"The Wonder" by Emma Donoghue is Based on a True Story

The Wonder by Emma Donoghue is based on a true story.  Remember that as your read this book!  Eleven-year-old Anna has not eaten for four months, yet she still lives!  Lib wright, an English nurse, has been sent to verify that this is true but she doubts it and is determined to get to the truth.

This book really drew me in.  The story line is very good and the characters are very believable.   Even though there is not a lot of action, I still kept turning pages.  The last part of this book is gripping and I couldn't turn the pages fast enough to get o the stunning conclusion!
(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. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

"The Serpent King" by Jeff Zentner

The Serpent King by Jeff Zentner is told by three teens starting their senior year in high school in a small town.  Dill, Lydia and Travis take turns telling the way this book goes.  They all have different family relationships.  What they do have in common is a strong bond of friendship.

I enjoyed all the three teens very much.  This book kept me interested throughout and has a very good ending.
(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. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

"Revival" by Stephen King Gave Me Chills

Revival by Stephen King is about two men—Jamie Morten and Charles Jacobs.  Charles, a preacher and a faith healer, befriended Jamie when he was a small boy.  As Jamie gets older, he has problems and is down on his luck.  He and Charles meet again and this time the consequences for both men are huge.  This is the Stephen King that I enjoyed years ago with great writing and a real page turner.  The ending gave me chills, 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!

"Life of Pi" DVD is better than the book!

I read Life of Pi by Yann Martel back in April of 2008, but just watched the movie on DVD this past week.   I enjoyed the movie much more.  The part I found boring in the book was condensed and went quick in the movie and the lifeboat scenes were very well done!  Also, the movie wasn't as confusing as the book to me.  Richard Parker, the tiger, and Pi are both great!  It was fun seeing their relationship develop and that was my favorite part of the book as well.
(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!

"Horse Camp" by Nicole Helget and Nate LeBoutillier

Horse Camp was not what I expected at all, but then that was the same way the twins in the book felt when they were sent to their Uncle's farm when their mom had to go to jail and their dad went off to start a new church.  Their mom called it "horse camp" to make it sound like fun, but it only had two old mean horses with mostly pigs and chickens.  This is simply a YA novel about getting along with people and not judging others.  The most exciting part for me was when the tornado hit and Percy and his friend took cover in a culvert.

I didn't care for this one much but it was a quick read so went ahead and finished it.  Basically Christians are portrayed in this book as hypocrites, self-righteous and judgmental.  I do not recommend this one. 
(Karen's review, 2 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!

"Good Tidings and Great Joy--Protecting the Heart of Christmas" by Sarah Palin

GOOD TIDINGS and GREAT JOY--Protecting the Heart of Christmas by Sarah Palin is about how Christmas has changed over the years in America and where it is headed.  She shares some of her family's Christmas traditions and recipes along with some advice to Christians to stand up to preserve the true meaning of Christmas in America.  Words do matter. 

This is a thought provoking book with some shocking things that are currently happening in America that I wasn't aware of.  I agree that people should be able to acknowledge publicly that Christmas is a religious holiday and that the reason we celebrate Christmas is to celebrate the birth of a Savior, Jesus Christ.  If you are interested in civil rights and religious freedom, I recommend you read this book.
(Karen's review)

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!

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!

"Amity and Sorrow" by Peggy Riley

Amity and Sorrow by Peggy Riley is the story of a mother who takes her two daughters and drives away from a cult compound.  The mother is sure the father is going to come after them.  The one daughter embraces the new life, even though she knows nothing about the outside world.  However, the other daughter wants to go back to the life she has always known in the compound. 

I enjoyed this book.  It went fast and for this author's first book, I think she did really well!
(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 Tangible Kingdom Primer"

The Tangible Kingdom Primer is an 8-week curriculum for a small group Bible study that has some very challenging concepts.  The thrust of the book is to win people to Christ through action and intentionally reaching out to people like Jesus did, being His hand and feet.  I found it thought provoking helpful in getting me more involved in the community.  I did not like the formatting of this book because some of it was hard to read.  The authors used dark backgrounds and too many variety of fonts which I found annoying.  It was hard to highlight or write notes on the dark pages.
(Karen's review)
Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

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"Small Town Sinners" by Melissa Walker (UPDATED)

Melissa Walker does a beautiful job of depicting a 16-yr.-old Pastor’s daughter’s struggles of making her faith personal in Small Town Sinners.  This is a teen romance novella but also a book that explores faith, religion, friendship and love.  The story centers around “Hell House” which is a church production done around Halloween as an evangelistic outreach—sort of a “Christian” haunted house alternative.  I think teens would enjoy it and find it thought-provoking.  It primarily focuses on drama and teenage pregnancy while touching on domestic violence, homosexuality and suicide.   

 

I liked this book okay but think teens would like it more than I did.  Although Lacey is the main character, my favorite character was Ty, her boyfriend.  I liked that there were no sex scenes in this book and thought it was well written. 

