Why I picked itI got People of the Book within the last few months, either at a book sale or for Christmas from family. But I really loved the cover (I know, I'm into the vanity aspect), but I also loved the premise of the book. It intrigued me, and I was ready for a historical fiction-type book in my reading this year! This book also counts toward my World Travel #2020ReadingPassport, because this book has scenes in SO MANY places across the globe including Australia, the U.S., Europe, and Asia! Brief SummaryHanna is researching and restoring an ancient Haggadah that has recently been recovered after being lost for decades. In her inspection, she finds a few traces of different things like wine, blood, salt water, hair, and more, which helps her trace a bit of the path of the Haggadah. We follow both Hanna's journey, as well as the book's journey, meeting many people that contributed or were impacted by the book along the way. What I likedI loved the way the story was set up. You get a semi-present view of Hanna and her inspection of the book, as well as her relationships with family and people she meets. Then, as she goes to her colleagues for help researching the traces she finds, you get a glimpse into the past where that trace or item gets into the book. You travel around the world following the book on its journey through time and hardships. I'm a fan of historical fiction, because I get a glimpse into history that I didn't learn (or don't remember). I'll admit, I didn't have the greatest history teachers growing up, but I also am AWFUL at history. I can't tell you names or dates, or even really why things happened. I have a VERY general understanding of most major conflicts or times in America's history, but especially getting into world history, I've got nothin'. So reading books like this helps me to learn more and actually make connections to remember what happened. I know that not everything is totally historically accurate, but I still get a better general idea of what happened. I learned more about the Spanish Inquisition, World War II, and other periods of time because of this book. The end had a nice twist to it. I wasn't quite ready for what happened at the end; I kind of just thought we'd get through the story of the book, a couple of Hanna's relationships would resolve, and that would be the end. Everyone lived happily ever after. But my expectations were blown out of the water. I wasn't ready for the increased conflict at the end and the changes that happened in the resolution. That brings me to the fact that this book seemed very realistic. Not all of the relationships worked out happily like some stories end. Sometimes relationships just don't work out because people grow apart or have differences and conflicts that they don't resolve. That's just life. What I didn't likeI think the biggest thing I disliked about this book was that it didn't always interest me. I'm not saying that it didn't move along and make me want to continue the story, but I didn't have the desire to just keep reading. It was kind of nice to have a few good spots to stop after each "section." But I also found myself just not picking up the book a few days and opting for something else instead. Overall Impression 🌟🌟🌟🌟Another solid 4/5 star book. I liked the premise of the story, I may have lagged in my reading for a bit, but overall the story kept me interested and reading. I liked the characters and the relationships both built and broken throughout the book. I really liked the diversity of the characters, and my favorite thing was learning what happened throughout the book's long and difficult journey and life. I highly recommend this book if you are interested in history, or even just enjoy learning about the journey of one item through history!
0 Comments
It's been a while since I've listened to an audiobook, but I saw the Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard in my Libby library and was ready to listen to a new book! I'm glad I picked this one up, for sure! Why I picked itI'm a big fan of Rick Riordan, and a bigger fan of Norse mythology and the Norwegian culture. A big part of my family history is in Norway, and I've always felt closest to that portion of my heritage. I liked Riordan's Percy Jackson series, so when I saw a similar series by the same author, but with a Norwegian and Norse spin, I was sold. I thought it would be a perfect and engaging read (or listen, in this case). Brief SummaryMagnus Chase's life was just fine until a couple of years ago when his mother was attacked and killed by wolves with glowing eyes. Ever since, he's lived alone on the streets with just a couple of other homeless friends. Until his sixteenth birthday, when his stuck-up rich uncle tries to find him and tells him that he is the only one who can recover a long lost sword, said to have been wielded by Frey, Norse god of summer and fertility. Soon, Magnus is in a fight with a fire giant, loses a little more than the fight, gets submerged into the Norse world and afterlife, and is tasked with stopping Ragnarok (aka, the end of the nine worlds). What I likedI'm a big fan of the character voices that Riordan uses in his writing. Each one is so unique. Magnus has such an angsty teen boy tone, and you can tell he's had to take care of himself and fend for himself for a few years. Sam is sassy and powerful and knows what she's doing and how to get where she needs to go. She's direct (most of the time) and she doesn't take crap from anyone. I love the fact that Riordan adds an elf with hearing impairments. Having the diversity of a character with a disability was kind of nice, and something I guess I didn't really realize I was missing in books. (Please don't come at me if