Tag: Book review

Book Review: God Gave Us You – by Lisa Tawn Bergren

Book: God Gave Us You
Author: Lisa Tawn Bergren; Illustrator Laura J. Bryant
Publisher: WaterBrook Press
Date: 2011
Genre: Children: age 0-3, Christian life, fiction
Pages: 18; board book
Price: $6.99 US, $7.99 CAN
My Rating: A nice little book for any small child

I received this book through LibraryThing in exchange for an honest review.

God Gave Us You is a richly illustrated board book with artwork that depicts the tenderness between parents and their baby. This book is just the right size for small hands. Its sentiment is comforting and clearly stated for a child to understand.

As mother bear is tucking her little cub into bed one night, she is asked the question most children ask at some time, “Where did I come from?” Mother Bear answers, “From God”, and then goes into just enough detail to settle the question without it being information overload.

The author’s approach in how she has mother bear answer that age old question is both satisfying to a young mind and assurance of being loved. The mother talks about her pregnancy in a comforting way and shows the eager anticipation she had for her baby’s arrival. “Every night I prayed for you, my special child.”

The oft repeated line, “God gave us you”, is early encouragement that the child’s life is known by God who loves her.

This is such a lovely book that a very young child can enjoy. It would be a thoughtful addition to a baby shower gift.

You can find God Gave Us You listed on my BUY THE BOOK! page.

Thanks for reading, and … Creative Musings! 🙂

Book Review: The Hardest Thing To Do – by Penelope Wilcock

Book: The Hardest Thing To Do
Author: Penelope Wilcock
Publisher: Crossway
Date: July 2011
Genre: Christian historical fiction
Pages: 255
Price: $12.99, paperback
My Rating: A wonderful read! .. engaging and inspiring.

I received an ARC (advanced reading copy) from Crossway through LibraryThing in exchange for an honest review.

The Hardest Thing To Do is the first of three sequels to the Hawk and the Dove trilogy which takes place early in the fourteenth century. I had not read any of the books before this one so I didn’t know what to expect, but I am very glad to have been given the opportunity to review it. What a wonderful read!

The story focuses on a monastery in a time of change and struggle as the monks welcome their new abbot. At the same time that his new role begins, Abbot John is faced with a troubling challenge. A man – a monk from another house – comes to them seeking refuge, a man they consider to be their enemy but who is now in dire need, his life in danger. No one trusts or even likes him and the brothers have to deal with issues of forgiveness, bitterness and trust as they take him in while deciding what to do about him in the long-term. The question that insistently stands before them is, “What would our Lord have us do?”

Penelope Wilcock presents the lives and events in the monastery through a journal style of writing. It is an easy book to read, very interesting, captivating, and pulled me in from the first page of the story. The believable characters stay on the reader’s mind as they are followed through their daily routines, their anxieties, joys, fears, and deep desire to walk with Christ. A lovely point in this is that the author had several of the monks discover things that were “the hardest thing to do” for them.

Having not read any other books in this series I am now keen on doing so. If you enjoy historical fiction, then there is a very good chance you will thoroughly enjoy this one. A review that does not give away too much of the story can hardly give the book justice, but The Hardest Thing To Do is well worth the read.

You can find The Hardest Thing To Do listed on my BUY THE BOOK! page.

Thanks for reading, and … Creative Musings! 🙂

 

Book Review: Rumors of God: Experience the Kind of Faith You’ve Only Heard About – by Darren Whitehead & Jon Tyson

Book: Rumors of God: Experience the Kind of Faith You’ve Only Heard About
Authors: Darren Whitehead & Jon Tyson
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Date: 2011
Genre: Religion
Pages: 189
Price: $15.99 US
My Rating: Inspiring, informative, encouraging for anyone seeking to be inspired, informed, encouraged in their Christian life.

I received this book from BookSneeze in exchange for an honest review.

The authors, both from Australia, received a revelation new to them, that “God’s strategy for redemption on the earth was to be carried out by the church.” They were moved to prayer, relocated to the USA where “the future of the Western church is hanging in the balance”, and set into place in ministering to hearts and lives as part of that strategy. In this book, Darren Whitehead and Jon Tyson share their vision in a clear and sincere, heartfelt manner. They include wonderful teachings, stories, and insights, which reveal “God’s kingdom coming to earth.”

Rumors of God is divided into ten chapters, each with a subtitle.

