Non-fiction: Self-help. Unabridged Audiobook from Simon & Schuster Audio, published originally in 1944, audio read by Andrew MacMillan. 10 hours, 11 minutes. Purchased from Audible.com.
Though dated, this book has quite a bit of common sense on offer. Since I have in the past tended to often lose my battles against fretting, it was very helpful to come face to face with a writer that gives concrete ideas on quashing what can become a debilitating problem for many people. His methods have helped me to make progress in defeating my tendency to worry something to death.
Through Dale Carnegie’s seven-million-copy best seller (recently revised) millions of people have been helped to overcome the worry habit. Dale Carnegie offers a set of practical formulas you can put to work today, formulas that will last a lifetime! Discover how to:
Eliminate 50 percent of business worries immediately
Reduce financial worries
Turn criticism to your advantage
Avoid fatigue and keep looking young
Add one hour a day to your waking life
Find yourself and be yourself – remember, there is no one on earth like you! How to Stop Worrying and Start Living deals with fundamental emotions and ideas. It is fascinating to listen to and easy to apply. Let it change and improve you. There’s no need to live with worry and anxiety that keep you from enjoying a full, active, and happy life!
If you are interested in the audiobook and have never ordered from Audible.com, as a first time customer they will give you a discounted rate if you click on the book cover here and follow the link to Audible.
Here is the free audio that christianaudio.com is giving away during the month of May. Remember that it will only be available until the end of the month, then they will have a new offering.
Beginning with the story of Stephen from the book of Acts, considered the first Christian martyr, the drama builds to the passion of the early Church’s persecution under the Roman Empire. The hardy and radical faith of those first believers spawned medieval missionary movements that spread the gospel across Europe and into England, Scotland, and Ireland. As the story continues, it places a significant emphasis on the sufferings of the early Protestants during the Reformation. As a vicar in the Church of England, author John Foxe strongly identified with the Protestant sects throughout Europe, and his loyalty to their cause comes through in his descriptions of many early clashes between Catholic and Protestant believers. Listeners are given an opportunity to experience the storytelling that incited several wars between Catholic and Protestant forces. The political and personal passion of the Reformation continues with the stories of the French Protestants during and after the French Revolution.
Non-fiction: Christian Life. Advanced Reader Copy from Zondervan Publishers. Publishing 1 May 2009. 304 pages.
Subtitled Taking Everyday Risks to Talk with People About Jesus, this book is divided into 42 daily readings. Since I was hoping to review the book near the time it was released, I was unable to read it as it was intended, choosing instead to read several days worth at a time. So, I can’t really comment on how it would be as a daily devotional, though I did not notice anything that made me think it would be ineffective if used that way.
Alternating back and forth between the authors, each daily reading is a record of an encounter where one of the two was able to talk to a non-believer about Christ. After each example a principle is presented and discussed; to wit: you don’t have to have all the answers; just share your story; be yourself; remember sometimes you plant the seed, sometimes you harvest; pray; and so on. All in all it seems like a good way to remind yourself of the importance of being open to opportunities to talk to someone about your faith, and gives some solid advice on ways it could play out. There is also a very good list of recommended resources for continued study.
That said, I always get irritated at authors that promote their other books in their current book, and this one is full of that. They don’t mention them in every daily reading, but it was a bit much for me. Even though I know it’s a fairly common practice, it just bugs me — I would prefer to see the title listed either in the biography of the author or in a recommended resource list at the end of the book.
Publisher’s Summary: When we seize opportunities to talk with others about Jesus, days that start out dull and tedious can quickly blossom into exciting escapades. Written for today’s multigenerational, multicultural world, The Unexpected Adventure helps readers take easy steps into a natural evangelistic lifestyle that will energize their own faith while making an eternal difference in the lives of people they encounter.
Using a devotional-style format, bestselling authors Lee Strobel and Mark Mittelberg tell dramatic and sometimes funny stories from their own lives and then draw out practical applications backed by Scripture. Readers will be inspired with fresh compassion for their spiritually confused friends and equipped with practical strategies for influencing others for Christ. Entire churches will be rejuvenated as congregations discover that evangelism can be the adventure of a lifetime — starting today.
How do you arrange your books on your shelves? Is it by author, by genre, or you just put it where it falls on?
I like to arrange my non-fiction books by subject then author. I keep these separate from the fiction, which is usually shelved by author. Books that I have read are shelved, ones that I haven’t yet are usually piled in the bedroom, though occasionally I’ll have areas of “books to be read” on the bookshelf.
It’s not uncommon for an accomplished musician to be able to sit down in front of a new piece of music and play it through without a hitch. To make it seem easy, as if it required no effort. Yet the “freedom” to play with such skill comes only after years of disciplined practice.
In the same way, the freedom to grow in godliness—to naturally express Christ’s character through your own personality—is in large part dependent on a deliberate cultivation of the spiritual disciplines.
Far from being legalistic, restrictive, or binding, as they are often perceived, the spiritual disciplines are actually the means to unparalleled spiritual liberty. So if you’d like to embark on a lifelong quest for godliness, Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life will help you on your way. Based on the rich heritage left us by the early church fathers, the Puritan writers, and Jesus Christ Himself, Whitney takes you through a carefully selected array of disciplines that includes Scripture reading, prayer, worship, Scripture meditation, evangelism, serving, stewardship, Scripture application, fasting, silence and solitude, journaling, and learning.
By illustrating why the disciplines are important, showing how each one will help you grow in godliness, and offering practical suggestions for cultivating them on a long-term basis, Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life will provide you with a refreshing opportunity to embrace life’s greatest pursuit—the pursuit of holiness—through a lifelong delight in the disciplines.
