Book Review: The Marriage Wish & God's Gift by Dee Henderson

PG-13, 3 stars

This printing puts Dee Henderson's first two published works together in one volume.  Both stories center around the romance of a woman who's lost her one true love and a man who wants her to find happiness again.  I did find the stories very similar, but I was still able to enjoy them both.  Both love stories are aided by God and Christianity.

The Marriage Wish tells the love story of Scott Williams and Jennifer St. James.  Jennifer lost two very important things in her life and she feels she will never be able to love again.  It is a difficult road for Scott to travel, but he is willing to go down it to bring Jennifer back from drowning.

God's Gift introduces us to James Graham, a mission worker in Africa, who has returned home to recover from an illness.  It is here he meets face-to-face his sister's friend, Rachel Ashcroft.  He had "met" her previously through care packages she sent his group.  He never planned to fall in love with her for he has plans to return to Africa.  Rachel has her own secret as to why she is trying not to fall in love with James.

I would have given this collection higher stars if I didn't feel the two stories were carbon copies of each other.  They were good stories and I enjoyed them, but that's exactly what they were.

I read these stories for pure pleasure.  All opinions are my own.

Book Review: The Sea of Monsters (Percy Jackson and the Olympians #2) by Rick Riordan

PG, 4 stars

I'm kind of iffy on the PG rating. Is there something between PG and PG-13? I finally read the second book in the Percy Jackson series. I'm slow with this series, but I do really enjoy it.

Percy spends an unusually uneventful year at a new school, an odd school that doesn't really care about grades or for that matter, education.  His only friend at the school is a weird homeless kid named Tyson.  The last day of school makes up for all the other uneventful days.  His mother had received a message Percy should not return to Camp Half-Blood but the event at school as well as meeting back up with Annabelle prompts him to immediately return.


Camp Half-Blood, in a sense, is dying.  Thalia's tree is actually dying and causing the security measures around the camp to fail.  The blame was placed on Chiron and he has had to leave his post, bringing in Tarturus to take his place.

Before returning to camp, Percy had a dream about his friend the satyr, Grover.  While at camp he had a Grover dream again.  He knows he needs to save his friend and in the process save the camp.

Rick Riordan is good at tying in Greek mythology with a laugh and a twist.  He's created a very believable world right here in our own backyard.  The second book in the series does not disappoint.

I read this book for pure pleasure.  All opinions are my own.

 

Book Review: Embracing Me, Embracing You by Michelle Bellon

PG-13, 3 stars

Lost love.  Love lost.  This is the story of Roshell McRady.  Growing up in a trailer park in the 90s is not easy.  Feeding herself and her cousins is her responsibility and she doesn't want to admit that she's ashamed of her home.  Her life isn't easy.

Roshell meets Gabriel.  He's interested in her.  She's interested in him.  So, why don't things work out?  She's the type of person who takes what life throws at her and life is throwing Gabriel.  Why isn't she taking him?

That's a big question running through my head throughout the story.  The author is intentionally keeping these two people apart and it felt off for me.

Also, intermingled in each chapter were sections narrated by another character, from another character's point-of-view.  It was nice to see what they were thinking, but it was a distraction from Roshell's story.  My thought is do the best to show the story or at least a chapter or section from one character's point of view.   It's lazy in that the author is not able to convey what she wants through the original narrator.  If that narrator can't show it, it's not meant to be shown.

Filled with young adult humor and 90s style, Roshell's story surprises with hard hitting moments giving the book a clever edge.  If you like young adult romance there is a good chance you will enjoy this book.

I read this as a review request using the Kindle app on my laptop.  All my opinions are my own and I was not compensated for this review.




If you click on the book cover image at the top of the page the link will take you to the Goodreads page for the book.  I have done this for every book review on this site.  I don't know if anyone's noticed as it is not as noticeable like an underlined link.  I want everyone to be able to take advantage of everything they want to on this site.  I add it to give more to the book review and let you, the reader, know more about the book.  If you want to buy the book or anything at Amazon.com please click on the Amazon Associates link provided. It helps bloggers like me keep blogging and provide giveaways.

Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.  Anyone can playing along!  Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
• Be careful not to include spoilers! (make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away!  You don't want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers.

The commissioner asked if I was "ready for round one, lady."
"You bet," I said.
Kindle Location 716 The Lady is a Champ by Carol B. Polis

Book Review: A Season of Love (Kauffman Amish Bakery #5) by Amy Clipston

PG, 4 stars

The conclusion to the Kauffman Amish Bakery is here.

