Douay-Rheims Confirmation Bible (Review: Tiber River)

Note about purchasing a Douay-Rheims Bible:

When searching for a Bible, most people either know what translation they are looking for or have no idea what the differences are. In fact some people don't even realize that there is a difference between Catholic Bibles and  Non-Catholic versions. (There are books that have been EXCLUDED in certain Bible 'translations'; these are the bibles used by Protestants.) This translation of the Bible is CATHOLIC and is in fact often regarded as the most LITERAL translation of all the versions out there. I once heard a priest say that on the spectrum of literal to 'expressive' the Douay-Rheims "is a prime example of LITERAL." In other words it would be at the far end of that spectrum. He compared it to the New American Bible, or NAB, which is what the USCCB and Catholic Churches use. He said the NAB would be a '5', or smack-dab in the middle of the spectrum. A balance of literal translation and expressive or interpretive wording.

This Bible's Appearance and Box:

This Douay-Rheims Confirmation Bible is beautiful and comes in a nice storage box. The purpose of this Bible is as a gift, and it does a good job at that. The Bible's cover is 'hard-cover' and gold embossed. The pages are gold-leaf and even comes with a golden ribbon. This is the type of quality that you are looking for when giving a "gift bible."

The "extra" pages:

Before getting to the Biblical text, there are several gift pages to write on for keepsake purposes. Aside from that, this is a Confirmation Bible, so included are three sections of extra, colored picture pages. The first is the presentation or name-title page where you can write the name of the owner and your own well wishes. Following that are stories of Saints important to confirmation and information about the Gifts of the Holy Spirit.

The next section contains Moral Questions that teens face, and Biblical and Catechetical answers to those questions. This is perfect for the child receiving this Bible, because it allows them to have those types of answers in something as authoritative and important as the bible. Along with these Q&As, there is also a section on Vocational Discernment. Again, appropriate for this Bible because of the target age-range of the recipients of this bible and their need for contemplation on vocational discernment.

Finally, there is a section dedicated to prayers. On top of the fact that this is most helpful in the bible, these prayers are duplicated in LATIN, which is a wonderful addition, especially since many who buy the D-R translation are attracted to the more traditional aspects of the Faith.

The Bible Books -translation, pages, and "look & feel":

Translation/Reading Level:

The D-R translation is a very literal translation from the Latin Vulgate. Because of this, the words used and sentence structure are a little more advanced, but are completely within the reading comprehension level of a child that has received Confirmation.

"Look & Feel":

This Bible is certainly a "gift" Bible. With the gold embossing, the ribbon book mark, and the hard-cover & gift box presentation, it is surely a keep-sake item. Strong enough to withstand years of use, but elegant enough to display on a bookshelf or desk.

Overall Opinion:

This Bible, and the others in this collection have become my new "go to" gifts for Sacrament Celebrations. The translation is authentic, orthodox, and literal. The presentation is elegant and beautiful, making it "gift-worthy." The price seems right, although you may be able to find other Bibles for less, you really get what you pay for with this Bible. Little else is needed for this gift, not even wrapping paper or a card, since the inside has a dedication page. If you know someone being confirmed this year - this gift is perfect. As a special note, for those worried that "everyone gets a Bible for confirmation" that may be true, but how many get Bible's as nice as this, and how many get a Douay-Rheims translation? If you need a Confirmation gift... this one is perfect. It is a great gift even for those teens that have been confirmed and are in need of a quality Bible with an orthodox translation.

You can purchase this Bible here.

I wrote this review of Douay Rheims Confirmation Bible for the Tiber River Blogger Review program, created by Aquinas and More Catholic Goods, your source for First Communion Gifts. For more information and to purchase, please visit Aquinas and More Catholic Goods.

Tiber River is the first Catholic book review site, started in 2000 to help you make informed decisions about Catholic book purchases.

I receive free product samples as compensation for writing reviews for Tiber River.

Book Review: "Max and Benedict"

The following is a book review I did for the book: "Max and Benedict." I bought the book for my God-son, you can find the following review, and all my reviews on TiberRiver

As a primary note, I do have to say that this book is technically a follow up to another book: "Joseph and Chico" but I can tell you I did not know that until after I bought it. So you can buy this as a stand alone if you would like, but take it from me, once you purchase one, you will want the other... they are that good!< The position of Pope is not only important and technical, but it is created by God. Few adults know or understand the full explanation of what the position of the Pope entails, let alone what he does on a day to day basis. So how are we supposed to explain that sort of thing to a child? This book definitely will help in that regard.

