Every month we show what is on our reading table.

This month we added five books and we’re going to retire a number of books that we have just not gotten to. After a while, the book gets stale, and we just must let it go. Green is added, red is dropped, black is retained:

Comments on current reads:

  1. “Monsters and Magical Sticks: There’s No Such Thing As Hypnosis?” (208 pages, paperback, reprint 2017) by Steven Heller and “How to Hypnotise Anyone – Confessions of a Rogue Hypnotist” (112 pages, paperback, reprint 2014) by The Rogue Hypnotist. I always thought that hypnosis was hokey fiction: “Breathe deeply, follow this watch, you are getting sleepy, when I snap my fingers you will bark like a chicken, when I count to three you will awaken with no memory.” But Scott Adams’ books and Robert Cialdini on “Persuasion” convinced me to give hypnosis a serious consideration. I just can’t get into these. I believe both books characterization that there is no such thing as “hypnosis” but there is such a thing as persuasions and suggestion (my words, not theirs). I will pass the books on to my daughter who requested them.
  2. “Commercial Real Estate: Journey Towards Financial Freedom: What Everyone Ought To Know About Commercial Real Estate Investing in 3 Simple Steps” (140 pages, kindle, 2020) by Michael Steven. I found this book when I was searching for a link to the previously read and reviewed “The Encyclopedia of Commercial Real Estate…” to recommend to a friend. Based on the reviews I thought it might serve as a better, shorter introduction for my friend. And it was only 98 cents for the Kindle version, so I read it. I cannot recommend it. There are some statements that I consider flat out wrong. It did not give me confidence in the remainder of the content, much of which was generic or formulas. Check out Floating Book Review next month.
  3. “Resurrection Shock – Did the Disciples Get It Right?” (378 pages, paperback, 2020) by Lane Sanford Webster: This was another recommendation from the Stanford Alumni magazine. I’ve read the first few chapters and it seems to be a fairly standard book on apologetics and a review of what happened by eyewitness accounts. Let’s see it holds up.
  4. “The Blackstrap Station” (308 pages, paperback, 2016) by Alaric Bond: I read and reviewed the first eight books in this British Naval Fiction series; “His Majesty’s Ship”, “The Jackass Frigate”, “True Colors”, “Cut and Run”, “The Patriot’s Fate” and “The Torrid Zone”, “The Scent of Corruption” and “HMS Prometheus”. I give them high marks. Now that I read the first eight stories in the series, I like it even more. And these last three; ‘Scent’, ‘Prometheus’ and now “Blackstrap” show a new levels of plot complexity and character development.
    From before: I learned that the author does not center the series and each book around the captain. All the other series are about the captain rising from humble or noble beginnings to the end of an illustrious career. In Bond’s world, he follows a cross section of the crew, from the lowest to the captain. You are never sure who will survive and who won’t. There are some spoilers in the review concerning what happens; so, beware.
  5. “The Power and the Glory” (240 pages, paperback, 1940) by Graham Greene: I am a big Graham Greene fan and am re-reading this book because it came up in a conversation about charging late fees at our medical practice, Ahwatukee Health and Recovery. We just started charging late fees and no-show fees since everyone was taking advantage of our mercy. In the book, the ‘whisky’ priest is advised that he should always charge for giving Mass and baptisms or the peasants will not appreciate the sacraments. Not pictured. I have read this in the far past (~30 years or more) and just can’t get into it. We will remove it from the list.
  6. “Intercessory Prayer” (275 pages, paperback, 1996) by Dutch Sheets: I just started reading this. I have read the first two chapters. If the rest is as good, and as documented, this is an OUTSTANDING book on what is intercessory prayer and how to do it. I like his explanation of theology and how he backs each claim with scripture.
  7. “Fourfold Kingdom of God” (239 pages, paperback, 2020) by Gerald Paul Kooye: I bought this book after reading “The Holy Longing” based on a recommendation from the Stanford Magazine. The book looks at God’s kingdom from a mathematical and physics perspective. I did get a chance to read this on a trip to Bakersfield and it is outstanding. Lots of speculation; on scripture and on physics but soundly based. That said, it is speculation. Remember Jesus’ caution in Matthew 24:36 “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.“
  8. “Return of the God Hypothesis: Three Scientific Discoveries That Reveal the Mind Behind the Universe” (576 pages, paperback, 2021) by Stephen C. Meyer: His claim “the data support not just the existence of an intelligent designer of some kind—but the existence of a personal God” based on three scientific revolutions/theories: The Big Bang Theory, The Fine Tuning Observation and Information Coding in DNA.
  9. “Restoring the Christian Family” (320 pages, paperback, 2011) by John Loren and Paula Sandford: I found this buried on my dresser after doing a complete cleaning, i.e., putting aways stacks of clothes. I don’t know where it came from or who bought it. I was intrigued by leafing through it and so it is on the reading list.
  10. “The Drama of Scripture” (272 pages, paperback, 2014) by Craig G. Bartholomew and Michael W. Goheen: Recommended by Pastor Jeff. I skimmed the first two chapters and really like this approach. Let’s see how it ends.
  11. “The One Year Bible” with help from the “Lutheran Study Bible”.
    As of now, I have finished #2, “Silver In The Stones”. You will see and hear about that in our next Floating Book Review that includes four more books (“The Scent of Corruption”, “The Passion and the Cross”, “Clowning in Rome”, “Markings”) completed last month, but not yet reviewed.