More Olympians

(review by Julie)
I recently finished book two and three in The Olympians series: The Sea of Monsters and The Titan's Curse.  (Read my review of book one, The Lightning Thief, here).  I hesitated to do a full review of The Sea of Monsters because it was so similar to the first book and I wasn't feeling like I had a lot more to say.  However, after reading The Titan's Curse, I'm excited about the series again.

I think maybe The Sea of Monsters just wasn't 'all that' because I kept feeling like I'd read it before.  Maybe it was just drawing the series too close to the Harry Potter series? Don't get me wrong, it was cute and there was some additional character development, but I'd say it was only a 3 star book.

I admit- I almost didn't read The Titan's Curse (book three). I just kept feeling like I'd been there and done that.  However, I'd already reserved it at the library, so when it came in I went ahead and checked it out.  I'm really glad I did, too! Book three begins a budding romance that book two had hinted at and I'm a sucker for a love story. It also introduces some new characters while checking in on a few old ones. The Titan's Curse was hard to put down and left me wanting to read # 4. I give it 4 stars.

Brushing Up on My History

(review by Julie)
Given everything that's going on in our country these days, I've been feeling the need to brush up on American history to gain a better perspective.  I remember very little of my high school history class (sorry Mr. Minor!) and have been feeling a little lost when I try to discuss current events with my husband (Political Science Major with a History Minor).
 
A month or two ago, while at my friend, Lara's house , I saw Instant American History by Irwin Unger on her bookshelf and nosily picked it up and started reading.  The top banner on the book cover says, "A complete education- without the tuition" which appealed to me on a Good Will Hunting sort of level.  After reading the first chapter, I was pretty impressed that a book about history could hold my attention as well as this one did. (Granted, I had a genuine preexisting interest in the subject.)  So, I borrowed the book and have enjoyed reading it.

Unger is a Ph.D at New York University and, apparently, won a Pulitzer Prize for The Greenback Era, a treatise on American finance in the mid to late 1800s.  I'm guessing it's the sort of book he forces his students to buy and read after they've paid a large sum in tuition.

In Instant American History, Unger mercifully adds a bit of personality to the book with his dry sense of humor and some amusing comics from a variety of sources, some of which I wouldn't have understood had I not just read the previous page.  I also appreciated how cohesive the book felt.  I gained a good perspective of how more than 100 years of American history lead up to the Civil War and how the war was about more than just slavery.  I also can see now why the civil war didn't fix all the race problems in our country. My only real complaint is that the book stops just after the civil war, so I guess I'll be picking up another history book soon. I've heard good things about Don't Know Much About History by Kenneth C. Davis, so that's what I'm reading next.

A Fun Fast Fiction Fantasy Book

(review by Julie)
Percy Jackson and the Olympians is a fun series of fiction books by Rick Riordan about the Mythical Gods of ancient Rome, but set in the present day. In the first book, The Lightening Thief, we meet Percy Jackson and discover this strange world that exists, unnoticed, right in front of the humans, along side Percy.  I won't give any more of the plot away (it's predictable enough on it's own) but I'll tell you that Riordan does a great job of incorporating the ancient characters and myths into today's world- maybe I'll even remember a few of those stories now.

I believe the books are considered teen or young adult books. They remind me a lot of the Harry Potter books, but weren't similar enough to be annoying.  They're fun, they draw you in and move quickly- I think I read The Lightening Thief in less than 24 hours between baby wrangling, toddler herding and dinner cooking. It seems like they would be ideal travel books because they would make the miles fly by.  Plus, by the time you get there, you'd be about done with one, so you wouldn't spend your whole vacation with your nose in a book. (I've been told repeatedly that this is rude to your co-vacationers.)

I hear they've made The Lightening Thief into a movie, but I usually avoid seeing a movie once I've read the book, so I don't know much about it.  Have any of you seen it?

Jesus Manifesto by Leonard Sweet and Frank Viola

(review by Deanna) (see review by Julie here)

I read Jesus Manifesto: Restoring the Supremacy and Sovereignty of Jesus Christ as part of a publisher's program I'm trying out.  I don't think I would have normally chosen it because having "manifesto" in the title makes it sound too uni-bomber-like, but I got some good content out of the book.

The authors believe that the true meaning of the Good News of Jesus has been left by the wayside for the sake of things that are fine, but not the point.  They point out that Christians are missing the truth and power of Christianity because we are following a set of ideas, a code of ethics, right vs. wrong, happiness or any number of other things when what we really need to follow and seek is a person, Jesus Christ.  They contrast the religion of Christianity with the indwelling of the person of the Spirit of Jesus Christ. 