(Karen's review 11-10-11)

 Small Town Sinners by Melissa Walker is an excellent read!  It is about teenagers in a small town putting on a "Hell House" play experience.  I really enjoyed this book a lot.  The theme is friendship and being there for each other.  I liked all the scripture references, and having God in this made it that much better.  Lacey, the main character questions her faith.  It's a great read for teens, but I think anyone would enjoy this book.
(Gerard's review)

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

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"When She Woke" by Hillary Jordan

When She Woke by Hillary Jordan is about Hannah, who had an abortion.  She refused to name the father or the doctor who performed it.  As a consequence of her crime of murder, she had to live her life as a red chrome (She turned red!).  A chrome is a criminal whose skin color is genetically altered to match the color of their crime and released back into society.  How Hannah deals with this, the people she meets and the decisions she makes is the basis for this book.

I really enjoyed When She Woke a lot!  It's a real page turner to say the least.  I cared about Hannah and looked forward to reading more.  I also thought the ending was really good!
(Gerard's Review)

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

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"Love Wins" by Bob Bell

Love Wins by Bob Bell is all about the fact that Jesus loves us. That gives me a good warm happy feeling in my body and soul. It is also about heaven and hell with lots of scripture passages. I did not see where in this book the controversy is. I enjoyed reading it during Holy Week!
(Gerard's review)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? You can help our charity of the month just by leaving a comment on any of our blogs! We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month. The charity for this month is at the top of our blog.

"Heaven Is For Real" by Todd Burpo with Lynn Vincent

Heaven Is For Real tells the story of a little boy named Colton.  He was very sick and told his parents that he went to heaven for three minutes and then Jesus sent him back as an answer to his dad’s prayers.  His dad is a pastor and his wife a Sunday School teacher.  I’ll let you decide if Colton really went to heaven or not.  It’s a good Easter read!  I think he did.
(Gerard's Review)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? You can help our charity of the month just by leaving a comment on any of our blogs! We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month. The charity for this month is at the top of our blog.

"JESUS--90 Days With The One And Only" by Beth Moore

I discovered JESUS-90 Days With The One And Only by Beth Moore through a blog (unfortunately, I don't recall which one it was but think it was Reading and Life).   It's actually a devotional book by Beth Moore.  I've done some of her Bible Studies and always came away with a better understanding and a fresh perspective so was very excited to find this book.  I had a Barnes & Noble Gift Card so bought it with that.  It is a beautiful book!  I look forward to using it in my devotions and may perhaps share some things from it as I go through it on my other blog, Always Looking Up.  This is a 90-day journey so I will not keep showing this in our header here for three months even though I will be reading it.  I'm sure it will be very good!  (If it was your blog where I saw this, please let me know so I can include a link to your post--I know I left a comment that I would be using my gift card to get it.)




Have you read this one? What did you think of it? You can help Canine Lifeline (a dog rescue organization that saved our dog, Abby) by leaving a comment on any of our blogs in March. We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month.

66 Love Letters by Dr. Larry Crabb is Incredible!

From God To You: 66 Love Letters (A Conversation With God That Invites You Into His Story) by Dr. Larry Crabb is one of the most unique books and profound books I have come across. I loved it! I am so happy I won this book in a giveaway because I found myself underlining something in just about every chapter. It is like a summary and commentary on the Bible but is written in such a way that held my attention and made me eager to read more. The writing is incredible because the whole book is written as a conversation between God and a man about each of the books of the Bible. So often, the man is asking the same questions I have about the different books. Through “God’s” part of the conversation, the author shows how all the books come together to point to Jesus and God’s plan to get people to His “big party (heaven).”

I took my time reading this one since I own it, and because there is so much to comprehend and chew on. It is very thought provoking and will be treasured as a great reference book in my library. I plan to re-read the chapters that relate to the book of the Bible I am currently reading. I recommend this to anyone who is interested in spiritual things or who has questions concerning things in the Bible.

Here's my teaser.
(Karen’s review)

About the Author:

Dr. Larry Crabb is a well-known psychologist, seminar speaker, Bible teacher, author, and founder/director of New Way Ministries (www.newwayministries.org). He serves as Spiritual Director for the American Association of Christian Counselors.


Have you read this one? What did you think of it? You can help Canine Lifeline (a dog rescue organization that saved our dog, Abby) by leaving a comment on any of our blogs in March. We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month.

"Dilemma: A Priest's Struggle With Faith And Love" by Father Albert Cutie

For me Dilemma by Father Albert Cutie was an eye-opening look at just what it means to be a Catholic Priest.  Father Cutie became one but then fell in love and had to make a choice.  Dilemma gives very good inside accounts of how he made his decision and what other people thought of it and him.  I enjoyed reading his story.

Here's my teaser from p. 144: 

"But I also very much felt called to be a married man, even a family man. I was a priest in love and contemplating marriage; I no longer believed the two things to be incompatible as I had been taught."

