Tag: reading

The 100 Book Reading Challenge and How it Has Changed Me

On By pastorjonathanIn Uncategorized12 Comments

For those of you following along, you know that I took up the challenge to read 100 books this past year.  I made my page number goal and then some but missed my book goal by 18.  Never-the-less I’m confident that I have read more in the past year than I have in any single year prior.

It’s difficult to asses all the changes that attempting such a goal has had on me.  Yet as I reflect on the past year and dream about the future I cannot help but notice that I have changed as a result of becoming a more disciplined reader. I am different than I was a year ago and here is how:

1. I don’t waste as much time (though I still have the ability).  I thought I was busy before and didn’t have enough time to read more, but I found out that by eliminating or reducing a few small pleasures (like late night TV, facebook stalking,  spending time with my wife and children… Ok! I was kidding on that last one.) that I have more time than I thought I did and can spend it in more productive ways like reading.

2. I’m a faster reader now. I didn’t set out to increase the rate at which I read or even comprehend what I read, but as a result of reading more often it just happened. I read faster now and comprehend better than I ever have (but I’m still not a speed reader by any stretch of the imagination).

3. I’m a more discerning reader.  I’ve learned that the quality of the books you read is more important than the quantity of books you read. My goal next year is not to read more books, but to read better books.

4. My Daughter is a better reader. She’s five and she’s advanced from just knowing the sounds that letters make to reading on a first grade level in the past year. (Technically if you count all the books I’ve read to her I’m well over double my 100 book goal.)

5. I’m actively and intentionally encouraging others to read. This past year I volunteered to mentor a couple of kids at our local junior high and have been impressed to see them start reading at and above their grade level. I’m also involved at my daughters elementary school helping her peers learn their sight words.

I’m sure I’ve changed in other ways as well. These are just the 5 that jumped out at me.  I’ll be sharing more in the coming weeks about my goals for next year! And I’ve got some big ones.  How about you? What are you thinking about challenging yourself to next year?

 

If You want to be a Leader, you need to be a reader: how I find time to read two books a week.

On By pastorjonathanIn booksLeave a comment

I set out to read 100 books by the end of the year.  You can check my progress here.  Some people have come to ask… Where I find the time to read.

The short answer is while everyone else is watching TV… I’m reading.  Actually most of the time that I’m watching TV, I’m also reading a book.  I picked up the habit while in college and I was assigned 30 pages of reading every night for a literature class.  No one ever told me that it was strange to read all the assigned reading and so I read and I also watched TV with my roommates.  Somewhere along the way, I actually became decent at being able to navigate two narratives at once.

I also take a 15 minute lunch break 2 or 3 days a week depending on my schedule and read a chapter in a book while I eat the soup that I have brought with me to work. I’ve found that this is a great way to add 45 minutes to my work day (Normally I’d take an hour out to meet someone) and get in 15 minutes of reading.  I also read while doing other activities that require a minimal amount of response like cooking and brushing my teeth.  When all is said and done I get in about 1 to 2 hours reading each day. Most of it at night after I have put the kids to bed.

Bottom line.  If I spent as many hours reading as the average person spends watching television each year I would be able to read well over 100 books. Sometimes it is all about perspective and time management.  On occasion I’ve been criticized for reading too much. Yet, not many people would think much of me spending 2-4 hours a night watching television or cruising the internet.  What matters more to you?  The complete season of CSI or NCIS or the half dozen books you could read while one of these shows is on this season? Since I’ve never found anything of lasting value from watching episodes of CSI* I choose to have the TV on in the background and read about 50 -100 pages of a good book.

The Jesus Storybook Bible (Review)

On By pastorjonathanIn Devotional, Family, parentingLeave a comment

I really like the Jesus Storybook Bible Deluxe Edition.  I’ve been reading it to my4 year old daughter on a pretty regular basis.  Most storybook bibles we have come across grossly leave out important details, this one however, remains truer to the text than any I have ever seen while at the same time driving home the story of Jesus from Genesis to Revelation.  This storybook Bible presents a clear and accurate Biblical theology on a child’s level.

Since our children are younger we’ve started using it for family devotions in the evening before bath and bed.  My daughter loves it and begs for me to read the next story.  We have the deluxe edition which comes with CD’s of David Suchet reading the stories (like in the video’s below).  If you have kids or grand-kids I would highly recommend getting your hands on a copy of the Jesus Storybook Bible.  The retail price is $25, but I got mine from amazon.com for $16.49.  I gave it 5 Stars.

Zondervan has put out a few video’s where you can get a glimpse of how the stories read.  I have included them below for your viewing pleasure.

Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

“The Lightlings” (A Children’s book Review)

On By pastorjonathanIn books, Fiction, parentingLeave a comment

The Lightlings by R.C. Sproul and Illustrated by Justin Gerard is a great book for parents to read to their children.  The story is a deep and rich allegory that plays on the theme of being scared of the dark.  The grandfather in this story shares about how some people are scared of the light and begins to tell his grandson about a race of people known as the Lightlings.

The book gets really interesting at this point as the story shifts from the comfort of a grandfather telling a story in a home to the magical world of the Lightlings.  However the world of enchantment is short lived as the Lightlings disobey their king and run to the darkness to cover their shame.  The story of grace and redemption in coming to the light then unfolds.

I really liked this book and where it was headed.  The book has a lot of strengths and can open the door for deeper discussion with your children.  Perhaps the greatest strength to this book is the list of 13 questions to ask your kids and scripture references that come at the end of this book.  This helps ensure that its not only a bed time story, but a teaching moment.

