A Book in Hand

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest and personal opinions.

LiveInspired2 I’m finally getting the chance to pass along my thoughts and opinions of Live Inspired Book 2 as a member of the Beacon Hill Press Off the Shelf Bloggers. I’m really excited to be a part of this group of book reviewers and hope that you find this critique helpful for your future book selections. I haven’t read Book 1 of this series, so I won’t be comparing the two, but I did evaluate Book 2 on it’s own merit and content.

Live Inspired Book 2 is a 90-day devotional for students that teaches Biblical life lessons through a variety of activities, prompts, discussions and challenges. The book was designed to be an interactive journal for teens and the opening remarks encourage students to think and “draw outside the lines.” Live Inspired is more than just a topical study for teenagers, it’s a catalyst for putting faith in motion. It outlines topics related to student life and connects the teaching with introspective activities and specific challenges to promote an active Christian life. The book encourages learners to think outside the box, explore new ideas and look at Biblical principles in a new way.

Readers are empowered in many different ways to choose and use specific activities, such as the “Pick Two and Do” pages and various other activities that include writing, listening to music, drawing, painting and origami. In addition, there are a lot of prompts for personal reflection and prayer time, but there are also “Conversation Circle” activities throughout the book where students are encouraged to discuss specific ideas and opinions in small groups.

While I thought the lessons were Biblically sound and many of the activities to be intriguing for a variety of different types of learners, I was a bit perplexed by the basic composition of the book. For example, some activities require the learner to tear out pages and create something with them, but the next lesson is on the other side of that page. Maybe it’s just the former teacher in me, but how are students suppose to take part in the next lesson if that page is now a soggy origami cup sitting in the bottom of a trashcan?

In my opinion, the lessons and activities in Live Inspired Book 2 seem to be appropriately geared toward the suggested audience, but the basic design of the book is not conducive to teaching and absorbing all of the lessons being offered. invariably some lessons will have to be skipped or read out of order to get everything this book has to offer.

Yesterday was the first truly spring-weathered day we’ve had this year and what a gloriously welcomed one it was. My three-year-old son and I spent the afternoon outside picking up sticks, playing in the sand and water table and swinging. I also wielded my camera and found a few minutes to dig deeper into my current book.

Yes, I know I should have used my cold winter days for reading, but somehow when the weather warms and my options aren’t limited, I find that I’m more relaxed and ready to soak in a good read. This is my second book in just a few weeks, but my first wasn’t worth mentioning so I won’t (it was the first of a trilogy, and I really should know better).

My current book is Letters from Skye by Jessica Brockmole, and I’m really enjoying it at about the quarter-way mark. It’s a series of letters, which I usually shy from, but this one jumps across decades and is actually intriguing so far. There is a bit of mystery and love peeking its way into the pages and I kind of feel like I’ve stumbled upon a box full of old correspondence that has been lovingly tucked away for years. While I can’t vouch for the book in its entirety, I have to say it has been a good find at the library, thus far.

What’s on your reading list right now, and can you recommend a good book?

Category: A Book in Hand

Off the Shelf — Live Inspired Book 2

A Book in Hand — Letters from Skye