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BookwormMama14 (18 KP) rated Newton and Polly: A Novel of Amazing Grace in Books
Jan 2, 2019
Can I give this 10 stars??? Seriously though, probably my favorite book I have read all year. Newton & Polly is such a powerful and beautiful story of love and redemption. Of God's forgiveness and his grace. No matter what we have done, no matter where we go, the decisions we make, God's grace is enough. His love is enough. His forgiveness is enough. All of us are sinners. All of us are in need of God's grace. All of us fall short of perfection. We can not earn his love or forgiveness. He gives it freely. All we have to do is open our heart to it and receive it. We are human though, and we will continue to make mistakes, but it is important that we keep our eyes focused on the Lord, on his goodness and grace.
Newton and Polly's story is one that I was unfamiliar with. I knew John had lived quite the life prior to converting, but I had no idea the impact that Polly had on him. True to Jody's fashion, most of the events in this novel are based on fact. Of course there is a bit of creative liberties, but it is fiction. Overall I feel that she portrayed their story of romance and redemption magnificently. She portrays John's deep adoration and love in a way that is breathtakingly beautiful and precious. Newton's story brings a whole new meaning to the words of his song...He was a wretch...BUT GOD...God's grace led him home.
I was moved to tears multiple times while reading this book, and again while creating the graphics, and again when I watched a video of the song, and again while writing this review. The presence of God is all over this book. I could go on for hours about the incredible story within the covers of this book...But I urge you to read it for yourself. If you can't purchase it, request it from your public library. Borrow it from a friend that owns it...Get this book in your hands! If you only read one book this year...Let it be Newton & Polly. You will not regret it. And I pray that as you read Newton and Polly's story you let God's love surround you and let his grace move through you and cleanse your soul.
I received a free copy of Newton & Polly from Waterbrook & Multnomah Publishing in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.
Newton and Polly's story is one that I was unfamiliar with. I knew John had lived quite the life prior to converting, but I had no idea the impact that Polly had on him. True to Jody's fashion, most of the events in this novel are based on fact. Of course there is a bit of creative liberties, but it is fiction. Overall I feel that she portrayed their story of romance and redemption magnificently. She portrays John's deep adoration and love in a way that is breathtakingly beautiful and precious. Newton's story brings a whole new meaning to the words of his song...He was a wretch...BUT GOD...God's grace led him home.
I was moved to tears multiple times while reading this book, and again while creating the graphics, and again when I watched a video of the song, and again while writing this review. The presence of God is all over this book. I could go on for hours about the incredible story within the covers of this book...But I urge you to read it for yourself. If you can't purchase it, request it from your public library. Borrow it from a friend that owns it...Get this book in your hands! If you only read one book this year...Let it be Newton & Polly. You will not regret it. And I pray that as you read Newton and Polly's story you let God's love surround you and let his grace move through you and cleanse your soul.
I received a free copy of Newton & Polly from Waterbrook & Multnomah Publishing in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.
Hazel (1853 KP) rated A Grimm Legacy (Grimm Tales #1) in Books
Dec 17, 2018
<i>This eBook was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review</i>
Fairy tale enthusiasts will love this young adult novel by Colorado based author Janna Jennings. Full with lots of magical references <i>A Grimm Legacy</i> is about four teenagers who get dragged out of their world and into the enchanted realm of Elorium. The mysterious Mr. Jackson, who they find in a mansion with a couple of elf servants, tells them that they have been brought there for a reason; but before anyone gets the chance to explain what that reason is, the four run away only to encounter many dangerous characters.
As the title suggests <i>A Grimm Legacy</i> is loosely based upon the stories collected by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm. To get the most out of this book the reader needs to have an understanding of a variety of fairy-tales, for instance <i>Cinderella</i>. As well as the more commonly known, there are less recognized stories, which are of great significance to the novel: for example <i>Jorindel and Jorinda</i> and <i>The Fisherman and his Wife</i>.
Whilst Jennings has done well in her research into the different fairytales, she includes <i>Jack and the Beanstalk</i> as one of the references, which is in fact not a Brothers’ Grimm tale. <i>Jack and the Beanstalk</i> is an English tale that was first recorded by Benjamin Tabart in 1807. Either Jennings failed to realize this or she was including all fairytales within this book, in which case the title is misleading.
The book on the whole was quick to read and was full of exciting twists. I enjoyed discovering the various references to the well-known stories. One thing that made the text confusing, however, was the lack of breaks between certain paragraphs. Within a chapter there were occasionally more than one scene or setting and without a gap to distinguish between them it was often difficult to understand the changes in time period etc.
This book was written with young adults in mind but can be enjoyed by older readers too. It is not suitable for younger children however, not only due to the sinister nature of the original fairytales, but <i>A Grimm Legacy</i> has the occasional violent scene in it.
Despite the inaccuracy regarding <i>Jack and the Beanstalk</i>, this is a fun book to read. My only advice is to read it after you have explored some of the Brothers’ Grimm collection.
