copyright 2009. It came as a book to be reviewed as a blogger for Booksneeze. So that is to come.
   Just wanted to check in and keep this blog going.
   Be a member and get all the postings   
.

Monday, November 7, 2011

Self Publish Route

  I am sure many of us have stories to tell and wish there was a way we could get the story on paper and from there on to the publisher who will publish our book. That is a nice target to go for. Sometimes there is a need within a human being to see our words in print and we don't mind having to pay someone to do it.
  That is where the self publishing company comes in.
   I went that route once when I was younger. Not having much money I decided to go with a plan cover.. no illustration. Just the name. It was a small booklet really, and they did a good job. I don't remember what press it was. It was so long ago. Just htat I was sarisfied.
    I had to walk it around myself and get to book events by myself. It is a lot of work but for a person that is a go getter and doesn't mind long hours and lots of people contact, it can be done.
    Keep reading. Follow me and become a member. Make comments and let me know if there is any books you wish me to look at and comment on. If at all possible I will do so.

Thursday, November 3, 2011

Why Men Hate Going To Church By David Murrow

     This book is needed. In 223 pages and an easy to read format Murrow pins the problem facing the churches today. There just aren't enough men in our churches. And those we do have are feeling that they have no part or say in what goes on. Jesus meant for the church to be headed up by and run by dedicated male converts. The male must be understood and the programs geared to the male psyche.We must remember that Jesus taught for the male brain.
     Murrow points out that there is a gender gap in our groups. He lays the problem on the   perception people have that it is feminized. That is, more women than men are in charge of the outreaches in the church. Get the men involved and the growth in the fellowship will happen, is what Murrow suggests.
      I found this book to be very instructive. It must be useful because it is completely revised and updated for 2011.
     The author held my interest. This is a subject that the church leadership needs to have in thier libraries. Since it is not written in a text book style it can be loaned out to interested men in the fellowship. I feel that Murrow offers some ideas on how this can be done. It is worth the time spent in reading it.
     I am a book reviewer for Booksneeze book review bloggers program who has provided me a complementary copy of this book. All  opinions are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255

Monday, October 31, 2011

Look at "Invisible"

   I have found a book on my Kindle that is delightful. It is part of a mystery series. It is called "Invisible; An Ivy Malone Mystery" by Lorena McCourtney.
   It is told in first person. Ivy is a senior citizen who has the habit of getting involved in mysteries. It starts out with someone pulling down grave stones and escalates to a mystery as to who her friend at the senior center was... The story follows the formula of  detective, police official , victim, and murderer In this case the detective is Ivy, a bit more involved than Miss Marple, who was also a senior citizen who some how always managed to get involved in a mystery. . All the deaths are off stage so we don't have blood and gore. It is the type of story that is classified as a cozy.
   Ivy feels invisible. very few people notice the elderly. This helps her to be places and over hear conversations. 
   The Christian community needs well written books in each genre. This one is a good addition to that venture.

Monday, October 24, 2011

The Encounter by Stephen Arterburn

      Forgiveness must be given as well as received. That is the message of this short book. It is only 138 actual story pages with an additional 19 pages of background explanation and three more for a discussion guide. That makes it 163 pages.
       This story is plot driven. that is not to say that the characters are not memorable. They just are stock characters. There is the main character,Jonathan Rush, a successful business man who is searching for the truth about his abandonment as a child. To do so he must come out of his comfort zone and give forgiveness to a woman who gave him up as a child He must also overcome his temper.
       The other main character is the mother who regrets having left her child and who now seeks forgiveness.She has always followed his career but never contacted him.
       But Jonathan must make the first step.
       The story is told in multiple viewpoint. Jonathan is the first person view point. Then there is the second person viewpoint that really is three diffferent people. One is the female reporter who is helping Jonathan locate the mother. Then there is a bit character, the pastor who sent Jonathan on the journey to Alaska where it all began.. Third character is the mother.
        I found this an interesting parable type template. I recommend this for anyone looking for a good story on the theme of forgiveness.
       This book was sent to me by Booksneeze for whom I am a book reviewer. All viewpolints are my own and do not represent the views of Booksneeze.



