Bridget

I loved this book.

I say that about a lot of books, because there are many great books out there. But this one is a little more personal to me. Everyone's experience with a particular book is a little different. Mine with this book is hard to explain. In these pages, I found a friend- a very relatable friend. One who wasn't afraid to be honest with me, but then comforted and encouraged me while I wrestled.

Every so often, I run across a book that just changes my life. This one did that by going deeper than the nice Christian things we say about the difficult things in our lives. It changed my mind a little in the way I look at myself, and that is life-changing. That is also the highest praise I can give a book.

I will be reading it again soon, if not right away.

This is one of the most encouraging books I've ever read. The author talks about 12 powerful verses/passages of Scripture that talk about God strengthening us for anything and everything we face in life. He gave great context for each verse, then application and encouragement for our daily lives. For anyone feeling weary or burdened, I highly recommend this book. It'll turn your eyes back to the Word of the One who gives us strength enough for each day.

I enjoyed this quite a bit, more than I was expecting. However, I liked the first half of the book much more than the second. While I was reading the first half, I thought this might be in the running for favorite books I read in 2019. The second half was not as good, in my opinion. But it was still a very fun tale!

It follows Tommy, a boy living in England who loves animals. He rescues an injured squirrel, which leads him to find the famous Doctor Dolittle, the naturalist and animal doctor, whose secret to his success is his ability to learn animal languages and speak with them! Tommy becomes his assistant, and they set out on a voyage to Spidermonkey Island, looking for another naturalist who has gone missing.

This was just such an entertaining adventure story! Obviously, there are some fantastical elements, and that was a very interesting aspect of this book. I loved the journey to the island, but when they arrived, the story took a turn I wasn't expecting, which wasn't as interesting to me. But I thought the ending was great, and overall it was a fantastic time! This is one of my favorite children's classics so far!

Content note: there is an assumption of evolution, so be aware of that if that sort of thing bothers you. And also, there is a bit of ethnic “superiority” (aka racism), talking down to native peoples and such. I realize that this was not uncommon for the time it was written, but it still rubs me the wrong way. If you're able to overlook these issues, however, I think this book is worth your time.

I really enjoyed the challenge of reading the entire New Testament in 8 weeks. This format is different than what I'm used to, but it's still the Bible! I liked the way the books were put into semi-chronological order or grouped into similar themes. I think I got a better view of the broad sweep of the whole story. I will go back to reading my regular Bible now, but this Community Bible Experience was well worth it!

3.5 stars.

This was nonstop suspense and action from the first page to the last. A missionary nurse in Egypt finds herself caught up in an investigation and espionage in the months leading up to World War 1. And it was intense. I was definitely caught up in the plot, the mystery, the whole time. And the plot twist at the end? Yep, never saw that coming.

I also loved the setting. Not only the interesting time period, but the locations. Cairo, Damascus, Jerusalem. The characters spent a little time in each of these places, and it was fascinating. I could feel the heart the main character, Allison, had for the Jewish and Muslim people she interacted with. My favorite quote from the book- “The gospel is not cultural, nor does truth destroy what is good in any culture.”

It was a good book, but not a great one. There were enough editing errors to be a distraction for me. And I didn't get as invested in the characters as much as I wanted. I hope that changes as I read book 2, Lions of the Desert.

This is volume 1 of the Passages series, which contains books 1, 2, and 3. Each book takes kids from our world into the fantasy world of Marus. Each book is also a retelling of a biblical story, set in this fantasy world. It was a lot of fun to read these stories and find the parallels between the Marus adventures and familiar Bible stories. I love stories like these ones too, where people from our world are transported to another world. The kids learn about the Unseen One while in Marus, which helps them understand more about their faith in God in this world. I also enjoyed the slight connection to Adventures in Odyssey. The kids in these stories were from Odyssey, and the manuscripts were found by Jack Allen and read by Mr. Whittaker. (The prologues with Whit and other Odyssey characters were taken out of this Volume 1 set, but they are in the individual books.)

The only thing that was a downside for me was the world-building. It seemed a little confusing to me. It felt at some points like a futuristic fantasy world, and at other times like a historical fantasy world with a bunch of time periods jumbled together. And the world wasn't as “fantasy-ish” as I usually like stories like this to be. But the characters were realistic, the stories were exciting, and the biblical re-tellings were a lot of fun to read.

Book 1: Darien's Rise - 4 stars
Kyle and Anna are transported to Marus and become a part of a struggle between an insane king and Darien, whom the Unseen One has chosen to sit next on the throne. This is a re-telling of David and Saul from 1 Samuel. I loved Darien as a character, and also the Old Judge (representing Samuel), who was so kind and wise and sassy all at once! This was my favorite of these three.

Book 2: Arin's Judgment - 3.5 stars
Wade finds himself in Marus at the height of a prophesy of doom, and his knowledge of weaponry makes him a pawn in a plot of defiance against the Unseen One. This is a re-telling of Noah and the flood with an unusual twist. The destruction takes a different form, but it is just as deadly. This story was a little darker than the first one, but it has important lessons about what happens when people turn away from the Unseen One (God).

