Negative reviews, or no negative review - that is the question

I ran across a blog post the other day about reviewing books. The blog owner is a fiction Christian author himself: http://www.tlhines.com/blog/content/contrarian-advice-about-book-reviews#comment-3638.

He feels a book reviewer should not post negative reviews about books - that the reviewer should pick only books they are sure they will like, and post positive reviews. His reasoning lies mostly with the idea that if you review books and might ever possibly want to write, the author and editor will be holding a grudge against you and could hinder your book from being published - stuff along that line.

I disagree. I believe people who review anything - music, books, movies, foods - whatever - should be honest. If you liked it, fine - say so, and why. If you didn't like it - fine - say so, and why.

I commented on the blog post - will put it below - but I'd like some thoughts on this, whether you write, read, review, or don't review - should a book reviewer post a negative review? If not, then why? And if not, is it honest to post a review for a book you didn't like, or had issues with, and not admit it?

And I am not out to "get" this author/blogger. I just totally disagree with him, and would like input of others.

My comment:
I respectfully disagree with you about bad reviews. I do try to review books that interest me and I will like, but in my course of reviewing books. in the last several months, I have reviewed three I had issues with, or didn't like - one was from an author I had read before, I feel he bombed on the one book.

Even thought I pointed out what I did't like about the book, I still tried to balance it with what was good - likable characters, etc. Two of the authors responded well - one even wanted to give me his upcoming book to review. The third did not take it well.

I believe it is less Christian to give a glossy review of a book you did not like, then to put the truth out there. If you give a glowing review of a book you didn't like - and a family member, friend, or even someone who happens across the review, reads it, buys the book, and is unhappy - will they trust your reviews and opinions in the future? Most likely not.

Book reviews should be honest - is it not about giving your thoughts about the book? If all reviews are glowing and 100% complimentary, why even do reviews?

I review only Christian books - and assume you do also, so I am referring to Christian authors here - if they aren't man or woman enough - or Christian enough - to handle a negative review and not hold a grudge, then maybe they need another trip to the altar, or maybe they should not write books in the first place.

Jesus Saves

One of my current favorite songs, Jesus Saves, by Travis Cottrell, not quite the whole song, but most of it - awesome song:

Canaan Revisited, A CD Review

Word Music recently revived the Canaan Music label, which for years was home to Southern Gospel artists such as the Nelons, Talleys, Goodmans, and more. This double CD contains songs all recorded in years past. There are thirty songs in all, so I am not going to mention them all, but it is a great representation of the music these artists recorded on this label over the years.

The CD contains songs by six groups: The Nelons, Talleys, Florida Boys, Inspirations, Goodmans, and the Cathedrals.

Some of the top favorites of mine on this CD are: Triumphantly, The Church Will Rise by the Talleys, Statue of Liberty by the Cathedrals, When He Was On The Cross, I Was On His Mind by the Florida Boys, Step Into The Water by the Cathedrals.

There are many other great songs on this CD. Definitely worth listening to over and over again.

Music clips can be listened to here: http://canaanrecords.com/canaanrevisted.html

The Ride, by the Hoppers - A CD Review

The Hoppers are up at the top of my favorite mixed groups, and are most likely the best Southern Gospel family group out there. Comprised of Claude & Connie Hopper, their sons Dean & Michael, and Dean's wife, Kim, the Hoppers have perfected their sound.

This CD, The Ride, comes with thirteen songs, instead of the usual ten - and I love it when an artist gives you more songs for your money.

They start off with the bouncy and fun Freedom Band. Cool song, and a favorite.

The Dove is the second cut, and brings out a unique thought - maybe right, maybe not. It starts out talking about the dove that Noah sent out from the ark that never returned. The song puts forth the idea that the dove just kept flying through time until it lit on Jesus' shoulder at His baptism - far fetched? Maybe, but a neat idea, and a neat song.

Yahweh is next, a cool somewhat repetitive song talking about what Jesus accomplished. The Applause of Heaven tells what it might be like when we step into Heaven - a beautiful and thoughtful song.

Another two favorites are next: My Only Option gives the idea what to do when we face a mountain - our only option may be to climb it. Dean & Kim's oldest daughter debuts on God Already Knew - a song of assurance that no matter what we go through, God already knew we would go through it, and is there to help us through it. An awesome song.

Grace Will Always Be Greater Than Sin is a great reminder that no matter how deep the sin, God's grace is always greater - great song, and something we need reminded of.

Let The Redeemed Say So - a song the Nelons did several years ago - one of those songs with a lot of underparts - Kim gets to show her stuff on this one, and they do the song in style. A great, upbeat song.

