The Irresponsible Reader - I Read (a lot) and then Rant, Rave and maybe Review

BOOK SPOTLIGHT: Good Trouble: The Selma, Alabama and Derry, Northern Ireland Connection 1963-1972 by Forest Issac Jones

On May 5, 2025

In Book Tour, History, Non-Fiction, Politics/Current Affairs

I’m very pleased today to welcome The Write Reads Blog Tour for Forest Issac Jones’ provocative Good Trouble: The Selma, Alabama and Derry, Northern Ireland Connection 1963-1972 on its last day! If you take a look at the feed for https://twitter.com/WriteReadsTours from the last week, you’ll see what several other bloggers have had to say about it. My $.02 will be coming along in a little bit.

Book Details:

Title: Good Trouble: The Selma, Alabama and Derry, Northern Ireland Connection 1963-1972 by Forest Issac Jones
Genre: Non-Fiction
Age Category: Adult
Format: Paperback/Ebook
Length: 200 pages
Publication Date: April 1, 2025

About the Book:

Good Trouble will show the strong connection between the Black Civil Rights Movement in the United States and the Catholic Civil Rights Movement in Northern Ireland – specifically the influence of the Montgomery to Selma march on the 1969 Belfast to Derry march through oral history, based on numerous interviews of events leading up to both marches and afterwards. This is close to the author’s heart as both of his parents marched to integrate lunch counters and movie theatres in Salisbury, North Carolina, in 1963 as college students. His mother was at the 1963 March to Washington where Martin Luther King gave his ‘I Have a Dream’ speech.

Award-winning author Julieann Campbell (On Bloody Sunday) wrote the introduction for Good Trouble, looking back at her times growing up in Derry, in the heart of the Catholic Civil Rights Movement. Jones traveled to Dublin, Belfast, and Derry to conduct interviews for the book. In all, he did fifteen interviews with people who were involved in the movement in Northern Ireland (including Billy McVeigh – featured in the BAFTA winning documentary, Once Upon A Time In Northern Ireland) and in the United States (including Richard Smiley and Dr. Sheyann Webb-Christburg – both were at Bloody Sunday in Alabama and on the Selma to Montgomery march among others). Jones was also able to talk with Eamonn McCann (he took part in the Belfast to Derry march in 1969; he was the John Lewis of Northern Ireland).

Unlike most books on Northern Ireland, this goes into detail about the connection and the influence between the two movements. Also, most focus on Bloody Sunday and not the pivotal incidents at Burntollet Bridge and the Battle of the Bogside. Building off of unprecedented access and interviews with participants in both movements, Jones crafts a gripping and moving account of these pivotal years for both countries.

Book Links:

Amazon Canada ~ Amazon US ~ Amazon UK ~ Goodreads ~ The StoryGraph

About the Author:

Forest Issac Jones is the author of the upcoming Good Trouble, a historical examination about the connection between the US Black Civil Rights movement and the Catholic Civil Rights movement in Northern Ireland. ‘An insightful and compelling examination of a terrible period in our shared histories” (Brian McGilloway), it focuses specifically on the influence of the 1965 Montgomery to Selma march on the 1969 Belfast to Derry march through oral history, based on numerous interviews from people who were there on the front lines.

He is an award-winning author of nonfiction and essays, specializing in the study of Irish history, the US Civil Rights movement, and Northern Ireland. His latest essay, ‘The Civil Rights Connection Between the USA and Northern Ireland’ was awarded honorable mention in the category of nonfiction essay by Writer’s Digest in their 93rd annual writing competition in 2024.

In addition, Forest is a member of the Historical Writers Association, Crime Writers of Color, and the James River Writers.

My thanks to The Write Reads for the invitation to participate in this tour and the materials they provided.

The Ten Commandments by Cornelius Van Til: A Brief Look at the Law

By HCNewton

On May 4, 2025

In Uncategorized

The Ten Commandments

by Cornelius Van Til

DETAILS:
Publisher: Cantaro Publications
Publication Date: January 1, 2024
Format: Paperback
Length: 204 pg.
Read Date: February 9, 2025

What’s The Ten Commandments About?

