Godonomics

As a Financial Analyst, when I saw this title I was instantly intrigued, after all, God-o-nomics. If you were to break that down, already the title sounded interesting. Are we talking about God and money? God and financial policy, either way, the title caught my attention. When I sat down to read the book, I had an enjoyable time. While I typically prefer fiction books, Godonomics was not a bad compromise.

Godonomics takes a look into how God would talk to various members of the US government if given a chance, and what God would say. Chad Hovind, the author, gives readers something to think about through his imaginative use of US politics and government. If you're a reader that enjoys looking at hypothetical situations, this should be a book you enjoy, especially if you tend to read a lot of economic theory books.

So just how can we save our country, protect our wallet, and do it in a Biblical way? It's easy! according to Hovind, the Bible promotes a free-market economy, and if we follow the Bible, we will be able to find success, not only in our day to day lives, but also in our economy as a whole. For a good read, even if I did not agree with it entirely, I will give Godonomics 4/5 stars, enjoy!

A New Day Has Dawned - Ruth and Boaz Reborn



Mine is the Night by Liz Curtis Higgs is an enchanting retelling of the classic tale of Ruth and Boaz in the guise of Jack and Elisabeth. Our story begins with sadness as Elisabeth and her Mother-in-Law, Marjory travel back to Selkirk following the defeat of their family in the Jacobite rebellion. Marjory, unused to living in poverty is in the beginning a prideful woman, however as the story progresses we begin to engage ourselves with her story.

Higgs has just the right mix or romance, hearthache, and hope in a story that will become difficult to place down. Though this is the second book in Higgs' series, it is easily a standalone novel. You need not read book 1 in order to become fully comfortable with book 2. What makes Mine is the Night so great is the character depth. Jack and Elisabeth draw you in,they are complex three dimensional characters as opposed to the often flat characters that one might find. In Christian Fiction, what I look for the most is an intriguing story that grips me. I enjoy drama, emotion, healing, and redemption.

I really enjoyed the manner in which Higgs crafted her tale and would fully suggest this novel to anyone who is looking for a retelling of the Biblical Tale of Ruth and Boaz in the guise of 18th Century Scotland. You will enjoy the romance, you will enjoy the joy that can be discovered. 5 Candles out of 5 for what has been a thoroughly enjoyable read.

The Chariots Slave - Never Realized its Potential

The Chariots Slave by R. Lynn was a book with a lot of potential that was never realized. It was not the basic story that was the problem, but more the transition and poor editorial skills. It’s almost like this was the first draft of the book as opposed to the finished product. That being said, there are a few gems in this book that make it worth a read. Also, be warned, if you are getting the Kindle version of this book, the layout is also off, which at times makes for a very perplexing read. Almost as if the conversion was not handled properly.

Now to delve into the book, Sellah is sold into slavery by her drunken father. She has plenty of temerity, what one would expect from the heroine of a story, but her pride is not tempered by the reality of what would occur. Even at the beginning we see her respond disrespectfully to one of the slave caravan guards, and then at the auction we see her respond again. While having spirit is good in a slave, it’s also not something that would have been allowed, there most certainly would have been consequences. All in all however, I can ignore that. The other characters in the book Simeon and Thaddius are extremely frustrating. Both of them feel for Sellah, and Thaddius gets upset because he sees Simeon cares. For two who are supposed to be like brothers, they act anything but and Thaddius goes on a tyrannical reign just to prove he is ‘Dominus’ and ‘deserves respect.’

I will not say anything more on that topic just because I would prefer not to spoil the story. We have an old-fashioned love triangle of sorts brewing. The positive thing I can say for myself on this book is that I got it when it was free, I would not have wanted to waste $3 on this book, especially as the writing and format of the book are less than ideal. I would not recommend this book to others until these problems and inconsistencies are fixed. There are plenty of other similar books out there for you to explore that are actually worth your time and money. 2/5 stars for a good plot that needs a lot of sprucing up.

Surrender to the Earl - A So-So Victorian Era Romance

Surrender to the Earl by Gayle Callen was a book I wanted to enjoy, after all Historical Romance’s usually are good for a somewhat interesting read. This was a Victorian era romance that never quite lived up to my expectations, especially given the description of our heroine and the catch phrase on the back of the book.