Book 3: Annison's Risk - 4 stars
Maddy goes to Marus and becomes a helper to the Queen and, when they learn of a plot against the people who believe in the Unseen One, part of a plan to save them. This is a re-telling of Esther, and I really enjoyed it. This one had a lot of intrigue, with secret plots and secret messages and secret passageways. But what I loved most of all was how Maddy learned that belief in God isn't like a fairy tale; faith means we place our whole lives in His hands.

I'm excited to finish the last three books in this series in Volume 2, and I recommend them for fans of Christian middle grade fantasy or fans of allegory!

3.5 stars.

Another heart pounder from Linda Chaikin!

The first part of the book, at the front lines of World War 1, was too intense for me, but the second part of the book had a fantastic plot and a treasure hunt that kept me reading. I enjoyed the story and the setting in Cairo, Egypt.

There were even some moments that made me stop and think, such as this one: “It was Satan who advised the Lord to jump from the pinnacle of the temple so angels might catch Him, she reminded herself. How many times did Satan advise unwise behavior and pawn it off as faith or trust in God?”

There were still a few editing errors, though not as many as in the first book. What bothered me the most was the love triangle and the fact that I just didn't like the hero. I think he was supposed to come across as confident and mysterious, but I saw him mostly as arrogant and closed off. He did some honorable and courageous things, but he didn't open up at all to Allison. She doesn't know him much at all, and she's marrying him anyway. I hope this is resolved in book 3.

I was basically raised on Keith Green's music, and still love it to this day, so I was very excited to read this book. I knew the basic outline of his story, but there were so many pieces that I didn't know. I learned a lot about his spiritual journey and how he found the Lord, as well as details about his years doing music ministry. It was also fun to read the stories behind all the songs! And yes, I cried at the end, even though I knew it was coming.

But this book is more than just a biography. It challenged me in so many ways. Keith was such an intense person in everything, especially his faith. Watching him learn and struggle and grow in his new relationship with Jesus made me look at some things as if I was hearing it for the first time. Keith's message was direct and often uncomfortable, but true- we are called to follow Jesus with everything we are, no compromise.

If you like books about real, raw spiritual journeys, or books about music and ministry, I would highly recommend this one to you, as well as listening to Keith Green's music!

3.5 stars

This is the second trilogy I've read from Linda Chaikin, and I noticed a few patterns:

1. Her settings are superb. This, in my opinion, is what she does best. I felt like I was in historical India, Spain, England, even Burma. It was very well researched and enjoyable to read.

2. She writes suspense well. The plot was extremely fast paced and there was lots of danger. My heart has literally pounded while reading each of Ms. Chaikin's books.

3. The writing is okay. There were some parts that felt awkward and stiff to me. In my opinion, it could've used another go-over from an editor.

4. The romance is somewhat problematic. This was my biggest problem with both this and the Egypt trilogy. Both of the main guys have been brooding and mysterious, difficult to get to know. And the girl falls for him and (spoiler) marries him, despite not knowing him much at all. It bugs me enough to bring down my enjoyment level, and thus the rating.

I think there were some good things about the trilogy, and if it sounds interesting to you, feel free to give it a try. The settings alone make it a fun read.

2.5 stars

Once again, the plot and the setting were excellent. I read this book in less than a week, which means it was engaging enough to keep me turning pages. I was glad that things wrapped up from all three books, even though more characters died than I was expecting. The editing errors I noticed in the previous two were absent in this final book.

The thing that I just can't get past is the weird relationship between Allison and Bret. I want to put a disclaimer in the front of this book- “In the real world, relationships do not work like this. And they should not.” It's never a good idea to marry someone when you know nothing about their personal life. I liked Allison, and I came around to liking Bret, but I was confounded by the way things were progressing. Their whole relationship just bugged me so much.

That being said, this series is still worth reading if you like historical suspense. I did enjoy many aspects of it.

I read this because “after college” is a season that is quickly approaching in my life. I found this book to be very direct and straightforward, with some helpful information and a lot of common sense information. There were a couple chapters that I found particularly helpful and applicable to me, but overall what I got out of this book was a timely reminder that I can trust a constant, unchanging God through any dynamic, uncertain times.

What a sweet collection of Christmas stories and poems! I've loved George MacDonald's fairy tales and stories for children these last few months. He writes such simple stories, that have deep and meaningful messages to share. I found each of these Christmas tales and poems powerful and profound in their wisdom, yet attainable for children and adults alike. This is one I will re-read for sure!

This was a moving portrait of the issue of slavery and the Underground Railroad, as seen through the eyes of a thirteen year old boy, Robert.

I thought Robert was a great character with a realistic journey to finding his own way in a cruel world. I thought Ma was well written also, with a realistic inner struggle between her southern upbringing and abolitionist husband.

There were some brutal scenes and heartbreaking family moments. But there were also some beautiful scenes of sacrifice and bravery and true friendship. Though not always an easy read, I think it's a meaningful one, and I recommend it.