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Book Review: Star Passage

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Starpassage: Book One, the Relic
Starpassage: Book One, the Relic by Clark Rich Burbidge

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

2.5 stars: It was okay. I enjoyed this story about siblings Tim and Martie who find an ancient Star relic that transports them through time. The teens are on a mission to find spiritual help for their father, who is suffering from PTSD after being wounded in the army, and for their mother, who is dealing with depression. With their family falling apart, they wander through history seeking answers, but mysterious Shadow men are trying to steal the Star from them, and Tim and Martie will need help if they are going to return safely to their own time.

I liked all the history in this book! Some of the plot points and settings are drawn from true history, and some of it is, of course, imagined. I was disappointed that one of the first places the characters travel to is Valley Forge where they meet General George Washington. Extremely trite.
But the rest of the historical settings, such as a WWI medical ship and a wagon train traveling the Badlands of the American West, are more diverse and interesting. Continue reading →

Book Review: Finding God in the Hobbit

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Finding God in the Hobbit
Finding God in the Hobbit by Jim Ware

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I loved this in-depth look at the Christian themes found in the Hobbit! Tolkien is one of my top three favorite authors, so I was hanging on every word.

The author takes various characters, events, dialogue, and plot points from the Hobbit and then uses them to illustrate a Biblical truth. He really brought forth some excellent points that I had never thought of before! I loved how the author worked “around” a principle, and showed you all the facets and different sides, and then hammered it home simply and concisely. I loved the forceful writing style!

I wish that there had been more literary analysis though. It read more like a devotional book with personal stories, nuggets of wisdom, and a “thought for the day” kind of moral at the end of each chapter. I liked that, but I was hoping for more analysis of literary history, fairytale story structures, classical writing influences, Greek philosophy, etc…
In short, I wanted it to be more intellectual than it was.

But the devotional style of the book was good too! I enjoyed reading it so much, and I was even brought to tears a couple of times.

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Book Review: Living as a Christian: Teachings from First Peter

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Living as a Christian: Teachings from First Peter
Living as a Christian: Teachings from First Peter by A.W. Tozer

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Tozer goes through most of the verses in 1 Peter, giving an overall view of what it means to be a Christian: what the true Christian believes, how the true Christian acts, and how the true Christian lives in a fallen world.

I found some of the writing to be wonderfully deep and insightful, but other parts were almost childish in their simplicity. There’s also a lot of repetition of the same ideas, same words, over again, and that got on my nerves.

The content is excellent with strong doctrine, but the writing is flabby and could use more editing. Continue reading →

Book Review: Confessions of a Church Kid: Honest Thoughts on Finding God and Becoming Myself

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Confessions of a Church Kid: Honest Thoughts on Finding God and Becoming Myself
Confessions of a Church Kid: Honest Thoughts on Finding God and Becoming Myself by Elyse Murphy

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This is a cute little book, but I DNF’d it. The blurb say it’s a “cheeky memoir” about this girls experiences growing up as a church kid, and while I appreciate her basic concepts and moral lessons about being yourself and relying on God, it was a little too “cheeky” for me. Whatever that means.

It was cliche. It was a little shallow. No new or deep ideas about Christianity or what it means to part of a church. There’s all these cutesy little aside comments to the reader that got on my nerves. Continue reading →

Missionary Kids Love Books!

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kids books

These sweet children in Bulgaria just received a book package from Books for MKs, and they look really excited! What a blessing to see the smiles on their faces, and know that a love for reading is being kindled in their hearts.

Donate NOW to send out books to these children and other MKs like them! Every penny you donate goes to pay for the postage to mail books to the MKs. Click the link below to safely DONATE at GoFundMe!

http://www.gofundme.com/booksformks

 

 

 

 

 

 

Book Review: I’m Not Afraid

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I'm Not Afraid
I’m Not Afraid by Lee Ann Mancini

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the story of Susie the shark and her friend Rachel, who go to the amusement park, but Susie is too scared to go on the roller coasters. Susie learns that you don’t have to be afraid because courage comes from God! As part of the Adventures of the Sea Kids series, each book of the series has a definite Christian message. Continue reading →