He Erased It is a great reminder of what God did with our sin. Another awesome song from this CD.

Try A Little Kindness/Less of Me - an oldie, but a goodie. And it doesn't hurt to be reminded we need to be more kind to those we meet. A "fun song".

Haven Called Heaven - a pretty, slow song that talks about Heaven, and how it will worth getting there.

I'm Just Waiting For My Ride, the song the CD title comes from, is an upbeat, fun song that talks about being ready and waiting for Heaven - another favorite.

The CD closes with a re-recording of a popular Hoppers' song - That's Him. Though I think the original recording and version of the song is the best, this newer, shorter version is still worth adding to the CD - and a great reminder that Jesus is coming soon to take away His bride.

Sound clips available here: http://canaanrecords.com/hoppers.html

Touching Wonder....Reclaiming The Awe of Christmas

As I stated before, I can't resist Christmas books, and have quite a few of them - in storage of course. When I saw this small book listed to review, I grabbed it up simply because it is a Christmas book.

Titled, Touching Wonder, and subtitled, Recapturing the Awe of Christmas, this small book, novella size, has only 122 pages, but the author tries a great undertaking in this small book: recapturing the awe of Christmas.

I am not famliar with the author, John Blase, but he talks about having a "slack-jawed awe" of Christmas when he was younger, and how he - and we all need to have that again. He has a good point. The Christmas story has lost its wonder for so many of us, and we do need to look at the story afresh. God sending His only Son into this world as an innocent baby, born in the shadow of a cross.

Each chapter starts out with Scripture from the Christmas story, taken from The Message. Then follows a sketch about one of the people in the story. Zachariah, Elisabeth, Mary, Gabriel, Jospeh - and others.

The author does have a way with words. One line that caught my attention: Time pulled eternity from the womb of a girl, and bloodstained Love spilled on the hay. I think he pulled off what he wanted - he does help the reader recapture the awe of Christmas. Though three months away, I hope the message of this little book sticks with me, and I will most likely read it again closer to Christmas Day.

Available now, from David C. Cook

What Is Your Language?

If you are reading this, and are not familiar with the Five Love Languages books, you should read them. There is the original for couples, simply titled The Five Love Languages, and the books written after that: The Five Love Languages of Teenagers, Singles, Kids, and more. Written by Gary Chapman (not Amy Grant's ex-husband, Gary Chapman), they present the idea that we each have a "love language." There are things our friends and loved ones do to make us feel loved, and what we can do to make them feel loved. Those vary in everyone. Here are the five love languages from the love languages website:


Words of Affirmation
Mark Twain once said “I can live for two months on a good compliment.” Verbal appreciation speaks powerfully to persons whose primary Love Language is “Words of Affirmation.” Simple statements, such as, “You look great in that suit,” or “You must be the best baker in the world! I love your oatmeal cookies,” are sometimes all a person needs to hear to feel loved.


Aside from verbal compliments, another way to communicate through “Words of Affirmation” is to offer encouragement. Here are some examples: reinforcing a difficult decision; calling attention to progress made on a current project; acknowledging a person’s unique perspective on an important topic. If a loved one listens for “Words of Affirmation,” offering encouragement will help him or her to overcome insecurities and develop greater confidence


Quality Time
Quality time is more than mere proximity. It’s about focusing all your energy on your mate. A husband watching sports while talking to his wife is NOT quality time. Unless all of your attention is focused on your mate, even an intimate dinner for two can come and go without a minute of quality time being shared.

Quality conversation is very important in a healthy relationship. It involves sharing experiences, thoughts, feelings and desires in a friendly, uninterrupted context. A good mate will not only listen, but offer advice and respond to assure their mate they are truly listening. Many mates don’t expect you to solve their problems. They need a sympathetic listener.

An important aspect of quality conversation is self-revelation. In order for you to communicate with your mate, you must also be in tune with your inner emotions. It is only when you understand your emotions and inner feelings will you then be able to share quality conversation, and quality time with your mate.

Quality activities are a very important part of quality time. Many mates feel most loved when they spend physical time together, doing activities that they love to do. Spending time together will bring a couple closer, and, in the years to come, will fill up a memory bank that you can reminisce about in the future.
Whether it’s sitting on the couch and having a brief conversation or playing together in a tennis league, quality time is a love language that is shared by many. Setting aside focused time with your mate will ensure a happy marriage.


Receiving Gifts
Some mates respond well to visual symbols of love. If you speak this love language, you are more likely to treasure any gift as an expression of love and devotion. People who speak this love language often feel that a lack of gifts represents a lack of love from their mate. Luckily, this love language is one of the easiest to learn.

