Kindle Fire review from a mom’s point of view

Birthday is next week, but hubbs couldn’t wait to give me my gift. As soon as he saw the box, he said I needed to open it. Which I did. And oh, is it beautiful! There were 2 boxes, to be fair. One was the Kindle Fire, and then other was the Marware pink case.

I spent much of the evening playing with it, and it distracted me a little today from other things, so I’ll tell you what I found!

Size: It’s perfect. It fits nicely in my purse, which something like an iPad wouldn’t. It’s big enough to read and type comfortably, but not so big that it’s inconvenient. However it does not fit in my pocket, and I was quite sad that I had to leave it at home today when I walked down to the kids’ bus stop. Didn’t have enough hands for coffee, Kindle, and helping little hands with heavy bags. Maybe I could engineer myself a pocket big enough…

Screen: I have to admit, I really like the regular Kindle’s paper-like screen. That makes reading on an e-reader really comfortable, but the Fire has a regular smart-phone type (LCD) screen, complete with glare. Can’t really expect anything else to get the quality color display though. It attracts fingerprints like a magnet, just like any smart phone (or tablet) screen would. It doesn’t really impede reading, unless you were going to try to read Anna Karenina in one sitting or with funky lighting. Setting the screen to sepia helps.

Reading: The touch screen controls are easy to use, but maybe too easy. I found myself accidentally tapping the screen while holding it, and then it would turn the page for me – when I wasn’t ready to turn. I suppose that will just take some getting used to. And from people with other e-readers, I’ve heard that many people really like the audible page turns. The Fire doesn’t seem to have that (unless it’s a setting I haven’t found yet). I love that when I’m reading I can double-click a word and it references the dictionary for me. Super handy. We already know that Amazon Kindles don’t let you use non-Kindle ebooks, and the Fire is no different. All in all, it’s comfortable, but if my primary goal was purely to read, I’d rather have a regular e-reader. But since I needed something for all the apps, the Fire is perfect for me.

Apps: And speaking of apps, let’s get to those. It’s built on the Android platform, but Amazon directs you to their app store instead of the full Google Andoid app store – Amazon currently allows about 10,000 of the 200,000 android apps. My hope is that they’ll increase their offerings or open up regular Google apps to the Fire. Some of the apps I’ve downloaded and used are: HootSuite, Evernote, GroceryIQ, Angry Birds (essential, don’t you know?), Hulu plus, ESV Bible, and Netflix. There’s no geo-location so location based apps like FourSquare aren’t really an option. And there’s no camera, so forget about QR code readers, barcode scanners, or Instagram. That said, the only app I’ve looked for and not found is Pinterest. And how can a girl survive without Pinterest? Oh, yeah. They have a website I can access on the Safari browser. I suppose I’ll live (but Amazon peeps, hint hint: we want pinterest!) The touch screen is really responsive and makes everything work like ‘butta’. Hubbs synced my email, so I can pretty much do all my work on the Kindle (as long as I have Wi-Fi).

Kid stuff: As I mentioned, the touch screen is really easy to use, and there are plenty of game and learning apps available. My kids can’t wait to get their grimy fingers on Angry Birds. That said, the purpose of the Fire is for my work, and I don’t anticipate putting it in their hands. Call me scrooge, but that’s just the way it is. Now, were things different and I needed them to be entertained, I actually think this machine is way better than an iPad. It’s smaller for their little hands and little laps – easier for them to manage. The investment is smaller (i.e., it’s less painful when they scratch or otherwise maim it). They can watch movies or videos on it, and it has plenty of fun apps. Fewer buttons and moving parts than other tablets also means fewer things to break.

Other techie stuff: Hubbs tells me that the battery is “only” 8 hours. So far, I’ve had no issues with battery power, and I can’t imagine that I’d need it for 8 hours straight without a power outlet. As far as speed, downloads and operating speed have been mostly great. Every now and then there’s a little lag, but I don’t know if that’s my wireless network or the Fire. The seamless integration between the device and the cloud really is super-quick.  Speakers. It has them – two, to be exact. They work just fine, and you can get audio up to a decent level, but this machine wasn’t built for top of the line stereo listen-like-you’re-there sound. Finally, there’s one big drawback – only one, but it’s relatively big. There’s no 3G. That means I need to have WiFi to use most of the apps – at least the ones I use for work. Some tablets have a workaround where you can set up your phone as a WiFi hotspot, and the Fire doesn’t do that. So there’s really no 3G. Now, most of the places I would want to use it will have WiFi. But it looks like in the places that don’t I’ll have to pull out my teeny-tiny smartphone. Oh, what a rough life I live…

Summary: The controls are intuitive, it’s easy to use, and very comfortable. There’s no camera, geo-location, or 3G – so if that’s important look elsewhere. But if you’re looking for a cross between an e-reader and a tablet minus the extras, this is a great little machine.  I’d have to say that it’s more tablet than e-reader, and probably for that reason exactly it suits my needs perfectly.

