YES! Be Rebellious!

In her book, Be Rebellious: Fight Back Against a Culture that Doesn’t Care About You, Megan Clinton has written an outstanding book for young women.  I have told numerous parents about this book and the need for parents with girls to read this.  Megan Clinton is right on with her appraisal of the worlds expectations for girls. 

As a result, we don’t become the very people God created us to be.  As a father of two boys I was intrigued and wanted to read this book, as my sons have many friends who are girls.  I see the struggles and the way they are seduced by society to be who they are not.  They have bought into the lies that you have to have certain looks, clothes, shoes, be revealing, speak a certain way to be “liked.” 

Megan’s call is for this generation of young women to Be Rebellious.  They should not buy into the cultural expectations.  She gives many examples, some personal, some from friends and acquaintances to help the reader understand her points. 

She also makes the book practical and understandable.  It’s not about beating you up over your mistakes, but in becoming the woman God called you to be.  This is not a book which beats up the reader.  This is an encouraging read.  It’s one I would recommend for every parent of a prepubescent girl to read and even for churches who want to minister to this age in youth groups!

You can read more about Be Rebellious through their own website, HERE

I received this book for free through Netgalley.com and Worthy Publishing in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

Fast Moving

This is the first book I have read from Marcia Clark.  The Competition is a unique title for the book, but it was based on a competition about who could be the most outrageous criminal.  The book brings you in right from the beginning.  There were no breaks, no time to get bored.  The book moves at a fast pace with many twists and turns. 

The book is based on boys who want to copycat Columbine and other shooting disasters.  Marcia Clark takes the reader on a journey through the eyes of L.A. County's Special Trials Prosecutor Rachel Knight and Detective Bailey Keller.

As they appear to close in, there seems to always be a twist.  By the end of the book, you could sense another twist coming.  Some of what I expected did not occur and some did.

A reminder that this is the same Marcia Clark, who was the former prosecutor who led the team in the O.J Simpson trial.  I wondered about how many prosecutors travel with the detective, but that didn’t take away from the book.  It was very engaging.

There were unexpected twists and developments and what I appreciated was the opportunity to look into the workings of a case like this, and the minds of those who seek to commit the crimes.  The use of two psychologists who discussed the criminals and what to expect from them was also interesting.

The end of the book brought us back towards the beginning with comments about another case which remains open and will lead you to book number 5, next summer. 

I received a free copy from the publisher through Netgalley for an honest review.

Fast Paced Action Packed!

The book Firewall (FBI: Houston 1), by Diann Mills grabs your attention right from the start.  The story centers on the lives of Taryn Young, a computer wizard who has just gotten married after a whirlwind romance and is about to take off on her honeymoon, when a bomb kills many people and she becomes a prime suspect. 

Enter FBI agent Grayson Hall, who is assigned to determine who is the prime suspect and who committed this crime.  He wants to believe Taryn, and the book takes many twists and turns and is very action packed.  The book is also focuses on Taryn’s 3 year old godchild who is kidnaped. 

I don’t want to go into more of the story, but suffice it to say this was a book that was very difficult to put down and not want to keep reading.  We get a little peak at the workings of the FBI and the faith that Taryn struggles with in light of her many difficulties and strange events in her recent life. 

The book is very believable based on current situations occurring in our world today.  If you like action packed books, then this book is certainly for you.

I was provided this book by Tyndale House Publishers in exchange for an unbiased review.

Great Fatherly Advice!

Dear Son; A Father’s Advice on Being a Man was written by Dave Bruskas.  Dave is the father of four daughters.  So, it seemed a stretch that he had much to say about raising a son, but Dave lost a son 20 years ago to a congenital heart defect.  Besides the fact that Dave can also write about the man he would like to see his daughter’s marry.

This book covers a multitude of topics as the chapter titles are ~
Christian
Son
Brother
Young Man
Provide Citizen
Member
Husband
Father
Vessel
Mortal.










