Book Review - The Story of the Bible by Larry Stone

The Story of The Bible is a wonderful trip through time learning about the origins of the Bible, the intricacies of the translations, the dangers dedicated people put themselves in to share the Word of God.  Taking you through the history of the Book itself you learn how books were picked for inclusion and how far back the some of the books can be traced.  You follow the history of Bible translations to find yourself at the end of the book realizing that the Bible has been translated into more languages than you could imagine, with many more to go.  One of my favorite chapters in the book is the 8^th chapter, The Old Book in the New World.  As a nation, America has lost sight of the fact that it was founded on Biblical principles, many do not even realize it since it’s hard to find that teaching in schools these days.  This chapter is a must read for anyone not familiar with the history of this country.

This book itself is fun to read with the scattered inserts giving you copies of pages to pull out and peruse in their original format.  It is like a treasure hunt within the book.  The illustrations are beautiful and interesting in themselves.  A very nicely done history.

The Heart of Memory by Alison Strobel

I am a big fan of Lee Strobel, so when I heard that his daughter Alison had written a Christian fiction book I decided to read it.  I don't read Christian fiction normally, only Jan Karon.  I have to say, it is one of the best fiction books that I've read.  The story of the life of the heroine and her family, the highs and the devastating lows, was mesmerizing and gripping.  From Savannah's seemingly put together life in her ministry through a heart transplant that changed her so much that she almost lost herself in the process, the story flew across the pages. Add to that the dysfunctional relationship with her daughter and the life her husband kept from everyone and it became a book I could genuinely not put down.  I would highly recommend this book.