Update: Check out this post of my 15 favorite Kindle Fire apps.

How to choose a Children’s Bible

There are nearly as many children’s Bibles out there as there are children. Well, perhaps that’s a slight exaggeration, but the fact is, trying to pick one out can be overwhelming. Or, underwhelming, once you start looking at them more carefully. There are so many options, and so few of them are good. I thought I’d share with you a few of the factors I look at when choosing a Children’s Bible, and then a couple of recommendations for good ones.

1. Is it interesting to your kids? If the kids don’t like it, the remaining questions here are null and void. If it won’t hold your interest it’s not worth the paper it’s printed on.

2. Is the content accessible to their ages? In other words, can they understand the language? Are the stories the right length for them?

3. Which content is there? Which stories are included? Children’s bibles range from lots of stories to just a few. Some children’s bibles – even the extensive ones – will limit themselves to the ‘easy’ stories, the ones that are easy to put at a child’s level. Others include the harder stories – like the crucifixion and other less happy topics. (And why is it that children’s bibles so seldom have the story about the donkey God made talk? Kids love that.)

4. Does the theology gel with yours? Any time you work with a paraphrase of the bible there will be room for an interpreter’s slant to come in. Some bible are equally applicable to Santa, Superman, and the Fairy Godmother as they are to God. Does the faith you want to instill come through in the text?

So, given those considerations, these are the 3 children’s bibles we love (age recommendations are mine, and might not correspond to the publishers’):

Toddlers

Each of the 17 stories in God is Great takes a 2-page spread with 8-10 lines of text – just enough for my toddler to digest. Each story focuses on one attribute of God – He was here in the beginning, He protects us, Nothing is too hard for God, and so on. The illustrations are delightful and I love how the focus is constantly on God. What’s more? My toddler loves it. (Ages 1-3)

 

Pre-K, Early Elementary

The Jesus Storybook Bible: Every Story Whispers His Name is my all-time favorite children’s bible. I had a pastor once who said that everything in the bible is about Jesus, even if it’s not about Jesus. It either prepares people for him, foretells his birth and life, or defines a need for him. I didn’t fully understand that until I started reading this to my kids. It opens up a whole new outlook on redemptive history. Why else do I love this one? My kids love it. Bean read it cover to cover when she was 5, and she still likes to flip through the pages and re-read her favorite stories. Little Man takes it to school with him, asks me to read it at bedtime, and wakes up wanting to hear more. It covers tough topics – things parents might want to skip over when their little ones are really little, but tells every story framed in hope and thanksgiving for the God who loves us with a Never stopping, never giving up, always and forever love. (Ages 3-6)

Elementary

Someone gave us the NIrV Read with Me Bible when we were overseas in Moldova. I had low expectations, since I’d already found the Jesus Storybook Bible. And it’s true – this Bible doesn’t “whisper his name” like the Jesus Storybook Bible, but my kids preferred it for a good long time, and as it turns out, it’s a pretty great bible. It has 106 stories, which is huge as far as children’s bibles go. The illustrations are phenomenal, and the stories are told in a way that’s accessible, thorough, and engaging to young readers. (Ages 5-8)

Book review: Don’t call it a comeback

Have you ever stumbled when someone asked you to define what “The Gospel” really means? Have you ever wondered what the difference is between sanctification and justification? Or why evangelicals seems to get stuck on some topics (like homosexuality) and virtually ignore others (like global warming)?

If you answered yes to any of those questions, this is the book for you. Kevin DeYoung put together a stellar cast of writers to tackle the topics that make evangelical faith different from other brands of faith. What’s really cool is that the first part of the book builds the theological and doctrinal foundation, and the second half of the book tells you what to do with that knowledge – in essence, it sends you out to be an evangelist in word and deed.

Greg Gilbert’s chapter on The Gospel is alone worth the cost of the book. Chapters on sanctification, the scriptures, and worship are pretty awesome too. And what else would you expect from a book made up of a handful of today’s thought leaders?

I really wanted to love this book. The editor is one of my old pals from seminary, and it’s packed full of influential folks like Tim Challies, Russel Moore, and Tullian Tchividjian (I know, I can’t pronounce that one either). It’s supposed to be a basic overview of the evangelical faith useful for new believers, undiscipled believers, and young believers to the basic tenets of the evangelical faith.

And yet the intro and the first chapter left me confused. Written for pastors, they didn’t seem to gel with the goal of the book. and the next chapter after that goes into a overview of the history of evangelicalism. Not really your hook and sinker chapters to grab readers’ attention. But once I got past those (and it took me a while, since they weren’t really ‘page turners’) I found that the remainder of the book didn’t disappoint. I highly recommend it.

