Monday, March 27, 2017

THE MOTH PRESENTS: ALL THESE WONDERS

If you are looking for something new and different to read try THE MOTH PRESENTS:  ALL THESE WONDERS.  There are around forty-five personal stories in this book told by people from all walks of life. These stories are so good I will go back over some of them again to make sure I didn't miss something.  Etched on the cover it says TRUE STORIES ABOUT FACING THE UNKNOWN.  And indeed that is what they are! These stories were first told out loud onstage at Moth events across the country.  Now the best stories have been compiled into this book with as little changed as possible from the spoken words of the tellers on stage. If I were to state it glibly I would say it is a CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE SOUL  sort of thing that meets "Ted Talks".   There is a forward written by popular author Neil Gaiman so that tells you he is a fan of THE MOTH.

Some of the stories are told by semi-famous and famous people but others are not.  In one story a former child soldier from Africa tells of adapting to adoption and high school life in the United States.  In another story a scientist works through miraculous steps on a project to view the planet Pluto up close.  There are stories included in the book told by a concentration camp survivor, a refugee, and other immigrants.  The title of ALL THESE WONDERS is taken from one of the stories in the book. 

I don't agree with some of what is expressed in every single story but all the stories are informative and interesting. It is a book you will want to keep but also share with others. It is edited by Catherine Burns and published by Crown Archetype.

I selected this book for review because it sounded like a great book.  I enjoyed reading it because it was entertaining as well as full of details to learn and ponder. It made me think about what my own Moth stories might be.


* cover photo provided by the publisher and Blogging for Books. 
I received this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review. 

Saturday, March 11, 2017

Thursday, March 2, 2017

The Hum of Angels by Scot Mcknight


THE HUM OF ANGELS by Scot McKnight is a new book soon to be published.  It deals with the biblical definition of angels and not what the popular media and movies make angels out to be. A little bit of artistic license is used for the title but other then that it is right on target with biblical scripture concerning the subject of angels.

What Angels are not:

Angels are not humans who are deceased.

What Angels Are:

Angels are a complete and separate entity of their own created by God.

So okay I just had to get that one out there as that is something that irks me when people assume otherwise.  McKnight provides plenty of scripture to back this up.  He also provides a few stories people have told him about how they were helped or rescued by angels. I don't want to give away the whole contents of the book and I also don't want to discourage anyone from reading it.  It could be very important information for someone.

Do you believe in angels? Chances are you do believe in angels and if you don't believe in them you may wish to believe in them. If more people shared experiences they had with angels with each other it could change the world for the better.

I chose this book for review as I am interested in this subject. One of my favorite books is a book Billy Graham wrote on angels back in the 1970's.  I first found Graham's book at a thrift store and then was delighted to find out a few years later that a great grandmother had had a copy of her own.  McKnight cites Billy Graham's book on angels as one of his sources so that is good.  Graham's book on angels has a focus on end times while McKnight's book on angels speaks more to human redemption.

Scott McKnight is a well known author who has published many books on similar religious subjects.  I received this book as an uncorrected proof from Blogging for Books via the publisher in exchange for a honest review. I plan to share my copy with others.

*book cover image credited to the publisher.