Our Favorite Reads In June

Non-fiction:

Karen's:  The Blood of Lambs

Gerard's and Abby's Favorite:

A Dog Walks into a Nursing Home

Fiction:

Karen's:  The Testing

Gerard's:  Don't Go

Manny and Spunky's:  The Cat That God Sent

Have you read these yet?  We highly recommend them all!

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

Great Thriller: "Poppet" by Mo Hayder

With Poppet by Mo Hayder, you get two stories in one! One story is about a missing girl who is presumed dead. The body was never found. The Detective working on the case knows what happened, but his friendship stops him from revealing it. When he tells the friend, she will stop at nothing to keep the body hidden. The second is that something is happening at a nursing home that is terrorizing the residents.

Both outcomes to these two stories will shock you--it did me! I loved the dog in the second story! This is a great quick read well worth your time!
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

"The Testing" by Joelle Charbonneau is All About Choices

The Testing by Joelle Charbonneau is a Dystopian teen thriller that starts slow but gets better and better as it goes on.  About half way through, things really pick up.  Cia, age 17, is chosen for "The Testing" to see if she can attend the University and become one of the leaders of the United Commonwealth to restore the country.  However, she soon finds out that the tests are not easy and have dire consequences if she fails.  It has been years since anyone has been chose from her Five Lakes Colony, but several others from her colony are also going with her to Tosu City to be tested, including her childhood friend, Tomas.  Cia is pretty smart, mechanically inclined, compassionate and very knowledgeable about plants. 

I enjoyed this first book of a series and had trouble putting it down when Cia and her friend, Tomas were struggling to survive the fourth test.  The relationship between Cia and Tomas was interesting to me as well.  This book is all about choices and consequences.  Basically, Cia's father's advice about trusting no one serves her well during the testing, but unfortunately, she didn't always follow it.  I look forward to reading the sequel:  The Testing:  Independent Study coming out this fall.(Karen's review, 4 stars)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

"The Why of Things" by Elizabeth Hartley Winthrop

The Why of Things by Elizabeth Hartley Winthrop is a quick read about a family that is dealing with the loss of a member.  When they go to their summer cottage, they find they have to deal with another tragedy which kept me interested.  I would have liked a little more action though!
(Gerard's review, 4 stars)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

"A Dog Walks into a Nursing Home" by Sue Halpern is Fantastic!Visi

I like brightening people's day at the Nursing Home, woof!

A Dog Walks into a Nursing Home:  Lessons in the Good Life from an Unlikely Teacher by Sue Halpern is a fantastic book! Our dog, Abby, goes to a nursing home every weekend so when I saw the title of this book, it was no-brainer, I wanted to read this! I enjoyed it very much! When she was trying to get her dog certified so they could do visits was a very funny part. The stories about the patients they visited touched my heart and were as interesting as the parts about her wonderful dog.

If you have a dog and want to visit nursing homes, this book is a must read for you! We enjoy visiting with our dog a lot, and I’m sure Abby likes it too! (Gerard’s review, 5++ stars)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

Tuesday Teasers: Four For You

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 (well, we cheat and choose specific ones)
• 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.   

Karen's:
Yes--a wrong answer will be penalized. Dizziness. Vomiting. Hallucinations. Maybe even death.
From page 109 of The Testing by Joelle Charbonneau.

For, "The one who desires life, to love and see good days, must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit. He must turn away from evil and do good; he must seek peace and pursue it."
From I Peter 3:10-11 of The Holy Bible (New American Standard version) See my review of I Peter posted yesterday.

Gerard's
"I had a dog once." Those were words I'd hear again and again. As soon as people saw Pransky, or put their hand in her hair and stroked her neck, they were transported back to some time and place in their life that was not here or now.
From page 67 of A Dog Walks into a Nursing Home by Sue Halpern. (My review will be up tomorrow.)

At six, she lets herself get up, amazed, horrified, and oddly thrilled to find that the events of the night before were not a dream, but beyond all that impatient to find out what exactly happened, and what will happen next. Murder, she is convinced of that.
From page 16 of The Why of Things by Hartley Winthrop.

