Non-Fiction Book List Part 1

The following is a list a some of the non-fiction books on my reading list that I'm most looking forward to.

Fiction Book List Part 1

I've recently discovered something about myself. I am a non-fiction snob. For some reason I thought that because I read alot of theology books that I was somehow "more spiritual." Foolish, I know. So in the last few weeks I have had my eyes opened to the beauty of older, classic fiction. My reading list has just gotten longer and I am excited to read some of these older books that I have somehow ignored. The following are a few of those books that are on my soon-to-be-read list.




A book about rabbits doesn't sound very appealing, but a hip-hop artist recently made an entire album based on this book. It intrigued me so I checked it out. There is even a freaky looking trailer on youtube of the cartoon movie from the 70s.



and




I'm familiar with the Lord of the Rings movies and I've always known about the books, they just have never appealed to me. Now, for some reason I am anxious to try them out in hopes that I get to experience what all the hype is about.






I remeber this one from school but I never read it. It seems to always pop-up in people's favorite books of all time lists.





Yep, another Young Adult book. And yep, another book that I never read growing up. I've got some catching-up to do.


These are just a few of my latest fiction picks. Hopefully, I can update the list as I read these. have you read these? What did you think? Anything else I should add?

Growing Pains by J'Son

LABEL: LAMP MODE RECORDINGS 
RELEASE DATE: FEBRUARY 21, 2012

As a fan of music, the artists I feel most connected with are those that I have seen grow with every album. Like a proud spectator rooting for the underdog, I love to watch an artist go from being just another face in the sea of musical peers, to making beautiful art, to somewhere along the way finding their voice. Json is that underdog.

I remember buying Json’s first release, The Seasoning. It had some good songs, but I would not have characterized it as anything exceptionally special. At that time, he was somewhat in the shadow of fellow St. Louis native, Flame. But then, he released Life On Life, and it was clear that this guy had something to say. He was not just throwing out cliché Christian terms and making hype songs just for the heck of it, but his lyrics had some weight to them. Shortly after the release of Life On Life, the public received the shocking news that Json signed with a label, Lamp Mode. I never saw this coming. I mean, this is a crunk, Midwest, artist who just signed to a label known for their underground, backpacker style. Yet, with the release of City Lights, Json’s third album, it was clear that he still had the creative freedom to be himself. This freedom paid off, and Json made an album that was as weighty as it was sonically pleasing.

This brings us to Json’s fourth effort, Growing Pains. This album is the culmination of years of perfecting the art of rhyming, wordplay, and the ability to make a good song. The hard work is evident. Json’s flow on Growing Pains is flawless. No line is wasted. This album is deeply personal, and it gives the listener a peek into the life of Json. To add to the personal and intimate feel of the album, it even seemed that he pulled back on using so many adlibs as he has done on previous projects.

The production on Growing Pains is top-notch and has something for everyone. These songs range from an array of sounds including Pop, Midwest style production, Crunk, Ballad, and even some with a CCM vibe to them. Yet, the album still meshes together nicely; never really feeling like any one song is out of place.

The content on this album is refreshingly honest. On “2 Human” feat Lecrae, Json exhorts his listeners to remember that even though he is in the public eye he is still a person who has feelings and struggles such as coping with the busyness of everyday life.

“Held It Down” feat. Butta P & Ron Kenoly jr. talks about the trust between a husband and wife and their trust in God. The husband is frustrated that his wife shows some doubts with the way he is leading her. And the wife is struggling with letting her husband lead and feeling like her role is less important. It is obvious that this song comes from a personal place and that these are not just characters in a story. To me, this type of transparency adds to the beauty of the dialogue between the husband and wife.

“My Joy” feat Jai, which might be my personal favorite on the album, speaks on the wonderful truth that the struggles believers face now are only “momentary afflictions, preparing (us) for eternal glory;”: a weighty truth that is executed nicely.

Another gut-wrenching track is “Secrets” feat. J.R. This song tells the story of sexual abuse and the way that the abuse shapes the victim’s view of their self-worth. However, the climax of the song is not the destructiveness of the abuse but the redeeming power and love of Christ.

