If We Survive

 

 

If We Survive by Andrew Klavan it the second book I have read by him. When I was given the opportunity to review this book I was excited. I enjoyed Crazy Dangerous, and after reading If We Survive I wasn’t disappointed.  I really liked this book and found it was hard to put down. It is geared more toward younger readers, probably young teens. It is about a group of kids and a preacher who have travelled on a mission trip to Central America to help rebuild a school. Then they are caught in the middle of a revolution and face many struggles to try to make it home.

I love the way Andrew Klavan writes. His character, Will Peterson, is actually telling the story in first person. The characters are interesting and although I’m not sure that I can believe the storyline I suppose it is possible. Will Peterson is a high school boy telling this story. I can imagine a real teenager telling of his adventures adding excitement and adventure at every turn. I can see this book keeping the attention of the reader. I like the fact that even though it tells of some horrible acts of a revolution that it doesn’t go into gory details. Each person in the book has a different way of dealing with the tragedies around them just like in real life.  I would feel very comfortable recommending it to a teen. Any younger than that might not be a good idea, just because it does include some violence and death. As I said before it isn’t terribly graphic but there is mention of gunfire, blood and death.

I will pass this book along to my daughter and I think she will really enjoy it. It isn’t a gender specific book and would be good for either gender.  After recent events that have happened I will wait a while before giving it to her to read.

I was given this book by Thomas Nelson publishers in exchange for an honest review. I would definitely recommend it to especially teen readers who like action/adventure books.

                                                      

 

 

 

A Christmas Home

After previously reading A Dog Named Christmas I knew I wanted to read A Christmas Home.  A Christmas Home by Greg Kincaid is a sweet story that would probably be enjoyed most by people who love the Christmas TV movies and animals.

“Todd McCray, hero of a Dog Named Christmas, is now twenty-four years old and working at a local animal shelter, where he meets and quickly becomes best friend with Laura, a young volunteer.” Laura and Todd both have disabilities that help them understand each other. Todd trains a stray that has come to the shelter to be a service dog to help Laura with her physical disabilities. He loves his job at the animal shelter but the small town is struggling financially and announces they will have to close the shelter. Todd struggles to know what to do next.

 Todd is something of a prodigy when it comes to loving and training animals although it is evident that he struggles with learning disabilities. The story shows that we all have our strengths and weaknesses in life and if we follow our desires we can accomplish anything.  It a story that shows family and friends can pull together to get each other through obstacles of life.

A Christmas Home would be a good read for a younger reader, pre-teen or teen. It is easily read and the characters are easy to believe and identify with.  And as I said before if you love the Christmas made for TV movies you will love this book. As I read it I thought it would make a good movie for the holidays.

I would recommend this book to my friends. I received this book at no charge from booksneeze.com for an honest review. You can purchase this book here at Amazon.com.

Grace

 

Do we really understand grace? This is a question asked of us before delving into Grace: More than we Deserve Greater than we Imagine by Max Lucado.  This book is like many of Mr. Lucado’s books. He fills it full of real life stories to help us understand the way God’s grace works. He uses some of his own faults and failures in life to also illustrate God’s grace.  If you enjoy a light book that focuses completely on accepting God’s grace you will enjoy this book. I don’t feel Mr. Lucado goes into grace so deeply that he makes it hard to grasp. He lays it out very simply so that all of us can understand it. All we have to do is accept the gift that God has so freely given us. I love the quote “Grace is the voice that calls us to change and then gives us the power to pull it off.” “Let’s make certain grace gets you.”

Mr. Lucado explains how God will change your life if you will just let him. His grace is more than just a word, it’s our comfort, our healing, our life changing gift from God. It’s a gift given freely to us. The book also includes a study guide for each chapter. Each study begins with a small idea of what the chapter was about, a review of scripture and questions we should ask ourselves. It could be a study done individually but would also make a good small group study.

I would recommend this book for anyone who would like to understand grace a little more. I received this book at no charge from Booksneeze.com in exchange for an honest review.