Here is a youtube clip of Dave speaking about his son.  Click here
 
This book is written from the heart.  It’s very personal as the style is conversational, as Dave is writing letters to his son.  He is asking the question, “What lessons would I teach my son about being the man God wants him to be?”  He touches on a myriad of subjects, from dating, purity, holiness, jobs, graduating, careers, parenthood and more.  This is not a sad book, but an encouraging book and one which will help you to raise your son, or find values you would like your daughter to find in her future husband.

I would highly recommend this book.

I received this book from Tyndale Press at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review.

Fun, Easy and Great Book!

What a crazy, comical and great book!  In this book, filled with stories and anecdotes about the presidents in our history, Daniel O’Brien gives us a fact filled - crazy, truth stretching view of our presidents.  The title of the book is a little irreverent, How to Fight Presidents: Defending Yourself Against the Bad***es Who Ran This Country.   And if you can through some of the rougher language, the book is a gem.  O'Brien does not hold back on his thoughts and words he uses to describes the presidents and their exploits.  The book helped me see the presidents as real people who had struggles they overcame.

O’Brien helped the various presidents to come alive a little more as he told stories about each, most of them were positive, although a few were about the negative exploits.  If you have someone who loves U.S. history; and thinks they know everything about the presidents, this would be a great present.  Sit back and listen to their stories.

I received this book from the Blogging for Books program in exchange for this review.

RIVETING!!

I literally could not stop reading this book.  I have never been to war, but gained a greater appreciation of a different aspect of war.  Dr. W. Lee Warren has written an amazing book, with an equally revealing title, No Place to Hide: A Brain Surgeon's Long Journey Home from the Iraq War.

The book focuses on Dr. Warren’s time in Iraq as a neurosurgeon.  He writes with a vulnerability and power about his experiences and his emotions and thoughts about the various trials he experienced.  He also speaks openly about his marriage which would ultimately end in divorce, his feelings about his children and what it meant to serve his country.

Dr. Warren openly discusses through personal stories the struggles he had sleeping and the toll the war took on his entire being; spiritual, emotional, physical and mental.  The book is about good and evil, hope and victory juxtaposed with despair and loss.

The title says it all, there was no place to hide during his time in Iraq.  You don’t want to miss this book.  It’s riveting!  If I could, I would give this 10 out of 5 stars!

I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their Blogger Review Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Great Resource

This was a great opportunity to get familiar with books which are coming out.  What a great resource to have.  I wish others would do the same.  This would take so much guess work out of buying books I don't want.  This is an excellent tool to help me to know which books I want to request through Netgalley or from the publishers directly for review.

This reminded me of reading a Readers Digest version.  There are all excerpts of books.

Very Inspiring from Pope Francis

I was not sure what I was going to receive when I requested this book.  The book, Lumen Fidei - The Light of Faith is a a short, but very deep reading from Pope Francis.  I thought it would be good for me to read this and I found his writing to be both personal and rich in theology.

This writing is called a Papal encyclical.  A Papal encyclical, is a letter, usually treating some aspect of Catholic doctrine, sent by the Pope.  Papal encyclicals usually take the form of a Papal brief due to their more personal nature as opposed to the formal Papal bull. Papal encyclicals are so famous that the term encyclical is used almost exclusively for those sent out by the Pope. The title of the encyclical is usually taken from its first few words.

The title of the encyclical is The Light of Faith and Pope Francis seeks to teach us about the life of Jesus, who is the light of the world.

This was a good read, which can be used as a devotional as well.

I received this book for free through the Blogging for Books program, in exchange for an honest review.

An Exciting Book for Teen Boys

Below the Surface is the third book in the Code of Silence series, created by author, Tim Shoemaker.  While this is the third in the series, and I had not read the previous books, this was easy to read and follow without thinking I was missing something. 

This series fits into an important genre, middle school boys adventure books.  As such, Tim Shoemaker has done an excellent job of weaving life and Christian principles into the story, not making it preachy, but a book filled with life lessons. 

