Category: Books

Categories
Non-Fiction

Book Review: Let’s Do Lunch – Roger Troy Wilson

letsdolunch_coverIf you know me, then you know that since I stopped playing college football at Drake University and entered the “real world” and started driving a desk, I have been waging the battle of the bulge.  So when Let’s Do Lunch was available through Thomas Nelson’s BookSneeze program, I decided to get the book to see what the author had to say.

I’ll first say that this is not your normal weight loss book, (I’ve read a few, listed at the end of this post).  Roger Wilson never claims to be a health and/or fitness professional.  What Roger does claim is that he lost 230 pounds using this plan and has kept it off for 15 years.  Another anomaly is that throughout this plan you eat as much food as you want, what matters is the kind of food and when.  The other non-health professional diet book that I have read is The Jerusalem Diet by Ted Haggard and they both share essentially the same approach in that the author is speaking from personal experience as to what has worked for them to lose the weight that they wanted.  Where I feel this book falls short is the lack of medical evidence from a certified medical professional validating what the author is stating.  The author does mention that his doctor’s weighed in and said that he was healthy, but I am a thinker, I want to know why the diet works, I didn’t feel like I got that with this book.

Do I recommend this book, yes, wholeheartedly because let’s face it, America is fat and will this book help people lose weight, yes.  But this gets to my next point.  In reading this book, and talking to people who work for another diet system (a potential customer of mine actually) I am noticing another alarming trend, less and less emphasis on working out or attaining a certain

level of physical fitness.  The author mentions briefly that working out is good, but he doesn’t really recommend working out.  The other diet system actually discourages you from working out…that scares me…because it takes the focus off the real issue.  Are you overweight, yes, but just attacking your weight is not going to solve your problem because you are losing weight to get healthy.  Our bodies are an amazing machine that if properly functioning will heal itself and regulate itself.  So the correct approach should be to get healthy to lose weight which includes exercise for the sheer benefit of making you healthier, that is why while as my schedule starts to become “normal” again as I approach my health and fitness and fight the battle of the bulge while I may borrow some ideas from this book (frozen grapes are amazing) my main tool will be P90X.

Related Books/Materials:

Let me know your thoughts/comments below…

Categories
Non-Fiction

Book Review: The Butterfly Effect – Andy Andrews

The Butterfly EffectThe Butterfly Effect continues on a concept started in Andrew’s best selling book The Noticer.  In this unassuming, beautifully illustrated short book Andrews talks about how the actions of one person can affect history for hundreds of years.  To elaborate more than this would spoil the experience of the book.  But I can say that everyone should read this book to get a little “perspective” as Jones would say.

Weighing in at only 107 pages, this book is an amazingly quick read.  I read it in the span of about a half hour.  I loved the illustrations and the format of this book.  The beauty of the book helped the words have their intended impact as I considered how the inaction of one person could have irrevocably altered the history of our planet in a way that would have been catastrophic.  Then, Andrews pointed his finger at me and asked me to realize how my actions could affect history as well.

Overall, I would tell you that you have to read every book Andy Andrews has ever written (I have read 3 so far and every one of them is amazing).  The reason that I haven’t yet written reviews on the other two books of his that I have read is that I’m not sure I can do them justice in a review.  Eventually I will muster up the courage to write the reviews, but for now, just take my word and click on the [affiliate] links below and buy every one of his books.

Books by Andy Andrews – [amazon.com affiliate links]

Categories
Books Fun Non-Fiction Reviews

Book Review: A Guy’s Guide to Life- Jason Boyett

_140_245_Book.212.cover In A Guy’s Guide to Life, the author Jason Boyett claims he can explain “How to become a man in 224 pages or less”…according to the cover.  Even though I fall outside the target demographic, as a male, naturally I was intrigued, plus I have a 3 year old son who has already asked me where babies come from.  Upon further inspection, I don’t think reading this book will automatically make you a man, but it was a very engaging read.

The book is broken into 3 different parts (mind, body, and soul) with five chapters each including such favorites as Manly Myths, Dating, Grooming, Health and Exercise, The Sex Chapter, Family, Friends, and Faith.  For any red-blooded American teenager, The Sex Chapter is sure to grab their attention.  All sarcasm and joking aside, I really enjoyed this book and

generic priligy review

its refreshing honesty.  The author did a really good job addressing issues that are extremely relevant to an American teen in a way that keeps the conversation light, but still gets the point across.  One section of the book that I really liked was his discussion on who our neighbor is.  He is talking out of the context of loving people, especially loving our neighbor.  Many pastors wishing to preach on the subject would do well to read this section of the book as a part of their sermon preparation.

Overall, I give it a 4 out of 5, especially for those who are parents of boys.

