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Category Archives: books

The Last Book I Will Ever Buy

1 CommentDecember 10, 2009

Time, Inc., in association with The Wonderfactory, has just announced a new eBook reader that is getting people excited. Could this be the end of print media such as books and magazines? You can check out the video below. Exciting. Apparently. But, you know, in over fifteen years of working with cutting-edge technology I’ve seen [...]

Also posted in technology

The Curse of Too Much Blessing

4 CommentsNovember 21, 2009

The most striking thing about the modern world is that our ability to live as we want has far outstripped our ability to live well or wisely. Ours is the most advanced society in history—where technology is concerned. But in our art, architecture, philosophy, public discourse—or even ordinary concerns like romance or happiness—we are infants [...]

Also posted in culture, politics, technology, thinking, writing

Agnostiphobia

1 CommentMay 28, 2008

Mike Hyatt, CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishers, talked recently about how they choose which books to publish. He reveals two key criteria: brand equity and competitive advantage. Brand equity asks, “Will people buy this book because they recognize the author?” Competitive advantage asks, “Will people buy this book because it has great writing and ideas?” [...]

Also posted in games, writing

Book Business

2 CommentsMay 3, 2008

Christian book publisher Thomas Nelson laid off a tenth of their work force this week. Their president and CEO, Mike Hyatt, has been blogging about the decision. His candor and openness are quite refreshing—not to mention educational for aspiring authors like me. He gives us an glimpse into the tough inner world of book publishing. [...]

Also posted in faith, writing

Book Review: The Great Omission by Dallas Willard

1 CommentJune 23, 2007

My review of Dallas Willard’s The Great Omission has just appeared on Relevant magazine online.

Also posted in faith

How to Handle Books

3 CommentsJune 12, 2007

I used to get depressed whenever I walked into a bookstore. I would stand there dazzled by the thousands of titles—so many of them so intriguing—and feel the fingernails of death at my neck. Everywhere I looked I saw books I yearned to read—The Bookseller of Kabul, How the Irish Saved Civilization, The Morrow Guide [...]

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Book Review: How to be Good by Nick Hornby

2 CommentsJune 8, 2007

A few weeks ago I volunteered to lead a discussion group at SMU on Nick Hornby’s How to be Good. SMU invites entering students to participate in these groups before the semester starts as a sort of academic appetizer. This week I read the book to prepare for leading the discussion next fall. Too close [...]

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Book Review: Chicken with Plums by Marjane Satrapi

Leave a commentMarch 15, 2007

I’m taking a journalism course right now, and I’ve just published my first article—albeit in an online publication. (Not that that’s inferior or anything—chill out already.) It’s a review of Marjane Satrapi’s graphic novel Chicken with Plums, which came out last November. It’s a good book, but not as good as her earlier Persepolis autobiographical [...]

Posted in books