Brandon Foster

Why do I have to wait until next year for book two?! This book will be on my top five books for this year. The story was original, the characters showed personality and development. Overall, this was an amazing book. I will definitely read it again.

Full review linked below

Wing Weaver is a new fantasy novel that follows the protagonist Aeden Harrington through his first year at Aviara Academy. The entire book takes place within the boundaries of this school, but Beswick does explain the world around in at points. I do not want to spoil the book since it is still in its infancy, but I will give an honest review non the less.

I want to share my overall feelings to begin with. Then I will break the review into five categories. So…how did I feel when I finished the book? I liked it. Overall it was a pleasant book to read. It was not hard to read and I found myself quite often quickly turning the page to see what happened next. I will definitely be picking up the rest of the series. Now to the deeper review

World War I: A Short History lives up to that name. It is a well written condensed summary of the events from 1914-1919. Norman Stone organized the book based off of year, which helps keep things organized in a rather unorganized war.

For those trying to understand the general flow of WWI this is a great book. If you are looking for an indepth play by play this is not the book. Stone's book, in my opinion, is a great aside to explain the large analytical books that make your head swim.

Overall, this is a well researched, well organized, good book.

Western Blinders

As a Mississippi transplant from California I have become fascinated with cultural differences. What are they, how do I identify them, and are they good or bad. When my pastor mentioned this book during a sermon I knew I had to read it.
The authors do a fantastic job of explaining different types of blinders that westerners have using 3 different tiers going from ones that are not very important to ones that are deeply important in our reading of the Bible. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in cultural differences pertaining to the Bible, how to read the Bible better, and anyone struggling with understanding the Bible in general.

Work Unto the Lord

“Christians look to an Audience of One, our loving heavenly Father, and that gives us both accountability and joy in our work.”

This is a convicting book that every Christian should read. Keller leads the reader through how we work, why we work, and the attitude that we should have. Love his writing.

The Essentially of Community

Bonhoeffer lays out a simple argument for why Christians should be in a community with each other and specific important aspects of that community. This is my second reading and I am still impressed by how in such a short book he can say so many important things. This is a must read in my opinion.

I was trying to think of a one word summary of this book, but I was left stumped. Tyson does an excellent job painting the world around him while still making us feel what he felt. I highly recommend this book. It was a great read.

The Iliad And Odyssey are two of the west's timeless classics. The heroes, gods, locations, and monsters weave a thrilling tale that can be enjoyed by anyone. Though this translation is a little more formal, it is still very possible to read.

Well written and concise. Francis Chan speaks on his desire for the church. Letters to the Church is a passionate dialog describing a new possible direction for the church. Chan argues, based on Scripture, that the church looks more like a commercial business than the New Testament church. I highly recommend this book for those looking for something new in church.

A fascinating book that follows the gospels chronologically. Maier shows the evidence known to us at the moment to support the gospels historicity. But I will caution that this may not be the book for you if you are against the gospels being historical. I say this because he writes with a strong positive bias that might push readers away. A great read for those trying to strengthen their belief or are curious what evidence Christians possess.

My thoughts on this book are complicated. I was going to give 4 stars because he writes well and he is honest about his intentions concerning Jesus at the very beginning. He lost a star for two reasons. 1. I think his title is misleading. Only the first third discusses the Incarnation outright. The last third he tries to argue how all main world religions are basically the same and they should all kind of morph into a spiritual universal religion. The middle third is a weird transition between these two points. I don't think he does a good job in either camp, but he is forthright and honest about his beliefs, and I appreciate that. 2.chapter 8 is very historically dishonest. This is the chapter where he quickly sums up some evils that the church has done in the past (weirdly putting the blame on the idea of the Incarnation). My first problem is that the topics that he picked (antisemitism, chauvinism, imperialism, and superiority complex) are all very complex historical issues and he mentions non of the reasons. He even hints that Christianity was to blame for the Holocaust! Hitler hated religion (Christianity being his greatest target) and did everything he could to destroy and warp the German church to the Nazi party. So I dislike his dishonesty in this chapter. Secondly, the chapter feels very out of place. It is short, never mentioned again, and does not add anything to the topic of Incarnation nor universalism. Overall I thought the book started well, but the book started to get repetitive half way through.

Strobel interviews 13 different professionals on the subject of Christian reliability. He writes well and the book is never a bore. I really enjoyed it.