Friday, October 21, 2011

Self Publish

  Every once in a while you read something and you say to yourrself, "I can write something on that topic. If only I could find a publisher for it."
   Sometimes a burning desire pops up inside a person and they must get their book out to the public.
   I find that this self publishing option is a good way to go if and when you can't find a publisher that will take your book, You have submitted time and again and now have a stack of rejection slips. Some have little notes written on them of encouragement. But still no cigar, as they would say.
   For a bit of out of the pocket money you can find a self publishing book publisher.If you are not adverse to being your own agent and bookseller (Meaning you will have to get out there and let people know your book is available for purchase) a place like Westbow Press is a way to go.
   Who knows? You may have the book that sells well and some publisher will be asking you to sign up with them for your next book. It can and does happen.
    Dreams do come true. I expect to see your next book. Also become a follower of this blog to keep up with the news.

Graphic Novels

   First off let me say I am not a fan of graphic novels.. those stories told in picture form and placed between two covers to appear in the booksores such a Hi Dee Hoo and other comic collection outlets. I do enjoy Superman and Batman graphic novels. I don't care for those that show out right violence such as people being shot and blood splatting out. The Dark Knight interpretation of Batman are graphic enough.
     There is an ap offered  for the Ipad that covers comics collectors. I may not have a use for it as I am not a fan. I prefer holding a hard cover book I can slowly read through and use my own imagination. Graphic Novels tend to short circuit the imagination, I feel.
    If you wish to see literature in comic form you can see if Classic Illustrated is still around. They did books and condensed the story line to fit between two comic book covers. I recall using them to short circuit my reading for book reports required in English class. Not a good idea. And the teahers seemed to know when a child was using that shortcat.
    Become a follower of this blog and keep up with the thought pattern of the poster. Sometimes I refer you to good literature. And you can use the comment feature on the bottom of this posting to keep in touch with me .     

Sunday, October 16, 2011

It is Dangeour To Be Right when the Government Is Wrong By Judge Andrew P. Napolitano

Once in a while a book is written that gives a person something to think long and hard about, In this book Judge Napolitano presents us with the thesis that our natural rights, those  rights given as gifts from God, and detailed in the Declaration of Independence are bring legislated away from us. He presents a contrast between Eternal Law, Natural Law, Natural Rights and Human Law. He contends that we are giving  to the government  our rights  in exchange for something the founders of our nation never intended.
This book was very interesting. I enjoy talking politics and this book has given me some facts that I was unaware of. For example, I wasn't aware that my right of ownership extended to my weekly paycheck. That freedom has been eroded by the taxation rules that the government has enacted.
    Napolitano completes each chapter with a conclusion of what the individual can do. We are not helpless victims, he contends. The time is short.
    This book should be in everyones' library. But it should also be used as a prod for action. We need to be aware of our rights and fight for them. Freedom isn't free.
    I am part of the Booksneeze book review bloggers program..Booksneeze has provided me with a complementary copy of this book. The opinions I expressed are my own. 

Saturday, October 15, 2011

Have I Got a Tale For You

       I would  venture to say that in most of us there is a story waiting to come out. A story that at least your grandmother or the people at work would be thrilled to hear.
    Maybe someone has said to you that something you said should be in a book and you should write it. Yet you hold back because you wonder who will publish it.
     When I was younger, and this was before ebooks or even the Internet, I had a subject I felt needed to be addressed. Never mind that there was a glut of books out there already on the subject. I decided that I was going to seek out a vanity publisher,--a subsidy press-- to get my booklet out there.
     And so we still have that avenue of publishing to consider. Today it is easier. We have the Internet and we can turn what we have written into an Ebook.
     Some self-published books do work. I understand that The Wizard of Oz was self published. Look how popular it  became and every book in the series after that was published under a publisher that paid the author.
    When we self-publish we, the author, have to pay to have it printed and distributed. And if it doesn't sell, we are stuck with the surplus.
     This may not be a worry in the Ebook realm.  But we still have to pay for the privilege to have our 'baby' set mto print.
      Luckily there are good places you can go. I don't know the prices. Ask once you have contacted them. I am sure that somewhere on this posting there is an ad. The Booksneeeze group I receive books to review from is affliated with a publisher. I am sure you can link up with the publisher they push.
      Enjoy reading. I plan to keep on recommending books and reviewing books.  
     