you don't like the way I worded that.) I'm all for diversity in books, but I also know that as a writer it can be hard to write from diverse perspectives, firstly because you don't always understand what those characters or cultures would do or how they'd react to situations, and secondly because I feel like authors get attacked for not writing diverse characters, but also get attacked for writing diverse characters "wrong." Anyway. Debate for another day. The main point is that I liked having more diversity in abilities and characteristics in the characters. I don't know a lot about Norse mythology, though I'd like to learn more. So it was nice to have Riordan explain the different aspects of those beliefs, but not over-explain them. I was able to start understanding a little bit of the mythology and beliefs, and I liked the spin that Riordan added (like Thor portrayed differently than he is in the Marvel movies, for example). Also, I want to point out that I loved the narrator of the audiobook I listened to on Libby. He did a fabulous job (I didn't realize how great it was until I started listening to the second book with a different narrator who isn't nearly as good, in my opinion). What I didn't LIkeIt's been a while since I've read the Percy Jackson series, but I feel like this has a very similar vibe. I get it! It worked well the first time, let's do it again, just slightly different. And there are differences. But there are a lot of similarities: the sassiness of the writing voice (though Percy was a little more meek than Magnus is), a powerful chick that helps the main protagonist, a couple of non-human helpers and friends, finding out they're part of a world they didn't realize existed, but being an outcast in that world…I could easily go on. As much as I liked this book, there could have maybe been some more differences. Overall Impression 🌟🌟🌟🌟I enjoyed my journey with Magnus and Sam. It was a fun and light read, easy to listen to and follow all throughout (which is saying something for me - I'm not a fan of listening to fantasy because I can't normally grasp it well). I give this book a solid 4/5 stars. I'm continuing the series, which is a good sign. However, depending on how the story progresses, who knows if I'll follow all the way through the series. I really think that is the challenge for me as of late. I haven't found a ton of series that I'm like "Oh my gosh, I have to binge all of them now!" lately. That used to be the case, but not anymore…I guess we will see!
Why I picked itBoth my husband and I received this book from the church we went to and served on the worship team on through college. Corgan had picked it up for us, so it was with his stuff and I completely forgot we had it until we were reorganizing during the Christmas holiday, and I was interested in the short book. I'm currently the volunteer worship leader at our church, and I thought that it would be a great thing for me to read. I also already had read two fiction books this year, and I'm going to try to throw in a personal development and/or nonfiction books throughout my year as well, so it was time for something a bit different. SummarySing! Is about the importance of congregational singing in the church. It references the Bible and Christian musicians and leaders that help support congregational singing and the power it holds. This book walks through why we sing, how we should sing, and how to use it to get ourselves and our churches closer to God. What I likedThis book was split into a few different sections. The first few chapters were about why we sing, then it went into how singing hymns and scriptures affects and transforms us, and there are also resources for leaders and pastors in the back. It was created in a very logical manner that was easy to follow, and I enjoyed reading through it. The book was also very applicable and had some great passages in it. I don't often mark books, but I do with a lot of my Christian/spiritual development books. I make notes and highlights and dogear pages, because I want to engage with the book again and go back to find the things that really stood out to me more easily. This book got a ton of annotations that I will be referencing, and it helped remind me to pick songs that are scripture based, and that the congregation enjoys and can sing, not just songs I love. There were also discussion questions at the end of each chapter so if you are going through the book with someone else, with your church, or even just by yourself, you can think a little deeper about what you read and how to apply it to your life. The resources in the back were also wonderful. It's great because I can just go to the back and pull some highlights and suggestions for me as a worship leader to use as I prepare for Sunday mornings. Overall, the book is just a great reminder of why singing is truly so important and impactful in our faith, and why I do what I do in the church. What I didn't LIkeThere wasn’t a lot I didn't like about this book. It kept me engaged, and wasn't a hard read. I don't have anything I can think of that I wasn't a fan of! Overall Impression 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟I'm so glad I have this book (2 copies, if you count my husband's), and I hope and plan to continue using it to deepen my relationship with God and give myself tips and ideas to share with our congregation and build our worship sets in our church. I strongly recommend this book for ANY Christian, whether in a leadership role or not. Sometimes we all need a reminder to sing the truth of the words, not just sing along in church. 5/5 stars, for sure.
|
AuthorJust sharing my passion of reading through my passion of writing. Archives
May 2020
Categories |