I absolutely loved this book! It was like a Cliff’s Notes version of the Bible fused with a daily devotional. It took bite-sized portions of the most important Bible readings, laid them out in an easy to understand manner, and followed with a short passage on how we can apply that passage to our personal lives. This is great for brand new Christians and well-studied Christians alike. Anyone can read this and learn new information about our Lord and Savior.

I received an Advanced Reader’s Copy of this book from NetGalley, but all views and opinions are my own.

The best review I can give this book is outstanding!!! Great addition to Daily bible reading or Just when you need more clarification on something you have read. Thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for the arc of this book in return for my honest opinion. Receiving the book in this manner had no bearing on this review.

As the name suggests, this book is set out in 365 short readings that cover the main points of the Bible story. It's not a devotional as such, though some people might use it as a devotional, especially if they look up the Bible passages associated with each reading. It also doesn't give equal coverage to every book of the Bible (e.g. it doesn't focus much on books like Psalms). Instead, the aim is to look at the broad sweep of the Bible's historical story arc and show how it all fits together.

It's written in fairly straightforward language, and might be especially helpful for new believers or people who are interested in discovering what the Bible is all about. Having said that, though, I've been attending church for more than 50 years and studying the Bible for more than 35 years, and I still found I was getting some useful things out of it.

The author adds bits of information that are relevant to the different readings, such as scientific or historical facts, and also cross-references where relevant. For example, when talking about the verse in Genesis 1 where God created light, there are a couple of facts about light (e.g. its speed) and also a cross-reference to John 9:5 where Jesus is described as the light of the world. The author also gives historical details regarding fulfilled prophecies. For example, he looks at how some of Daniel's prophecies were fulfilled during the Maccabean revolt.

Other commentaries also bring out such details. However, the beauty of this book is that little snippets are added into the readings to highlight particular aspects. At times, I would have liked a bit more detail, but it is good at giving the broad sweep of scripture. Even if you've been reading the Bible for awhile, it's good to have a refresher every now and then of how the whole of scripture fits together. As such, this is a good companion to the Bible.

As I had the e-book, it was a little difficult to just jump to different sections. There was a comprehensive contents list, but it was a bit unwieldy having to keep going back to that and then skimming through to find the link to the bit I wanted. I liked the book enough though that I think I will buy the print version so I can use it as an easier reference.

If you're interested in learning more about the Bible story, or looking into how the whole of scripture fits together, this is a good, easy-to-read starting point.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a free advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

The simplicity of the book makes it very inviting to a new believer. Picking in a bible and reading it cover to cover can be very intimidating. Ed Strauss has found a way to tell the totality of the gospel message in bite size pieces. I think someone who is trying to understand the overall message of the Bible through key and relevant stories will benefit from this devotional.

This new book presents a group of simple but thought-provoking devotional readings that take the reader from the days of creation in Genesis to the end of time in Revelations. Each entry is a little less than a page in length. Here is an example from I Samuel 24 and 25:

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The entry begins with a sentence explaining the key points from the lesson. The lesson ends with comment or two that the reader can remember throughout the day. Though the entries are numbered, they are not dated, allowing the reader to start or begin their study when convenient for them. The book contains a Table of Contents near the beginning of the book that allow the reader to find a reading based on a particular passage. The book concludes with a scripture index - though I could not use it to easily find references.

The book will take the reader through the whole story of scripture, but I would have a difficult time recommending it as the first devotional for Bible Study.
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This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review. The opinions expressed are my own.

I expected just quick summaries of the each of events/readings presented, but at times it felt too much like I was being sermonized at.

This was a decent read for a study on Bible Scripture passages and all of Jesus' words were in red. I learned some new passages that I had forgotten and revisited some favorites. I like that there was some discussion on each passage. I nicer to way to break down and study the Bible. I like that both old and new testaments were covered; I love the gospels but Revelation has always been my favorite book of the Bible, and more time could have been spent on it. Still Recommended.

One of the better ways to condense down such a large, important book; this could be easier for some beginners.

Thanks to Netgalley, Ed Strauss and Babour Publishing for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Available:10/1/20