Author: Mary

The Alice Network is better than most WWII fictional narratives; although after having recently read The Book Thief, and The Tattooist of Auschwitz, the bar has been set too high for me to award this book more than four stars.
Hold on tight and watch where you are going, because the story in The Alice Network meanders a bit, hopping between two World Wars, three pregnancies, spying, lying, betrayal, expensive cars, and uncontrollable rage. An odd trio sets off to find the missing and exact revenge, while fighting against being controlled, and suffering the burden of guilt though not guilty.
I don’t want to drop any spoilers, but the above paragraph may give you an idea of the complexity of this book. It is engaging and at times suspenseful and worth the full four stars.
Thanks to my local library for the loan of the audiobook of The Alice Network!

#WWII #spy #audiobook

Congratulations to all the graduates out there! I’m so very proud of mine! She has worked hard to get to this day, but it is just another step in the journey. I know she is going on to do great things!

Let’s not forget Mom! This is her big weekend too, and we need to show her plenty of love and appreciation!

Which raises the question, what are some great gifts for our grads and moms? Check out these ideas below.

Dr. William H. Marty was inspired to write 102 Fascinating Bible Studies on the New Testament partly from the students’ questions he fielded during his 37 years teaching at Moody Bible Institute.

The studies can be done in any order, and in fact the author recommends you not read this book like a novel. It is appropriate for Christians and non-Christians alike. Marty stresses the importance of reading the noted scripture passages to get full understanding of the studies.

The studies are organized by the life of Christ and the four Gospels, the Book of Acts, Paul’s epistles, the general epistles, several studies drawn from the book of Revelation, and doctrine.

Each study begins with a topic, ranging from the Genealogies of Jesus to the Wrath of God. Marty briefly explores the topic, including scripture references. Then several study questions are presented, also with scripture references. Each study concludes with a memory verse.

As suggested above, you cannot properly do this study without using the Bible to explore the many scripture references. While Marty presents the topic and guides you with insightful questions, it is truly a study of the Bible.

102 Fascinating Bible Studies on the New Testament is a great way to delve into a topical study of scripture either in a group or on your own.

#102fascinatingBibleStudiesOnTheNewTestament #NetGalley @ReadBakerBooks   @bethany_house

Alia Joy H’s life has not been easy. Some people deal with cancer. Some deal with mental illness. Some deal with poverty. Alia Joy has had all of this and more in her life and continues an existence in which any given day can be a struggle. Thank goodness Alia Joy is an articulate writer who gives most of us readers an insight we’ve likely been blinded to by our “North American Christianity”.

I’m flagging Glorious Weakness as one of 2019’s most significant books. It reads like the Book of James. If your toes are too sensitive, don’t read it. If you don’t want to develop any compassion for the poor or disadvantaged, don’t read it. If you have no room in your theology for the mentally ill, homeless, addicted, uneducated, obese, abused, or marginalized don’t even check it out from the library.

If you’ve found yourself needing to justify your existence because you think you aren’t contributing anything to the church or society; if you’ve gone “all-in” for God but every circumstance still seems to conspire against you; if experience teaches you that actually relying on God brings sideways looks from the established church and sometimes it is best not to share what you know; if you believe no matter how hard you work you are always going to be God’s “secondhand kid” relegated to receive scraps and leftovers; you should read this book. In Alia Joy’s words:

“We have merit-based ideology so ingrained into our cultural identity and theology that we often fail to see the great imbalances Jesus constantly pointed out. Much to the irritation of the respectable religious people, Jesus was always elevating the poor and the weak.  He knew something we so often forget: none are worthy, not one.”

I hope we will hear more from this new author. Stay fluent in the language of hope!

@aliajoyh @ReadBakerBooks

#GloriousWeakness #NetGalley

The Dictionary of Difficult Words is a delightful book for budding wordsmiths!

A brief introduction gives the reader permission to read the book straight through from A to Z to learn new things, or not read it at all, and just look at the pictures.

The illustrations are whimsical and eye-catching. With interesting pictures and cool words like Quixotic and Salubrious, I don’t doubt that whatever approach is taken new words will be learned.

My only recommendation for a change would be to replace the word “Difficult” in the title. I fear that could be off-putting to some children who would otherwise benefit from this book. This collection of words may more aptly be described as “less common”. I dare say most adults would gain from perusing this volume.

#TheDictionaryofDifficultWords #NetGalley

@QuartoKids ‏  @QuartoKnows ‏  @TheQuartoGroup