She wanted a favor, not a fiancé.

This alone piqued my curiosity. I had high hopes for Audrey Blake, a widow that has been blind since childhood. We learn in the beginning of the story that her family has sheltered and ignored her most of her life, it’s not until our hero, Robert enters the story that we see glimmers of a change. Robert, the Earl of Knighsbridge feels duty-bound to Audrey due to what he perceives as a ‘great wrong’ to Audrey’s deceased husband with whom he served overseas. When Audrey approaches him with a plea, he agrees to help her leave her family home and claim the property that is rightfully hers. That is not as easy as it sounds due to her father, it becomes necessary for Robert to propose, something Audrey only agrees to because it’s necessary. Of course, the engagement is only temporary and both will be able to go back to status quo afterward… or will they?

For most of the story we learn a lot of background on Audrey, she harbors a lot of pain from her marriage to Martin, and also from her family’s treatment of her, as if she were an invalid. It seems that 98% of the novel is about that, and finally in the last 2% we get our happy ending. If anything bothered me in the story, it was Audrey’s inability to recognize a difference in relationships; to recognize that she’d found a very special someone. It was frustrating that she kept brushing it off so profusely, it’s only by sheer miracle and extreme patience on the part of Robert that we do get our happy ending.

While I enjoyed the basic premise of the story, I really feel that for most of the book we are moving at too slow a pace, and in the last 20 pages it’s decided that it’s “TIME FOR A HAPPY ENDING” so everything moves at the speed of light to get us to the happy ending. It’s for that reason that I am giving Surrender to the Earl 3/5 stars. Hopefully in her next book in this series, Gayle Callen will pace the story better and make the characters more realistic.

Reboot - An Excellent Story!

Reboot by Amy Tintera was a great book! My attention was caught by the title of the book, as well as the words on front.

                    5 Years Ago, I Died
                          178 Minutes Later, I Woke Up.

The premise of a reboot sounded quite interesting. I didn't quite know what to expect, but I was thinking it would be similar to a post-apocalyptic video game sort of series. I could not have been more wrong, Reboot at its basest level is somewhat of a zombie story. Not entirely however. Without giving too much detail, Reboot follows the story of Wren-178, how she got this name is explained early. 178 stands for the number of minutes she was ‘dead.’ How did she come back to life you ask? Even this is not explained too much in the book, suffice to say that humans were looking for a scientific ‘fountain of youth’ and it turned out wrong.

In Reboot we are introduced to the concept of these ‘reborn’ humans as second-class citizens. They are made to stay in barracks and be the enforcers as Reboots are unable to get sick and regenerate. Right away, this book grapples with a lot, similar to Partials, we encounter a demographic oppressed by mankind. The Reboots may look human, but they are not treated that way. Their freedoms are restricted.

What makes Reboot into a great story is the character development. Wren at the beginning of the book has life in a neat bubble, she eats, sleeps, works, doing the assignments asked of her without hesitation. From her perspective, nothing is wrong with this, all is as it should be, and her actions are helping the greater good for humanity. It's not until we are introduced to Callum-22 that things really begin to change and Wren realizes that there is more to life. Callum teaches her to laugh, to have fun, to realize that she is human, no matter how much she pretends to ignore it.

If you enjoy stories set in a post-apocalyptic dystopian society you will for certain enjoy Reboot. I found it hard to place down when I started and eagerly anticipate forthcoming books in this series. Tintera wrote well and the story-line was easy to follow, yet also not predictable. For this reason I am giving Reboot 5/5 stars, take the time to read it, you’ll not regret it, and you'll come to love the characters of Wren and Callum.

What a RUSH

When I saw Rush at my library, I did not know what to expect. It seemed different from some of the dystopian teen series, yet it was also similar, but I decided to take a chance. Miki, the main character in our story was living a normal life until she jumped in front of a vehicle to save a child. What follows is anything but predictable, in fact, I can safely say I've never seen a story quite like this before. What really drew me to this book, at least in the beginning was the fact that I share a name with one of the lesser characters in the book, usually my name and the spelling of it is not one that is all that common.

