Recent Reads

Review,Thoughts 19 January 2012 | 0 Comments

 

Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson

Buy on Amazon.

Great Read.

5 out of 5 cups of Black Coffee

 

 

 

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The Ares Decision by Kyle Mills

Buy on Amazon

One of the my favorite books in the Covert-One Series.

4 out of 5 cups of Black Coffee

 

 

 

 

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Jonathan Edwards:  Lover of God by Strachan & Sweeney

Buy on Amazon

Probably one of the briefest introductions to Edwards life that you can read.  Accessible and Informed.

3 out of 5 cups of Black Coffee

 

 

 

 

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The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larrson

Buy on Amazon

Wasn’t planning on reading any more from this series because it’s pretty rough / disturbing at times.  But Larsson’s writing is good and compelling.  This isn’t as good as the first book, but none-the-less it’s hard to put down.

3.5 out of 5 cups of black coffee

 

 

 

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Book Review: M.A.S.H. A Novel About Three Army Doctors

Fiction,Review,Thoughts 25 October 2011 | 0 Comments

I’m an avid M.A.S.H. fan.  I grew up in a household with parents who watched the reruns nearly every night.  My mom especially seemed to have it perpetually on.  But I never really understood the appeal of the show until I started watching it myself.  It’s weird how you pick up on a select number of your parents’ habits as you grow older.  But you do.  It seems like we all do.  Eventually you realize that you’re a lot like your folks, and it scares you a bit.  Honestly though, it’s a happy, understanding sort of scared.  Like you somehow know them better and love them more deeply, but secretly wonder if your kids will one day look at you like you’re crazy.

In my mid-twenties I picked up a personal love for M.A.S.H., and over the course of three years, I watched through the entire series.  Eleven seasons, twenty-four episodes each (usually anyway), for a grand total of 251 total episodes.  Steadily one episode after another I watched, and it became a part of my life.  When I finished the series, there was a sort of melancholy that set upon me, like I’d lost a good friend, and life would never quite be the same.  It literally felt like I was leaving college or something.  I felt that way because it’s a show about characters.  And you grow to like those characters, even love those characters, and you feel like they’re a part of your life.  Now they’re leaving, and it’s sort of sad.  I loved M.A.S.H. not just for the characters though, I also loved it because it transported me to another place, one with war and death and adventure and humor and cold nights and hot summers and meaning and moodiness and all-around life.  It’s a show about life, about humanity, and I love it.

The movie upon which the tv show was based is a little different.  Not too different, but different.  Same characters, many of the same actors, but with a much darker sort of humor.  It’s a bit of a scandalous movie, touching on subjects that at the time, and even now, seem too taboo to talk about.  You watch, and you laugh, and you’re not sure if you should be laughing.  A sort of Southpark approach decades before Southpark existed.  Many who like the tv show don’t appreciate the movie, and many who like the movie don’t appreciate the tv show.  Personally I love them both.  And by saying that, I’m not trying to make any sort of moral evaluation, I’m just admitting that I like them.

I just finished reading the book, which I had never read before.  In case you didn’t know, the book is the genesis of the movie, the tv show, everything.  It was written in 1968 by Richard Hooker.  Really it was written H. Richard Hornberger because Hooker is a pseudonym, but whatever.  It’s a book about three army doctors, their friends, and all the craziness that they caused as surgeons at the 4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital.  Hooker indicated that the storyline was based roughly on his own experiences in the Korean War while stationed at a M.A.S.H. unit.  According to Hooker’s son, the lead character, Hawkeye Pierce, was loosely based upon his dad, and in some senses is autobiographical.  It makes me wonder how loosely because it’s hard to believe that the characters in this book, affectionately referred to as “The Swampmen,” could really pull off all the comical hijinks that the book entails.  Secretly, as a reader of the book, you sort of hope they really did pull off all of the craziness.  It seems a bit too over-the-top to be true, but maybe not.  And it’s this sort of flirting with the line of reality that makes the entire book work as a pleasing bit of fiction to read.

M.A.S.H. is hilarious.  Multiple times I laughed out loud.  But be warned!  The humor is even darker than the movie.  It would be rather easy to find yourself offended if you didn’t know what you were getting into.  But as an avid M.A.S.H. fan, I highly recommend it!

4 out of 5 Cups of Black Coffee.

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Five Sentence Review: The Altman Code by Robert Ludlum & Gayle Lynds

Family,Politics,Review 22 October 2011 | 0 Comments

This is the fourth book in the Covert One Series created by Robert Ludlum.  I’m pretty sure this is my favorite novel within the series so far, and it’s solidified my faith in Gayle Lynds as a good thriller novelist.  Set largely in China, this novel came alive in it’s accurate portrayal of both that country and the shaky alliance that his been formed between America and the East in recent years.  A recurring theme in Ludlum novels is the potential evils of unchecked capitalism and the military industrial complex when they become too tightly interwoven into the fabric of Washington’s politics.  Suffice it to say that The Altman Code seems to comment upon both the Bush administration and Dick Cheney as the story of greed and warmongering progresses.

Fun to Read.

4 of 5 cups of black coffee.

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5 Sentence Review: Money: God or Gift by Jamie Munson

Faith,Review,Theology 6 October 2011 | 1 Comment

I haven’t read a ton of books on Christian finance, but this has surely got to be one of the best.  In Money:  God or Gift, Jamie Munson clearly lays out the basic biblical principles regarding money in the Bible.  The book is a quick read (think a couple of days), balanced in its thinking, cheap to buy (only $5 on kindle), theologically focused, practical in application, and includes discussion questions for group study and further probing.  The end of the book has useful appendices for planning a budget and resources for further study.  This would be my de facto book recommendation for those struggling with finances.

4 of 5 cups of black coffee

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Disc Golf Course Review – 7 Oaks – Nashville, TN

Disc Golf,Review,Sports 9 August 2011 | 0 Comments

My Favorite Course in Nashville


 5+    8/8/2011   8/9/2011Review By: Biggzipp
Played: 5  Reviewed: 5

Pros: This really is my favorite course in Nashville. It has a great design with a wide variety of terrain and challenges for both left and right handers. The community of golfers surrounding the course keep it in good condition, and there’s always several golfers playing when you show up. The landscape is diverse and inviting. Pretty nice tee pads. Multiple pin locations, and updated signs were just added. Location in the city!

Cons: Not much here, but the baskets are a bit shallow, so you might occasionally lose a putt that would stick somewhere else. Some might complain that it’s too wooded, but that’s part of what makes it 7 Oaks (IMO).

Other Thoughts: A really relaxing course to play since there’s not much elevation change. You can play through quickly if you desire, but it’s not boring or short. Might be the smartest designed course in town.

Full Review Here.

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