Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Book Review: Smack-dab in the Middle of God's Love

Brennan Manning and John Blase have created an adorable children's story in Smack-dab in the Middle of God's Love.  Set in the village of Hopi with the childless couple Willie Juan and Ana, the story talks about Abba, Willie Juan's name for God and the love he has for all.  The illustrations are well done and the children's questions and concerns hit home for little ones learning about God.  It got a big thumb's up from my toddler!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Book Review: JRR Tolkien, Christian Encounters Series

Mark Horne puts out a really interesting biography on the life and religion of JRR Tolkien in this edition of his Christian Encounters series.  Horne takes a look at the contributions of Tolkien's Roman Catholicism on his writing of the LOTR saga, as well as his relationship with the another prolific Catholic writer of the day, C.S. Lewis.  The book examines the life of Tolkien through a Christian lens, and while generalized in some ways, he does hit on important aspects of his religion's contributions to his work.  My biggest criticism truly is that he didn't dig deep enough to really allow the reader to come away with a very involved understanding of his motivations to write the books or his faith's contributions to the evolution of the work.  On the whole, the book is a good introduction to the world of Tolkien, although for a more indepth view, other books may provide more.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com

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