Fairy tale enthusiasts will love this young adult novel by Colorado based author Janna Jennings. Full with lots of magical references <i>A Grimm Legacy</i> is about four teenagers who get dragged out of their world and into the enchanted realm of Elorium. The mysterious Mr. Jackson, who they find in a mansion with a couple of elf servants, tells them that they have been brought there for a reason; but before anyone gets the chance to explain what that reason is, the four run away only to encounter many dangerous characters.
As the title suggests <i>A Grimm Legacy</i> is loosely based upon the stories collected by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm. To get the most out of this book the reader needs to have an understanding of a variety of fairy-tales, for instance <i>Cinderella</i>. As well as the more commonly known, there are less recognized stories, which are of great significance to the novel: for example <i>Jorindel and Jorinda</i> and <i>The Fisherman and his Wife</i>.
Whilst Jennings has done well in her research into the different fairytales, she includes <i>Jack and the Beanstalk</i> as one of the references, which is in fact not a Brothers’ Grimm tale. <i>Jack and the Beanstalk</i> is an English tale that was first recorded by Benjamin Tabart in 1807. Either Jennings failed to realize this or she was including all fairytales within this book, in which case the title is misleading.
The book on the whole was quick to read and was full of exciting twists. I enjoyed discovering the various references to the well-known stories. One thing that made the text confusing, however, was the lack of breaks between certain paragraphs. Within a chapter there were occasionally more than one scene or setting and without a gap to distinguish between them it was often difficult to understand the changes in time period etc.
This book was written with young adults in mind but can be enjoyed by older readers too. It is not suitable for younger children however, not only due to the sinister nature of the original fairytales, but <i>A Grimm Legacy</i> has the occasional violent scene in it.
Despite the inaccuracy regarding <i>Jack and the Beanstalk</i>, this is a fun book to read. My only advice is to read it after you have explored some of the Brothers’ Grimm collection.
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Surviving the Bosnian Genocide: The Women of Srebrenica Speak
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In July 1995, the Army of the Serbian Republic killed some 8,000 Bosnian men and boys in and around...
BookblogbyCari (345 KP) rated Mindhunter: Inside the FBI Elite Serial Crime Unit (Now A Netflix Series) in Books
Mar 10, 2019
Douglas is a show-off
This is hands-down the most action-packed biography I have ever read! And it’s almost the most egotistical and narcissistic sounding biography I have ever read.
In his opening scene in the prologue, Douglas finds himself waking up from a coma in hospital expecting to be tortured by sick criminals, having (almost) single-handily run the FBI’s psychological profiling unit, handling hundreds of cases for several years.
I haven’t had the opportunity to watch the Netflix series based on this book, but I am quite a fan of the Criminal Minds series, so I had an idea of what to expect. However, you need to get 6 chapters in before Douglas starts talking about his work as an FBI profiler. He starts off talking about growing up, his love life, and getting into his career.
Douglas may call himself a profiler, but in my opinion, he is first and foremost a story-teller, with a talent for a drama-filled yarn. And rather than being put off by his constant bragging, I found myself hanging on his every word.
This light and long prelude to the criminal profiling section of the book made the crime details feel all the more gruesome. Some of the predictions made by Douglas about the murderers are barely believable. I mean, how can a crime scene really tell you the age of a murderer or what kind of car he drives?
Unfortunately, Douglas doesn’t offer much explanation into these kinds of things, and the leader is left assuming it’s all down to statistics. And if there’s anywhere the book is let down it would be here, because this would be why readers would pick the book up.
I once read a similar book called The Profiler, by Pat Brown. Brown, however, was a mere spectator to criminal goings on and had no influence whatever on getting criminals brought to justice. Douglas, however, would meet with local police and provide strategies on getting the bad guy, and getting him to confess.
To me, the most crucial chapter was Battle of the Shrinks. It looks at how criminals are dealt with once apprehended. Here Douglas meets with a psychiatrist whose job it was to assess whether criminals can have their sentences shortened and be let off early. This psychiatrist didn’t bother reading police reports to see from an outsider exactly what the criminal had done because he didn’t want to be made biased it and wanted to meet the criminal exactly as they presented himself to him. Douglas was appalled by this attitude and tried to get this over to the psychiatrist, but sadly, to no avail.
In short, this is a very entertaining book, and while it can teach you lot, reading it will never make you as good a profiler as John Douglas himself.
In his opening scene in the prologue, Douglas finds himself waking up from a coma in hospital expecting to be tortured by sick criminals, having (almost) single-handily run the FBI’s psychological profiling unit, handling hundreds of cases for several years.
I haven’t had the opportunity to watch the Netflix series based on this book, but I am quite a fan of the Criminal Minds series, so I had an idea of what to expect. However, you need to get 6 chapters in before Douglas starts talking about his work as an FBI profiler. He starts off talking about growing up, his love life, and getting into his career.
