Rating: 5 out of 5
In light of a new year coming up or at anytime you find yourself at a new beginning, it would be a good idea to have an effective and efficient method for making decisions. We all have decisions in our past that we regret, and we may even be suffering the consequences of some of those decisions. Andy Stanley's book THE BEST QUESTION EVER is a helpful look at how to make wise decisions.
Stanley has a way of laying out things clearly and honestly. The book encourages to evaluate decisions in light of past experience, present circumstances, and future hopes and dreams. Stanley gives measure for living a life and making decisions that are more than just "not wrong." Just because something isn't wrong doesn't mean we should do it. Instead, we should look for the wise thing to do.
THE BEST QUESTION EVER is about drawing upon God's wisdom and living a life with few regrets.
Review copy provided by Waterbrook Multnomah through Blogging for Books
Monday, December 31, 2012
Review of the upcoming ALFRED HITCHCOCK'S MOVIE MAKING MASTER CLASS by Tony Lee Moral
COMING MAY 2013
Rating: 5 out of 5
Alfred Hitchcock made a lot of great movies that have stood the test of time. I can’t say that I’ve seen very many of them, but I’m well aware of his influence on some of my favorite modern filmmakers. Tony Lee Moral takes the approach of learning about filmmaking by exploring Hitchcock's process and methods in his upcoming book ALFRED HITCHCOCK'S MOVIE MAKING MASTER CLASS.
Though the book explores Hitchcock's movies, the strength of the book is that Moral uses Hitchcock's approach to filmmaking to communicate a comprehensive look at all aspects of filmmaking from the original idea to the finished product. Hitchcock was a very involved filmmaker and had input in all aspects of his film, and this translates well into teaching about the different aspects of filmmaking in the book.
Some of the aspects that are particularly helpful from a Hitchcockian standpoint are the use of camera angles, cutting your movie to increase suspense, and the use of music. But the book also discusses working with actors and stages of story development.
ALFRED HITCHCOCK'S MOVIE MAKING MASTER CLASS is just what the title says it is, and film makers can learn much from walking through Moral's book.
Advance Review Copy provided by Michael Wiese Productions
Rating: 5 out of 5
Alfred Hitchcock made a lot of great movies that have stood the test of time. I can’t say that I’ve seen very many of them, but I’m well aware of his influence on some of my favorite modern filmmakers. Tony Lee Moral takes the approach of learning about filmmaking by exploring Hitchcock's process and methods in his upcoming book ALFRED HITCHCOCK'S MOVIE MAKING MASTER CLASS.
Though the book explores Hitchcock's movies, the strength of the book is that Moral uses Hitchcock's approach to filmmaking to communicate a comprehensive look at all aspects of filmmaking from the original idea to the finished product. Hitchcock was a very involved filmmaker and had input in all aspects of his film, and this translates well into teaching about the different aspects of filmmaking in the book.
Some of the aspects that are particularly helpful from a Hitchcockian standpoint are the use of camera angles, cutting your movie to increase suspense, and the use of music. But the book also discusses working with actors and stages of story development.
ALFRED HITCHCOCK'S MOVIE MAKING MASTER CLASS is just what the title says it is, and film makers can learn much from walking through Moral's book.
Advance Review Copy provided by Michael Wiese Productions
Review of THE PANEM COMPANION by V. Arrow
Rating: 5 out of 5
Right before The Hunger Games movie came out I decided to finally sit down and read the books, and they quickly became one of my favorite book series I've ever read. When you get caught in a book's narrative the way The Hunger Games pulls you in, you hate to leave that world you've come to know so well through the story. V. Arrow, creator of the most well-known fan map of Panem, has written an unofficial guide to the series called THE PANEM COMPANION.
THE PANEM COMPANION goes through the process of mapping out the land area of Panem and gives a full- color map of the world Suzanne Collins may have had in mind when she wrote the series. The book explores some of the common elements that fans find themselves interested in about Panem and delves deeper into possible answer's for things such as race and ethnicity in Panem, gender roles, the rebellion, Prim's parentage, and much more.
