CHRISTEPHI

Now that Thanksgiving is over, it is socially acceptable to turn our attention to Christmas. (That's how it works, right?)  Don't tell, but I've been in "Christmas mode" since quite a while before Thanksgiving.  This year I'm heading up a casual chorus of Christmas carolers.  Because of that, I've had Christmas carols on the brain since early October!  There couldn't be any better timing for a book about the stories behind our most beloved Christmas carols. About the Book From Oxford professor and renowned British composer, a joyous account of the history behind our favorite carols. Everyone loves a carol in the end, even Ebenezer Scrooge. They have the power to summon up a special kind of mid-winter mood, like the aroma of gingerbread or the twinkle of lights on a tree. It's a kind of magic. But how did they get that magic? Andrew Gant choirmaster, church musician, university professor, and writer tells the story of twenty of our fa...

When you come across a book titled A Plague of Unicorns , it kind of makes you pause and wonder what on earth that could be about!  In that first autumn of Aelian's rule, when the golden apples were at their ripest, the battle lines were drawn--monks against unicorns.   It was never a fair fight.     Young James, the duke's son, asks too many questions. At least that's what everyone at Callendar Castle thinks after all but the last of his tutors quits and his uncle ships him off to be educated at Cranford Abbey.  Unfortunately, the once-beautiful abbey has problems of its own, including cracked walls, a leaking roof, and shattered stained glass windows.  Not to mention the pesky herd of unicorns that continues to enter the abbey's orchards and claim them as their own.   The only hope to save the abbey, it seems, is money raised by Abbot Aelian's golden apple cider, made from a recipe passed down in his family for genera...

This has got to be one of the most gorgeous Bibles for adults (i.e. not a children’s Bible) I have ever seen. The full color printing simply makes it a pleasure to read. Yes, I am addicted to color. Life is too glorious to be drab. When I received my copy for review, I was nearly giddy with the pleasure of its colorful and illustrated pages.  I told Hubby, "I wanna take this to Bible study tonight so I can be one of the cool kids."  Ha! In all seriousness though, I’ve always appreciated Thomas Nelson Bibles.   I’ve seen Bibles from some other publishers ( cough-Zondervan-cough ) fall apart in less than a year, but Nelson Bibles seem to be put together quite a bit better. This one is no exception. In fact, it comes with a lifetime guarantee. That, of course, doesn’t cover normal wear and tear, but if the pages suddenly start falling from the binding by the handful as has happened to me with other Bibles in the past, they should replace it for you. Here’s hoping I...

One of the most exciting times in a child's life is when they are beginning to unlock the mysteries of the written word. We are just starting to get there with my son. He'll be five soon and has been working his way through our kindergarten curriculum. He's beginning to find -- and read! -- words everywhere! From street signs to grocery store advertisements to picture books to song lyrics. He is beginning both to recognize familiar words and to sound out new-to-him words! I know it won't be long before he develops into a fluent and avid reader, just like his big sister, and just like me! Because Little Guy will soon be reading on his own, I wanted to get him a Bible, God's Holy Word, of his own. Although it is somewhat more difficult than a children's translation, Hubby suggested we get the NKJV for Little Guy since that is what he uses. Like father like son, right? I was very pleased when I received a free copy of the NKJV Adventures Bible from Zondervan . ...