It’s a New Year, so it’s a likely time to revise this whole ‘From My Armchair’ update thing, as it clearly hasn’t been a success to this point – not from any perspective of regularity anyway. So a fresh start for a New Year. Will the format stay the same? How regular will be the updates? And so many other questions to answer also. So many questions – what are the answers? I guess we’ll find out as we go along.

I’ll try and aim for weekly updates I think. But I don’t think I’ll try and include everything in my library and reading world because I think that is what has overwhelmed me in the past as far as keeping this update regular. There has just been too much to try and include, so the time hasn’t been available to do it all and it just gets put off until the time is available – then it never becomes available. If I tried to include all of the books/ebooks I purchase/collect, it would require an enormous effort – even on a weekly basis. So I won’t do that, which is something I stopped doing a while ago anyway.

I’m also going to have to wipe the slate clear as to what I am currently reading or the pressure will become just too great. How can I possibly get on top of the 17 books I have listed as currently reading at Goodreads while others are clamouring for my attention also? It can’t be done, so a fresh start will be required there also I think and that’s fine. That’s what I’m going to do – it has now been determined.

Well, time to start putting thoughts, plans and resolutions into practice.

Social Networks, Web Applications & Other Tools

My overall online profile was pretty much dead for well over a year, thanks to hosting issues at a free web host that continued to procrastinate in resolving issues there. So now I have moved my overall online profile/portal to a server that has my own domain name. It’s a great place to start when looking for me online, not just for reading, books, etc, but for pretty much anywhere that I have an online presence.

Visit Kevin’s Portal at:
http://particularkev.com/

Visit My Goodreads Profile at:
http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/4675745-kevin

Visit My Blogs at:
http://atthebookshelf.com
http://bookstand.tumblr.com/

Currently Reading:

According to my Goodreads records I currently have 17 books/ebooks on the go, which clearly is excessive – lol. However, as mentioned earlier I’ll be wiping this all clean and coming up with a clean slate – or at least a fresh list of books I’m currently reading in the near future.

There will also be an updated reading challenge for 2016, hosted via Goodreads in the near future. I think I will aim for 50 books/ebooks over 2016, though I hope to exceed that number.

So what am I currently actively reading? That will be sorted out over this week and be listed here in the following update. Obviously Goodreads will also have the updated list, along with my progress in those books/ebooks.

Finished Reading:

This is where I’ll be listing books/ebooks I have recently completed.

Here’s a number I recently completed:

• Wild – A Journey from Lost to Found, by Cheryl Strayed (My Review)
• 1492 – The Year Our World Began, by Felipe Fernandez-Armesto
• Unfriend Yourself, by Kyle Tennant
• Does God Control Everything?, by R.C. Sproul
• The Church of Facebook – How the Hyperconnected Are Redefining Community, by Jesse Rice

The Book Stand

Visit The Book Stand at:
http://bookstand.tumblr.com/

Particular Baptist Reading Group

I have a reading group over at Goodreads called the ‘Particular Baptist Reading Group.’ The group is for Particular and Reformed Baptists in particular, though other Christians are still welcome and will find the reading material of great value. Anyone can join and all are welcome – just keep in mind that it is a moderated, Christian reading group.

The idea is that a chapter/portion of a book will be posted once a week, with discussions concerning the chapter/portion taking place within the group at Goodreads. A number of books have been read by the group and currently we are working our way through ‘Desiring God,’ by John Piper.

Visit and Sign up at:
http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/101137-particular-baptist-reading-group