THE PANEM COMPANION is a great opportunity to journey back into the world of Panem and speculate about some of the themes and elements of The Hunger Games series.
Review copy provided by Smart Pop Books
Right before The Hunger Games movie came out I decided to finally sit down and read the books, and they quickly became one of my favorite book series I've ever read. When you get caught in a book's narrative the way The Hunger Games pulls you in, you hate to leave that world you've come to know so well through the story. V. Arrow, creator of the most well-known fan map of Panem, has written an unofficial guide to the series called THE PANEM COMPANION.
THE PANEM COMPANION goes through the process of mapping out the land area of Panem and gives a full- color map of the world Suzanne Collins may have had in mind when she wrote the series. The book explores some of the common elements that fans find themselves interested in about Panem and delves deeper into possible answer's for things such as race and ethnicity in Panem, gender roles, the rebellion, Prim's parentage, and much more.
THE PANEM COMPANION is a great opportunity to journey back into the world of Panem and speculate about some of the themes and elements of The Hunger Games series.
Review copy provided by Smart Pop Books
Review of THE THINGS THAT MATTER by Nate Berkus
Rating: 4 out of 5
My wife Lindsey loves interior design and is really good designing spaces that look really visually appealing. So I wanted to check out Nate Berkus' newest book THE THINGS THAT MATTER. Berkus is one of the world's most recognized and celebrated interior designers.
The book is really a chronicle of his life and the people and things that have inspired and shaped his sense of style. It's not really a how-to book on how to do great interior design, but people can still learn from it.
Berkus takes us on a journey through his own home and the homes of some other people as well. The main point that he's trying to make is that the design of your home should tell a story about who you are, which is an idea that my wife loves. The book wasn't really type of book I get into, but people interested in interior design will probably find it interesting
Review copy provided by Spiegel and Grau
My wife Lindsey loves interior design and is really good designing spaces that look really visually appealing. So I wanted to check out Nate Berkus' newest book THE THINGS THAT MATTER. Berkus is one of the world's most recognized and celebrated interior designers.
The book is really a chronicle of his life and the people and things that have inspired and shaped his sense of style. It's not really a how-to book on how to do great interior design, but people can still learn from it.
Berkus takes us on a journey through his own home and the homes of some other people as well. The main point that he's trying to make is that the design of your home should tell a story about who you are, which is an idea that my wife loves. The book wasn't really type of book I get into, but people interested in interior design will probably find it interesting
Review copy provided by Spiegel and Grau
Review of THE SAINT WHO WOULD BE SANTA CLAUS by Adam C. English
Rating: 5 out of 5
It’s hard to know what to tell your kids about Santa Claus when you want the Christmas holiday to be about focusing on Jesus, why he came, and what he ultimately did for us. Santa can be used to promote a lot of self-centered focus and ideas that Christmas is really Santa’s holiday rather than the time we celebrate the birth of God in the flesh. However, I’ve always known that the Santa Claus myth that we know today evolved from the story of a real man named Saint Nicholas of Myra, and it is this man that can teach us a lot about who Jesus is and what Christmas is about.
In his fantastic new book THE SAINT WHO WOULD BE SANTA CLAUS, Adam C. English takes us on an historical journey into the life of the real life Saint Nicholas, and it’s a truly interesting story. Saint Nicholas was a wise and humble Christian leader most known for rescuing three girls from prostitution by secretly delivering money in a small pouch through their window at night. Nicholas was instrumental in the church Council of Nicea and the destruction of the temple of Artemis in Myra.
Though some of the legends surrounding Nicholas are a little unbelievable, the book lays out a genuine story of a man committed to Christ and his desires for the world. English’s research is impeccable, making this surely the best book on the subject. There’s not much focus on the modern Santa Claus myth other than a brief look at Coca Cola’s role in shaping our ideas about him. The focus is really on the real man, and I have to recommend this as one of the most interesting books I’ve ever read on a historical figure.
