The Search for God and Guinness - Stephen Mansfield

Ok, I admit it appealed to my contrary streak to get a book from a christian publisher about beer - and not one denouncing beer but telling how faith was as important in the heritage of Guinness as brewing beer. I was amazed at how well I enjoyed the book though.

The book description reads:

It began in Ireland in the late 1700’s. The water in Ireland, indeed throughout Europe, was famously undrinkable, and the gin and whiskey that took its place was devastating civil society. It was a disease ridden, starvation plagued, alcoholic age, and Christians like Arthur Guinness—as well as monks and even evangelical churches—brewed beer to offer a healthier alternative to the poisonous waters and liquors of the times. This is where the Guinness tale began. Now, 246 years and 150 countries later, Guinness is a global brand, one of the most consumed beverages in the world. The tale that unfolds during those two and a half centuries has power to thrill audiences today: the generational drama, business adventure, industrial and social reforms, deep-felt faith, and the beer itself.

It was a fascinating look on the history of Guinness beer and the Guinness family. I was impressed that one company, one family could do that much good and it shines an even harsher light on the modern companies whose main focus is following the almighty dollar.

I didn't know that Arthur Guinness - founder of the company - brought the first Sunday Schools to Ireland, and they were controversial. Rather than a short class after church, they were an all day class and an out reach to the children of the poor slums.

I didn't know that one of the Guinness descendants was a revivalist compared to Moody and Spurgeon and then founded a school to teach missionaries how to mission in China.

I admit to being a bit bored by the descriptions of how many barrels per year were sold and some of the other business-ey business. But it is a business type book so that is expected. And some of they business-ey stuff was interesting - like the talk of Guinness going into advertising (which it avoided for a long time).

All in all, it was a very interesting book. I would recommend it with one caveat - it is not an easy or quick read (though I suppose that depends on your background). I am a history buff and so found the history fascinating but someone who didn't and also is not interested in business would get bogged down.


I was given the book to review by Thomas Nelson Book Bloggers (click the button on my sidebar if you want to sign up). I received no other form of compensation or reward - just a free book. These thoughts are all my own (except for the quoted portion - duh).

Joshua Bell - At Home with Friends

I was given the opportunity to review Joshua Bell's new album though One2One network. I think I have mentioned before that I have rather eclectic music tastes so I was excited about this. It is various musical friends that perform with Joshua Bell on the songs - people like Sting (oh, I love Sting), Josh Groban (another favorite), Kristen Chenoweth.

In fact, here is the track list

I Loves You Porgy featuring Chris Botti, trumpet
Come Again featuring Sting, vocals
Oblivion featuring Carel Kraayenhof, bandoneon
Cinema Paradiso featuring Josh Groban, vocals
Para Tí featuring Tiempo Libre, various
My Funny Valentine featuring Kristin Chenoweth, vocals
Maybe So featuring Edgar Meyer Sam Bush and Mike Marshall, strings
Grieg: Sonata No. 3 featuring Sergei Rachmaninoff (Zenph re-performance)
Eleanor Rigby featuring Frankie Moreno, piano & vocals
O, Cease Thy Maiden Fair featuring Nathan Gunn, baritone
Il Postino featuring Carel Kraayenhof, bandoneon
Left Hand Song featuring Regina Spektor, piano & vocals
Chovendo Na Roseira featuring Dave Grusin, piano
Look Away featuring Edgar Meyer, bass and Chris Thile, mandolin
Variant Moods: Duet for Sitar & Violin featuring Anoushka Shankar, sitar
I'll Take Manhattan featuring Marvin Hamlisch, piano
Left Hand featuring Regina Spektor, vocals

Sounds great, right? That is what I thought too.

Now, honestly I found myself getting annoyed at the album. Sometimes the way it was mixed was too heavy on the violin - like during the song with Sting, the violin drowned out Sting's voice. Same with the Josh Groban song.

I was also disappointed with the Rachmaninoff "duet" - an old copy of a Rachmaninoff performance in 1928 Germany restored and re-recorded. Again the violin was a bit heavy.

