The Notebook

Wow! This book was really good! It is so much better than the movie, in my opinion! The movie does do the book justice unlikely many movies that come out nowadays, but I trully prefered reading the book instead. It was short and simple, but enchanting and real. It made me so jealous of the love Noah and Allie had, although it was rough for a while. I wouldn't recommend it for a read for anyone under the age of 18 because it does contain some language that talks about some sexual things that they did which, in my opinion, is innappropriate for non-adults. But I will let parents make the call on whether or not their child should read it. There are many mature girls who might enjoy a good romance/chick-flick book as this. It was definately a book that I just couldn't put down, even when I was babysitting. It only took me a few hours in two days to read in between babysitting all day and running errands. I would love to hear any other opinions about this book! God bless!

Radical

Wow! This book really took my by surprise! I was shocked of nearly the entire book. Before I read it, a friend on Twitter sent me a page to his blog in which he talked about how David Platt went too far in one view and overlooked the trueness of what he was saying. I denied that blog until I began to read the book. Before I begin to criticize the book, it did have a good meaning and I am sure David Platt had good intentions when he was writing it. There were parts that were very helpful to me, especially in taking every opportunity that I have to share the Gospel. But there are a lot of inside things that I know about The Church at Brook Hills due to the fact that it is Southern Baptist affiliated and my dad is a Southern Baptist Associational Missionary. Also, when I am at college in  Birmingham, I have been attending Brook Hills nearly every Sunday for the 11 AM service. I will most definitely be changing churches after reading this, and for many other reasons that have been speaking to me before I read this book. I think one of the biggest points that really bothered me was how Platt spoke so harshly and against churches who were spending millions of dollars to build nice churches are other building for the church campus. He said that churches should give that money to charities and people in need because there are many churches in other countries where the "church" is a basement with no comfortable seats or restrooms. This is an ironic statement giving that Brook Hills is one of the largest churches in the state of Alabama. It holds thousands of people during each of its three services on Sundays (which is another thing that bothers me that I will talk about later.) Here he is bashing churches who are trying to appeal to the world who want to see bigger and better things, when his church is top-knotch at it all. It is really big and confusing to be honest. I got lost trying to find the bathroom and thank goodness I found a map. He says that churches shouldn't try to keep up with the world. This is where I beg to differ and agree with a point he makes which contradicts this. He says that we as Christians are suppose to go to people as they are and cater to them and their needs. In today's world, this is the age of technology where buildings should have a unique design, clear flat screen tvs, and great programs within the church for all different ages of families. Now, I'm not saying that it's okay for churches to go out and spend money without having the goal of sharing the Gospel of Christ to just look fancy because God looks at the heart, not the outside. But today, there are more and more people interested in these types of things. That is why there is a Bible App for iPhones, iPods, and iPads. I various Bible Apps downloaded so that I will always have the Bible on me. You can download the Bible for the Kindles and Nooks. You can go online to watch sermons. You can listen to sermons through Podcasts (which is something that Brook Hills does as well because I have subscribed to David Platt's sermons.) God knows that the world is changing. Why else would He give people the knowledge to invent new and creative things? To glorify Him and to use these new tools to bring people to Him. Another thing that bothers me, as I mentioned before, Brook Hills does the same service, 3 times each Sunday. Now, I know of many churches that do early morning and then regular morning services, but I have mixed feelings about this. Platt talks strongly throughout his book about Christians becoming disciples of Christ. Isn't that what Sunday night services are for? Having grown up in a Southern Baptist setting my entire life, Sunday night services had Discipleship Training and then the evening worship service. If we are to grow close to Christ, shouldn't we have more services together as a church community? Just a thought? Platt is strong into small groups at Brook Hills in which there are literally hundreds of them. I don't know if it is just me, but it seems a bit odd to split the church instead of being together? Another behind-the-scenes point that struck a strong cord with me was how Platt talks about giving a lot throughout the book. He says that we should give until it hurts us to give. We should pay for our necessities (bills, gas, payments) and then give the rest away to the church, charities, and Christ-like organizations we can work with. Now, I'm not against this because the Bible tells us to give 10% of our income back to Him and I agree that the more we give, the more we will be blessed. What bothers me though is that when I looked at what Brook Hills gave to the Cooperative Program, it was the same amount that my hometown church. Brook Hills has thousands and thousands of members and receive more money in one Sunday than my hometown church probably does in one year when the regular attendance on Sundays is about 130. If he expects us to give and give, then why doesn't his church really give as much as they should? One final thought. Platt talks a lot about how Christians today try to live the American Dream, which he says is unbiblical. I see it differently. God has blessed many Christians to afford to have a nice houses, nice vehicles, and a good family that they can go on vacations with. If that family focuses on God and the parents raise their children in church and to be a witness to others and be a positive influence to those who interact with them, then I see it as the Christian American Dream. If we gave all that we have to those in need, wouldn't we become in need? He also places a lot of emphasis on going global with the Gospel and saying that it isn't a calling to go to another nation. I beg to differ there because I feel as though the missionaries in America (yes, there are missionaries in America through the North American Mission board because over half of America's population does not have a personal relationship with Christ) are so important. Just as the Bible says, which Platt quotes, we are to share the Gospel with Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. If we are to share the Gospel with other countries, how can we even begin to do that when we haven't even shared the Gospel with a friend we know that isn't saved or a neighbor down the road that doesn't go to church? Why do you think that God wrote the verse in that order? He wants us to start where we are at and work our way out to His calling for us. Another unbiblical thing that bugs me is that Platt apparently ignores some of the verses where God instructs men to be the leaders of the church. One Sunday, there was a lady who wasn't even ordained by any church (even though I believe that women aren't suppose to be ordained) and baptized her friend. That was where the buck stopped with me and reading this book confirmed my decision to start looking for another church to attend while I am at college. Now, this book may be helpful to some people, but I pray that many Christians do not become fooled by the hypocracy that is written. David Platt and The Church at Brook Hills are far from how perfect they seem to be in this book. Frankly, Platt doesn't really preach what he is writing about in Radical. I could be completely wrong about it all, but this is my "Radical" review.

