Jason Cox
This is an absolutely fabulous book for anyone who wants to transform their financial situation from a nightmare into an absolute dream! My wife and I are currently going through Financial Peace University and this book is almost exactly the same information. It is indispensible.
Financial Peace Revisited is essentially the book form of Financial Peace University and is actually a part of that curriculum as you are asked to read certain chapters in association with a given week's topic.
The book has chapters and subsections. Chapters cover really everything you need to know about money, starting with the basics, then expanding into topics that will help you understand the spiritual aspects of money (yes there are some) the emotional aspects of handling money, lifestyles (and lifestyle management). And of course they cover budgets and the famous Debt Snowball.
Basically everything is geared toward educating you not only to understand money but also to understand why you are tempted to do the things that end up causing people to end up in money trouble. More likely than not, if you're reading this book you have experienced some financial trouble, or are pretty deeply in trouble. It's not enough to blindly follow somebody's advice on how to get out of it. If you do that, you'll simply end up in the same trouble again in the future. On the other hand, if you learn the pitfall(s) that lead to your trouble in the first place you are really learning how to avoid falling into the same trap(s) in the future.
This book isn't just for people who know nothing about money. Later chapters discuss building strong emergency funds (and why you should), retirement funds (and educates you on the most common solid options there), insurance coverage, and even charitable giving. There are chapters on teaching your children about money and also on how to handle money issues with family and friends (which can be touchy and very dangerous if you don't think about it logically.
Overall, this is an absolutely fantastic book. I can't say enough about it. Almost everyone out there could likely learn some things in this book that can substantially change their financial future, or at least has the potential to do so. Those lease likely to benefit are people who are deeply involved with wealth management already (perhaps professionally). And we all know people who constantly tell people the right thing to do, yet fail to follow their own advice.
Interesting thriller with a different twist than anything I've read before. Some of the characters are hard to like due to their personal lifestyle choices & there is a lot of sexual violence. However, it is realistically portrayed & I don't think it is actually gratuitous. One of the best thrillers I've read.
Lots of hype... Hard to really get into this one as a physician as this guys tries to be as offensive as humanly possible towards us. There are good concepts in here, but there's a lot of unrealistic stuff as well. I read this with an open mind, but the approach he took closed my mind toward his concepts by 2/3 of the way through the book due to his offensive attitude.
This was a good book, overall. I think the topic is timely and this is a reasonably proper Biblical basis to the book. The key factor here is the focus on pomp and ceremony.
The real take-home meat of this book is in the first few chapters - defining “authentic manhood” in a way that we can both aspire to as fathers and aspire to raise our sons to that same standard. In a way, I think it's a bit short on helpful suggestions. But then again, maybe it's more of a “call to arms” than a “battle plan” so to speak. Not a lot wrong with that. i've been going through the video series with some local guys as well and that helps flesh it out quite a bit.
The positives are good Biblical referencing for the sections that discuss manhood definitions and the importance of active, intentional fatherhood to provide your son(s) with the right direction to their lives.
The negatives, however, are pretty significant. There is a lot of emphasis on ceremony, which may (or may not) be useful in each son's particular case. There is literal emphasis on the importance of the ceremony to be “expensive,” which to me is somewhat offensive. There is also emphasis on the family crest which promotes pride for the family, which may or may not be useful in years to come. Though it could certainly benefit the father-son relationship by giving a common creative activity. There is not much Biblical basis for these activities, however, so again, be aware of this fact.
Overall, I think that if you take this book as a call to arms, toward setting a higher standard for our sons in both their character and relationship with the Lord, I think this book is a reasonable start. If you are truly looking for something deeper, I think you may need to look elsewhere, but Raising a Modern-Day Knight is a short, easy read so it may be worth looking into regardless.
Read with discernment and try to keep your focus on creating a heart for Christ in your sons, being an active and intentional father, and modeling in your own life the positive characteristics you want for your son.
This is a really great book to start with if you're just getting into the self-help or personal productivity genre, or if you're genuinely trying to take things to the next level. It is pretty well laser focused about getting YOU laser-focused on exactly what you should be spending time on. There's an infinite amount of things you could be doing right this very moment. But not all of those things are equal in how they will effect your future. There may be a dozen things that you really need to work on to make an impact on your future, whether they be items that need to get done for work, family, home, or personal projects. But even among these dozen items there is more than likely one singular thing that is the absolute best way you should be spending your time to help you achieve the most important goal(s) in your life. It's really that simple. But how frequently do we get sidetracked by the “easier” thing to do. Or the thing that seems like it's more important. Or the thing your boss has asked you to do but which isn't congruent with your life goals. Or maybe there is something you could do that will massively help you with other projects down the line, making them easier or even possible.While the concept is simple, the execution is almost always harder. And sometimes you're going to have to make some choices that might seem odd to those who aren't on your same wavelength. But these are the things the most successful people are able to pick out and focus their energy on. Sometimes radical goals call for radical decisions and actions to back them up. This is a great place to start to get yourself thinking this way and then start implementing some changes in your life. This book is an excellent adjunct to [b:Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity 1633 Getting Things Done The Art of Stress-Free Productivity David Allen https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1312474060s/1633.jpg 5759] and [b:Your Best Year Ever: A 5-Step Plan for Achieving Your Most Important Goals 35138433 Your Best Year Ever A 5-Step Plan for Achieving Your Most Important Goals Michael Hyatt https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1514430789s/35138433.jpg 56463639].