  1. The Sculptor’s Shop: Rumors of Abundant Life
  2. Hostages of the Mind: Rumors of Another Dream
  3. The Great Reversal: Rumors of Generosity
  4. The Faith You’ve Only Heard About: Rumors of Love
  5. Getting the Gospel in Order: Rumors of Grace
  6. Giving Up Your Rights: Rumors of Freedom
  7. The Radical Individual: Rumors of Commitment
  8. Loving Beneath the Surface: Rumors of Community
  9. The Greenroom: Rumors of Justice
  10. Our Burning Revolution: Rumors of Hope

At the back of the book is a section with questions based on each chapter, good questions to make the reader think and soul search. What could be a problem, though, is that the scriptural references they use throughout the book are mostly just noted in the back and not written out in full in the text of the book. This could prevent many from getting the full impact intended.

A comment that I was surprised to read was one written in chapter 5 about when the woman who was caught in adultery was brought to Jesus. The author said that Jesus “continued finger painting in the dust”, dismissing the seriousness of His meaningful action as a frivolous idle moment.

It was unclear to me as to whether the authors were always referring to church as being “church” – the organization under man’s leadership in works, or “Church” – the Body of Christ under the spiritual headship of God and from which relationship the works come.

There are some other things to watch out for, but Whitehead and Tyson made some excellent points and provided interesting – and surprising – stories to express their enthusiasm. It is a good read. On the whole Rumors of God is a book of encouragement to those who seek to be inspired and motivated in their faith.

You can find Rumors of God: Experience the Kind of Faith You’ve Only Heard About listed on my BUY THE BOOK! page.

Thanks for reading, and … Creative Musings!  🙂

Book Review: Amanda in Arabia: The Perfume Flask – by Darlene Foster

Book: Amanda in Arabia: The Perfume Flask
Author: Darlene Foster
Publisher: ireadiwrite publishing
Genre: juvenile fiction, adventure
Date: November 2010
Pages: 108, paperback
Price: $8.95
My rating: A very good read and a great little book that educates while entertaining.

This little book is the first in an adventure series for children. It is an enjoyable way to learn about the UAE – the United Arab Emirates – without being there to do it.

Canadian author Darlene Foster has written an entertaining and educational book that gives the reader insight into life in the UAE. She has created a believable character, twelve-year-old Amanda Ross, whose desire to travel leads to the amazing opportunity to leave Canada for a month’s vacation with relatives living in the far away Arabian country. Not long after her arrival, Amanda purchases a perfume flask that mysteriously was saved just for her. She soon discovers why as she is thrust into an exciting adventure on a secret mission she will never forget.

This story was written for preteen readers, but is one anyone would enjoy. Darlene writes vivid pictures, masterfully delivering descriptive insights into the lifestyle of the people of the United Arab Emirates with its rugged desert regions, while drawing the reader into a memorable adventure.

This may be the book to start a child on a journey through the written word, especially since it is the beginning of a series. The second book is just out, but start with this one. And be sure to read it for yourself!

You can find Amanda in Arabia: The Perfume Flask listed on my BUY THE BOOK! page.

Thanks for reading, and .. Creative Musings! 🙂

Book Review: Jesus, My Father, the CIA and Me: A memoir … of sorts – by Ian Morgan Cron

Book: Jesus, My Father, the CIA, And Me: A memoir… of sorts
Author: Ian Morgan Cron
Genre: Biography, Christian
Pages: 257, paperback
Price: $15.99 US
Released: May 2011
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
My Rating: Oh my! Captivating, even in the hard places.

I received a copy of Jesus, My Father, the CIA, And Me: A memoir… of sorts  from Book Sneeze in exchange for a review.

This book was hard to put down even when I absolutely had to. It was with caution that I started reading, not knowing what to expect after having read someone’s introduction – but by the time I was into chapter two there was no stopping.

Ian Cron writes with such seeming honesty and transparency that the reader can feel his grief, his triumphs, his struggles. I winced in places, feeling sorrow for his pain, and laughed out loud where he unexpectedly injected humour.

He writes about his tumultuous growing up years – as he remembers it – with his secretive alcoholic father and his proper, lovely mother who tried to protect him. He writes about his own fall into a life of addiction, patterned unwittingly after his father. And he writes about his deep love for God, his anger toward Jesus when all he wants is for his own father to love him, and the discoveries of the truth about both his father and Jesus. Truths that change his life.

