Buckley and Conservatism

Until I read this book, I didn't know much about William Buckley. Now, although I'm not an expert, I at least understand something of his impact on the conservative movement in America. I grew up in the 50's and 60's hearing a lot about politics, but not realizing the role Buckley played. I recommend this book to anyone who, like me, is unfamiliar with the conservative political movement and the part played by William Buckley.

A major advantage of this book is that it's short. Some people may want more detail, but if the purpose of the book was to introduce Buckley and his political philosophy; it did a good job. The author cites numerous other works by the author and other more comprehensive biographies. If this book piques your interest there is a plethora of material to follow up on.

I liked the brevity of the treatment that allowed me to learn about the Firing Line program, and the National Review, as well as Buckley's essays, philosophical works and novels. I'm not sure I would have tackled a longer biography, knowing so little about the subject. Now that I know more, doors have been opened.

I review this book as part of the Thomas Nelson Book Sneeze Program.

Buckley and Conservatism

Until I read this book, I didn't know much about William Buckley. Now, although I'm not an expert, I at least understand something of his impact on the conservative movement in America. I grew up in the 50's and 60's hearing a lot about politics, but not realizing the role Buckley played. I recommend this book to anyone who, like me, is unfamiliar with the conservative political movement and the part played by William Buckley.

A major advantage of this book is that it's short. Some people may want more detail, but if the purpose of the book was to introduce Buckley and his political philosophy; it did a good job. The author cites numerous other works by the author and other more comprehensive biographies. If this book piques your interest there is a plethora of material to follow up on.

I liked the brevity of the treatment that allowed me to learn about the Firing Line program, and the National Review, as well as Buckley's essays, philosophical works and novels. I'm not sure I would have tackled a longer biography, knowing so little about the subject. Now that I know more, doors have been opened.

I review this book as part of the Thomas Nelson Book Sneeze Program.

A Fascinating Glimpse of Military Genius

Although not as detailed as some biographies, this book gives us a glimpse of Patton and the characteristics that made him a military genius. I particularly enjoyed the chapters on his early life and ancestors. The stories about his childhood and early adulthood bear out the idea that genius is one tenth inspiration and ninety percent perspiration. In order to be great at any profession you have to have a feel for it. However, unless the feel is buttressed by a substantial amount of work, the potential for genius is not fulfilled.

I thought this book was an excellent one for the general reader. It gave enough facts and background description to give you the feel for the era and the political and military concerns without getting too bogged down in battlefield events.

I also liked the description of the roles played by the other generals: Eisenhower, Bradley and Pershing. If the book had been longer, I would have liked to hear more about their interactions, particularly the early encounters. However, I felt the author did a good job at what he set out to do, which was to give an overview of Patton's career for the general reader.

I reviewed this book for Thomas Nelson. 

A Gentle Romance

A thirty year old woman, Ann, comes home to what she thinks is a celebratory weekend. Her younger sister is graduating with a Master's Degree. The weekend becomes tragic when a drunken driver hits their car and the sister dies. This opening draws you in, particularly when the younger sister dies humming a tune that begins to haunt Ann.

While the book is a romance, the thrust of the story is on Ann's relationship to God. She starts as a non-believer, and the tragic death of her sister does nothing to change that. She meets her sister's neighbors, Tammy and her mongoloid son, Keith. They strike Ann as encroaching; not people she wants in her life. However, as she gets to know Keith and understand his simple faith, particularly his faith that angels are around us helping us, she begins to love them.

I recommend this story for those who like a good read, not exciting, not outrageous, but a simple heartwarming story. It makes a very good case for the Christian dilemma of bad things happening to good people. Perhaps, if viewed correctly, they are God's way of helping us grow.

I reviewed this book or the Thomas Nelson Book Sneeze Program.  

Jesus for Today

MacAurthur has an important message for Christians today. In The Jesus You Can't Ignore, he shows us the Jesus many people seem to be understand. The real Jesus was neither meek not mild. He opposed the false piety of the Pharisees even though it led to his death. He didn't try to sit down and give have a nice chat with them. He told them where they were at fault. We, as Christians shouldn't be afraid to do that. Too many Christians today are taking the easy non-confrontational path. When the world is full of religious leaders pushing the easy pop-culture forms of religion, we need to stand up for what we believe. It doesn't help to hide behind pleasant sounding dialect.

MacArthur's point is that it's not easy to follow in the footsteps of Christ. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. In today's world so many churches fail to give what MacArthur calls “hard” preaching. If Christians stand back and fail to confront the false religions and false teachers, then we have lost our way. Christ confronted the religious leaders who preferred to give outward appearances of piety than to tend to their spiritual needs and those of their congregation. Today the risk of falling into the same trap by trying to curry popular opinion is very great. External observances do not substitute for spiritual commitment.

Loved the Cover

I can say two positive things about “Love on a Dime.” The cover is fantastic. It makes you want to pick up the book. The other is that it's a Christian romance novel. Unfortunately the story doesn't live up to the promise of the cover. It is a formula romance, and not a particularly good one.

I hate to be critical, but the characters are wooden; their speech, stilted. I assume the author thinks this is the way people talked in that era. Having read some excellent romance novels from the same time period, I doubt it.

Probably the most disappointing part was the way setting was handled. Newport in the summer should have been a delightful backdrop for a romance. However, the author fails to use detail to bring the area to life. By this, I don't mean pages of description, rather the telling details that make a scene memorable.

The novel does bring out Christian values. The characters learn to put their faith in God and that, ultimately, allows them to fulfill their heart's desire. This is a positive aspect to the book when so many romance novels concentrate on erotica and adulterous sex.

Unless you're looking for a Christian novel, or love formula romances; give this book a miss.

I review the book as part of the Thomas Nelson Book Sneeze Program.  

The Writing Circle from Hell

The idea for The Writing Circle is excellent. A writing circle is a closed part of society for many people. Avid readers want to know more about writers. This offered a peek into what goes on behind the scenes. That being said, I was disappointed in the novel. The writers in the writing circle were all very self-absorbed, jealous people with the possible exception of Virginia. I didn't feel interested in any of them, if I hadn't been reading the book for a First Look, I probably wouldn't have finished it.

The presentation of the characters dragged without much plot in the early chapters. There was a great deal of back story, much more that I felt was necessary to understand the interaction among the people in the group. The characters seemed pretty much stock characters. From the beginning Gillian was the villain. Nancy was the victim. I think the author was trying to make a point about morality; however, portraying Gillian as completely self-absorbed and amoral reduced the impact of her actions.

I wanted to like the book. I think the theme was a excellent choice. However, I was disappointed in the execution.