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

RECOMMENDATION OF THE MONTH 2: FEAST OF THE UNINVITED - P.G. DU PLESSIS

My recommendation of the month is a literary masterpiece called Feast of the Uninvited by South African author P.G. du Plessis. This is one of my all time favourite books, and definitely one of the best I've ever read. Usually I wouldn't touch a war drama with a stick, simply because it upsets me too much. What made this story different is that the backdrop is 1899 -1902, the saddest time in South African history - The Anglo Boer war. The war between the two Boer replublics and the British Empire. Since I am a boeremeisie (boer girl) this part of my history, and therefore this story is very close to my heart.

Fees van die Ongenooides - The Afrikaans version

The Feast of the Uninvited follows three generations of the Boer Van Wyk family, the British soldier Captain Brooks and British war photographer Joey Drew, across several years as they deal with the reality and casualties of war, and the devestating aftershocks in the wake thereof. This book is masterfully written; a heartbreaking, realistic portrayal of small, everyday lives touched by the harsh realities of war.

This book is so full of unexpected twists and turns, and delivers the most unlikely of heroes. It breaks your heart in its unwavering reality, then heals it through the strength of these characters who pick themselves up and face the fire once again. That's what I love about this book, its accuracy not only in the war aspects, but also in its stunning portrayal of ordinary people faced with extraordinary circumstances. Every single page is believable to the extent that I did some research to establish whether these characters truly exist. I could find no proof that they did, but I would not be surprised to one day learn that this book is based on actual accounts of people who lived through this devastating war.

The brilliance of this story was also captured on film. Directed by South African legend Katinka Heyns it was filmed as a miniseries, and can be bought on most online shopping stores. To watch this story unfold is no less dramatic than reading it, and I would recommend that you get your hands on the dvd after you've read the book.

Feast of the Uninvited - the miniseries

What makes the film version more heartbreaking is the fact that they continuously incorporate actual photographs of the Anglo-Boer war. You are literally faced with true visions of heartbroken women, starved children and helpless husbands and fathers. What gives the film version its power is stellar performances by South African greats; The brilliant Anna-Mart van der Merwe as Martie van Wyk and Marius Weyers as Danie van Wyk, Stian Bam as the unlikely hero Petrus Minter, Neil Sandilands as the detestable Daantjie van Wyk and a career defining performance by Lika van van den Bergh as Magrieta van Wyk.

The van Wyk family

The Feast of the Uninvited shoves the realities of a war torn country in your face. Some of your favourite characters die. Others don't get their "happily ever after". This is not a shiny, happy story, but it is a literary masterpiece; definitely the best book I've ever read by a South African author. P.G du Plessis is a master.

Bottom line: You have to read this book.

LAUREN KATE: TORMENT

Just like its predecessor, Fallen, I finished reading Torment in three days. I love the story of Daniel and Luce, and all of the mysteries there are yet to discover. As previously mentioned the Fallen series by Lauren Kate is about Lucinda Price, a mortal girl (although I am starting to have my suspicions about Luce’s mortality) who is doomed to fall in love with, and then lose, fallen angel Daniel Grigori lifetime after reincarnated lifetime. This time around, though, things seem to be different and all of the angels are convinced that this lifetime will change Luce and Daniel’s story forever (and not only because Luce has not been baptized in this lifetime, which of course means that if Luce should die this time around, she will not be reincarnated - if she dies, she dies for good).

Although I love the story and the characters, and definitely prefer the new setting and the new characters we are introduced to (I much prefer them to the lot at Sword & Cross), I had the nagging feeling that I was reading Stephenie Meyer’s New Moon again – and as you know New Moon was my least favourite book of the Twilight Saga. The star crossed lovers are separated. Boy is anguished; girl is tormented and close to depression. Enter new bff boy who makes our heroine feel all warm and fuzzy in the absence of her true love, serving only to confuse her already tumultuous emotions even further. New bff boy tries to make our heroine fall in love with him, even knowing she loves another. Seriously, this guy is Jacob Black all over again; annoying the life out of me!

Having said that, I enjoyed tagging along with Luce as she made new discoveries about her life… or lives, I should say. The story is starting to take a very interesting shape, and with every page the Fallen series gets better. Sadly, we see very little of Daniel, thankfully we see even less of Cam, and we have what I would call little cameo appearances by Roland and Arianne, two of my fallen favourites. A new setting, new angels, new mysteries and new discoveries make Torment an interesting read. For a happy ending kind of gal I wasn’t terribly impressed with the ending, though I can’t say I was disappointed either. Uncertainties and suspense filled scenes are, after all, a great way to end these pesky “to-be-continued’s”, and at the very least I’m happy to see Luce finally getting some backbone and owning her life. At the end of the day Torment leaves you just as it should: wanting more.

In my humble opinion the Fallen series is going to be the next big thing, so if you are one of those people who like to be able to say “I loved the book even before it became a cult phenomenon”, then you should definite get your copies of Fallen and Torment ASAP, ‘cause if you ask me, a movie announcement is just around the corner. Isn’t that the best thing about reading, though? You discover all of these awesome stories before so many others :)

The next book in the series, Passion, is scheduled for release mid 2011.