“How People Blogging Are Changing the World and How You Can Join Them”

By Bob Walsh (Berkeley, CA: Apress, 2007, 351 pages)

An excellent book on why one should blog and how to get started. Bob suggests that one starts by reading lots of blogs and become initially engaged in the blogoshere by leaving comments. Next he gives suggestions about getting started publishing a blog with Blogger, Windows Live, and TypePad and evaluates which blogging platform might be best for you considering your goals and what type of blog you wish to publish.

In Part 2, he addresses how to grow a blog and how to use various tools in promotion and turning your blog into a success. There are chapters on professional blogging and how to monetize and make money through a blog, also a chapter on company blogging.

The book has a very good and detailed chapter on adding podcasting to a blog. This was the best I have seen in a starting book on the subject.

Part 3, looks to the future and evaluates where blogging may be heading. This really is an informed prediction. However for me, who am somewhat in the intermediate stage after 2 years of blogging, the chapters on podcasting and monetizing a blog were well worth the price of the book and then some.

*Top

By Robert Ferrigno (New York: Scribner: Simon & Schuster, 2008, 384 pages)

This is the second book in Robert Ferrigno’s fast paced ‘Assassin Trilogy’.  The first book: "Prayers for the Assassin" set a precedent that is hard to equal, yet "Sins of the Assassin" is a worthy successor that stands up well on its own.

Again the setting is circa 2043, The northern part of the former USA is now an ‘Islamic Republic’ with the capital in Seattle. The old South is a loose confederation called the ‘Bible Belt’. The Mormons have their own country in Utah and Southern Idaho with parts of Colorado; while Nevada is a ‘Free State’ all its own. America has become a ‘third-rate’ power that even Mexico (now- ‘Aztlan Empire) is picking on; and native Americans have claimed part of Wisconsin and Minnesota as their own. How far the mighty have fallen!

The current story revolves around a warlord/hero Colonel in the Bible Belt who is searching for a super-secret weapon hidden by agents of the old USA regime which could change the entire balance of power in America. Former ‘Shadow Warrior’ Rakkim Epps is sent by the ‘Islamic’ president and his wife Sarah (who is a counselor to the president) to spy on the Colonel and possibly steal or destroy the weapon.

Continue reading »

By Lisa Sabin-Wilson (Hoboken,NJ: Wiley Publishing, Inc., 2008, 384 pages)

Brand new for 2008, an essential book for those using WordPress in publishing a blog. The writer introduces one to the basic WordPress blogging program. Then follows with three major sections, first covering the Wordpress hosted service, next how to set up a ’self-hosted’ blog with the WordPress.org program, and finally, a section covering the WordPress MU program used in setting up and hosting entire blogging communities. <Read the rest of the Review at my Blogging Ministry Site>

*Top

By Wayne Grudem (Grand Rapids,Michigan: Zondervan Pub. House, 1994, 1264 pages)

This review is long overdue. I repeatedly use this book as a major reference every time I am researching a point of Christian doctrine or have any kind of theological question. I can’t claim to have read it all, but I have studied substantial parts of the book and found it to be the best systematic theology currently available.

In this work, Professor Grudem comprehensively deals with every major Christian doctrine from a faithful Biblical foundation and perspective. He also addresses every conflicting area of theological disagreement and presents all the differing views on every theological issue, those within orthodox Christianity and the heretical perspectives outside of the norm.

I can’t say that I am always in total agreement with Dr. Grudem, but most of the time I am. In the few areas of where I differ, his arguments have caused me to reassess and adjust some of my own views. The book is an essential part of my library and if for some reason I could only have an armful of books, this would be one.            *Top

By Vince Flynn (New York: Atria Books-Simon & Schuster, 2007, 403 pages)

The latest in the Mitch Rapp saga. For fans of this series you will not want to miss out on this one. For those who are new, the novel could also serve rather well as a stand alone story. It is almost like the background  story was taken off of the latest news wire offering. A maniac President of Iran is threatening the world and busy developing a nuclear capability to back up his fanatical diatribes.

An under deep-cover Israeli Mossad agent shows how vulnerable a nuclear operation could be to ‘boots on the ground’. He destroys the Iranian nuclear research plant. This sets in motion a number of ‘get even’ plots hatched by the Iranian President who is intent on ‘proving’ that the USA was involved in the plant destruction. In the process, he goes way beyond the short leash that the Ayatollahs (the real rulers of Iran) have him on.

Along the way, the Iranian leader combines forces with a Hezbollah master terrorist and has CIA Director, Irene Kennedy kidnapped out from under her security detail. This incident puts the USA and Iran on the brink of war, which the Iranian leader seems to actually want.  However, Mitch Rapp is on the scene and doesn’t rest until until the incident is appropriately resolved. Another worthy ‘can’t put it down until it’s done’ non-stop action adventure/ thriller by Vince Flynn.            *Top

By Khalid Hosseini (New York: Riverhead Books -Penguin Group, 2003, 271 pages)

The story starts with a phone call taken by a young man with an old family friend on the other end telling him that he needs to come back to the Middle East and care of some family business. Then the story line flashes back 20 years and in the process the author gives us an interesting taste and view of old Afghanistan before the Russians, the Taliban, and nearly 20 years of war.

