false738817 *: I'm sorry I read this book (and I might not have finished it). Whether its writing is unreadable, its content truly repulsive, or its ideas flagrantly absurd, this book is probably best used as a paperweight--or better yet, as kindling.
**: Whether or not this book is really all that bad, you won't miss too much if you skip it.
***: A good book. It's worth reading once, but you might be better off reading another book instead of re-reading this one. Worth checking out (as in, from a library).
****: A very good book, worth re-reading or keeping as a reference. Worthy of your purchase.
*****: An exceptional book. Whatever its flaws, this book so impressed, moved, or disturbed me that it stayed prominently in my mind for several days after I finished it (and probably remains in the background to this day). Worth buying a hardcover version.
(Note that the line between 4 and 5 stars can get blurry at times.)]]>maleRialto, CA01/200812/2009115447true5853013read0true1496399currently-reading7true1496398to-read23false1496516philosophy21false1496849textbooks12false1496540fantasy-sci-fi12false3995937religion11false2671433misc--fiction8false1617758mystery7false5073481unfinished3false5121823history2false4172734language1false5073449mythology1false2489322reference1false2671505compilation1false1496558classroom-literatureJonathan Strange & Mr Norrell (Paperback) by Susanna Clarke]]>
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/82339189
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Mon, 28 Dec 2009 14:55:10 -0800
"It is all very well in fairy-tales to ask, 'Who is the fairest of them all?' But in reality no magic, fairy or human, could ever be persuaded to answer such an imprecise question."
"Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell" is many things, but one thing it is *not* is "for ev...more...]]>
The Princess and the Goblin (Puffin Classics - the Essential Collection) by George MacDonald]]>
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/82338944
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http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/738817-adam
Mon, 28 Dec 2009 14:51:43 -0800
"'People must believe what they can, and those who believe more must not be hard upon those who believe less.'"
"The Princess and the Goblin" is a charmingly simple fairy tale--which is to say, it is superficially uncomplicated but full of imagery and themes ripe for sym...more...]]>
The Old Religion in a New World: The History of North American Christianity (Paperback) by Mark A. Noll]]>
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/82338705
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Mon, 28 Dec 2009 14:50:12 -0800
"Christianity in America is so intermingled with democratic, voluntaristic, and innovative aspects of American society that modern European models of a traditional church opposed by elite secular intellectuals in league with the sovereign state simply do not apply. ... A history of Christianity...more...]]>
Body & Soul: Human Nature & the Crisis in Ethics (Paperback) by J.P. Moreland]]>
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/68778122
http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172193602s/148113.jpg738817Adamhttp://photo.goodreads.com/users/1199425516p2/738817.jpg
http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/738817-adam
Mon, 24 Aug 2009 20:56:48 -0700
"What is needed is a Christian natural philosophy of living things, especially of human persons, that provides two things--a central role for philosophy and theology in contributing to the ontology of human persons and a proper ordering of science relative to philosophy and theology in the onto...more...]]>
The Shack (Paperback) by William P. Young]]>
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/68777194
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51km9XU29RL._SL75_.jpg738817Adamhttp://photo.goodreads.com/users/1199425516p2/738817.jpg
http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/738817-adam
Mon, 24 Aug 2009 20:50:37 -0700
"I suppose that since most of our hurts come through relationships so will our healing, and I know that grace rarely makes sense for those looking in from the outside."
I have somewhat mixed feelings about this book: I know that many people have been touched by it, finding it movi...more...]]>
The Four Loves (HBJ Modern Classic) by C.S. Lewis]]>
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/67689307
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http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/738817-adam
Sun, 16 Aug 2009 21:25:51 -0700
"The natural loves are not self-sufficient. Something else, at first vaguely described as 'decency and common sense,' but later revealed as goodness, and finally as the whole Christian life in one particular relation, must come to the help of the mere feeling if the feeling is to be kept sweet....more...]]>
Love in Truth: Caritas in Veritate (Hardcover) by Pope Benedict XVI]]>
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/66433691
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http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/738817-adam
Thu, 06 Aug 2009 10:29:14 -0700
"The greatest service to development, then, is a Christian humanism that enkindles charity and takes its lead from truth, accepting both as a lasting gift from God. Openness to God makes us open towards our brothers and sisters and towards an understanding of life as a joyful task to be accompl...more...]]>
The Evolution of the Soul (Paperback) by Richard Swinburne]]>
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/64315762
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Mon, 20 Jul 2009 21:20:37 -0700
"The theme of the book is the nature and source of the differences between the inanimate objects which alone existed on the Earth at its formation, and the animals and men which have subsequently evolved."
In "The Evolution of the Soul," Richard Swinburne tackles the phi...more...]]>
Grave Peril (The Dresden Files, #3) by Jim Butcher]]>
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/61458395
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Sun, 28 Jun 2009 21:14:24 -0700
“It only takes a couple of these rough little episodes of life to teach a man a certain amount of cynicism. Once a rogue wizard or three has tried to end your life, or some berserk hexenwolves have worked really hard to have your throat torn out, you start to expect the worst. In fact, if the wors...more...]]>
Fool Moon (The Dresden Files, #2) by Jim Butcher]]>
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/60716967
http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1235011007s/1111757.jpg738817Adamhttp://photo.goodreads.com/users/1199425516p2/738817.jpg
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Mon, 22 Jun 2009 19:31:16 -0700
"I wanted to deal with my pursuers myself, to deal with my own mistake myself, and not to make an innocent bystander like Susan pay for it. "So I, uh, sort of threw myself out of the passenger seat of a moving car. "Don't look at me like that. I'm telling you, it made sense a...more...]]>