Review: Fly!

Fly! by Mark Teague
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is an adorable book.

I tutor people with dyslexia and I use wordless books a lot and this is one of my favorites. I also use them to start students learning the writing process. As they tell the story in a wordless book, the students write and learn to edit.

To describe the book without spoilers is difficult, but here goes.

Mama bird thinks it's time for Baby to fly.  Baby's not so sure and his imagination is wild!

One of my "youngers" went through "Fly" and said, "this book is about me being stubborn, right? 

Covered Glory: A Condensed Study of 1 Corinthians 11 & the Christian Use of Headcoverings by David Phillips

 

 Covered Glory: A Condensed Study of 1 Corinthians 11 & the Christian Use of Headcoverings 

by David Phillips

From the Amazon page:

The Apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthian church about two symbolic practices. Just a few generations ago, one of them faded away from Western Christianity.

The most well-known of these "traditions" is the Lord's Supper. Pastors commonly recite Jesus' famous statements about Communion, as found in 1st Corinthians 11: "This is my body, broken for you. Do this in remembrance of Me."

Paul explains the other symbolic practice in the very same chapter. He speaks of men and women praying -- with the men taking off their hats, and women covering their heads.

 

This is the condensed version of a longer book, and this one is meant to give an overview of the author's beliefs - and it does a good job. 

The condensed study touches on Scripture and history, as well as defending the practice of head covering against various interpretations.

I've read a number of books on the topic and this one - while it doesn't stand out - does a very nice job in a short amount of time.

An example I use:

Every man who etwas auf dem kopf  while praying or prophesying disgraces his head. But every woman who ihren kopf unbedeckt  while praying or prophesying disgraces her head, for she is one and the same as the woman ^[c]whose kopf ist rasiert.

 Wouldn't you want to know what those words mean and what you ought to do?  This book answers those questions.

My first impression is that the book could have been longer...but duh...it's the condensed version, of course it's short.

That's what makes this book stand out - the basic information is all included, without any weird stuff and not a long time commitment to get the basics.

 Verdict: Read it if you want an overview of the head covering topic.  If this catches your attention, know that this is the condensed version of a longer book.

Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand

 

Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand

I've seriously avoided this book review, because the book is so massive. I tried reading it a few years ago but DNF (did not finish).

My honest suggestion would be to watch the three movies before reading the book. That way you have the basic structure and plot in your head, but when the book fills in the gaps, you enjoy the book that much more.

The blurb from Amazon:

Peopled by larger-than-life heroes and villains, charged with towering questions of good and evil, Atlas Shrugged is Ayn Rand’s magnum opus: a philosophical revolution told in the form of an action thriller.

Who is John Galt? When he says that he will stop the motor of the world, is he a destroyer or a liberator? Why does he have to fight his battles not against his enemies but against those who need him most? Why does he fight his hardest battle against the woman he loves?

You will know the answer to these questions when you discover the reason behind the baffling events that play havoc with the lives of the amazing men and women in this book. You will discover why a productive genius becomes a worthless playboy...why a great steel industrialist is working for his own destruction...why a composer gives up his career on the night of his triumph...why a beautiful woman who runs a transcontinental railroad falls in love with the man she has sworn to kill.

The Genre:

I'm not sure whether to call it a political thriller (it is that); Rand called it a mystery novel (and it is also that)

Atlas Shrugged was always held up as a "you have to read this!" and it was a good book, but too long and a bunch of baggage.

Because the book is so long, some of the characters developed and grew, others were exactly the way they were portrayed at first and some were never what they seemed.

-TThe story (after watching the movies) was like watching an accident happen - you knew, but couldn't look away.  

I h(not a spoiler) - there's one point in the book where a factory worker describes what happened when a factory "family" chose to run the business in a communist style "from each according to his ability, to each according to his need"

Ironically, a day or two after I read that, my husband and I had a conversation with an old friend who had (in some areas) moved closer to the position of those factory owners.  I leaned over to Phil and said "you know he's talking about Atlas Shrugged."

