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Currently Reading: Progress Update – 03 June 2011


I have decided post a weekly update of my reading progress. I did post an update of what I was reading back in April, so this won’t be the first post of this kind. This will however be the first of regular weekly updates on my reading progress.

Some of the books below have been on the list since April, with very little progress due to a holiday break and a general break in reading activity over the last month or so. This is all set to change as I again get my head into a book or two.

My Current Reading List:

  • History of the United States, from the Discovery of the American Continent – Volume 1, by George Bancroft

  • Life of George Washington – Volume 3, by Washington Irving

  • The Sermons of the Right Reverend Father in God, and Constant Martyr of Jesus Christ, Hugh Latimer, Some Time Bishop of Worcester – Volume 2

  • History of the English Baptists, from the Reformation to the Beginning of the Reign of King George I – Volume 1, by Thomas Crosby

  • Memoirs of the Life, Times, and Writings of Thomas Boston, of Ettrick

  • Bible and Bible Study

  • The Joy of Reading, by Charles Van Doren

  • Terrorism and the Illuminati – A Thousand Year History, by David Livingstone

  • Post War – A History of Europe Since 1945, by Tony Judt

 

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Page 99 Test: Testing Books Out Before You Buy


Page 99 Test is a social network for authors to post page 99 of their book so that users of the site can test their book. The theory is you open page 99 of any book to get the feel of it and to see if it is something that you would like to read – does it grab you enough for you to want to read more? So authors post there page 99 for book lovers to read and then to rate and comment on. So it is a site that you can give feedback to an author prior to the book being published. Anyhow, have a look at the links below and learn more.

You can listen to a podcast about Page 99 Test and the founders of it at:
http://5by5.tv/founderstalk/3

Visit Page 99 Test at:
http://page99test.com/

 

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Article: Why Books Will Probably Never Die


Francis Tan has recently posted on ‘The Next Web’ site a post called ‘Why Books Will Probably Never Die.’ It is about the future of the written word and ebooks. Worth a read.

To Read the article visit:
http://thenextweb.com/media/2011/04/22/why-books-will-probably-never-die/

 

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Post War – A History of Europe Since 1945, by Tony Judt


I have now started to read ‘Post War,’ by Tony Judt. The edition I have was published in 2005 by The Penguin Press. It is a massive work of over 900 pages, that includes both photographs and maps.

The period of history being dealt with is post war Europe from the end of World War II to 2005. It includes the immediate aftermath of World War II, right through the Cold War period and the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Though I have only just started (yesterday) I have completed about 100 pages thus far, which has taken me through the preface, introduction and the first chapter, ‘The Legacy of War.’ The first chapter deals with the immediate aftermath of the war and its consequences for the people of Europe. It is an horrific picture of post war Europe and the devastation it had on the entirety of Europe – nations, cities and towns, peoples and families. It is the legacy of total war.

 

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Fresh Start


I have neglected this Blog a bit – a fair bit – and for that I apologise. I am hoping to change that a bit from now on and post at least once a week, if not more. I have been really busy – which is the truth of the matter. I maintain a lot of sites and Blogs, with some of them getting major re-designs and so on. That is still an ongoing process, but I no longer want that to stand in the way of this Blog.

So a fresh start from today. I won’t post updates on what has been posted before, but begin with a fresh approach, etc. So on to the first post in my ‘reawakening’ here.

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Edmund Barton, by John Reynolds


Yes, I have finally managed to put up another post on this Blog – been quite a while I know. I apologise for that – been very busy with other pursuits.

Today’s book review is on ‘Edmund Barton,’ by John Reynolds. This book is the first in a series on Australia’s Prime Ministers by Bookman Press. The Bookman Press series sought to re-publish the best biographies on each of the Australian Prime Ministers to coincide with the centenary of Australian Federation. ‘Edmund Barton,’ by John Reynolds, was first published in 1948.

This book, though about Edmund Barton, is also a good introduction to the process of Australia becoming a federation of colonies to form the modern day nation of Australia. A biography of Barton must be a study of the beginning of Federation as Barton was probably one of the most important players in bringing Federation to pass, which also meant the creation of Australia as one nation. It is a fascinating introduction to just how a modern Australia was born from the federation of the various colonies that were then situated on the Australian mainland and in Tasmania.

As far as reading goes, I found the book to contain much that interested me, as I have not read or studied a lot on the federation of Australia and the process by which it was achieved. For me this has been an important addition to my understanding of Australian history in an area in which my understanding was quite poor. Having said that, I do not think the book is necessarily an easy read, but requires discipline to keep at it.

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Changed My Mind: Still Going to Post to This Blog


I have changed my mind concerning this Blog and will continue to post to it. Why? Because the particularbaptist.com site (and Blog) will not cover everything that I read. Therefore this Blog is still relevant and will allow me to post reviews concerning books that cover history, wilderness, etc.

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‘365 Ways to Change the World,’ by Michael Norton’


I have decided to not post any more thoughts on suggestions offered by this book. It is not because I don’t like the book – I do like it and think that the majority of the suggestions are worth following up on. I know I will be trying to follow up on many of them.

I think I have provided enough to whet the appetite of all so that those who will want to find out more will go out and buy the book. I highly recommend it.

Remember the website at:

www.365act.com

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Changing the World: November 19 – Stopping Child Pornography


This post doesn’t require a lot of explanation I don’t think. The suggestion is to do whatever we can in the war against child pornography – I agree 100% and will do whatever I can. Report it to the authorities at every opportunity and every time.

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The History of the English Baptists – Update


from the Reformation to the Beginning of the Reign of King George I, by Thomas Crosby

Preface_Image001 As noted in a previous post, I have been reading ‘The History of the English Baptists from the Reformation to the Beginning of the Reign of King George I,’ by Thomas Crosby. I have also been adding this work to my website (a link to this book appears at the end of this post).

I have now completed reading and adding the preface, table of contents and part of the first chapter.

The preface covers the period from the early church through to the first Baptists in England, tracing the origins of the Baptists and disproving their rise to that of the Anabaptists at Munster and the disaster that occurred in that city as a result of the Anabaptist rebellion.

Though a lengthy preface, it briefly touches on such as the Albigenses, the Waldenses, Wickcliff, Donatists, etc. Crosby goes back through history, from the reformation to the first century finding evidence of Baptistic beliefs and practices. It is a very interesting study, even though it is brief. Another interesting aspect of this study is the evidence for early Baptistic existence, even in the writings of Paedobaptist authors and the evidence against the early practice of infant-baptism in the early church.

To read the preface and further, please follow the link below:

http://particularbaptist.com/library/Crossby-Thomas_Vol1_HistoryEnglishBaptists_contents.html