Book Talk

Words by Sheree Plett, illustrations by Shari-Anne Vis "However long that it would take to reach the highest point in space, that's how deep my love is, dear, that's how far my love would trace."      This pure work of art is written in form of a lyric poem - defined as emotional and song-like, originally accompanied by a lyre when spoken or sung.        "A warm-hearted, lyrical book about the limitlessness of love."      It is a children's book, but as is often the case, it is enjoyable and applicable for all ages. (We're all only older, taller, ever-so-slightly-more-knowledgeable children, throughout our lives after all, aren't we?)      The "limitlessness" of love is probably something everyone could use a reminder about every so often, and what better way than through a simple song accompanied by touching, adorable, and colourful art?      It was released a couple of years ago but I hadn't seen it on the shelf until t

"My life is a mess. After forty-five years of trying to follow Jesus, I keep losing him in the crowded busyness of my life. I know Jesus is there, somewhere, but it's difficult to make him out in the haze of everyday life. [...] I want to be a good person. I don't want to fail. I want to learn from my mistakes, rid myself of distractions, and run into the arms of Jesus. Most of the time, however, I feel like I am running away from Jesus into the arms of my own clutteredness." -- Messy Spirituality , Chapter One, page 18      From page one (or rather, page 18, where he begins to share after the foreword written by his wife, Karla), Michael Yaconelli is brutally honest about himself. And, to a point, about the reader.      The premise of Messy Spirituality is based on the foundation that it is relatable. No matter what stage you are at in your faith, it can seem like not enough . You're not spiritual enough, not committed enough; you don't have enough fa

For a fall into the realm of the fantastic - in the root, literal sense of the word - Anna Thayer brings us the epic trilogy of The Knight of Eldaran . "I just started reading The Traitor’s Heir , the first book in the The Knight of Eldaran trilogy by Anna Thayer, and I’m hooked. I’m impressed by Anna Thayer, who is not only a Tolkien and C.S. Lewis scholar, but a great writer as well as she sustains tension and intrigue throughout this well-woven and ever-unfolding tale. The Broken Blade, which came out last month, completes the series, and although I’m sorry I  hadn’t heard of them sooner, I’m happy to be able to read them all without suffering the wait between volumes. I think anyone who has enjoyed Stephen Lawhead will appreciate this epic series." -- Pierre Dery -- Followed by The King's Hand and then the final installment, The Broken Blade , Thayer's The Traitor's Heir follows the story of Eamon Goodman and his transition into the ranks of

     Stasi Eldredge has the unique and cultivated perspective of a woman who is learning to give thanks and praise to God through her sufferings and pain. It is a simple thing to thank God when everything seems to be exactly as you want it - a simple thing to praise God for the good in your life, in smooth sailing. But when the storm hits, that thanks and that praise is all too easy to forget. We turn to anger.      We turn to blame.      It is a simple thing to blame God. He's in control of everything, isn't he? He knows what will happen before it does - he is outside of time.      This is all true and good. But it does not mean that he thrusts suffering upon us. And this is only one of the many issues that Stasi Eldredge covers in her book, Becoming Myself . Letting go of the blame we have for God in times of trial is one of the crucial elements of drawing closer to him, and in that closeness it is only natural for us to be more of who we w

  What if I opened the clenched hands wide to receive all that is? A life that receives all of God in this moment? How do you do that when terror tears up your throat and you wear the burn scars of a razed past? Chapter 8: How will he not also?      As Brittany will share with you, the cover of this book is not the only thing that makes it so attractive. But the cover does call to me, in a way. Which, naturally, means that I know I'm going to end up reading it one of these days. That is, once I get through all of those other books whose covers drew me to them. They say to never judge a book by its cover, but don't we do it anyways? An aesthetically pleasing cover could be the tipping point between intrigue and desire.      And now, to Brittany:      I recently stumbled across "One Thousand Gifts" by Ann Voskamp. From first glance the cover intrigued me, and as I began to flip through the first chapter, I couldn't put it down. I wanted to take i

     For someone who is far from fearless, this should prove to be an interesting introduction of sorts for me. My name is Elise, and I will be looking after this dear blog for a little while, hopefully conveying my love for blogging, books, and words, through the vast and wavering realm of the web.      Today we're featuring the book Fearless , by Eric Blehm, reviewed by one of our own. As our latest hire, Michael is still getting a feel for things, but his love for reading is a definite asset, and he's put it to good use with his review of this biography: Fearless is Adam Brown's story. Starting with the tales of an adventurous three year old jumping from the second story window of his home, a dare devil teenager who jumped from a speeding cars and faced down deathly situations with out breaking a sweat; Adam was a Navy SEAL before he even won his trident. This is an incredible story about redemption, resilience, and family. Witness the unbelievable true story o