I've started out the year kind of slowly...but this exercise of recording what I've read (now in its second year) is a good motivator to keep plugging away.
Vic Armstrong (with Robert Sellers)
"From performing stunts in the James Bond movie You Only Live Twice to directing action scenes for recent blockbusters The Green Hornet and Thor, the Academy Award-winning Vic Armstrong has been a legend in the movie industry for over 40 years. Along the way, he's been the stunt double for a whole host of iconic heroes, including 007, Superman, and most memorably, Indiana Jones - as Harrison Ford once joked to him, 'If you learn to talk I'm in deep trouble'."
I suppose the stereotype of a stuntman is someone who loves to drink and do dangerous things. This book did nothing to kill that stereotype. Mr. Armstrong certainly seems to have lived up to it--in spades. It's a fairly interesting read, with Vic taking more time with and giving more details for the really big movies he worked on, like Indiana Jones and the Bond films...which is exactly what a fan would want him to do.
56/5: I was watching that night and saw him come out in front of the curtains and give a funny smile, but it wasn't quite the smile of old.
Betty White
"Drawing from a lifetime of lessons learned, seven-time Emmy winner Betty White's wit and wisdom take center stage as she tackles topics like friendship, romantic love, aging, television, fans, love for animals, and the brave new world of celebrity."
On the whole, the book was a pleasant read with many pleasant anecdotes about an apparently pleasant life. The chapter about when the author met Koko the sign-language-using gorilla was actually fairly amazing. It was a rough start for me, though, with the following typo-ridden foreword: "One time I remember hearing someone ask my friend George Burne [I can only assume she means George Burns], of he had read a certain book, current at the time. George said, 'I can't read a book cuz I'm writing one.' We all laughed, but he use absolutely right. Whatever else you may be involved in writing a book take precedence. By my sixth book you'd think I would know better, get once again I was thrilled when..."
And it is signed, "Betty white"
Thankfully, the proofreaders did a much better job with the rest of the book.
56/5: Portrait: We became great and dear friends. Landscape: I've never, in all the instances I've been nominated for an award, prepared a speech.
Randy Alcorn
"We all have questions about what Heaven will be like. After years of research, Dr. Randy Alcorn offers answers from the Bible."
Full disclosure...I didn't actually read the book, but a good-sized booklet-thingy that provided "a sampling of the questions and answers found in Randy Alcorn's Heaven, available now in bookstores and online." For me, it was a good way to "read the book"...kind of like watching an ESPN condensed football game, where they only show you the plays where something happened. I'm thinking I got all the answers I need (which, saying it like that...tweren't many) without all the filler.
56/5: Sin has terrible consequences, but God has provided a solution.
Howard & William Hendricks
"Respected authors Howard and Bill Hendricks show that the most dramatic spiritual and personal growth often happens through the influence of a mentor. Rooted in biblical principles, this book is both a profound and practical guide to mentoring relationships for men."
It didn't hit me until I just now typed out the above back-cover blurb, but this book really is focused on MENtorship. But in all honesty, there's nothing in here that wouldn't be good for women as well. Maybe it's one of those things that women tend to be more capable of, so it's the menfolk that really need this kind of practical advice and encouragement. Howard Hendricks is great at giving real-life examples of the principles he's writing about, and that keeps this from becoming a dry, text-booky read.
56/5: Instead, we ask, "What do you think is a realistic goal?"
