This is the disturbing true story of the narcissistic D.C. Stephenson whose charismatic influence gave rise to the Klan in Indiana in the 1920s. The Klan dominated Indiana.

"Isn't it strange that with all our educational advantages, Indiana citizens could be induced to pay $10 for the privilege of hating their neighbors and wearing a sheet?" -Meredith Nicholson

It isn't strange that churches involved had connections to false prophets of the day.

This title is "Included in Premium" on Spotify, so I listened while driving. The subtitle sums up the book, examining the practices of the modern charismatic movement through the lens of Scripture. The narrator, Maurice England, was an excellent choice. Quoted in the appendix, Spurgeon reminds us: "The work of the Holy Spirit, by which men are quickened from their death in sin, is not inferior to the power which made men speak with tongues.”

Geddy's memoir was all I expected and more. I wanted to learn more about his parents' experiences in the concentration camps, and was surprised at the amount of detail. It was very enjoyable to learn about his life in the studio and on the road with Alex and Neil. This book covers the highs of Rush's success and the lows of the passing of loved ones and personal struggles. A definite pick for Rush fans!

This is a great devotional for the 40 days from Advent through Epiphany. The daily readings and prayers are very helpful for focusing on the coming of Christ. This also helped to remember the hope we have in Christ's second Advent. I also feel I learned a lot more about church history through this journey. Sometimes modern Evangelicals shy away from terms like "liturgy" and even "Advent" and "Epiphany," quite possibly to our detriment.

"You probably know me as Geddy Lee, but my birth name was Gershon Eliezer Weinrib, after my maternal grandfather, who was murdered in the Holocaust."

This one should be interesting.

#Rush
#FirstLineFridays
@ShyBookOwl

"Everything of eternal significance that happens in the church or in the life of any Christian is due to the powerful work of the Holy Spirit." Tom Pennington provides Biblical evidence to support the cessation of the miraculous spiritual sign gifts of languages, prophecy, and healing. He also shows how these unique gifts differ from those claimed by charismatics today. I recommend this to anyone who wants to learn more about the Holy Spirit.

I really enjoyed reading this. What a gift to give your children every Christmas! Tolkien even invented an alphabet and a nice script for these letters. The misadventures of the North Polar Bear are hilarious. The illustrations are outstanding. This definitely was the year of Tolkien for me.

#FellowshipOfTolkien #TolkienChristmas

I really enjoyed this collection of tales. The tales themselves are unfinished, as they are drawn from Tolkien's notes and unpublished manuscripts. In some ways, they illustrate how unfinished The Silmarillion, The Hobbit, and The Lord of the Rings are. This book is full of supplemental stories to add more details and background to those stories. The Tale of the Children of Húrin is one of my favorite Tolkien stories. The illustrations are great.

Reading The Letters from Father Christmas with the #FellowshipOfTolkien. I really like the artwork in this edition.

#TolkienChristmas

Thanks, @Daisey and @JazzFeathers

Finished this today as part of the #LotRChapterADay Read-along. This is my favorite book. I found that breaking it down into a chapter a day made me appreciate it more. Having finally read The Silmarillion earlier this year added depth to this reading of LotR. Tolkien is a master story-teller and world builder. The illustrations in this edition showcase his ability to share his vision of Middle Earth. This edition is a must for Tolkien fans.

This was a fun thriller. The writing style took some getting used to, but it worked well for this book. The book starts off kind of slow, but once Van Helsing arrives and gets down to business, the pace picks up. Van Helsing is definitely my favorite character. I also liked the Harkers and Quincey Morris. Renfield is quite memorable as well. I would recommend to anyone into gothic horror and vampires. Another classic crossed off the TBR!

Costi Hinn has written a very informative, insightful, practical, and convicting book on the Holy Spirit. He includes chapters on what it means to be filled with the Spirit and the gifts of the Spirit.

Diving into Book Five after a little break in the #LotRChapterADay Read-along

As usual, Steinbeck's masterful description of the scenery is top notch. The Wayward Bus also has some witty dialogue. Steinbeck uses the dialog to portray the characters that are a cross section of American culture. It's like a commentary on the way Steinbeck sees various types of people. I felt I could identify with some of the characters. I felt Steinbeck over-emphasized the sexual tension between the characters.

This is a nice collection of Tolkien's lesser-known works, and his essay, "On Fairy-Stories."

This was an informative book about Rich Mullins, one of the best Christian songs writers of my lifetime. I felt this "devotional biography" leaned more biographical, with a focus on Rich's beliefs, which are reflected in his songs. For the devotional aspect, there is a set of questions for each chapter. I felt these were engaging and thought-provoking.

