Recent Reads ::: Early 2011

Here are a few of my ‘non-review’ reads over the past few months:

HEAR NO EVIL ::: Matthew Paul Turner
I’ve been a fan of MPT’s blog for a while now and I can proudly say that we’re close friends on Twitter.  I even had the privilege of meeting Matthew (a fellow WV Artist Associate) at the World Vision Artist Conference this year.  This book is a quick read of personal stories and anecdotes from MPT’s life growing up in an uber-fundamentalist Christian home and church.  Although my experience wasn’t quite as extreme as his, reading this book definitely brought back memories of what it was like growing up in a conservative Christian environment.  I appreciated MPT’s wit and ability to humorously explore his journey from indoctrinated belief into an understanding of God’s love and grace for humanity.  It’s a quick, fun and easy read.  Check it out on Amazon HERE.

THE GIRL WHO KICKED THE HORNET’S NEST ::: Stieg Larsson
This is the final book of Larsson’s trilogy.  I read the first two books late last year and finally got around to finishing up the series.  It was fun to continue on with many of the same characters from the first two books.  The stories, although unique on their own, do build on the previous book and it leads to a very gratifying payoff as this book closes out.  My only complaint is that there were several sections where things were slow and it took some work reading to stay with it and not get bored.  All in all I really enjoyed the characters and plot lines.  There was plenty of intrigue and suspense that built throughout.  Check it out on Amazon HERE.

THE INDEPENDENT WORKING MUSICIAN ::: Mary Cosola
I first read this book several years ago but I’m always up for a quick refresher course.  There is a lot of great info in this book for musicians trying to find their way through some of the business and practical aspects of being a full-time muso.  While I think some of the thoughts are somewhat dated because of the advent of digital music and the internet, there are still some great foundational things to be gleaned.  If you’re considering the leap to doing music full-time, or you’ve been at it for a few years, this book would be a solid read for you.  Check it out on Amazon HERE.

THE COST OF DISCIPLESHIP ::: Dietrich Bonhoeffer
I have heard a lot of friends talk about reading Bonhoeffer so I figured I would give him a go.  This book was written in 1937 but many of the concepts in his writings have helped shape Christian theology and faith for people worldwide.  I found it intriguing that a good deal of his writing on people’s attitudes about church and the way churches were operating actually have a lot of relevance today.  The main challenge for me in this text was that it is written in a fairly academic style.  I enjoy reading more conversational authors so it took a lot of concentration for me to wade through this book.  There is a great deal of depth to his writing and if you’re wanting to dive a little deeper into your faith then you may find this to be an interesting read.  Check it out on Amazon HERE.

What books are you currently reading?
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