The Final Summit - Andy Andrews

Andy Andrews' book, The Final Summit, was an easy read and enjoyable.  I have read several books by Andrews and have never felt like I wasted my time.  The format of this book, although great for many stories, becomes boring and too predictable at times and reminded me too often of The Traveler's Gift. I thoroughly enjoyed that book, however, it was the first time I read Andy Andrews. 

Don't get me wrong, I believe Andrews is a fantastic artist who uses historical figures well, and makes you want to learn more about them when your time with this book is done.  He crafts stories in a way few others can, although it seems he is relying on the format from previous books to tell the stories.  The story, in and of itself, is excellent and I do highly recommend it.  I give it four out of five stars, even though I did find the format to become boring and predictable at times simply because of my experience with other books like this.  I will give a little disclaimer here also, that I did read this book while under some time constraints, and I usually don't do that, I will usually put the book down and finish it at a later time.  Of course, I also read this book on my Android mobile device, which is the first time I had done that also, which may have played a part in my impatience. 

As far as the story itself, it's a delightful read, and a wonderful book to get lost in.  I highly recommend reading it on a much bigger screen than I did, or preferably a good-ol' paper and ink book, instead of electronically. 



This book was furnished by the through BookSneeze® in exchange for an honest review.  All reviews are my own, and not influenced by this act.

Finding Our Way Again - A Review

I've been reading Finding Our Way Again: The Return of the Ancient Practices. There's a total of eight books in The Ancient Practices series, including this lead-off book by author, Brian McLaren. The latter seven books deal with everything from fixed-hour prayer, observation of the Sabbath, fasting and many other spiritual practices. Each book is authored by different writers, although most of them, if not all of them, are edited by Phyllis Tickle. Things I've read, make me believe the concept was hers, although I am unsure of any of the specifics. This book, meant to be a primer for the other individual practices gives the reader a great overview of the practices that will be dealt with in the follow-up books.

I personally have read many McLaren books, although not nearly all of them, and would consider myself a fan of most of his works. This one is no different, and I believe McLaren was a great choice for this kick-off book in the series. His words flow smoothly and freely about the different disciplines and he does a great job at introducing them. He includes enough detail to entice his readers to continue their journey, while at the same time leaving his readers wanting more.

While I have been curious about several of these disciplines, and even a practicer of some, I have rarely held more than a topical understanding of most. I really liked this book because it helped me have a better understanding of the history of these practices, while at the same time, learn plenty more about them. Enough, in fact, to make me want to read more of the books in this series, specifically on fixed-hour prayer, sabbath rest, and the spirtual journey.

All-in-all, McLaren challenges us, as is usual for the majority of his books that I've read, to look in the mirror to make sure we are truly living the life of a disciple, and not just adopting a set of beliefs. One of the things I like best about Mclaren's work is that he strives to make you question why you believe in something, so that it becomes a way of life, and not just another belief. Pick this book up, you will not be disappointed. If for nothing else than to learn the history of these spiritual practices and have a broader knowledge about them.