Review copy provided by Baylor University Press
It’s hard to know what to tell your kids about Santa Claus when you want the Christmas holiday to be about focusing on Jesus, why he came, and what he ultimately did for us. Santa can be used to promote a lot of self-centered focus and ideas that Christmas is really Santa’s holiday rather than the time we celebrate the birth of God in the flesh. However, I’ve always known that the Santa Claus myth that we know today evolved from the story of a real man named Saint Nicholas of Myra, and it is this man that can teach us a lot about who Jesus is and what Christmas is about.
In his fantastic new book THE SAINT WHO WOULD BE SANTA CLAUS, Adam C. English takes us on an historical journey into the life of the real life Saint Nicholas, and it’s a truly interesting story. Saint Nicholas was a wise and humble Christian leader most known for rescuing three girls from prostitution by secretly delivering money in a small pouch through their window at night. Nicholas was instrumental in the church Council of Nicea and the destruction of the temple of Artemis in Myra.
Though some of the legends surrounding Nicholas are a little unbelievable, the book lays out a genuine story of a man committed to Christ and his desires for the world. English’s research is impeccable, making this surely the best book on the subject. There’s not much focus on the modern Santa Claus myth other than a brief look at Coca Cola’s role in shaping our ideas about him. The focus is really on the real man, and I have to recommend this as one of the most interesting books I’ve ever read on a historical figure.
Review copy provided by Baylor University Press
Sunday, December 30, 2012
Review of GOD AT WAR by Gregory A. Boyd
Rating: 4 out of 5
For a long time I’ve heard people say things about God that didn’t quite add up either logically or biblically concerning why evil exists in the world. Most people struggle with the idea of evil and suffering existing in a world created by and governed by a perfectly loving and powerful God, so it’s natural to want to try to reconcile how this can be true. Since the days of Augustine, the common solution has been the Greater Good Theodicy, which states that any evil event that happens, God allows to happen in order to bring about a greater good. In fact, in this scheme, evil is mysteriously a part of God’s plan without him being guilty of causing it. I began to question this idea because if God needs to allow an evil event in order to bring about a “greater” good, then that makes the evil event necessary. Put simply, God needs evil to bring about good. Put that way, it’s an appalling thought. A perfectly loving and powerful God couldn’t need evil to bring about his purposes. Yet evil still exists, and Christians still believe that God is perfectly loving and powerful. So how do we reconcile these two truths?
In GOD AT WAR, theologian and pastor Gregory A. Boyd spends considerable time tearing down the biblical inconsistency of the Greater Good Theodicy. Though I don’t agree with Boyd’s stance on God’s foreknowledge (Boyd is an open theist), I found this book to be incredibly illuminating about the nature of the world we live in and how evil exists within it while God is perfectly loving and powerful.
Boyd proposes a warfare worldview, that we live in a universe that is at war, between God is who is good and beings he created that started out good but went bad of their own free will. Boyd takes us on an exploration of key texts in both the Old and New Testaments to show that beings endowed with creaturely free will often do things that are in opposition to God’s desires, and God allows this, not to bring about a greater good, but because he created a world of free creatures who, in many ways, can do what they want. Of course, God isn’t just standing idly by while people are suffering. God is very active in the world to eradicate evil, but his desire in the beginning was to work through people. Therefore, God works in people and through people to eradicate evil.
Boyd shows how fallen angels have free will and make decisions and take actions that are often harmful to us as human beings. God is at war with these beings, and this presents the warfare worldview. We shouldn’t think that Boyd is presenting a weak God, but a God who deeply loves his creation and can do anything he wants yet chooses to work within the created order he instituted.
GOD AT WAR is a thorough book with many endnotes. This is very helpful for doing deeper study. Body cares much about people and how God is presented to them. I really appreciated this book and its accurate portrayal of a warfare worldview.
