The Blood Cell by James Goss

 

I was curious to know the fascination of the series of science fiction tales concerning this Time Lord. As I have no idea of who or what Dr. Who is all about, I am a clean slate. I personally am not a science fiction fan.

So when a chance to get a book and read about this person was available in my Blogging For Books lineup, I decided to take it on as my next subject.

Normally I do nonfiction and an occasional fiction. The genre I enjoy most is the mystery/suspense. So doing sci-fi is a stretch.

Was it worth it?

 I was provided this book free from the publisher for this review. I was not required to like it or give a positive review, just to write the review and post it to my blog.

In this tale the Doctor is a prisoner on this asteroid with other criminals. They are cut off from civilization. There is an evil something with them there in prison who is killing people. The doctor must stop this monster.

The tale is told from the first person point of view. This view is the prison warden.

The suspense is not that great and the danger is not worth the paper it is written on. Only fans of the series will enjoy it.

The Book Of Revelation Made Clear by Tim LaHaye

 

Here is yet another attempt by a Bible teacher to explain the book of the Revelation. You may ask yourself, why?

There is a need, it seems, for clarity centered on the last book of the Bible. This book is said to reveal things to come.  It is the only book in the second half of the Bible that is totally prophetic.

Since Jesus Himself offers a blessing to those who read and hear the words of this book it is helpful to be able to understand it. In the understanding we must keep in mind symbolism.

Symbolism can be explained. LaHaye is presenting his understanding of the symbolism.

This explanation of the book is laid out in small bite –size chunks starting with a three question quiz followed by the scripture passage followed by the explanation. Answers to the quiz follow each segment.

You have to understand that the interpretive grid used is one of a conservative historical-grammatical lens.

What I like is how LaHaye reminds us the book is best understood by cross referencing it with the Hebrew Scriptures as well as the Gospels. It is using the principle of scripture interpreting scripture.

LaHaye gives us a reasonable and easy to digest presentation.

I would recommend this for an introductory look at the book. Scholars will not find a lot here but Bible study groups may.

I was sent this book gratis from the Book Look Bloggers for the purpose of reviewing it. I was not required to give a positive review. Any viewpoint expressed is that of the reviewer and not that of the publisher.

The Circle by Dave Eggers

 

Microsoft. Google. Apple. It seems their main objective is to blanket the world with their technology. They can do this only by capturing data provided by users.

 If not held in check or stopped, just imagine what the world be like. Imagine what your life would be like.

In this book of fiction told through the point of view of a young woman named Mae we are able to explore those questions.

It starts out with Mae getting hired by a group that is based at a campus. Her main job is to monitor data and at the same time come up with better ideas on how to make the complete world transparent.

Think of a time in which you were not alone. You could always be found. Your privacy is gone.

Small startup companies want what you have. To be a player you must be absorbed.

Just how much would a person be willing to lose to follow and be part of a transparent society?

The campus sounds a lot like one you know about already-Google. Only you hope that what you are reading here is not actual.

Mae finds herself caught up in this world of trying to be the best. Her accomplishment is based on a number system that is consistently being flashed before her on a computer screen. Her achievement and advancement within the group is based on being better rated than the next. In order to achieve she spends more and more time in the complex and not with the public. It starts to become an obsession with her.

These are some of the issues handled by Dave Eggers in this believable and very frightening novel. You have to hope it hasn’t gone this far. You have to hope that there are ways to check it. You have to hope this vision of a world where technology becomes all obsessive will not be our future.

Technology is meant to be a tool, not our master.

This is a good read and ,sad to say, very possible. It may already be present. We may have already gone too far.

Beyond IQ by Garth Sundem

Your brain can be improved. By that I mean it can be exercised and tweaked. You are not the sum of your intelligence score.

There is another part to your intelligence known as insight. It has little if any connection to your IQ.

With exercises you can improve your intelligence to the point where you are in control of what is going on.

This book presents some scientific tools for training the areas of your mind that we determine as functional. Some areas covered are problem solving, intuition, emotional intelligence, creativity and a little more. The exercises are interesting and do get you to stretch.

Sundem has written a manual of psychological intent for the common folk. It may not be one that you can sit back and read at a leisurely pace or for relaxation. I found it a bit complex and I am a fan of a book in the area of psychology.

Having said that I also must report It is not confusing.

It presents an area of interest to many; how one can exercise the intellect and not become a victim of dementia. That is an area we must be constantly cognizant of.

I was sent this book free for review from the publisher to be included in my book blog. I was not required to give a positive review but an honest one.

Any views expressed are those of the reviewer and not those of the publisher.