What bothered me about this book was the author’s flippant attitude toward God, his apparent lack of reverence as if God owed him something. I’m not sure what Ian Morgan Cron was attempting to do, but knowing that he eventually became a priest caused me to feel alarm about the negative way he talked about the Bible and Jesus. My hope is that he was simply expressing the feelings he had early in his spiritual journey, which are probably the questions of many in their search for Truth.

Having said that, this is a story that pulled me in and held me there right to the end; such an enjoyable read that is different from any out there.

Do you like reading biographies?  This one is a definite change of pace.

You can find Jesus, My Father, the CIA, And Me: A memoir… of sorts listed on my BUY THE BOOK! page.

Thanks for reading, and … Creative Musings!  🙂

Book Review: Money and the Prosperous Soul by Stephen K. De Silva

Book: Money and the Prosperous Soul – Tipping the Scales of Favor and Blessing
Author: Stephen K. De Silva
Genre: Religious; Christian stewardship
Pages: 182, paperback
Price: $14.99 CND, $12.99 USD
Released: September 2010
Publisher: Chosen Books
My rating: An excellent book on stewardship and supernatural provision, well worth one’s time and study.

 

I received an advanced reading copy of this book from Library Thing in exchange for a review.

Had I realized what was in store for me on its pages, I would have read this book much sooner. Stephen De Silva writes the truths I have been needing to find, confirming some things I have understood but haven’t seen or known how to set in motion. He makes it very clear about prosperity and the lack of it – and why – especially dealing with the spirits of Poverty and Mammon.

Chapter titles are:
Purpose
Trouble With Money
Spirit of Poverty
Trust and Faith
Dreaming
Bound in Spirit
Spirit of Mammon
Dominion
The Art of Purpose

This is an excellent book, easy to read and understand. Stephen De Silva teaches biblical truth in a comfortable, sincere manner, explaining the spiritual problems that underlie financial ones. It is not the secret to immediate gratification, but lays out the steps to understanding the financial benefits explained in the Bible and how to get there.

For anyone struggling to handle their finances, or simply wanting to know how to live in the provision of God, this book shows the way. Money and the Prosperous Soul is also very suitable for group study.

This is a book I recommend if you want help in becoming financially successful.

You can find Money and the Prosperous Soul – Tipping the Scales of Favor and Blessing listed on my BUY THE BOOK! page.


Thanks for reading, and … Creative Musings!  🙂

Book Review: The Shelter of God’s Promises – by Sheila Walsh

 Book: The Shelter of God’s Promises
Author: Sheila Walsh
Genre: Christian life/religion
Pages: 224, paperback
Price: $15.99 USD
Released: February 1, 2011
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
My rating: An excellent book of encouragement and comfort for those who need to know or be reminded about where God’s  promises fit in their lives.
 

I received this book from Book Sneeze in exchange for a review.

The Shelter of God’s Promises is both for personal use and for group study. I read it alone and really enjoyed it.

This is a book written by a woman with an open heart taught by God. Sheila Walsh speaks out of experience, and from a voice of love, teaching and inspiring the reader.

Her ten chapter topics are:
Promises, Promises/I Need Something to Hold On To;
Provision/I Don’t Have Enough;
Peace/I’m Afraid and Feel Alone;
Confidence/I Can’t See God’s Plan in This Pain;
Love/I Don’t Believe That Anyone Could Really Love Me;
Grace/I Have Failed;
Hope/I’m Broken;
Strength/I Feel Things Are Crashing Around Me;
More/I Know There’s Something Better;
Home/I Have a Future.

Each topic is skillfully and tenderly addressed as she shares in a one on one manner, sometimes in humour – sometimes from pain and vulnerability – what God has revealed to her.

For someone who is seeking some answers, this may be the book to read. For someone seeking comfort in a hard place, for someone needing further insight – at the back of the book is a study guide with questions to consider after each chapter. It’s divided into four brief sections: Discover; Believe; Live; Memorize (with a scripture verse to memorize that week.) Taken seriously, the questions will help to motivate a deeper walk with Christ.

Even if the reader chooses to not use this book as a study it will still be an inspirational read of comfort and encouragement.

You can find The Shelter of God’s Promises listed on my BUY THE BOOK! page.

Have you read this book yet?

Thanks for reading, and … Creative Musings!  🙂