back again with some more books… today, i’ve got two books that are carry-over from my Spring list as well as one that innaugurates the Summer of o9 list… i’m gonna dive right in, but first i have to mention that we went to see Up! yesterday and you can expect that i’ll be writing about that soon enough… now… off we go…
PLUGGED IN AND TUNED OUT
now playing: Big Deal – Carolyn Arends
The Hidden Power of Electronic Culture
by Shane Hipps
It took me a lot longer to begin this book than i had anticipated and then, it took me longer than i expected to finish… it’s broken into two parts and, though i raced through the first part, the second left me struggling to stay engaged… the basic premise of the book is that it’s a modern retelling of Marshall McLuhan’s principles and thoughts on media… you may not recognize the name – i sure didn’t – but you’re probably familiar with some of his quotes, termonology and concepts…
anyway, the first half of the book is devoted strictly to explaining an appropriate and unconventional perspective through which we should view and understand the media of our day… though perhaps a little dense at times, i found the front half of the book absolutely fascinating and eye-opening… having never read McLuhan, it was the first time i had been presented directly with his concepts and they are certainly revelatory (especially, given the timing of the original statements)…
unfortunately, the remainder of the book – that dealing with the practical application of this perspective – really left a lot to be desired… i kind of got the impression that Hipps was far too concerned about stepping on toes to really allow himself to present a clear and focused message… as a result, it seemed like the back half of the book was more about waffling than offering any definitive advice, even to the point of driving home contradictory points…
overall, i’m glad that i read the book as it did provide concepts that were both helpful and rather interesting… i would have enjoyed a better job of summation and application, but based on the concepts, i feel adequately equipped to draw my own conclusions…
FROM ADAM, WITH LOVE
Original Sin
by Brandt Dodson
On to some fiction… i’ve had this book for a long, long time now and finally dug into it… and it was a really cool story… the first in the Colton Parker mystery series, Original Sin introduces us to all the characters that will comprise the rest of the tales… Colton Parker, an ex-FBI agent and widower, tries to establish a business as a private investigator while still picking up the pieces of his wife’s tragic accident a mere six months ago… one of the main concerns is providing for his thirteen year-old daughter, emotionally and financially, as she deals with the loss of her mother…
The thrust of the story is the case of and elderly lady who has been murdered violently… the main suspect, her nephew has been a trouble-maker in the past, but Colton doesn’t quite believe that the case is as open and shut as it has been presented to him… As the case unfolds, we get plenty of details and clues as well as many opportunities to predict the ending – an ending that suits the story well…
Also, we experience the drama of raising a pre-teen girl searching for identity and a father who’s searching for the same… we feel the tension grow between a man who feels completely scorned by God and a minister who continues to interject spiritual guidance… it’s well-written and, despite a few things i would’ve changed, it was a very enjoyable read… the downside is that there’s more books for me to buy now to continue the series…
ELEVEN YEAR OLD OCEAN
Swindle
by Gordon Korman
this is the first official book from my summer list… i know, i cheated by picking off the “kid” book first, but hey, i do love reading Gordon Korman books… makes me feel young again… anyway, this was a first-read for me as i believe it was written after i had temporarily moved on from Korman’s writing… the premise: Griffin Bing – the man (boy) with the plan – happens upon a rare baseball card worth as much as a million dollars… the problem? he just sold it to a scamming card collector for a mere $120…
the book details the struggle and scheming involved as Griffin vows to have revenge… it’ll take a zany and elaborate plan, but Griffin’s the right guy for the job… or is he?… this was a relatively quick read and it was one that i enjoyed a lot… as you can tell by the heading of this section, it felt like i was reading through an Ocean’s movie, but with kids casting the caper…
OFF THE SHELF
Currently, i’m reading Showdown and Lunatic by Ted Dekker as well as Christianity in Crisis: 21st Century by Hank Hanegraaff… as always, you can keep up with my reading list and progress here or at the Amazon.com mini-store that i set up for just that purpose…
’til next time…
peace… love… bdg…