Well, as the title suggests, it’s about The Ten Commandments–it’s an exposition of them, and a brief explanation of what the Moral Law is and how it functions by Cornelius Van Til, who taught the course on Christian Ethics at Westminster Theological Seminary in its early days.

Like many of his works, until this edition, it was unpublished. It’s the curriculum from that class, really. It’s as close to attending Van Til’s course as we’re going to get.

We get one chapter on the nature and use of the Law in the Christian life (and throughout Scripture) and then a (generally) brief chapter on each commandment.

Miscellaneous Observations

There are a handful of things that an academic reviewer would spend time on, or if I wanted to get into his arguments, I would devote paragraphs to. But I’m not, so I’m just going to list off thoughts I had along the way:

bullet When it comes to the First Commandment (leading to a discussion of God’s existence and atheism) and the Third Commandment (God’s self-revelation via His name and other means), Van Til the apologist comes to the fore. He spends a disproportionate amount of time on these two–I’m not complaining, I’m simply noting. Any students who took his Ethics class before Apologetics (assuming that was possible) probably had a leg up on those who went right into Apologetics.
bullet His discussion of the 4th (Sabbath) didn’t lead to as many specific practical applications as I was hoping (if only for curiosity’s sake, I wanted to see his take on some things). But pound-for-pound one of the best brief discussions on the day change, external vs. internal/spiritual observance of the day.
bullet I really appreciated his discussion of the Sixth Commandment (Human Life), we need more like it.
bullet It boggled my mind that he saw the necessity of labor unions and protests–in a fallen world, such things are necessary for protection against the fallibility of our fellow man. (I think I agree with him, just didn’t expect it from him)
bullet His discussion of the 9th Commandment (Truth) didn’t get take the apologetic turn that I expected (although it’s there), and was helpful–but I could’ve used more.
bullet The chapter on the 10th Commandment (Contentment) was too brief, but what was there was excellent.

So, what did I think about The Ten Commandments?

It wasn’t bad–it was pretty good, actually. I had hoped for a little more depth–and I got it occasionally, but not as often as I’d hoped.

It’s also pretty clear and easy to understand–this is a great bonus. Van Til enjoys (even among his most ardent of supporters/students) the reputation for not being a very clear writer. But I didn’t get a trace of that here.

This is a slightly uneven, but helpful and sound introduction to and overview of the Ten Commandments and their use in the Christian life. It’s in line with what you’d find in Calvin, Turretin, Hodge, and the like. Maybe a little more accessible because it was written in the early 20th Century.

3.5 Stars
This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase from it, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, the opinions expressed are my own.
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Saturday Miscellany—5/3/25

By HCNewton

On May 3, 2025

In Books, News/Misc., Saturday Miscellany

Odds ‘n ends about books and reading that caught my eye this week. You’ve probably seen some/most/all of them, but just in case:
bullet Most parents don’t enjoy reading to their children, survey suggests—might as well start on a down note, right? Can only go up from here…
bullet A Fifth of American Adults Can’t Read. Here’s How To Teach Them.—well, maybe not. (I don’t know enough to comment on the “how to teach” bit, as inclined as I am to agree). There’s probably a link between these two pieces.
bullet People who buy books faster than they can read them usually share these 7 traits—This’ll lift your mood a bit (I think this also applies to people who check out too many library books at once)
bullet Premodern Chinese Literature Can Be Trendy Too—Sure, why not? I’m mostly posting this for the one friend who will despair that one of his niche interests is trendy, but this did make me wish I had a little room on ye olde TBR.
bullet So, You Want to Write a Cookbook?—huh.
bullet Triumph of the Undead: The Public Domain as Horror Hero
bullet Scholars Have Lost the Plot!—This showed up as a sidebar link to the Public Domain piece, and I’m a little obsessed with it now. I’d like to take 2-3 weeks off to read the materials he’s interacting with and interact with this piece.I probably won’t. Okay, I definetly won’t, but it was a nice daydream.
bullet The Edgar Awards were given this week, which means it’s time for CrimeReads to post their roundtable discussions with the nominees. I love these annual posts. The State of the Mystery, Part 1: Craft Lessons and Favorite Reads and The State of the Mystery, Part 2: Issues, Concerns, and The Long Road Ahead.
bullet Speaking of the Edgars, I might as well share the list of the winners: 2025 Edgar Allan Poe Awards
bullet Nabokov’s Favorite Color, Stephen King’s Adverb Bullshit, Language’s Value Only As A Measure of Time—I really wish I remembered whose link I followed to this.
bullet What’s the deal with dystopian picturebooks?—I didn’t know this was a thing. There’s at least two of these that I had to fight the impulse to buy. (for now)
bullet Remembering the Average Reader—Yes. The phrase “average reader” is accurate but has a strange tone to me (I know Krysta wasn’t being pejorative—that’s the whole point). My friends tend to phrase it as: “people who aren’t like HC” or “normal readers.”
bullet 3 Truly Odd Protagonists & Why We Really Really Like Them—Sherlock Holmes, Arthur Dent, and Quentin Coldwater in the same piece. Worth reading just for that interesting combo.