Categories
Books

Book Review: The Go-Giver – Bob Burg & John David Mann

0907gogiverI received this book from a networking contact of mine who wanted to help me make the best run at my business possible.  It sat on the shelf for quite a while until just recently when I was looking through my book collection looking for a book to read.  I’m really glad that I picked it up.  The Go-Giver is written in the style of such great books as Raving Fans and The Wealthy Barber.  It starts of with the reader meeting the main character, in this case Joe, who is told that he needs to meet with a certain guru to get where he wants to go.  The guru teaches him the 5 principles of stratospheric success and Joe’s life and business are transformed.  While not a new method of teaching I loved this book and learned a lot from it.  The 5 principles are easy to grasp and sink your teeth into, but you don’t feel like you are sitting in a lecture hall.  Ever since reading HTML Goodies in college (the book that taught me how to write my first website…look at me now!) I have always loved books that sought to teach me something that did so through story or conversation.  If I am learning something, I want it to be engaging, I already went to school, I am learning now because I want to, please make it an enjoyable experience.  The Go-Giver delivers, and not only in the business realm, these principles can be applied to all areas of life.  I loved this read and would recommend it to anyone who wants to take their business or their life to the next level.

Overall I give The Go-Giver 4.5 out of 5.0, you should definitely check it out.

Categories
Non-Fiction

Book Review: You Can Be Everything God Wants You To Be – Max Lucado

You Can Be Everything God Wants You To Be - Max Lucado Have you ever had one of those moments where the events and circumstances in your life created a Perfect Storm?  This book did that for me.  In this book Lucado talks about finding your “sweet spot” in life, finding that thing you were meant to do.  Lucado discusses this concept in his usual inspirational, story filled, and extremely practical manner which has endeared him to so many thousands of readers.  I can’t say what decisions or ideas that came about because of reading this book, but due to me reading this book, a project that came about, and some internal heart stuff God was working with me on, I had a moment where I saw my sweet spot.  There will be a lot of prep to get there and it is not something that will happen right now, it may actually be years away but in that moment of clarity, I saw what I was made to do (for that, I am extremely grateful to Max Lucado for writing this book).  Thomas Nelson recommends this book for graduates, a sentiment I would definitely agree with, but I would not constrain its use to that group either.  I wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone who has ever asked the question, “What am I supposed to do with my life?”  I can imagine that with the current economic situation there are a lot of people asking this question.  Do them a favor and buy them this book [amazon.com affiliate link].

celebrex online pharmacy
Categories
Non-Fiction

Book Review – What’s in a Word? – Webb Garrison

_240_360_Book.160.cover In my time reviewing books for Thomas Nelson publishers through their Book Sneeze program I have tried to make sure that I review several different types of books.  I continued with that trend when I picked out What’s in a Word? by Webb Garrison.  I was intrigued because I love random trivia so I thought this would be an engaging read.  As I write this, I am torn.  There were parts of the book that I really enjoyed but at times the book was kind of a drag.  Garrison breaks the words up into 17 different categories then discusses the roots of over 350 words.  Am I more enlightened because of reading this book.  Yes.  But would I recommend this book as an engaging read for someone to sit down and plow through in a couple sittings?  No.  This book would make a great coffee table or bathroom reader.  The type of book that you read in bits and pieces.  Overall it was a good book, but you have to approach it with the right attitude.  Some of my favorite definitions are:

  • Character – p.37
  • Bring Home the Bacon – p.117
  • Cheese – p.121
  • Crisscross – p.201

If you are a trivia buff or random fact buff then I would recommend What’s in a Word? to you, but otherwise, I would recommend a pass.

Categories
Non-Fiction

Book Review: Living Life In The Zone – A 40-Day Spiritual Game Plan for Men – Kyle Rote Jr., Dr. Joe Pettigrew

lifeinthezone I love being a part of the BookSneeze program, it allows me to read great books like Living Life In The Zone – A 40-Day Spiritual Game Plan for Men. This is the fourth book that I have reviewed for Thomas Nelson Publishers and with each one I have tried to pick a different genre to review.  I have reviewed the following books:

I took a risk when I signed up for this book, but it was a risk that I feel really paid off.  I am not usually the type of person that likes to have his hand held while studying the Bible, but figured I would try this devotional.  I am extremely glad that I did.  The authors hit on all the major topics facing men today (life, wife, kids, friends, work, and the future) in a format that was easy to read, easy to follow, filled with good examples and scripture, and with homework.  It also helped that it used sports as the vehicle to convey the information.  A typical devotional for a day followed this format:

  • Thought for the Day – a short idea to ponder
  • The Coach’s Corner – Discovering the relevance of God’s Word in your life
  • The Game Plan – What the Word of God has to say about the day’s topic
  • Playmakers – Real-life examples of real men in the real world
  • Time Out – Questions for personal reflection
  • Today’s Assignment – Action items for the day
  • Home-Field Advantage – Praises and concerns you want to bring before God

I would completely recommend this devotional for any male who likes sports and is trying to live his life for God.  As I went through this devotional I felt on several occasions that it was speaking directly to a situation that I was facing at that moment in time.  Hopefully, you find this devotional as thought provoking and inspiring as I did.

