Pages

About Me and My Blog and Amazon Store

My photo
Langley, BC, Canada
I love to read. I love books. I like to talk about books and recommend them. I read everything including cereal boxes and junk mail! I heard once that if you're not reading at least 3 books at a time you're not reading enough! This blog will keep track of the books I've read and whether or not I liked them. It will be a little bit of everything from Christian fiction to Science fiction and fantasy. Feel free to participate by suggesting books to review and giving your comments. Occasionally I am given free books by Publishers in exchange for a review. I am not told how to review them or compensated in any way for the review.

Thursday, September 24, 2009

Bookstores I have known and loved

I’ve said I love books so it’s no surprise I’m sure to hear that I love bookstores and libraries; mostly bookstores though since I get to keep the books! People are always asking me where I get books so I thought I’d share some of my favourite bookstores.

Hemingway Books in Abbotsford is my new favourite used bookstore. It’s very well laid out and has a great selection of new and used books. One of the things I really liked is that the books are shelved horizontally making it much easier to scan the titles and choose books. There are usually several copies of the more popular books and they are the cleanest used books I’ve ever seen.

Black Bond Books has warehouses in Langley and Surrey where you can get new books at a reduced price.

Of course there’s Wendell’s’ Bookstore in Fort Langley where you can buy a book and then have lunch in the adjoining cafĂ©.

My most unique bookstore experience so far is in Sidney, BC where they have a Book Town. This consists of several bookstores scattered about a 2 or 3 block radius. The stores sell both new and used books and some stores have themes like military or history.

The key to a good bookstore experience is the staff. They need to be friendly and knowledgeable about their stock. I love getting recommendations from them and finding out what they are currently reading.

There’s nothing like a good visit to a bookstore but I have to also admit that I love ordering books from Amazon. I like being able to read the reviews before I buy and I like being able to get a list of everything an author has done in order of publication date.

So where do you like to shop for books and why?

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Fearless by Max Lucado

“Imagine your life without fear” and “What if faith, not fear, was your default reaction to threats?” These two phrases alone would be worth the price of the book. But it gets better. This is a great book, one for our uncertain and fear-filled times. Max Lucado fans won’t need a reason to buy this book, but this is a book that everyone else should read as well.

The chapters describe different types of fear and how trust in God allays those fears. Some of the titles include, fear of not mattering, fear of not protecting my kids (every parent should read that chapter), fear of worst case scenarios etc. Each chapter is filled with personal illustrations and stories of people overcoming their fears. He also gives practical advice, for instance 8 worry-stoppers is a list worth pinning up on the bulletin board and taking to heart.

Max is a great writer; the man knows how to turn a phrase and make it sing. Often I would find myself re-reading passages not just because the content was great but because it was so well put together. But even if you don’t appreciate good prose you will appreciate the content and what he has to say about fear and trusting God.

Sunday, September 6, 2009

Crazy Love by Francis Chan

In Crazy Love, Francis Chan attempts to mobilize a sleeping, lukewarm church into action. The first chapter is entitled, Stop Praying. By which he means we should stand before God in awe and silence, drinking in who He is and what He’s done for us. The first three chapters describe the greatness of God in creation, in what He did for us and is doing for us. The rest of the book talks about how we should live our lives in light of the fact that God loves us so much.

Chan is passionate about this subject. He really wants us to get it. So much so that he often comes across in his writing as an angry or maybe disappointed parent wishing his children would understand what he’s trying to teach them. He has some harsh things to say about lukewarm Christians and whether or not you can really be lukewarm and a Christian. One of the things he does in the book is to keep directing us back to the website and videos he’s done on the subject... The videos are good but it distracted me from reading the book.

Ultimately though, despite the tone and distractions this is a challenging book. It will challenge you to really think about God and the place He has in your life. It will challenge you to live your life as if you really do believe that the God of the universe does love and care for you. And because of that, it’s worth reading.