In fairness, it is a album based on Joshua Bell playing the violin and he does play very well. He also has a wide range of styles he can play with. He is a very talented musician.

I just didn't particularly like this album.

But that is just me.

By the way - I did get this CD free to review sent to me by One2One network. I received no other compensation and these are all my own personal opinions about the album.

Harry Connick Jr - Your Songs

I was lucky enough to be able to receive the new Harry Connick Jr album - Your Songs - to review for the One2one network. I admit I have very . . . eclectic music tastes. I like music from almost all genres and from most time periods. It is easier to describe what I don't like - rap and Barry Manilow (sorry Heather).

So what I was expecting from Harry Connick Jr was more of his lovely Frank Sinatra-esque music - and there was some of that. But there was also some that seemed Barry Manilow-ish. Maybe it is because of the time period that those specific songs are from, none of them are Barry Manilow songs, but I kept thinking the next song would be Copacabana.

Don't get me wrong, there are some songs I love on the cd - All the Way, Besame Mucho, The Way You Look Tonight, Some Enchanted Evening, Mona Lisa - but it isn't my new favorite cd. It might have been if the song selection had been different.

The most critical family members tolerated it although there were comments that it sounded like Dave from Alvin and the Chipmunks - in fairness I think it had more to do with the style of music than Harry Connick Jr's voice.

So if you like Frank Sinatra and Barry Manilow you will probably love this album - either that or you will think I am crazy for the comparison to Manilow.

I was given the album for free but received no other payment of any kind for this review. These are my unbiased and unedited opinions.

The Noticer

Although I read a lot there aren't many books that I would recommend to just about anyone. The Noticer by Andy Andrews is one of the few.



Jones an old man of undetermined age and background helps a young homeless man - not by giving a handout but by giving him the tools to improve his life. Later the young man finds out about the others that Jones has helped: the couple on the brink of divorce, the old woman who thinks her life is over, the business man who is too busy getting ahead to notice what he is leaving behind.

Based on a true story but weaving in fiction and allegory, The Noticer is a beautifully crafted story from the young homeless man. It is a fairly quick read except, in my opinion, this is one to read slowly and savor. This is an excellent book to add to any collection.

As a side note, as a homeschooler I love how much Jones taught through biographies. We must read more biographies.

I was able to read this book through the Thomas Nelson Book Review Blogger. I get no compensation for doing this review, only the book to read. If you are interested in doing some reviews yourself, click the button in the sidebar.

Max Lucado's Fearless

Everyone has fears of some kind. Everyone.

There are the fears that can mostly be avoided like the fear of crowds or airplanes or needles. But then there are those fears that keep you awake at night - fears of not mattering; fears of not protecting your kids; fear of death. These are the fears that we are powerless against, they gnaw at you and they distract you from the One who can give you peace.

Max Lucado's new book is Fearless and it takes on these fears as well as others: fear of disappointing God, fear of running out, fear of overwhelming challenges, fear of worst case scenarios, fear of violence, fear of the coming winter, fear of life's final moments, fear of what's next, fear that God is not real, fear of global calamity, fear of God getting out of my box. We live in a society that is incredibly fearful and rather than depend on the One who can conquer fear, we walk around as if we have been defeated.

Here is a brief video talking about fear:


Like Max Lucado's other books, this is not a dry, weighty tome full of big, hard to understand words. Nor is it a fluff bit of work. Fearless is an engaging book written in an easy to understand language. Included in the book is a study guide that can be used with groups or by an individual.

I recommend reading through the whole book, some of the chapters I was surprised by the direction they took. I have read through the whole book, and while I can't say I enjoyed the whole thing - some of it was too close to sensitive areas - I got alot out of it. I plan on going back and taking a closer look at those sensitive areas and useing the study guide along with it.

This is a book I highly recommend to anyone. I was very glad to be able to review this book for Thomas Nelson Book Review Bloggers.

By the way - I am not getting anything from Nelson or Max Lucado other than the book to review. I am not being paid or anything like that. I just got a free book.

Rick and Bubba's Guide to the Almost Nearly Perfect Marriage

Do you have the perfect marriage?

