THE BEST-SELLING AND MOST READ BOOK IN HISTORY!

My favourite Holiday, the Easter celebration, is only two days away, so herewith my official Happy Easter to my readers and fellow bloggers!

In the excitement of days off from work and colourful Easter eggs everywhere you look, some people find it easy to forget what Easter is truly about. In short:

The tomb is empty. He has risen!

Jesus Christ came to earth, took all of our transgressions on His own shoulders and died, in our place, for our sins. Jesus paid the price for every wrong committed. He redeemed us, saved us, and gave us the greatest gift ever: The promise of everlasting life, in Heaven, with Him. All you have to do is to accept and acknowledge Christ as your saviour. Easy as that :)

So, in the spirit of Easter, let’s talk a little about the Greatest Book ever; the bestselling and most read book in history, which also happens to be the first book ever printed – that’s saying something isn’t it?! I must say, though, I never feel comfortable talking about The Holy Bible as a book, because it’s not just a book - It’s so much more than that. It is the word of God, passed down us tiny, tiny humans. How amazing is that?!

The Holy Bible was written by over 40 different authors, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. It was written over a period of approximately 1500 years from around 1450 B.C. (the time of Moses) to approximately 100 A.D. (following the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ). The first translation of the Bible into English was made in 1382 A.D., by John Wycliffe. The Bible was first printed in 1454 A.D. by Johannes Gutenberg who invented the "type mold" for the printing press. It was the first book ever printed, known today as the Gutenberg Bible (see my post on Gutenberg and the printing press).

The Gutenberg Bible on display in the New York Public Library

The Bible spans the entire existence of Earth, from the creation account in Genesis to the end-time visions of Revelation. The Bible contains 66 books of which 39 are in the Old Testament and 27 in the New Testament. The terms Old Testament and New Testament originated with the prophet Jeremiah when he said that God would “make a new covenant with the house of Israel.” Testament means “covenant,” and the long-awaited Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth, made a new covenant with God’s people. The books of the New Testament provide the fulfillment of the promises made throughout the Old Testament books.

Now, check this out: The shortest chapter in the Bible is Psalm 117. The longest chapter in the Bible is Psalm 119. The centre of the Bible is Psalm 118. There are 594 chapters before Psalm 118 and 594 chapters after Psalm 118, which add up to 1188. The centre verse of the Bible is Psalm 118:8! So what does the centre verse of the Bible say? "It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man." Pretty significant, I think.

Happy Easter, friends, and remember to give thanks for the greatest gift you have ever received, and ever will receive – REDEMPTION!

Author Deeanne Gist read my blog!

Exciting news, friends! Deeanne Gist actually read my mini review slash recommendation of her book A Bride in the Bargain, and commented on it on Twitter! How cool is that?!

@NastassjaLoots Awww, thanks for the post, Nastassja. I'm glad you enjoyed the book!less than a minute ago via web Favorite Retweet ReplyDeeanne Gist DeeanneGist

I love authors who interact with their fans, so now I love Ms Gist even more. You can follow her on Twitter @DeeanneGist.

RECOMMENDATION OF THE MONTH 3: A BRIDE IN THE BARGAIN - DEEANNE GIST

So it's been a while since I've written anything, but I come bearing a gift. A wonderful book that will stay with you long after you've read the final page. My recommendation of the month is a really lovely book called A Bride in the Bargain by Deeanne Gist.

A Bride in the Bargain by Deeanne Gist. FYI, this is her daughter on the cover!

Now, in case you haven’t noticed by now, I am going to point out a little fact about me: I’m completely obsessed with historical novels! History has always fascinated me, and I love reading about times gone by… even when it’s fictional!

A Bride in the Bargain is set in 1860’s Seattle, where men are multiple and women are scarce. It’s a little timberland, you see, and a man with a wife could claim 640 acres of land for free. Enter Joe Denton, a hard working logger in danger of losing his land because he does not have a wife. Desperate, Joe reluctantly decides to order one of the highly anticipated Mercer Brides. (I did some research folks, and the Mercer Bride debacle really happened!) A man named Asa Mercer travelled from Seattle to the East to recruit young women as brides for local settlers. The only problem is that Anna Ivey, Joe’s chosen “bride” signed on to become a cook, not a wife! (This Mercer fella didn't care how he got the ladies on the ship, as long as they got to Seattle) Anna is handed over to Joe, but unwilling to marry a man she doesn’t love Anna stubbornly refuses to wed him, jeopardizing his last possible attempt at saving his land, his business and the jobs of many locals. With only a few short months before a final ruling is made, can Joe convince Anna to marry him?

I love every single page of this book! I love the characters and their chemistry, I love Joe's attempts at wooing a most reluctant Anna, I love their Christian faith which makes them strong, I love the history lesson about the Mercer Brides, I love the crash course in logging and the vacation I got to take in 1860’s Seattle. What I love most, though, is this book's total unpredictability! Deeanne Gist is a wonderfully gifted writer who knows how to weave a story, and kept me guessing (and I kept guessing wrong!) until the very end… and even then she manages to pull the rug out from under you with very unexpected events, and even more unexpected outcomes. Nothing in this book turns out like you imagined. It turns out even better!

For the Romantic Heart this book is a must read! Even for the Less Romantic Heart - I can guarantee this book will make your heart smile!

Enjoy!

P.S. You're welcome