Thank you to Bethany House for my copy in exchange for my honest review -
When I was younger I could never fully understand The Old Testament - besides the stories you hear in church. I got the main points, but it was near impossible for me to see them as more than stories - that they were actually real people and real situations - except for a few people such as: Noah, Moses, Adam and Eve, Rebekah and Isaac, Esther for examples. I believe it was because there were SO many names and SO much happening it was hard to keep it all straight. Because of this, I would get bogged down and eventually give up with The Old Testament preferring the New Testament.
As I got older (mostly because of being homeschooled for high school), I found myself reading more about Saul, Jonathan, Samuel, Samson - but even still the prophets, the other people mentioned (such as Nehemiah) were stories. I understood on a different level that they were indeed real people and real situations, but it was so strange to me to think of God as a "fire and brimstone" God (He is so so much more than just that though!) - which is odd because I had no issues seeing him that way when it came to Moses and the Egyptians. Not only that, but I found all those stories to be (God forgive me for this) rather boring and dull.
Just in the last three years or so, I have actually gone out of my way to read through the whole Bible (pretty sure I have done so, but by jumping around) in order - still working on that because I get bogged down with all the old laws and all the names. However, I have found I want to learn more about all the stuff I couldn't care less about when I was little. I suppose that means I am growing as a Christian.
Anyway, I found over the years that if I watch a show or read a fictional book about the Biblical stories and then read them in the actual Bible I understood and cared more. So, when I discovered that Lynn Austin was writing a series about The Old Testament, I was very excited and couldn't wait to read it. Now, I haven't read the first one in the series, but I have read this one.
Good news to people who just pick it up - it CAN be read by itself. The characters are very alive and very real - which is a great thing! Each time I read a few chapters I couldn't help saying how much Ezra (in the book) reminded me of my father. The further I got the more Devorah reminded me of my mother - so it was rather entertaining to me what happened in the book. I was able to guess one thing that happened much later in the book and while it surprised me that I was correct, I wasn't overly surprised (I do that a lot).
The book is very well written and you can tell a lot of time and research went into it. If this is the way Lynn's other books are, I will have to check it out because I have greatly enjoyed this one. I give it 5 stars out of 5! :D
P.s. It has helped me put real personalities and "faces" to the Biblical people, so thank you Lynn!
Friday, October 10, 2014
Wednesday, September 17, 2014
Review of 'Hit' by Lorie Ann Grover
Hit is a powerful book and the fact that it is based on a true story makes the impact even stronger.
When I first started reading it, I was honestly torn and almost put it down because I can't stand books written in the present tense vs. the past. It is something that bugs me to no end because I don't seem to get into them as much when they are written like that. However, I am very glad I kept reading despite that because this was one of those rare books that really did manage to grab me and keep me reading until the end despite the rather annoying present tense.
Haddings was my favorite character. The torment and pain he went through was so real you could feel it. Second favorite was Sarah's father - he truly meant well and you could see that. Sarah was okay, but I never grew "attached" to her.
The cover is so simple, but very gorgeous and fits the story nicely.
The way this was written was so real and intense, you could almost feel like you were part of that family. I was all around very impressed.
4 stars out of 5!
When I first started reading it, I was honestly torn and almost put it down because I can't stand books written in the present tense vs. the past. It is something that bugs me to no end because I don't seem to get into them as much when they are written like that. However, I am very glad I kept reading despite that because this was one of those rare books that really did manage to grab me and keep me reading until the end despite the rather annoying present tense.
Haddings was my favorite character. The torment and pain he went through was so real you could feel it. Second favorite was Sarah's father - he truly meant well and you could see that. Sarah was okay, but I never grew "attached" to her.
The cover is so simple, but very gorgeous and fits the story nicely.
The way this was written was so real and intense, you could almost feel like you were part of that family. I was all around very impressed.
4 stars out of 5!
Review of 'A Bride in Store' by Melissa Jagears
Thank you to Bethany House for my copy in exchange for my honest review.
First of all, I want to say this is not my typical type of book that I prefer to read. However, the description sounded interesting and so I decided to give it a chance. When I put in my request to review it, I did not realize it was the second one in the series - however, I found I could easily read it without struggling, so it is a good stand alone book as well.
The cover is lovely and fits the description of the characters nearly perfectly. I am a cover lover, so I always look at it to see if I can see where it fits into the story.
Now here comes the difficult part of my review. I don't know if it is because I am a writer or if it is because I read a lot or if it was just predictable (I hope not!) - but I knew where it was going on the first page. It could very well be because it was what I would have done if it was my characters put into a situation and story like that, but again I can't say for sure if that is how I just knew what would happen.