I Take This Man

First off, let me start out by saying this book is extremely explicit and SHOULD NOT be read by anyone under the age of 18! I would recommend this for young, mature adults. This probably is one of my least favorite books and would not have bought it if it had not been in the "Bargain Bin" on sale for $4. The language is untasteful for me. She author doesn't drop the F Bomb a few times, but multiple times in each of the 30-something chapters. It is really ridiculous to use the F word that many times. The storyline is good for a young audience (under the age of 30 but over the age of 18). It is about a girl who gets left at the altar on her wedding day and her mother knocks out the fiance and kidnaps him. I actually enjoyed the story when I ignored all of the foul language. There was also a lot of uncalled sexual content. I realize that sex sales, but this was by far too much! Nearly every chapter had some detail of someone having sex, especially outside of marriage. I realize that it is not uncommon for couples to do that nowadays, but it really was too much. And the F word was used several times as not only a curse word, but also a sexual phrase. It really ruined the book for me. Sorry for anyone who absolutely loved this book. I thought it would be much better because it received high remarks from one of my favorite authors, Meg Cabot. She is the author of all of the Princess Diaries, which were the inspirations for the movies. Her books do contain a handful of curse words and maybe one or two sexual comments or gestures, but they are nothing like this books'. I will let you make the call on whether you want to read this or not. If you would like to continue a discussion, please feel free to comment or message me. I would love to hear from you!

Through My Eyes

This book was a lot different from what I was expecting. But then again, it is Tim Tebow's first book that he wrote so there really weren't any expectations to live up to. It was a really good and encouraging book. I feel as though what I have heard and read about him is different from what his side of the story says. This past year I read a book called "Playing with Purpose" which was about Tim Tebow, Sam Bradford, and Colt McCoy. These are three very strong and positive Christian role models that children, teens, and adults can look up to and admire for their Christian values and platform, also two of which have won the infamous Heisman Trophy. When the author talks about Tim, he talks about how humble he is about every: losing a game, losing the Heisman twice, missing out on stuff. Now don't get me wrong, Tebow talks about how his parents taught him and his siblings the value of humility. His parents would give them a dollar for every compliment that other people told them. They were also taught to never talk/brag about themselves unless they were asked. As they grew older, they learned not even do that because they enjoyed hearing the success of others. But being humble wasn't the first attribute that I found in Tebow. I feel as though he talks about being the best more times than anything else. This is very encouraging for people who are struggling at being their best and settling for just average. It is encouraging to me as he had a goal to be strong and maintain a healthy weight no matter what the cost or what he would be giving up. I encourages me to exercise and to eat better. Although I won't be going to the extremes that he goes to, such as never drinking sodas, it is inspiring to hear how he is successful. Overall, the book was a good read. I still have mixed feelings about it because there were parts that seemed to contradict each other and some that were a bit of a let-down for me, but like I said at the beginning, this is his first book and I shouldn't expect him to be perfect. He told his story and seemed to honest about it.