To help talk about backlist titles (and just for fun), What Was I Talking About 10 Years Ago Week?
bullet Fairest by Marissa Meyer—that was 10 years ago??
bullet Atlanta Burns by Chuck Wendig—That was only 10 years ago??
bullet Dark Heir by Faith Hunter—a turning point in my appreciation for the series
bullet I mentioned the release of Darkened Blade by Kelly McCullough

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
bullet The Mystery of the Crooked Man by Tom Spencer—”Fraudulent cozy mystery expert Agatha Dorn is cancelled — and severely ticked off! — in this quirky homage to Golden Age detectives, lost manuscripts, and famous authors.” I dig the premise here, if the execution matches, it’ll be a winner.
bullet Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng by Kylie Lee Baker—”In this explosive horror novel, a woman is haunted by inner trauma, hungry ghosts, and a serial killer as she confronts the brutal violence experienced by East Asians during the pandemic.” There’s no way I’d make it through this horror novel—but, man, it sounds great. Someone read it and tell me what I missed, okay?

WWW Wednesday—April 30, 2025

By HCNewton

On April 30, 2025

In Books, Currently Reading, News/Misc., WWW Wednesday

This meme was formerly hosted by MizB at A Daily Rhythm and revived on Taking on a World of Words—and shown to me by Aurore-Anne-Chehoke at Diary-of-a-black-city-girl.

The Three Ws are:
What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

Seems easy enough, right? Let’s take a peek at this week’s answers:

What are you currently reading?


That Hideous Strength by C.S. Lewis	Back After This by Linda Holmes

I should be finishing Lewis’ Space Trilogy here this evening–if nothing else, each book in this trilogy is radically different than the one before. I’m very curious about how he wraps this all up.

I really have no idea why I picked up Back After This but one of my favorite (non book) bloggers recommended it, and our tastes generally align. I’m less than a chapter into it at the moment, so I really can’t say anything about it yet.

What did you recently finish reading?


A Scanner Darkly by Philip K. Dick	Orconomics: A Satire by J. Zachary Pike, read by Doug Tisdale Jr.

A Scanner Darkly was something, that’s for sure. I’m not sure what, though. Really well-written, fantastic ideas, but I’m not sure about the whole package.

Pike’s satire was everything I’d hoped it’d be–and more.

What do you think you’ll read next?


Good Trouble: The Selma, Alabama and Derry, Northern Ireland Connection 1963-1972 by Forest Issac Jones	The Mercy Chair by M.W. Craven, read by John Banks

I’ve been reading a lot of dark and heavy things, so as an antidote, let’s see what Good Trouble has in store. Oh, more of the same. Okay, then.

At least at the end of the latest Poe and Tilly book, there’s a somewhat happy ending after all the dark and heavy.

What are you escaping into lately?

MUSIC MONDAY: “The Last Shanty ” by Derina Harvey Band

By HCNewton

On April 28, 2025

In News/Misc.

The Irresponsible Reader's Music Monday logo

Music Monday's originated at The Tattooed Book Geek's fantastic blog and has shown up hither, thither, and yon since then.

I mentioned the other day that I was celebrating the grandcritter’s 2nd birthday. As most two-year-olds do, I know he reads his Grandpappy’s blog religiously. So, for him, I thought I’d post one of his favorite songs.

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Book Blogger Hop: Do You Have Enough Shelf Space?