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Great Book For Cult Differences

    Hi. Decided I would share with you a great introduction to the general subject of what makes the difference between a Orthodox Christian Belief system and the belief systems of other religions. It looks at Roman Catholics and Jews. Not that they are cults. But they don't really come up to Orthodoxy. That is in section one.
   Before section one we are given a chapter on Orthodox beliefs so we will have a basis to talk from. Ridenour calls it a Plumbline.
   Section two covers the major religions of the world. Judaism. Islam. Hinduism. Buddism.
   Section Three covers the major cults. Unitarians. Jehovah Witnesses. Christian Science. Mormonism.
   The New Age which is an explosion of Hinduism is not covered.
    I recommend this as a good introductory book.
   Please feel free to comment. I will respond. And keep on reading.

Friday, October 7, 2011

Readers Buy

   Looking at my stats I notice this blog is being read in Russia as well as the United States. In the past it has had readers from Pakistan, Canada, and other areas. That is a good area. That means this is something that is needed. Now all I want is return readers and a core. Would you be my core? And as a core group, would you please tell others? And once in a while buy.
    Barnes and Noble is one place you can buy books. on line that is http://www.bn.com/. Or you can get the religious books from Christian discount book sellers They are on the web at http://www.christianbook.com/.. Or you can also go to Amazon bookseller. on the web that would be http://www.amazon.com/
     I do not get a commission from them so I am referring you as a service
   Be a follower of this blog series. Hang on to your seat for we are moving forward

 

Thursday, October 6, 2011

Midnight Louie Solves Another

   As I have said, for relaxation I read mysteries. This is a series that I enjoy. It is the Midnight Louie Mystery series by Carole Nelson Douglas. Each book title features a letter of the alphabet. It starts with Catnip and Pussyfoot before starting the letters at Cat on a Blue Monday.
   What is enjoyable about these mysteries is it is told first person in places by the cat. He shares the rest of the book with humans. The human parts are in third person and usually  follows Temple Barr, the person Louie has chosen to adopt. If you are a cat owner you know what I just said. Temple has two male friends, Max and Matt. The detective is a Lt. Carmen Regina Molina. ( yes, Douglas breaks the rule not to have your main characters' names start with the same first letter so as not to confuse the reader. maybe she does this on purpose.) Temple is a PR person in Las Vegas who just happens to run across mysteries that Bound in the Casinos.The casinos are run by the mob. Well, the reformed gangsters
    This time someone is killing females and leaving Barbie dolls by the bodies. A elderly woman is being taken advantage of by her caretakers. The book is titled Cat in a Vegas Gold Vendetta.  Yes. we have gotten up to the Vs.
     It is lighthearted in places, but it is detailed and concerns the relations Barr has with her two male friends and with the Lt.
     Douglas also writes adventure stories concerning Irene Adler and Sherlock Holmes.
     I prefer her Midnight Louie mysteries.
     Become a follower. Join up and keep informed

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Lighter Reading

  When I am not reading heavy theological books or even books for Booksneeze ( I do Booksneeze because I lost my column in the Santa Monica Daily Press because Daniel Archuleta, the managing editor, decided last year that he was not going to be publishing book reviews in the paper for a while,) Makes me wonder, does no one read anymore? Book Reviews are needed. Even in this day of  the ebook. Does no one enjoy reading?
   Anyhow, as I was saying, when I relax in my reading I tend to read mysteries. And I sort of like reading light hearted mysteries. A good series is the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich. The characters in this series are funny. There is Stephanie who works as a bounty hunter and her friends.
   The latest one is Smoking Seventeen. Evanovich uses numbers for her titles in this series. In this one dead bodies are showing up around the place she works. Her male friends, Trenton cop, Joe Morelli, and security expert,Ranger, are here. Her mother is trying to get her married off. She has even brought a former classmate of Stephanies', an ex- football  player, into the house in the hope that Stephanie will dump her two boyfriends and settle down.  Grandma Bella, Morelli's grandmother, has put the evil eye on Stephanie. Stephanies' grandmother is still going to funerals to enjoy the refreshments. A cold blooded killer is after Stephanie.
    All in a days work for Stephanie.
     I do recommend this series.

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Has God Spoken? by Hank Hanegraaff

   In twenty two chapters Hank Hanegraaff, the Bible Answer Man, has handled the theological area of the Bible's divine inspiration in an easy to read and understand manner. A person doesn't have to take a  seminary course to understand the doctrine.
   The book gives the reader facts that can be used in discussion with doubters, Hanegraaff gives us rules to follow as we read the Scriptures  He also includes a Bible study method called 'Legacy"we can use to read through the Bible in a years time.
    It is an enjoyable read. At times it makes one stop and think. After all, The Bible is a very important document and should be an ever present tool. This book provides the assurance needed for the "worker who does not need to be ashamed". Hanegraaff  has successfully conveyed this Biblical truth.
   It held my attention as this subject of the Bible and its veracity is important to me. A person wants to be assured that the tool he is using is the best it can be. The information presented is done in a progressive,well thought out fashion.
   I would recommend this book for the Christian as well as for the seeker.
    Booksneeze has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book.

