"Sibley Birds of Land, Sea, and Sky" Review

"Sibley Birds of Land, Sea, and Sky" by David Allen Sibley

Well, this is a bittersweet post. Blogging for Books is closing down so this will be my last review on something from them, but hopefully, I won't be gone forever!! There are other honest reviews for free books websites so I might sign up for one of those. You never know. Anyway, this last BfB post is on David Allen Sibley's Sibley Birds of Land, Sea, and Sky, a collection of 50 postcards of watercolor paintings (of birds, obviously).

At the very first glance, the presentation is very pleasing! The box is sturdy and well designed: simple, with just enough color. When you open the box, the postcards are divided into the five types of birds in the collection (waterfowl, woodpeckers, wading birds, songbirds, owls & raptors).

The postcards themselves are made of very durable, sturdy cardstock, with nice rounded edges and plenty of room on the back to write on. The paintings are very nice, but a few of them seem a bit bland (lacking color, background, etc.). Most of them are fantastic and there are few special ones that I really like (and probably will keep! ;) ). Another nice thing about the postcards is that they are very versatile. They can be sent in the mail, framed, or used as gift tags. 

Ratings: 

Would I recommend this to a friend? I might give some to a friend! They would be especially perfect for people who like to send out "get well soon" or "thinking of you" encouragement cards. Pretty cards, less $$ for postage, and a nice amount of writings space = perfect!

How many stars would I give this? 4.5

*Disclaimer: I received these postcards from Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review.

"Seeing the Unseen" Book Review

        

SEEING THE UNSEEN: A 90-DAY DEVOTIONAL TO SET YOUR MIND ON ETERNITY

by Randy Alcorn

 

 

Hello to the people of the Internet! I am back with another book review, and this time it's a book by Randy Alcorn from Eternal Perspective Ministries. One of his books that I absolutely love is called Safely Home - maybe one day I'll do a review on it. And right now, I'm in the middle of Lord Foulgrin's Letters, which is a modern day rendition of C.S. Lewis's The Screwtape Letters. Very insightful!!!

Okay, on to the review....

This book is a tiny little thing, small enough to fit into my purse (for you technical people, the actual dimensions are 5 x 7-1/4, 208 pages if anyone was wondering). Each day's devotional is one page (front and back). It's the perfect length to give you just enough to think about throughout the day. 

The first side of the page has the devotional, written by Mr. Alcorn. The other side has two Bible passages under the heading "Perspectives from God's Word," and two quotes under the heading "Perspectives from God's People." Both of these sections relate to the topic discussed in the devotional (obviously). 

Some of the titles of the daily devotionals include "Breaking Our Addiction to Materialism," "Holiness and Happiness Together," "He is Always Sovereign," "Forgiveness Is a Choice," and "Grasping Our Need for Grace." These are just a few of the 90 days' topics...

I love quotes and I love related Bible verses, so this part is perfect. Quotes included come from people such as John Piper, Martin Luther, Hudson Taylor, George Mueller, C.S. Lewis, and Charles Spurgeon. Bible passages range from 1-4 (or so) verses.

In closing, Seeing the Unseen is a great supplement to one's Bible study and devotion time. I use it in my morning devotion time. Since each day is short, it's a perfect tool to use with the Bible reading plan I'm using this year. 

Now for the ratings:

Would I recommend this book to a friend? Probably - I like several of Randy Alcorn's books and this one is no exception. The length and content is great...

How many stars would I give this book? 4.5

*I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

"Everything You Always Wanted to Know About God (But Were Afraid to Ask)" Book Review

**Yes, I realize it's been an eternity since I've posted a book review. But, I'm here to post one today on a book that I've been going through (and am still working on - life has been very, very hectic recently!)**

Everything You Always Wanted to Know About God (But Were Afraid to Ask) by Eric Metaxas

 

So I've seen Eric Metaxas's name on several recommended book lists and finally got a chance to get a taste of his writing. (And you have to admit, the cover looks pretty cool too, all those pretty colors.... 🤗) I wasn't disappointed. Metaxas is a very engaging author, formatting his book in a "Q&A" style, which made it much easier to read! 