By HCNewton

On April 28, 2025

In Book Blogger Hop, Books, News/Misc.

Book Blogger Hop

This prompt was submitted by Billy @ Coffee Addicted Writer:

Do you have enough shelves for all your books?

This is one of those very important questions that any book hoarder collector has to ask themselves regularly. Possibly frequently. As the meme says, it’s not a matter of too many books, it’s not enough shelves.

We have shelves in almost every room of the house–and one hallway. Some of these shelves could be replaced by taller versions. Some could be filled more efficiently/to greater capacity. Nevertheless, we’re running out of places for shelves. This is going to be a problem–possibly as soon as 2026.

But right now? I do happen to have enough space for my books and a little room to grow. This is not a phenomenon that I’m all that familiar with, honestly. But I’m enjoying it. There’s a bookcase that serves as my physical TBR stack (with a shelf of “you need to write about these soon”), a few Non-Fiction cases, more Fiction cases, a couple that are for my wife’s books, a little bench/shelf unit for the grandchildren’s books. The TBR unit is overflowing (sadly), the Non-Fiction has a little room for growth, the Fiction cases are really close to filling, but my wife’s cases are in real danger of hitting the limit. Oh, I’ve got a couple of those corner shelf units, too. They’re not bad, but not particularly large or helpful–I think I could fit a handful onto one of them. The grandchildren’s shelves are about half full–so that’s promising.

Okay, thinking about it in those terms make me think I have less breathing-room than I initially thought. 2026-me definitely has a problem, and had better start coming up with some solutions.

Remember, as the meme/tshirt/poster says:
It's not hoarding if it's books

How about you, reader? Do you have enough shelf space?

Saturday Miscellany—4/26/25

By HCNewton

On April 26, 2025

In Books, News/Misc., Saturday Miscellany

Did I spend too much at the Independent Bookstore Day event I attended? Yes. Am I bothered by that? No, because I actually showed restraint–I could’ve easily spent 2 or 3 times as much. And, I did cut myself off from going to multiple bookstores. Don’t tell me I don’t have self-control.

I also found the time to put this post together before I go to celebrate the Grandcritter’s 2nd Birthday (boggles my mind that he’s that age already). We start with a couple of links that aren’t technically bookish, but I appealed to the owner/manager of this site, and he agreed to let me post them anyway.

Odds ‘n ends about books and reading that caught my eye this week. You’ve probably seen some/most/all of them, but just in case:
bullet The Thursday Murder Club movie has released production photos!—sure, they’re just photos. But hard to imagine them getting the look better. Makes me feel hopeful about the rest.
bullet May the Fourth Gift Giving Guide—This Dad Reads is providing an essential servce here
bullet Ten Recommended Superhero Novels II—C.T. Phipps has put together a really nice list over at Before We Go Blog.
bullet 5 Year Blogiversary: Half a Decade of Cozy with Books—Congrats to Cozy with Books for making it to 5!
bullet Books About Books: A List—Witty & Sarcastic Book club commemorated World Book Day with this list and some great quotations about books.
bullet The Nicest Characters in Fiction—characters that need to be celebrated
bullet Andr3wsky has one of my favorite takes of the week

To help talk about backlist titles (and just for fun), What Was I Talking About 10 Years Ago Week?
bullet The Tomb by F. Paul Wilson
bullet The Diamond Conspiracy by Pip Ballantine & Tee Morris
bullet And I mentioned the releases of Second Olympus by K. A. Stewart and The Mad Apprentice by Django Wexler—two books that I never got around to reading and completely forgot about (and I think I regret both…still look pretty good)

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
bullet Hidden in Smoke by Lee Goldberg—the arson investigators, Sharpe and Walker hunt for a serial torcher on a spree (with a little help from Eve Ronin and Duncan Pavone)
bullet Death Rights by Shannon Knight—Knight follows up Grave Cold with this sequel that ramps up the stakes in a very satisfying way. (well, the beta version I read was very satisfying, and from what I can assume from the changes Knight described, it’s even stronger).

Programming Note/Reminder & Encouragement

By HCNewton

On April 26, 2025

In Uncategorized

This is one of those rare Saturdays where I don’t know when I can assemble the Miscellany for the day, but it is coming.

