by Jewel, 2015 Danette asked me to look for this as a used book. I checked Bizarre Bazaar but no luck. However, our library had it, so I checked it out and read it. It’s very interesting. I had no idea Jewel was like this! I thought that her name was a made-up name but […]
Author: bookhound
Exploits and Adventures of Brigadier Gerard
by Arthur Conan Doyle, 18 stories written sometime before 1930 when Sir Arthur Conan Doyle died Appealing, warm-hearted book by the author of Sherlock Holmes. The main character is Etienne Gerard of Napoleon’s army from 1807 to 1821. He loves his Emperor and will do anything for him. There are 18 adventurous tales. They involve […]
Christian Mission in the Modern World
by John Stott, 1975 (Americanization 2008); updated and expanded by Christopher J.H. Wright, 2015 Work by John Stott explaining how a Christian should live in the world; what our lives should look like as far as Mission, Evangelism, Dialogue, Salvation, and Conversion. He wrote it in 1975, Americanized it in 2008, and Christopher J.H. Wright […]
Moonshine
by Alec Wilkinson, 1985 Captivating book about a revenuer in North Carolina in the 1950s and 1960s, names Garland Bunting. He’s an ABC (Alcoholic Beverage Control) officer in Halifax County. He is fearless and talented and a brilliant strategist and tireless and a great actor and entertainer and lovable and friendly and a salt-of-the-earth kind […]
Santa Calls
by William Joyce, 1993 Children’s book recommended on the Book-A-Day calendar from Christie. Here’s what they said: “North Pole Adventure: In William Joyce’s picture book, Santa Calls, young Art Atchinson Aimesworth–inventor, crime fighter, and all- around whiz kid–is summoned by Santa Claus to the North Pole. There he invents, fights crime, whizzes all around, and […]
The Radical Disciple
by John Stott, 2010 This was John Stott’s last book. He is writing about what our lives should look like as Christians. Sanctification (being made holy) is purely the work of the Holy Spirit, but in this book he covers 8 aspects of our lives that we have neglected. Wayne’s comment on Dependence (#7 below): […]
Basic Introduction to the New Testament
by John Stott, 1951, revised by Stephen Motyer, 2017 He covers the books of the New Testament (except Jude), giving the history of the authors, the culture and context in which written, and the message. The message, over and over, is that salvation comes through Jesus, not through works. I started out loving this book […]
Basic Christianity
by John R. W. Stott, 1958, 2008 Tim Keller recommended this book in one of his books. It was very good. I flagged just about every single page. It all comes down to the Gospel, again and again. Without Jesus, we are doomed. Each and every day of our lives, we can live joyfully and […]
Facing Your Giants
by Max Lucado, 2006, 2020 He delves into David’s life from beginning to end as told in 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel, and 1 Chronicles (various passages in each), showing that when David trusted in God, walked with God, prayed to and consulted God, good things happened, even miraculous things. But, when David forgot God, bad […]
Hidden Christmas
by Timothy Keller, 2016 A short, beautiful book examining the familiar Bible passages and carols of Christmas and revealing how mind-blowing the Christmas story actually is. We have become jaded and clouded over but this book helps you see anew the reality that God came to earth to be with us: Immanuel. Our God loves […]
Cider with Rosie
by Laurie Lee, 1959 First of all, Laurie Lee is a male! This is his story of growing up in a Cotswold village in the 1920s. He transports you there. You can feel the summer heat, the icy winter, the mud, the grass, the trees, the cottage he grew up in with his 6 siblings […]
Counterfeit Gods
The Empty Promises of Money, Sex, and Power, and the Only Hope That Matters by Timothy Keller, 2009 Another EXCELLENT book by Tim Keller! All of us replace loving God first and most with idols like money, sex, and power, but also approval, acceptance, love, success, security, comfort, and control. Worshiping idols rather than God […]
Searching for Sunday
by Rachel Held Evans, 2015 I heard about this author on NPR, Fresh Air (I think), when another author was being interviewed and he mentioned how influential Rachel Held Evans was in his life. She died at the age of 37 on May 4, 2019 from an allergic reaction to medication for an infection that […]
Born a Crime
by Trevor Noah, 2016 Fantastic book! Remarkable man! Amazing Mom! This was one of our book selections for the Old Town Library Book Club, 2021-2022 season. Trevor Noah, a famous comedian now, was born under Apartheid in South Africa, to a Xhosa mother and a Swiss father. She never asked to marry his Swiss father […]
Sabrina & Corina
by Kali Fajardo-Anstine, 2019 A group of short stories, each centered around a female Latina or Indigenous or mixed-race and mostly set in Denver or the fictional town of Saguarita in Southwestern Colorado. Beautifully written; powerful sense of place and characters, but oh so sad. All poor, all making decisions that ultimately hurt them. The […]
Willie Nelson’s Letters to America
by Willie Nelson with Turk Pipkin, 2021 Heartwarming letters from Willie Nelson to all sorts of folks, and even a scathing letter to the COVID-19 virus. He wrote this while at home under lock-down in Texas, and you can tell, he doesn’t like having to stay home, not being able to tour. He’s 88 years […]
Oryx and Crake
by Margaret Atwood, 2003 This was the first book selection of the Old Town Library Book Club for 2021-2022. I never would have read this book otherwise, and I almost stopped reading it when she describes the childhood of Oryx, a young girl sold into child pornography (“HottTotts”). Mandy selected this book and she did […]
God & Churchill
by Jonathan Sandys & Wallace Henley, 2015 Jonathan Sandys is the great-grandson of Winston Churchill. Along with Wallace Henley, a Christian who has served in the White House and is a columnist for the Christian Post, he writes about Winston Churchill’s conversation with a fellow Harrow student named Murland de Grasse Evans, at age 16 […]
The Bogey Man: A Month on the PGA Tour
by George Plimpton, 1968 A wonderfully funny book recommended by the Book-A-Day calendar from Christie. George Plimpton spends a month on the PGA tour at three courses in California, and writes about it. It is just delightful! He is a very good writer, especially when it comes to conversations. He gets you into the game […]
Hotel Pastis: A Novel of Provence
by Peter Mayle, 1993 Delightful book! Recommended on my Christie book-a-day calendar. Takes you from dreary England and back-biting advertising world to sunny France. The main character, Simon Shaw, is a wealthy advertising executive who is hassled by an ex-wife who just wants more and more of his money. He takes a much-needed vacation to […]