No?

Neither do I.

Neither do Rick and Sherri or Bubba and Betty.

They do have an "almost nearly perfect" marriage though. What does the almost nearly perfect marriage look like? Well, there is a lot of laughter mixed with some forgiveness.



Rick and Bubba are not know-it-all geniuses, they each have a real marriage and their stories about their marriages will make you laugh while giving you insights on your marriage.

Included are

• "Rules of Engagement for Women" and "Rules of Engagement for Men"
• "Top 10 Worst Ways to say, 'I'm Sorry'"
• "Top 10 Reasons Some Husbands Don't Pick Up After Themselves"
• The Book of Blame

While there is a lot of laughter and jokes, there are also some real gems of insight:

Show us a good marriage, and we'll show you a union of two good forgivers. In fact, one reason the divorce rate is so high, especially among christians, is that many of us have forgotten how to forgive.

And

Men want to be their wife's hero. Yet many wives find it easier to love, feed or clothe their husbands than to show them respect.

This is not a dry dull book on how to improve your marriage. I would even say if your marriage is having trouble, this is probably not the book you need. But is is a fun book to read.

I have to confess I had never heard of Rick and Bubba before.

I never heard their radio show, never saw their website, nothing. I really wish I had listened to the CD that was included with the book first, because I would have had a better idea what I was listening to. As stupid as it sounds, I was not expecting a couple of guys I might run into at the feed store, or at a gathering of Hubbies co-workers, or at church. These guys are totally down to earth, but without getting into the muck.

Some comedians seem to think that the dirtier you get or the fouler the language the better of a comedian you are. These guys are funny without doing that. This is something I would be comfortable listening to with the kids or my parents.

Plus, it gave me the opportunity to see the guy's side and a chance to see my marriage in a new light.

I am really glad I chose this book as my first reveiw for Thomas Nelson Book Review Bloggers.

Rock of Ages - the musical

Ok, I have a confession. Sometimes I skim read and jump to conclusions. When I saw that I could review Rock of Ages for One2One network I leapt at the chance. How cool to review a musical based on hymns.

Or not.

Because that is not what this Rock of Ages is. Boy do I feel dumb. For those of you like me, Rock of Ages is the new five time Tony nominated Broadway musical starring American Idol finalist Constantine Maroulis. It is set in 1987 on the Sunset Strip in a club where a small-town girl meets a big-city dreamer and they fall in love to some of the greatest metal songs of the 80's. It is told through the hits of Journey, Bon Jovi, Styx, Reo Speedwagon, Pat Benatar, Foreigner, Twisted Sister, Poison, Asia, Whitesnake and more.

These are songs I remembered from Jr high (even though I wasn't a metal head). Some of these I haven't heard in 20 years so I really enjoyed listening to it.





Here is the tracklist:

Just Like Paradise / Nothin' But A Good Time
Sister Christian
We Built This City / Too Much Time On My Hands
I Wanna Rock
We're Not Gonna Take It
Heaven/More Than Words / To Be With You
Waiting For A Girl Like You
Wanted Dead Or Alive
I Want To Know What Love Is
C** On Feel The Noize / We're Not Gonna Take It (Reprise)
Harden My Heart / Shadows Of The Night
Here I Go Again
The Final Countdown
Any Way You Want It / I Wanna Rock (Reprise)
High Enough
I Hate Myself For Loving You / Heat Of The Moment
Hit Me With Your Best Shot
Can't Fight This Feeling
Every Rose Has Its Thorn
Oh Sherrie
The Search Is Over
Don't Stop Believin'

I really enjoyed it. I could see myself continuing to listen to it except it does have some non-family friendly bits and I am usually with my littles. There are things I don't want to explain yet to them. Like what a strip club is.

I have recommended it to some friends but just those that don't spend all their time with kids (or have older kids).

Some added info:

Making of Soundtrack video

Link to buy album

Just so you know, I get no payment of any sort for the review. I do get the CD but that is only so I can do the review. These are my thoughts and opinions on the CD. I also get no payment of any kind if you chose to buy the disk.