Become a follower. More exciting postings to come.

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Against All Enemies

This is a book by Tom Clancy that I have recently discovered. He is a good writer. His books are always in the area of espionage. The main character here is a guy named Moore who is CIA. At the beginning of the book he loses his whole team and the rest of the book is about his hunting down the bad guys. It is over eight hundred pages so you are in for a good long read. It moves fast and has many layers, as do all Clancy books.
   Basically, there is a jihad against the USA. The Arabs want to complete 9/11. The CIA man who is a former SEAL is trying to stop them before they complete their attack.
  I highly recommend it for Tom Clancy fans.

Saturday, September 24, 2011

Christian Science exposed

For those of you out there who wondered just what happens to a person who is a Christian Scientist and is ill, this is the book for you. Titled  fathermothergod and subtitled My Journey Out Of Christian Science by Lucia Greenhouse, this book follows a daughters experience with the philosophy of the Christian Science Church concerning illness and death. She watches as her mother contracts cancer and is bedridden and slowly dies while her father watches as a Christian Science Practitioner. The author shows the result of denying illness and sickness as an error of the mind.
  Greenhouse never was a member of the Christian Science Church but is the daughter of a father who lead his wife and one of his children into the mind sect.
  It is well written and not preachy. She doesn't rush the prose. It flows in a straight line. The shocker at the end is enough to make a person wonder about the folowers of this belief system.
  I plan sometime in the future to take up a series on Cults in my blog, http://drschristianplace.blogspot.com.
  please feel free to comment at any time. I will read your input and respond. I promise.

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Leadership

This is going back quite a while. But I have enjoyed this non-fiction book on leadership It is called Lincoln On Leadership by Donald T. Phillips.
  It is good for leadership techniques as developed by our sixteenth presdent and especially during the Civil War period, but also is a good addition to a library on Lincoiln and the Civil War period.
   Lincoln was faced with a war even if he didn't want one. He didn't have a choice. But he used the ledership abilities he had and were developed by him to keep the country going.
  It is subtitled Executive Strategies For Tough Times.  Persoanlly I enjoyed it I think you will also.

Thursday, September 15, 2011

The Grace of God by Andy Stanley

   
  
    This book by Andy Stanley is an easy to read non-technical treatise of one of God's attributes.
    Grace has been defined by theologians as  God's dealing with a person according to his need. Stanley would agree with that and add that there is nothing that must be done to merit it.In this book he traces grace from creation through the early church.
    In 217 pages with  notes he uses a comfortable reading style taking small stories in Scripture to illustrate how generous God is with his grace. He points ouit it was God's attribute of grace that allowed Adam and Eve to live after the disobedience. He shows how unearned it is by showing time and again the people God gave grace to even when their actions were not worthy.
    And that is the point.
    I found this book to be a thought provoking book. Stanley handles the subject in a way that made me think about God. It is not a stodgy theological discussion nor a primer. I would recommend this for everyone who needs an easy to understand explanation. It will help them explain it to others.
  Booksneeze has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book.

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

How to Read A Book

   I know. I know. What a dull title for a posting. But this is important.
  A book is to be slowly and lovingly digested. That can easily be said of a good fiction book. But how do you read that non-fiction work?
   That is a good question and one that needs to be addressed.
    I find that when I come across a non-fiction book that I look first at the table of contents to get a general idea of where the author is going. Sometimes the titles given each chapter are deceptive. So my next step is to look at the index (This is non-fiction and hopefully the author has been nice enough to include one.) I would look to see who and what is mentioned. I don't concern myself so much with where and on what page, but I look to get an idea of what the author considers important.. Then I would look at the number of pages. It is not always true that the more pages the better the coverage. Some subjects don't need extensive coverage.
    Then I ask myself, or I have before I select a book on the subject, just what am I looking for?  What do I need to know? And having selected the book I read it to answer my questions. It doesn't have to be a profound question. Maybe just something I need to know.
     Please feel free to comment on the posts. I will answer every comment that is not spam or a flame.
  