That being said, there are a few things that jumped out at me.  I was puzzled why the Lightling creatures needed to be created as fairy like creatures.  My daughter already gets fairies and angels a little confused. I think its the wings that do it for her.  All allegory breaks down at some point.  And while illustrating the run to the darkness, Sproul leaves much unsaid about how or why the Lightlings disobey the Light King.  In my opinion, as an allegory this is where the story is the weakest. That being said, all allegory breaks down at some point.

Over all it was a great book and I would recommend it for parents with young children.   The Lightlings is an excellent resource. The retail price is $18.00 (Hardcover), and is available at places like Amazon.com for $12.24. I gave it four stars.

Disclaimer: A PDF of this book was provided for review by Reformation Trust Publishing. They will send me a complimentary copy after they see my revies.  There was no requirement to give it a positive review, just for me to call it like I see it.

How to Get Free Books (Part 2)

On By pastorjonathanIn booksLeave a comment

If you are a blogger there are several publishing companies through which you can get free books. I will share my experiences with a few of these companies and how you too can get free books in exchange for a book review.

I first learned about the Blogging for Books Program through a random blog that I found while surfing the web for book reviews on books by one of my favorite authors.  I saw the banner above and followed the link to the blogger page.  I signed up but wasn’t contacted until a month or two had passed.  I had all but forgotten about it when finally I received an e-mail letting know that I would soon be notified about upcoming books.

The Blogging for Books Program by WaterBrook Multnomah, in my opinion, is by far the superior book review program.  Basically you log on to the main page, enter in your information and your interest.  A month or two later you may be invited to a blog tour via e-mail.  If you accept you generally receive a review copy a few weeks before the book comes out.  You write a review and post on your blog.  Write a consumer review like for Amazon.com.  Then you will need to send an e-mail back to the person who invited you to the tour letting them know where they can find the review.

Strengths to the Program:

You Get free books

You Get to choose which books you will review

You can review more than one book at a time

You get the books before the release date (you get to read it before the rest of the world)

You can often request a review copy to give away on your blog

Weaknesses

You only have a few weeks to read and review each book.  Its really not a weakness for me, but may be if it typically takes you longer to read a book.

WaterBrook Multnomah has streamlined the process and made it easy for bloggers to log in and figure out how things work.  I highly recommend the Blogging for Books program if you are an avid reader.  So far I have received and written reviews for 2 books through WaterBrook Multnomah. Compared to the other programs I give it a 5 out of 5.

5 Tips for Becoming a More Disciplined Reader

On By pastorjonathanIn books2 Comments

So you haven’t done so well at finishing a book once you start.  Or you are a little sporadic in your reading.  Here are a few tips to help you become a more disciplined regular reader.  Whether you are reading a book a day or a book a year, hopefully these tips will help drive you further along in the process.

1. Set a realistic deadline.

I found the syllabus in college very helpful in providing a daily or weekly schedule of reading.  If you have trouble starting and finishing a book, why not take a few minutes, flip through the book you want to read and set out a realistic reading schedule.  Maybe a chapter a day or a chapter a week.  Figure out a deadline and work your way back from there.  When you find yourself getting behind, double up until you have caught up.

2. Read at a set time.

Maybe you have time in the morning before work or Tuesdays at Lunch or for an hour on the treadmill in the gym.  Find a time and place that work best for you and fit into your regular schedule and start reading.  Incorporate reading into your daily routine

3. Read good books.

Check out a few book reviews before you read a book.  See what other readers thought after reading the book.  Try and find both favorable and unfavorable  reviews to read.  Once you have found a good book that still piques your interest after reading the reviews… read it.

4. Don’t move on until you have finished.

If you are an undisciplined reader, don’t start a new book until you have finished the last book you were reading.  This will help you press on through the later chapters of the book once you have already been well introduced to the topic.  Otherwise you will end up with several half-read books.

5. Have a reading list at least 2 or 3 books deep.

This will motivate you to finish the book in front of you.   Go ahead and plan the next book or two out.  That way when things begin to lag, you will have an incentive to finish the book you are reading to get to the next book that you are highly interested in.

5 Reasons to Read (Non-fiction)

On By pastorjonathanIn Uncategorized6 Comments

I like to read.  I really like to read.  I really like to read non-fiction.  Granted there are many people in this world who are more excellent readers and read quite a lot more than I do on a regular basis (I try to average 1 book every other week).  So when I was asked why I read so  much I was kind of shocked (I’ve heard of people who will read a book a day).  First that someone would not know of good reasons to read and second that they thought I read a lot of books (truthfully I consider myself  a slow reader).  So I decided I would post a few reasons to read non-fiction.  These are just a few of the many benefits of reading.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/austinevan/1225274637/

1.  Reading engages the mind of a person in thought in ways that other types of media do not.  Reading is a long conversation with the author of the book.  Thoughts, ideas, illustrations, and stories are all presented in such a way as to provoke the reader to profound thought on a variety of subjects from the simplicity of beauty to the depth of our understanding of physics.

2. Reading provides clarity. Writing is the most referenced form of communication.  What is written can easily be referenced and referred back to.  Readers can highlight and underline passages.  Words can be looked up and examined.  Troubling thoughts find themselves explained in the context of the larger work.

3. Reading is reader paced. Not everyone reads at the same pace.  Those who read and comprehend faster can enjoy gaining information at their own personal pace.  Likewise slower readers are not hurried through material.

4. Reading is an act of humility. When one submits to read a non-fiction book for the sake of gaining information on a project or concept the reader is admitting that he/she can gain from the insight of others.  This is an act of humility.

5. Reading is prudent. You can read anywhere.  Reading is a good use of time when waiting in line or for a lunch appointment to show up.  Before the great inventions of Tivo and DVR much of my reading was done while the compercials were showing.

Are you a reader?

Why do you read or not read?

What books have had the most profound influence on your life? (I’ll share my top 5 in the next post)