I wanted to enjoy this book and I did in some ways, but the characters were kind of dull to me except for Irena - I really liked her! (though I do have a big soft spot for people fighting against their feelings for others). Overall, the storyline was great, but again I knew what would happen for the most part (there were a few surprises despite that).
I didn't dislike the book, but I definitely didn't love it. In fact, I am passing it on to someone who may enjoy it more than me. It could very well be that it is not my genre - I don't know. A solid 3 stars out of 5.
First of all, I want to say this is not my typical type of book that I prefer to read. However, the description sounded interesting and so I decided to give it a chance. When I put in my request to review it, I did not realize it was the second one in the series - however, I found I could easily read it without struggling, so it is a good stand alone book as well.
The cover is lovely and fits the description of the characters nearly perfectly. I am a cover lover, so I always look at it to see if I can see where it fits into the story.
Now here comes the difficult part of my review. I don't know if it is because I am a writer or if it is because I read a lot or if it was just predictable (I hope not!) - but I knew where it was going on the first page. It could very well be because it was what I would have done if it was my characters put into a situation and story like that, but again I can't say for sure if that is how I just knew what would happen.
I wanted to enjoy this book and I did in some ways, but the characters were kind of dull to me except for Irena - I really liked her! (though I do have a big soft spot for people fighting against their feelings for others). Overall, the storyline was great, but again I knew what would happen for the most part (there were a few surprises despite that).
I didn't dislike the book, but I definitely didn't love it. In fact, I am passing it on to someone who may enjoy it more than me. It could very well be that it is not my genre - I don't know. A solid 3 stars out of 5.
Monday, August 18, 2014
Review of 'In the Field of Grace' by Tessa Afshar
As an avid reader for many years of quite a few different genres, I have to honestly say I never in a million generations thought I would discover a book so amazing it would become my favorite. Well, I was proven wrong and before I turned thirty.
In the Field of Grace by Tessa Afshar is hands down my favorite book. I have never read anything so powerful, so breath-taking before (apart from the Bible that is). It truly is a work of art and clearly was inspired by God. There is no doubt in my mind that I am going to buy Tessa's other books and if they are anything like this one - I may have discovered my favorite author.
Now I normally rate books 1-5 stars (five being the highest), but this one deserves ten stars! In short, I LOVE this book and will gladly recommend it to many, many people - my sister being the first.
In the Field of Grace by Tessa Afshar is hands down my favorite book. I have never read anything so powerful, so breath-taking before (apart from the Bible that is). It truly is a work of art and clearly was inspired by God. There is no doubt in my mind that I am going to buy Tessa's other books and if they are anything like this one - I may have discovered my favorite author.
Now I normally rate books 1-5 stars (five being the highest), but this one deserves ten stars! In short, I LOVE this book and will gladly recommend it to many, many people - my sister being the first.
Tuesday, July 22, 2014
Review of 'Murder at the Mikado' by Julianna Deering
Thank you to Bethany House for my advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.
Murder at the Mikado is book number 3 in the Drew Farthering Mystery series and is just as good as the others! I am never let down by Julianna's writing - though this time I sort of figured out who was killing people where as the other two I was stumped completely. Perhaps with the next one (as long as she continues the series) I will be able to finally be correct on all fronts.
This cover is my favorite out of the series so far and I think it fits the storyline perfectly. The characters still haven't changed - which is a good thing in my opinion because that means Julianna knows her characters well. There were two things that bugged me about the characters, one is Madeline's mood swings. While warranted at the beginning I grew rather tiresome of the constant up and down, happy and sad, angry and not angry - it got to the point that I was starting to dislike her! Thankfully Julianna set her back on the path and she once again became the Madeline I grew to like a lot in the other two books.
The other thing was Nick and Aunt Ruth. There was simply not enough of them in this one! They are easily my favorite characters and I was rather upset to note they didn't appear enough. I hope as the series continues they will make more frequent visits to the pages.
Peter - I adored! Julianna did so wonderful capturing the spirit of a young boy and it made not only me smile, but my sister as well (even my mother who overheard me reading it out loud to my sister). His attachment to Mr. Chambers was super adorable. Mr. Landis - I really liked the way he talked about Peter and seemed to really care for him. Mrs. Landis - For her role in the book and her character, she was very well written though I can understand why they were rather taken back when she came around.
The plot was fast-paced and intriguing with just the right touch of humor, mystery, drama, and romance. I really can not say anything real bad about this series because Julianna is an excellent writer! 4 1/2 stars out of 5 only due to Madeline's mood swings growing a bit tiresome.