This was an interesting story about a man and his religion. Joseph Wayne receives his father's blessing to move to Steinbeck's beloved California and start a farm there. After his father's death, his brothers follow him. Joseph believes his father's spirit also moved with them and inhabits an old oak tree. I think this is a cautionary tale to not believe in a god of our own making, especially if we believe we are that god's savior.

This collection of connected short stories set in the Salinas-Monterey area is an example of Steinbeck's realistic narrative style. The characters were relatable and likable. 4/5

11/22/63 is definitely one of Stephen King's better novels. It was very well researched, especially regarding Oswald. I felt he also did a good job of bringing out both the good and bad of American society in the late 50s and early 60s. Once you know what Jake is attempting, you want to move quickly to Dallas. At times it seems the love interest with Sadie and the town of Jodie is too drawn out. I guess it makes the stakes higher for Jake. 4/5. 👇

This was just okay for Steinbeck. It's his first book. It seemed really disconnected. I was looking for a good pirate adventure, but this wasn't it. There are some good tidbits of history regarding Henry Morgan. The introduction in this edition was informative, but full of spoilers.

This was just okay. The first two thirds of the book was a philosophical defense of why there can be miracles. The last part was more interesting as Lewis moved into a discussion of the miracle of the Incarnation and the miracles of Jesus. One quote that I like: "in all [Jesus'] miracles alike the incarnate God does suddenly and locally something God has done it will do in general."

George Orwell did an extremely good job of terrifying the reader of what the future would look like under a government with absolute power. The first part was depressing. In the second part, you are given a glimmer of hope only to have it dashed. The third part is just sad. I admire Orwell's creativity in using a novel to convey his ideas. But it's a rough read. This is a reminder we need to remember the past and hang onto our humanity.

Originally a series of radio shows about Christianity, C.S. Lewis strives to give the basics of the Christian faith. He is very successful in that goal. This book is good for anyone wanting to get the basics on what it means to follow Christ. Lewis does an outstanding job of laying out what it means to be a Christian, without getting into any detailed theological issues. New Christians and lifelong believers alike can benefit from this book.

This was an entertaining quick read. The pacing was perfect for this story. When a newcomer starts causing problems, the women of the book club must come together and overcome their traditional roles and expectations to put a stop to it. Very suspenseful and certainly gory in some spots.

I have been delaying reading this because of its reputation for being "biblical" and dry. I only wish I had read it earlier. While containing the creation narrative of middle earth, it is very engaging. The legends that are the foundation for The Lord of the Rings are found here. The stories of Beren and Luthien, Túrin, and the Fall of Gondolin are the main stories, presented in a concise fashion. This is essential Tolkien reading.

Happy Tolkien Reading Day! I just discovered that this was a thing this morning, having been directed to the Kindle deals Amazon is running to celebrate. I just happen to be reading the tagged book. This illustrated edition shows Tolkien was an able artist as well as a literary genius.

I really enjoyed Dune. A true classic that I have finally crossed off my TBR. The world building is incredible. I very much enjoyed Paul's story and his growth into Muad-Dib. There are many more memorable characters and scenes. And sandworms! The first 100 pages might be slow, but they are very important to the rest of the book. I The appendices are very helpful.
I am looking forward to seeing the new movies and reading the rest of the series.

This book was enjoyable at times, but at other times frustrating. The use of the term Being, defined as the totality of human experience, is put at the center. It seems like he believes that being the best Being you can be is the key to making the world a better place while alleviating some of the suffering that is life, according to Peterson.

Brilliant! This book is even more relevant today than when originally written. I especially enjoyed "Screwtape Proposes a Toast."

The creators of The Babylon Bee have delivered a thought-provoking, humorous new take on John Bunyan's classic. I thoroughly enjoyed this quick read. In this tale, Ryan (Christian) is joined by Faith as they make their way to The Golden City in a quest to save the Dying Lands. On their way they meet characters like Smiling Preacher, Humanist, & Pastor. This is an allegorical take as well as a parody of modern times.

This collection of early King novels was good. Of the four, I liked Roadwork the best. It seemed the most interesting to me. While The Running Man was more action-packed than The Long Walk, I liked the characters and the ending of The Long Walk more. Rage was okay. The common thread was the mental anguish brought on by extreme situations and how it plays out.

Stephen King does a really good job of reeling Constant Reader in with this one. The beginning pulls on your heartstrings. The next 200 or so pages are somewhat slow. The last 250 fly by as the story really hits its stride. I really enjoyed the unique cast of characters, especially some of the Deep Maleen gang. Overall, this is a good fantasy tale. King succeeds in telling a Fairy Tale while writing about fairy tales.