Happy Reading!  Check our Giveaway for the book I wrote in memory of my dad:  My Funny Dad, Harry

I and II Peter written by Simon Peter Inspired by God

Need some encouragement?  Ever wished there was an instructional manual for living?  Want to know what the future holds?  The Books of First and Second Peter deals with all these issues and more! 

I enjoyed reading I and II Peter very much.  Peter was one of Jesus' inner circle of friends who was an eye witness to things Jesus did when He lived on earth.  The book of Acts records many things Peter did after Jesus returned to heaven. 


It is an encouraging book about hope that addresses how to respond to suffering, how to live a life pleasing to God including advice for husbands and wives, and a little about the end times and how this world one day will be destroyed by fire.  There are many interesting topics in these two short books and lots of practical advice. 

I got a lot out of it and encourage you to read the Sunday Sharing posts where I share some scripture highlights from it.  This is a quick read:  Just 5 chapters in I Peter and 3 in II Peter.  I highly recommend it!
(Karen's review, 5 stars)

Find out more:
How To Avoid Becoming Useless
The Connection Between Scripture and My Life
God Answered My Prayer in a Surprising Way

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

"Sugar's Furry Friend" by Maria Rosalyn Acero

Image source:  Amazon.com

Loved Your Book, Sugar!

Being a regular reader of Sugar The Golden Retriever Dog Blog, I got the Kindle version of Sugar's children's book, called Sugar's Furry Friend.  It is a cute picture book about friendship.  Sugar has fun with the chipmunk in his backyard but misses it through the winter.  In the back is a list of facts about chipmunks.  I liked the pictures!
(Karen's review)

My friend Sugar's book, Sugar's Furry Friend, is great!  I could identify with Sugar because I like chasing squirrels and chipmunks at the park.  It was interesting reading the differences between chipmunks and squirrels.  It would be so cool to actually have a chipmunk in your own backyard!
(Abby's review--4 paws up!)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

"The Execution of Noa P. Singleton" by Elizabeth L. Silver

The Execution of Noa P. Singleton by Elizabeth L. Silver is a real page-turner!  Noa P. Singleton is on death row for  murdering a girl.  She is visited by Marlene Dixon, the mother of the girl who Noa is convicted of killing.  She is haunted by her daughter's death and wants Noa to tell her the story of the night the murder happened in exchange for getting her off death row. 

Will Noa tell the mother about what happened or not?  Does Noa get put to death or will the mother get her off?  There are lots of questions and to find the answers, you will have to read the book.  For a first novel, the writing is outstanding!  It's a very good book!  
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)
 
Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

Tuesday Teasers

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 (well, we cheat and choose specific ones)
• 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

An alarm sounded in my heart, and at that moment, my childhood slipped through my hands into the rifle's hot steel.
Everything I knew ha changed.

From page 91 of The Blood of Lambs by Kamal Saleem.

Karen's:

She heard the footsteps walk to her, then stop near her head. But whoever it was didn't call her name, rush to her side, or cry out in alarm.

From page 6 of Don't Go by Lisa Scottoline.

Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.  Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

 From I Peter 5:7-8 (NIV version of The Bible)

PLEASE ENTER OUR GIVEAWAY FOR THE BOOK I WROTE IN MEMORY OF MY DAD.


 Happy Reading!

In Honor of Father's Day, "My Funny Dad, Harry" Giveaway

In honor of Father's Day, I am giving away an autographed copy of the book I wrote in memory of my dad, My Funny Dad, Harry.  It's has 21 positive reviews on Amazon and is filled with emotions written from the heart.

The short funny stories in this book about my dad, his family, his cats and the strange things he did are all true.  Many of us deal with aging parents so can relate to a lot of things in this book.  You will smile, chuckle and may even laugh out loud but also will find parts very touching that may bring a tear to your eye.  Get ready for a quick, easy, emotional read and learn to cherish the people in your day-to-day life.

