Category Archives: The Randleman Review

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Book Review: In The Aerie Of The Wolf by Leonora Pruner

In The Aerie Of The WolfI’m not a big fan of romance novels, so when a friend of mine with Nordskog Publishing asked me to read and review In The Aerie Of The Wolf, I was skeptical. This is simply a genre I do not like, nor am I very interested in even trying to like it.

But I hesitantly agreed to read it, thinking it may be something my daughter would like to read.

I have to admit, it wasn’t exactly what I expected. Taking place in Victorian England, the story is about a young woman, anxious to be a godly woman like the one described in Proverbs 31, who is taken away from her family and the man she loves to be married to Lord Wolverton. Being torn from one she loves, can she learn to love another?

There were several positive elements to Pruner’s story:

In The Aerie Of The Wolf does a great job portraying what love is. The main character, Anne Crofton, leaves her childhood home, and her childhood, behind as she travels to be wed to a man she does not know, leaving behind the one she has loved since childhood. But, as she discovers what love is, her perspective is changed.

As a parallel, as you read In The Aerie Of The Wolf, you can easily see Christ’s love for his Bride, and how that is reflected within human marriage. Pruner even quotes extensively from the Song of Solomon, reinforcing the idea that human love and marriage is only but a reflection of God’s love for mankind and for the Church.

The story is well thought out. There are several plot twists that I didn’t expect. But since I don’t normally read this type of novel, maybe I’m just clueless in that regard. Whatever the case, the story line was intriguing.

Pruner also did an excellent job of defining and describing the allure of temptation and sin. Flirting with the forbidden is very dangerous, and Pruner’s description hits the nail on the head, uncomfortably well.

But there were a few things in the book that I didn’t like:

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Book Review: Go Big by Cory Cotton

Go BigHave you ever seen the shelf full of self-help books found in most book stores? Those shelves are stocked with books full of generic sounding advice and input concerning how to do whatever it is you want to find out how to do.

Go Big belongs on that shelf.

Let me amend that statement just a bit: If I had to rate Go Big on a scale of one to five, I would give it a two and a four.

I would give it a two.
The content is just weak. It’s the same stuff you hear from all the self-help gurus out there: “Do this, so you will be successful at this…” There wasn’t really anything new and enlightening in this book. And on top of that, reading it was difficult because it felt disjointed; it didn’t flow well.

I would give it a four.
The story of Dude Perfect told in Go Big was somewhat interesting, from a biographical perspective. But what was really fun were the QR codes scattered throughout the book that would take you to various websites and videos. I’m not much of a basketball fan, but watching their trick shots was pretty entertaining. And having the ability to scan the QR code with my iPhone and watch the video right then was pretty cool. However, there were more than a few links that either didn’t work at all, or linked to the same video as a previous one did.

Overall, I wasn’t greatly impressed with Go Big. If you’re into basketball or the trick shot scene, you might find it interesting, but otherwise, don’t spend the money for this book. You can get the same information from a lot of other places.

Now, I’m going to go out and shoot a few trick shots, just to see how hard it really is.

Have you read Go Big? What did you think? You can leave your thoughts in the comments section below.

Disclosure of Material Connection:
I received this book free from Tyndale House Publishers as part of their Blogger Review Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.“

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Book Review: The World Of Science

The World Of ScienceMaster Books recently sent me two new resources: The World Of Animals and The World Of Science.

I am completely enthralled with both of them!

The World Of Science is mind blowing! Covering a wide variety of topics, from the atomic level to the vast reaches of space, The World Of Science does it all.

Each topic is written so that kids can understand it easily, and so can adults! I gained more from the section on electricity and magnetism than I’ve ever been able to comprehend before.

Each section is illustrated with stunning pictures and diagrams that allow you to grasp easily the subject being discussed.

The best part about The World Of Science is section 7, which contains dozens of science experiments that are simple to perform.  My kids already have a list formed of which ones they want to do first!

As a homeschool resource, The World Of Science is worth its weight in gold!

I highly recommend that you add this book to your library right away. You won’t regret it at all!

Have you ever done any science experiments? What did you do? How did it turn out? You can leave your thoughts in the comments section below.

If you are interested in utilizing The World Of Science, you can purchase it at Amazon.com.

Disclosure of Material Connection:
I received this book free from New Leaf Press/Master Books as part of their Blogger Review Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Also, some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links”. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.“

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Book Review: The World Of Animals

The World Of AnimalsThe World Of Animals is a fascinating resource!

With over 1000 animals included, The World Of Animals takes a look at their anatomy, behavior and habits.

This book is simply incredible! It breaks the animal world down into seven categories: simple animals; worms, snails and starfish; insects and other arthropods; fish; amphibians and reptiles; birds; and mammals.

Each category is then broken down into numerous sub-topics.These are examined in great detail, but without being overly scientific.

Each page is filled with excellent content and easy-to-read descriptions, and is covered with eye-catching graphics, images, and illustrations.

My kids will absolutely love browsing through this resource, turning page after page, digesting the details about scores of God’s animal creations.

