Review: In Christ Alone by Sinclair B. Ferguson

by Carol5 Comments
In Christ Alone is a collection of previously published articles by Sinclair B. Ferguson. I used the fifty short chapters as devotionals, daily in theory, in reality it took me longer than a month and a half to work my way through it. I have to admit that I had never heard of Sinclair Ferguson let alone read anything by him before picking up this book, but I'm glad I took the chance. I found it easy to read, but with enough meat to it to. Ferguson talks about Christ, but also about the Christian Life. I like that he sticks to basics and backs his stories and thoughts up with scripture. Like any collection, some of the pieces really struck me, some I only found mildly interesting, but overall I'm glad I read it. While the book talked about Christ and the Gospel, about prayer and faith, what will probably stick with me most is a new appreciation of the book...
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Review: ZooBorns by Andrew Bleiman and Chris Eastland

by Carol8 Comments
The photos of all the little baby animals born in zoos around the world make ZooBorns the cutest book I've read in years. The critters are just adorable, from the Fennac Fox pictured on the cover above to the Tawny Frogmouths born in Sea World, show below. Several photos of each baby are included, all in full color filling the 6 inch square pages. They're detailed and just a delight. Each "Zoo Born's" name is given, along with their species, home, date of birth and status, whether or not the species is endangered. There's also a little blurb telling more about the animal, maybe how they would live in the wild or how they are being taken care of. Few books are truly for all ages, but I think this one is. The pictures are so adorable and little kids are just fascinated by animals that I can see them loving just looking at the photos and being told the animal's names....
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Review: Sea Queens by Jane Yolen

by Carol2 Comments
(Suggested reading level: Grades 4-6) Loved this book! I read it with Amber (11) and it's really great. It's about strong women, okay granted they're killers and thieves, but still you have to admire them. Women who succeeded in a man's world, which you have to admit sailing in general and piracy particularly is. Still, whether the pirates came from the lower classes or the upper, whether they did their pirating on the rivers or the high seas, and under whatever flag they flew, this much is true: they were all thieves and  they often committed horrible deeds. They pillaged and murdered and sank many ships. Even the women. Especially the women. (pg. 3) Yolen introduces us to thirteen of theses infamous women, starting with Artemisia, an Admrial-Queen in Persian in 500 BC. Some of these women I was familiar with, like Grania O'Malley, Anne Bonney and Mary Read, but most I had never heard of. They were tough women, and Yolen does not paint...
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Review: Coral Snakes by Linda George

by Carol7 Comments
Coral Snakes by Linda George (Suggested reading level: Grades 3-5) I've mentioned before that Amber (11) is an animal lover and she picked this book up on a recent trip to the library. We read it together before bed the other evening. It's a decent book, but not outstanding. It covers a lot of information about coral snakes, from where they live and how they hunt to how deadly their venom is. One thing that I did find interesting is that can't open their mouths super-wide like other snakes, so they can't eat prey larger than their own heads. There's a lot of facts here, but it's rather dry and can be repetitious in spots. The photos didn't impress me either. It's definitely not worth going out of your way to find. Animals and the Environment: Snakes 48 pages Published 1998 by Capstone 2½ out of 5 stars Purchase through Amazon. Our copy was borrowed from the library and the above is my honest opinion....
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The Man Who Loved Books Too Much by Allison Hoover Bartlett

by Carol14 Comments
The Man Who Loved Books Too Much by Allison Hoover Bartlett I love books, I freely admit that, but I am not a collector. Yes, I keep those that are signed, but I don't search for rare books or first editions or whatever. I love books for the contents, the stories, ideas, dramas, not to put on my shelf to impress the neighbors. I love the smell of used bookstores and the look of old hardbacks, but I don't feel that overwhelming need to own them. Bartlett's book is about book collectors in general and one specifically - John Charles Gilkey. What makes Gilkey outstanding in the world of collectors is that he doesn't purchase his books, he steals them, mainly from dealers and libraries. He doesn't see anything wrong with his actions, believing in some strange twist of logic that it's his right to steal them, since he can't afford to purchase them. Bartlett also talks with Ken Sanders, a dealer...
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Case Closed? by Susan Hughes

by Carol6 Comments
Case Closed? Nine Mysteries Unlocked by Modern Science by Susan Hughes, illustrated by Michael Wandelmaier (Suggested reading level: Grades 4-6) Amber (10) is a big fan of non-fiction, but they can sometimes be hard to find for her age range. This one she really enjoyed. We read it aloud over three evenings, and all the mysteries were interesting.I have to say that she was a little leery of reading it at first. I think she thought it was going to be boring, but after the first page of the first case, the story of a female pharaoh in ancient Egypt, she was hooked. The nine "mysteries" range from in time period from the ancient world to the 1970s. The include a city that disappeared into the desert, several explorations that were never heard from again, and the story of Princess Anastasia. "Using both traditional search methods and modern technology, researchers around the globe are now shedding new light on old mysteries. In these pages,...
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