Linday Bedford makes a decision. She returns from her trip caring for her parents' injured friend knowing where her place in life is. She has not chosen to follow her sister's path. She belongs in the Amish world and thus, has decided to become baptised with her two best friends, Katie and Lizzie Anne.

Lizzie Anne's life is changing apart from being baptised. She's engaged to Katie's brother, Samuel!  This leaves Katie out in the cold, for Lindsay is serious with her beau Matthew. Katie is single. She often feels left out of the friendship triangle.

What does Katie do? She falls in love with a Mennonite boy, Jacob Miller, Lindsay's sister Jessica's former boyfriend. No, she doesn't do it on purpose, but as she says you can't help who you fall in love with.

Will Katie and Jake find a way to be together?

This is Katie's story. Lindsay is featured, but she's not the main protagonist. Her questions in life are answered. We have to get them answered for Katie now.

Some events in this story seem rushed, but I understand in the sense that we don't want a thousand page novel, although some readers probably wouldn't mind. Katie's father seemed a bit too overbearing, but there always seems to be someone like him in the Amish novel.

Clipston did a great finale for the series. I have only read the final two books, but reading them makes me want to go back and read the first three. I think I may have found a new author to explore!

I received the book as a free ebook from netgalley.com. I was not compensated or asked for a review.

Book Review: By Faith, Not By Sight by Scott MacIntyre

PG, 4 stars

Scott MacIntyre was American Idol's first disabled contestant.  In his autobiography, with the help of Jennifer Schuchmann, he tells the story of his life--the ups and downs.  When there are ups there are ups and when there are downs there are downs!

Scott was born blind.  He isn't completely blind.  He can see a pinhole of light, but big fat of good that does him in everyday life.  As a very young child his mother played the piano and taught him where to place his fingers.  He learned how to play by feel, like other blind piano players.

He grew up a fascinating piano player as well as singer.  He was part of a family group the MacIntyre Family Singers with his older brother, younger sister who was also born blind, and his mom.  They traveled around where they lived at the time, Canada or Arizona, performing at churches.

When stage four renal failure tried to stop Scott's dream of studying classical piano in London, Scott relied on God and bravely moved forward in carving out his life.  When his kidney transplant, recovery, and his sister's transplant, yes the blind sister, attempted to sideline him, he persevered and made it to the top ten of Idol.

He defied the odds.  He danced on stage!  A blind man dancing, that's amazing.  Watch him and it's easy to forget he's blind.  Things don't always go as they should on the show, but he was able to work through them.  It's his faith in God keeping him grounded and able to make it through any challenge put before him.

This is Scott's story on what having faith in God can do.

I read this as a review request from BookSneeze.  All opinions are my own.  I was not compensated for this review.

Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.  Anyone can playing along!  Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
• Be careful not to include spoilers! (make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away!  You don't want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers.

"Europa fell off and died along the way, but that's not important."
"It was probably important to her."
P.86-87 The Sea of Monsters (Percy Jackson and the Olympians #2) by Rick Riordan

I decided to pick more of a funny line than a real teaser.

Book Review: Safely Home by Randy Alcorn

PG-13, 5 stars

You may think you know what goes on in Communist China, but what you don't know will surprise you!

China presents a false image of themselves to the world, an image they have cultivated over the years.  They pretend to be tolerant of any religion and anybody.  The truth is far from what we've been told.

Ben Fielding is an American businessman who has great ties with the business world in China.  He thinks he knows the real China.  What he knows are the lies he's been fed.  On one trip to China he decides to contact his old college room, Li Quan.

Li Quan is a Christian in China.  He is a persecuted Christian in a persecuted religion.  His father and grandfather have both died for their faith and Quan has been jailed before for the same reason.  He shows Ben Fielding the China he knows.

Randy Alcorn puts together an extraordinary tale of what really goes on behind the closed doors of China.  This is an amazing tale of what people will do for Christianity, for Jesus, for God, for love. The book opened my eyes and made me realize things about myself that perhaps I didn't like.  It's a story of faith and sacrifice, putting God first and ourselves last.

I read this book for my own pleasure.  All opinions are my own.

Book Review: A Hole in the Ground Owned By a Liar by Daniel Pyne

PG-13, 3 stars

The author, Daniel Pyne, has written screenplays for such movies as The Manchurin Candidate and Fracture. I have not seen any of the movies he has written, but I have heard of them, so I kept that in mind while reading this book.