Growing Pains is full of so many great songs that the format of a review does not allow expounding on each one. There were a few songs that I had trouble getting into musically, but even these songs were executed exceptionally well and had good content. This is an album I will be going back to for awhile, and one that I can highly recommend.

All Is Grace by Brennan Manning

PUBLISHER: DAVID C. COOK PUBLISHERS
RELEASE DATE: OCTOBER 4, 2011

Brennan Manning is an author and speaker who has written over 15 books. He is probably most well-known for the highly successful, The Ragamuffin Gospel. In his latest and final book, All Is Grace: A Ragamuffin Memoir, Manning pens his life story, leaving it all on the table.

I like biographies. I find it interesting to see how someone else lived. In that sense, All Is Grace is captivating because it is filled with stories of Manning’s life. There are stories of his childhood and the games he and the neighborhood kids would play. There are stories of his experience in the military; there are stories of his decision to join the Franciscan priesthood. He tells of how he met a woman and left the priesthood to marry her. He speaks candidly of his alcoholism and the many stays in treatment facilities. While reading All Is Grace, I loved how it felt like I was spending my afternoons with an aged man who was willing to share his life with me.

However, there were a few things that really bothered me about this book. The first thing that bothered me was how everything Manning spoke about, every story that he told, had a somber, negative spin. It is evident that his intention is to be as open as possible, not presenting the guise of being someone who had it all together. In doing so, I feel like the pendulum swung to an extreme in the opposite direction. For example, the stories of Manning’s childhood were marked by unloving parents and his desire for just one friend. His stories of marriage start beautifully, detailing how God provided speaking engagements after he left the priesthood to marry but transform into a relating of Manning’s selfishness in his weekends away from home used to drink until passing out. All the stories related in this book had a depressing bent to them. Yes, bad things happen and our lives definitely have some tragedies and consequences to sin, but the glass cannot always be half empty.

Another aspect of All Is Grace that I found slightly confusing is the title. This book, for the most part, has very little to do with grace. In fact, there is very little in this book about God at all. As I stated before, most of the book is about Brennan Manning’s life, until the last section. Here, Manning offers his “last sermon”, which, I’m guessing, is his attempt to tie in the previous stories of loneliness, selfishness, and extreme alcoholism. He sums up it was possible for him to constantly fall back into alcoholism with three words: “these things happen.” It just seems to me like a bit of a cop out.

Overall, I found All Is Grace to be intriguing due to the opportunity to peer in to the life of Brennan Manning. However, apart from that, I found this book to be depressing and was not impressed by the theological weight of this popular writer and speaker. I am disappointed to say, I just expected more.

Clear the Stage by Jimmy Needham

LABEL: INPOP RECORDS
RELEASE DATE: MARCH 27, 2012

In the world of Contemporary Christian Music, it is all too common for an artist to sound like a spin-off of some more popular artist as if they are trying to emulate their predecessor’s success. Not so with Jimmy Needham. He has paved for himself a unique path with his distinctive voice, brilliant songwriting, and mixture of various music styles. And it works.

Honestly, I am not even really a fan of CCM, but I am a fan of good songwriting and music that has the ability to stand out in a sea of thousands of other artists. That is why I have been a fan of Jimmy Needham’s past work and why his latest release, Clear the Stage, is no exception.
From the first song, “I Will Find You”, Clear the Stage is in your face letting you know that this album will not be pigeon-held as any one genre of music. This song is a conglomerate of pop, funk, and hip-hop that blends together surprisingly well. Speaking from God’s perspective, Needham sings about God’s pursuit of His people. He even gets a little help from popular hip-hop artist Lecrae.

“If I Ever Needed Grace” is a perfect example of Needham’s unique style of songwriting. He takes three examples of his own life and describes how in those moments he was/is in desperate need of God’s grace. Hearing him talk about his need for God’s grace to lead his wife well or to be a good father to his daughter adds a personal touch to this song which is nice to hear.

Some songs have a more light-hearted and fun feel to them. “Daddy’s Baby Girl” has a strong acoustic lead that backs the tell-tell lyrics of all the things he does to make his daughter smile such as making funny faces and doing silly dances. Or “Arrows” that talks about how God is in various aspects of our everyday lives using these things to point us back to Himself. The vocals are smooth and soulful while the music is somewhat a mixture of pop and funk with just a hint of blues. And, yet again, it works well.
“My Victory” was a bit of a misstep for me. It is a worship song that if sung by another artist would probably be fine, but when the rest of the album sets a bar for being creative and noticeably personal, this song just falls short. Something else I noticed on Clear the Stage is that it is the first album from Needham to not close with a poem. I have come to enjoy the poetry of his past work and missed it on this album.