The story focuses on four youth about to enter high school, Gordy, Hiro, Lunk and Cooper.  They go on a vacation and a prank goes bad and they think they have witnessed a murder.  And the adventure begins.  The book moves at a fast pace and Shoemaker does a good job helping us to know each of the characters and their needs. 

This would be a good book for boys to read, along with the first two books in the series, Code of Silence and Back Before Dark.

I received this book for free from BookLookBloggers in exchange for an honest review.

Excellent Raw Book!

Luke Wordley has scored with his debut novel called, The Fight.  This is a story about boxing, but it goes much deeper than that.  It’s a story about grace, forgiveness, redemption, anger, loss and the power of God through prayer holds all this together.

The book focuses on a young man who has a troubled childhood.  His father died and his mother became an alcoholic and trouble began for Samuel Pennington.  People could see great potential in him, and just as he was about to hit his stride, Sam would be his own worst enemy; and trouble would meet him head on.

Then Sam meets Jerry Ambrose, a professional boxing trainer.  He and his wife Gloria are Christians and seek to help Sam.  Although Jerry and Gloria have a history which is not all bright and rosy. 

In the end, this is a story about redemption for so many different characters and in so many different ways.  This was book was difficult to put down.  I really enjoyed the book; and the book was not focused solely on boxing.  That was just a product of the story. 

The end of the book comes as a surprise, but I must admit I thought the book had an abrupt ending, which I didn’t care for.  But overall, this was an excellent book!  This would be a great Father’s Day present and a great book for young adults and teens.

I received a copy of The Fight from it's publisher, Tyndale House, in exchange for a review. I was not required to write a positive review.

Surprisingly Good Read!

Maybe that's a strange title to a book, Surprisingly Good Book!  But, I was very pleasantly surprised that I enjoyed and benefited from reading this book.  I am not a diet person nor one who lives a more natural lifestyle, yet there was something about this book that intrigued me.  John Durant has written a very informative book entitled, The Paleo Manifesto. 

I was totally unaware of the paleo diet movement, so I felt it this book would either be liked or I would find it very boring.  I liked it.  So, if you are looking for a book on how to diet, this is not for you.  Durant divided his book into three parts ~

1.  Origins (the past)
2.  Here and Now (the present)
3.  Visions (the future)

I appreciated the way John spoke about diet, not making it sound like a diet and nutrition book.  He opened my eyes to some of my misconceptions about certain foods.  Of course, his comments about the protein and benefits of eating insects will not move me to insect eating (unless that’s the only choice).

I enjoyed sections about fasting, counting calories, eating earth (yum) and exercises.  Even his discussion about thermoregulation was fascinating. 

Overall, if you are interested in learning more about being healthy from a more natural standpoint, this would be a good starting read.  It was not as difficult to read as I expected.  d it!

I received this book free of charge from "Blogging for Books" in return for an honest review.

Removing the Dragon from our Lives

It’s amazing to see where our journeys take us in life.  In his book, No More Dragons, Jim Burgen tells the very honest story about his life growing up in the church.  His joy in attending worship and being part of the that culture . . . that is, until one day the people of the church complained once too often about his father (the pastor) and how Jim’s mom played the organ.  On that day, Jim checked out of the church.  He still had to attend, but he became involved in drugs and alcohol until he met his wife and refound a relationship with Jesus.

This is the story about the dragon inside of us.  The dragon which needs to be conquered if God is going to do His work in us and if we are to become the creation God designed us to become.  Burgen explains we become dragons slowly, over time.  It’s not necessarily intentional, it just happens, from our choices and then one day we look in the mirror and we don’t see ourselves, we see a monster, a dragon staring back at us.  We realize we aren’t who we thought we were.

Burgen’s summation is that the only one who can save you, is the One, Jesus.  We need to take the steps to move closer to Christ, but in that process we need to be open to the work of Christ in our lives to remove, sometimes painfully, remove the dragon from our heart and spirit.  We need to hold onto Christ if we want to remain free from the dragon and his influence.  It’s not a one time only process, but it’s a life long process to become free and be the person Christ calls us to be.