The story is told from the point of view of a blue thrush, a rock-thrush to be exact. His name is Max and the book opens with the telling of his day to day life and the story behind his name. As well all know, most animals in the "wild" don't have names, but this isn't just any animal... this is a special bird. 

Max lives, or spends his time, around the Vatican, their Gardens, and St. Peter's Square. So the story is about his encounters and travels and his eventual fascination with a human that lives in that area. As we come to find out, that human is Pope Benedict. 

As we listen to Max, he tells us about the daily happenings around the Vatican, but more importantly he explains what the Pope does on a day to day basis. Yet, Max isn't an ordinary bird, so it isn't told in an ordinary way. You see, Max explains not only the typical schedule and things the Pope does daily, but he dives into the why and how. He notices that the Pope isn't simply doing a job, but instead really embraces the position of Pope, and the great responsibility that accompanies that position.

Max's travels and stories touch on everything from the Pope Benedict's daily writing and praying, to his apostolic visits and audiences,  the special events in St. Peter's and even a trip to the Pope's summer home. Through all of this, Max paints the Pope in a very human and intimate way. From his explanation of the prayers and contemplation of the Pope to the hobbies and relaxation the Pope does through his playing of Piano. 

The best part about this book is that it really humanizes the Pope in a way that all the TV coverage, press, and mystique never will. It is written in a way that parents can read it to their children and both reader and listener will get something out of it.

This book is a must buy... and is worth it at almost any age. It is a little "long" for a single reading, especially for younger children, but the stories are self contained and it makes a great "Bedtime" stories book.

If nothing else, buy it as a keep-sake and read it for yourself. Then when your child is old enough they can pick it up and become endeared to the Pope through this wonderful story. And last but not least, the watercolor style pictures add to the softness and beauty of this story. This is seriously one of the best children's Catholic stories I have ever read.

You can purchase this book here.

I wrote this review of Max and Benedict for the Tiber River Blogger Review program, created by Aquinas and More Catholic Goods, your source for First Communion Gifts. For more information and to purchase, please visit Aquinas and More Catholic Goods.

Tiber River is the first Catholic book review site, started in 2000 to help you make informed decisions about Catholic book purchases.

Book Review: 50 Great e-Businesses and the Minds Behind Them

Is turning into a bit of a book week here at the BOOT. Recently we had the launch of the Tips from the T-List book (download your copy here). Now I have (finally) found time to read and review a book sent to me some time ago called "50 Great e-Businesses and the Minds Behind Them" by Emily Ross and Angus Holland. Emily was kind enough to send me the book many months ago and I have been slow to get to it. But having read through it now I am very glad that I made the time and wish I had looked at it sooner.

The book aims is to provide start-up advice, management advice and tips on innovative thinking techniques through an analysis of the background and numbers behind top ecommerce companies and service providers. The challenge with attempts at writing profile books on online companies is that the stats and figures are out of date months before the book is published. Ross and Holland have managed this limitation very well by stressing the history and thinking behind each of the companies chosen rather than the numbers. This focuses your attention on the genuinely interesting stories behind successful companies and the entrepreneurial insight from key players rather than the temporal accuracy of the numbers.

For example in the entry on YouTube I was caught up in the story of the founders, fund raising and feature changes and therefore did not care that the intro lists the start-up costs as $3.5mm rather than the total amount raised by YouTube which was $11.5 ($3.5 first round, $8 in the second).

The second challenge in a book like this is to pick 50 companies. Holland and Ross also had to find a balance between Australian and International companies. That have met this challenge by using the word "Great" rather than "Best" to define the entrants. That lets them get away with some quirks such as including the small scale independent property service Stayz (that Fairfax bought for $12mm) on a list that includes super-heavy weights Google, eBay and Amazon and start-up A-list 2.0ers like Facebook, Digg and Twitter.

A number of travel players get a mention - Webjet, Stayz, Kayak (no Sidestep) and Wotif.

Book is well research, with Holland and Ross gaining access to inside knowledge on every company profiled. This made the story behind the companies profiled intriguing as well as being well written. You can get a copy here on Amazon "Available where all good books are sold".

Disclosure - was provided with a copy of the book at no charge but was not obliged to profile positively or at all.