Friday, September 9, 2011

James Patterson's New Venture

I don't know how new new it is because Patterson has the habit of co-writing at the present time with so many other authors--each seems to be a series-- that he is always present in the New Book Section of the Santa Monica Library. This is where I pick up his books to read. This one he wrote with a Michael Ledwidge. It is named Now You See Her It is a suspense novel told mostly in first person from the woman's pov. (Point Of View) it is intersperced with third person from Peter's point of  view. This helps the mounting tension as she disappears and later shows up again and a hunter/ hunted motif is used. But mostly the motif of  chase is used. As Paterson's co-authored books go, this is well done. His formula of short chapters, terse language is seen here. Just enough red herrings are used to keep the reader guessing to the end. Is her husband a wife killer? Is she the next? That's one plot line. Another is: who is the Jump Killer? Someone is killing women and leaving them tied up in jump cords. The main character knows the one on death row for the crime isn't the killer. How is she going to prove that and still keep away from Peter whom she has managed to run away from all these years?
   For readers of Patterson novels I recommend this one.

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Biography Of Ethel Waters

Found a great biography by Donald Bogle, an instructor at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts and the University Of Pennsylvania. It is concerning the life of Ethel Waters Heat Wave:  The Life and Career of Ethel Waters  I remembered her only as a back up singer for the Billy Graham Crusades. By that time she had put on lots of weight. But she wasn't always overweight. She was a thin singer/ actress before then. She also was featured, or maybe starred in A Cabin In The Sky . I did see that once at the library here in Santa Monica on one of their movie days. And she did act in Member Of The Wedding. 
I find this book to be a good biography. The author, also black, does not go light on the race issue of the times. Nor should he have done so. It is a matter of history. History must not be  forgotten or placed in an alternative universe, except in sci fi.
 

Sunday, September 4, 2011

Warning-- watch out

Sad to say not all books I read are the type I can recommend. Such is the case concerning Heaven Is For Real by Todd Burpo. Todd is a pastor and he is telling the true story of his son,Colton, age four, who almost dies from a appendectomy. The boy reports having an out of the body experience (not the words he uses) and going to heaven and sitting on the Lap of Jesus, having angels sing hymns to him.
   It is dangeous.  Dangeous because all we need to know about heaven is found in God's Book, the Bible. Dangeous because to say a person can die and come back again is not according to what God says. Dangeous because this writer is a pastor. People hold pastors in awe and believe what they tell them.
  This pastor is wrong. Dead wrong.
  It is also dangeous because some people trust the publisher, Thomas Nelson, as being a Christian publisher of truth. In this case the publisher blew it.

Set in Santa Monica

I have found a mystery that is set in Santa Monica. It is called No Dice and it is written by Mar Preston. It is written omnipresent and the viewpoint is shared by two persons. Dave Mason, the Santa Monica detective and Ginger McNair, a resident who is up for nomination as a member of the city board. It is up with the rent control faction and the fair wage law issue of a few years ago and I must admit, a present day issue in Santa Monica. Santa Monica is run by a mayor who is part of the city council. The way it works here in Santa Monica is their mayor is elected from among the council.
  The story starts the day before a big vote on bringing a casino into their city. The council woman who is pro-gambling is found knifed.  She is discover by Ginger who is anti-gambling. This makes her a suspect.
  The casino will be built on prime land now used by Sears and Santa Monica Place. There are suspects a plenty. There is also a romance but it is not allowed to dominate the mystery. There are not bodies every place.
   This does follow the mystery formula of victim, murderer, sleuth. Our amateur detective is Ginger who just can't let the Santa Monica Police Department alone to solve the case.
   It has a satisfactory ending and all is well.
   I would recommend it for the mystery reader out there.

Friday, September 2, 2011

Thursday Missing

Hi. I picked this book up, One Of Our Thursdays Is Missing by Jasper Fforde. The title caugfht my interest. I normally don't read in the fantasy/ Scifi section of the library. I guess because I find it hard to read an area that makes little sense if any at all. I  tend to read in the area of possibility.
  The story concerns the seeking for the real Thursday. It takes place in the Bookworld and the real Thursday has dissapeared and all that is left is the written Thursday. It is told in first person and it is trhe written Thrsday we are seeing the story through. Chartacters around her are fading away because they are no longer read. She feels unneeeded and a shadow of the original. She  wants to find and restore the real Thursday.
  In the end, if I understand it correctly, she discovers she is not a copy.
   I guess maybe I don't get it. But that is okay. There are a lolt of other genres out there for me to read.

