Robinson Crusoe

by Daniel Defoe

First published 1719

395 pages

Completed May 17, 2013

(book description) Daniel Defoe relates the tale of an English sailor marooned on a desert island for nearly three decades. An ordinary man struggling to survive in extraordinary circumstances, Robinson Crusoe wrestles with fate and the nature of God.

Living in this chaotic world that we live in today, I was almost wishing I could have been Robinson Crusoe!  Alone with the Lord having some of the major necessities and lots of food to be found!  What a life!  But then it went on for almost thirty years!  I don’t think I need a thirty year respite.

I enjoyed the tail of the survival of Robinson Crusoe.  He taught himself some very useful trades while on his island.  Pottery making, basket weaving, gardening (on a large-scale), and much more to help him in his daily life.  There was no such thing as hybrid seed back in this day.  All seed was pure, it reproduced as it should.

When Robinson encounters cannibals from a neighboring island I began to be apprehensive but he handled the situation quite well.  During which time he saves one who is about to be eaten and makes him his friend and servant.  The native is very grateful for his life being saved and stays loyal through all the rest.

A boat comes ashore where a captain and a couple of his crew are going to be left by mutineers.  Robinson acts quickly to safe the crew and again more grateful men on his side.  Working together they get control of the ship back and sail back to civilization.

Robinson recovers his property in the Brazil’s but does not return.  He marries and has a couple of children of his own.  His family is down to a couple of sisters and nephews of his deceased brother.  Thirty years is a long time to be away. 

This one took me a long time to read but then it is spring and there is much to be done in the garden.  I did however enjoy it.  The speaking of God’s word and His providence in all situations was refreshing!  The more of the classics I read the more I see why we did not read them in school.  My english teachers were both atheists. My children have already read this one because I have it in our home.  We won’t be waiting on the school system for great literature.

Dr. Colbert’s I Can Do This Diet

By Dr. Don Colbert MD

Published December 2009 by Strang Communications Company

304 pages

Completed April 30, 2013

(Book description) Too many people fight against their own brain and body chemistry when trying to lose weight. This is the reason that up until now, diets have only had a 2% success rate. Tired of saying, “I can’t do this!” when looking at diet programs? Then let Dr. Colbert help you take advantage of the latest medical breakthroughs that show you how to work with your body, rather than against it to lose weight easily and keep it off for life. Forget the old diets that work against you. With Dr. Colbert’s diet, you can say, “I can do this!”

 

As a medical doctor, Don Colbert deals every day with getting verifiable results that prove a patient is on his or her way to long-term health, not just fixing an immediate problem. And that is what this book is about. Far from being a diet, this program offers principles that are meant to last for life, principles that have been proven to work for thousands of individuals for more than a decade and counting. Dr. Colbert helps readers:

Learn the top five reasons why diets fail.  Explore several fundamentals of weight loss.  Overcome specific roadblocks to weight loss including insulin resistance, neurotransmitter imbalance, hormonal imbalance, and inflammation

Design a program catered just for them, including snacking, cooking, eating out, shopping, supplements, and much more.

This is the most helpful book that I have read on diets and there are a lot of them out there.  This book told me all the things I was doing wrong AND how to do them right.  I now feel like I have a powerful tool in my hands to help me reach my weight loss goals. 

It is not a difficult or expensive “diet”.  It is a changing of your habits and reprograming your mind to stop your cravings before they start.  There are lots of resources and tools in the back.  Sample menues and recipes throughout. Did you know you should eat every three to three and a half hours (healthy snacks of course)!?  Wow! Here I have been starving myself for no reason.

My next shopping trip will be a new revised list of foods and my pantry is going to undergo a major transformation.  But like I said, it is not expensive strange foods.  This book is going to stay in my purse for reference.

Great book!

Scott O’Dell 5/23/1898 – 10/16/1989

Normally at the end of each month I would write a post about the books that I have read by the Author of the Month.  During the month of April I have not done very much reading at all.  There has been a lot going on around our little homestead so I haven’t had the pleasure of relaxing with my books. 

Going forward I will do the Author wrap up as soon as I have completed at least one selection.  It may be half way through the next month.  Emile Zola was a pretty difficult read to get into especially with so little time.  Picking it up and putting it down so often made it hard to stay on top of.  I will however go ahead and introduce the new Author of the Month on time.  I will have to make sure that I don’t add any new selections until those are completed.

You can find a list of upcoming Authors on the tab at the top of the page.

In the month of May I will be reading about Scott O’Dell and his book Island of the Blue Dolphins.  Scott O’Dell was born O’Dell Gabriel Scott on May 23, 1898 but his name was published wrong on a book so he kept the name.  O’Dell attended many different colleges and universities.  During World War II he served in the U.S. Air Force.  When he returned he worked for the Los Angeles Daily News.

In the late 1950′s he began writing children’s books of which were 26.  He also wrote three adult novels and four nonfiction books.  O’Dell received the Hans Christian Andersen Award for lifetime achievement in 1972. In 1976, he received the University of Southern Mississippi Silver Medallion, and the Regina Medal in 1978. 

In 1981, he established the Scott O’Dell Award for Historical Fiction, an award for $5,000 that recognizes outstanding works of historical fiction. The winners must be published in English by a U.S. publisher and be set in the New World (North, Central, and South America). In 1986, The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books awarded O’Dell this same award.

Scott O’Dell died of prostate cancer on October 16, 1989 at the age of 91. (Wikipedia)

Island of the Blue Dolphins has a sequel, Zia.  But because I am already behind with April’s Author of the Month I won’t be able to fit this one in.