TThere were places where the story dragged a bit, but mostly because there were a lot of moving parts.  Keep going, they'll fit together.

When I was done with the book, two emotions:

I was relieved that I could put it away and I wanted to know where society would go after the last page.

Read it because you'll understand what happens when the takers outnumber the producers and the elite at the top benefit from pitting them against each other

              

 ~~~

 

 

About the (fiction) stars: 

·         1 star = did not finish;

·         2 stars = I managed to finish but would probably tell somebody to not bother reading if asked;

·         3 stars = I happily finished, but wouldn’t go out of my way to recommend it;

·         4 stars = I would absolutely recommend a 4-star book;

·         5 stars = I would go out of my way to tell others to read this book, and I want to read everything the author has written!

 

 

 

 

Review: The Gold of Black Rock Hill: Decodable Chapter Books for Kids with Dyslexia

The Gold of Black Rock Hill: Decodable Chapter Books for Kids with Dyslexia by Cigdem Knebel
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I'm a professional tutor and work with students with dyslexia.  At the end of each tutoring session, my students read aloud and Cigdem Knebel's books are the backbone of our reading time.

"The Gold of Black Rock Hill" is a favorite - it's long enough so it's interesting and short enough so it doesn't feel like it goes on forever.  The chapters are short so it's easy to find a good stopping place.

The main character (a cat) is easy to sympathize with and the plot is simple enough for my "youngers" to follow.

If you want a good, decodable book for anywhere up to around 4th grade, this is a good one.

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Review: The Other Woman

The Other Woman by Sandie Jones
 

~~~

The most twisty, addictive and gripping debut thriller you'll read this year. HE LOVES YOU: Adam adores Emily. Emily thinks Adam’s perfect, the man she thought she’d never meet. BUT SHE LOVES YOU NOT: Lurking in the shadows is a rival, a woman who shares a deep bond with the man she loves. AND SHE'LL STOP AT NOTHING: Emily chose Adam, but she didn’t choose his mother Pammie. There’s nothing a mother wouldn’t do for her son, and now Emily is about to find out just how far Pammie will go to get what she wants: Emily gone forever. The Other Woman will have you questioning her on every page, in Sandie Jones' chilling psychological suspense about a man, his new girlfriend, and the mother who will not let him go. I'm not sure what I expected of this "genre" but OH MY! this book delivered. I could totally empathize with the "toxic mother-in-law" theme and Pammie was totally believable.   The book led me by the nose right where the author wanted me to go and that continued throughout the book The ending was a gut-punch, but hang in there for it, it's worth the wait.  When the book ended, I wanted more!  and (since this was on Kindle Unlimited) I'll return it and get another book by the same author. Seriously, read this book.       About the (fiction) stars: ·         1 star = did not finish; ·         2 stars = I managed to finish but would probably tell somebody to not bother reading if asked; ·         3 stars = I happily finished, but wouldn’t go out of my way to recommend it; ·         4 stars = I would absolutely recommend a 4-star book; ·         5 stars = I would go out of my way to tell others to read this book, and I want to read everything the author has written!

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Review: Thinking Through Anxiety: A Brief Christian Look

 

  

 

Thinking Through Anxiety by J. Ryan Davidson

 The author says, "Can godly Christians suffer from anxiety? Can we still have a biblical assurance of salvation and a godly life if we find ourselves battling with anxious thoughts? Actually, this can be a real challenge, even a plague, for when we go through such times we feel that the very comfort we need is beyond our reach, specifically because we wonder if we are allowed to have the comfort of the Gospel when we battle with anxiety."

This book is steeped in Bible and although it's a short book, give us reminders at each page turn that our focus is to be on the cross, not on our worries.

I'm not a person generally beset by worries, but there are a few "what ifs" that visit from time to time.  Even so, the reminder - keep your eye on the cross - was a blessing to receive. 

 If you're a worrier, or if you know or live with a worrier, then this little book will give you encouragement, or ways to encourage others.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thinking Through Anxiety: A Brief Christian Look by J. Ryan Davidson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars