Bibliophilist

Non-Fiction: History. Audio from Random House Audio. Published 2010. Read by the author. 16 hours, 38 minutes. Purchased from Audible.com.

My Thoughts:

A enjoyable tour through a the history of homes using the parsonage that Bryson calls home as a template, this book is very informative (sometimes to the point of “ew”). He certainly meanders around a lot, sometimes to the point I would forget why we were hearing about say, glass making techniques and patents, until I recall suddenly that he started off talking about adding windows to houses. But as obscure as the info would seem as I was listening, it would eventually fit into the history somewhere.

Bryson as a narrator was good for the most part, but there were spots that did not flow very smoothly, in my opinion.

Publisher’s summary:

A fascinating excursion into the history behind the place we call home.

“Houses aren’t refuges from history. They are where history ends up.”

Bill Bryson and his family live in a Victorian parsonage in a part of England where nothing of any great significance has happened since the Romans decamped. Yet one day, he began to consider how very little he knew about the ordinary things of life as he found it in that comfortable home. To remedy this, he formed the idea of journeying about his house from room to room to “write a history of the world without leaving home.” The bathroom provides the occasion for a history of hygiene; the bedroom, sex, death, and sleep; the kitchen, nutrition and the spice trade; and so on, as Bryson shows how each has figured in the evolution of private life. Whatever happens in the world, he demonstrates, ends up in our house, in the paint and the pipes and the pillows and every item of furniture.

Bill Bryson has one of the liveliest, most inquisitive minds on the planet, and he is a master at turning the seemingly isolated or mundane fact into an occasion for the most diverting exposi tion imaginable. His wit and sheer prose fluency make At Home one of the most entertaining books ever written about private life.

Video Introduction to the Book:

Find it on:

Amazon.com At Home
Audible.com At Home

This month, you can download Handel’s Messiah, Comfort for God’s People, free from christianaudio.com:

Free Dec 2010

Publisher’s Summary:
Handel’s oratorio Messiah is a phenomenon with no parallel in music history. No other work of music has been so popular for so long. Yet familiarity can sometimes breed contempt — and also misunderstanding.

This book by music expert Calvin Stapert will greatly increase understanding and appreciation of Handel’s majestic Messiah, whether readers are old friends of this remarkable work or have only just discovered its magnificence.

Stapert provides fascinating historical background, tracing not only Messiah’s unlikely inception but also its amazing reception throughout history. The bulk of the book offers scene-by-scene musical and theological commentary on the whole work, focusing on the way Handel’s music beautifully interprets and illuminates the biblical text.

For anyone seeking to appreciate Handel’s Messiah more, this informed yet accessible guide is the book to have and read.

Okay. I seriously fell down on the job this month. Though I did completely miss last month’s reminder, so this should count as at least slightly better than that. So, you’ve got today to download this month’s free audio from christianaudio.com. Here’s what they’re offering:

Free Nov 2010

Publisher’s summary:

Millions of people are wasting their lives pursuing dreams of happiness that don’t rise above a good marriage, nice kids, a successful career, a nice car, fun vacations, nice friends, a fun retirement, a painless death, and (hopefully) no hell. John Piper calls this a tragedy in the making. He argues that we were created for joy. We were designed to have one life-encompassing passion.

In this book he describes his own journey in discovering this great, single passion. And He pleads that at all costs we pursue our joy in the crucified Christ, who is the glory of God. The cost is great. But the joy is worth any cost. Don’t buy seductive, tragic promises of worldly joy. Don’t waste your life.

I’m a little late but wanted to remind you to check out the free audiobook this month:

Spiritual Leadership
by J. Oswald Sanders

Free September 2010

With more than 500,000 in print, Spiritual Leadership has proven itself a timeless classic in teaching the principles of leadership. J. Oswald Sanders presents and illustrates those principles through biographies of eminent men of God – men such as Moses, Nehemiah, Paul, David Livingstone, and Charles Spurgeon.

Christianity needs a powerful voice in today’s world. Such a voice can come only from strong leaders guided by God and devoted to Christ. Spiritual Leadership will encourage you to place your talents and powers at His disposal so you can become a leader used for His glory.

This edition of Spiritual Leadership has been been completely revised. The language is updated with a modern flavor and a study guide has been added, designed as a tool to help you grow and successfully apply the principles in this classic book.

