"Gideon's Gift" by Karen Kingsbury

I liked Gideon's Gift by Karen Kingsbury.  This is the first book I read of hers and is part of the Red Glove series.  An 8-year-old girl with cancer befriends a homeless man (Earl ) at the mission and gets him to believe in God. He in turn gives her family a “perfect Christmas.”   I liked it and recommended it to Gerard.
(Karen's review) 


Here's what Gerard thought of it:
Gideon’s Gift by Karen Kingsbury is a good story about a little girl, a homeless man and Christmas miracles.  You could probably read it in one sitting.  It’s perfect for a snowy night with some hot chocolate.  This is a warm, feel good story that I liked more than I thought I would.  I give it  5+ stars.

 Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

Check out our two giveaways: Hard Cache by Charles Neff (Suspense/mystery) and You Already Know How To Be Great (Self-help) by Alan Fine.

Teaser Tuesday: "Gideon's Gift" and "Don't Look Back"

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should  Be Reading. Anyone can play along, so I thought  I  would play for fun! Just do the following:          

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on  that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away!   You don’t  want  to  ruin the  book for others!)
• Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can  add the book to their TBR  Lists  if they  like your teaser. 

Gerard's::

But each day on the streets had built in him another layer, separating him from everything he'd ever felt, everything about the man he used to be and the life he used to lead. His emotions were buried deep now, and Earl was sure they'd never surface again.

From p. 12 of Gideon's Gift by Karen Kingsbury.  You can see our review of this one by clicking on the title of it.

Karen's:

The Hero, as he'd come to think of himself, gave a victorious smile and lowered the high-powered binoculars to his lap. She still thought of him. Her reaction to the handcuffs proved it.

From page 16 of Don't Look Back by Lynette Eason.

Check out our two giveaways: Hard Cache by Charles Neff (Suspense/mystery) and You Already Know How To Be Great (Self-help) by Alan Fine.

"Hope Unseen" by Captain Scott Smiley and Doug Crandall is Amazing! (UPDATED)

Hope Unseen by Scotty Smiley and Doug Crandall is the true story of how God showed his love to Scotty Smiley and led him step-by-step along a very difficult journey, giving him many blessings in spite of losing his sight during a war mission in Iraq. Scotty is the first blind soldier to actively still serve in the army as a speaker and leadership teacher at West Point (thanks to his wife following her instincts and God). This book is very enlightening regarding the struggles blind people have. I really liked the emotional part of the book where Scotty shares his anger toward God and how he was able to recapture his faith and trust in God in spite of what God had allowed to happen to him. It is amazing that after he was blind he still was able to be adventurous: he surfed, climbed Mt. Rainier, skydived and accepted speaking engagements which all began with a choice he made to get out of his hospital bed and take a shower.

This book is so inspirational and encouraging. It started a bit slow for me but I’m am glad I chose to read it and finished it. At the end he shares some key points about transformational leadership on page 232 that I found interesting: 1) use unconventional strategies, 2) care about individuals, 3) demonstrate self-sacrifice, 4) communicate confidence. (
Karen's review 6/18/15, 4 stars)

Gerard read it back in 2010:
A Remarkable story!  Hope Unseen by Captain Scott Smiley and Doug Crandall works in so many ways.  Scott Smiley was a platoon leader in Iraq when a bomb blinded him for life but not before he helped save the men under his command.  He received the Purple Heart.  He climbed up a mountain, surfed in Hawaii, got his M.B.A. from Duke and won the MacArthur Leadership Award--all while blind!  This is also a great faith story.  He was strong in the faith of the Lord, lost it, and now he gives talks in churches to share his story, giving all the credit to the Lord.  This is an outstanding book!
(Gerard's review, 11/15/10)


 Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

"Beautiful Lies" by Lisa Unger

What a remarkable and gripping story Lisa Unger presents in Beautiful Lies.  She spins a tale that is both heartbreaking and fascinating as she wrote in such a way that made me feel as though Ridley, the main character, was speaking right to me, explaining what she was feeling and thinking during her incredible experience of sorting through the family secrets.  Ridley is a free lance writer who had a happy childhood and grew up in a nice home.  One day she gets a photo which turns her whole life upside down and takes her on a dangerous journey to find the truth.  She gets to the point of not knowing who she can trust but makes some good decisions that help her discover truth and happiness. 

One example of an insight Lisa Unger shares through a section where Ridley is speaking directly to the reader that really stood out to me is this from p. 98-99:

And we stood like that.  The joining of hands is highly underrated in the acts of intimacy.  You kiss acquaintances or colleagues, casually to say hello or good-bye.  You might even kiss a close friend chastely on the lips.  You might quickly hug anyone you knew.  You might even meet someone at a party, take him home and sleep with him, never to see him or hear from him again.  But to join hands and stand holding each other that way, with the electricity of possibilities flowing between you?  The tenderness of it, the promise of it, is only something you share with a few people in your life.  

This is real thriller filled with lots of insights into how people arrive at the choices they make and is definitely a page-turner.  It takes a close look at how we develop and evaluate relationships with others.  Beautiful Lies deals with identity issues, mob activity, abduction in the name of protection, selling babies, judging others, family dynamics, romance and betrayal.  I highly recommend you read this book--it’s fantastic!  Well written and packed with suspense and mystery right from the start. 

Have you read this one? What did you think of it?  Related posts:  Tea Time with Marce Review

Check out our book giveaways:  Hard Cache by Charles B. Neff
You Know How To Be Great by Alan Fine

"The Confession" by John Grisham

The Confession by John Grisham is a novel about a small town in Texas where a man is facing execution for murder. Another man comes forward to a minister and admits to the killing. I found this book to be well worth reading. It sort of dragged at the end, but the characters are well developed and I enjoyed reading it even though I was not “wowed” by it.
(Gerard's review)
 
Be sure to check out our giveaway for You Already Know How To Be Great in our previous post.