Saturday, April 30, 2011

The Watcher

If I'm being honest here, I did struggle a bit with this book. While it was well written and had an interesting and thought provoking storyline, it was a bit more work to read it. It took me about the first 3-4 chapters before I could really get a good grasp on the story and get into it.
The story focuses around Kathryn Ellison, she was assaulted and abducted because of a mistaken identity. After being miraculously "rescued" she struggles to get beyond the pain, hurt, and anxiety. To top it off though, during the court case she meets the brother of the intended victim and realizes that this is the man she loves and belongs with. As she struggles to get passed all of this and finally come to the point of accepting love she is also facing threats from the would be killer that he's coming to finish her off.
The book is well worth the work to get through, the storyline was well written and very intriguing!

The Deepest Waters

Deepest Waters, The, Dan Walsh, 978-0-8007-1980-7


I was so excited to see another novel by Dan Walsh, all the books of his that I've read have been absolutely amazing! I have to say though, that this one is my favorite of his!! It's a heart wrenching story that is both beautiful and tragic, and you won't be able to put it down until the last page!
The story focuses around Laura Foster and her new husband John, after both finding love later in life (or "later" in those times, lol) the couple are married and set out on a ship to enjoy their honeymoon and visit John's family. After tragedy strikes and the couple are separated, Laura faces a life living without her recently acquired love. In this book (Which is based on a true story, which absolutely Blew my mind!!!) you'll find love, romance, heroism, and miracles. It's a book that will touch your heart and increase your faith!
Do yourself a favor and read it!!

"Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.


Available at your favourite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group".

Love amid the Ashes

Love Amid the Ashes, Mesu Andrews, 978-0-8007-3407-7



First off I need to say how very much I enjoyed this book, it was beyond wonderful! And one of the things I appreciate about it the most was that the book gave me a new perspective on a Biblical story that I hadn't looked at before!  (tricked me into learning something when I just thought I was enjoying a wonderful book! lol) I loved hearing about the story of Job from a different perspective!
Mesu Andrews stuck very close to the Biblical story, (meaning there weren't any theological/crazy add ons) while producing an absolutely breath-taking, suspenseful, and thoughtful read!
In this book we're looking at the story of Job through the eyes of Dinah, we read about the struggles of not only Job, but of his wife, remaining family, and friends.
You need to read this book, you'll fall in love with it!

"Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.


Available at your favourite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group".

Lady in the Mist

Lady in the Mist, Laurie Alice Eakes, 978-0-8007-3452-7



I think I've found a new favorite author, this book was absolutely wonderful! While it somewhat reads as a romance novel the book is full of enough suspense and intrigue that the whole romance part seems to fall to the side (which is A-okay with me, lol). I love historical types of fiction and this book fulfilled that love completely!
The book focuses mostly on the main character of Tabitha Eckles, the town's (and surrounding area's) midwife. As a midwife she is more aware of the town's secrets than most people, and because of that she now finds herself in a rather precarious situation!
When the town's men are going missing with no one sure who is behind it, Tabitha sets out to help figure out who is behind these disturbances.
I truly enjoyed this book, and would highly recommend it to anyone and everyone!

"Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.


Available at your favourite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group".

When Life's Not Working

When Life's Not Working, Bob Merritt, 978-0-8010-1378-2



Like I mention at the beginning of every non-fiction book I review, I'm not overly into reading any kind of self-help, non-fiction type books. Life is busy enough that I'd rather just read for enjoyment, and I don't usually find these types of books enjoyable.
That's said though, I really did actually enjoy this book, and not only that my husband (who is a pastor) also did! It's one thing when I find a book that I love, and find to be a great resource, but it's quite another when I find one that will also help my  husband in his ministry!
I don't think there is one person out there that can say that they've never faced a difficult time in their lives, and Bob Merritt addresses these situations and how to handle them properly, with out undue stress!
I think one of the subjects that he wrote about that spoke to me the most, was rather than doing many things poorly, do a few things well. As a minister's wife this is one area that I really struggle with, when you see a need it's hard not to try and fill it, even if it means stretching yourself too thin. And one of the harder things to admit while reading this book is that I really have taken on more than I should handle, and those ministries suffer when I do that. I'd rather take on only a few ministry projects and do them well then try to fill all the spaces and do them poorly!
Ministry family or not, this book was fantastic and I think will really bless any reader!
Highly recommended!!



"Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.


Available at your favourite bookseller from Baker Books, a division of Baker Publishing Group".

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Plain Proposal

I absolutely love Beth Wiseman books, She is an amazing writer who really knows how to capture a story and present it in a way that makes the reader feel a part of it. Her book "Plain proposal" is no different, it's the story of Miriam Raber and her feelings for another individual within the Amish community. As she struggles to both honor her heritage and God, and still be with the man she loves.
I really enjoyed this book, once I started I couldn't put it down till I was done, it was that good! Like always, Wiseman did a fantastic job, and this book will be high on my shelf to be read again and again!
I Highly recommend it!

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

The first escape

When I saw the book up for review I thought it would be a great book for me and my son to read together. (he's 9, and while he likes books, he does tend to need a little motivation). I loved that the book was in a comic book format for parts of the story, it did break it up a little and kept him interested. With that said however, I had to stop reading the story with him part way through. Although it looks like a children's book, it most certainly was not (at least not in the way that I would choose to have my son read). Usually I feel pretty safe that any book I get from the various Christian book blogging sites will be fine for myself and my child to read over. This book though was not. It dealt with séances {and while it's eventually seen to be fake, it's really not something I want my child exposed to} and and through most of the story dealt with people trying to harm children. The publisher's say it's intended audience is 8-12 years, and that really floored me! There was no way this was appropriate for a child that young.
I did finish the book on my own, and there were a few things that I did appreciate. I did like how the sister's cared so much for one another and were willing to sacrifice for each other. The illustrated format was eye catching and I believe would have held my son's attention throughout the book had it been more appropriate.
I disliked that for a book from a Christian publisher that there was virtually no reference to anything Biblical (I noticed only one instance that referred to a creator, perhaps I may have missed some though?).
All in all, I'm sorry to say I wouldn't recommend this book for children. Perhaps a young adult reader (13-15yrs) but even then I didn't find the story to be something I would want my child reading.
I think had the story line been different my child would have very much enjoyed the format of the book. I think the idea was great, sadly the story just seemed inappropriate.