Eve Silver in Rush creates a new world, somewhat similar to Pittacus' Lore's I am Number Four, but also different. We have two sides engaged in a battle, the stakes of which are life and death. Without giving too much information away, Rush is book that places its characters inside a video game fighting for their life and the future of humanity as we know it. Is it chance? What exactly brings Miki and others like her to play this game?

Unfortunately if you're wanting surefire answers to all of those questions, you will not get it at the end of Rush, after all it's just the first book in "The Game" series. There are two additional titles that you will have to wait for. Don't let this hold you back though, Rush is a book you should absolutely read the first chance you get, in fact, it will be hard to put down. It is for this reason that I am happy to give Rush 4/5 stars, for a well written new world created by author Eve Silver. Pick it up, I'm sure you'll have just as hard a time as I did in placing it down, enjoy!

Gripping New Adventure Series

I had a pleasure to start reading Mark Frost’s “The Paladin Prophecy” over the past two days. I was greeted with a well written, engaging storyline. This book was reminiscent of others within the Young Adult Fiction genre. Much like I am Number Four or Percy Jackson and the Olympians, we have a story that centers on youth who are supposed to save the world. The cover of Paladin is what first intrigued me to take a chance on the book, which coupled with the title promised to at least be an interesting story.

Paladin far exceeded my expectations. We’re introduced to Will, a teen who for his whole life has been on the move. Unlike most parents, his parents pushed him to be mediocre. For most of his life, Will did not understand that, what was the purpose? Why would they hold him back? Some of the answers to those questions comes crashing into his reality and starts him off on a journey where he must make new friends to survive. Who is friend and who is foe? Who can he trust when even his own parents are suspect?

If you enjoyed I am Number Four or the Percy Jackson series, you will love Mark Frost’s “The Paladin Prophecy.” Due to the exemplary writing, and the enjoyment I derived from the book, I am happy to give Paladin 5/5 swords for a job well done. I eagerly await the next novel in this series.

Asenath - Unfulfilling

When I sat down to read Asenath by Anna Patricio, I had high anticipation. My favorite genre to read is Biblical Fiction; furthermore, my favorite story in the Bible is that of Joseph. When I saw this book, I was excited and looked forward to looking at the often unmentioned woman that was Joseph’s wife. I’ve read other novels about Joseph and her impact on the story varies, but she’s a side character and usually not explored in too great of depth. I really hoped in reading this book that I would have questions answered as well as enjoy a believable story and account. Unfortunately, this did not happen, while I enjoyed facets of the story, others were unbelievable, odd, or just plain confusing to follow. 

Patricio starts Asenath off by introducing us to Kiya a young fisherwoman’s girl. I had no clue who this would be at first, in fact, it made me wonder if they’d give a little bit of this story and set Kiya up as Asenath’s mother. While I will not say one way or the other on what happened, suffice to say I was thoroughly surprised. It seemed as if this story really diverged from what I would have expected. With the lack of biblical information on Asenath though, perhaps that is to be expected, either way, it left me feeling a bit ‘off.’ The story seemed to jump around a lot, we’d be in one area and then we would jump to another. There also did not seem to be much editing of this story.

Either way, while the basic story was entertaining, it’s not one I would care to read again. There are far better books out there about Joseph and Asenath, even if the book is not primarily about Asenath you can find out plenty in other books. Feel free to check my reviews for a book I’ve read about Joseph that I found had a plausible background for Asenath. I give this book 2.5/5 stars, however for purposes of Amazon, I will round up to 3.

Arena One: Slaverunner

Arena One: Slaverunners by Morgan Rice was another entry into the growing dystopian society genre. The book was well-written and well-paced. All too often in novels, I’ve noted that the biggest mistake an author often commits is developing the story too fast or too slow. In Slaverunners, Rice got the spacing just right. I did not feel like I was rushed into the story, nor did I feel like the story was dragging on.

Now to say a little about the book, Slaverunners is set in New York, and we’re introduced to Brooke and Bree. Brooke is our main character, our heroine if you will, whereas Bree is somewhat of the victim throughout most of this novel. As with all dystopian books, at the beginning we have two characters that are mostly happy, yet barely surviving in their present straits. What follows after the start of Slaverunners is a race against time to save Bree from a horrible fate. Brooke is willing to do anything, to take any steps to save her sister. As always, the bonds that are formed between our main characters, even in the face of such suffering is uplifting and reassuring. Even if society has taken everything away, even if there seems to be little hope, love can and will conquer all, love is worth fighting for.

