Back to the Blogosphere

Two years since my last update. I've read all kinds of books, but haven't posted any reviews. I still have all kinds of books on my "to read" list.  It grows constantly. Now that I have the blogger app on my iPad, I'll be posting reviews more often. 

Tim Tebow: Great QB, Great Leader, & Most of All, Great Heart After God

Okay, so I’m a born-&-raised Florida Gator fan. Orange, especially when paired with blue, happens to be my favorite color . . . But I didn’t start really watching the Gators play till high school. The credit for that can go my high school class—I was the only girl, so sports was always on topic. They got me hooked, and I’ve been loyal ever since.

Chris Leak was playing QB when I started really paying attention. I watched through his years, and when Tebow started playing in Leak’s senior year, I saw him and thought, “Good to know we’ll have someone to step up when Leak’s gone.” I left it at that.

Didn’t think another thing of this Tebow guy.

Until that summer.

I read a piece about Tim being in a church play as Goliath and the boy who played David did the Gator Chomp as he stood over him. It made me laugh, and made me wonder if maybe, just maybe, there was more to this guy than football. So I kept reading the stories to see. I watched him the following season, and my respect for him grew.

It’s hard for someone to earn my utmost respect, but this man, who is almost a year younger than I am, has earned it through his action on the field and—most of all—off the field. I particularly love the stories about his family. His parents, sisters, brothers . . . His mother is such a beautiful lady who seems to be full of so much wisdom that I would just love to sit down and chat.

I even attended an event he spoke at, but I’m getting a little off track here . . .
This is a book blog, not a sports blog . . .
Well, for this post, it’s both.

I received Tim Tebow’s book, Through My Eyes, and just had to start reading . . . I know, I know, I have a pile of books plus all the kindle books to read too.

But I had to read this. And, as each page was turned, Tim Tebow earned even more respect in my eyes. Tough feat, but he did. As I read his stories from growing up—his family stories, his work ethic, his sports life, his love of God—I couldn’t help thinking that his parents certainly did a great job. Then I read about his football career at Florida. As he recalled the games, I could see them playing over in my head—I watched most all of them myself.

What I loved most was how he readily used each piece in his life as a life lesson with God. He didn’t shy away from talking about Christ, and how his relationship with Christ plays a vital role in everything he does. That is where the majority of my respect for him comes from—from truly standing as a Christian, and not just playing the “Christian” when it’s convenient. Far too many people are Convenient Christians.

All in all, this book is inspiring, informative, and just a good read—it gives you a glimpse into Tim’s mind, motivation, and heart. Florida Gators fan or not . . . Denver Broncos fan or not . . . This is one guy of whom we can all be a fan.

Check this out: http://www.timtebowfoundation.org/

Lots of Catching Up...

So I haven’t been so good about updating this thing lately… but then again, I haven’t even had a chance to read much. It’s been about a year since I very steadily read a lot. School and work kept me pretty busy and tired. Thanks to school though, I got a kindle. Why am I thanking school? Well, I had to buy my textbooks, which I then sent in to Amazon’s trade back program, and I got over $140 as an Amazon gift card—after applying that to the price, I only paid about $30 for my kindle including the shipping. I’ve been taking it with me everywhere I go, and thus, I’ve been reading more.

Four books have kept my imagination occupied over the last few weeks. The latest one I finished is by the author from my last post—Jeremy McNabb. He has published two works on Amazon: one a novella which I read and reviewed in February, the other a novel that I’m reviewing now.

Joy & Carnage

Joy & Carnage tells the story of Mercedes--a girl who, once popular, becomes an outcast after an accident that kills her best friend and leaves her face disfigured. She is then welcomed by people from one of the very groups she once considered the outcasts. Eli and Damian let her in on an event they’ve been plotting, the massacre of all their classmates. She thinks they’re joking at first, but after a painful prank, she eagerly joins them. When the first plan doesn’t succeed, they try again at their ten year reunion. Yet, something is very different in the second attempt—Eli, now a pastor, is working to stop the massacre at the reunion.

The ending… well, let’s just say that it is certainly worth the read.

The story is particularly interesting in how it follows the plots of each event at the same time. The events of the high school attempt and the attempt on the reunion seem to be happening simultaneously. McNabb does a great job with the characters and the plot. It keeps your attention so much so that I have to add the name Jeremy McNabb to my list of authors whose books have kept me up late into the night. (Thanks, Jeremy.)

Jeremy McNabb does a fantastic job in this book, and I highly recommend it.

And, Jeremy, just so you know, I’m still waiting for more of your stories to read.