Book Review: Ethics for a Brave New World

Did I mention that I’m doing some book reviews for Crossway? They let me pick a book or 2 a month and they send me a reviewer’s copy. Given my love of reading, and my love of Crossway’s authors, it’s a great little agreement.

This month (or last month?) one of the books I picked out was Ethics for a Brave New World (2nd edition), by the Feinbergs – John and Paul. It’s a new edition of the book originally published in 1993. I wanted to review it because I’ve always loved ethics, but I have to say that when the 800+ page treatise arrived in the mail I seriously considered returning it to sender. I’m long past my academic days of wrestling with lofty topics for the mere purpose of debate and discourse.

But I steeled myself and sat down with the massive text and a cup of tea. What I found was pleasantly surprising. The book tackles a number of hot-button issues, including:

• Abortion
• Homosexuality
• Stem cell research
• Capital punishment
• Euthanasia
• Divorce
• War/Pacifism
• Birth control

It isn’t the type of reading I’d plow through for the fun of it, but each chapter (or set of chapters) gives systematic, full-range coverage of the topic at hand, all with a solid theological and biblical backing. It’s a comprehensive reference for those rough topics, and I think what I like best is how the Feinberg brothers give fair hearing to each side of the equation.

They do so well enough that certain questions that have plagued me for years have now been answered. Each topic has sides presented from the Bible, history, statistics, logic, philosophy… Different sides are heard, and what I like (though some people might not), is that each chapter concludes with a definitive answer. I’m the type who wants to know, is it right or wrong? And while the authors give clear evidence and backing for each side, they give the reader strong guidance as to the final reckoning.

I’ve turned the tide from wanting to distance myself from this giant ‘paperweight’ to giving it a prized position on my bookshelf as a top reference for my family as we track through major issues. You can check it out (and purchase the paperback or e-book) at Crossway’s website.

Think by John Piper

On my bedside table now is a reviewer’s copy of Think, by John Piper. I was pretty excited to get it, since Piper’s books Let the Nations Be Glad, Desiring God, and Future Grace have been pretty formative for me. While Think proved to be fundamentally different from those, it didn’t disappoint.

It’s different in that it has a decidedly more academic bent than most of Piper’s other book. It’s footnote-dense and heavy on quotes from other theologians. And it’s different in that the book builds up to the ‘meat’ – as opposed to, say, Let the Nations Be Glad where Piper blows you away from the very first chapter.

But there’s no doubt this is Piper. As you might imagine in a book titled Think, he tackles the centrality of the mind in the Christian life. Going back to trinitarian doctrine he roots the life of the mind and the life of the heart in the reality of the triune God.

I found a historical basis in Jonathan Edwards for those reformed ideas I picked up from Piper’s earlier books, that man’s chief purpose is to glorify God and enjoy him forever, and that God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him. It requires understanding, questioning, wrestling with truth. According to Piper, “The Lord never says, ‘Stop thinking about my Word. I’ll tell you what it means.’” We’re meant to wrestle with it.

Perhaps my favorite chapter was The Immorality of Relativism. Here, Piper attacks one of the thickest fibers of the “post-Christian” world, or Post Postmodern world. He identifies relativism as treason against the objective reality of God, as enslaving people, and as disguising pride and greed as humility and flattery.

1 Cor. 8 ties knowledge to love, and this is where Piper heads next. That often found anti-intellectual idea that “All I need to know is that Jesus loves me” is challenged is Piper tells us that the neglect of knowledge is not the path to love. To fully love, we have to know the object of our love.

You can find more information about the book at Crossway’s website, including a video of John Piper and excerpts.

Bible Story Handbook (Review)

Do you know what I have? A brand spankin’ new copy of Crossway Books’ “The Bible Story Handbook.” They sent me a reviewer’s copy, and I love, love, love it.

Here’s the thing. When I first read about it I was intrigued, but skeptical. I expected something for a children’s Sunday School teacher. I figured it would have some pretty simple insights into how to focus popular Bible stories, maybe how to bring it down to a child’s level… I thought it might be a nice book to have on the shelf for occasional reference, but most likely nothing earth-shattering.

I was oh so very wrong. It’s way better. This book covers your typical popular Bible stories as well as the less known and harder to ‘get’ stories. And you know how sometimes when you read your Bible you glance down at the footnotes to see what the ‘experts’ say about it? This is way better. For each story it gives focal points (basically, how the story fits into Redemptive history, or how it fits into the big picture), context, interpretational issues (what some people have said and why or why not to believe them), background that tells you about the time and place, and mistakes to avoid. It’s equally helpful for personal reading, teaching adults, or teaching children. It even tells you when a story is inappropriate for kids (like Jephthah).

