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Article: 10 New Must-Reads for October


The link below is to an article/listing of 10 suggested ‘must-reads’ for October 2012. Anything catch your fancy?

For more visit:
http://www.flavorwire.com/333261/10-new-must-reads-for-october-2

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Article: Banned Books in the USA for 2012


The link below is to an article which contains an interactive infographic. The infographic looks at the top 10 banned or challenged books in the USA for 2012 and the reasons why.

For more visit:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/30/banned-books-week-top-10-_n_1926829.html

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From My Armchair: 4 August 2012


I am into my last days of annual leave, so it is doubtful I’ll be able to read anywhere near as much as I have this last week. I’ll probably have the Kindle out at lunch for a bit, so I’ll still be getting some reading in even while I’m at work. The Kindle has certainly made it a lot easier to have good reading material available no matter where I am. Loving the Kindle.

 

Social Networks, Web Applications & Other Tools

Not a lot has happened with the social networks in the book/reading niche over this last week, except that I have been updating Goodreads on a regular basis as to what I am reading, progress and cataloguing the books as I go.

I did do a quick addition to Quotista, which has a lot of potential but doesn’t appear to be being developed any further, which is quite disappointing. It could really be something good if it was improved from time to time. It looks so good. So, I have also been using a personal WordPress.com blog for filing quotes. This will be able to be searched and catalogued as I go and will make a very good tool down the track, curating my reading over the years, while still being able to use my books as valuable tools for further research and study. I think it works OK.

 

Currently Reading:

Currently, I am reading two books – well one actually, but about to start another. These are listed below:

Killing Calvinism– Killing Calvinism: How to Destroy a Perfectly Good Theology from the Inside, by Greg Dutcher

I have started reading this twice – it is an excellent read and I wanted to absorb what I had read, so I thought why not start again. Highly recommend this one.

See also:
https://atthebookshelf.wordpress.com/2012/07/31/book-review-killing-calvinism-how-to-destroy-a-perfectly-good-theology-from-the-inside-by-greg-dutcher/

 

– Phantoms on the Bookshelves, by Jacques Bonnet

I haven’t really started this book as I finish this post, but it will be one I’ll be starting some time today.

 

Finished Reading:

Treasure IslandI have managed to get a couple of books read this week (and even reviewed).

– One of these book was ‘Treasure Island,’ by Robert Louis Stevenson. I read this on the Kindle and it was a very quick read, finishing it in two days. My book review is linked to below.

For more visit:
https://atthebookshelf.wordpress.com/2012/08/02/book-review-treasure-island-by-robert-louis-stevenson/

 

The Bourne Identity– I also managed to complete ‘The Bourne Identity,’ by Robert Ludlum. This is the first of 10 books in the Jason Bourne series.

I haven’t yet completed a book review on this one, it will be coming soon.

 

The Hunger Games– I both purchased and read the first book in The Hunger Games trilogy, ‘The Hunger Games,’ by Suzzane Collins this week.

I haven’t yet completed a book review on this one either, but it will come this week sometime hopefully.

 

Purchased & Added to Library:

I again grabbed a heap of free ebooks from Amazon. These are all of the books I’ve posted on my Blog ‘The Book Stand,’ so all posted there I also downloaded for myself. I’ll certainly have more books than I can ever read that’s for sure, but certainly never wanting for choice. No harm in grabbing them while there free and in digital format – if I don’t read them all, what does it matter? At least I’ll have them if I want to read them.

Among the books I actually purchased this week:

The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins
Phantoms on the Bookshelves, by Jacques Bonnet

 

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Book Review: Killing Calvinism – How to Destroy a Perfectly Good Theology from the Inside, by Greg Dutcher


Killing CalvinismI have started reading ‘Killing Calvinism – How to Destroy a Perfectly Good Theology from the Inside,’ by Greg Dutcher. This book was released by Cruciform Press in June 2012, so I have been reading a new book for a change. Generally I read books that were written many years ago, often several centuries ago, so this was a bit unusual for me. It was however the title of the book, along with a review that I had read somewhere, that drew my attention to it and so I decided to buy it at Amazon in Kindle format.

So reading the book I quickly discovered that it was a very easy book to read, even though it dealt with a subject that was indeed crucial, timely and weighty. Calvinism is the behemoth of Christian theology, being a system of truth that epitomises the teaching of Scripture. It has produced great works of theology, some very technical and verbose in nature. Yet here was a book looking at this system of truth that was easy to read and speaking straight to the heart with great warmth and even humour (yes humour).

However, it would be a mistake to think that this book dealt with Calvinism in a detached manner, somehow separated from the adherent to it. Indeed, this book seeks to penetrate the hearts of the adherents of Calvinism and to strike at the heart of the matter. This is not a book that somehow produces a barren formalism, rather it smashes through formalism and seeks the real Calvinism, one that comes from the inner person regenerated by the spirit of God and transforms the lives of those that profess it. It is a living Calvinism that this book seeks and challenges everything else that claims to be Calvinism, but yet has nothing of its soul. This book is a clarion call for a Calvinism that ignited the hearts of a Calvin, of a Spurgeon and of a Bunyan and desires a turning away from all that is not. I love Calvinism – it leads me to God and the way of life he wishes me to lead and live. This book reminds me of this and for that I am thankful to Him for allowing me to read it. It is as Dutcher describes it, the windscreen of truth that allows me to see God and how he wants me to live for Him.

Buy this book at Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Killing-Calvinism-Perfectly-Theology-ebook/dp/B0088PBC5G

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Article: Amazon’s Big Fall Books Preview 2012


What are going to be the next big offerings in books/ebooks? Well, Amazon have compiled a list of books/ebooks, which can be found on the Amazon site. 

For more visit:
Amazon.com: The Big Fall Books Preview 2012.

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Article: Miles Franklin Award Won by Anna Funder


The 2012 Miles Franklin Literary Award has been won by the debut novel of Anna Funder – ‘All That I Am.’

For more visit:
http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/books/anna-funders-all-that-i-am-wins-miles-franklin-20120620-20ocj.html

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Article: Recent Big Ebay Sales for Books


The link below is to an article about recent top Ebay book sales, from March to May 2012.

For more visit:
http://www.finebooksmagazine.com/fine_books_blog/2012/05/recent-top-ebay-book-sales-march-may-2012.phtml

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Article: Pulitzer Awards for 2012


The link below is to an article reporting on the Pulitzer Awards for 2012.

For more visit:
http://www.pulitzer.org/awards/2012

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Article: 2012 Australian Book Industry Awards Finalists Announced


The link below is to an article listing the various finalists for this year’s Australian Book Industry Awards.

For more visit:
http://www.booksellerandpublisher.com.au/DetailPage.aspx?type=item&ID=23312

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Article: Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA) 2012 Book of the Year Awards Shortlists


The following link is to an article listing the various shortlists for the 2012 CBCA Book of the Year Awards.

For more, visit:
http://www.booksellerandpublisher.com.au/DetailPage.aspx?type=item&ID=23237