The Eighth Scroll

(Review by Julie)
The Eighth Scroll by Dr. Laurence is an interesting novel that follows a teenager, Michael, into adulthood as he tries to solve a mystery surrounding the origins of the dead sea scrolls that got his own father killed.  I like the detail in the writing and archeologist tilt to the story- it gives the story enough authenticity that made me do a double take and even flip through my Bible to make sure I hadn't missed some of the major accusations the main character makes.

The story line was a little slow at first but after a few chapters it picked up and got in my head, so it was a fun read.  I found the whole thing a bit like The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown but I can't help but think the author himself is convinced that there's some truth to his story.

(ISBN:9781419673238 Copyright 2007)
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the author through Bostick Communications (http://www.bostickcommunications.com). 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 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

The Portable Patriot

(review by Deanna)

I selected this book to receive from the publisher because I thought it would be a great reference to have for my children's school years and because I've been refreshing my own knowledge of history (which is sadly lacking).  The Portable Patriot: Documents, Speeches, and Sermons that Compose the American Soul is a compilation in a small, hardback format.  I like the feel of the book itself - it is less than seven inches tall with a nice texture to the cover, spine and paper.

Given that these are important documents for my own country's history, I'm glad to have a paper copy of them.  However, there are some aspects of the compilation that don't make this very readable.  First, they have printed the documents one right after the other with very little introductory information.  Even the table of contents only lists each section, so if you want to turn to a document you have to search through the section rather than having a page number to turn to.  I know this was done to make the format smaller and more portable, but it also makes it more difficult to use.  There is a short index and I'm very glad they chose to include one.  I hope we'll use this book in the future.  For just reading, I found it torturous to get through.

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.”

I Was A Really Good Mom Before I Had Kids by Ashworth and Nobile

(review by Julie)
After seeing a book titled Didn't I Feed You Yesterday at the bookstore I couldn't forget about the title. It feels so fitting right now for my life with a 7 month old. I looked on Amazon to figure out what it was about and if it was worth reading and right there under "customers who bought this book also bought:" were several other great sounding books about motherhood, including, I Was A Really Good Mom Before I Had Kids by Trisha Ashworth and Amy Nobile. I looked for all the books listed, but this was the one my library happened to have, so I put it on reserve (my order-ahead-drive-thru library service) and picked it up the next time I was there.  It's right there in the same genera and Sippy Cups are Not for Chardonnay, which I've heard is great, but never read.

Overall it was a great read.  It was a quick read (only took me one or two days of ignoring my children to read through it) and a balanced mix of so-true-it-hurts and LOL. The best part about this book though is that it's not just a bunch of complaining. They give great suggestions at the end of each chapter about how to make motherhood a little more enjoyable. The topics they cover include setting more realistic expectations, making peace with your choices, stopping the judgment cycle, loosing the guilt, and finding ways to "love being a mother as much as we love our kids."

Do you think I could request that my library start buying more snarky mommyhood books?

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.”