While I enjoyed the story in Mote, and generally enjoyed the characters and the political considerations, I really had a hard time getting through this one. It was really slow in areas. A lot of areas. I can understand why some consider this one of the best SF books ever, but it's not one of those books that makes you lose sleep because you want to just get through this chapter. And then the next.
Really enjoyed this fast-paced take on a virtual reality thriller. It had some similar themes to Ready Player One, but completely different execution and feel. I liked RPO a lot more, but I'm definitely psyched to continue with this series.
In a Sunburned Country is Bill Bryson's entertaining memoir on his travel through Australia.
If you, like me, have always had a strange fascination about that country down under, there's an excellent chance you'll enjoy this book. If you also like dry-witted humor and a strong dose of irony, then this book should probably be the next book you read.
The author, Bill Bryson, is an American-born journalist who lived half of his life in England essentially writing color pieces about things from an American perspective for the London Times. He has a very interesting style of writing and a combination of British humor and American sensibility that makes for a highly ironic perspective that comes through in all of his writing. If you've read any of his books, you'll already know what I mean.
In this tome, Bryson focuses entirely on the Australian continent. Starting with historical facts and statistics that set up Australia as a strange and wonderful place, he then covers his travels around the country. His travel style is to hunt for gems in a particular area with scientific, historic, or cultural interest and he discusses briefly the interesting things he finds along the way. His discussion doesn't just cover a single trip to the continent down under, but rather combines anecdotes from all of his trips.
Along the way he finds a way to squeeze in colorful descriptions of the peoples of Australia and their general character through individual specific historic examples as well as personal experiences and statistics. He similarly gives a picture of each of Australia's great cities (and several smaller ones) and states. You'll find some interesting, if confusing, discussion of the Australian political system and it's relationship with mother country England.
Periodically, he comes back to historical facts about the country including it's “discovery” in the modern world. Later he talks about it's original “discovery” by ancients who became the aborigines. He gives a fair amount of discussion about the aboriginal people and their strife in the country. A sad discussion, but handled well and with compassion. This is the type of discussion I doubt you'd find in any other book on Australia.
Overall, this is quite an excellent book. It moves quickly and keeps you entertained along the way. If you have the pleasure to get the unabridged audiobook version, you'll be listening to Bryson narrate the book himself. Not all authors do a good job with this. Bill Bryson excels, though.
My only criticisms of the book are as follows: apparently it was written in 1999 or so. That dates the book in some areas (the political discussion) and probably impacts his discussions of the major cities. This isn't a huge detractor. The first time I read the book was 2004 and none of that was notable. Now, however, it calls itself to your attention occasionally. My other criticism is that there is the occasional gratuitous use of curse words. Some are understandable, but many if not most just seem gratuitous and unnecessary. (Hence the 4 instead of 5 stars.)
I've read this one twice now, separated by enough distance that I had forgotten all the intricate details that are what made this truly a fantastic read.
Of course we have our crew back from Phoenix Guards - Khaavren, Aerich, Tazendra and Pel, all having spent the last 500+ years advancing in their careers. Emperor Tortalik has been less than stellar at governing the empire and evidence of this is that his own coffers are running dry. There is much intrigue due to the way the Emperor has to depend on a stipend from the various houses and there is a reckoning coming where they all will meet to decide how much they will pay. Of course, each house feels they shouldn't have to pay. Meanwhile, several members of the leadership team under Tortalik are assassinated, including Khaavren's Captain of the Guard (with several attempts on Khaavren himself). The finance minister is one of those, leaving in complete disarray the Imperial budget. At the same time, Adron's daughter makes her first appearance at court, turning heads from the Imperial Consort and generally stirring things up.
That's about as far as I'll go, but needless to say, if you've read any of the books set in Dragaeria, you'll know how it ends. But just exactly how it comes to pass and ends up that way are what makes this history interesting and worthwhile.
This is one of the most important books a Christian can read to help with growth in Christlikeness.
It's not an easy read, per se, though it is well written. It will challenge you in how you have previously and are currently spending your time and efforts. At some point, perhaps often, you will be convicted of not pursuing Him the way you should. But that is all good. Because once you know the ways the Holy Spirit can and will use to grow you, you'll want to spend time in that pursuit.
Keep in mind that this is not about earning your way into heaven. That is simply not possible, no matter how much effort you put into it. But once you have been justified in Christ, you will naturally want to become more like Him. This is a great place to start to get on that path.
