Review: Education of a Wandering Man
Education of a Wandering Man by Louis L’Amour
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Fascinating read. This is L’Amour’s autobiographical memoir of his life. He focuses on his wandering travels and the books he read all along the way. I have never read anything by L’Amour, nor did I know much about him. If you’re a reader or a writer, you will enjoy and learn from this book. You will probably like it also if you are a fan of L’Amour’s novels.
By many ways of measuring, he had a full life. He would argue that his life was richer still for the books he read and the people he met that told of him people, places, and events he could never know otherwise. Some books he names only. Some books he comments on. He also scattered nuggets about living life, reading, writing, and learning throughout the book. I thoroughly enjoyed it and picked up some good recommendations.
Review: Principles of War: A Handbook on Strategic Evangelism
Principles of War: Thoughts on Strategic Evangelism by Jim Wilson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
The author used the proven principles of war as a framework to explain the spiritual warfare of evangelism. He stretches here and there, but ends up with a thought provoking little book. I disagreed with some things and at times scratched my head wondering how some things would be practically applied. Though it is easy to bemoan the lack of evangelistic activity among many churches today, I wonder if that lack at least in part reflects a lack of proper strategizing and clarifying of objectives such that the individual Christian truly knows what they’re doing. It’s easy to look out and see problems among Christians but often the roots of the problem are not properly diagnosed and the solutions far too simplistic. I think this book is worth reading and thinking through.
Review: Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative
Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative by Austin Kleon
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
A short, kick-in-the-pants book. A lot of quotes and suggestions that are so simple, you think anybody could have thought of that. That’s the beauty of a book like this. There’s nothing here hard to understand or conceive of. The danger of a book like this with its simplicity is knocking the excuse props out from under you. As long as we can think of the creative process as some mysterious abstract thing experienced by only a few initiates, we can insulate ourselves from doing work. Kleon divulges the secrets that exposes our own thoughts as laziness insulation.
I recommend it and I will leave you with a helpful little tip. If you’re bogged down in your reading or work, a short and simple book like this is a great way to get your mind out of the rut and inspire your ideas and energize your work. Sometimes we have just been working at the same thing too long. Do something different and then come back to it refreshed.
Review: The Books of the Bible
The Books of the Bible by John H. Sailhamer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I’ve found Sailhamer to be always worth reading. This book goes book by book through the whole Bible and gives a brief overview of each book. Sailhamer brings out the main point of each book while keeping an eye toward the book’s place in the canon and overall story of the Bible. This would book would be valuable for study, for preaching, and for daily Bible reading. If you read through the Bible every year, you could profit from referring to each book to get a sense of the main point, theme, and structure of the book. In a few places, the brevity left me unsure of some things. I also would pick at some things here and there, but overall a great book.
Review: Real Artists Don’t Starve: Timeless Strategies for Thriving in the New Creative Age
Real Artists Don’t Starve: Timeless Strategies for Thriving in the New Creative Age by Jeff Goins
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I enjoyed this book. The gives us a mix of historical and modern real-life stories that challenge conventional perceptions. He aims at the stereotype of the starving artist and demonstrates the image is not true today and was not true to reality yesterday. Not only does he explode the myth of the starving artist but also provides examples and ideas for how to create and be paid in the New Renaissance.
Goins starts by addressing the mind-set. So often the way we think limits us in unnecessary ways. He goes on to address understanding the market and then finishes with money. This isn’t a book about getting rich. It is about making a living in order to continue to create.
I found the book challenging and inspiring in different ways and Goins provoked a lot of thought. If you are someone who does, or wants to, produce creative content, I highly recommend this read. You don’t have to read books like this with a materialist worldview. As Christians, we should always maintain a biblical worldview and think through what we read in those terms. You won’t find everything compatible, but it can still be helpful.