Get Jeremy's books here: Joy & Carnage

Gravesight (Long Tail City)


Other works I have to review:
Deadlock by Robert Liparulo
The Warriors by Mark Olsen

On my reading list:
Apotheosis by Nathan Hodgdon
Splinters of Eternity by Michal Ingraham
Burn by Ted Dekker & Erin Healy
Immanuel’s Veins by Ted Dekker
The Priest’s Graveyard by Ted Dekker
The Best of Evil by Eric Wilson
Dark to Mortal Eyes by Eric Wilson
Demon by Tosca Lee
Havah by Tosca Lee
…and more...

Gravesight by Jeremy McNabb

I’m very picky when it comes to what fiction I read. And yes, I do judge a book by its cover. So getting me to read a new author takes lots of convincing. However, this author was given a bit of a freebee because I happen to have met him a couple years ago at The Gathering—the yearly get-together of Circle members/Dekker fans. So knowing he reads one of my favorite authors, I had to give his works a shot.

And I’m glad I did.

Gravesight by Jeremy McNabb is a novella connected to the Long Tail City trilogy. While these books are unpublished at this time, I’m confident it won’t be too much longer. Because Gravesight comes after the trilogy, the reader doesn’t have the privilege of knowing these characters and their backstory. While not everything is explained, McNabb does a great job explaining anything that is necessary for us to know within this story.

This story starts with these young twins who found a new friend that needs help. The boy’s uncle is after him. So they introduce him to Cage. Cage Donnagan is one of the Otherkind—and though without much backstory, I don’t really know how to explain this, the Otherkind seems to be a race that can mentally change from one form to another. (I’m sure the author can explain it better.) Cage sees that this boy is in trouble and decides to help him, getting a few other interesting characters involved along the way.

I don’t want to give too much more away since this isn’t a long piece so I’ll just tell you to go to amazon and look it up—it’s available for Kindle (or Kindle for PC), and at only 99 cents, how can you not want to check it out?

Overall, I’d say this is a great piece, and a good way to get introduced to this author—a writer from whom I only expect great things to come.

Jesus Manifesto

Jesus Manifesto by Leonard Sweet and Frank Viola is a great book to get you into studying the scripture to see who Jesus really is, which is not always who He’s made out to be. This book makes you see for yourself what your answer is to the important question “Who do you say that I am?” Have you lost sight of who Jesus really is and instead replaced Him with the doctrines of a church or what someone else says about Him? Each person needs to know who Christ is through their own study of the Word and own encounter with Him.

Sweet and Viola take the time to point out the problem—that many people have “Jesus Deficit Disorder.” They make the gospel about so many other things but don’t realize that unless Christ is at the center of it all, even the good things don’t matter. As Sweet and Viola point out the things that have stopped us from seeing Jesus for who He really is and placing Him in His rightful place, they also se scripture to point us in the right direction—that said, one should still always study the scripture for themselves. This is a good book, and a good tool for anyone that wants to make sure they know Jesus for who He really is.

Book provided by Thomas Nelson’s Booksneeze program.

Jerusalem's Undead: Valley of Bones

Eric Wilson, your Jerusalem’s Undead Trilogy has placed itself permanently at the top of my favorite series list. The story contained within those three books is brilliantly inspired. I fell in love with the characters . . . well, except the Collectors, in which case, I loved to hate them. Okay, I do admit, one of them I didn’t hate, but anyway.

On to my comments.



So could vampires be explained Biblically? In the story that spans three books—Field of Blood, Haunt of Jackals, and Valley of Bones—it certainly seems possible. While they aren’t exactly explained with scripture, the way history is tied into the story, one would wonder just how possible it could really be.

Valley of Bones continues right where Haunt of Jackals leaves off. (For any who haven’t read these books yet, I won’t spoil it—WELL worth the read.) The story of Gina, Cal, the Nistarim, and the Collectors comes together in a climactic battle of good and evil. The Collectors are trying to bring final vengeance on their terms by taking out the Nistarim, those who bear the burdens of the world. If even one Nistarim falls without another to take his place, the world would end. But the Collectors’ numbers are dwindling. Will they succeed in ushering in their Final Vengeance? Or will the Nistarim and Those Who Resist succeed in taking out the Akeldama Cluster?

As I mentioned, history is tied into this story. First, the history of the Nistarim found in Matthew 27:52-53. From there, Eric ties in other pieces of history--usually with a bit of something left unexplained. These bits and pieces are weaved perfectly into the story, making it that much more enthralling.