(Gerard's review)

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

"The Longest Trip Home" by John Grogan

Even Better Than Marley & Me!  15 stars
The Longest Trip Home is about John Grogan (author of Marley & Me) growing up.  The childhood stories he tells are so funny!  He had experiences for sure.  If you grew up Catholic like I did, you will really identify with that part of the book:  being an altar boy, going to confession, the sacraments, it's all in here.  His brothers and sister interaction is very good and the "stars" of the book are his parents.  The end deals with them getting older and is so good.  I loved this book!  I got into it real fast and it was hard to put down.  I read it in three days.
(Gerard's review 2/10/09)

Karen's review 2/19/09:
I enjoyed reading John Grogan's memoir, The Longest Trip Home. It gave me insight into Catholicism through his humorous experiences as a kid growing up and also the confrontations with his parents as an adult concerning his lack of faith. It shows how religion can be divisive in relationships but how love can still triumph. I felt bad for his parents who were devout Catholics seeking to raise their children in their faith and not having any of them really embracing it as they had.

If you like stories about families, humor and dealing with elderly parents, this has it all. If you have Catholic background you would probably identify with many of his religious experiences.

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

“The Listener—What If You Could Hear What God Hears?” By Terri Blackstock

The Listener--What If You Could Hear What God Hears? by Terri Blackstock is a short Christian fiction book that gets across the urgency to share about Jesus with people we come in contact with on a daily basis.  It’s about Sam, a Christian who hasn’t led anyone to Jesus in years and really never thought about it until God gives him a supernatural ability to actually hear the thoughts of people around him like God hears.  At first when he starts hearing voices, he thinks he’s going nuts, but then he sees how many people have spiritual needs and need to hear about Jesus that he tries to get more people from his church to go with him to witness.  The whole theme of this book is that people need the Lord and Christians need to introduce them to Him.

I enjoyed this book because it showed the urgency of reaching people with the gospel of Christ in such a fun way.  I recommend it to any Christian
Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

"Having A MARY Heart in a MARTHA World" by Joanna Weaver

When I saw this title, it peeked my curiosity because I have been making more of an effort to be more like Mary than a Martha.  It is a reference to a short story about two sisters in the Bible.  Martha is the busy frazzled one preparing the meal for the company and Mary is the one who visits with Jesus instead of helping Martha.  Jesus said Mary chose the better part.  I think Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World Joanna Weaver would make an excellent Bible study.  It is loaded with scripture and practical suggestions on how to have peace in the midst of our busy lives.  I loved the hula hoop and teetertotter analogies she included.  Peace is the result of spending quiet time with God each day in prayer and reading His Word, being teachable and obedient by abiding in Christ. 

Throughout Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World, Joanna draws from resources that she has found helpful, including Navigators 2:7 material.  I thought it was interesting that both the author and I were impacted by the same quote from the Navigators 2:7 material which was that “Christ is waiting for me to come spend time with Him.” 

The main point of Having a Mary Heart in  Martha World is to have a balance between our worship and service.  We should be a combination of both Mary and Martha!  Much of this book was already familiar to me but served as a good reminder to keep abiding in Christ and guarding my quiet time with Him.   Something that jumped out at me was about hospitality and being willing to help the less fortunate because I pass by beggars all the time going to or from work.  Joanna said, "As Christians, as a church, we are called to be hospitable, the very root of hospitality.  Our lives should be a refuge for the hurting, not a country club for the comfortable."  That really spoke to my heart.

This is not a book that goes fast.  There is a lot of “meat” in it and things to think through and apply to your life.  It gives you a lot to “chew” on.  In the back of Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World were discussion questions for each chapter with more scripture, a list of suggested devotional books, recommended books related to ministry, sample forms for journaling and more.  I highly recommend Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World to anyone who is feeling overwhelmed with all they have to do or who is looking for a Bible Study that is practical and will make a difference in your life.   

NOTE:  I got this in paperback from the library.  I noticed on Amazon that apparently (according to one of the customer reviews) the hardback copy they sell does not include the discussion questions in the back.  Just a warning to be careful if you order this for a Bible Study. 

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

"Life of Pi" by Yann Martel

Life of Pi by Yann Martel is a strange but entertaining book.

I liked the story once I got passed the first 100 pages which went into great detail about different religions and animals. The boy's father was a zookeeper in India. When the family decided to move to Canada, their boat sank and the boy, Pi, was the lone survivor in a lifeboat with several of the animals (zebra, hyena, orangutan and a tiger) that were being taking to different zoos. Of the animals, only the tiger had a name, Richard Parker. Sometimes the writing was hard to follow.

This book is baffling, at least it was to me. As I was reading, I was pretty bored with the first 100 pages where Pi tells about the zoo animals and his search for God through different religions but once Pi got shipwrecked and found himself on a lifeboat with a tiger and some other wild animals, my interest picked up. It's quite an adventure story and I enjoyed Pi's fight for survival, even though parts were very gross and at some points it didn't make sense (I wasn't sure if he was hallucinating or if it was just turning into a fantasy book).

Then, as I finished the book, I realized it is a metaphor and there was so much to look back at and try to figure out what the author's message really is. It's quite a book, a challenging read. I recommend it to anyone who likes a thought-provoking book and strange endings. It has suspense, adventure, humor and philosophy all mixed into it.
(Karen's review 4/08)

I finally got around to watching the movie on DVD and loved it!  See my review of it here.

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