By the way, I would love to see Aunt Ruth fall in love with someone - just saying for a possible future plot?
Murder at the Mikado is book number 3 in the Drew Farthering Mystery series and is just as good as the others! I am never let down by Julianna's writing - though this time I sort of figured out who was killing people where as the other two I was stumped completely. Perhaps with the next one (as long as she continues the series) I will be able to finally be correct on all fronts.
This cover is my favorite out of the series so far and I think it fits the storyline perfectly. The characters still haven't changed - which is a good thing in my opinion because that means Julianna knows her characters well. There were two things that bugged me about the characters, one is Madeline's mood swings. While warranted at the beginning I grew rather tiresome of the constant up and down, happy and sad, angry and not angry - it got to the point that I was starting to dislike her! Thankfully Julianna set her back on the path and she once again became the Madeline I grew to like a lot in the other two books.
The other thing was Nick and Aunt Ruth. There was simply not enough of them in this one! They are easily my favorite characters and I was rather upset to note they didn't appear enough. I hope as the series continues they will make more frequent visits to the pages.
Peter - I adored! Julianna did so wonderful capturing the spirit of a young boy and it made not only me smile, but my sister as well (even my mother who overheard me reading it out loud to my sister). His attachment to Mr. Chambers was super adorable. Mr. Landis - I really liked the way he talked about Peter and seemed to really care for him. Mrs. Landis - For her role in the book and her character, she was very well written though I can understand why they were rather taken back when she came around.
The plot was fast-paced and intriguing with just the right touch of humor, mystery, drama, and romance. I really can not say anything real bad about this series because Julianna is an excellent writer! 4 1/2 stars out of 5 only due to Madeline's mood swings growing a bit tiresome.
By the way, I would love to see Aunt Ruth fall in love with someone - just saying for a possible future plot?
Wednesday, June 18, 2014
Review of 'Stuck Together' by Mary Connealy
Thank you to Bethany House for my review copy in exchange for my honest review. I do want to apologize for my review being a bit late - I was gone for nearly two weeks due to my grandfather's unexpected death and the book had arrived while I was gone.
I have always wanted to read a book by Mary Connealy, but for some reason any time I went shopping for books - whether online or in a store - I never picked them up. I can't say why I didn't, but it just seemed to slip my mind that she was an author I really wanted to read.
The cover is amazing - which is strange to be because I am normally not a fan of the split photo like it is, but there is just something about this one I really like. Perhaps it is that the guy is handsome (though I doubt it is only because of that) or perhaps the lady looks quite mischievous - whatever it is, this cover makes me happy.
Now I won't lie - I chose this book to review because I knew from the back cover text I would love it and I have to say I was not disappointed. Well, not totally. Part of me loved it and was entertained, but then part of me liked it yet was somewhat bored. I know - confusing, right?
Well, let me explain (be warned - potential spoilers ahead!)
The part I didn't really care for was about finding out who was causing the trouble with Luke. To me this was boring and I think why this was boring is because Vince didn't seem to show enough passion like he did with the rest of the situations that rose. Now I get it, he didn't want to be sheriff in the first place, but the fact that he agreed to be it and the fact that he swore in - well, to me that means you need to show a bit of passion for your "job".
I know he had a lot of crazy stuff dumped on his shoulders and that would cause anyone to lose focus in different parts that aren't as important, but if those were really his best friends that had been with him through everything - I would think he would be more apt to help them.
Anyway, that is basically the only part I didn't care for.
Now, onto the rest of the story -
I knew his father was going to do that as soon as he arrived - he just seemed like a snake. While I was not expecting the whole Tina's brother thing, it didn't really surprise me - in fact, if that had not have happened I would have been disappointed. Virginia Belle was a very well crafted character, but I do wish that Melissa didn't just seem to drop her like a hat after meeting... (well, you will figure it out... or find out. lol, I don't like giving spoilers.)
Vince is a great character - full of lots of charm and sarcastic wit - but I won't lie, his always being so concerned with turning out like his dad just annoyed me. Just because your parents are one way does not automatically mean you will turn out to be like them. I adored the way he spoke about Tina - both in good ways and in bad - you could see how much he cared.
Tina is perfect! I might be weird, but I like characters - especially main female characters - who are full of spunk and when I talk about spunk, I mean how Tina is. She is sassy, independent in a way, sarcastic, and strong. Her chemistry with Vince is off the charts and I swear I was going to quit reading if he didn't do exactly what he did early on. (again, I try not to spoil.)
Glynna was a good secondary character and I really loved the way she and Dare wanted to protect each other so much. I do wish I had gotten to know Ruthy a bit more because she seemed like she had a lot of spirit. All around the characters were well crafted, but my favorite easily was Tina.
