Neighbors and Wisemen

I'm rarely rave about a book - particularly a work of non-fiction. This one, however, really deserved the high ranking. I've been a fan of Donald Miller's work, so when I saw a book by "Tony the Beat Poet", I figured "why not?"

I wasn't sure what to expect. After all, it can be easy for an aspiring author to ride on the coattails of another accomplished writer. I'm wary of success by association, so I cracked this book open tentatively.

I'm pleased to say though, that I truly enjoyed Tony's work. His literary style is witty, gritty, and real. There's nothing pretentious in his words. Perhaps that is why they resonated with me.

Tony tackles a lot of the questions I've had myself. I grew up in similar circumstances - surrounded by Christian terminology and taglines. I grew up with the "us vs. them" mentality. As I matured, I found myself more and more repulsed by organized religion in general - and church culture in particular. It is a comforting thing to find an author who can so aptly describe my own experiences.

Only recently have I begun to see the beauty and wisdom that can be found when one opens up to the unexpected. Most in the religious community turn to pastors or spiritual counselors for guidance and inspiration; however, it's a beautiful thing when we can learn and be blessed by "sacred encounters in unexpected places." I'm firmly of the belief that truth is truth, no matter where we find it. This book has helped to reestablish that belief. I highly recommend it to those who are sick of the standard rhetoric, to those who are feeling a little lost, a little tired of the same old, and who are looking to learn from unlikely sources.

Disclaimer: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers through BookSneeze - their book review program. I wasn't required to post a positive review. These are my own opinions on this book.

Grace

Every time I see a new book by Max Lucado, I snap it up. I love his writing style and the sincerity that rings through each page. Yet... this book was kind of disappointing. And I'm not completely sure why.

Perhaps - as another reviewer noted -  it's the sense of flippancy throughout? Points were well made, and many of the illustrations used were beautiful and poignant; however, I had a very hard time sinking my teeth into this one. Grace is a heavy topic, but it felt like I was left with little to chew on.

This hasn't turned me off to Lucado altogether. I'll definitely keep an eye out for his next book.

Disclaimer: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers through BookSneeze - their book review program. I wasn't required to post a positive review. These are my own opinions on this book.

Unbroken

Just a heads up - if you're not up to reading about brutality and suffering in POW camps, this book might not be for you. That's not to say - in any way - that I didn't enjoy this book. I absolutely did, and I highly recommend it. The story is compelling, the writing brilliant, and the research outstanding. It's an extremely detailed, meticulous account of a true hero: Louis Zamperini.

It's a gripping adventure story all wrapped up in absolutely inspiring storytelling. The subtitle sums it up well: Survival, Resilience and Redemption. Once again, highly recommended reading.

Disclaimer: I received this book free from Waterbrook Multnomah through Blogging for Books - their book review program. I wasn't required to post a positive review. These are my own opinions on this book.

"Make: School’s Out Summer Fun Guide" by O'Reilly

This was a pretty awesome edition of  Make magazine. Apparently, this School's Out Summer Fun Guide is an ongoing annual thing - and I'll definitely be on the look out for next year's! This issue is chock full of crafts and hands-on activities for parents and kids. It provides hours of screen-free entertainment that'll encourage creativity and get parents and kids interacting. If you parents have heard "I'm bored" one too many times this summer, this summer issue might just be the fix.

I wasn't actually aware of Make magazine before checking out this issue. From what I gather though, it basically caters to the crowd that likes to make stuff - all kinds of stuff. There are super simple crafts and there are uber-complex projects that require welding, soldering and wiring. Basically, there's something for everyone.

This particular issue has some 3-D features (the printed copy comes with 3D glasses), and one of the articles actually is a little how-to on making your own 3D images. The rest of the magazine covers all sorts of projects in eight different categories: Combat, Outdoors, Rainy Day, Craft, Music, Pranks, Flight, and Electronics.

I'm passionate about encouraging creativity in children - and now I'm gonna be promoting this magazine to every parent I know.

The Searchers

This book takes a deep look at a story I had given little thought to previously. It's the story of the two men on the road to Emmaus. They're heartbroken - crushed - because the one thing they had centered all their hopes and dreams on has been snatched away. Jesus had just been crucified. They truly believed that He was the Messiah, the One who was going to change things - the One worth giving up everything to follow.

Historian Joseph Loconte sets this story as the backdrop for our modern world - a world fraught with heartbreak and disappointment. Though at times it seems that God has failed us, that all is lost, Jesus is present and is calling us to look beyond the hopelessness to what He's doing just beyond our line of sight.

It's a very beautiful take on an extremely emotional story. I'd suggest, however, that you take your time with it. There's a lot of food for thought, and you can't expect to digest it all in one sitting. I read a chapter a day, and spent the rest of the day chewing on it. This is definitely one I'll come back to.

Disclaimer: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers through Book Sneeze - their book review program. I wasn't required to post a positive review. These are my own opinions on this book.

The Fourth Fisherman

When the story of the fishermen hit the news a few years back, I was intrigued (as was much of the world, obviously). So when I had the opportunity to review this book, I jumped at it. While the story was interesting, it left me feeling a little "meh."
Joe Kissack weaves the story of the fishermen with his own life story. Theirs is a beautiful story of dependence and faith in God; his is a story of a rich guy realizing that he needs God. I had a hard time understanding why or how the two fit together.
Honestly, his parts kind of annoyed me. I know he was only talking about his success to make his point, but it kind of left me wondering what (if anything) he really did to help the fishermen. Ultimately, the book isn't really about the fishermen - it's about Joe. The fishermen almost play supporting roles to his story, which I feel is kind of unfortunate. He went in promising to get their story out to the world, but it almost feels that he used it as a springboard for his own.
I don't want to criticize this book too harshly, as I did enjoy much of it. It kept me interested, and the message was good in many ways.
Disclaimer: I received this book free from Waterbrook Multnomah through Blogging for Books - their book review program. I wasn't required to post a positive review. These are my own opinions on this book.

Linux Pocket Guide by Daniel J. Barrett

I’ve got quite a bit of programming experience; however (oddly enough) I’d done very little work with Linux. On starting a new job, I needed to learn Linux FAST. I needed to quickly understand the language and the power of the command line.

As a stroke of luck, O’Reilly happened to be offering a review copy of the Linux Pocket Guide by Daniel J. Barrett to their bloggers. I snapped that thing up fast and blazed through it over the weekend. Though I’m no pro, I’d have to say that just about anyone who uses Linux would benefit from this guide. It’s not a huge, unwieldy reference book (less unwieldy still if you have it on your iPad/reader), and it’s easy to find just about any shell command you’re after.

This book does cover the basics, though it does assume that the reader has some familiarity with Linux already. It goes into descriptions on logins/logouts, filesystems, system directories, etc. which was handy info. It also lists general Linux commands with their syntax and an explanation of what each command does. I like that it’s written simply enough for beginners to understand, but offers enough solid information to be a decent reference book as well.

It’s a really handy book to keep nearby as you work. It’s nearly impossible to remember every single command, and while I can certainly go and Google whatever it is I’m looking for, this is a quick reference and saves me a lot of time.