Werner Lind's reviews > Likes and Comments

My review of the Bible was one of the first ones I ever posted on Goodreads; and I'd feel remiss if it weren't one of the first ones I linked to here as well!
www.goodreads.com/review/show/17282114 .

A Goodreads author who's not nearly as well-known and popular as she deserves to be, IMO, is my Goodreads friend Krisi Keley. Krisi's the author of the On the Soul series of novels, which uses the vampire mythos to explore philosophical and theological issues of redemption and grace in a very profound way. (The series opener is On the Soul of a Vampire; it's followed by the prequel Pro Luce Habere Volume 1 and Pro Luce Habere Volume 2 --the two-volume division was due to the length of the material-- and the trilogy will conclude with the forthcoming book, Genesis.) One of the privileges of Goodreads is the ability to publicize good books to people who might otherwise not hear about them; so I wanted to be sure to link to my reviews of all three of the first volumes here, in order:
www.goodreads.com/review/show/143311303
www.goodreads.com/review/show/191802526
www.goodreads.com/review/show/309210146

Werner wrote: "My review of the Bible was one of the first ones I ever posted on Goodreads; and I'd feel remiss if it weren't one of the first ones I linked to here as well!
www.goodreads.com/review/show/17282114 ."

Thank you :)

Werner wrote: "A Goodreads author who's not nearly as well-known and popular as she deserves to be, IMO, is my Goodreads friend Krisi Keley. Krisi's the author of the On the Soul series of novels, which uses the..."

Wow, rave review ... I just read the one on the first book. The author sounds like she has everything it takes to aspire and rise in the ranks of good authors.

This was my favourite part of your review.

The really unique aspect of Keley's vampires, though, is this: though they feed physically on blood, their feeding drive, at its deepest level, is to experience complete mental/spiritual oneness with another person in the moment of death, knowing experientially everything that he/she essentially is.

I don't know what, about this comment, that makes me blink, shiver, get butterflies, but oh boy, did it.

Very very good review!

Okay, wow on the second one too!

Fav part of your review:

Even though they're deadly killers (albeit reluctant ones) they're not out-and-out evil; they hurt inside for their victims, and hate what they have to do.

Interesting vampires!

Yeah, I just put these on my TBR list. You have done the author and the books a great service by the reviews.

And yet another favourite:

Along the way, we'll see him be the giver of both kindness and death to others (and sometimes they're the same thing); we'll hurt with him as he suffers heartrending loss more than once; and we'll be privy to all his psychological/spiritual quandaries.

Werner wrote: "My review of the Bible was one of the first ones I ever posted on Goodreads; and I'd feel remiss if it weren't one of the first ones I linked to here as well!
www.goodreads.com/review/show/17282114 ."

This is what I like about reading reviews - expose to different ideas and viewpoints. Myself haven't ever read the Bible (I'm a Swede, most of us don't believe, eh) and I find it fascinating and am a bit envious perhaps that people have such faith in (a) God.

So thanks for posting the review!

You're welcome, Emelie! I'm of Swedish descent myself, on both parent's sides. My maternal and paternal grandparents emigrated to Minnesota in the late 1800s.

Pam, thanks for all the kind words! If you read any of Krisi's books, I hope you like them. I'll look forward to your reviews!

Werner wrote: "You're welcome, Emelie! I'm of Swedish descent myself, on both parent's sides. My maternal and paternal grandparents emigrated to Minnesota in the late 1800s.

Pam, thanks for all the kind words!..."

Well Werner, you make them sound soooo exciting and thought provoking and spiritual and ... all that other good stuff! :)

Werner wrote: "You're welcome, Emelie! I'm of Swedish descent myself, on both parent's sides. My maternal and paternal grandparents emigrated to Minnesota in the late 1800s.

Pam, thanks for all the kind words!..."

Oh, cool! I suppose then that you've read The Emigrants series by Vilhelm Moberg? If not, I recommend them!

I've read the second book in Moberg's series, Unto a Good Land, back when I was a kid (at the time, I didn't know it was part of a series), and I've also seen the PBS miniseries adaptation, with Max von Sydow and Liv Ullmann, back in the 80s. But the library where I work now has the whole series, since I had it ordered recently. I thought it would be a good resource for the World Literature class.

Maybe you guys can help me. My mother used to read a story to us that I always called "Maminka's Children"

Either I've spelled it wrong (likely) or I've got the wrong title. I was just a kid (young) but I distinctly remember it having Scandinavian or Eastern European feel to it.

Of course those memories could have been from my past life where I'm sure I was a "stop sign" or something equally important.

If you're really stuck, there is a group for finding books.
http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/1...

Werner: I think they will. They're lovely, and really explains as to why so many Swedes/Scandinavians moved over to the States and the hardship and how the children eventually bland in. I would recommend to read the others in the series as well!

