Just as some have said that The Chronicles of Narnia shows C. S. Lewis’ faith, so does The Lord of the Rings. However, the one book that explains it all, The Hobbit, is many times overlooked when it comes to this. Jim Ware saw this also and wrote Finding God in the Hobbit to show us where God come through in Tolkien’s writing once again.
I originally picked up the book because I have read The Hobbit and I was curious about the author’s perception on the book. Also, not too long ago I read Finding God in the Land of Narnia, another book in the same series. I must say, while I enjoyed some of the chapters of Finding God in the Hobbit, sometimes I felt that the idea of God was stretched out a little, “like butter spread over too much bread.” Jim Ware did a nice job in many places of pulling out things that could be applied to life, but sometimes I wasn’t really able to see the connection, especially how they related to The Hobbit. The one thing I did like about the book (and the whole Finding God series in general) was the reflections at the end of each chapter. They reminded me of a fable because they had big ideas to bring home and think about. It was hard for me to get into the book, but I am mainly a fiction reader and I only picked up this book because I knew I had liked the previous one in the series that I read. I would, however, recommend this book to anyone who has read The Hobbit or is planning to read it and who wants to delve further into the meaning behind Tolkien’s works.
I was provided with a free copy of this book by Tyndale Blogging Network in exchange for my review.
Friday, December 21, 2012
Saturday, December 8, 2012
Isle of Shadows by Tracy L. Higley
Tessa of Delos is a sought-after hetaera. She is beautiful. She is cunning. She is a marble Athena. After years of trying to block out her own pain and suppress her past, she has had enough. She seeks to release herself from her captivity by taking her own life. However, when her master dies in a freak accident, she finds herself in a position where she has never been before: with hope. She, along with Simeon, a Jewish slave in the same household, and Nikos, a mysterious dock worker who arrives on their doorstep one day, embark on a dangerous game where she tries to keep the death a secret long enough to escape to freedom.
Unfortunately, she is not the only one with something to hide-- Spiro, a power-hungry politician, plans something sinister that only Tessa, Nikos, and Simeon know of. Before long, Tessa is thrown into a masquerade where she must struggle to uncover the plot and keep her own secret simultaneously. She looks to the god Helios for help, not realizing that God has the freedom and hope that she has always desired. The question is, will she see past her own intentions to do what He wants for her?
I have slightly mixed feelings on the book. I began reading it and immediately was thrown into the plot, which was exciting and fast-paced from the start. However, having read Tracy L. Higley’s other book, Garden of Madness, only a short time ago, I saw very similar parallels between the two stories, which made Isle of Shadows easy to predict. I was very impressed with the former book, and looked to the latter to be just as good. I wasn’t entirely mistaken, for I enjoyed this book very much. However, I feel like the plot was just a little bit too unrealistic and predictable for what I was hoping for. I feel that the ending was a bit rushed, and that certain events could have been expounded upon further. One other thing that I couldn’t help but think about the whole time I was reading was that the entire story only spanned a time of about seven days, but the characters developed at a pace that would have taken months in real life. I do realize that this minor detail was absolutely necessary because of the time constraints that Higley incorporated into the book, and it didn’t bother me too much since it felt like longer when I was actually reading the story.
On the positive side, the book had a very entertaining plot line that was easy to follow and not confusing in the slightest. I was actually reminded quite a bit of Francine Rivers when I first started reading the book, as it seemed similar to something she would write. I found myself comparing Tessa to Rivers’ characters as I read, which made me smile inside because I am a huge fan of the Mark of the Lion series. I would recommend Isle of Shadows to those who like historical fiction, especially ancient historical fiction, and those who want a quick, easy read. (I found that I couldn’t put the book down.) I am definitely looking forward to reading more of Higley’s books, especially those in the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World series, and I have high hopes for what they hold.
Thank you to Booksneeze.com who provided me with a free copy of the book in exchange for my review.
Unfortunately, she is not the only one with something to hide-- Spiro, a power-hungry politician, plans something sinister that only Tessa, Nikos, and Simeon know of. Before long, Tessa is thrown into a masquerade where she must struggle to uncover the plot and keep her own secret simultaneously. She looks to the god Helios for help, not realizing that God has the freedom and hope that she has always desired. The question is, will she see past her own intentions to do what He wants for her?
I have slightly mixed feelings on the book. I began reading it and immediately was thrown into the plot, which was exciting and fast-paced from the start. However, having read Tracy L. Higley’s other book, Garden of Madness, only a short time ago, I saw very similar parallels between the two stories, which made Isle of Shadows easy to predict. I was very impressed with the former book, and looked to the latter to be just as good. I wasn’t entirely mistaken, for I enjoyed this book very much. However, I feel like the plot was just a little bit too unrealistic and predictable for what I was hoping for. I feel that the ending was a bit rushed, and that certain events could have been expounded upon further. One other thing that I couldn’t help but think about the whole time I was reading was that the entire story only spanned a time of about seven days, but the characters developed at a pace that would have taken months in real life. I do realize that this minor detail was absolutely necessary because of the time constraints that Higley incorporated into the book, and it didn’t bother me too much since it felt like longer when I was actually reading the story.
On the positive side, the book had a very entertaining plot line that was easy to follow and not confusing in the slightest. I was actually reminded quite a bit of Francine Rivers when I first started reading the book, as it seemed similar to something she would write. I found myself comparing Tessa to Rivers’ characters as I read, which made me smile inside because I am a huge fan of the Mark of the Lion series. I would recommend Isle of Shadows to those who like historical fiction, especially ancient historical fiction, and those who want a quick, easy read. (I found that I couldn’t put the book down.) I am definitely looking forward to reading more of Higley’s books, especially those in the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World series, and I have high hopes for what they hold.
Thank you to Booksneeze.com who provided me with a free copy of the book in exchange for my review.
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