Rating: 5/5

Categories
Fiction

The Chronicles of Narnia: A Delightful Journey

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader As I have mentioned on Facebook and LinkedIn before (for those of you who are friends of mine on Facebook or LinkedIn) that November, December, and January are my busiest months of the year.  Even though it is my busiest time of year, I still try to keep my reading habits up.  To do that I usually return to books I have read before, but love to read to help me get away from the stress and busyness of my busiest months.

A little under a month ago, I picked up my copy of The Chronicles of Narnia (amazon affiliate link – to the boxed set, I have the unabridged version) and started reading with The Magician’s Nephew.  I have seen worlds created, worlds destroyed, and voyages had.  C. S. Lewis along with J.R.R. Tolkein (with his Lord of the Rings trilogy) have set the standard for what has become the fantasy genre and it is good to go back and read both series from time to time.


The Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader While Hollywood has tried and in my mind succeeded with making movies of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, Prince Caspian, The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King I still love reading the original books from time to time.  I am also looking forward to the Upcoming Voyage of the Dawn Treader movie which comes out this year and The Hobbit movies which are also coming out soon.

Categories
Fiction

You Make the Call!

I hope to do more “You make the call!” posts in the future as I want to have more interaction involved on my site with the loyal readers that I have.  But, they don’t work if you don’t interact so please make a comment.

My wife is reading a book (by an undisclosed author) that she received for Christmas.  It is a fiction book, but the reason that Mandy likes it so much is that it deals with real life issues.  She has not finished yet, but tonight was talking to me about the book.  The reason she talked to me about it is because she wanted to hear what I think the characters should do in their given situation.  Here’s where you come in…I am going to lay out the scenario, but I will change the names of the characters (and some of the irrelevant details) and I want to know what you think should happen.

Scenario:

Katherine is the main character in the book, she is married to Tom.  Katherine is a very busy business woman, Tom is a college professor who is also a journalist.  For the last year, Tom has felt like Katherine doesn’t have time for him and when young Tina, one of his students, shows interest he begins pursuing her, to the point that he falls in love with her, tells Katherine that he wants a divorce and proceeds to move in with Tina and has lived with her for the last 3 months.  In an effort to get Tina out of his mind before he leaves Katherine Tom makes love to Katherine and now Katherine is 3 months pregnant with their first child.  About a month after Tom leaves Katherine runs into Jeremy, the man who she has known since they were 12 (they are now 28).  They were childhood sweethearts and had dated for several years until when Jeremy was injured during a professional game (he is a professional athlete) and Katherine went to the hospital to visit him the nurse told her that Jeremy was in with his girlfriend.  When Katherine heard this, she never entered the hospital room. Now, during the current situation, the mixup is uncovered and they realize that Jeremy never was unfaithful to her, he was in with the team trainer and had told the nurse he couldn’t wait to see his girlfriend (Katherine).  Katherine starts to let herself fall for Jeremy when Tom finds out that she is pregnant with their child and asks their pastor for a meeting between the pastor, Katherine, and himself because he has realized all that he is leaving behind.

We don’t know yet whether or not Tom wants to come back, but here is the question for you to answer, let’s assume Tom does want to come back and he leaves Tina, what should Katherine do?

A couple of Bible passages come to mind as I think about this:

  • The book of Hosea
  • Malachi 2:16
  • Matthew 5:32
  • Matthew 19:1-12

Remember, don’t just be a spectator, let me know what you think…

Categories
Non-Fiction

Book Review: 5 Cities that Ruled the World – How Jerusalem, Athens, Rome, London, & New York Shaped Global History – Douglas Wilson

5 Cities that Ruled the World“Jerusalem represents the soul set free.  Athens established the ideal of free inquiry.  Rome passed on to us liberty of movement, liberty under law.  London was the place where literary imagination was set free.  And New York, with its commercial success, has shown us freedom to trade, and the subsequent freedom from want.” p. 189.

This book is not my normal cup of tea.  Typically, I tend towards fiction or non-fiction that addresses Christian living, but when I read the synopsis for 5 Cities I was intrigued.  The quote by George Santayana “Those who cannot remember the past are doomed to repeat it.” ran through my mind so I signed up to receive it.  I am extremely glad that I did.  Not only was 5 Cities an engaging read but I found myself educated in ways that I did not expect.  I appreciated the author’s in depth analysis of how each of these cities helped shape the world we live in today.  I also appreciated how as opposed to many history books that I have read (mostly from my school days) the author was not afraid to bring the Biblical narrative into the discussion and relate how these cities were affected by people of faith as well as how these cities affected people of faith.  One of the most stunning discoveries for me in this book was the fact that within a few paragraphs the author brought into focus a part of the Old Testament that has been blurry for me for years.  I can’t in good conscience tell you what that revelation was as it would rob you of the opportunity to glean a lot of great information from reading 5 Cities yourself.

Overall I give this book a 4 out of 5, happy reading.

Please feel free to comment or share your thoughts below.