So, I give this book a solid four stars simply because I didn't care much about the story unless it was about Tina and Vince's relationship. (Come on, that isn't much of a spoiler... right? Oh, well. If it is you can't say I didn't warn you!)
I have always wanted to read a book by Mary Connealy, but for some reason any time I went shopping for books - whether online or in a store - I never picked them up. I can't say why I didn't, but it just seemed to slip my mind that she was an author I really wanted to read.
The cover is amazing - which is strange to be because I am normally not a fan of the split photo like it is, but there is just something about this one I really like. Perhaps it is that the guy is handsome (though I doubt it is only because of that) or perhaps the lady looks quite mischievous - whatever it is, this cover makes me happy.
Now I won't lie - I chose this book to review because I knew from the back cover text I would love it and I have to say I was not disappointed. Well, not totally. Part of me loved it and was entertained, but then part of me liked it yet was somewhat bored. I know - confusing, right?
Well, let me explain (be warned - potential spoilers ahead!)
The part I didn't really care for was about finding out who was causing the trouble with Luke. To me this was boring and I think why this was boring is because Vince didn't seem to show enough passion like he did with the rest of the situations that rose. Now I get it, he didn't want to be sheriff in the first place, but the fact that he agreed to be it and the fact that he swore in - well, to me that means you need to show a bit of passion for your "job".
I know he had a lot of crazy stuff dumped on his shoulders and that would cause anyone to lose focus in different parts that aren't as important, but if those were really his best friends that had been with him through everything - I would think he would be more apt to help them.
Anyway, that is basically the only part I didn't care for.
Now, onto the rest of the story -
I knew his father was going to do that as soon as he arrived - he just seemed like a snake. While I was not expecting the whole Tina's brother thing, it didn't really surprise me - in fact, if that had not have happened I would have been disappointed. Virginia Belle was a very well crafted character, but I do wish that Melissa didn't just seem to drop her like a hat after meeting... (well, you will figure it out... or find out. lol, I don't like giving spoilers.)
Vince is a great character - full of lots of charm and sarcastic wit - but I won't lie, his always being so concerned with turning out like his dad just annoyed me. Just because your parents are one way does not automatically mean you will turn out to be like them. I adored the way he spoke about Tina - both in good ways and in bad - you could see how much he cared.
Tina is perfect! I might be weird, but I like characters - especially main female characters - who are full of spunk and when I talk about spunk, I mean how Tina is. She is sassy, independent in a way, sarcastic, and strong. Her chemistry with Vince is off the charts and I swear I was going to quit reading if he didn't do exactly what he did early on. (again, I try not to spoil.)
Glynna was a good secondary character and I really loved the way she and Dare wanted to protect each other so much. I do wish I had gotten to know Ruthy a bit more because she seemed like she had a lot of spirit. All around the characters were well crafted, but my favorite easily was Tina.
So, I give this book a solid four stars simply because I didn't care much about the story unless it was about Tina and Vince's relationship. (Come on, that isn't much of a spoiler... right? Oh, well. If it is you can't say I didn't warn you!)
Tuesday, June 17, 2014
Review of 'Whispered Stories' by Brittany Jean
Brittany Jean has a lovely voice that sort of reminded me of Hayley Westenra only not as operatic. I really love the title because it is exactly what the CD is about - whispered stories. I really liked the photos included in the lyric booklet - the photo on the back of it was definitely my favorite photo of Brittany.
One of the songs I really liked was 'The Ballad of Wall' and even my mom who heard her music from downstairs thought it sounded really nice. Not overfly "folksy" and just all around a very nice CD.
The only drawback is that the music is soft and her voice is soft so if you are tired or driving - I don't recommend listening to it. However, if you have trouble sleeping or just have had a stressful day then I think this would be a wonderful choice to listen to in order to calm down or relax.
Brittany has a beautiful voice and is quite talented. Definitely a great CD! :)
Four and 1/2 stars out of five - simply because I wish there was one or two fast paced songs.
One of the songs I really liked was 'The Ballad of Wall' and even my mom who heard her music from downstairs thought it sounded really nice. Not overfly "folksy" and just all around a very nice CD.
The only drawback is that the music is soft and her voice is soft so if you are tired or driving - I don't recommend listening to it. However, if you have trouble sleeping or just have had a stressful day then I think this would be a wonderful choice to listen to in order to calm down or relax.
Brittany has a beautiful voice and is quite talented. Definitely a great CD! :)
Four and 1/2 stars out of five - simply because I wish there was one or two fast paced songs.
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