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Dekker's new Book


In a place far away
   At least I think it is his new book. He is such a prolific writer at the moment, it seems to me. Since I pick up his books at the Santa Monica Library and it appeared in the new book section, I think it is new.
   It's The Priest's Graveyard  and I have always enjoyed his writing style. Tight. Good charaters. Concerning the battle between good and evil in the world.
   This concerns a priest who is going around cleansing the world of bad people. A priest who acts like the grim reaper. He meets up with a young woman who has been ill treated and now has the goal to destroy the man who abused her.
     I am still in the midst of reading it so I don't know how it works out, but the two of them are on a vengence kick. I suspect if it follows the resolution of his other novels, good will win out in the end, Although I wonder about the message that it is okay to take the law in your own hands when it comes to evil.
     Dekker handles the subject well and it is a good read for those who like this type of story.

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Importance of Reading

I might have mentioned this earlier Books whether in EBook form or hard cover contain so much good material. Where else can you get an education for little money and time?
    Non-Fiction is very important. How to do it books sell well because people want to know. No ones' education, that is formal education, can  cover everything you would need to know as you go through life. But someone has put it in a book to share with others
  Also non-fiction includes biography. Get to know people this way. Meet people you wouldn't run into every day. There is the memoir called "Jennie Out Of The Bottle"  by Barbara Eden. You remember her. The woman who played a genie that came out of the bottle to help the Astronaut played by Larry Hagman. yes, her. Chances are that you won't meet her every day. But you have a book you can read and learn something about her.
  Or you can read books on Abraham Lincoln. Him you aren't going to run into today.
   Keep reading. Keep growing.

Sunday, August 28, 2011

Further Books

Books are very important to a persons life. You get enjoyment from them as well as information. I am very grateful having learned to read.
                                                                                     
 I guess I have always been a reader. It is very important to me. I also guess I am the few of those who weren't distroyed by the required books to be read for English Classes in High School. I never really disliked Dickens or other writers. Although there were a few authors, looking back, I would never have read unless they were required in school. Sir Walter Scott is one of those. George Elliot is another. As well as Thackery.
Now that I am out of school I find it easier to go back and read those authors I have missed reading when in high school.
    Moby Dick is still a hard one to get interested in. As is Gone With The Wind   which I was able to plod through. Cancer Ward  is a great piece of writing.
   I have also found that American Literature really isn't. Geater themes and plots are found in Soviet Literature and English Literature. But more about them later.
  The EBook has not done a great service for us by releasing these books and others as free downloads. But that seems to be where you are most likely to find the titles  limping along.

Friday, August 26, 2011

I can't believe it's a Harlequin

Okay. So I have this EReader and I downloaded Hide in Plan Sight by a Marta Perry. I was surprised to see it was a Harlequin suspense. Harlequin has the formula that it is to be category romance and women's fiction. I just downloaded it because I saw suspense and mystery suspense is a genre I enjoy.
  The story is told in multiple viewpoint. Being a romance it is told from a male and a female viewpoint. Being suspense there has to be a mystery to it.
  Andrea returns to her home in Amish country. Her younger sister has been in an accident and is in the hospital. When the story opens Andrea has  an accident also Her car goes off the road.. Enter our male lead, Carl, who is hiding out from something. Andea is coming back to  find that her grandmother is thinking about turning the family house into a B& B. The family fortune is used up and this seems to be the only way to keep the house in the family.
   Someone doesn't want them to open it as a B&B. Accidents are happening. Carl is our male lead. As in all Harlequin books there is the formula repulsion and attraction going on.
  Who is trying to keep them from opening the Inn? Why all the accidents? Who actually is Carl and what is he hiding from?
  This is written with a strong Christian viewpoint. Which opens the question.. should a Christian be doing this type of romance writng? And the answer may be, why not? It is time the Christian writer competed.
  In a later post I want to go into how to choose a book to read. I don't recommend reading just anything. Too much trash out there. Nor do I insist on it being one type. But there are real guidelines, I think, and in  a later post I want to share them with you.

Monday, August 22, 2011

Others Are Reading

Doing my search for others to recommend along the line of book to consider. Some links I was able to find--and these are areas that I myself won't be covering-- are these. http://www.ablogofbooks.blogspot.com/ which covers children's books. When it comes to Sci-Fi/ fantasy you can look at http://www.fantasticreviews.blogspot.com/. If you are a lover of mysteries I recommend http://www.stacyjuba.com/.