Douglas may call himself a profiler, but in my opinion, he is first and foremost a story-teller, with a talent for a drama-filled yarn. And rather than being put off by his constant bragging, I found myself hanging on his every word.
This light and long prelude to the criminal profiling section of the book made the crime details feel all the more gruesome. Some of the predictions made by Douglas about the murderers are barely believable. I mean, how can a crime scene really tell you the age of a murderer or what kind of car he drives?
Unfortunately, Douglas doesn’t offer much explanation into these kinds of things, and the leader is left assuming it’s all down to statistics. And if there’s anywhere the book is let down it would be here, because this would be why readers would pick the book up.
I once read a similar book called The Profiler, by Pat Brown. Brown, however, was a mere spectator to criminal goings on and had no influence whatever on getting criminals brought to justice. Douglas, however, would meet with local police and provide strategies on getting the bad guy, and getting him to confess.
To me, the most crucial chapter was Battle of the Shrinks. It looks at how criminals are dealt with once apprehended. Here Douglas meets with a psychiatrist whose job it was to assess whether criminals can have their sentences shortened and be let off early. This psychiatrist didn’t bother reading police reports to see from an outsider exactly what the criminal had done because he didn’t want to be made biased it and wanted to meet the criminal exactly as they presented himself to him. Douglas was appalled by this attitude and tried to get this over to the psychiatrist, but sadly, to no avail.
In short, this is a very entertaining book, and while it can teach you lot, reading it will never make you as good a profiler as John Douglas himself.
Eleanor Luhar (47 KP) rated City of Lost Souls (The Mortal Instruments, #5) in Books
Jun 24, 2019
I can't believe I've nearly finished this series!
First of all, I would like to complain about the cover. If I hadn't heard so many great things about this series then I probably would have avoided it, simply because it looks like a typical teen paranormal romance atrocity. The story is actually way more action-based with a sort of hint of romance, but I just don't think the cover portrays that very accurately.
Moving on to the actual book, it follows on from the last novel where Sebastian is sort of reintroduced. He is a massive character in this, after disappearing - along with Jace. It turns out there's some sort of bond between them thanks to Lilith, and the only things that can separate them are the weapons of either angels or demons. Which, unsurprisingly, results in some rather reckless acts on the part of Jace's friends and family, including the summoning of an angel and a demon. Nice.
Alec and Magnus have some pretty serious difficulties in this book, which actually really upset me because they're currently my favourite couple. There's also romantic plots following Maia and Jordan and even Izzy and Simon, but nothing major.
In the end, the Institute receives a disturbing gift, Clary stabs Jace, and Magnus kicks Alec out of his apartment. Maureen is seen again, claiming to have killed the woman Alec was out to murder, and Luke's sister is taken and turned dark by Sebastian. I think that's everything?
As for the writing, I love it! The books are all quite long, but they don't feel it when you read them. I don't understand how the feel so timeless and exciting all the way through!
Of course, this is a YA paranormal novel with typical romance lines and so on, but it is as unique as a book in this category can be. It has a nice mix of surprise, suspense and plain old action, and the diversity of the characters is fantastic. I'm really looking forward to the next novel in the series, yet I don't want it to be over!
Simply because it is a somewhat generic book (there are just so many angel/demon YA novels these days) I can't put my rating any higher than 4 stars. But the writing is fab and the plot always interesting, so there really isn't any true fault.
First of all, I would like to complain about the cover. If I hadn't heard so many great things about this series then I probably would have avoided it, simply because it looks like a typical teen paranormal romance atrocity. The story is actually way more action-based with a sort of hint of romance, but I just don't think the cover portrays that very accurately.
Moving on to the actual book, it follows on from the last novel where Sebastian is sort of reintroduced. He is a massive character in this, after disappearing - along with Jace. It turns out there's some sort of bond between them thanks to Lilith, and the only things that can separate them are the weapons of either angels or demons. Which, unsurprisingly, results in some rather reckless acts on the part of Jace's friends and family, including the summoning of an angel and a demon. Nice.
Alec and Magnus have some pretty serious difficulties in this book, which actually really upset me because they're currently my favourite couple. There's also romantic plots following Maia and Jordan and even Izzy and Simon, but nothing major.
In the end, the Institute receives a disturbing gift, Clary stabs Jace, and Magnus kicks Alec out of his apartment. Maureen is seen again, claiming to have killed the woman Alec was out to murder, and Luke's sister is taken and turned dark by Sebastian. I think that's everything?
As for the writing, I love it! The books are all quite long, but they don't feel it when you read them. I don't understand how the feel so timeless and exciting all the way through!
Of course, this is a YA paranormal novel with typical romance lines and so on, but it is as unique as a book in this category can be. It has a nice mix of surprise, suspense and plain old action, and the diversity of the characters is fantastic. I'm really looking forward to the next novel in the series, yet I don't want it to be over!
Simply because it is a somewhat generic book (there are just so many angel/demon YA novels these days) I can't put my rating any higher than 4 stars. But the writing is fab and the plot always interesting, so there really isn't any true fault.
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