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ben_smitty's reviews
396 reviews
Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage by Haruki Murakami
2.0
2.5 stars. Too many plots and subplots left unanswered. I know Murakami was trying to create a melancholy background to the book but after finishing the book I can't help but feel that some of the symbolism and metaphors in the book were just made up on the spot to add a poetic edge to the story.
The book is about this depressed 38 year-old who can't move on in life and is stuck in the past, dealing with abandonment from his friends sixteen years ago. Even after having the courage to confront his friends, he's left in the end still depressed and in pain over... over what? We don't know. Maybe nothing. Maybe he's just whiny. Along the way he meets another friend (Haida) that also left him. We learn a story about a guy with six fingers that played the piano. We learn the protagonist has a girl he loves with all his heart (Sara) and wanting to marry, but cheating on him with another guy. We learn that his old friend was brutally murdered in her apartment. In the end these things go unresolved. We don't know what happened to Haida, we don't know if the protagonist ends up with the girl, we don't even know who murdered his friend (it could have been him in an alternate universe.... lol what?), we don't know what six fingers means. We don't know why he was obsessed with trains. We don't know whether the protagonist ends up hanging with his friends that abandoned him or not. I don't even know what the point of the book was.
The book is about this depressed 38 year-old who can't move on in life and is stuck in the past, dealing with abandonment from his friends sixteen years ago. Even after having the courage to confront his friends, he's left in the end still depressed and in pain over... over what? We don't know. Maybe nothing. Maybe he's just whiny. Along the way he meets another friend (Haida) that also left him. We learn a story about a guy with six fingers that played the piano. We learn the protagonist has a girl he loves with all his heart (Sara) and wanting to marry, but cheating on him with another guy. We learn that his old friend was brutally murdered in her apartment. In the end these things go unresolved. We don't know what happened to Haida, we don't know if the protagonist ends up with the girl, we don't even know who murdered his friend (it could have been him in an alternate universe.... lol what?), we don't know what six fingers means. We don't know why he was obsessed with trains. We don't know whether the protagonist ends up hanging with his friends that abandoned him or not. I don't even know what the point of the book was.
Christ in the Sabbath by Rich Robinson
4.0
A very important book on what Sabbath means, how Christ fits into the picture of Sabbath, and what we can do regarding what we've learned. I was hoping to find a rich meaning to the story behind the Sabbath and I was not disappointed at all. Learning about how the Sabbath connected to the day of atonement, the year of jubilee, Judaism, and how Christ wants to bring back Eden (the 7th day) to His people once again when He returns was an eye-opening experience. There was also church history, the story of the Seventh-day Adventists, and how the Jews conduct their Sabbath day and what constitutes as work and what doesn't. This book is full of useful information and definitely applicable to every Christian walk!
The Man Who Was Thursday: A Nightmare by G.K. Chesterton
4.0
Started out as a fun, light-hearted detective story. Got stranger and crazier as it went on. Nonetheless, I was glued to the book and finished it in 3 days. Chesterton's "The Man Who Was Thursday" made me laugh and made me think deeply; two things that are essential in a great book. The allusion to the Scriptures at the end of the book was amazing; it got me pulling out my Bible to understand the point that Chesterton was trying to get across. Recommended for those that enjoy fiction with a good philosophical outlook behind it.
Walking by Henry David Thoreau
4.0
Fun short read. Hard to follow at times, but brilliant in talking about the importance of nature and how it is disappearing because of civilization. The book was a plea for men and women to go back to the wild, where they are truly free.
For Men Only: A Straightforward Guide to the Inner Lives of Women by Jeff Feldhahn, Shaunti Feldhahn
4.0
Heaven Misplaced by Douglas Wilson
5.0
I was surprised to find such great information packed in this little book. Doug Wilson lays out the overview and a great introduction to what postmillennialists believe and why they believe.
Simply put, Wilson (and other postmillenialists) believe that when Jesus spoke of the last days and when John wrote Revelation (except the last two chapters) they were prophesying about the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70 rather than the end of the world. This also means that the Great Commission will be accomplished and the world is getting better as Christ is already ruling the earth since His death on the cross.
Phenomenal book.
Simply put, Wilson (and other postmillenialists) believe that when Jesus spoke of the last days and when John wrote Revelation (except the last two chapters) they were prophesying about the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70 rather than the end of the world. This also means that the Great Commission will be accomplished and the world is getting better as Christ is already ruling the earth since His death on the cross.
Phenomenal book.
The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution by Richard Dawkins
5.0
Fascinating. The Greatest Show on Earth was definitely an enlightening read. Dawkins succeeded in presenting a case for evolution that was clear and simple enough to understand. The colored pages and the illustrations were immensely helpful in understanding different species and abstract concepts that were difficult to grasp, especially the topics of embryology and the different fossils of the "missing link". Brilliant. Even with his arrogant attitude towards creationism, I was able to pass through quickly, simply because he had the intelligence to back it up.
The problem though, is that most of the ideas and evidence for macroevolution came with the presupposition that the world was without a creator. For example, the chapter titled "The Tree of Cousin-ship" showed skeletons of different mammals, which are strikingly similar in order, but not in size. He concluded that this must be because mammals are all interrelated through Darwinian evolution. The problem could also be solved by simply adding in a creator that used the same structure of bones for all mammals (I mean if it works, I don't see why not...). With the same evidence, we see different things through different presuppositions. Most of the book covers the concept of microevolution which Christians already believe in. In the end, I finished this book with a broader definition of microevolution, but as a Christian, I could say that it was not enough to convince me of macroevolution without a creator.
The problem though, is that most of the ideas and evidence for macroevolution came with the presupposition that the world was without a creator. For example, the chapter titled "The Tree of Cousin-ship" showed skeletons of different mammals, which are strikingly similar in order, but not in size. He concluded that this must be because mammals are all interrelated through Darwinian evolution. The problem could also be solved by simply adding in a creator that used the same structure of bones for all mammals (I mean if it works, I don't see why not...). With the same evidence, we see different things through different presuppositions. Most of the book covers the concept of microevolution which Christians already believe in. In the end, I finished this book with a broader definition of microevolution, but as a Christian, I could say that it was not enough to convince me of macroevolution without a creator.
Why Evolution Is True by Jerry A. Coyne
3.0
Coyne did very well in summarizing the main points for evolution, touching base on fossils (which was, in my opinion the best part of the book), natural selection, embryology, geographic distribution, sexual selection, speciation, human evolution, and the moral implications of the Darwinian philosophy. I walked away from this book satisfied with why evolutionists believe what they believe.
His attacks on creationism in the chapter "Remnants: Vestiges, Embryos, and Bad Design" was rather annoying and without justification, making assumptions about his own version of the "Designer," rather than bringing philosophy to the table. I understand that this was a science book, but if he was gonna bring up God, he should have had a basic understanding of God and the philosophical backing before he attacks creationism.
His attacks on creationism in the chapter "Remnants: Vestiges, Embryos, and Bad Design" was rather annoying and without justification, making assumptions about his own version of the "Designer," rather than bringing philosophy to the table. I understand that this was a science book, but if he was gonna bring up God, he should have had a basic understanding of God and the philosophical backing before he attacks creationism.