The description and exploration of the settings in the story also add to the believability. In reading about the foreign places, and even the places within the US, it was easy to envision it in my mind even though I’ve never been to most of them myself.

And of course, the characters are what make the story. Following Gina, Cal, Natira, Erota, and the others within the pages, you find yourself captured within their minds, reading their thoughts, feeling their emotions—whether you love or hate them.

All in all, Valley of Bones is an amazing ending to this excellent trilogy. And I am sure I will read these books again and again.

Mr. Liparulo, you and your endings have done it again!

Imagine you have the ability to go into the past and change it. Imagine it was your calling in life. It seems to be the calling of the King family in the Dreamhouse Kings series by Robert Liparulo.

I’ve just finished book 5 of this 6 book series, and I wish I had book 6 right now so I could dive into it. Anyway . . . so about Whirlwind . . .

This book is properly named. From the moment I opened the cover and started the first chapter to continue the exhilarating quest with the King family, adrenaline has pumped through my veins. There is a whirlwind of adventure in those 310 pages. I’ve followed the Kings, hoped with them, wanted to scream for them, and cheered them on in their battles.

R.L. Stine’s endorsement of this series is fitting. As an elementary and middle school kid in the 90s, I was a fan of Goosebumps. The Dreamhouse Kings series has kept me on edge just as much as those books once did!

And then, there’s Mr. Liparulo’s endings. Yes, sir, I know we’ve talked about this before, but really? It just HAD to stop there? Now I’ve got to get Frenzy that much more. I’ve got to know what happens to Xander, Dae, Toria, Ed, Keal, Jesse, and even the evil Taksidian (who, by the way, in my head sounds like Scar from Lion King when I read his dialogue).

Will they find their mom? Will they change the past before it’s too late for the future? I guess I’ll have to get a copy of Frenzy soon and read it to find out.

I’m excited!

Lis Wiehl's Hand of Fate

So it’s taken me a while to finally get to this book. I’ve had it for well over a month, but until schoolwork was done, I hardly had time to read. Now, after finishing Bride Collector, I’ve finally been able to enjoy Hand of Fate by Lis Wiehl. It’s the second of her Triple Threat Novels, and I have to sadly say I haven’t read the first one. Yet, I can say this is a great read with interesting twists. And though it is the second book, if you haven’t read the first one, you don’t feel completely out of the loop—I was still able to get to know the characters as well as I would any other book, though when it hints at things that happened in the last one, you may feel a little behind.

In this book, the reader follows Allison, Cassidy, and Nicole as they investigate the death of Jim Fate, a famed voice of talk radio. There are more than enough suspects, since he seemed to make a lot of people hate him with his opinions. Each lady also deals with personal conflicts as they’re trying to figure out who murdered this man, including one of them who was closer to Fate than what she let on with her friends. All in all, interesting, and it reminds me of the show Women’s Murder Club—which was based off novels by James Patterson, though I have yet to read the books.

The Bride Collector

I have to admit, the first few chapters of this book had me wondering if I should even continue reading. But I did. It’s Dekker. He has that way that just makes you want to know what happens and how the light shines in the end despite the darkness the story takes you through to get there. This story is dark, but it is full of pinpricks of light, like stars giving a glimpse of light in the darkest night. And the ending . . . oh what a beautiful ending. But I won’t say anything else about that now.

The Bride Collector brings together an interesting array of characters, full of a wit and beauty all their own. The FBI agents, Raines and Holden, are intriguing, but not so much as Roudy, Andrea, Cass, and Paradise. And in this story, while it does deal with those threatening to kill the body, it is also a story about what kills a person from within. The story is a beautiful story of love, and a story of facing the fears within oneself. While there is light at the end of the tunnel, the journey to get there is dark—but it is a beautiful and insightful read.

Radical by David Platt

So my recent facebook status—Are we settling for a Christianity that revolves around catering to ourselves when the central message of Christianity is actually about abandoning ourselves?—actually came from an excerpt of the book Radical: Taking Back Your Faith From The American Dream, a book by David Platt. And I must say, just the first chapter is a challenge to how anyone views their Christianity. It got me to think and I’m sure this is something I will be taking to heart for quite some time.

If the rest of the book is like the first chapter, I’m not sure steel-toed boots will help because this message is so weighty that you’ll feel your toes being stepped on as he asks questions and compares the message of the Word with the message of the church today. Are we shaping Jesus into what we want of Him, or are we letting Him shape us into what He wants of us?

This book is definitely on my must-read list.