Organic Outreach For Families

Sub-titled: Turning Your Home Into A Lighthouse 

By Kevin & Sherry Harney

Published by Zondervan October 23, 2012

191 pages

Completed April 29, 2013

(Book description) In Organic Outreach for Families, Kevin and Sherry Harney share insights from the Scriptures and give practical advice from their own experience to help you learn how to transform your home into a lighthouse of God’s amazing grace. The Harneys discuss five ways you can naturally share your faith with others: Reaching your own children with the message of Jesus Sharing God’s grace with your extended family Raising your children to be beacons of light in their schools and in the neighborhood Opening the doors of your home to make it attractive and welcoming Shining the light of grace into your broader community The Harneys balance a concern for developing your home into a safe, secure environment with the biblical mandate for believers to be salt and light in the world. Pastors and parents will discover creative ways families can become a natural and winsome presence in their schools, through community activities, and as a witness in their neighborhoods.

First I would like to say that I enjoyed this book very much!  I made lots of markings in it so that I could quickly refer back to different parts.  I also made a list of people who I would like to pass the book on to.  Some don’t have children or homes yet but it is something that will help them now and in the future.

The book begins by talking about living out the gospel in your home, instructing your children but not pushing them into a decision. And then reaching your extended family for God, from your siblings all the way up to your grandparents, cousins, aunts and uncles. 

The Harneys then move on to raising your children in a dark world.  Raising your family does not only include feeding, clothing, and running them to all their events.  It is also DISCIPLINE!  Yes, many Christians seem to think that they shouldn’t be consistent at disciplining their children.  Which is why we have such a generation of spoiled acting young people.  You can lovingly discipline your children without beating them down.  I personally thought this was a great section of the book.

 Making your home a lighthouse to your neighborhood doesn’t have to be a stuffy ordeal and Kevin and Sherry tell many ways that you can make your home attractive to your neighbors.  Along with this they also express the need for boundaries and when to say yes, later, or no.  Even though your home shines the light of Jesus it is still the home of your family and should not be taken over by anyone who wants to drop in for a while.

After each chapter there are things that you can do to practice what was covered in the just read chapter.  It offers great insight on doing things that allows the light of Jesus to shine through you. They quoted this scripture (Mathew 4:14-16) and stressed that YOU are the light of the world through Jesus.  Sounds kind of arrogant but it is true.

¹⁴ “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵ Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. ¹⁶ Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

 

Damascus Count Down

By Joel C. Rosenberg

Published March 5, 2013 by Tyndale Publishing

470 pages

Completed April 10, 2013

All eyes are on the Middle East. Israel has successfully launched a first strike on Iran, taking out all of their nuclear sites and six of their nuclear warheads–and causing The Twelfth Imam to order a full-scale retaliation. US President William Jackson threatens to support a UN Security Council resolution condemning the Jewish State for unprovoked and unwarranted acts of aggression.Meanwhile, CIA operative David Shirazi has infiltrated the Iranian regime and intercepted information indicating that two Iranian nuclear warheads survived the attack and have been moved to a secure and undisclosed location. In danger not only from the ongoing missile strikes on Iran but also from the increasingly hostile and suspicious governments of multiple countries, David and his team are in a race against time to find the remaining nuclear warheads before disaster strikes.

This book took me way longer than it should have.  The story line was good, but it’s hard to say you enjoyed something like that.  The hardest part was all the Arabic names!  It was difficult to keep track of who was who. I had to keep referring back to the guide in the front of the book.  Around page 350 the book became so captivating that it was hard to put it down.

David is a CIA operative who is undercover in Iran with a group of men.  Their job?  To locate and destroy the last two known nuclear weapons the twelfth Imam (here is where names become difficult) has to send into Israel or the US.  David has recently converted to Christianity thanks to Dr. Birjandi, an Islamic eschatology professor.  Dr.  Birjandi converted to Christianity many years ago but it was not known to the Islam world.  He is blind and his wife helped him memorize the Bible.  Which he shares with those who are interested.  The doctor is very dear to David.  He is also very highly thought of by the twelfth Imam.

David, being undercover, made a connection with someone in the inner circle of the Imam.  He smuggled in some satellite phones for them.  These phones would work even though there were no land lines and were supposed to be more secure.  However, these phones were being tracked by the CIA.  Every phone conversation was intercepted and translated by a group at Langley Virginia.  This is how most of the intel was collected that helped David and his team on their mission.

Dr. Birjandi’s presence is request demanded by the Imam.  When a helicopter shows up to retrieve him he does not know where he is going for sure.  Birjandi does however extra very valuable information from those who trust him as an Islamic spiritual leader.  He also is in possession of a satellite phone from David and using this he gets away a couple of times to get information to David.  In the end Birjandi is asked to speak a few words at the launch of the missiles into Israel, presumably something “Islamic”.  Dr. Birjandi stands up and renounces Islam and announces his faith in Jesus Christ at his Savior and true Messiah.  I’m sure you can figure out what happened next.  He was ushered into the presence of the Lord!

Maybe you picked up on the fact there were missiles ready to be launched.  This is the most captivating part of the story.  A wonderful testimony for Christianity.  It really made the entire 470 pages worth it.  The biggest reason I gave it 4 stars. Other than the names being hard to follow and the fact that the story jumps around every few pages, sometimes several times on the same page, from the war room in Israel to Langley to Damascus, many locations throughout the story.  Some times this made it difficult to follow.   Over all I would recommend this book.

This book was provided to me free of charge by Tyndale Publishing for an honest and fair review.