Erin Darlyn

Original Review

The Secret of the Old Clock is the first book in the hardcover Nancy Drew series (flashlight editions). I read the Nancy Drew books as a young girl and through them, fell in love with reading. That they are still in print and parents are still buying them for their children makes my heart so happy.

This year, I???m attempting to reread all of the original 56 books - about one per week, with some weeks doubled up. I???ve started with book one and it was such a delight to read it again. These mysteries carry so much nostalgia for me, and reading them again feels so comforting - like drinking a hot cup of tea, wrapped up in a cozy blanket on a cushioned window seat listening to the rhythm of the rain; a warm hug for my soul.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading The Secret of the Old Clock again. I love how the story is set in the 1930???s and carries with it that decade???s unique atmosphere, yet is still so timeless.

My sister once told me she didn???t like Nancy Drew much when she was younger because Nancy is too perfect in the books and I think that is a fair criticism (she is unrealistically perfect and very privileged; some of the circumstances are a bit too tidy as well), but I also think that is one of the things I liked about her stories. Reading them allowed for a bit of escapism and stoked my imagination, and that was still true for me as an adult reading this installment again.

There???s a scene in the story that made me want to find a 1930???s recipe similar to Hannah???s cinnamon cake to bake up and serve with hot applesauce. Why is this not a popular pairing anymore? It sounds delicious!

I???d recommend Nancy???s mysteries for anyone who is interested in a fast-paced, lighthearted middle grade book, for reluctant readers, or for anyone who read them when they were younger and is looking for a serving of nostalgia.

0 stars. I re-read this book for research purposes. The first time I read it, I was in a teen girl's Sunday school class and was harmed by it. This time around, I read this version and the updated version and also referenced the teacher's manual. It contains some really damaging narratives and I would not recommend using it.

I have a full review on this book available here, as it was just too long to share in its entirety on Goodreads.

This book had such promise and started out so well and then fell so flat.

The premise of the book is the story of Ozella and her ancestors, as told to the author in Ozella's quilt booth at a vendor's market. It's the story we want to hear when we pick up the book and the author tells us she has now heard the story. Just when we think we are going to hear the story as Ozella told it, which would have been what gave this book strength and potency, we veer off instead into what the authors made of the different little pieces of the story instead of hearing the actual story as it was told.

This weakened the book and left me as the reader feeling as if the story was still being kept hidden. There was a lot of conjecture and research presented instead and whilst it was interesting at times and I did learn some things that were fascinating, I still found myself feeling like what I really wanted was to hear Ozella's story retold from that moment when Jacqueline was sitting at her feet surrounded by quilts for three hours. If the authors had done that and then presented their research, this book would have been much more satisfying and impactful to read. Instead, it felt like the story was kept secret with just little pieces of it exposed here and there.

It had potential but didn't deliver.

Disclaimer: I am writing this review from the perspective of a non-Jewish believer.

I picked up this version as part of what began as a year-long journey (I have since decided to extend it because I have been enjoying the process so much) of reading through several different versions of the Bible which I had not yet completely read. I was excited to read through it, especially the New Testament, and to learn more about the Jewish perspective of the Word through the translation, study notes, and included commentary. It was such a rich experience! Seeing the Scripture through the eyes of the Jewish people and learning more about the cultural relevance of different elements of the stories and truths within was eye-opening and inspiring. It really rounded out my perspective on several things and the imagery conveyed in the language used is so vivid and vibrant and lovely.

The Old Testament books are in a different order than you will be accustomed to if you normally read Christian translations. I found this interesting and refreshing - there was always something new and unexpected around the corner if I didn't look ahead to see what was coming next!

If this version had concluded at the end of the book of Acts, I would have rated it 5 stars. Up until that point, it had been my favorite version that I had read to date.

To back up a little, there is a note in the introduction to the translation about how the translator chose to translate the word “law” or the phrase “the law” as a longer phrase that basically implies that legalism is what is being referred to in the text rather than the law itself. I was skeptical but open-minded about such a decision before I began reading the actual text. I actually forgot all about it until later in the New Testament, where this interpretation first appears. (In the Old Testament, the word Torah is used instead of law/the law, which I have no issue with.)

Beginning around Romans, the translator starts to stray from translating and selectively move into interpretation rather than translation, seemingly only where it suits his chosen narrative. The translation had been strong before that, so suddenly finding passages where interpretations were used instead of translation really weakened the translation as a whole. The translator's decision to go this route, in my opinion, undermined the complete work and in some ways, discredited it. This is unfortunate, because the translation would have been strong and beautifully done without going this route but instead sticking to the method used in the previous pages. There were several places in the New Testament (post-Acts) where I would look up the original texts and find that the translator had inserted words and phrases that were not there in the original text - almost always to make the text fit within a particular narrative that represents his (and others') beliefs but not what the text itself says - and that sometimes changed the meaning of the original text entirely. Prior to this straying, the translation was solid, thought-provoking, insightful, and quite beautifully done. There was no need to veer off into interpretation under the guise of translation; the translation was speaking for itself before that. This was, at times, a significant issue, particularly in the epistles.

There is also a commentary note in 2 Thessalonians which would be considered blasphemous if what the author of it is saying is incorrect and what Christians believe about the passage is true. (It ascribes what Christians believe is the Holy Spirit to Satan.)