This giveaway is for U.S. residents.  Just be the first to leave a comment expressing your interest in receiving it with an email address so we can contact you.  (Check out our other giveaways listed under our blog header--just be the first to comment that you'd like it.)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

"Sweet Mercy" by Ann Tatlock

Sweet Mercy by Ann Tatlock is an historical fiction book set during the great depression, notorious criminals and prohibition.  The main theme is that no one is all bad or all good and that we all need mercy.   Eve tells her grandson about her memories at the lodge which is about to be torn down that was owned by her family and that is the whole story of the book.  When she moves from St. Paul Minnesota where many criminals reside, she is thrilled to live with her Uncle Cy at his lodge in Mercy, Ohio.  She learns that not everything is as it seems and Love covers a multitude of sins (I Peter 4:8), as her father always taught her. 

The story is both interesting and sweet.  It’s a coming-of-age story with a bit of romance weaved into it and is an enjoyable read.  Although Eve is self-righteous and judgmental at the beginning, she learns a surprising truth about herself as she learns of a certain bootlegging operation.  It has lots of varied characters and I loved the ending!  I recommend this to anyone who enjoys historical fiction! 

(Karen's review, 4 stars)

Other books I also liked by this author:  Promises to Keep and The Returning

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

"Big Brother" by Lionel Shriver

Big Brother by Lionel Shriver is a novel about a sister and her brother. When her brother comes to visit, she does not recognize him because he gained so much weight. When his visit becomes too long, she suddenly has to choose between helping her brother or staying with her family and letting her brother go on his own. What does she do? Does her brother lose weight? It doesn’t get much better than this. I read this because it was People Magazine’s pick for book of the week. Loved it!
(Gerard’s review, 5++ stars)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

"Accidents Happen" by Louise Millar (GIVEAWAY)

A Thriller For You by a new author

Accidents Happen by Louise Millar is about a mother who is determined to keep her son, Jack, and her safe using extreme measures. But, is it enough? This book kept my interest throughout with very good writing and a twist at the end. Great book, I enjoyed it!  Give this new author a try.
(Gerard's review, 5+ stars)

If you reside in the U.S.A. and would like this book, just leave a comment saying so with an email address so we can contact you for an address. (The Winner is Susan, I just flipped a coin Thursday night.)

(We got a free copy to review for no compensation. This did not affect my review in any way.)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

Tuesday Teasers: Four For You

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 (well, we cheat and choose specific ones)
• 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.   

Karen's:
"They're just a couple of men trying to feed their families, and they got no other way to do it except to sell spirits to people who want an occasional drink. If it's between making moonshine and letting their kids starve, they're right to choose moonshine, and you're wrong to judge them."
From page 68 of Sweet Mercy by Ann Tatlock. (Historical Christian fiction)

Do not be a hypocrite. Do not be jealous or speak evil of others.
From I Peter 2:1, (Int'l Children's Bible) non-fiction

Gerard's:
Your brother eats us out of house and hone and smashes up the furniture, and who gets raked over the coals? Me. For selfishly cycling too much.
From page 131 of Big Brother by Lionel Shriver.

And with that, she marched out the door of her house--her house--cross that she had to explain it all.
From page 11 of Accidents Happen by Louise Millar.

Happy Reading!

Riveting Memoir: "The Blood Of Lambs--A Former Terrorist's Memoir of Death and Redemption" by Kamal Saleem

The Blood of Lambs by Kamal Saleem  tells the true story of his life and his change from being a follower of Allah to being a follower of Jesus Christ.  At the age of 7 he was trained to become an Islamic terrorist!  It is a fascinating read.  I didn't know how they train these people, but I do now and it is very scary!  The story of how he became to speak out against terrorism is mind-blowing.  You have to read it to believe it!
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

WOW! That's the word that kept coming into my mind as I read The Blood of Lambs--A Former Terrorist's Memoir of Death and Redemption by Kamal Saleem with Lynn Vincent. It is the most interesting memoir I have ever read!  I was fascinated by what the Muslims believe and have a better understanding of how Muslim terrorists think.  Kamal was abused and bullied as a kid, and found acceptance and protection when recruited as a boy soldier.  All his life he was raised to hate and at age 7, attended a terrorist training camp where they trained with live ammunition.  This man had a vast number of experiences that were completely new to me, including many near death experiences.  His childhood is heartbreaking and even after he came to America and was converted to Christianity, his bravery continues as he publicly shares his story and warns the U.S. to wake up to what the Jihad is up to.  His life is always in danger!