You can also read the first chapter of this book (in PDF format) by going here:
http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/2010/04/20/sneak-peek-radical-by-david-platt/


To order a free copy of The Radical Question: What is Jesus Worth to You then go here:
http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/RadicalQuestion/

Roy Hallums: Buried Alive

Buried Alive is an intriguing book about the almost year-long captivity of Roy Hallums in Iraq. He relives the kidnapping and the captivity to great detail. Hallums was in captivity for 311 days, and while we don’t get to read about all of those days, with the information he provides it is easy to imagine each of the places he details. His family’s reactions are scattered throughout the book as well. The rescue by the US Special Forces is so touching at times it could make you cry.

Reading his family’s reactions is at times heartbreaking. There are times this story is so real to the reader that you forget you’re just reading a book and feel like you are there watching the events take place. You hear the voices of the captors and the other hostages. You can imagine the small room and cramped it must have been at times. Yet, we can never fully know just what this man endured. For he did endure. And he has now shared his story with the world. It is shocking, but it is most certainly inspiring.

Free To Be

“Can you not see that your fears of what could happen are keeping you from what could be?”

Free Book by Brian Tome is a great book that challenges our everyday thinking and invites us to enjoy freedom in Christ. He tackles the issue of strongholds that may keep us from experiencing that freedom. Then he offers advice and wisdom based on experience and Biblical understanding to help attack the fears that come at each one of us. He talks about forgiveness, the love all Christians are supposed to live by, and how God wants us to have freedom in Him.

This book certainly makes a person think about the fears that attack our lives every day. Some of them may be small, but they are still fears. As is pointed out several times, God didn’t give us a spirit of fear. That spirit of fear keeps us from living life to its fullest, keeps us from loving the most, and keeps us from experiencing all God has for us. Brian Tome confronts these things head on, and asks the reader to do the same. I certainly recommend this book to anyone that wants to deal with the fears and strongholds in their lives and experience life freely.

More to Read!

So I have been kind of busy lately. There has been school work to be done (Eng 102 and Phil 101). And with the reading I have had to do for those classes, I haven't read much for myself the last few of weeks. I am hoping to get this week's assignments done before the weekend so maybe I can enjoy a day or two of reading bliss. Here's my list:

I'm almost done with Brian Tome's Free Book. I must say, it is great read, and I have learned some things.

After that, I have Buried Alive by Roy Hallums. I am a bit nervous because it is a heavy topic.

Then I finally get to read Burn. I have been looking forward to this book for a while now. I'm sure it will be great.

Depending on whether another book arrives in time or not, I also have Karen Hancock's The Shadow Within. I ordered that one with a gift card a friend gave me for my birthday. I first read her book Light of Eidon in 2008 I believe. So I am looking forward to finally continuing this story.

So what about you? What good books have you read lately?

Happy 2010!

So I started back to college at the end of October. And because of that, I haven't read as much as a hobby as I have for school. In fact, I have three stories I am trying to read, I am starting my classes for this session, and I just ordered two more books to read. Getting a little bit swamped from it? Maybe, but I love it.

One thing I never finished was the Dean Koontz's Frankenstein reviews. I read the third book, Dead and Alive. It was a great ending to the trilogy--following Deucalion and the other characters around as they plot how to take care of Frankenstein once and for all. The characters are all unique and some are downright funny. I think the way it ended was fitting. And a bit eerie. Overall, I was pleased.

Let's see what I get to read this new year.

May your year be filled with blessings.

NKJV Greatest Stories of the Bible

I recently received a book in the mail, and have enjoyed exploring it’s contents. Many of these stories are well-known to me, but the format is different—and refreshing.

The NKJV Greatest Stories of the Bible is a collection of 250 stories from the Old and New Testaments in storybook format. The stories of the scripture are divided into easy to read sections--if you just want a short piece to read to yourself or as a bedtime story for little ones, you’ve got plenty to choose from.

This is a beautiful book inside and out. The cover gives it an air of a family treasure to be passed down for generations. Each piece is titled, tells the scripture reference, and has each verse numbered as you read—this information is even listed in the table of contents for your ease. This is a good way to introduce kids to the stories of the Bible, or just a good way to read parts of the Word in a different format. This doesn’t contain the full text of the Word however. So if you’re looking for a good study Bible, this isn’t what you’re looking for.

To give you a general feel for this book:
There is a table of contents in the front that lists the title of the section, the scripture reference, and the page number. There is no concordance, only a small index in the back. Of the 250 stories, only 47 are from the New Testament. In the stories of Jesus, they include scripture from more than one book (i.e. Jesus’ Birth: Matthew 2:1-18 & Luke 2:17-39). Since this is a “storybook” of scripture, some books of the Bible aren’t included or only partially used. Some of the books not included are: 1 & 2 Chronicles, Psalms, Proverbs, Galatians, Philippians, 1 & 2 Timothy.