And my wife will love the potential The World Of Animals brings to our homeschool classroom. With excellent information at our fingertips, it will mean less trips to the library looking for information for reports and essays.

The World Of Animals wold make an excellent addition to any home with children, whether you homeschool or not. The entertainment and excitement of learning about so many varieties of animals is well worth it.

What is your favorite animal? You can leave your thoughts in the comments section below.

If you are interested in utilizing the The World Of Animals, you can purchase it at Amazon.com.

Disclosure of Material Connection:
I received this book free from New Leaf Press/Master Books as part of their Blogger Review Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Also, some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links”. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.“

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Book Review: Sherman: The Ruthless Victor by Agostino Von Hassell and Ed Breslin

Sherman: The Ruthless VictorThomas Nelson Publishing Company has released a series called The Generals, biographies of the great generals of American history. Several months ago, I read and reviewed Lee: A Life of Virtue.

I loved it. So when I had the chance to read and review another book in this series, I jumped at it.

This time around, I read Sherman: The Ruthless Victor. Again, I loved it. However, I have to say that I’m not a big fan of William Tecumseh Sherman.

Sherman was one of the first to implement the concept of “total war”, the goal being to leave your opponent unable to continue to fight. Early warfare was structured, armies facing each other across a field of battle, visible to one another. During the Revolutionary War, that started to change, as American colonists adopted native American methods of fighting.

By the time of the Civil War, this was becoming more accepted in war. But Sherman, along with Grant and a few others, began to take this concept one step farther: Not only did they use concealment as they fought; they attempted to annihilate the enemy’s ability to fight back. This meant destroying supply lines, ammunition stores, factories and industry, and anything else that would enable the enemy to continue to wage war.

Sherman took this too far by destroying homes and possessions that didn’t fit into this criteria.

While I’m not a fan of Sherman, I did love the book. It was well written and very informative. It was definitely worth reading. If you are a history buff, especially of the Civil War era, I suggest you pick up a copy and read it. You won’t be able to put it down.

Who is your favorite American general? You can leave your thoughts in the comments section below.

If you are interested in reading the Sherman:  The Ruthless Victor, by Agostino Von Hassell and Ed Breslin, you can purchase it at Amazon.com.

Disclosure of Material Connection:
I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze blogger review program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Also, some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links”. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.“

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Book Review: Zombie Church by Tyler Edwards

Zombie ChurchOver the holidays I completed Zombie Church, by Tyler Edwards.

I was skeptical at first; what in the world could zombies have to do with the church? But I was intrigued.

And after the first couple of chapters, I was hooked, I was shocked, and I was scared.

I first met Tyler when he spoke at a week of junior high camp for us. His messages were excellent, but I was really impressed with him as a person. He stayed in the dean’s cabin with me and the other dean, Eric. We spent the hours after the campers went to bed playing Phase 10, laughing at Eric on no sleep, and having a great week. It was great. When he found out that week that I read and reviewed books, he asked if I would be interested in reading and reviewing Zombie Church. Like I said, I was intrigued.

Not too long after that, I received a copy of the book from his publisher.

I was intrigued…
My initial questions were centered around the idea of just how the church could have anything at all in common with zombies, or even B-level, cheesy zombie movies. I couldn’t see the connection at all. But, cheesy or not, I enjoy a good zombie flick as much as the next guy, most of the time. There have been a couple that I couldn’t bear to watch. He even references one of them later in the book, Undead Alive.

Since I couldn’t fathom how he’d connect zombies and the church, I knew I had to read on.

I was hooked…
It didn’t take long, in fact. It was on page 12 that I read a quote from Brennan Manning, one of my favorite authors:

The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today is Christians who acknowledge Jesus with their lips then walk out the door and deny them with their lifestyle.

All of a sudden, I could see the similarity between the church, or at least a portion of it, and zombiism. Just a few pages later, Edwards says this:

When the church neglects the commission of Jesus — stops ministering to the poor and the hurting and stops sharing the love of God with others — then it stops living.

So true.

And very frightening. But more on that in a moment.

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Book Review: Big Book Of History

Big Book Of HistoryAs a homeschool dad, I’m always on the lookout for excellent teaching resources.

The Big Book of History is one such resource. I was intrigued, and my kids were fascinated with it.

It’s simply this: a fold-out time line of history from Creation through today. With tons of information, and very visually captivating images, this resource will be incredibly useful in our history lessons.  Once unfolded, it extends to fifteen feet!  It’s extremely easy to follow and includes lots of sidebars and mini-timelines with additional information.

I’m extremely impressed with the Big Book of History. In fact, I’m considering buying another one to disassemble and hang up in our school room for our kids to access easily.

With access online to a study guide, the Big Book of History will make a great teaching tool for parents, as well as in the church.

I highly recommend that you add one of these to your library. It will definitely come in handy!

What resources do you use to teach history, if any? You can leave your thoughts in the comments section below.

If you are interested in utilizing the Big Book Of History, you can purchase it at Amazon.com, or you can order the panels only.

Disclosure of Material Connection:
I received this book free from New Leaf Press/Master Books as part of their Blogger Review Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Also, some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links”. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.“