Breaking Free From Fear

I have to say I really love Kay Arthur and Breaking Free from Fear is no exception. This is a 6 week study for small groups although I believe you could do it as an individual study. I do think you would glean more from a group with the discussions.  I read through them but didn’t do the study.  I love the way they are laid out. Each week has the scripture that goes along with the lesson, and observation (what you should be looking for), and discussion. I would recommend having a journal to take notes in, there are spaces for notes but the areas are quite small.

The weeks are broken down to help you realize why you are afraid and build to helping you learn to live without fear.  It really opened my eyes that fear rears it’s ugly head in many ways and can steal our joy.  I also loved the fact that the author includes the scripture right there for you to read. I’m not sure which translation she uses but I know it isn’t KJV so if that bothers you this may not be the book for you.

I would recommend this book for small groups or Sunday school classes. It is a wonderful study.

I received this book at no charge from Waterbrook Press in exchange for an honest review.

You can purchase this book here.

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The Reason

 

I had to take time to ponder this review. I’m still not sure I can review my exact thoughts about it. The Reason by William Sirls is about a small town whose church’s cross was struck by lightning. It is a small town filled with people of varying backgrounds. Each person has their own cross to bear in this novel. Some are more trying than others, some deal with illness or disability, some deal with demons of their past and other dealing with their faith. Then enters Kenneth, a carpenter, who personifies Jesus and he starts performing miracles around the town.

First, I enjoyed the book and read it quickly and I also enjoyed the characters. Each had a very distinct personality and was believable and easy to identify with. I liked the story line and there were real life events happening throughout the town. The author did a good job pulling all of the characters together and telling their stories individually as well as bringing unity to the group.

Now my problem with the book, I’m not sure that I really liked the personification of Jesus the way it was done. I also feel that the book comes across that if you “only believe” that Jesus will answer all of your prayers the way that you want him to. Even though there is a short statement that states God will answer prayers in His way and His time the tone of the book was that if you “only believe” nothing bad will ever happen to you and if it does He will fix it and make it better here on earth. I feel that sometimes bad things happen but God will give us grace to deal with those things. I believe the author tries to include this but doesn’t do the best job at it.  I’m not going to give a spoiler but I don’t like the way the story of Alex played out.

I’m glad that I read the book and I enjoyed it. I think most people who enjoy a good, Christian novel would like it.

I received this book at no charge from Booksneeze.com in exchange for an honest review.

Be Still My Soul

Be Still my Soul by Joanne Bischof is a wonderful story. I loved this book. It was light reading and a great story about how God can bring us through stuff even when we aren’t sure why he led us to it. The story is set in the Appalachian Mountains which holds a special place in my heart anyway. I love the Appalachian Mountains and think they are one of God’s greatest creations.  Lonnie, a sweet girl, has a hateful father and doesn’t get much support from her family except for her aunt that she loves very much. She is looking forward to moving in with her when she turns 18 but after a night when Gideon walks her home and kisses her Lonnie’s dad says she is “soiled” and forces Gideon to marry her. Lonnie is heartbroken because she isn’t in love with Gideon. Her life is not going as she expects but her aunt has taught her to trust in God. She wonders if she can do it.

Times are so different now but I’m sure in the not so distant past things like this probably happened. The characters were very believable and I was able to fall right into the storyline. It was a quick read and kept me interested all of the way through it. It isn’t a really deep book and is a typical historic romance story that adds in God’s leading hand. It teaches that no matter your situation God has a plan and we have to trust Him. If you are a romantic you will love this book. This book shows the ups and downs that we all face in life. It’s a book that has forgiveness, friendship and love. I would definitely recommend this book to others.

You can purchase a copy of this book here

I received an advanced readers copy of this book at no charge from Waterbrook & Multenomah publishing for an honest review.

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God is More than Enough

God is More than Enough by Tony Evans takes you through Psalm 23. I really wanted to love this book but I can’t say that I did. I liked it and Mr. Evans did a really good job going through the Psalm and explaining it. He used colorful and real live situations to illustrate the Psalm and to relate it to today’s living. I just felt like something “new” was missing. I have been through studies of Psalm 23 so maybe that’s why I couldn’t “love” the book. It would be a really good study guide for someone who wants to study this Psalm a little more deeply. He did bring out some really good points. I had never thought about God “making us lie down” to rest. And I used one of his illustrations in a bible study group when giving devotions. It was an illustration about a GPS and I won’t give it away but it really made me think.