**Disclaimer: I'm only through the book halfway because of the craziness of my schedule but if the rest of the book is as good as the first, then this book review will still stand. 😉

The set up of this book makes it great for conversational questions. The topics are different in each chapter, enabling the reader to go straight to the desired topic (topics include "Why Does Anyone Need Religion?" and "Why Would a Loving God Allow Suffering?"). 

Another thing I liked about the book was that the chapters were clear and concise.  Metaxas writes in a very casual tone, which makes difficult concepts easier to understand and digest. In chapter 12, he quickly debunks the idea of heaven being boring and explains the gospel clearly. 

However, in chapter 9 ("Isn't One Religion About as Good as Another?"), Metaxas tries to explain how religions compare, and I have to admit, I felt a bit lost on that one, even after the explanations. 

All in all, this book is a great go-to for one who wants to be able to explain something better. 

Ratings:

Would I recommend this book to a friend? I'm not sure.

What would I rate this book? 3.5 stars

**I received this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review.

EDIT: As I read a bit more in the book, I realized what was missing: references, Biblical or otherwise. There aren't many Bible verses cited and the author doesn't quote many other people too - it is based mostly on his thoughts....

"No Fear" Book Review

Yes, yes, I know for the 1 person who actually reads this, it's been forever. I'm horrible at blogging - I like the idea of blogging but the actual "doing it" part is a whole different story. Anyway, I'm back....with another book review:

NO FEAR: Real Stories of a Courageous 

New Generation Standing for Truth

by Tony Perkins

 

This book caught my eye for several reasons. First, I really want to be able to stand for truth when the time comes and the description "Real Stories of a Courageous New Generation Standing for Truth" sounded very exciting. Second, Franklin Graham endorses it. Founder of Operation Christmas Child.... need I say more? :)

 Well, I got the book a while ago and read it. Honestly, I felt like I was reading another "Do Hard Things" - No Fear contains 12 stories of modern day young people who have taken a stand for what they believe. Not only does it contain the modern day stories, but it also goes back to the Bible and relates stories or verses and applies it to our lives. 

While it was interesting to read these stories, I've heard of many others who have taken a stand for their faith. The stories in No Fear includes stories of people who have been in the spotlight, people such as the Benham Brothers (EEK! Super excited about that one!!! #nationalbiblebee), Moriah Peters, Mariam Ibraheem, and Melissa and Aaron Klein, and also people who I hadn’t heard of before, such as Angela Hildenbrand and Ryan Bomberger. These stories are inspiring and there are many more that no one has heard of.

The downside of all these stories is that it can make some of us “normal” people feel inadequate. What if we aren’t on national TV because we developed a cure for cancer or invented a new type of technology? Are we to feel less important because we aren’t doing these things? I remember having these questions and trying to come up with “BIG” things to do for God. But I was overlooking the small things God was dropping in my life right then (and now). Sometimes, the small things in life are way better than any big things you “could be doing.” Changing a baby’s diaper, reading to a little brother, and talking heart-to-heart with your sister are ways to impact the people God has put into your life without you even taking a step out the door.

As with many things, there’s a balance. If there weren’t people doing BIG things for God, where would we be? But we can’t forget that being faithful in the little things are just as important. And who knows? Maybe those small things will lead to BIGGER things because “he who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much…” (Luke 16:10).

Ratings:

Would I recommend this book to a friend? Maybe. There are so many books out there like this and I feel that No Fear  didn't go as deep as other books (such as Do Hard Things) did. But it was still good. :)

What would I rate this book? 4.5 stars.

Now go change the world!
-Annalysa

*I received this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest book review.

