"Big Red" Holy Bible - Contemporary 3-D Art

I am not a baptised Christian but I have a Bible of my own given to me by a cousin sister. And I can say that I enjoy reading it very much though some words are too hard for me to understand, let alone explain it to my son.

When I saw this full-text of the International Children's Bible being offer for review, I took to opportunity to request a copy for my son.

I can't tell you my delight when I received this Bible. Love the 3D cover and the colorful pictures that accompany some of the stories inside.


The writing is simple and easy to understand for a child. At the end of the Old and New Testament there is an extensive dictionary. There is also a "Where do I find it?" section which list down the alphabetical listing of people and events and where to find them in the scriptures. Apart from that, there is also a section of God's promises, memory verses and some maps.

The only that I don't like about this Bible is that it is not hardcover. I feel that since it's intended for the Children, they should should make it hardcover so that it would be more durable.

I gave this 4 stars .

For your information, this complimentary copy was provided by the publisher, Tommy Nelson(a division of Thomas Nelson Publishers) through their Booksneeze.com book review bloggers 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.”

Sweet Mandarin By Helen Tse

This is another book that I picked up from The Big Bad Wolf Sale. Ya..time to "dig in".

At first I thought this is just another novel coz I bought this book due to the author's name. Love reading books from Asian writers.

Later when I read through, I discovered that this is not just any novel. It's a true story of the courageous journey by 3 generations of Chinese women in a family.

Helen Tse's grandmother, Lily Kwok, came from a very poor farming family in China. When her great grandfather tried to make a life for his family by venturing into business, his life was cut short by an unfortunate incident.

His widow and 6 daughters were left at the mercy of his relatives. They were bullied. But Lily Kwok was a bright child and managed to get herself some sort of education and become an Amah.

She married for love and had two children, Arthur and Mabel(Helen's mother). But love does not survive.

During Japanese Occupation she was with a Dutch family and since the Dutch were not fighting with the Japanese, she was "protected" . She even learnt a bit of Japanese which probably have saved her life.

After the Occupation she went to work with a British family. And subsequently had the hard choice of following the family back to UK or to stay in Hong Kong.

At last she went to UK. There she managed to built a life for herself and bring her children to stay with her.

She worked hard and managed to built a small fortune. Arthur moved away and Mabel got married. Then they lost everything.

It was very hard but their perseverance paid off. Lily, Mabel and later on Helen with her siblings re-built what they have lost.


There is one part which really moved me. Helen's restaurant have been broken into and everything was stolen. Helen asked Lily how could Lily sit there and be so calm when faced with the destruction. you know what Lily replied?

She laughed and said " when you get to be my age, you'll stop asking why things happen and learn to accept them".

I guess she is right at some point. Like the recent petrol and sugar price increase. Guess we'll just have to learn to accept them and find a way to deal with it.

Paddington Here and Now By Michael Bond

I have read two Paddington Bear books earlier on. I love "A Bear Called Paddington" and "Paddington, My Book Of Marmalade" . 

This is my 3rd. Got this from BBWS last round for RM5 only.

In this book Paddington had settled down with the Brown family and he is pretty well known around the town. He is known to drive a hard bargain. 

There are a few funny incidents that makes me laugh like mad. Like when his basket on wheels gone missing, when he "invited" the grumpy Mr Curry over for Halloween, or when he was "forced" to paint Mr Curry's pipe.

Best of all is a surprised visit by Paddington's Uncle.

This book maybe a a bit childish for me but it was a really delightful experience. To see Paddington's innocent and what mishaps it leads to.

Christmas Promotions and Charity Drive By BookXcess

Great news! Just saw this delightful promotion in BookXcess Facebook. Cleffairy, GoldFlower, Chee Yee, Chen Chzan...everyone...anyone...apa macam? Wanna go?

 

Hey! not only borong books for oneself, friend and family but also can do Charity. How about it?

The Root Of All Evil By Dewi Anggraeni

Komalasari had left Jakarta, Indonesia for 9 years and reside in Australia. She have a husband, Drew and two kids who loves her.

One day, she got to know that her father was seriously ill. She just had to go back and see her father.

When she arrived in Jakarta, she had a real cultural shock. So many things had changed.

The people in Australia are always straight forward. In Jakarta, everything is not as it seems to be. One word can have a thousand different meaning. Injustice seems to be a way of life. To them, it's fated.

She met her ex-boyfriend who had jilted her and now assumed that they can continue where they left it last time.

Then she also met a night club hostess who had to do what she is doing for the sake of her children. But when injustice done to her, everyone kept quiet.

I don't under stand the tile of this story. The Root of All Evil. At first I thought it had to do with some mambo jumbo. But then it seems to me this story is about cultural shock. Ones can have cultural shock when one returned to own country

To me this book worth 1 star. Too long winded and a lot of hesitation

A Time To Dance By Karen Kingsbury

This book is about marriage on the rocks. John and Abby were the perfect couple. Childhood sweetheart. Have the perfect family. All rosy and daisy.

But then they fell out of love with each other. Abby suspected John cheating on her . John felt neglected by Abby in the past years since she was concentrating in her work.

They thought of getting divorce but then their daughter announced that she is getting married.

Well, they decided to postpone the announcement so that it won't ruin their daughter's day.

I give this books 3 stars out of 5. I find that this book is depressing and long winded. But no doubt the issues highlight here are very real.

I received this complimentary book from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their blogger review programme. I am not required to give a positive review and all opinion expressed herein are my own.

Book Giveaway!!!

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