Book Review: Then Sings My Soul: Special Edition

My latest free book from BookSneeze and Thomas Nelson was Then Sings My Soul Special Edition. This book is a compilation of 150 great hymns of the Christian faith. Each song is paired with a short story about the author, the specific hymn, and the influence that each piece has had throughout the years. The Special Edition features Christmas and Easter hymns specifically, coupled with "all-time favorites".

I really enjoyed this book! I think many times we are too quick to move on to what is new and exciting. There is something special about singing songs that Christians have sung for hundreds of years. And while I was familiar with most of the hymns in this book, there were several that I had never heard before.

Many of the songwriters in this book are heroes of our faith, and while we remember their songs, we know very little about their lives. Now went I sing What a Savior! I know that it was one of the last that Philip Bliss wrote before he died. And Silent Night was written for guitar accompaniment because the organ in Oberndorf, Germany was broken on Christmas Eve, 1818. And Holy, Holy, Holy was found in a trunk after the death of its author, Reginald Heber.

Of course, the story behind the song is not always spectacular, and some hymns I really enjoy ended up a little disappointing. But I think even that reinforces the humanity of the people that God uses to spread the Gospel. 

Four out of 5 stars.

Book Review: Flight of Shadows

I was provided with a free copy of Flight of Shadows by Sigmond Brouwer through Multnomah's Blogging for Books. This review is my own opinion.

This story was fast-paced and interesting, and I really enjoyed many of the social and political themes that were woven into the novel. The book is a futuristic novel, but hearkens back to ancient Rome in many ways as well. I was unaware that this was the second novel in a series when I requested it, and there were no indications on the book itself that said it was book #2, which I found somewhat confusing. That being said, the book worked fairly well as a stand-alone novel. I'm sure I would have understood some things more quickly if I had more knowledge of the back story, but it was kind of exciting to not know exactly what was going on.

I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars. It was hard for me to put down and I really enjoyed the different characters. Even so, I would recommend reading the book #1 first.