While I do not want to spoil your perusal of this story, I will say that you should enjoy the development of our heroine. If you’re the type of individual that enjoys action/adventure books set in a dystopian society, Slaverunners is for you. Of course you will see similar plot constructs to many other novels set in a dystopian society, such as our heroine falling in love with two guys, and of course we’re going to wonder who she chooses, in the end however this book is worth a read and your time. I give this book 5/5 stars for a thoroughly enjoyable and fast paced read.

Definitely a Golden Harvest



Biblical fiction is one of my favorite genre's to read and enjoy. Since she started writing with A Pearl in the Sand, Tessa Afshar has quickly become one of my favorite authors in this genre. The research she does is meticulous; it's also refreshing to read a story about side characters in an interesting phase of history.

Harvest of Rubies was the first book in the tale of Sarah and Darius, if you have not read it yet, I highly suggest you do so BEFORE reading Harvest of Gold, because it sets the necessary backdrop for both the characters as well as the setting for the story. Sarah and Darius are amazing characters, at the end of Harvest of Rubies some things were resolved, but it's only in Harvest of Gold that both characters come out truly healed and whole. How this happens you will have to read for yourself. I can promise however that you will fall in love with the characters and the depth of this story.

If you enjoy biblical fiction, or just plain historical fiction, you will enjoy this series. It talks about God, and the impact he has in each of our lives. It also explains a sideways view of Nehemiah and the work he had to do to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. Reading this book has made me want to go back and re-read the Biblical accounts, something that always happens when I read a great book. Because of her level of writing, the complete immersion that her story uses to guide a reader in, I found it hard to place this book down, and you will too. I am giving this book 5/5 nuggets of gold for what was truly a well done book. Thank you Tessa and I look forward to reading more from you, perhaps not about Sarah and Darius, but about other stories.

To others reading this, if you haven't checked them out, read A Pearl in the Sand (a story about Rahab that is unrelated to this novel) and also read Harvest of Rubies (which is related to this title). Enjoy this masterpiece of a novel.

Christian's Quest - Timeless Fun

Pilgrim's Progress, the inspiration for this book has been a favorite of mine for some time now. Having read Little Pilgrim's Progress and now Christian's Quest, I have thoroughly enjoyed myself. I appreciated the adaptation because it provided different insights and perspectives.

The primary reason I selected Christian's Quest to review was for my little brother. I wanted to see if this book would be manageable for him to read at the age of 9, while the book is a little long, I found this an easier read than Little Pilgrim's Progress for younger children. The illustrations also went a long way towards making this book geared towards a younger generation. While I’m not sure if this will entice him to make his way through the book, it at least is the best attempt I’ve seen that stays close to the intent of the original Pilgrim’s Progress.

If you enjoy adventure books, you will enjoy Christian’s Quest, no matter your age. Christian’s Quest brings Pilgrim’s Progress to a more modern age, allowing many different backgrounds to better understand what happened and the application of Christian’s quest in our own life. Due to the quality of this book, I am happy to give Christian’s Quest 5 swords out of 5 for an excellent job. I thoroughly recommend this title.

I received this book for free from Moody Publisher’s in exchange for my honest review.

Vision + Engineering + God = Visioneering



Andy Stanley’s Visioneering caught my interest due to the well-designed cover. What path do you envision your life will take? All of us will approach this question at some point in our life, are we prepared? So many in life fail to achieve their potential because they do not have a clear vision or the courage to follow through with it. So how do you learn how to develop a vision? How do you choose the right vision for your life? This is the question that Stanley seeks to approach in Visioneering.

My personal definition and breakdown: Vision + Engineering + God = Visioneering

While having a vision is a great idea and adds significance to your life, a vision is worthless without the hard work and dedication required to achieve it. Visioneering is setting a positive goal for your life and refusing to lose sight of it. Visioneering is also about finding worth and fulfillment in God.