Fiction: Sci-Fi. Audiobook from Harper Audio. Published in 1996, recorded 2007. 12 hours, 37 minutes. Read by the author. Downloaded from Audible.com.
I have had this book in paperback for a while, but hadn’t gotten around to reading it. When I saw that it was available as an audio book, I jumped right on it. I’m glad I did. It was an enjoyable story. It can be an iffy proposition when an author reads a book, but Neil Gaimen did a great job.
Publisher’s summary: Richard Mayhew is an unassuming young businessman living in London, with a dull job and a pretty but shrewish fiancée. Then one night he stumbles upon a girl lying on the sidewalk, bleeding. He stops to help her, and his life is changed forever.
Soon he finds himself living in a London most people would never have dreamed of: a city of monsters and saints, murderers and angels. It is a world that exists entirely in a subterranean labyrinth of sewer canals and abandoned subway stations. And it is the home of Door, the girl whom Richard rescued, and whom, if he is ever to return home, he must now help in her mission to preserve this strange underworld kingdom from a mysterious figure determined to destroy it.
If Tim Burton rewrote Phantom of the Opera, if Jack Finney had a dark side, if you rolled up the best of Clive Barker, Peter Straub, and Caleb Carr into one, you still wouldn’t have Neil Gaiman. In Neverwhere, he delivers one of the most absorbing reads to come along in years.
And, if you’d prefer paperback: Neverwhere: A Novel
Oh, and apparently the BBC did a mini of it a while back. Naturally, someone has uploaded it to YouTube. You have to watch it in ten minute segments. Here’s the first, then follow the links for the rest:
Award-winning journalist David Batstone reveals the story of a new generation of 21st century abolitionists and their heroic campaign to put an end to human bondage. In his accessible and inspiring book, Batstone carefully weaves the narratives of activists and those in bondage in a way that not only raises awareness of the modern-day slave trade, but also serves as a call to action. With 2007 bringing the 200th anniversary of the climax of the 19th century abolitionist movement, the world pays tribute to great visionary figures such as William Wilberforce of the United Kingdom and American Frederick Douglass for their remarkable strides toward framing slavery as a moral issue that people of good conscience could not tolerate. This anniversary serves not only as a commemorative date for battles won against slavery, but also as a reminder that slavery and bondage still persist in the 21st century. An estimated 27 million people around the globe suffer in situations of forced labor and commercial sexual exploitation from which they cannot free themselves. Trafficking in people has become increasingly transnational in scope and highly lucrative. After illegal drug sales and arms trafficking, human trafficking is today the third most profitable criminal activity in the world, generating $31 billion annually. As many as half of all those trafficked worldwide for sex and domestic slavery are children under 18 years of age.
I’ve got a lot of catching up to do post wise, but wanted to remind anyone who is still out there that there is another free audio book to be had at ChristianAudio.com. This month they are offering Oswald Chambers: Abandoned to God by David McCasland. From the book description:
Oswald Chambers was a man for all time. His was the mind of Christ and so his words are compelling because they reflect the thoughts of our Savior. I am not the first to say that no book outside the Bible has influenced me as much as My Utmost for His Highest. In David McCasland’s book we have, at last, the story of this man’s life and how, having honored God, God is now honoring him with the only fame that really matters.
The book is available to download for free until the end of the month. After that it retails for $24.98.
Another month has slipped by, and it’s time for another free download from ChristianAudio.com. This month they’re offering three months of a year long devotional:
Includes the entire recorded months of January, February, and March.
Since the penning of Morning and Evening over 100 years ago, this devotional classic has become hugely popular and been a favorite for millions worldwide.
90 days of Morning & Evening is the free audiobook of the month for December 2008. Once March has come and gone, if you’d like to purchase the rest of the year, you can find it at: Morning and Evening by C. H. Spurgeon.
I also noticed that they’ve got some free content from popular speakers including N. T. Wright and Dallas Willard. I think they’re not books but lectures, but could prove interesting as well.
Non-fiction: Christian Life. Advanced Reader Copy from Zondervan Publishers. Publishing 1 October 2008. 240 pages.
The title of this book brought to mind another title, Surprised by Joy, by C. S. Lewis. Turns out that was the intention! Lewis’ book ends at his conversion. This book begins at Simpson’s conversion, which is where he contends a story really starts. Throughout the book he chronicles the ups and downs of his Christian life and his response to them. He writes candidly, with humor when appropriate, and without waxing over difficult things or giving off “I’m better than everyone else” vibes. It’s an easy* read with a good message. Not a “here’s how you make everything in your life right” message, but an excellent lesson on what is important and how to have true joy.
Publisher’s summary: When the author made a commitment to the Lord at age seven, he believed the Christian life would be simple. Over the years, his beliefs about God were challenged by painful and confusing experiences in church as a teenager, the death of a beloved friend in college, and bouts of doubt and despair in graduate school.
He married the girl of his dreams, yet he was still not happy. Then came the quadruplets. And the author thought God had gone nuts. He was terrified of the disruption that one child would bring to his life, let alone four. God, however, knew exactly what he was doing.
Assaulted by Joy follows the growth and spiritual renewal of a self-proclaimed “jerk” who discovers the inescapable tension between joy and suffering. Each chapter recounts events—from the suspenseful to the heartbreaking to the hysterical—that teach lessons about God, life, love, marriage, and the assaulting joy of being a new father.
*I mean that in a complimentary way. Some books are good but require a lot of thought to be understood. This book is good without requiring a dictionary or rereading to be comprehended.
Though dated, this book has quite a bit of common sense on offer. Since I have in the past tended to often lose my battles against fretting, it was very helpful to come face to face with a writer that gives concrete ideas on quashing what can become a debilitating problem for many people. His methods have helped me to make progress in defeating my tendency to worry something to death.
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