Non-Fiction: Christianity. Hardback from Thomas Nelson. Published 2010. 240 pages. Free review copy from Booksneeze.com in exchange for my honest review of the book. And, here it is:

Many years ago our oldest son was battling cancer at Wilford Hall Medical Center on Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio. Somehow word reached a couple who were members at the church where Max Lucado preaches and they came to visit us, bringing me my first glimpse of his work. Because of their kindness, and because I enjoyed the book, I have continued to read many of the works that Lucado has published through the years.

When I first saw the title I was reminded of the “Million Miles” book I recently read by Donald Miller, and in many ways the message is the same. But I think it’s such a great lesson that the more people discuss it, the better. Lucado’s books seem to all follow the same pattern, and this one is no exception. It’s a quick read, but still has some excellent reminders of what is really important. Lucado is donating all of his royalties from the book to World Vision, which is a great example of practicing what he’s preaching in this book.

Publisher’s Summary:

These are difficult days in our world’s history. 1.75 billion people are desperately poor, natural disasters are gouging entire nations, and economic uncertainty still reigns across the globe. But you and I have been given an opportunity to make a big difference. What if we did? What if we rocked the world with hope? Infiltrated all corners with God’s love and life? We are created by a great God to do great works. He invites us to outlive our lives, not just in heaven, but here on earth. Let’s live our lives in such a way that the world will be glad we did.

A friend of mine recently posted a picture on Facebook of a dumpster full of books. She works at a university and apparently the library had been doing a bit of a clean up before the start of the new semester.

Intellectually, I know that books need to be thrown out (or ideally recycled) occasionally but emotionally a picture like that makes me want to take up dumpster diving again just to be sure there isn’t anything good lurking in the pile. How about you? Does a picture of a skip full of books bother you?

HT: Jackie <3

Things continue to be slow here on Bibliophilist as I am still doing battle with the dreaded vertigo. Skirmishes have been won but the war is as of yet undecided.

Despite not reading or posting much during this time of warfare, the old brain was thinking today about what to read once this health issue is settled, and a reread of the final Harry Potter book came to mind. There are times that it’s enjoyable to revisit a story before seeing the movie. (The two part movie version of HP7 will come out later this year for part one and next year for part two). It can be disappointing when the movie changes the plot line or leaves out a favorite part, but I don’t think I’ve ever regretted reading a book before seeing the movie version and will often go looking for the book a movie was based on if I haven’t read it yet.

When it comes to books and movies, do you like to read (or reread) a book before seeing the movie version? If you see (and enjoy) a movie then find out it was adapted from a book would that make you more or less likely to read the book? Or do you prefer to have your books be books and your movies movies?

This month’s free audio from christianaudio.com:

Free August 2010

Ministries of Mercy: The Call of the Jericho Road
by Tim Keller

Why would someone risk his safety, destroy his schedule, and become dirty and bloody to help a needy person of another race and social class? And why would Jesus tell us “Go and do likewise”? Like the wounded man on the Jericho road, there are needy people in our path- the widow next door, the family strapped with medical bills, the homeless man outside our place of worship. God call us to be ministers of mercy to people in need of shelter, assistance, medical care, or just friendship.

Ever had trouble with vertigo? Not only does it cause an awful unbalanced nauseous feeling but it can also put a damper on regular extended reading. Such is the state of things in my world for the last couple of weeks, leaving me with nothing new to report in a WWW Wednesdays post. So, if you have time to answer the questions in a comment, I’ll get my book fix vicariously through you.

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…

* What did you recently finish reading?

* What are you currently reading?

* What do you think you’ll read next?

One of the blogs I follow – Jesus Creed – often puts up a picture of the Old Library at Trinity College in posts about books. If you’ve been following my blog for a while you’ll know we had the good fortune to visit Trinity College in 2004. Every time I see the picture pop up on Jesus Creed, I get a very nostalgic feeling and wonder if I’ll ever get the chance to visit there again. Then I get to thinking about other libraries. If I close my eyes I can picture the library we visited in Champaign, IL when I was growing up and remember the joy of sitting there with a newly selected book, reading away. I long for the the excellent libraries of Grand Rapids, Michigan which I have really not seen matched anywhere we have lived.

Is there a library in your past that brings up feelings of nostalgia for you? Do you have good memories of time spent in a library? If you do, what specifically do you remember?