Review copy provided by InterVarsity Press
For a long time I’ve heard people say things about God that didn’t quite add up either logically or biblically concerning why evil exists in the world. Most people struggle with the idea of evil and suffering existing in a world created by and governed by a perfectly loving and powerful God, so it’s natural to want to try to reconcile how this can be true. Since the days of Augustine, the common solution has been the Greater Good Theodicy, which states that any evil event that happens, God allows to happen in order to bring about a greater good. In fact, in this scheme, evil is mysteriously a part of God’s plan without him being guilty of causing it. I began to question this idea because if God needs to allow an evil event in order to bring about a “greater” good, then that makes the evil event necessary. Put simply, God needs evil to bring about good. Put that way, it’s an appalling thought. A perfectly loving and powerful God couldn’t need evil to bring about his purposes. Yet evil still exists, and Christians still believe that God is perfectly loving and powerful. So how do we reconcile these two truths?
In GOD AT WAR, theologian and pastor Gregory A. Boyd spends considerable time tearing down the biblical inconsistency of the Greater Good Theodicy. Though I don’t agree with Boyd’s stance on God’s foreknowledge (Boyd is an open theist), I found this book to be incredibly illuminating about the nature of the world we live in and how evil exists within it while God is perfectly loving and powerful.
Boyd proposes a warfare worldview, that we live in a universe that is at war, between God is who is good and beings he created that started out good but went bad of their own free will. Boyd takes us on an exploration of key texts in both the Old and New Testaments to show that beings endowed with creaturely free will often do things that are in opposition to God’s desires, and God allows this, not to bring about a greater good, but because he created a world of free creatures who, in many ways, can do what they want. Of course, God isn’t just standing idly by while people are suffering. God is very active in the world to eradicate evil, but his desire in the beginning was to work through people. Therefore, God works in people and through people to eradicate evil.
Boyd shows how fallen angels have free will and make decisions and take actions that are often harmful to us as human beings. God is at war with these beings, and this presents the warfare worldview. We shouldn’t think that Boyd is presenting a weak God, but a God who deeply loves his creation and can do anything he wants yet chooses to work within the created order he instituted.
GOD AT WAR is a thorough book with many endnotes. This is very helpful for doing deeper study. Body cares much about people and how God is presented to them. I really appreciated this book and its accurate portrayal of a warfare worldview.
Review copy provided by InterVarsity Press
Review of BEGINNER'S GUIDE TO DIGITAL PAINTING IN PHOTOSHOP
The BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO DIGITAL PAINTING IN PHOTOSHOP begins with an introduction describing the role of digital painters as concept artists for the visual elements we see in movies and video games. But even before that we’re introduced to some visually stunning images on the front cover of examples of digital painting. The book is designed for someone with no experience in digital painting or using Photoshop who wants to learn how to create incredible art through digital painting.
The book features step-by-step tutorials on how to set up Photoshop, including all the settings you need to be aware of in order to get the most out of the program. You’re introduced to the Photoshop workspace and how to actually put lines and color onto a digital canvas. The book is really a collection of essays by some of the world’s best digital painting experts on topics such as the different elements of art fundamentals, painting sci-fi, using photographs, and a look through some actual digital painting projects.
The book includes some great visual illustrations throughout that give beginners a level of quality in digital painting to strive for. It also shows what artistic capabilities are possible and what can be accomplished. It’s all very technical and will take a lot of patience, but it’s a great intro to digital painting using Photoshop.
Review copy provided by 3DTotal Publishing
The book features step-by-step tutorials on how to set up Photoshop, including all the settings you need to be aware of in order to get the most out of the program. You’re introduced to the Photoshop workspace and how to actually put lines and color onto a digital canvas. The book is really a collection of essays by some of the world’s best digital painting experts on topics such as the different elements of art fundamentals, painting sci-fi, using photographs, and a look through some actual digital painting projects.
The book includes some great visual illustrations throughout that give beginners a level of quality in digital painting to strive for. It also shows what artistic capabilities are possible and what can be accomplished. It’s all very technical and will take a lot of patience, but it’s a great intro to digital painting using Photoshop.
Review copy provided by 3DTotal Publishing
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