Overall, this was a very good book.  At times I felt Burgen took too long to make his point, but that doesn’t take away from the good in the book. 

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review from booklookbloggers.com.

Raw and Honest!

Every so often you come across a book which is raw, honest, fascinating, difficult to put down and kid friendly!  This is one of those books.  Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove has written one of those true stories about his journey in his book, Strangers at my Door: An Experiment in Radical Hospitality.

Wilson-Hargrove and his wife believed they were called into what I will call urban racial ministry.  They moved into an all African-American community.  They were the only white folks around, which makes for interesting and remarkable encounters.  They wanted to open up a hospitality house in which they would house those who were less fortunate and demonstrate the love of Christ.  While this is a book about their mission for Christ, this is NOT a preachy book.

There is raw honesty from Wilson-Hartgrove as he discloses his own racism, even as he attempted to help those within the community.  He wrote about their successes, those they were able to help and their mistakes and non-successful stories.  He in very poignant ways showed how those who they were trying to help were the victims in more ways than one.

He opened my eyes to the ways the world looks at one another in ways which are unhealthy and detrimental to society.  This could be a terrifying endeavor if you are not called to do this.  It can be romanticized, but is not for all people, yet, welcoming and loving people is for everyone to do.

Overall, I would highly recommend this book, but expect to be challenged by it.

The book was provided free of charge through the reading program at Blogging for Books, in exchange for an honest review.

A Fascinating True Murder Story

In Paul Collin’s book,  Duel with the Devil: The True Story of How Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr Teamed Up to Take on America's First Sensational Murder Mystery, I was fascinated at his writing style which helped move me into the drama of the first major murder mystery in the United States. 

The story takes place in 1799-1800; and moves beyond that as Collins shares the fate of those involved in this case.  It’s the story of a young Quaker woman, Elma Sands, who is found dead in the bottom of a well.  The story takes place in lower Manhatten and Collins, helps us to understand the cities dynamics as it was in that era.

Elma, was unmarried, and was living in a boarding house for the past 3 years.  The story focuses at first on muffs she borrowed and hadn’t returned and escalates into a murder mystery.  Another tenant, a young carpenter named Levi Weeks, was accused of the murder.

The well in which Elma's body was found belonged to a new municipal enterprise named the Manhattan Company, which had been chartered by the state legislature to provide the city with clean drinking water.  Aaron Burr was the chairman of the company and was going to defend Levi Weeks.  Assisting him was Alexander Hamilton, who was an arch rival of Burr.  Collins gives us insight into the progression of the trial, slowly unveiling different facts from the story.  Collins notes that all quotes in parentheses are literal quotes as recorded from the trial.

He has so many pages at the end of the book of notes and comments, which helps bring him authenticity.  He used stories from 9 newspapers and actual transcripts of the court case, as well as diaries and journals.

He concludes the book by discussing the duel between Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton, the death of Hamilton and the effect this duel had on the political career of Burr.

This was a fascinating book.  If you enjoy history and murder mysteries this is an excellent choice.

I received this book free of charge from "Blogging for Books" in return for an honest review.

Excellent Choice ~ New Spirit Filled Life Bible

I jumped at the chance to review this Bible, the New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, because I had thought about buying it about 10 years ago.  I appreciate the ministry of Jack Hayford and he is the Executive Editor.  So, it was a great opportunity to review this Bible.  While I prefer the ESV, the NIV is a Bible I still refer to so this was a good opportunity to review the Bible and see what makes this edition unique.

The NIV is not a literal translation and is called a ‘dynamic equivalence.’  This means the authors are not as worried with the literal translation as they are with the reader understanding what the Bible states.  As a Study Bible, there are notes on the bottom of every page explaining some of the more difficult passages, as well as highlighting words which help the passage come more alive. 

What makes this Bible unique is the fact that they have added the following sections ~

Word Wealth
Kingdom Dynamics
Truth in Action
Each are explained more fully immediately prior to the first book of the Bible, Genesis. 

