Reviews by Becca C
Kaleidoscope
On 2/23 Becca C wrote: This book is laid out into 33 short chapters (each 4-5 pages of text) each focusing on a verse from Proverbs and its' application to women today. The wording is lighthearted and fun, but still gets the point across. I thought it was fine, and fairly typical of women's literature of this type. It is ... Good; Perhaps a Daily Devotional or Women's Study Group.....
A Century Turns
On 2/9 Becca C wrote: My expectations of this book were based on the summary provided, stating that "surveying politics and pop culture, economics and technology, war and religion, Bennett pieces together the players, the personalities, the feats and the failures that transformed key moments in the American story." I have ... Interesting, heavy on politics.
Mom's Bible: God's Wisdom for Mothers
On 1/30 Becca C wrote: The "Mom" book, especially Christian book, market seems to be a large one lately. Which, unfortunately, means that among the gems there is a lot of junk. Or fluff at least. Therefore, my honest expectations for "Mom's Bible" weren't that great. Especially since, despite being an avid reader, I had never ... Better than expected; lots of nice features.
Hermie: Antonio Meets His Match (DVD)
On 1/16 Becca C wrote: Both my nearly 2 year old & 4 year old liked this DVD. The actual show is about 30 minutes, the 60 minute time on the back is including the bonus features, so the time length was good, it held their attention the whole time. I love the idea of loving everyone, even his 'different' neighbors that move ... Good!
The Lightkeeper's Daughter
On 12/14 Becca C wrote: Let me preface my review by saying that I do read a lot of fiction, particularly Christian Fiction. I do like historical novels, and mysteries, so I was really excited about The Lightkeeper's Daughter, the first book in a new series (Mercy Falls) by Colleen Coble. However, I was a bit disappointed. The ... Okay
Read and Share: The Story of Christmas
On 11/14 Becca C wrote: I was a bit skeptical of this book, as we have a rather large collection of books of this type (the Biblical account of the first Christmas) but I was actually pleasantly surprised. The illustrations are nice, a bit 'cartoony' but the kids seem to like that, and they aren't overly childish. What I ... Good, Includes More than the Normal Christmas Storybooks for this age group
The Tallest of Smalls
On 10/22 Becca C wrote: The jewel-tone artwork in this book is what I liked at first glance. The bold colors & black lines appeal to both adults & children I think, something you don't always find in children's books. The addition of colorful, bold fonts for some words also added. The word flow is nice, rhyming, a rhyming, ... Nice Artwork, Story Very Predictable.
Find Your Strongest Life
On 10/7 Becca C wrote: I got this book under the understanding that it was a Christian book. However, it seems all about self entitlement, fulfillment, etc. It was motivating, somewhat, but very self-involved, without any mention of God, etc. I probably wouldn't recommend it a Christian person. It did offer some guidelines ... Okay, very "Me" oriented, oprahish...no mention of God...
Take Your Best Shot
On 10/3 Becca C wrote: I didn't have high expectations for this book, given the sport themed title & graphics on the cover. However, I was very pleasantly surprised. I would recommend this book to anyone I know, young or old. While the chapters were fairly short, and it is a quick & easy read, the book is one of the more inspiring ... Definitely Give This Book a Shot!,
What Difference Do It Make?
On 9/24 Becca C wrote: Recently I just finished "Same Kind of Different as Me", the prequel to this book, which probably factored into my review. I LOVED the first book, and can't say enough good about it. I have passed my copy on to be read by others. Therefore I was excited to get this 2nd book by the same authors. I ... Okay
Fearless
On 9/8 Becca C wrote: At first glance, I loved the graphic on the cover, as well as the tagline of the book: Imagine your life without fear. However, I wasn't overly impressed with the book. "OK" as my title states, would be the most accurate description. While I have certainly read far worse literature, even on this very ... Okay
Voices of the Faithful, Book 2
On 9/8 Becca C wrote: This is an excellent quick daily devotional reading. It offers a relevant Bible verse, short story/devotional from current, real missionaries living across the world, and then a closing prayer. The book, as well as each individual devotion, is a nice mix of "what's out there" type stories of work and ... Excellent Devotional, as well as Informative
Let Go
On 8/25 Becca C wrote: On first appearance, I didn't love the cover. For some reason the author's facial expression, combined with the odd melon color, just didn't seem appealing to me. That was easily fixed by removing the book jacket. And, as they say, don't judge a book by its cover. However, I wasn't more impressed ... Okay, not great.
Jungle Jack's The Wackiest, Wildest, and Weirdest Animals in the World
On 6/30 Becca C wrote: This is an interesting book, there are many random animal facts, and large full-color pictures. However, I do think the picture quality isn't super fantastic. Some of them seem a bit blurry, or odd angles. Nothing the kids will probably notice, but we do have books that have much better photos. Also, ... Okay, not great.
100 Bible Stories, 100 Bible Songs
On 6/1 Becca C wrote: First, I do think this product is a great value, with the hardcover book & both CDs for under $20. And there is a nice variety of stories, each being a page long. However, I would say that there is more quantity than quality. I think the book is best for ages 1-2, maybe young 3, but not much older. There ... Okay.....Pretty Standard
Nelson's Illustrated Guide to Religions
On 5/13 Becca C wrote: This is a large volume that could very easily be overwhelming, but I found it to be very well organized, with plenty of white space, a nice index, and very readable. I did think the illustrations could have been a bit bigger, but given all of the information & illustrations provided, the volume would ... Very comprehensive, nice format & illustrations.