True Compass

I must say, this book wasn't what I thought it would be. Let me start off and begin by saying that I actually enjoyed the first half of the book. Although Edward Kennedy is an extreme liberal and I am an extreme Conservative, I can actually admit to enjoying parts of his book. The first half of the book basically talked about his childhood, family, and the beginnings of the Kennedy political legacy. It really opened my eyes to see the Kennedy family as an actual family who weren't just about politics. I have gained a respect for them, which I can honestly say that I didn't beforehand. Although this was another one of the books that I began reading a year ago, it was one that I surprisingly enjoyed. I actually made a better grade on the book report that I had to write about Ted Kennedy unlike the one I wrote for the "South of Freedom" book report. The latter second part and whole third part did somewhat turn me off because Kennedy really showed himself as a complete Liberal and Democrat by never supporting any Republican, whether they were Conservative or Liberal, becqause he always thought that he was right about everything. That is one thing that I do not like about any person. We all make mistakes; it is what makes us humans. If someone is writing an autobiography about his or herself, then he or she should include those mistakes so that the readers know that they are human and are being truthful and real to everyone. Also, respect and support are two more things I hate about many politicians. In today's society, I think it is so important for politicians to respect people of the different parties and to support each other on things that they agree and work together to acheive a common goal. It seemed like Ted never really wanted to do that. But I will let the readers decide their own opinions because this is just the opinion of a Conservative Southern Baptist from Alabama.

South of Freedom

So this may probably be the worst book review I write, and not because the book was bad or anything, but because I was a bad reader. I began this book over a year ago when I had to write a History paper on it in the first half of my Freshman Spring semester. Then over the Winter break I read bits and pieces of it. A few days ago, I finally finished it. It was a very interesting book on how it was written by a black man who had grown up in the South and joined the Army, and then he moved North to work at a newspaper. He returned to the South to see how and if things had changed since he was a child. I feel as though some details weren't very accurate as he was biased against the South due to how he was treated, but I could be completely wrong because I have been raised in the South and usually the people are biased no matter where they are at. The book was kind of hard to read as the author used difficult words. I would recommend this book for adults who are particularly interested in History, especially the Civil Rights. I would not consider it a leisurely book to enjoy in the sun or for free time. Nonetheless, it was a very intriguing book. I would love to hear feedback from anyone who has read this book because I find it difficult to write my review on it. God bless!

Three Cups of Tea

Three Cups of Tea was a fascinating book. I would recommend it for people to read, although I would recommend it for adults because it is difficult to read at first because Greg Mortenson talks about foreign places and people that can often be frustrating. A tip would be to remember something of the name so that you will know who he is talking about throughout the book, but not to worry about all the different foreign names and places because it would just get you confused and lost. There is an easier version that may be helpful as well, especially if children are interested in reading it. But anyways, Three Cups of Tea is about a man, Greg Mortenson, who travels with a group of climbers to climb K2 (the second tallest mountain in the world) in the Middle East. Mortenson fails to reach the top, and on his journey back to the bottom, he gets lost and stumbles upon a village called Korphe. There he meets some really sweet people who help him regain his strength and health. In return for their graciousness, he promises them that he will come back and build a school for the children who desire an education so much that they will use sticks and the ground to do school work when they have no other tools. Mortenson goes back to the U.S. to try and raise enough money, which turns out to be more difficult than he thought. There are so many wonderful little details that I would love to write about, but I would suggest that you experience them yourself! In the ending chapters, things begin to heat up as 9/11 occurs which creates many different feelings for the readers as they embrace their own feelings from that day and the feelings that Mortenson shares. Even though there have been allegations that have recently come out against Mortenson, I still believe that what he did for the children in the Middle East is commendable. He may have not completely told the truth about many of the things in the book and may have used money in the wrong way, but as a future teacher, I am glad that schools are being built for children who desire an education and helping the people of the villages by creating water lines, giving scholarships, and providing a place to stay when they go to college. This book has become one of New York Times' Bestsellers. There are many websites and bookstores that sell this book new and used. I would personally recommending buying it used to save money, and then share it with a friend. A very good website in which I use often to buy textbooks for college currently has this book on stock as used for as little as a penny!!! You can also purchase the young reader's edition for under $8!! :) The website is: http://www.freetextbooks.com/. Feel free to use me, Chelsea Dutton, as your referral friend! Hope to post again tomorrow about another wonderful book I have also already read this summer! God Bless!!