I, Curmudgeon: Maminka sounds Slavic/Russian to me. I don't think it's Scandinavian. I haven't heard of any such a book, but good luck finding it! It's annoying not remembering titles.

Hugh, the 1959-63 volume of Short Story Index lists a story titled "Maminka's Children's Christmas Dream and Joys;" the author is Elizabeth Orton Jones, and it appeared in the anthology Tales of Christmas from Near and Far (Westminster Press, 1963), edited by Herbert H. Wernecke. (The story itself may be quite a bit older.)

Emelie, I've just put the first book of Moberg's series, The Emigrants, on my to-read shelf!

Werner, I hope you like it and I look forward to the read the review if you write one!

Thanks, Emelie!

Here's the link to the latest review I've written, of the short story Last Minute Replacement by Billy Wong: www.goodreads.com/review/show/610644514 . Billy's a new-to-me author (he's a member of my Action Heroine Fans group here on Goodreads), and the world of mixed martial arts, the milieu of this story, is one that's completely unfamiliar to me. But as my five-star rating shows, I liked what I read!

I was behind schedule in reviewing the most recent book I finished, Fire Storm by my Goodreads friend Mackenzie Dare, but I finally have it posted here: www.goodreads.com/review/show/543627831 . It's a Christian-fiction action adventure/suspense-thriller novel, self-published earlier this year.

Werner wrote: "I was behind schedule in reviewing the most recent book I finished, Fire Storm by my Goodreads friend Mackenzie Dare, but I finally have it posted here: www.goodreads.com/review/show/543627831 . It..."

All in all this sounds like a pretty good book.

I liked it overall! It's also a fairly quick read --I read it in ten days, which translates to about five hours, given the limited amount of time I have to read.

My wife and I have been reading the omnibus volume of Elizabeth Moon's fantasy trilogy, The Deed of Paksenarrion. (I read out loud to her on car trips when she's driving, to pass the time; I call it an "organically-powered audiobook." :-) ) Here's my review of the opening novel, Sheepfarmer's Daughter: www.goodreads.com/review/show/625260624 .

Werner wrote: "My wife and I have been reading the omnibus volume of Elizabeth Moon's fantasy trilogy, The Deed of Paksenarrion. (I read out loud to her on car trips when she's driving, to pass the time; I call ..."

Nice review, Werner. I think it's wonderful that you read to your wife.

Thanks, Nancy! Yes, she and I have been doing that practically ever since we got married, back in 1980; we enjoy it a lot. We both always have a book that we're reading to ourselves individually, too, often one the other one wouldn't enjoy because of differing tastes and genre preferences, etc.; but where our tastes overlap, we often like to experience a book or series together. Originally we took turns reading; but she likes the way I do the voices, so it got to be my job. :-)

The first time I read to my husband was a few years ago when he was in bed with the flu. He was reading a book of poetry by Czesław Miłosz and when he started to drift off and laid the open book on his stomach, I picked it up and began to read to him. I haven't done it since, but on the rare occasions he picks up a book of poetry, he always reminds me of that day. So maybe I should read him some poetry again. It seems we both appreciate it more when it's read aloud.

I really think that a lot of poetry practically cries out to be read aloud! So many of the devices of poetry --rhyme, alliteration, assonance, rhythm-- are all about sound, not about printed words on a page.

Do you read a lot of poetry, Werner?

No, not a lot, I'm sorry to say, though I've read some (and ought to retrospectively review more of what I have read!). I like poetry if it's reasonably accessible (I tend to prefer the older stuff over most contemporary poems); but I really like fiction, and of late years, I have such limited time to read that the latter form tends to elbow out everything else. :-( (Most of the over 300 books on my to-read shelf are fiction.) And Barb isn't really into poetry, so I've never had much occasion to actually read it out loud (though I sub-vocalize it when I'm reading it).

How about you, Nancy --are you much of a poetry fan?

Sadly, no, Werner. I had very limited exposure to poetry in school and never really learned to develop an appreciation for it. I think I also prefer the older stuff. A lot of contemporary poems seem too gimmicky .

This discussion prompted me to look up the poetry reviews I've posted here on Goodreads, which didn't take long since I've only reviewed three books of poetry (links below): English Poems From Chaucer To Kipling; Carl Sandburg's Honey and Salt; and Edmund Spenser's The Faerie Queen.
www.goodreads.com/review/show/22565506
www.goodreads.com/review/show/17282792
www.goodreads.com/review/show/17312728

Over the years, I've read several others that I've also liked; I need to review those too, one of these days!

I love your detailed and informative reviews, Werner. The closest I have to poetry on my shelf is Sharp Teeth and a couple of stories by Ellen Hopkins.

Thanks for the kind words, Nancy; you're sweet. :-) (You're also a detailed and informative reviewer yourself; keep up the good work!)