I will say that the book was organized and written a little oddly.  The introduction was reactive and even a little defensive.  It seemed like the first chapter had the main content and then the next couple didn't really have anything to say (although, by the last half of the book they had warmed back up and were covering some more ground).  Also, they do something that is very common and accepted but I find upsetting: all references, not just references to other materials but also every scripture reference, is in the footnotes in the back.  I would much prefer "As Paul stated in 1 Cor 1:9," to just a footnote.  Or just put the reference in parentheses.  I spent half my time flipping to the back of the book.  I believe this method is intended to seem scholarly and improve the flow of reading.  For me, it seems like it obscures the scripture references and destroys the flow of reading.  Finally, the authors state in the introduction that they intend to write in an "ancient devotional tone" because it's respectful and serious.  They proceed to do so... about 75% of the time.  The rest of the time they are inserting facebook posts or making semi-jokey puns or making veiled (or not veiled) criticisms of contemporary items they disagree with, such as "WWJD", A Purpose Driven Life, etc.  The jumping back and forth in tone was a little disorienting at times, however I didn't find it to obscure the point of the book.

Overall, the book was consistent with Biblical truths and both wise and relevant in some of their points.  I found it personally relevant and helpful in several ways.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com <http://BookSneeze.com> book review bloggers program. I was not encouraged or required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Jesus Manifesto By Sweet & Viola

(review by Julie) (see review by Deanna here)
In Jesus Manifesto: Restoring the Supremacy and Sovereignty of Jesus Christ, Leonard Sweet and Frank Viola aim to bring our Christian focus back to Christ from where we have wandered, looking for our leadership style, our personal talents and our church's mission statements.

Sweet and Viola spend a considerable amount of Chapter 2 in the book of Colossians.  So, it might be a good companion to a more thorough study of that book of the Bible.

While I like the basic concepts of the book, there were a few things I found annoying.  First and foremost, the cute cliches like, "Some preachers need a travel agent to handle all the guilt trips they put on God's people" (p.25) were a distracting contrast to the "ancient devotional tone" (p.xx) the authors sought. They would flip back and forth between talking about inspirational Christians from 1000AD to retorting to a facebook post in such a way that kept me feeling a little off balance.

Also, unfortunately, as the authors seem to admit, a whole book about how we need nothing but Christ, will inevitably get repetitive. The authors might have avoided this by fleshing out more of their metaphors or explaining how their examples relate back to their central theme,

In the end, when I set Jesus Manifesto down, I find myself drawn toward scripture; I feel a greater desire to spend more time with God's word.  So, maybe Sweet and Viola would call their book a success.

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of a book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Honey for a Child's Heart by Gladys Hunt

(review by Deanna)
A friend recommended this book to me and it was very enjoyable.  The first half is about the value of incorporating reading into the family's live and some ideas of how to do so.  The second half is a recommended book list by type and age.  In content and conclusion, it is very much like The Read Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease, which I reviewed here.  In tone, it is more gentle and poignant.  Both are excellent and worth reading and following.

Honey for a Child's Heart: The Imaginative Use of Books in Family Life reads like a kind mother or teacher speaking, giving advice that has stood the test of time.  Hunt describes the delight and wonder that good books can bring us and our children and how sharing that delight deepens and strengthens our relationships. 

What do books bring a child? ... a big world with all its possibilities - people to know and understand, places to imagine, eyes to see beyond the obvious, words to stretch the mind and heart, and a lasting stewardship of language used in the right way.

The author emphasizes respect and empathy for children and advocates using books as timeless ways of sharing universal truth and joy without moralizing or lecturing.  It is written from a Christian perspective, though I think anyone would take the points she makes to heart.  She includes a chapter on reading the Bible and the special bonds created by doing so.  She also give some workable ways of making that happen from her own experience and family heritage.  She addresses specific question of whether fantasy literature is too unreal for children and how good books handle difficult subjects.

If you are planning to choose either the Trelease book or this one, start with the tone you prefer -   Trelease is more academic and results-based, whereas Hunt is more relationship and character based. Both come to the same conclusion: it is an invaluable gift to your family to enjoy reading together and for a lifetime.

Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day

(review by Deanna)

Artisan Bread is a cookbook that teaches you to bake bread on a daily basis with minimal effort.

The method is really great.  It works and the results are delicious - like the table bread from a nice restaurant. When the weather was cool, I was baking bread with several meals a week and had no complaints.  It really does take only five minutes a day.  Even the "twenty minute" setup day for making the dough is easy, probably taking even less than twenty minutes. There is something really delightful about being able to bake restaurant quality bread using a manageable routine. 

If there are any "catches" with the method, they are the waiting times.  On dough making day, you need to be able to leave the dough out for two to five hours, then refrigerate it.  On baking days, the dough needs to rest at room temperature for around an hour before baking so even though the involvement time is only five minutes, you have to start a little early.  These don't make it at all difficult, they just create a scheduling requirement. 

This is a cookbook I actually read cover to cover.  I'm not sure why, as it was extremely repetitive.  My only complaint about the book itself is that while the method is the same for each bread, all the details are repeated in each recipe.  It makes it difficult to scan for any variations to the basic method from one recipe to the next. 

Although I'll be taking a break from daily baking over the summer, I will use it periodically and go back to several times a week in the fall. This is quite a good cookbook and I recommend it.