What I like most about Stanley’s book is that he incorporates God into the Visioneering process. It is my firm belief that without God, all the machinations you might make for yourself in life is without purpose, it is a vain exercise. Vision brings order and purpose to your life, vision allows you to see your life in a different lens. Everyone yearns for purpose, for a while perhaps you could do a job, but eventually you would want to know that your job had meaning, helped to contribute to something outside of yourself. While a vision does add purpose to your life, it also has a price which Stanley also explores.

I would suggest this book to anyone who enjoys self-help type novels, Stanley does a great job in Visioneering and helps you to better understand yourself and your motivations which is why I’m giving Visioneering 4/5 stars.

Regency Era Fun - The Heiress of Winterwood



Sarah Ladd in her debut title, The Heiress of Winterwood exceeds expectations. I've always been one that enjoys stories in the regency era and this one does not disappoint. As a reader, my favorite genre of books is historical fiction because it enables me to engage with a story that might have happened in the past. What I enjoyed most about this story was the unconventional methods to which Amelia was willing to go for her child. While she may not be the blood mother, it proves that family is not driven by blood but by feelings.

For individuals that are interested in historical fiction, especially one that is based in the regency area, this will be a book that you enjoy. Amelia is a strong heroine and is willing to buck tradition. Regency Era England was a time where you could not step out of line without severe repercussions, most notably being shunned by the ton.  I like that this novel shows how love and loyalty matter more than public perception as well as what is ‘proper.’ It is for this reason that I give The Heiress of Winterwood 4/5 stars for being a story that gripped me from beginning to end as well as a relaxing diversion I look forward to more books from Sarah Ladd, I do believe she has a bright future.

I received this book for free from BookSneeze in exchange for my honest review.

Dualed

The premise of this book intrigued me. We are introduced to a dystopian society where each individual has an alt with which they are paired from birth. Each alt is raised by separate families and prepared for their ineveital confrontation where the strongest would survive and become a complete.

Our main protagonist is West who has not yet approached her 'activation period.' This story is part of a growing number of Teen Dystopian series. Much like the Hunger Games, there is a cast structure within Dualed. Some districts have more more and thus more access to elite training, where others only have schools. The basic premise of Dualed features children fighting to the death. Activation can take place anywhere in between 10-20 and the strongest will survive. There are of course alternative 'methods' of assistance for the right amount of cash, but most do not have the funds to pay. Who will end up alive? Which is the best version of you? The city of Kersh engineers it all to find out, bringing alive a 'dog eat dog' mentality.

In the end, the idea of Dualed was one that greatly intrigued me, however the execution left several holes. First of all, if the strikers are illegal and 'hard' to track down, why no simiply look at the wrists of citizens and figure out who has striker marks and who does not? It would seem to be an easy solution to the problem. Other complaints were merely that I felt the story at time lagged and at other times rushed, all in all however it was a fast read and enjoyable. I will be looking intently for the planned sequel. 4/5 for a good read, and I hope that the next book will unlock even more, as well as go about a way to bring down this barbaric societal practice.

"Not So" Little Pilgrims Progress

Pilgrim's Progress has to be one of my favorite books of all times. I've read previous versions of this story and was excited to see how Helen Taylor would have made this story welcome for younger children. I have to say that she did not do too bad. My only statement I'd say with this is that it is a bit of an advanced book for most 8 year old children, which is what the book sates it is applicable for. I would more place this into the age range of 10-14, I think they would understand the concepts better as well as have more of an ability to read through the book in its entirety.

The story is not a modernized account but more a retelling to enable younger children to understand. I enjoyed this story and while there were areas that were glossed over, it had to be in order to present to the intended audience. In this regard, the author does well. I liked Little Pilgrims Progress and would definitely read it again, however, it will likely be awhile before my younger brother picks up the book, he'd just not be able to read the book through yet. 

I would suggest this to parents/family members that have enjoyed the telling of Pilgrims Progress and would like to share a fresh perspective with their children. It's a great way to do family devotional in the evening. I am giving it 4/5 for family friendliness.

I received this book for free from Moody Publishing in exchange for my honest review.

Big House, Empty Promises

The Big House on Adams Street by Alberta Sparks was a book that I picked after seeing it had not had many reviews of yet. I wanted to give it a chance and the idea for the story sounded promising. The story is loosely about a man named Fritz and a group of individuals that start a house in pre- Civil War America, even this information is not fully described at first. For the first two chapters, not once is the information on the time period of the book shared. Sure, you can guess, however, it's not stated, which to me is a bit of a flaw.