Here's my review of the latest book I've read, Lovecraftian Covens by Franklyn Searight: www.goodreads.com/review/show/612772367 . Searight's father, Richard F. Searight, was a contemporary and pen pal of H. P. Lovecraft, and added a touch of his own to the Cthulhu Mythos; this collection of stories (and a few poems) is the younger Searight's homage to both men.

Nice review, Werner!

Thanks, Charlene!

My Goodreads friend Krisi's latest novel, Mareritt, hasn't been published for very long; but I had the privilege of beta reading it. So, since it was published with no significant changes, I was able to get my five-star review posted quickly; here's the link: www.goodreads.com/review/show/635693987 . Like the author's On the Soul series, this one is also supernatural fiction, kicking off a new series featuring an ex-novitiate turned P.I.

Werner wrote: "My Goodreads friend Krisi's latest novel, Mareritt, hasn't been published for very long; but I had the privilege of beta reading it. So, since it was published with no significant changes, I was a..."

Good review Werner. I enjoyed reading it.

Thanks, Pam!

Last night, I got another review posted, of Hex Code and Others, which I'd finished reading a couple of days ago. Here's the link: www.goodreads.com/review/show/550141381 .

So far, I believe I'm the only person who's reviewed this one yet (it's a fairly new book, and I'd gotten it as a review copy). But the author deserves a lot more reader/reviewers, and I'm hoping that he'll get them!

Most of us have deeply-held convictions about the big questions of human life, and the controversial issues of our time; and for most of us, our opinions have been influenced, shaped or reinforced by books we've read. I'm no exception to that generalization. Of course, we also live in an era when there's no unanimity about the big questions; "controversial" means exactly what it says; and our society is one in which politics is often hate-based, and where disagreement (especially on the Internet) is often synonymous with "screaming match." That tends to make people reticent about sharing controversial ideas (especially if you're on the shy, quiet side). And yet books that have greatly influenced us may be the books we see as the most deserving of a review; and if we believe in the value of tolerant and civil public discourse in a democratic society with a free "marketplace of ideas," it's obvious that a book-focused Internet site like this has the potential to be a key venue for such a marketplace. Accordingly, while I don't court controversy, I've resolved never to run and hide from it, either. Below, I've collected links to my reviews of, probably, some of the the most controversial books I've reviewed. (I'll probably read more such books before I die; and I'll review those here, too!)

Who Moved the Stone?: A Skeptic Looks at the Death and Resurrection of Christ, by Frank Morison. www.goodreads.com/review/show/25772834

Handbook on Abortion by J. C. Wilkie. www.goodreads.com/review/show/18019047

Sex for Christians: The Limits and Liberties of Sexual Living by Lewis Smedes.
www.goodreads.com/review/show/17314047

Loving Homosexuals as Jesus Would: A Fresh Christian Approach by Chad Thompson. www.goodreads.com/review/show/25473138

Evolution: A Theory In Crisis by Michael Denton.
www.goodreads.com/review/show/17337068

How Walmart Is Destroying America (And the World): And What You Can Do about It by Bill Quinn. www.goodreads.com/review/show/17308959

Here's the link to my latest review: www.goodreads.com/review/show/645186654 . It's of Gothic Gladiator, a short e-story by Goodreads author Billy Wong. Like most of his work, it features a butt-kicking heroine, and is very much in the pulp tradition.

Here's my review of the book I finished reading a few days ago, Six-Gun Bride of the Teton Bunch, and Seven Other Action-Packed Stories of the Wild West: www.goodreads.com/review/show/620632351 . I haven't read or reviewed many Westerns, but I really appreciated this collection!

Very good review of Evolution: A Theory in Crisis. This is a topic that interests me and I like finding books that you don't necessarily need a doctorate to understand. This goes on my TBR list for a time when my brain is thirsty for this kind of knowledge.

thx for bringing it to my attention!

You're welcome, Pam; thank you!

Pam (E.P. Scott) wrote: "Werner wrote: "My review of the Bible was one of the first ones I ever posted on Goodreads; and I'd feel remiss if it weren't one of the first ones I linked to here as well!
www.goodreads.com/revie..."

I find your experience and comments very interesting. it surely is a Book that contains lessons and experiences for a lifetime. I am agnostic in a way, but studied the sociology of religions and grew up Christian. Still belongs to a church as well. Loved your review.

Thanks, Margitte! And welcome to our group --I think you're new here?

Werner wrote: "Thanks, Margitte! And welcome to our group --I think you're new here?"

Yes, very new indeed. Just started out this morning in this group. Thanks for the welcome!

I have read your review of "Who
Moved the Stone? : A Skeptic Looks at the Death and Resurrection of Christ"

Perhaps I am a sucker for controversial books, but enjoyed your review from a objective, yet Christian point of view. Great review! I follow your reviews now. It is worth it :-)

Thank you, Margitte; I really appreciate that!