"I'm sure I can tell this story."

#FirstLineFridays
@ShyBookOwl

"To me history ought to be a source of pleasure. It isn't just part of our civic responsibility. To me it's an enlargement of the experience of being alive, just the way literature or art or music is."

– David McCullough

David McCullough had the unique talent of bringing history to life. Even when the subject was a raging flood or a famous bridge, the book read like your favorite fiction story. ?

This was a quick easy read after finishing Wheel of Time. It was okay.
Pros: 1) I liked the overall theme; 2) Very readable. 3) The ending; 4) The idea of the Midnight Library was creative.
Cons: 1) This story, in some ways, has been done many times before (think It's a Wonderful Life); 2)I didn't really like Nora until the end; 3)repetitiveness, even for a short book; 4)it was very predictable.

"But it was an ending."

Indeed! I thought this book was a very fitting end to The Wheel of Time. Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson did an excellent job tying up all the story lines of the series, some reaching all the way back to Book 1. The book is almost entirely dedicated to The Last Battle, played out on two fronts. The only issue I have is with one group of combatants. You are left asking, "Where did these people come from?"

#WheelofTime

"Bayrd pressed the coin between his thumb and forefinger."

And so begins the finale of The Wheel of Time.

#FirstLineFridays
#WoT

@ShyBookOwl

This is my favorite book in the series yet! All the storylines and character arcs are coming together as all people are marching to The Last Battle. I really enjoyed Perrin's journey in this one. We finally have Mat and Thom's long-awaited mission. Aviendha's vision is very intriguing. It will be interesting to see how it all plays out.

#WoT #wheeloftime

This is the best book of the series since The Shadow Rising, maybe before. Brandon Sanderson does an awesome job of taking the notes Jordan left and increasing the pacing. Egwene really shines in this book. The events around the White Tower are captivating. Rand's battles are most of the rest of the book, leaving us with heavy foreshadowing into Mat's and Perrin's next missions. Definitely looking forward to the last two books!

#wheeloftime

In his excellent book, Voddie addresses the Social Justice Movement and how it and CRT are infiltrating the Evangelical Christian church. He makes the case for standing on the Truth of Scripture to fight against the social "gospel" forwarded by BLM and the proponents of CRT.

This is definitely one of the better books of the series. It had great pacing and even more character development. Things seem to be moving into place as Tarmon Gai'don draws nearer.

The prequel was a good break in the main story line. This one is definitely a beginning. A beginning of Moiraine's quest to find the Dragon and a turning point in Lan's journey. I really enjoyed the pacing and seeing some of the characters in their younger years.

"A cold wind gusted through the night, across the snow-covered land where men had been killing one another for the past three days."

#FirstLineFridays
@ShyBookOwl
#wheeloftime

Now this one deserved to be put in the category of "The Slog". There was some good character development, especially with Perrin and Mat, but the plot didn't seem to move forward that much from where we left out characters at the end of Winter's Heart. One good thing about the book is that it showed how the recent event at the end of WH impacted the rest of the world. It will be interesting to see how the alliances forged will play out.

What "slog"? I felt Winter's Heart was highly entertaining and enjoyable. One of the main characters makes his return, along with others we haven't heard from in a while, including one of my favorite minor characters. The ending of the book is one of the most satisfying so far in the series as it wraps up a mission and so much is revealed. I am looking forward to seeing how some other storylines play out! Nine down, six to go! #WoT

"Three lanterns cast a flickering light, more than enough to illuminate the small room with its stark white walls and ceiling, but Seaine kept her eyes fixed on the heavy wooden door "

#FirstLineFridays
@ShyBookOwl

While it seems the plot is inching forward, and one of main characters is left in the dust, there is so much going on in this volume. Invasion, intrigue, and betrayal are on full display as the plot thickens.

Many critics of The Wheel of Time series consider this book the beginning of "The Slog" where the series slows down and the plot shows down. I rather enjoyed this book, especially the character development. There are new characters and factions and the return of one group that had seemed defeated. ACOS is packed with world building. There seems to be much more humor in the dialog. I'm looking forward to the rest of "The Slog!"

There is so much going on in this book. There are some major changes for some of the main characters. The rescue mission and battle at the end are the most memorable moments of this book. I'm looking forward to the last 8 books!

Finished reading War and Peace one chapter a day in 2021. I especially enjoyed this edition of Tolstoy's masterpiece. I liked the translation and the historical notes that were included. There is also a glossary of people and places. War and Peace is in my top 5 all time novels.