One of the reasons that I’ll be away from my keyboard is that it’s the last Saturday in April–known to many of us as Independent Bookstore Day. This is the 12th of these events, and I’m willing to bet that one near you is celebrating (it’s one of the bigger sales days for them–so I think they’ll be celebrating in more than one sense).

If you can’t make it outside (which is understandable and relatable)–head over to bookshop.org, where a portion of the sales go to a bookstore of your choice. I typically suggest using my affilate site, but today, I urge you to pick your favorite local store (or, you can go with Shared Stories if you wanted to help mine if you don’t have one). Also, they apparently have free shipping this weekend!

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Opening Lines: A Scanner Darkly by Philip K. Dick

By HCNewton

On April 24, 2025

In Blog Series, Currently Reading, News/Misc., Opening Lines, Quotations

Head & Shoulders used to tell us that, “You never get a second chance to make a first impression.” That’s true for wearing dark shirts, and it’s especially true for books. Sometimes the characters will hook the reader, sometimes the premise, sometimes it’s just knowing the author—but nothing beats a great–or strange–opening for getting a reader to commit.

Once a guy stood all day shaking bugs from his hair. The doctor told him there were no bugs in his hair. After he had taken a shower for eight hours, standing under hot water hour after hour suffering the pain of the bugs, he got out and dried himself, and he still had bugs in his hair; in fact, he had bugs all over him. A month later he had bugs in his lungs.

Having nothing else to do or think about, he began to work out theoretically the life cycle of the bugs, and, with the aid of the Britannica, try to determine specifically which bugs they were. They now filled his house. He read about many different kinds and finally noticed bugs outdoors, so he concluded they were aphids. After that decision came to his mind it never changed, no matter what other people told him… like “Aphids don’t bite people.”

They said that to him because the endless biting of the bugs kept him in torment. At the 7-11 grocery store, part of a chain spread out over most of California, he bought spray cans of Raid and Black Flag and Yard Guard. First he sprayed the house, then himself, The Yard Guard seemed to work the best.

from A Scanner Darkly by Philip K. Dick

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WWW Wednesday—April 23, 2025

By HCNewton

On April 23, 2025

In Books, Currently Reading, News/Misc., WWW Wednesday

This meme was formerly hosted by MizB at A Daily Rhythm and revived on Taking on a World of Words—and shown to me by Aurore-Anne-Chehoke at Diary-of-a-black-city-girl.

The Three Ws are:
What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

Seems easy enough, right? Let’s take a peek at this week’s answers:

What are you currently reading?


A Scanner Darkly by Philip K. Dick	Broken Homes by Ben Aaronovitch, read by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith

The Sci-Fi Book Club at Shared Stories is doing a great job of getting me to read things I’ve meant to get around to forever. Dick’s A Scanner Darkly is just one of those books.

I just realized that, if I want to finish this re-listen through The Rivers of London in time to read the new book when it’s released, I’d better get moving. Broken Homes is one of my favorites, so that helps incentivize me.

What did you recently finish reading?


Everyone on This Train Is a Suspect by Benjamin Stevenson	Summer Knight by Jim Butcher, read by James Marsters

I love it when a sequel surpasses the original, and Stevenson succeeded there.

I (as expected) thoroughly enjoyed Summer Knight, I’d forgotten how much happened in this particular novel.

What do you think you’ll read next?


That Hideous Strength by C.S. Lewis	Orconomics: A Satire by J. Zachary Pike, read by Doug Tisdale Jr.

I’m a little behind schedule with my Lewis read for the month, but better late than never for this conclusion to the Space Trilogy–the only one I haven’t read before.

I remember wanting to pick up Orconomics when it came out in print a few years back, but I remember nothing else about it. I guess I’m about to see if I was right.

Book Details:

About the Book:

Book Links:

About the Author:

What’s The Ten Commandments About?

Miscellaneous Observations

So, what did I think about The Ten Commandments?

What are you currently reading?

What did you recently finish reading?

What do you think you’ll read next?

What are you escaping into lately?

Do you have enough shelves for all your books?

How about you, reader? Do you have enough shelf space?

What are you currently reading?

What did you recently finish reading?

What do you think you’ll read next?

What are you reading?