If you want to become an effective gift giver, many mates will have to learn to change their attitude about money. If you are naturally a spender, you will have no trouble buying gifts for your mate. However, a person who is used to investing and saving their money may have a tough time adjusting to the concept of spending money as an expression of love. These people must understand that you are investing the money not in gifts, but in deepening your relationship with your mate.

The gift of self is an important symbol of love. Sometimes all your mate desires is for someone to be there for them, going through the same trials and experiencing the same things. Your body can become a very powerful physical symbol of love.

These gifts need not to come every day, or even every week. They don’t even need to cost a lot of money. Free, frequent, expensive, or rare, if your mate relates to the language of receiving gifts, any visible sign of your love will leave them feeling happy and secure in your relationship.



Acts of Service
Sometimes simple chores around the house can be an undeniable expression of love. Even simple things like laundry and taking out the trash require some form of planning, time, effort, and energy. Just as Jesus demonstrated when he washed the feet of his disciples, doing humble chores can be a very powerful expression of love and devotion to your mate.

Very often, both pairs in a couple will speak to the Acts of Service Language. However, it is very important to understand what acts of service your mate most appreciates. Even though couples are helping each other around the house, couples will still fight because the are unknowingly communicating with each other in two different dialects. For example, a wife may spend her day washing the cars and walking the dog, but if her husband feels that laundry and dishes are a superior necessity, he may feel unloved, despite the fact that his wife did many other chores throughout the day. It is important to learn your mate’s dialect and work hard to understand what acts of service will show your love.

It is important to do these acts of service out of love and not obligation. A mate who does chores and helps out around the house out of guilt or fear will inevitably not be speaking a language of love, but a language of resentment. It’s important to perform these acts out of the kindness of your heart.

Demonstrating the acts of service can mean stepping out of the stereotypes. Acts of service require both mates to humble themselves into doing some chores and services that aren’t usually expected from their gender. However, these little sacrifices will mean the world to your mate, and will ensure a happy relationship.


Physical Touch
Many mates feel the most loved when they receive physical contact from their partner. For a mate who speaks this love language loudly, physical touch can make or break the relationship.

Sexual intercourse makes many mates feel secure and loved in a marriage. However, it is only one dialect of physical touch. Many parts of the body are extremely sensitive to stimulation. It is important to discover how your partner not only physically responds but also psychologically responds to these touches.

It is important to learn how your mate speaks the physical touch language. Some touches are irritating and uncomfortable for your mate. Take the time to learn the touches your mate likes. They can be big acts, such as back massages or lovemaking, or little acts such as touches on the cheek or a hand on the shoulder. It’s important to learn how your mate responds to touch. That is how you will make the most of this love language.

All marriages will experience crisis. In these cases, physical touch is very important. In a crisis situation, a hug can communicate an immense amount of love for that person. A person whose primary love language is physical touch would much rather have you hold them and be silent than offer any advice.

It is important to remember that this love language is different for everyone. What type of touch makes you feel secure is not necessarily what will make your partner happy. It is important to learn each other’s dialects. That way you can make the most of your hugging, kissing, and other physical contacts.

The descriptions of the different "languages" here is geared more for couples, but the same "languages" apply to all relationships we have. And we can have more than one "love language." There is a test I will link to in case anyone wants to take it - 3o questions - that tells you what your primary language is. I scored in all five, but more in some than others, and one was the highest. I took it even though it is geared for couples - most of the questions could apply to any relationship - well except the one about kisses. :-)

I do believe we need to take more time and examine this idea of speaking people's love languages. Spouses, parents, friends. Some parents may need to hug one child more than their siblings, while another of their kids may need to hear words of affirmation more. Bad thing is, not everyone is comfortable "speaking" the love language the other person needs to receive, so maybe everyone needs to work on that more. What an interesting world it would be if we gave the people in our lives what they needed to feel loved.

The Love Languages test: http://www.afo.net/hftw-lovetest.asp

The Love Languages site: http://www.fivelovelanguages.com/

I Am Loved

One of my favorite songs........

I Am Loved (Gaither)

I said, "If You knew, You wouldn't want me
My scars are hidden by the face I wear"
He said, "My child, my scars go deeper
And it was love for you that put them there."

Forgiven - I repeat it -I'm forgiven!
Clean before my Lord I freely stand
Forgiven, I can dare forgive my brother
Forgiven, I reach out to take your hand.

I am loved, I am loved
I can risk loving you
For the One who knows me best
Loves me most
I am loved, you are loved
Won't you please take me hand
We are free to love each other
We are loved