It is the story of two boys, Amir and Hassan, that are friends until a tragic event changes their relationship forever. The boys had just won a kite tournament in Kabul and in the midst of their celebration, one boy, Hassan, is cruelly attacked while the other, Amir, shrinks from helping his friend.

Soon events overtake them all and separate the friends forever, as Russian tanks come rolling into Kabul and Amir and his father run for their lives and escape to America.

Continue reading »

By Paul Green (Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Co.,Inc.,Publishers, 2007, 219 pgs.)

A biography of Pete Duel, born Peter E. Deuel on February 24,1940. Peter became an international TV star in the 1960’s and early 70’s and is best known for his starring role as Hannibal Heyes in the popular television series Alias Smith and Jones. He also had starring roles in Love on a Rooftop and TV’s Gidget series.

The book is an extensive biography of his private and public life from the beginning all the way to his inopportune death at age 31 by suicide. It also includes more than 60 photographs and a complete anthology of Peter’s work. His plays, TV appearances, movie roles, and a complete guide to the TV episodes he appeared in.

Some might be tempted to ask- why now? Why a book about Peter written 35 years after his death? Strangely enough, recent syndicated runs of Alias Smith and Jones on cable TV in the US, UK, and in Europe have propelled Peter’s fame back to near mythic levels. Surprisingly, there are ‘Pete Duel’ and ‘Alias Smith and Jones’ Websites to boot, including message boards and comment threads with hundreds of fans searching for every tidbit and everything about ‘Peter’ that might be available and then some. For example, one of the front doors to his childhood family home was recently bought by one of his endearing fans on eBay.

Continue reading »

By Aaron Allston (New York: Random House, Inc.:Ballantine Books, 2007, 368 pgs.)

"Fury" is the 7th book in the "Legacy" series. The book begins with the Jedi helping the Wookies control the fires set by Jacen (now Darth Caedus) on their home planet Kashyyyk.

This episode sees many of our on-going characters resolving some of their major problems that have plagued them for some time. Caedus (Jacen) is now facing the fact that he is entirely alone. He solves that by kidnapping his daughter Allana.

Han, Leia, Jaina, Zekk, and Jag finally corner Alema Rar who keeps attacking the Solos as a phantom, utilizing the Sith base that Lumiya left behind. In the process of hunting down Alema, both Jag and Jaina start healing and begin to become human again with a face toward the future.

Han and Leia finally face up to the fact that their son Jacen is probably permanently lost to the dark side and means to kill them at every opportunity.

Ben is healing from his wounds that he suffered under Jacen’s torture both physically and mentally. He finally understands why Luke did not kill Jacen when they both had the chance. In fact he is mature enough to help his father get back on tract and finally take charge of the Jedi in a more proactive way.

The Solos and Jedi are involved in attempting to rescue Allana and in a major battle to shut down the Centerpoint weapon permanently. They also use back channels and old frienships to reestablish contact with the Galactic Alliance behind Jacen’s back. All-in-all another very fine action packed episode with a number of surprises.             *Top

"A comprehensive, step-by-step guide on how to set up, customize, and market your blog using WordPress"

By Hasin Hayder (Birmingham, UK: Packt Pub. Ltd., 2006, 289 pages)

This really is the most ‘complete’ book on the WordPress blogging platform. It has chapters on all the elementary stuff for beginners, how to get started and how to use all the basic aspects of the program. It also offers plenty to keep those that have been around a while busy.

There are chapters about the WordPress themes. How to choose a good theme to start, modify a theme for the intermediate user, and how to program a new theme from the ground up for those who are advanced.

The chapter on plug-ins and creating widgets was particularly helpful to me.

This book has become my new ‘WordPress Bible’ and stands alongside WordPress 2 as necessary equipment for all WordPress bloggers. I have already turned to it a couple of times for help with excellent results. This is not a cheap book (list  $39.99 US) but I have found it to be more than worth it.            *Top

By Robert Spencer (Washington DC: Regnery Pub., Inc., 2007, 264 pages)

The main stream Western press has bent over backwards to present Islam in the best ‘politically correct’ light possible as the: ‘Religion of Peace’.  Even President Bush refers to Islam with this label. In recent books, documentaries, and movies, the media and the left continue to present serious Christians in an unfavorable light while the threat to Western civilization coming from radical Islam is discounted.

Even in the midst of overwhelming evidence that a large portion of Islam is at least sympathetic to Islamic terrorists, many in the Western world look upon Christianity as being at least as dangerous to World peace as the Jihadists.

Even more incredible, the thousands of Islamic terrorists and their sympathizers, which run into the hundreds of millions including thousands of clerics, are presented as not really representing ‘true’ Islam; while a few individuals acting on their own, like Timothy McVeigh and one or two abortion clinic bombers, are said to represent Christianity, even though they never claimed to be and have no support in the Christian community for their actions.

Robert Spencer has written a book which documents the threat that normative Islam poses for the world. He also debunks the myth of equivalence between Islam and Christianity. He presents evidence from the teachings and leaders of both religions which demonstrates that the real ‘Religion of Peace’ is Christianity rather than Islam.

Spencer documents a number of historical events, including the crusades, where history has been rewritten in the last few years in order to cast modern Islam in a better light. He asks quite poignantly- where are all the Christian terrorists and name the Christian leaders who support violence? The answer of coarse is none. One by one he presents historical facts and current events which lead to only one conclusion: Christianity is the real religion of peace.           *Top