Mark Acker

This one takes a turn from the first two and has a very dark, creepy feeling to it--which works! It's a nice change of pace and gives the story new depth. And the haunting music is really outstanding!

I definitely felt the "hungry purple tentacles" runing up my spine!

Once again, Marc Thompson does a tremendous job narrating. This is not a series to miss!

This is written as a children's book and it's wonderful as such. My 5 and 8 year old love it! After listening through the audio several times, I purchased the paper version so that we could read it together in the evenings. And to be honest, I feel I am getting as much out of it as my children! Sally Lloyd-Jones has beautifully crafted every word and clearly lays out how truly every book and every story in the entire Bible points us to the Saviour. God's plan from the beginning of time is brought out in such an easy-to-understand light that while my children are learning from it, my own faith has also been increased.

I whole-heartedly recommend both this audio version and the paper version. Every family ought to own them!

This is a wonderful collection of inspirational, sometimes humorous stories about nursing. There were many places I laughed out loud and a few spots that brought a lump to my throat. There are several different narrators although they are not all listed here. Some of them are good, others not as much. It's worth the purchase though.

There were many notes I made to myself while reading this book. Some parts made me feel good about the things I've done right and other parts convicted me in areas I can improve. But the whole book was presented in loving, non-preachy format that made the convicting parts easy to take. I definitely recommend it, regardless of the age of your children!

Maurice England's narration was okay. He sounds passionate about the material, but his gravely voice and southern accent were a little distracting at times. I do understand why he was chosen and others may feel differently. It's like having someone's grandfather give you parenting advice. It has a nice feel to it but it wore on me a little by the end. Especially the way he say "WHY?" before answering his own question.

I knew there were no images with this audio when I purchased it, but I was expecting first rate audio to make up for it. The audience is younger children, right? So captivating audio is a must! The narration is very dry and unimaginative. And the music played between lines sounds like it was produced on a cheap Casio keyboard from the 80's.

I really enjoyed Love Wins and have watched and loved the Rob Bell's Nooma videos. So I was excited to hear something new by him. The concept behind the book was compelling and I really had high expectations. The book did make some interesting points about what intamacy with God should look like, but overall it felt disorganized and in the end it was hard to find a real take away message. The chapters on their own were okay, but they didn't tie into one another like I would have liked.

As always, the production and Rob Bell's narration were flawless. I did feel drawn in, but to what, I had no idea when it was over.

I have endeavored to read through the entire Bible more times than I care to count; a few times making it as far as Deuteronomy before fizzling out. Breaking the Bible up into digestible chunks with a mixture of old and New Testament and a chapter from Psalms or Proverbs thrown in to keep things fresh is definitely the way to go! This version does that for you! And having it in an audio format makes it easy to stick with.

I have been a fan of The Message Bible since the first time I read the first verse in it. What you do need to be aware of is that this is a paraphrase, not a literal word for word translation. Peterson has taken the entire Bible and translated thought for thought based on his interpretation of the underlying meaning. What this means is that you do need to take it with a grain of salt and be prepared to compare to a literal translation if something doesn't sound right to you. Many traditionalists criticize paraphrasing the Scripture, but do these same traditionalists not do the same thing every time they preach a verse from their literal translation? They read their text, and then proceed to expound upon it and help you know how to interpret it specific to your life. You should take Peterson in that same context. He is expounding upon God's Word and giving you a practical interpretation that you can apply to your life. Is this format infallible? Of course not! But that doesn't mean God is not at work in this. Even the beloved King James Version needs to be viewed in the light of historical context from when it was translated and compared to the original text.

My one complaint is that I wish the individual daily readings were broke out into individual chapters rather than lumping several per chapter. It really makes it hard if you want to review that days' reading again. Finding your place is nearly impossible because when you skip back you won't even know what chapter you're listening to.

This is a fascinating review of Tolkien's background and gives great insight into his character. If you've ever read his writing and wondered what shaped his unique perspective, you'll find it here. I love Kate Reading and she's the perfect choice for this investigative-style performance. But be forewarned: her smooth, soothing tones can cause drowsiness. I don't recommend operating heavy machinery while listening. There's something very NPR-ish about the whole thing.

The book provides eye opening child’s view of what life within the foster care system is like. Dave Peltzer is a huge supporter of foster parents and social workers, but that doesn’t change what a frightening reality it can be for a child. We’ve probably all heard comments towards a foster child along the lines of “what they really need is a good spanking” or “why aren’t they grateful for the people trying to help them?” This book helps us see the world from the child’s perspective.

While the narrator, Brian Keeler, is an adult he does a wonderful job conveying the simple emotions behind the words of the child. You feel David’s fears of his mother coming to take him and his joy when shown an act of kindness.

While full of sadness, this book is a wonderful story of hope! Above all, let this book inspire you to get involved! There are over 1500 children in my state alone looking for forever families. If you can’t open your home to one, be a support to someone else who does! And show a little compassion for social workers and the daunting tasks they face day after day. It’s a thankless job, but I thank God there are those willing to do it!

I don’t really understand the criticisms of this story. Some complain that it feels like filler or some incomplete set-up for the next in the series. But really, what do you expect when you get into a 9-part series that was written as one continuing story? You're not going to get all the answers and conclusions in Part 2!!! Others have complained about the narration which really surprises me. Yes, it sounds a little funny when the adult male narrator does a “little girl voice.” But what do you expect? That’s part of listening to an audio book with one narrator! I say his performance is outstanding!

As for the story itself, this is a nice continuation from part one. The new alien world we are introduced to is very interesting and has a story line you can wrap your teeth around. The evolution of the father/son relationship between Luke and Ben is very well done and touching. I’m stoked to learn more about “Ship” and what its capabilities are. So far it's really spooky in all the right ways. I like how the force is emplained in a new light that makes you think it may be less simple than a "light side" and "dark side." At the same time, it does't trample on what we already know about the force as "canon."

2 books in and I’m loving this series! I’ve never read a Star Wars novel before and may have had some prejudices again people who have, but I think I’m becoming a convert!