Whilst I would give Genesis through Acts 5 stars, I would give Romans through the end only 1 star based on the insertion of words and phrases that did not exist in the original texts and that changed the meaning of the original texts into something that suited a particular narrative (which I was open to accepting, but the decision to do this really discredited the idea, at least for me). It is for this reason that my review has a final rating of 3 stars.

I would definitely recommend that Christians read this translation, at least through the end of Acts. It deepened my understanding of many things, opened my eyes to some things I had missed or not known before, and was thoroughly beautiful and enjoyable to read up through the point where the inaccuracies started surfacing in the New Testament.

The cover is a bit rougher than other Bibles with a genuine leather cover. I suspect that it could be boiled leather, which can have this texture sometimes. The signatures are sewn and the layout is fantastic. The quality of the materials is very good.

I bought several books about grief after I lost my father in November of 2020. I read the first few pages of each to decide which to begin with and this was the only one that resonated with me. The others seemed to assume that I was feeling a certain way or to imply that I should be feeling a certain way.

This one didn???t do that and was the only one that really captured with words the grief I was experiencing and sat with me in it.

We all grieve differently. This was the book that helped me most. I highly recommend it for others with hurting hearts and it will be the book I now give to others who face deep loss.

This knitting pattern book has some really pretty garment designs. There are a couple that I would like to make for myself and there is one I want to make for my spouse as a gift. Several are not my taste, but the ones that are are beautiful. I love the cables. Mix of charts and written instructions.

This is a short book with just a handful of knitting patterns for basic wardrobe staples. I bought it particularly for the simple turtleneck pattern on the cover and am also hoping to make the basic shell / tank and the basic tee at some point. When I finish an object from one of these patterns, I???ll update this review.

This is the second collection of Billy Collins' poems I have read and it is an enjoyable one, though I preferred The Trouble with Poetry. This collection had a more solemn and reflective tone running through it versus the subtle wit and hint of mischief that dominated in the The Trouble with Poetry. A lovely collection of poems; just “not as much favorite.” Hence, the 4 stars instead of 5. =)

It is very rare that I pick up a book of knit or crochet patterns and find that the majority of the items within suit my taste / wardrobe style. This book is the exception. I want to make every piece in it! I am a new knitter and am looking forward to learning to make these pieces. I???ll update my review as I finish items made from the patterns.

My husband bought me this set of Psalms commentaries (this is the first volume of three) for my birthday this year and I was so excited to receive them. I had added them to my book wish-list after having listened to a series of Old and New Testament lectures Yale offers for free on their YouTube channel. I wanted to read a commentary that was written from a more scholarly and historical point of view rather than primarily theological.

This series includes both a new translation of the psalms as well as commentary on the text. Professor Dahood used the Ugaritic texts to inform the translation by working with said texts to help bring context for certain words and phrases that translators have disagreed about or not had much information on in past translations. The result is an interesting, fresh (though still familiar for the avid Psalms reader) translation that I thoroughly enjoyed reading.

The commentary sections were insightful, though a bit over my head at times. Multiple languages were used throughout the notes. With this in mind, I think that the commentary sections would be best appreciated by someone who knows the various biblical languages, has done translation work, and will thus be able to understand the full context of the notes. There is much of value for the lay reader as well, but you might, as I did, feel a bit lost at times and have to pick through the more scholarly language to find the parts that make the most sense to you.

All in all, I thought it was a worthy work and I look forward to reading the next two volumes.

I have mentioned in other reviews that Mary Oliver is my favorite poet. She writes about nature and the beauty of life in such a captivating, resonant way and I love her work. I am the sort of person who likes to keep my books in pristine condition (though I have taken to underlining and annotating of late) but Mary???s collections always break me of that habit and I find myself dog-earing pages often as I read.

Some of my favorite poems from Felicity include: Do the Trees Speak?, Leaves and Blossoms Along the Way, I Wake Close to Morning, I Did Think - Let???s Go About This Slowly, That Little Beast, and The Gift.

A few lines that stuck out:

???In all the works of Beethoven, you will
not find a single lie.

All important ideas must include the trees,
the mountains, and the rivers.

To understand many things you must reach out
of your own condition.??? - from Leaves and Blossoms Along the Way

Mary Oliver is my favorite poet. I have not yet read all of her works, but every volume I have read has included many poems and lines that have deeply resonated. The way she writes about nature is so beautiful.

I really enjoyed Blue Horses. Some of my favorite poems within it were I Don???t Want to Be Demure or Respectable, Blueberries, Such Silence, Watering the Stones, On Not Mowing the Lawn, and What Gorgeous Thing.

What a beautiful edition this is! I love the stunning gold foiling on the cover.

Every other page in these editions (Old and New Testament books are all available; a few are grouped together in one volume) is blank so that you can take notes, journal, draw, etc. as you read and study. The blank pages have a very faint, almost unnoticeable dot grid on them that makes it easy to keep your writing straight and evenly spaced if you would like to, but that would not take away from artwork should you choose to use the edition for art journaling. The pages are likely thick enough for art journaling, though for reference, Zebra's Mildliners did very mildly show through on the opposite side of the page when I used them for highlighting.

I was concerned at first that cracks in the spine would leave white lines. I generally take care not to crack the spines of my books, but this one is thick and I thought that perhaps it could happen naturally when I got to the middle of the book and the pages were weighing down on the spine more. I am happy to report that no cracks and no white lines appeared in the spine, so even after reading, it still looks pretty on the shelf. The edition itself is a nice width that feels good in the hands whilst reading. I am looking forward to reading the rest of the ESV in these editions.