I learned so much from reading this book!  I am not into politics at all so thought this book might be boring and read like a history text book, but I was so wrong!  It is a very interesting and captivating read because wanting to know what happened to bring about this terrorist's conversion to Christianity kept me turning the pages.  This is not the kind of book I normally would read, but it was recommended to me by a friend in an email that went into detail about it which piqued my interest.  Now I am recommending it to you!    
(Karen's review, 5 stars)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

"Someday, Someday, Maybe" by Lauren Graham of Gilmore Girls and Parenthood

Someday, Someday, Maybe is Lauren Graham's first book.   I loved her on the show, "Gilmore Girls" and now on "Parenthood."  She tells the story of a young woman who wants to be an actress on Broadway, sharing the trials and triumphs she goes through, hoping to make her dream come true.  It is very funny, like watching an episode of "Gilmore Girls."  Do yourself a favor and pick it up.  You will be glad you did!
(Gerard's review, 4 stars)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

Like Adventure? Read the Book of ACTS from the Bible

The book of Acts in The Holy Bible is full of action showing the power of the Holy Spirit in the lives of the apostles after Jesus returned to heaven after his resurrection. Chapters 1-12 primarily focus on Peter’s ministry with the exception of chapter 8—Philip and chapter 9—Saul’s conversion. Chapters 13-28 focus on Paul’s complete transformation into a traveling preacher from a zealous persecutor of followers of Jesus. The book of Acts is about the persecution of the early Christian church and the spread of the good news of Jesus Christ throughout the world! It records many miracles, including speaking in tongues, prisoners set free, people healed, angel appearances, Paul’s near death experiences and more! There is some humor too—Eutychus fell asleep while Paul talked on and on and fell from a 3-story high window (Acts 20)!  This is the sequel to Luke.

During the 60s as a teenager, I quizzed on the book against other Christian and Missionary Alliance churches and later coached another quiz team of teens: Jolene, Jeff, Brenda, Dawn, Larry, Cy and Danny (if any of you happen to see this, please leave a comment for me!). Since I have taught from it many times. Below is a short cute video I taped of the boys in one of my 5th grade Sunday School classes using puppets to tell the story of Ananias and Saphira found in chapter 5.


I enjoyed reading through the book of Acts again very much because there is so much action and adventure and still find things I hadn’t noticed before. I encourage you to read the book of Acts for yourself. It’s truly amazing how God used ordinary people in extraordinary ways for the furtherance of the good news about His son, Jesus Christ. Here are some of my favorite verses from Acts (KJV version):

But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you, and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.—Acts 1:8

. . .Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.—Acts 1:11

And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.—Acts 2:21

Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.—Acts 4:12

Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.—Acts 5:29

And herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offence toward God, and toward men.—Acts 24:16

More related Sunday Sharing posts—highlights from Acts Over at "Right Where We Belong":

Lie, Lie, Now You Die!
A Life Transformed
Meetings Arranged By God
Perseverance, Courage and Commitment
We All Need Encouragement!
Why Didn't Paul Listen, and What If He Had?
A Brave Boy Saved His Uncle Paul


Have you read Acts? What did you think of it?  Happy Reading!

NOS4A2 by Joe Hill is Fantastic!

USA TODAY had NOS4A2 by Joe Hill at No. 2 to read for books coming out in May. I can see why; this book is really really good! In the book, Charles Manx kidnaps kids and takes them to a place he calls Christmasland. When one girl gets away, the only one to ever escape, he wants to get her back. When he gets her son, it's on!

This is a fantastic read full of twists and turns. Don't let the over 900 pages scare you off because it's large print and all good with an awesome ending. Joe Hill is Stephen King's son and has learned very well! I LOVED IT!
(Gerard's review 5++ stars)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

"The Cat That God Sent" by Jim Kraus is a Favorite of Mine!

Great Book--Petey even looks like me!