This is my 2nd read of this book (first was 12-13 years ago, I believe) and I definitely got a ton out of this. I honestly think this is a book I could read yearly and get plenty out of it. One thing I've done this time (a habit I developed in my read-through of Grudem's Systematic Theology) is I took pretty detailed notes in the Obsidian app in outline form. So I can refer to them and get a huge portion of the value in just a fraction of the time. Or if I need to refresh my mind on one of the Disciplines in particular, I can refer back to the appropriate section. (Yes, I give myself credit for the Discipline of Journaling in this endeavor!)
This was my very first Discworld novel. I've been meaning to start the series for decades, but never could decide where to start (there is a lot of advice on the internet NOT to start with book 1 - The Colour of Magic). I decided to start with the City Watch based on several of these recommendations.
In short, I really enjoyed this novel. The characters are absolutely fantastic. The world-building is awesome. And while you may at first think you're reading simple, light hearty fare, by the end of the book, you'll realize the degree of depth is HUGE. The cynicism that turns out to run to the very core of Discworld society. I can't describe how well this is done. And with the characters Pratchett uses to do it.
Simply brilliant.
Incredibly fun.
Some of the best characters I've read in a long time.
Truly unique world-building.
Just a few thoughts on this one:
1. I implemented the policies in this book when I was in my 20's. I suspect that not everyone is capable of doing what Ms. Knight suggests because they “care too much.” Those people likely always will due to fear of social consequences. The 98% of people who don't live like this will always be offended by the 1-2% who do. Be prepared for some kickback for that reason.
2. It's not a deep book. Make sure you make this a quick read. There are not layers like an onion to this, even though the author seems to suggest that. If you literally take the title of the book, and choose where you care about things, you have 95% of the entire concept. The other 5% is this: Try not to be an actual Jerk about it. Choose your wording with kindness in mind. This is the hard part. Also, she doesn't mention that about 50% of people are going to think you're a jerk no matter how much you sugar-coat things or tiptoe around peoples' sensitivities. Most people truly can't handle the truth and are easily offended.
3. I think the book was written initially as a joke, just to see how many times she could drop the F-bomb in a book and get it published. It's excessive and actually diminishes the value of the book. Ridiculously, there is a point in the book where the word “shit” is bleeped. This literally dropped my jaw. It's stupefying.
This is an excellent visualization of the state of our country's finances and why you should be concerned about it. While I actually “read” it in the unabridged audible version, I ended up buying the paper version as well because it is absolutely laden with graphs, charts, and pictures that visually illustrate the discussion and are extremely well done.
Make no mistake, this is a Glen Beck book and therefore there is a considerable amount of bias. But just as the leftward bias of many authors shouldn't keep conservative-minded individuals from reading some of those books (The World is Flat; Hot, Flat, and Crowded), the same should be true for liberal-minded individuals when it comes to reading a book like this.
We, as a country, are long past the point at which we can continue to put our heads in the sand and continue to dole out entitlements without concern for the budget or where the money is coming from.
Fun jaunt into space with deeper than expected characters, interesting situations, and a cliffhanger ending.
This second book of the Frontlines series is very well written. The characters are nicely developed and developing. The situations they find themselves in are interesting and make it hard to put this book down. The main character is very much identifiable, I really find myself enthralled with what happens next and what's going to happen to him. The supporting cast is likewise interesting and keeps you coming back for more. Conflict between the various groups is interesting and seems to just be heating up.
Overall very good book & series. If you enjoy the Bobiverse books by Dennis Taylor, you'll find a lot to like here, too.
This is an excellent treatise on the most important aspect of God - His holiness. It's one of the most incomprehensible aspects of His character and what sets Him farthest apart from us. But it is critical to understand, especially when it comes to understanding the questions of “why does God...” that so often frustrate Christians or people who claim Christianity or are interested in it. It's also, in my mind, the most glaring omission for those progressive “Christians” who constantly try to conform Biblical understanding to current world culture. These things just do not mix, and there's a reason for that: God is Holy Holy Holy. We are not. Understanding that is the key to understanding why we need a savior.
While some of this book was excellent and entertaining... much of it read as Martin selling himself for the corporate machine as in “buy my services and this is why.” It's almost as if there should be a consumer version of the book and a free version that he would circulate to corporate marketing departments as an ad for himself and his services.
Still, the general themes found within Buyology are certainly eye-opening and a little frightening when you really think about it, and I feel better at least knowing the marketing that is being arrayed against me.
Excellent continuation of the series. Focuses on conflict on the first planet colonized up after the gate is opened. Holden and his crew is called in to intervene between the OPA refugee settlers from Ganymede who got there first and the UN-approved corporate scientist team that is given a charter to settle and explore.
Interestingly, Miller features a lot more in this one, and you get to understand a bit more of him and how he works. Miller's old partner, Havelock features and is playing for the other team. Amongst other interesting events, there is a direct encounter with the ones
Very nice perspective on how a Christian should perceive post-modernism and CRT as it is currently expressed in our society.