God is More than Enough is a short book and would be a good daily devotional to study Psalm 23. I don’t know that I would recommend buying it at the retail price of $10.99 which I think is a little steep for what I would consider a mini book.

I would recommend this book though for an individual or small group study especially for newer Christians. You can purchase this book here.

I received this book at no charge from Booksneeze.com for an honest review.

Hope Springs

“Hope Springs is the epitome of small town life” written by Kim Cash Tate. Hope Springs is a small town in North Carolina and the story revolves around three women: Janelle Evans, Becca Anderson, and Stephanie London. In this story these ladies learn valuable lessons on giving, understand, and the love of God. There are two churches in this book one is the “white” church and the other the “African American” church. The town struggle with old time prejudices.

I grew up in a smaller town in the south so I understand the struggles that still can exist. I really enjoyed Hope Springs but I did find myself having a hard time following all of the characters. I seemed to get them confused and had to back track at times to figure out who was who. Luckily, there is a genealogy chart in the front of the book which helped me keep track of the families. I really enjoyed getting to know the Sanders and Dillon families. I could identify with their struggles and their triumphs. I grew up with a lot of extended family and loved that the families in Hope Springs had that extended family relationship with each other.  The town and the families needed to learn to heal, forgive and come together. They had to do some soul searching and pray their way through the struggles. The ladies of the story decided they would help  in a way only God could control. It really made me think that it is important that if would all come together and give God control of every situation in our lives we could live in a much better place. Hope Springs shows that just a few people can make a difference.

The story line was very enjoyable and the characters were realistic. Each person has issues to deal with and must learn what path to take.  I felt as though I could picture the town and the people. It made me long for more of the small town life.

I received this book from booksneeze.com at no cost in exchange for an honest review.

Wildflowers from Winter

“A young architect at a prestigious Chicago firm, Bethany Quinn has built a life far removed from her trailer park dwelling teen years – until an interruption from her estranged mother reveals that tragedy has struck in her hometown. A reluctant Bethany is called back to rural Iowa.”

Wildflowers from Winter by Katie Ganshert is a novel that will capture your attention with every page. Bethany Quinn goes back to her hometown and has to face the ghosts of her past and she really wants to go back to Chicago as quickly as she can. This is a light read it is pretty predictable from the beginning. Even with the predictable nature of the book I really enjoyed reading it and would read more books by this author. If you are looking for a read with lots of surprises, twists, and turns this probably isn’t the book for you. But if you are looking for a traditional, Christian romance with some friendships thrown in along with some believable characters and easy to read to plot then this is a must read for you.

Over all I would suggest this book and feel as though it is well written with a good plot. It was a quick, fun read.

I received this book from Blogging for Books at no charge for an honest review.

 

As Silver Refined

Do you ever wonder why bad things happen? Why so many disappointments happen in your life? And as a Christian why does God allow these things to happen when you are trying so hard to do the right thing? If you have ever asked yourself any of these questions As Silver Refined is the book for you. Kay Arthur does a wonderful job in exploring these questions. I have to say normally I lean toward fiction but I was drawn to this book when given the opportunity. It was just what I needed as just the right time. The author has done a beautiful job to help one understand why disappointments happen in our lives and as Christians how we should respond to those disappointments.  I love the way she includes scripture to back up everything she is saying and that they aren’t just her opinions. She has included letters from people who have been in her life in one way or another through the years, some of which brought tears to my eyes. As Silver Refined has inspired me to do better and to look at life differently and it makes me want to be more thankful to God even in the bad times because He has me in His hands and He knows what is best for me. I can’t see the big picture but He is the all knowing God. I definitely will read more of her books and can’t wait to do so but as of now this one is my new favorite book. I would highly recommend this book to everyone out there because we all have to deal with bad things in our lives.  I never read a book twice but I think this one will get a lot of use.

I received this book at no charge from Waterbrook Press in exchange for an honest review.

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