The Cat That God Sent by Jim Kraus is a delightful Christian fiction novel that is about a preacher who lost his faith and Petey, a cat who helps him.  I enjoyed this book very much because it is both humorous and yet deals with some serious issues.  Jake just got called to a small country church after being fired from a large one, and is very unsure of himself.  Petey, a cat, hung around him when he arrived and turned out to be quite a hit with his congregation when the cat followed him into the church and sat on the platform with him as he preached!  Parts are so funny that I actually laughed out loud!

Although the cat shares its thoughts with the reader, it acts like a real cat and does not talk English but communicates the way real cats do.  For me, this gave the book more credibility.  There are even discussion questions in the back which could make this a good book club read.  I liked the idea of how God used the cat to help both Jake and Tess and to get more people to come to church.  I loved it and look forward to reading this author's other book, The Dog That Talked to God!  This is a must read for all cat lovers!

(Karen's review, 5 stars!)

Hey, if you like cats, you have to read this one!  Petey, the cat is sent by God to help the new preacher who is struggling with his faith.  He also has to protect a young girl named Tess who got dumped by her boyfriend.  He likes going to church and people come just to see him!  He is a good cat, like me and even looks like me as you can see in the picture of me with the book.  This is a must read for all cats and cat lovers!
(Manny's review) 

Author's blog:  Jimkraus.com

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

4 Varied Tuesday Teasers--Funny, Scary, Creepy

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 (well, we cheat and choose specific ones)
• 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.   

Karen's:

"I guess we have a visitor again. If it's okay with you, we'll just go on. Chasing a cat around the platform isn't on my order of service today."

From page 149 of The Cat That God Sent by Jim Kraus--Humorous Christian fiction. (My review will be up tomorrow for this one.)

I have two from The Blood of Lambs--A Former Terrorist's Memoir of Death and Redemption by Kamal Saleem with Lynn Vincent--Nonfiction. (It was hard choosing a teaser, there are so many interesting and shocking things and I barely started this one.):

Nearly thirty years before, empowered by the Muslim Brotherhood and the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO), I had come to America.  From the Koranic teaching of my youth, I knew that by infiltrating the American education system, overrunning its universities and jails, and swarming its poor neighborhoods, my jihadist brothers and I could usher in Umma--one world under Islam.  It would be, as Americans like to say, "a piece of cake."

 From page 7.

In 1993, in a challenge to convert his Christian wife to Islam,Walid studied the Hebrew Scriptures.  Within six months, he decided that everything he had been taught about the Jews was a lie.  

From page 24. 


Gerard's:

Hearing him say her son's name was worse than having Manx's hand on her wrist or blood on her feet.  (Clean blood, she told herself, clean.)  Hearing this man, convicted murderer and child molester, speak of her son made her dizzy, genuinely dizzy, as if she were in a glass elevator rushing quickly into the sky, the world dropping away beneath her.

From page 7 of NOS4A2 by Joe Hill--super natural suspense.


Happy Reading!

"True Legend" by Mike Lupica is more than Basketball

True Legend by Mike Lupica is about a young man who finds that all of life's lessons are not found on a basketball court. The writing is really good and the characters in this book are believable and realistic. Even if you do not like sports books, give this teen one a chance because it is more about life lessons than basketball. I enjoyed it!
(Gerard's review 5++ stars)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

A Very Good Short Read: "Black Helicopters" by Blythe Woolston

Black Helicopters by Blythe Woolston is a young adult book I enjoyed. When both of Valkyrie's parents pass on, it's time for her to do what she has been trained to do by her dad. The tension builds as it goes back in time and then to real time. This book sucked me in from page one and ends with a great twist. I wanted more pages! It's a real good short read.
(Gerard's review, 5+ stars)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

Our Favorite Reads For May: Grab Some of These!

Ones We both Liked Very Much:

Dinner With The Smileys by Sarah Smiley (Non-fiction)

Touch and Go by Lisa Garener (thriller/suspense)

Gerard's Best Reads for May:

Frozen in Time by Mitchel Zuckoff (Non-fiction)

The Good Nurse by Charles Graeber (Non-fiction)

The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey (science fiction/YA)

Karen's Best Reads for May:

Anything You Ask by Lynn Kellan (Humorous Romance)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!