Monday, January 30, 2012

One of the Best Authors Around




As I began reading From Across The Ancient Waters, my first novel on my new Kindle Fire, I realized that the very first “Christian” novel was The Heather Halls of Stonewyke. This was soon followed by the Corrie Belle Hollister series and many of Mr. Phillips  other excellent works.  Being a girl of fourteen and new to the faith I am ever so glad that these stories were available.  All of Michael Phillips’ story lines are interesting and extremely thoughtful.  Questions of faith are posed and discussed in gentle and considerate ways, never in a harsh or forceful manner.

From Across The Ancient Waters keeps these characteristics alive.  The young Percy, sent away to hopefully reform his bad ways, finds faith, friendship, and adventure in the Welsh countryside.  The characters draw you in so that you feel the pangs of young love and the heartache of losing someone you care for.  I was not ready for this story to end and am happy to know book two will be out in a few months.  The only thing missing was a pronunciation key for the Welsh words; I’m a little rusty on my Welsh.

Thank you to Barbour Publishing for sending me a copy of this book free of charge in exchange for an honest review.




Sunday, January 29, 2012

You Will Have Yourself a Great Time If You Enjoy The Sing-Song Rhyme




This is the kind of Bible storybook that some people will love and think it is the best thing and others, well they won’t make it past the first few pages.  The description says, “If your kids love Dr. Seuss, they’re sure to enjoy My BIG Book of Bible Stories—17 favorite stories, featuring hilarious rhymes and bright, fun illustrations”.  That is an extremely good description of this book;  it is very much like reading a Dr. Seuss book. 

I have to admit I am not the biggest Dr. Seuss fan around, so it took me a couple of stories to warm up to this book.  My 5 and 3 year olds on the other hand think it is great.  However, this is a far cry from a literal retelling of God’s Word.  An excerpt from David and Goliath:

“My word!” said Goliath, “you are a good shot! I was going to duck, but I guess I forgot.  Why is everyone spinning! Who turned out the lights?  Is it nap time already?  Oh well, nighty-night!”

I can see that some are not going to be in favor of such a liberal retelling.  All I can say is that it grows on you and my boys like it.  This would have been a great place to think up a clever rhyme, oh well!
Click on the link above for more information!

My boys and I loved it!


The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn

Poor little Chester raccoon is having a hard time of it.  He does not want to begin school.  His mother does her best to convince him that he will love it; he will have new things to play with and will make new friends.  But it doesn’t seem as if Chester is going for it.  So Mom tells him the secret of the Kissing Hand to help Chester make it through his night at school.  In the end, Mom needs the Kissing Hand as much as Chester does.

I read this with my boys the other morning and we just loved it.  I probably got a hundred kisses that morning.  Not a bad way to start a day!
Click the link above to find out more!

Saturday, January 14, 2012

Probably Good for the Target Audience, but not Inspiring to Me


Heroes and Villains of the Bible is a Bible story book containing 50 stories from the Children’s International Bible.  This is probably best used by those children, and boys would be the target audience, who are ready to start reading Biblical episodes for themselves.   The text is easy to read and understand and would be a good choice for a devotional time.  The hero and villain theme should appeal to preteen boys, who are always seeking adventure.
Each episode is prefaced with a bit of background or a question and ends with a lesson on what it means to be a hero such as, ” HEROES AREN’T AFRAID TO ASK FOR A DO-OVER.”
The pictures that introduce each chapter are computer generated and may remind children of video games.  I have to say that they really do not appeal to me at all, but then again, I’m not a ten year old boy. 
Click the title above to find more information about this book.
This book was provided free of charge by BookSneeze in exchange for an honest opinion.

Monday, January 9, 2012

Perfect for Families



I think this is a great addition to a family Bible study time.  The 101 Adventures are 101 different episodes from Genesis through Revelation that hit on the well-known Bible stories.  Well know, that is, if you have attended Church for a while.  Each “story” is a two page layout that starts with a brief explanation or background information.  That is followed by the actual Biblical passage from the New Living Translation of the Bible.  There is a “Key Verse” that can be used for memorization and a “Now What?” section to help start a discussion about what was just read.

I think this a great book to use for family devotion time, especially for families where the parents are new believers and may not be sure where to start reading their Bibles.  This provides a quick and simple guide to help Mom and Dad get started.  It also gives a great overview of the main things that happened in the Bible.  If someone was creative, they could probably use this as the base for a Sunday School or Children’s Church and have two years’ worth of inexpensive curriculum!
Click on the cover or title above for more information about this great book.

 This book was provided free of charge by Tyndale Kids in exchange for an honest review.

Monday, January 2, 2012

Learning to Forgive to Really Live.







The Encounter is a great story about a man who has to search out the women who abandoned him when he was 4 years old.  Jonathan Rush has become successful in the business world and yet the memory of his mother’s abandonment has left him bitter and a “toxic person” unable to have healthy relationships.  An encounter with God leads Jonathan’s pastor to encourage Jonathan to find out what happened in his childhood to help him understand, forgive, and let go of the rage that has taken over his heart.

The Encounter reminds us that we have to forgive those who have hurt us just as Christ has forgiven us if we are to live healthy productive lives.  It also reminds us that very often we do not know the entire side of someone else’s story and they may need our forgiveness to grow.  It’s a great and simple story.

This book was provided to me free of charge from the BookSneeze program in exchange for an honest review.