You know how you always wondered about Solomon’s wives? I mean really, the guy is revered for his wisdom, but he was a polygamist? You know you always wondered. Well, apparently Solomon wasn’t a greedy old perv, he made alliances for political purposes, and those alliances were solidified through marriage.

It covers Jephthah. And Ananias and Sapphira. And Creation with great insight. The plagues. And in every breath it points all attention to the fuller knowledge of God. It’s awesome.

If you’d like to check out an excerpt Crossway has one on their site (where you can also purchase the book).

Preschool

Did I tell you I started the boys in preschool? Little Man is 4, going 3 half-days a week, and Bruiser is 1 going 2 half-days a week. They love it. I love it. I now have 2 mornings a week when I can accomplish something that stimulates my brain. So here it is. What I’ve been up to in the last week since they started school.

I finished reading Owlhaven‘s book on large families (and loved it) and started reading Seth Godin’s book on marketing. In case you missed the subtle hint there – I can read now!

I tried a new recipe for guacamole from Pioneer Woman‘s cookbook – Yum! I will say, I add a smidgen of mayo to my guac – it makes it a little creamier and gives it a hint of zing. Subtle hint – I can cook with creativity now!

I started working on a new skill I want to develop. Knitting and crochet? Simple. And often unrewarding… but maybe that’s because I get lazy with it. I digress. I’ve started trying to spin my own yarn! Hubbs got me a drop spindle and roving (that is, raw wool from alpacas) and I’ve been trying to beat it into submission make it do what I want and spin some yarn from it. I have some Mongolian yak fiber too – can’t wait to work with that… I find it somewhat bizarre that I’m discussing alpaca and yak fiber. But I can! My kids are all at school right now!

Well, I’ve been ind of productive too. Did some work for our new company. Scored a new client. Did some editing for another freelance gig. That’s what preschool did for me.

Much different than our experience a year ago with a similar development. Love being back in the US of A.

Winner!

We have a winner for the book giveaway!

Random.org chose #4 as the winner, so congratulations to Jenn! I’lll contact you Jenn for your mailing address.

Fun giveaway!

FedEx showed up today and I ran to the door hoping it was the mysterious gift hubbs sent me for our anniversary – 7 wonderful years and counting! Alas, not my anniversary present, but instead the Merck Manual Home Health Handbook – almost as exciting. Not much can compare to a mystery gift, but this comes awfully close! I wanted to post a picture of the book, in its pretty package with orange shreds as packing filler, but it seems that some dwarf has run off with my camera. Wait – scratch that. It seems that my dad has reclaimed his camera.

If you’ve been following Mudlark Tales for long, you probably know what I checked out first. Yep! I looked up seizures and was pleasantly surprised. They talk about all the major issues, giving special attention to anti-seizure medications. Then I looked up all sorts of things – multiple sclerosis, tuberculosis, vitamin D deficiency, ADHD, asthma (which has some really cool graphics for explanation), and vaccines, to name a few. Don’t be fooled by the mommy-blog take – this is not just for moms. The handbook covers birth to aging, including information on death and dying, DNR orders, and everything in between. It also has really helpful illustrations of the body, which I’m sure will come in handy as the kids get older and we talk about what the brain looks like or why ear tubes helped Little Man’s ear infections.

I can see how this would easily become my at-hand reference for everything health-related. Not only does it cover all the essential information about most any ailment, it also has good references for proper nutrition and even using nutrition to combat illness.

Let me forewarn you, it takes a purely scientific stance on autism and ADHD. Autism, it says, is not caused by vaccines. The rise in ADHD diagnoses could be due to a rise in occurrence or over-diagnosis. I happen to like people that stick to scientific studies, and stick to their guns without apology. Overall, it is very thorough, reader-friendly, and the helpful text boxes are a quick key-in to helpful information. Thanks to Merck for sending me a manual to giveaway to one of my fabulous readers – a $39.99 value!

So, here’s what you need to know. To enter, leave a comment about how you usually find information about health – do you google? call your RN sister? consult a magic 8 ball? actually ask your doctor? You can also enter by tweeting about the contest @kcozonac, or get an extra entry by reposting on your blog. Winner will be randomly chosen on Friday at noon, EST, by one of those randomizer thingys. And because I’m paying the shipping on this, I’m afraid I can only open it to residents of the US or Canada.

Oh, dear. An ESV Bible Giveaway.

Boomer in the Pew is giving away an ESV Bible. A calfskin ESV Bible. Coincidental seeing as how I tried (and failed) to find an affordable ESV to bring to Moldova. You can register for the drawing here, just remember that I deserve it more than you. Wait! No, now I sound like my 3-year old. Didn’t Jesus say that last would be first? Well then, may I be last.