Kingdom Dynamics are the sections that are probably what most makes this Bible unique, because they are study notes from a large number of speakers and authors, and helps the reader better see and understand how the Holy Spirit is leading in specific areas.  There are 41 of these.  They are easy to spot, as there is a box with the words in bold.

Word Wealth explains more than 550 important words and terms.  These words are listed alphabetically, including their Greek or Hebrew transliteration and scripture reference.  Then on the page where the word is referenced, there is a box with a further explanation of the word, along with a reference to Strong’s Concordance. 

Truth in Action sections are charts at the end of each book of the Bible.  The purpose is to show how the Holy Spirit can impact your life.  What is very helpful is that this section is practical.  The left side shows ‘truth’, while the right side of the chart shows ‘action,’ that is what we are to do on a more practical basis.  That’s a great help.

There is also a very nice introduction before each book of the Bible.  There is a limited concordance in the book of the Bible, as well as some selected color maps.

Overall, this is a very good Bible.  It is excellent for studying and going deeper in becoming the person God is calling you to become.

I was provided with a free copy of this Bible through Booklook.  All opinions are my own.

A Great Journey!

In his book A Life of Miracles: What One Ordinary Family Gained When They Gave Up Everything to Follow God, Don Schulze has written a book that may resemble Chicken Soup for the Soul.  This was an easy to read, quick chapters about the chapters in his life.

He takes you on a journey from his time in Vietnam to returning home and living the wild life, to his marriage, family, trials, tribulations; but also his joys and triumphs as he and his wife, Leia met Jesus on the same day.

This is a true story about their adventures, told in a humorous, yet engaging manner.  There are 27 chapters in the book, with each chapter having a short meditation at the end of the chapter.

If you are looking for a fun summer book that will challenge your faith to be more than an occasional Christian, a book that shows the journey of one family to different parts of the world and their passion for Christ and God's power made real, then this is a book to read.

I received this book for free from Tyndale Press in exchange for an honest review. 

Gritty Futuristic Novel

I am not sure what I was expecting from this novel by Adam Sternbergh.  In Shovel Ready, he gives us a glimpse into a futuristic New York City, which has been decimated by terrorist bombs and a future in which people enter a new reality through injections and find themselves in a new world.

The story revolves around a man called Mr. Spademan, a garbage man -- turned hit man.  A man with no conscience, well, he does have one.  He will not kill a minor or anyone who is pregnant.  Thus, we enter into the drama as he is asked to kill the daughter of an evangelist, who may be the father.

It's written in a bare bones method, that takes awhile getting used to reading.  But I liked the style, it made the book move at a faster pace.  I'm still not sure of how I felt about the book, other than to say, I was grabbed into it very quickly, which I really, really like in a book.  Although, I felt the book ended abruptly, but I see he is writing a second Spademan book, which may be the reason.

The biggest negative for me was the language, and it was only one word, but it was repeated more times than I felt necessary, it was the f-word.  Count me prudish, but I didn't need it.  It didn't impress me or make the villains more like villains.

Otherwise, I was captured by the book.  It was a quick and easy read, not for the faint of heart.

"I received this book for free from Blogging for Books for this honest review."

Is it really All Right Here?!

In some ways this book is all about the normal dysfunctions of life, yet it's a hard to put down book.  In her book, All Right Here: A Darling Family Novel, by Carre Armstrong Gardner has written an easy to read book about a family in turmoil.

Ivy Darling is married to Nick Mason, but still uses her maiden name which infuriates her mother in law.  Her sister in laws don't like her and seek to hurt her at every chance.  Ivy and Nick want children but can't, and it is the cause of tension in their lives.  Nick is very regimented in his life, which is the opposite of Ivy.  Then one day three children enter their lives.  The children are African American who have not had real parenting.

Ivy is excited, Nick is not.  Yet, the children stay and stay.  But their marriage is crumbling.  Ultimately, they have some real decisions which need to be made.  What will they choose? 

