Reviewing The Spiritual World of the HOBBIT by James Stuart Bell

Reviewing The Spiritual World of the HOBBIT by James Stuart Bell I have to admit first-off that I have not read The Hobbit nor seen any of the movies however, after reading this book cover to cover, I intend to. I was touched emotionally and spiritually by Mr. Bell's 'take' on it and still felt he did not 'give away' anything so that I still wanted to read JRR Tolkien's book. Though I'm sure most people heard of Bilbo Baggins, dwarves and elves, many like myself, did not know the key issues that James Stuart Bell brings out in his book. He carefully tells that in writing a fairy tale which most of us grow up with, the key was to get the reader to believe it is true and not a 'fairy tale'...letting the reader experience the magic of the story. Some of the characters reviewed in this book are Bilbo Baggins, Gandolf, Tuor, Idril, Elrond, Half-Elven, Thorin, Frodo, Smaug, Bard and others. Tolkien's stories reflect values and truths of the Bible and how we grow in grace to accomplish great things for the Lord, often working through our weakness rather than strength. I loved the oxymorons that Mr. Bell points out dealing with scripture; he begins with the natural [jumbo shrimp] and concludes with good out of evil. Mr. Bell's ability to point out scripture references in all instances of the Hobbit experiences will bring tears to your eyes. Other examples of issues brought out in this book: We overcome our fears and begin to act then start to become what we were created to be; but our new found courage does not eliminate fear but changes how we react to it; many scriptural instances listed about fire and eagles in the Bible; the removal of one person to let another become greater; good vs evil, growth through suffering and trials; even with all his changes, he [Bilbo] remains thoughtful and kind and not full of pride. Mr. Bell has a good article about what we call 'luck' that should be taken into account. Also he tells about Tolkien being in WWI and experienced in 'waiting' so he had it '1st hand' in writing about it in the life of Bilbo. The stories are about hobbits, elves, trolls, dwarves, dragons, wizards, goblins and all the fun things children/people with an imagination love to hear about. The key thought I came away with was that evil benefits when good becomes divided; Mr. Bell quotes scripture after scripture that we all know, showing that we as Christians need to be united and working together. I received this book free from BethanyHouse/Baker Publishers for review without any restrictions as to my opinion. IBELIEVE2

Reviewing MADE TO LAST by Melissa Tagg

Reviewing MADE TO LAST by Melissa Tagg Here is a story where the heroine is surrounded by 3 men; all equally handsome; one an ex-fiance, one her fake husband, and then the newcomer to the group all invited to live on her property. This is a very unique and interesting story that you learn a lot about the ins and outs of journalism as well as Tv/movie production. It answered a lot of questions as to why some of our favorite TV shows aren't renewed, and contained a lot of information about the struggles a journalist has to put up with without compromising one's standards. I loved some of the 'sayings' the author put into the story like 'trying to be superman and all I ever wanted was Clark Kent; Friendship and sugar---best therapy there is; best way to make God laugh is to tell Him your plans; there's nothing so deep God can't pull you out. All fit well into the story. Sometimes I felt it was overdone when mentioning television and movie titles; actors and actresses. I also did not care for the 'paint fight' because of the age of the participants; but overall, I did enjoy the story and the information it contained. I had to test it myself several times to make sure I read it right, but I think the editor/author missed the correct position for the man's hands in dancing... but the 'scene' was lovely! Also later in the story when Miranda is about to spill the beans on which of the 3 is her 'true love', the editor missed 'before his name could escape from "his" lips... "his" should be 'her'... but the reader can figure it out! I would definitely like to read a sequel if it is about "Blaze"... I received this book free from Bethany/Baker Publishers for review without any restrictions as to my opinion. BevK IBELIEVE2

Reviewing FIRED UP by Mary Connealy

Reviewing FIRED UP by Mary Connealy...this is Book 2 in the new series "Trouble in TX' and it is a good, humorous page-turner, following on the footsteps of SWEPT AWAY. Included in the story is a vivid description of how measles used to devastate so many families years ago, and how thankful we all should be for the inoculations that stopped it. Many today do not know how tragic it was, but I for one, remember what it was like. I'm thankful our children did not have to go through it. The story moves into a hilarious picture of a diner helping out a local physician ... because the cook doesn't know how to cook, but since she is feminine, the men keep eating there ... and the circle goes round and round. You wonder where the author is going to take you, then in the next paragraph you go from laughing to the book title coming to life, and the suspense and excitement, laughter and love continues until the end. The author clears up a big misunderstanding many people have about 'forgiveness'. She states there is a 'difference between forgiving and trusting.' So many people don't/won't forgive someone because they think that in so doing, they have to accept and trust the offender, but Ms Connealy states it correctly. The 'forgiveness' is mainly for you, the forgiver. You are the one set free. I look forward to Book #3 in this series... FIRED UP was provided to me free from Bethany/Baker Publishers for review without restrictions as to my opinion. BevK IBELIEVE2