Max Lucado, Fearless.

“Don’t be afraid,” He said. “Take courage. I am here!”
—Matthew 14:27 NLT

What are you afraid of? Every day seems to bring a new item to our already long list of fears. But how do we overcome those fears? What can we do, even if the situation is out of our control? How do we keep fear from controlling us? How do we have peace during the storm?

Max Lucado’s Fearless is a phenomenal book. He talks about so many fears, and relates all of them to stories in the Bible. I have only read a couple of his works, and have been pleased with all of them. He writes in such a way that anyone can understand it, sometimes using mental pictures to help describe things: “as gloomy as a giraffe with a neck ache” (Can anyone say “Ouch!”) or “collapsed like a sand castle in a typhoon.” He backs up his words with scripture, and even explains things to help the reader better understand. There is also a discussion guide at the end of the book that includes study of scripture, questions, and applications.

Fear is something everyone deals with, and anyone can find something to relate to in Fearless. Therefore, I highly recommend it to everyone.

Jenna Lucado, Redefining Beautiful: What God Sees When God Sees You.

I saw this book on the review list, and knew I had to read it. Talk about the right choice.

So what is Redefining Beautiful? This book for girls is about learning what beauty is from God’s perspective. Jenna changes the focus from looking in the mirror, to looking at what God, our heavenly Father, sees when He looks at us. As she talks about each girl’s personal style, it’s not about just the outside appearance; it’s about the inside, about our attitudes, our quirks, how we view others, how we view ourselves and why we view ourselves that way. Then she takes that and compares it to what is pleasing to God.

When I ordered this book, I wondered: Would Jenna be able to relate it to girls like me, the girls without earthly fathers to help us to relate to God? And I was pleased with the answer. She does a great job in relating to girls with good dads, not so good dads, and absent dads. She uses her own story, stories from the Bible, and the stories of others to give examples. She asks questions, and then gives room for answers, which really helps in applying the things she talks about in a person’s life.

This book is something I recommend every girl read, no matter her age. It says it’s for teens, and that’s great--but I’m a young adult, and this book really touched me as well.

City of Night, book two of Dean Koontz’s Frankenstein

So I’ve recently finished City of Night. And I must say, it lived up to the expectations that began in book one.

It’s interesting to think of what would happen if Victor Frankenstein were alive in today’s world. How would we know a human from his . . . creations? And what if those creations suddenly started going wrong, malfunctioning so to speak? How would one take care of such a person and his creations? And what if Frankenstein's original creation came back to finish him?

The adventure of this book is captivating. The characters become real. And descriptions are written so that the reader can see it all.

I’m excited to see how this story ends in book three.

Prodigal Son

So I’ve never read anything by Koontz before, but have had him recommended. I never really knew where to start though. I got several opinions on that, but no one recommended the books I found at Wal*Mart: Dean Koontz’s Frankenstein. I read the back cover, and bought book one, Prodigal Son.

I finished Dekker’s Green, Liparulo’s Timescape, and then skipped Wendy Alec’s second book of The Chronicles of Brothers--I’ve waited so long for that book, I have to read the first again. But anyway, back to Frankenstein.

When I started the book, I only intended to read a few pages then go to bed. Yeah right. I read quite a few chapters, and didn't want to stop. Such a page turner!

Deucalion is my favorite character. Full of history and mystery. The whole story is intriguing, filled with great plot and characters. I love the good guys, and love to hate the bad guys.

And now I have the second book in hand. I am excited to get into it. Needless to say, Dean Koontz is now on my list of favorite authors.

Andy Andrews’ The Noticer

Jones is a Noticer, this man that wanders into a person’s life, a mysterious old man that no one really knows much about, but a man whose mindset is desperately needed in many people’s lives. He offers perspective, something we often lose sight of in life situations. He asks questions, answers your questions, gets you thinking, gives you perspective, and then lets you get about what needs to be done.

This book intrigued me by the worn suitcase on the cover. When I got my e-book copy of it, I thought “Well, this is certainly interesting” as the first page caught my curiosity. And I found myself reading through it without noticing how many pages went by at the time.

This book is full of wisdom, insight, and the key word . . . perspective. And he doesn’t give these long explanations that get you lost and confused. Whether you identify with the situations of these people right off the bat, or know that you need to remember this for later, it’s full of wisdom every person needs. I highly recommend this book.