This was an easy to read book, and a good book.

The author, Carre Armstrong Gardner has worked in Russia for 3 years working with at risk children.  Which highlights some of her passion for writing this book.

I received this book at no cost from Tyndale House Publishers, in exchange for an honest review.

Solomon Style: Seduction and Temptation

Solomon was supposed to be the wisest man in the world.  Really?  Maybe for a moment he was, but he ended with hundreds of wives and hundreds more concubines.  Now, that’s not a comment on women, it’s a comment on all the enticements this brings and the slow dissolving of our own beliefs.  But Solomon had more downfalls than just his women.  In his book, The Solomon Seduction: What you can learn from the Wisest Fool, Mark Atterberry, has written an easy to read book for men about the pitfalls of being seduced.

Atterberry takes us through 10 Wake Up Calls (Chapters) that grab a man, seducing him and leading him away from who is really called to be. 

Chapter titles include ~
1. Sin seems like a good idea
2. God's commands seem out of touch
3. Your glory is more important than God's glory
4. You're more influenced by enticements than warnings
5. Sin management seems like a better choice than repentance
6. Your faithful friends are troubled by your behavior
7. Your drinking glasses cost more than some people's houses
8. There are a thousand women lined up outside your bathroom
9. The throne of your heart goes from being a chair to a sofa to a sectional
10. God draws a bull's-eye on your chest.

Atterberry gives a number of examples about the ways we fall into these seductions / temptations.  He discusses the pitfalls and ways we can battle back.  The book is written from a Christian point of view, although he does not use a great deal of scripture to prove his points or to beat you up over a legalistic point of view.  Basically, it’s a call for men to turn away from sin and turn back to God.

This is a good book, which also has a study guide, which asks 5 questions about each chapter.

I received this book free from the publisher through the BookLook Bloggers book review program.

New Sermon Series at Alexandria First Baptist Church

Hope to see you on Sunday at 10:30 am, when we Crash the Chatterbox which tells us all the negatives!

Couldn't Stop Reading!

I didn't expect to get hooked on this book.  But I was hooked, virtually from the first pages.  and life comes back: A Wif'es Story of Love, Loss and Hope Reclaimed, by Tricia Lott Williford is an outstanding memoir of the most difficult time of her life. 

Tricia gives us a personal picture of what it was like to be with her husband when he suddenly died.  The comments she makes and the questions she asked were so moving and so personal.  She helped me to feel like I was part of the book. 

She chronicles her journey from the days before her husband's death to her struggle to move forward to her foundation of faith and ultimately to her hope for the future.

You will cry and you will laugh.  This is personal and moving.  If you want to read a book that will move you, then this is a book you should definitely read.  This is an exceptional and extraordinary book by Tricia. 

Below is a picture of Tricia, her husband, Robb, and their two sons.

"I received this book for free from Blogging for Books for this review."

Wishing for the Impossible and Expecting the Possbile

What happens when you have a wish for your child?  It’s not about a career, it’s about some of the simple things in life, like playing catch.  It doesn’t sound like it should be difficult, and that’s all James McConnell wanted.  It was his Wish to play catch with his son, Aaron in their backyard. 

In the book, Wish: An Impossible Dream.  An Extraordinary Journey, Jake Smith has written a book which will grab you and pull you along from beginning to end.  Aaron has struggled with cancer, James gave up a baseball career to start a family, and now coaches baseball.  He wants to play catch with his son, but Aaron’s cancer has returned and Smith pulls us along on the journey. 

As a sports dad, who has coached my own sons and other boys in various sports, I could sense the anguish and decisions which needed to be made by Aaron’s parents.  Choices had to be made, yet, the parents were considering their dreams, as well as Aaron’s dreams.

This was an very good book, easy to read and if you like sports, having your heart tugged a little here and there.  And enjoy reading a wholesome book, then I would highly recommend Wish.

I received this book for free from Tyndale Publishers in exchange for my honest review.  All opinions are my own.