It Happened In Italy
On 5/4 Becca C wrote: Honestly, I had high hopes for this book; I enjoy reading about World War II & the Holocaust specifically, but nonfiction titles can sometimes lack real "readability" and be full of too many facts and details to be interesting. I found this book, It Happened in Italy, to be a wonderful mixture of both. ... "It Happened in Italy" Book Review
The Noticer
On 4/27 Becca C wrote: I wasn't sure what to think about a fictionalized self-help book, especially since I'm not a huge fan of self-help books in the first place, but I actually found this book interesting & enjoyed reading it. The 'plot' is centered around an older man (The Noticer) that is able to relate to all different ... Good Read!
Higher Hope
On 4/23 Becca C wrote: This is the first book by Robert Whitlow that I have read. The comparison of his writing style to John Grisham's is featured fairly prominently on the front cover, leaving rather high expectations for the book. However, I have been disappointed by the last few 'Christian Fiction' books I read, so I wasn't ... Great Christian Fiction Book!,
The Rivers Run Dry
On 4/7 Becca C wrote: I typically don't read suspense books, but this one sounded interesting, and since it was a Christian Fiction novel, which I do read quite a bit of, I thought I'd try it. I liked that the book is very well written and the descriptive terms throughout the book are very interesting and nearly poetic. ... Well Written, but Iffy on a Few Points
The Hole in Our Gospel
On 3/24 Becca C wrote: This is actually a book that I will keep on my bookshelf & plan on reading again....it offered a nice balance of facts versus personal experiences versus other people's life stories. The author is very up front from the beginning about his own struggles not only in becoming the leader of World Vision, ... Challenging and Interesting
The Read & Share DVD Bible - Volume 1
On 3/2 Becca C wrote: With 1 year old & 3 1/2 year old, we have seen more than our fair share of Christian DVDs over the past few years. Truthfully, I didn't expect this one to be much different. However, I did actually think this had several improvements, and definitely prefer it. First, the sound quality is nice; not ... Factual, Nice Sounding, Good Mix
Rachel's Tears
On 2/17 Becca C wrote: As someone who was in high school at the time of the Columbine school shootings, the 10th anniversary edition of this book was my first reading of Rachel's Tears. I wasn't sure what to expect from the book, and, honestly, expected it to be sort of over-spiritualized, or all about making a martyr of the ... Inspiring, very "Real Life"
The Great Eight
On 2/6 Becca C wrote: As someone who grew up watching Scott Hamilton in his prime, I was interested in reading more about his life, and the words of inspiration he had to share after beating cancer twice. However, I found the book to be a bit hard to follow; the jumps from his life stories to his advice for others were too ... Wanted to Like More Than I Did.....
This Is Your Brain On Joy
On 1/31 Becca C wrote: The idea of many of our moods & temperments being largely based on physical issues, specifically our brain, and it being able to be viewed by SPECT imaging was interesting to me. However, since I won't be going to California to have my brain scanned any time soon I wasn't exactly sure how applicable ... Good Read for Everyone.....
Rex
On 1/13 Becca C wrote: I wasn't sure what to expect from this book, but actually really enjoyed it. The author is very honest about their disappointments & struggles from the beginning, and doesn't seem to attempt to gloss over the not-so-nice parts and say that she always knew everything was going to be okay, as many people ... Challenging, Emotional, & Interesting
Word of Promise Next Generation New Testament MP3 Set
On 1/5 Becca C wrote: Overall good, especially for kids/preteens. I thought some of people selected as the voices were interesting choices to be reading the Bible, and several of the characters sound very young, but overall a good product. I wouldn't have rated it quite so highly if my preschool age daughter didn't love listening ... Interesting, good for kids.
Boomtown
On 12/2 Becca C wrote: I wasn't sure what to expect after reading the first chapter of this book and, honestly, by the end of its' over 300 pages (though a quick read) I still wasn't quite sure what to expect! The pages are full of quirky characters & scenarios that are half-realistic and half-creative fantasy, that I think ... Quirky but good!
My Little Girl
On 11/19 Becca C wrote: I had heard the song of the same title by Tim McGraw, so I expected this to be an illustrated version of that, and the cover illustration looked adorable, but the book content was even better than I had expected. It isn't a reworking of the song, but instead, an really cute book about a daughter & her ... Great "Everyday" Book for Dads & Daughters!
Moon Shines Down
On 11/15 Becca C wrote: We loved it! I had this book on my wishlist mainly because my daughter loves "Good Night Moon" by the same author (even though it isn't one of my personal favorites. However, this one, "The Moon Shines Down" is quickly becoming a favorite of both of ours. The illustrations are beautifully done, and ... Loved it.....great bedtime or anytime book.
Reflections of God's Holy Land
On 11/11 Becca C wrote: I wasn't sure what to expect from this book; although I am a very avid reader, non-fiction about the Bible, or really any of the Middle East is not normally something I would choose. However, I could not put this book down. The combination of full-color photographs from modern-day Israel alongside ... Amazingly Relevant, Interesting, & Biblical
Through the Storm
On 11/5 Becca C wrote: I wasn't sure what to expect from this book, more information on the already media-saturated Spears family. However, I was pleasantly surprised. The book does a great job of describing the family as a very ordinary, "neighbor-next-door" type of family, to whom fame, fortune, and all that surrounds it, ... Better than Expected, A Good Example of "What Not To Do"