Book Reviews
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- Written by Emma Engel
Last week I review the latest book in one of my favorite series, Starflower, book 4 of the Tales of Goldstone Woods. If it sounded like your kind of book, here's the chance to get a copy of your own. For the next two weeks, you can enter a drawing via Rafflecopter, and I'll post the winner's name January 2nd.
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- Written by Emma Engel
There are a myriad of books about the various themes and ideas presented in Lord of the Rings. I have always enjoyed mining them for a new interpretation or a clever detail I’ve previously missed. The three books of the trilogy themselves hold up to countless rereads and yield deeper and richer thoughts each time. But Tolkien nut though I may be, I’ve always considered The Hobbit to be a fairly lightweight kids book. So when I heard that Sarah Arthur had written a follow up to Walking with Frodo that was focused on The Hobbit, I was immediately intrigued.
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- Written by Emma Engel
Starflower is the newest entry in a series that is fast becoming one of my favorites. Most of the books I read are intended for YA and older, but a few like the Tales of Goldstone Wood, while great for any age, are being added to my read aloud to the children list. Instead simply retelling specific fairy tales, these books use the traditions and tropes of the genre to tell new stories and as a result are a truly refreshing read.
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- Written by Emma Engel
Many thanks to http://fictionaddict.com/ for hosting an amazing Black Friday giveaway of David C. Cook books. And thanks also to http://www.davidccook.com/ for including a few extra books! It was a very exciting books to unpack. Due to the sheer number of books, their reviews will probably end up taking several months, but I wanted to give them a moment together in the spotlight.
FictionAddict is giving away David C. Cook books every day until Christmas on their blog http://fictionaddict.com/category/blog/ so check them out!
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- Written by Emma Engel
Unstoppable is the sort of book that’s hard to review. It’s tempting to just say, “You really need to go read this book,” and leave it at that, trusting the book to speak for itself. But of course, the point of a review is to encourage the reader to try the book in the first place, and after that, it’s always up to the story.
The trouble I have with many non-fiction inspirational books is their tendency to offer formulas or blueprints for how to succeed. And if you disagree with one point, or one step doesn’t apply to you, the rest of the information can seem equally invalid. Rather than take this approach, Mr. Vujicic takes a very conversational approach. He tells stories of problems he’s faced and questions he’s struggled with, and he shares what helped him. At that point, it’s up to the reader whether the book is an amazingly inspiring story, or a source of inspiration.