The title comes from a quote attributed to Mark Twain as found in the The Autobiography of John Jays Hammond.  There is no other record of Twain calling a mine "a hole in the ground owned by a liar", so we do not accurately know if he said this.

Lee is a high school shop teacher in Colorado.  While looking on Ebay he comes across someone selling a mine.  It's an odd thing to sell on Ebay, but Ebay is the home for odd things.  Lee buys it.  He doesn't care about making money.  He thinks it will be something fun.  Ever since his divorce he's been in a rut.

Checking out the mine Lee runs into some interesting characters which create for him an interesting time.  It's these band of characters, including Lee's recently released from jail brother, that make the story.

The story felt incomplete.  There was no climax.  I felt what we're aiming towards never happened.  It wasn't at the end.  Pyne's great at developing characters that are true characters, but that seems to be the only thing he's good at.  Carrying a story is not his forte.  If I choose to read this book again I may find something different.

I won this book in a giveaway.  All opinions are my own.

Book Review: Life, In Spite of Me by Kristen Jane Anderson

PG-13, 4 stars

It's not too gruesome, but the story of her injury could sit bad for younger readers.  If they think they can handle it and maybe they can then middle school level readers will probably enjoy the book, though not get as much out of it as older readers.

Kristen Anderson was not a good kid.  She wasn't a bad kid.  She was just a normal rebellious teenager suffering from depression.  I do not know if she knew at the time that she really was suffering.  She had to deal with the deaths of a friend and an acquaintance as well as her father's own depression.  She drank.  She partied.  She smoked.

One New Year's Eve night she disobeyed her parents.  She stayed out past curfew.  That sounds pretty cheap.  She stayed out all night and didn't come home until 10AM the next morning.  Her parents grounded her until further notice.  A friend wanted her to come hang with her.  What's the worst that could happen?  Grounded more?  So, Kristen snuck out.

On arriving home, she didn't want to face her parents.  She disobeyed them.  She's afraid of the hurt she's caused them.  Kristen visited the park to contemplate things.  She must end her life.  All this terrible stuff has happened and she's not happy.  She decided having a train run over her would kill her.  There's no way she could survive that.

This is the story of Kristen's survival.  She lost her legs, but she didn't lose her life, and she didn't lose God.  Her injury helped her find God and a purpose for her life.  She should have died, but God could not let her.  He was not done with her.

Kristen Anderson with the aid of Tricia Goyer tells a poignant tale of life after an attempted suicide.  It's a must read for Christians and anyone struggling with depression.  There is an answer and it's not dying.

I started out reading this using the Adobe Digital Edition on my laptop, but then surprise, I recieved a paperback copy in the mail, and finished it that way.  I read this as a request from Blogging For Books.  All opinions are my own.

Rate My Review @ Blogging For Books

Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.  Anyone can playing along!  Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
• Be careful not to include spoilers! (make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away!  You don't want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers.

"Am I going to live?"
The doctor looked at me.  "I don't know you've lost a lot of blood."
P.12 Life, In Spite of Me by Kristen Jane Anderson

Book Review: A Thousand Tomorrows by Karen Kingsbury

PG-13, 2 stars

Not one of Karen Kingsbury's better works.

Cody Gunner is a professional bull rider.  Ali Daniels is a professional barrels racer.  They each have their own problems and don't want to or know how to love another.

The story starts with Cody Gunner as a six year old.  His former professional football playing father left because of his younger brother having Down's Syndrome.  He didn't understand how someone could not live his brother.  It ate at him and ate at him until he found bull riding and found a release for his anger.

Ali Daniels entered the scene when Cody became a professional.  She grew up with a disease that affected her breathing and her ability to ride, cystic fibrosis.  Technically, she's not supposed to ride horses, especially in barrel racing.  But, she puts up with her disease to do what she loves.

This is their love story.  Ali doesn't want anyone to get close and Cody doesn't know how to love.

The story seems very rushed.  Kingsbury tells instead of shows, which breaks one of the only cardinal rules of writing.  She jumps from scene to scene skipping months and in the end years to get to the good stuff.  None of the problems were really focused on.  The first chapter felt more like a prologue than an actual first chapter.  It just didn't live up to Kingsbury's talent.  If you're a fan you'll probably enjoy the book anyway.

I read this book for pure pleasure.  All opinions are my own.

Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.  Anyone can playing along!  Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
• Be careful not to include spoilers! (make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away!  You don't want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers.

"I wondered if anyone would recognize me.  I was so nervous, I couldn't look at anyone."
        p.8 Double Clutch by Liz Reinhardt