Sunday, August 17, 2008

Till We Have Faces - by C.S. Lewis

This is definitely one of my favorite books of all time. Have read it at least three times. It is a powerful re-telling of the Greek love story between Psyche and Eros through her sister Orual.

C.S. Lewis chose "Till We Have Faces", which references a quotation from the book by Orual, "How can the gods meet us face to face till we have faces?" He defended his choice of title by describing the novel's importance to the human condition in a letter to Dorothea Conybeare, explaining that the idea behind the title was that a human being must become real before it can expect to receive any message from superhuman beings; "that is, it must be speaking with its own voice (not one of its borrowed voices), expressing its actual desires (not what it imagines that it desires), being for good or ill itself, not any mask, veil, or persona."

I give this books 5 stars out of 5 stars

Friday, August 15, 2008

What to Expect when You're Expecting - by Heidi Murkoff, Arlene Eisenberg & Sandee Hathaway

Totally clueless about pregnancy? This is a book which I have found helpful:

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

The Treasury of David - by Charles H Spurgeon

Been reading this book on and off for almost a year now. Considered as the magnum opus of Charles H Spurgeon. Though difficult to read (due to its use of old English), the exposition of the various individual Psalms are amazing and has certainly brought new insight to how I view the Psalms

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Long Walk to Freedom - by Nelson Mandela

Picked up this book recently. It is quite an interesting read about Nelson Mandela and his formative years.

Jesus is With Me - by Debby Anderson

Have been reading this book to my son since he was in his mummy's tummy. It is a simple book which basically reaffirms the fact that Jesus is with me whereever I am and in whatever I do.

The Seven Seasons of a Man's Life - by Patrick Morley


Currently reading this book by Patrick M. Morley who also wrote the book "The Man in the Mirror".

In this book, Patrick M. Morley once again prods men of today to take up the responsibility of being leaders at home by putting God first and family a close second. In this book, he gives guidelines on how once can do that.

The 7 seasons are basically:

The Season of Reflection
The Season of Building
The Season of Crisis
The Season of Renewal
The Season of Rebuilding
The Season of Suffering
The Season of Success

In it, one finds the true definition of success: to satisfy one's calling and not one's ambition. Success then is dependent on the biblical view of success and not the world view or cultural view of success in terms of career progression and monetary gains.

Monday, August 11, 2008

Microtrends - by Mark J Penns

Just finished reading this book by Mark Penn titled Microtrends.

Mark J. Penn, the man who identified "soccer moms" as a crucial constituency in President Clinton's 1996 re-election campaign, is known for his ability to detect relatively small patterns of behavior in our culture that are wielding large influence on business, politics, and our personal lives. Only one percent of the public, or three million people, can create a microtrend capable of launching a business or a social movement.

Relying on some of the best polling data available, Penn identifies more than 70 microtrends in religion, leisure, politics, and business that are changing our lives. Among them are: single women choosing to buy their own homes; the triumph of individual sports over team sports; the growing influence of Protestant Latinos; extreme commuters; Philo-Semites; and Classical Music Dads, older fathers who are spending more and more money on their children.

Penn shows readers how to identify the microtrends that can transform a business enterprise or spark a movement. His book makes a convincing case that small groups can have a big impact.