Clear the Stage is classic Jimmy Needham. If you have enjoyed his earlier work, then you will enjoy this album. His songs are still creative and personal, his sound still has a little bit of everything, and he still finds time to have some fun along the way. If you have not heard his music before, then this might not be a bad place to start.

The Last Missionary by Stephen the Levite

LABEL: LAMP MODE RECORDINGS
RELEASE DATE: APRIL 24, 2012



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The first quarter of this year has already been saturated with some incredible hip-hop with new releases from Trip Lee, Swoope, and Json, just to name a few. These artists have already set the bar really high for anyone else releasing music this year. Nevertheless, I knew I could count on Lamp Mode Recordings artist Stephen the Levite to come out with something that was not only topnotch lyrically and content-wise but also stylistically different than the roster of already extremely good hip-hop albums that have released this year. And he does not disappoint.

The Last Missionary is Stephen the Levite’s second full-length solo project and it is a full-blown, unapologetically, back-packer, underground hip-hop album. It is packed full of soulful samples, scratching between verses, and masterfully-crafted lyricism. There is not even one song with a hook being sung, with the exception of Wes Pendleton offering backup vocals on “S.O.S.” as Stephen leads the chorus. And Leah Smith does offer her smooth vocals on the end of “Reign & Rebellion,” but even that is more of a bridge rather than the chorus. Everything else is 100% rapping. So, needless to say, this album is not for everyone. He even states this on the transparent track, “Temptation,” when he says, “cuz I don’t do this for the fickle masses/ I do this for God, myself, and anyone else who can see the talent/ so if you dig it, cool/ if you ain’t with it, cool/ it wasn’t meant for you/ it’s for the kids who do.”

After the opening track, “The First Missionary,” it’s not hard to see why Stephen the Levite is an emcee’s emcee. His rhyme-scheme on this song is ridiculous as he expounds on God and creation followed by the messianic missionary, Jesus. This was an incredible way to start the album.

I especially liked hearing Stephen’s old Redeemed Thought comrade, muzeONE (also a notable emcee) on the neck-breaker, “Fight Club.” To hear them go back and forth like they used to had me giddy: I loved it. This album has other excellent features throughout from Mac the doulos, Zae da Blacksmith, S.O, Timothy Brindle, Hazkim, scratching from Average Joe, and of course, vocals from Wes Pendleton and Leah Smith as previously mentioned. Every guest artist adds their own unique flavor to the album.

Lyrically, every song is on point. You can tell that he is intentional about each line of each verse, making for a very well thought-out album. I might even go as far as to say this might be some of the best and most consistent lyricism I have ever heard on one project. It at least ranks close to the top. However, though I enjoy it, this will probably act as one of the turn-offs to some listeners who are not really entertained by this type of lyricism. There is, admittedly, a lot happening with his wordplay and rhyme-schemes which I can imagine will be a bit much for some. To me, though, this adds to the replay value of the album. I like catching on to something new every time I listen to a project.

The production of The Last Missionary will catch some by surprise. While a majority of the production appealed to me right away, there were a few songs that took a few listens before I caught on to them. “Reign and Rebellion,” for example, is led by a pretty basic bass guitar riff and drum kit while there are bursts of horns throughout. It has a slow build, leading to a climatic end where Leah Smith flexes those vocals that she has become known for. It took a few listens, but then I understood the appeal of this smooth and funky track.

So who is the last missionary? I am tempted to spill the beans, but finding out is part of the fun of the album. And the theme of this missionary can be found, weaved in some way, in every song, keeping it fresh and interesting. For fans of Stephen the Levite, you will definitely want to pick up The Last Missionary. For those unfamiliar with this emcee, I would still highly recommend you check him out. He’s not for everybody; but for those that get it, this album is a real gem.

Favorite Songs: The First Missionary, Fight Club, S.O.S., Temptation, and Rehoboam, just to name a few.