Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses are famous for their door-to-door evangelism. As a Christian, it can be confusing and intimidating to be confronted by their “good news.” What exactly do Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses believe, and how do our beliefs differ from theirs? Should we entertain their ideas, or shut the door in their faces? What do we say to these people when they come to our door?

Michael Licona answers these questions and more in his short book, Behold, I Stand at the Door and Knock. Licona gives background information on both religions, explores the fallacies in their arguments, and suggests arguments we can make for the Truth. He encourages Christians to prepare for encounters with Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses and view these meetings as opportunities to share our faith with them.

Licona’s book is freely available online, and it’s a very helpful read. A pair of Jehovah’s Witnesses have been paying me visits lately, and this guide has bolstered my knowledge and confidence. I now have a strong desire to share the Gospel of Christ with them.

As part of my goal to read more classic literature, I recently picked up the Legend of Sleepy Hollow, by Washington Irving. Set in the late 1700s, the story is about a man named Ichabod Crane, a school teacher in the state of New York. Ichabod is a single man who vies for the affection of the lovely Katrina Van Tassel while maintaining a morbid interest in ghosts, witches, and the like. The whole story builds up to Ichabod’s horrific encounter with the infamous Headless Horseman, which ends with a mysterious conclusion.

Personally, I didn’t really connect with the main character. His fixation on specters and spells was a bit unsettling, and his lovesick infatuation with Miss Tassel was too much to bear. The story was largely predictable, but I did like imagining New York before as it was before it became a booming metropolis. Even though this short story is a mainstay in American literature, it wasn’t that enjoyable in my experience.

Tears of the Giraffe, by Alexander McCall Smith, is the second book in the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series. This story picks up where the first book left off, following the life of Precious Ramotswe and her adventures as Botswana’s only detective. The reader is treated to the same witty, innocent style that has made this series so unique.

In this book, Mma Ramotswe uses her keen observation skills to investigate a cheating wife and a cold case involving a long-missing boy. Along the way, she begins to seriously consider the ethical implications of her work. She decides that her wold is imperfect because people have lost the “old Botswana morality,” but how can she, a woman of character, operate in such a world?

Much of Tears of the Giraffe is concerned with Mma Ramotswe’s new fiance, Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni. For the reader, it is a pleasure to have the chance to meet this character. He is truly a good man, honest and caring in all he does. Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni runs a mechanic’s shop and lives a quiet life, but he gets into trouble when, without the knowledge of his bride-to-be, he agrees to adopt a pair of orphan children.

This novel spends a good amount of time on the development of supporting characters. This is one of the keys to a good sequel, and is a sign of good things to come.

George Foreman’s motivational book on business development is called Knockout Entrepreneur. Foreman and author Ken Abraham use principles from the sport of boxing and anecdotes from Foreman’s business ventures to teach readers a basic recipe for success. Although the ideas are presented well and the principles are good advice, I wouldn’t consider this book to be a recommended resource for someone starting their own business.

Knockout Entrepreneur was hard to relate to because it felt like a 222-page infomercial. I don’t know how many times Mr. Foreman plugged his “Lean, Mean, Fat-Reducing Grilling Machine,” “George Foreman’s Knock-Out Pro Green” cleaners, or other products. This name-dropping brand promotion became tiresome very quickly and detracted from the main points of the book.

George Foreman was able to leverage his boxing fame and fortune to get a running start in the business world. For ordinary men and women, the only way to become your own boss is by starting from scratch. Although he is correct in citing the importance of hard work, Foreman neglects to give practical advice on how to achieve self-employment.

For me, the best part of this book was that fact that it was published as a Nelson Free title. This means that owners of a hard copy of the book have free access to digital formats, as well. Audiobook MP3 files and a variety of ebook formats are available. Using this feature, was able to read most of Knockout Entrepreneur on my new Kindle.

I am a Thomas Nelson book review blogger.

To try out my new Kindle, I decided to download and read the classic A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. I’d never read any Dickens novels before, and this one fit the season. Besides, since the book is in the public domain, it was available for free from the Kindle Store.

A Christmas Carol was a fast read, and I was surprised to find that it was immensely enjoyable. Expecting to find outdated Victorian-era prose that was hard to understand, Dickens’s writing was actually accessible and engaging. I admit picturing many of the characters as Muppets while I read, but it was interesting to discover that each character has more depth and complexity than most screen or stage versions are able to show.

The thing that really struck me was that Scrooge’s transformation is much more believable in book form. For some reason, every adaptation of A Christmas Carol that I’ve seen leaves wondering if Ebenezer is truly a changed man. Reading Dickens’s words, there is no doubt. “Bah! Humbug!” no more!

Reading A Christmas Carol was so fun that I’m motivated to read other literary classics. Any suggestions regarding what I should start next? Leave a comment.