Death of an outlet

Sad to say but I have just been informed by Daniel A.of the Santa Monica Daily Press, our Santa Monica paper, that he has decided to stop carrying the book review column in the paper. This means there are going to be many in the area who are not going to be able to have good books reviewed.
Book reading is not dead. If you don't have a hard cover or paperback book you could have an EReader. These people still need a good book reviewer
 Be that as It may be, this makes it more important that I keep this blog up.
  Presently I am sitting keyboarding this in our local library. I am surrounded by books. True, there are books on tape and CDs and  other medias here. Yet there are books here. Hard cover. Soft cover. Graphic books. Dictionaries. And so on
  Reading is important. The reason we read is for information and for entertanment. Hopefully when we get out of school we keep reading.
  People will tell you that it was the required reading in school that killed or lessened their love of reading. True, Dickens will not be a favorite of mine anymore. I have reread Christmas Carol again. A Tale of Two Cities is still out there for EBooks. But you don't have to read them now that they are not on your English teachers recommended list.:-)
 That was just an example. I am sure  you have many more you have no desire to go back and read. I don't blame you.
 Keep reading and write back to me. Leave a comment and I will respond.

Sunday, August 21, 2011

WordPress Help

The other day I was looking around for a book to help me with my blogging. I ran across "Sams TEACH YOURSELF WORDPRESS in 10 Minutes" by Chuck Tomasi and Kreg Steppe. Now I realize you are reading this post in blogpost but I figured that the concepts atre transferable.
  This small book has 13 chapters. Some chapters are longer than others because the information covers a bit more details. You learn how to configure your profile, how to create your posts and pages, also how to use RSS. These subjects are also needed in any form of blogging. Since this is a blog I find that I need information so as not to make a blog that makes no sense. We all need instuction.
  I only wish I could find one on blogspot so that I could better post to this.
  Please comment if you have suggestions. Any input would be welcome.

Lakers Score

Back on April 2, 2010  my book review on "50 Amazing Years in The City Of the Angels" by the Los Angeles Times Sport Staff was published in the Santa Monica Daily Press. This is a collectors item. They haven't always been on the winning end of the game. And with the recent mishaps they may not be on the winning end this year. But when it comes to history and basketball, the Lakers are a team to be looked up to.
 Basketball is a contact sport. The price of being a winning team is high.
 What I liked about this book is the collection in one place of all the columns detailing their long history in the sport. The time period covered in this table sized book is from 1960 to 2009.
  The losing years are detailed here also. but along with that is a recap of the recouping and effort to be number one for so many years.
Columns by Jim Murry, Ted Green,  Scott Howard Cooper.. they are all here. And the pictures from Times achieves makes this a must have for sports fans.

Friday, August 19, 2011

Books are Here to Stay

Books. They are important. I mean the ones you can hold in your hand and pursue slowly, letting the words simmer in your mind. I have nothing against Ebooks. I like Kindle, Kobo,IPads. They have their place. They can store lots of titles without taking up much space on the bookshielf.
   But I prefer to hold something with weight to it in my hand and slowly turn the pages. It is also hard to cuddle up to an Ereader, metal, breakable.
   Yes, over time the paper book gets old and worn and torn. Sometimes they go out of print and before they do it is neccessary to put them into pixels.on disks and CDs. We are seeing that  today... the transformation of bound books into pixels. And even that will pass. Look at what is happening to that form of storage known as microfiche.
Books to be enjoyed
  I am the book reviewer for the Santa Monica Daily Press. http://www.smdp.com/. Most of this discussion comes from the book I reviewed back in June 9, 2010 . It was called "The Case for Books:Past, Present, and Future." by Robert Darnton. It seems to be aimed for libraries and other bibliophites, but it is good reading for thought. We seem to be seeing a transformation from bound books to pixels stored on disks and CDs and Google Book Search. This is somewhat of a good move. But with the transformation of information there is also the possibility of what was added by publishers as the years went by. The classic case in point would be anything we have today by Shakespeare. But we accept the additions to the text, the lines subtracted, words left out. After all, that is stuff of days gone by and no one minds.
   A worning is given that we must be careful of what we accept from the intgernet,. "Students usually download tests from computers without askin gwhere they come from, aqnd they frequestly get garbage," Darnton. points out.
   Still that is no reason not to read.
  More discussion to come.