Fyodor Dostoevsky by Peter Leithart

Fyodor Dostoevsky is a fictionalized biography written by Peter Leithart. Even though it is fictional, it has many notes and a bibliography that make it seem more credible. It is written in a conversation format where Dostoevsky and his friend, Apollon Maikov, are having conversations between themselves. In these conversations, they reminisce about key events in Dostoevsky’s past.

For me, this book is a little difficult to read. There are times when you cannot discern who is talking. Also, there are times when you cannot tell if you are in the present or past even though Leithart clearly marks each change of scene. However, despite these faults, the book is a nice read and would have been fantastic if Leithart would not have had these faults in it.

I like very much the conversational format Leithart has taken. I also like his fictional approach to this biography−it makes it very interesting and not dry as some biographies can be. Because the writing and subject matter of this book are very interesting, I would have to recommend it to others to read. I only wish that it had been better written.

I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

George Washington Carver by John Perry

John Perry presents us with a biography of a genius who was born a slave in Missouri−George Washington Carver. This biography delivers an entertaining account and perspective of George Washington Carver’s life. Perry shows us that Carver was truly a remarkable man−a devout Christian, a scientist, an artist, a teacher, a businessman, a healer−he wore many, many hats. Perry carries us from Carver’s birth in 1863 through his death on January 5, 1943.

Perry writes this biography in simple, easy-to-understand language, which immensely makes this book quite enjoyable to read and very hard to put down. It is more like reading an enjoyable story rather than a biography, but it is backed by notes (footnotes) and a bibliography. Perry has truly done an outstanding job in writing this biography.

It is so sad, and too bad, that George Washington Carver is not recognized in our world today as he should be for he did so much for the entire world. I feel many would enjoy reading this book.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://booksneeze®.com/> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

The Story of the Bible by Larry Stone

The Story of the Bible by Larry Stone is a book to treasure for a lifetime. It relates to us the history of the Bible. It covers 3,500 years of Bible history. It tells us how we have gotten the many translations of the Bible; the Bible has been “translated into more than 2,400 of the world’s 6,900 living languages.” It also tells us about those who died to make GOD’S Word, the Bible, available to us today. It is packed with beautiful illustrations. It also has pull-outs to further your knowledge of the different Bible translations. This is truly an amazing and awe-inspiring book. This book will make you have more respect for GOD’S Word, the Bible. Every household should have one!

I am truly taken aback by this book. It has made me totally very, very, very respectful of GOD’S Word, the Bible. I have gained knowledge that I did not have before I read this book. It is quite beautiful, joyful, and heart-wringing to know that so many people have lost their lives and sacrificed living in normal societies in order to bring GOD’S Word, the Bible, to people all over the world. I did not even know that our early American settlers had taught our early American Indians about GOD and, in fact, had made Bibles available to them in their respective languages. I will always treasure this book.

On This Day In Christian History By Robert J. Morgan

On This Day contains random excerpts of Christian history presented in a calendar setting of 365 days. It is a book that is difficult to read in its entirety in one or two readings for it is a highly emotional book. The themes of the excerpts include, but not limited to, the institution of St. Valentine’s Day and images in church, the persecution and martyrdom of Christians, and wars between believers and unbelievers. Each day is presented with supporting Biblical authority, which is placed at the end of the excerpt.

I found On This Day to be very informative, inspirational, and exceedingly moving. I wish only that it would have contained a bibliography or reference index so that I could have conducted further research on the excerpts presented in it. However, I did research for other books of this nature by Robert J. Morgan, but found none. The reason I looked for his books was because I like his style. I hope he will do a series on this book, e.g., On This Day 2011, On This Day 2012, etc. ─ all about Christian history, until all Christian history has been exhausted. Robert J. Morgan, think about this!

same kind of different As Me. By Ron Hall & Denver Moore with Lynn Vincent

A New York Times bestseller. Astonishing. Heart-wrenching. A true story. A book you will be unable to put down until you have entirely read it. You might even want to read it twice.

same kind of different As Me is a story about three people coming together as a family: Denver, a homeless man; Ron, an art dealer; and Deborah, the wife of the art dealer. Denver is a black man, while Ron and Deborah are white and very rich. Journey with them as each one of them finds God and lives accordingly.

The story is written in the narrative between Denver and Ron, taking you through their experiences of childhood through adulthood. The theme centers on homelessness: becoming homeless, living homeless, helping the homeless, etc. This book should make you change your views about homelessness and should make you want to do more for the homeless. I wish everyone, rich and poor, would read this book so that they could become like Denver, Ron, and Deborah, and the other people mentioned in the book who got involved with the homeless.

I immensely enjoyed this book and finished 7/8ths of it before I put it down. I would have finished it, but it was very, very late so I had to put it down. However, the very next day I got right up and it was the first thing I read and finished it. It is not very often that I get a book that I cannot put down until I have finished it and I plan to read it again. Denver, Ron, and Lynn Vincent did an outstanding job in putting this book together. I now want to read Denver and Ron’s (along with Lynn Vincent) second book, What difference do it make? (stories of hope and healing), for I truly enjoyed their first, same kind of different As Me.

If I Could Ask God Anything by Kathryn Slattery

Have you ever had trouble answering kids’ questions about God? I have and it is very difficult for me to speak about GOD to kids in a manner which they can understand, that is, relate to. If I Could Ask God Anything by Kathryn Slattery, written specifically for children, makes this task for us less difficult. She has written her book in a question/answer format: presents the question and then answers the question with Bible authority references. The questions she presents are profound and her perspective answers to these questions are very good. One of my favorites is “If God is Invisible, How Can I Know He Is Real?” Her answer to this question is just profound.

She claims her book is for all denominations, but I do not think so. For one reason, not all people celebrate the holidays discussed in her book, and I am one of them. For example, she presents questions/answers regarding holidays, such as Valentine’s Day and Easter. In her book, she states that the Easter Bunny and Easter Eggs are pagan practices. Yet, she condones the Easter Bunny and Easter Eggs: “Americans love the Easter Bunny! And why not? Giving and receiving baskets filled with colorful jellybeans…is fun and delicious!”

Even though I do not agree with some things Slattery has discussed in her book, it is a good, informative, and enjoyable book to read. I also feel that this book is good for adults too, for many adults have the same questions.

Saint Patrick by Jonathan Rogers

Saint Patrick by Jonathan Rogers is a condensed biography of Saint Patrick’s deeds in converting the Irish to Christianity. Rogers bases his writing of Saint Patrick on two documents written by Saint Patrick, “The Confession” and “The Letter.” These two documents are very moving and Rogers attaches them as appendices. In this book, Rogers relates to us how Saint Patrick, the son of Roman British nobility, became a slave in Ireland, became a Christian, gave up his nobility status, and became a crusader bent on converting Ireland to Christianity. Rogers relates both the factual and legendary, but only in clarifying fact from fiction. While I am not a Catholic, I was curious about St. Patrick, and as such, decided to read this book. I now know, since reading Saint Patrick, that all I knew was legendary (fictional). I am very glad I read this book for I am no longer ignorant about who was Saint Patrick; on the contrary, I now admire Saint Patrick very much and now would like to do some research on him. Overall, for a very short work, I feel that Jonathan Rogers has done an excellent job, especially when he had to cover so much time in history.