the_jesus_fandom's reviews
501 reviews

The Ivy Chronicles by Karen Quinn

3.0

 There was some vulgarity and inappropriate content, but it’s a sweet and funny story with entertaining characters. 

Interesting Stories for Curious People: A Collection of Fascinating Stories About History, Science, Pop Culture and Just About Anything Else You Can Think of by Bill O'Neill

4.0

 The stories were, in fact, interesting. A warning, though: the cover artwork makes it seem child-friendly. It is not; some of the stories have some pretty serious content. 

One small thing: the book claims Canada is “much smaller” than the US. This is neither true in terms of landmass or population. 

Kinderevangelisatie? Ja! Hoe dan? by Sam Doherty

4.0

 Ik stelde op prijs hoe praktisch dit boek was. Het gaf me ook meer waardering voor kinderwerkers en benadrukte weer maar eens hoe belangrijk kinderonderwijs is. 

The Body at the Tower by Y.S. Lee

3.25

 Once again, I had fun reading this series. The relationship between the leads is a bit silly, with them fighting over nothing and blaming each other for things they also have a hand in, but I still like them and was excited to get the main man back on the scene. Except when he

kissed Mary while she was drunk and in no state to consent. And he knew that she would not have said yes if she was sober. Eww sir.

And Mary says James never listens, when he clearly does. Bit werid. 

The setting and plot were fun, and I liked that aspect of it. Mary’s inner turmoil was cool as well. The banter and situations were once again quite funny. 

Saint by Ted Dekker

2.0

 Sometimes I read books and I really wonder whether the author is okay. What on earth was even going on in here. 

To be fair, this was the second book in a series (I did not realise this, and I don’t remember seeing it anywhere on the cover or in the front pages) so a lot of things were confusing to me. 

That’s not what I meant by my question, though… the story is just super dark and for what? What was the point? Why did that one evil villain have to lick a girl’s ear while he was holding her at gunpoint? To me, this book felt like a lot of depressing and over-the-top violence for the sake of it. 

Brieven van een scepticus by Gregory A. Boyd

3.5

 I’ve seen the author called a heretic because of his controversial opinion on God’s almight, but I fear ignoring this book because of it would be throwing out the baby with the bathwater. 

Despite my not necessarily agreeing with all his standpoints, the author makes some very good points and cases for Christianity and explains things in a way that was new to me. I think Christians can learn a lot about apologetics from this book, they just have to have discernment, as with all things. 

Is God to Blame?: Beyond Pat Answers to the Problem of Suffering by Gregory A. Boyd

3.75

 I think this book gave a helpful perspective on the question of why there is suffering. I know his view on God’s power and almight is controversial, but the author at least defends it from the Bible. Calling him a heretic and ignoring his works, as some do, doesn’t seem like the appropriate response somehow. 

A Nearly Infallible History of Christianity by Nick Page

3.75

 So. The book is funny and genuinely informative. It’s a very accessible intro to Christian history and I think many people who would otherwise not learn about it will get the chance to actually enjoy the subject. 

However, there is a big issue for me, and that is his lack of objectivity. The author himself states: 

“I know at times it might appear as though this book has lost all objectivity. But that’s wrong. Because it never had any objectivity in the first place, and you can’t lose what you never had. The fact is, I care about this. It matters to me how my faith is represented. Grown-up historians are supposed to have ‘detachment’: the best I can manage is semi-detachment.” 

Now, this is all fine and dandy, and I don’t actually mind that he gives his opinion or is clearly emotionally affected by tragedies. In fact, whenever he discusses a topic indepth, he clearly tries to present both sides equally well (or mock both of them equally, it depends). 

The main problem comes with his throw-away comments. See, you can have an opinion (and it can be apparant through your style and humour what that opinion is) and still be fair, honest and logical. You still have to present a balanced view in your history book. And he does this in the longer pieces, but when he quickly mentions something, he also gives his opinion without adding anything extra. He, for example, leans clearly toward a more “socialist” view (being against wealth altogether and emphasis on class warfare). If he had included a section on the merits and demerits of the view, it’d have been fine. Instead, he sprinkles in snide comments that make you chuckle along with him. (“In your face, equal rights.”) This feels unfair. Things mentioned in passing lack nuance because of this, which can cause misconceptions among readers. You can’t just throw jabs and not expect to have to throw up a defense too. The other side never gets a chance to defend themselves, and he just makes them look silly. 

Of course, his depiction of the crusades, the Inquisition and Galileo are the same-old, same-old we’re used to (the church was a monster and there were no redemptive qualities). I think Christians in general are sometimes to eager to self-censure. Not when it comes to their personal lives, but I mean the church as a whole. It’s a scary topic, the Crusades, so we take the easy way out and just condemn them. On the other hand, he is refreshingly balanced on the topic of the Spanish conquest of America, and on evolution. 

This isn’t his fault, but I think there’s a printing error: the character sheets for Paul and Wycliffe share the same “appearance” section. 

The Edge of Everywhen by A. S. Mackey

3.25

 This book was very different from what I was expecting, but it was still intriguing and beautiful. I expected adventures and I got it, but it was the interpersonal kind. 

The side plot with the dad felt a bit out of place, but

his homecoming

was done well. I am sad

his wife died while he was away.

 

I have seen some people criticize the “mystification” of autism in the story, but I don’t know enough about that to comment. 

Blood Heir by Amélie Wen Zhao

4.5

 This book was suprisingly good. Yes, there were some worldbuilding questions (

That one girl had signed a contract 11+ years ago, but she was still a child, so do contracts signed by minors count in this world? Also, Ramson keeps referring to drowning when he thinks of his friend’s death, but his friend died by arrows, so I’m not sure why the drowning bit is everywhere.

) Speaking of which, I’d just read another book where the main man was called Ransom, so when Ramson came along in this one, it took a while for me to realise this name was slightly different. 

But the reason I like this book so much is that there’s a very cool fight between good and evil going on in both protagonists. I was impressed by the fact that we finally got a protagonist who was morally gray but didn’t like it and was striving to be better. That’s the main reason for this high rating. 

“… it is our choices that define us. And I… I want to make the right choice.”