More than a Bucket List by Toni Birdsong

More than a Bucket List: Making Your Dreams, Passions, and Faith a Reality by Toni Birdsong is a small pocket sized gift book. Jumping on the bandwagon of the concept of the bucket list, made popular from movies and books and greeting cards, the author presents a new twist to this secular phenomena by adding the catchphrase "faith" in order to draw in the religious or Christian reader.

The insertion of "faith" in the subtitle does not necessarily make this a Christian book. Yet, it is a good outreach method to draw in the secular reader by introducing the concept of faith in a hedonistic world where bucket lists simply are nothing more than extravagant, ambitious, self- centered, materialistic wish lists- the adult version to a child's Christmas list.

Basically this book includes everything but the kitchen sink- but in a good way. if the concept of the bucket list could be referenced in a single reference volume- this would be it. You will find the traditional and cliche bucket list suggestions- extravagant foreign trips and daredevil, day trip suggestions and exotic foods to try. But you will also see spiritual minded ideas of sacrifice and good service as well. Yet even these good deed suggestions perhaps serve perpetuate the common religious notion of earning or meriting ones way to heaven. Yet the inclusion of biblical and spiritual based ideas are important as they are usually neglected from media versions of bucket lists.
This small gift book is lengthy and most likely can not be read in a single sitting.There is a lot to this one book- more than would be expected from a gift book. Filled with graphics, and colorful text- this would make a good lighthearted gift for a friend. Considering that most of the bucket list suggestions are too out of reach or financially prohibitive for most readers, it is obvious that this book would not be a good gift for anyone who is actually ill or terminal. Yet the author addresses this issue too- and includes a reverse bucket list in which the reader can reflect on accomplishments rather than unfulfilled wishes. As a blogger for booksneeze I received this book published by Thomas Nelson publishers for the purpose of writing this review.