Doodletopia: Manga Book Review

So, you may remember my last art-book review on Christopher Hart's first Doodletopia book here. Well, I loved that one so much that I was soooooooooooooooooo excited when the next book in the series came out. And that's the book review I'm doing today. :) *drumroll please*

Doodletopia: Manga by Christopher Hart

 

This book is so fun and I'm still using it. I really, really love copying the drawings in the book and following the guidelines. I haven't even gotten through the whole thing because I got so distracted with the international chibis. Agh, they were tooooooooo cute! (sorry about the bad quality, but you get the idea)

There are all different types of manga characters that Hart teaches you to draw. There are some just plain figures, fun drawings to finish, and the silly mazes to finish. It reminds me a lot of his cartoon book and the layout is very similar, only in manga form. There are several pages that have vampires or less than desirable drawings that I do not appreciate, but the rest of the book is great fun!

 

Like the Doodletopia: Cartoon book, the manga book has a "Master the Manga Mazes". This is a section that has half of a manga maze that you have to finish. The variety of Hart's ideas in his Doodletopia books is really nice because you learn a lot of different ways to draw styles. 

Ratings:

 Would I recommend this book to a friend? Probably. The only thing that I have hesitation about is the vampire pictures that are in the book. There are only a few pages but I don't really appreciate them being in that book.

What would I rate this book? 4.5 stars. The only reason is the same reason I stated above. Other than that, I really like this book!!! :)

I received this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review. 

If you want to get one of these fun manga books for yourself, click here for more info.

Thanks so much for reading! Be sure to follow through email or G+ and comment below with your favorite drawing included in this post!

Now go change the world!!

~Annalysa

"Light of the Last" Book Review

So I finally have all of the Wars of the Realm books by Chuck Black...AND I WANT MORE!!!!!! As far as I know, Mr. Black has not released anymore information on future books, but I'm following his Facebook page (be sure to check out their Video and Art contest here !) and am so looking forward to his next series!

Anyway, a few months (yes, I'm sorry it's been months!) ago, I received Light of the Last. Wow. To start of this review, I have to say it is the best book Chuck Black has ever, ever written (at least, in my opinion it is!)

Officially, the book I am reviewing is titled "Light of the Last", the last book in the Wars of the Realm trilogy by Chuck Black.

In the first book, we were left with the fact that Drew Carter had been taken into custody by the FBI and something big was happening in the angels' realm. But that's where it ended. The second book went back in history and focused mainly on the invaders' realm. (see my review on Rise of the Fallen here)   So, with that cliff-hanger ending and not knowing what was going on, I was dying to find out what happened. This book was not a disappointment!

**SPOILER ALERT**

We find Carter in the FBI questioning room, just 2 days after we left off in book one, and see the heartbreaking separation he has to go through with several people very close to him. He then joins the CIA and the things that occur after that are so intense that I was almost quite literally on the edge of my seat the whole way! Just to give you a taste of what is to come, think of leather jackets that have 360* cameras and hidden mics, ISIS attacks, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (yes, someone does get diagnosed with that! I'm not telling who, though!), and Ebola outbreaks...and a microbiology major that helps save the nation. Are you interested now?!

I don't want to give too much away for those of you haven't read it, but I was never expecting what happened in the end. That's one of the reasons I like this book so much: I wasn't exactly sure what was going to happen next (and that's hard to find in today's books, believe me!)!!!

So, would I recommend this book to a friend? ABSOLUTELY!!!

What would I rate this book? 5 out of 5 stars for sure!

Summary: If you're looking for a book that has a million unexpected twists and turns, this is the one! There's a bit of romance, a whole lot of suspension and danger, and some heartbreak too.

If you're interested in getting this book for yourself, click here. If you want to drop me a note, click here.

*disclaimer* "I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review."

Now go change the world!

~Annalysa~

The Rebelution's Top 27

If you haven't been over to The Rebelution blog, head over there now!

Brett has just posted a new article titled "27 Books Christian Teens Should Read and Grownups Should Too." So head on over to get the full list by clicking here.


Now go change YOUR world!
~Annalysa