Robin Takes The Scenic Route

Happy New Year! Non-Fiction Book Reviews: "Awaken" & "Holiness"

1/1/2020

Happy New Year! I'm welcoming 2020 at Robin Takes the Scenic Route with two book reviews of a couple of awesome non-fiction books I enjoyed during 2019. Technically, I've been enjoying one of them since probably 2016, but... XD
On with the reviews!

Devotional Book Review: Awaken - 90 Days With the God Who Speaks by Priscilla Shirer

Awaken: 90 Days with the God who Speaks by Priscilla Shirer
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I truly enjoyed this devotional book as it jump started my journaling. I've been trying to make it a point to journal every day. (You'll see by my reading dates that I didn't start this journey without a few hiccups.) Having the guiding questions also helped me dig deeper into how I view different biblical concepts and how I've seen myself changing and growing over time. I also love hearing things from different perspectives. I'd recommend this book to anyone on a Christian spiritual journey who is trying to dig deeper into their faith and connect more closely with the God they serve.
What I loved about the book: Journal prompts were poignant, easy to answer if you just give it a little thought. The space provided was most adequate for someone only wishing to answer the journal prompt question. (I journal in a separate book.) The devotions themselves were short enough to read in 5-15 minutes, depending on how much time you want to spend meditating over the words. I loved the fact that many scriptures were used and each devotion had at least four focal scriptures.
I didn't really hate anything about this book. It was really good.

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This book was a gift from my mother. She purchased it while we were both shopping in the store one day and I'm so oblivious, I never even knew. Imagine my surprise on my birthday!

Religious Book Review: Holiness - Its Nature, Difficulties, Hindrances, & Roots by J.C. Ryle

Holiness by J.C. Ryle
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

It's hard to say any one thing about this book and not go into lots of detail. I had a version that was free on Kindle and there were lots of places where words were missing. In most cases, they were insignificant and I could figure out which word should be there. In a couple of places, this was not the case. Also, the language is that of an educated, scholarly bishop who lived in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Personally, I absolutely adore it! But I also know that's not for everyone. These things made the book a challenge to read but it was worth the effort.
The subject matter struck me in its relevance. People don't change that much, generally speaking. The problems J.C. Ryle was seeing in the church of his day are almost exactly the same as what I see happening today. I found this both encouraging and discouraging. Odd, yes?
I read about half of this book on my own and the other half aloud with my husband so we could discuss different things I was finding in it. He enjoyed it as much as I did, I think. If you're looking for a challenging book on one man's view of the religious practices of his day, then definitely check this out.

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If you actually click through to view my review on Goodreads, you'll see this is the one which took me forever to finish. I really and truly loved it but I would consistently run out of time to read it. The subject matter needs to be pondered and I just didn't have that kind of time in large chunks.

I hope you see something you like on this page! These books are for those seeking a closer relationship with God (Awaken) or those seeking to learn more about religious views in the early 1900s. Next week, I'll be back to romances. If these weren't to your liking, then perhaps next week's installment will include something you might find interesting.
This month, I'll be working on some changes to my website, mainly to the color scheme and background photos. Bear with me as I get those implemented over time. Until it's done, some of the pages may not match. I'm one person working on my own at three different jobs which could technically break down into more specific jobs. So yeah, it gets a little hectic at our house. :)
Thanks for sticking with me this far and I hope you'll stick around for 2020. I'm looking forward to "Surge" coming together and my short stories getting shined up for my subscribers. 2020's the year!
Happy New Year!!