I really tried to get into this book, but the story was very disjointed. It started so many stories and yet I felt it never gave adequate time to the characters that had already been introduced, resulting in an almost 'flat-character' state for a few of them. The story also ended on a very abrupt note, almost as if it was rushed and a bow/ribbon had to be tied around to ensure it was a happy ending.

I would like to say that I could recommend this for individuals to read, however the truth of the matter is, that while it is a brief read, it is also not something I can recommend for purchase. At the end of the day, within this genre, there are other books that can speak to a community being created without the piecemeal story given in the Big House on Adams Street. As a result I give this book 2/5 stars, for there were some anecdotes in the story I found enjoyable, however on the whole it was not a book I would read again or suggest.

I received this book for free from BookSneeze in exchange for my honest review.

A Lighthouse in the Night

As a member of Tracy Higley's Caravan, I have eagerly been anticipating the release of this book for several months. One of my favorite genre's to read is Biblical Fiction, I love a story around a period of Biblical history, a way to give life to the accounts of the Bible, a way things could have happened. In So Shines the Night, we are transported back to Ephesus. However our story begins in Rhodes and an introduction to Daria, our heroine whose story hints at a sad past. Once we are introduced to Lucas, the story begins and both characters head back to his home in Ephesus, Daria having agreed to tutor Lucas.

Already the plot thickens and gets interesting. Female tutors back in 57AD were not common and yet it is that very reason that makes me so interested in Higley's story. I love unconventional stories where a commonly perceived 'underdog' can make a difference. Higley in all of her stories has a strong female lead and shows that women who are led by God can do many great things, that the stereotypes of society and culture do not hinder them.

Neither character knew God and both feared evil, yet it was to that very evil at first that both were drawn looking for vindication, healing, and love. The story continues on and at times gets a bit murky, but all the loose ends are tied at the books culmination. So Shines the Night is a story of searching for healing that only Jesus' light can bring. It's about forgiving and not pursuing vengeance, about learning that it's God's power and not your own that saves, and finally about understanding that only God can be someone's redeemer, only God can make someone listen.

I recommend this book to anyone that enjoys the Biblical Fiction genre, you are sure to enjoy this story. I give this book 5/5 stars for a well-researched story that I found hard to put down.

I received this book for free from Booksneeze in exchange for my honest review.

Dystopian Tales



Asylum is just the sort of book I would typically pick up. Christian Sci-Fi is one of my favorite genres and as this seemed to be a start to a new dystopian Sci-Fi universe, I was intrigued. While overall I enjoyed the book, the beginning of the book almost deterred me from completing it, however as I was doing a review of the book I wanted to take the time to read it in its entirety.

The beginning of the book was hard to get into. I did not know who was who, or really why. I've always liked to have a bit of knowledge about what is going on, the circumstances, but in Asylum, we seem to be baptized by fire. I felt at first that there had to be a prequel of some sorts to it, but there was not one. Once I got into Asylum, I did enjoy the story, it's just the sort of narrative that I can picture myself continuing the series with. I like the obvious parallels in the story to our Christian experience and trusting God even in the face of adversity.

I will be reading more of the Circeae Tales as they are published. All in all for a good story, even with a rough execution, I give this book 3/5 stars. If you enjoy dystopian Christian Sci-Fi this is the book for you.

I received this book for free from BookSneeze in exchange for my honest review.

A Clarion Call

When I sat down with Quiet, I expected great things. I had heard a few reviews, and looked forward to reading it. Quiet was everything that it was promised to be. Susan Cain created an incredible book that really helped me to better understand a facet of myself. For the longest time, every Myers Briggs Personality test I would take showed me as a very strong introvert and I knew that was where I got my comfort zone from. As I went through college and started in the working world, things started to change. In an effort to be accepted, I forced myself to start being more extroverted, or as I called myself, an extroverted introvert, or as Susan Cain calls it, an Omnivert. 

Quiet is a book that shows it's okay to be an introvert, it is okay to do be who you are comfortable being. It teaches how introverts and extroverts can relate. In short, Quiet is a Clarion call for understanding the unique strengths that being an introvert and being an extrovert can bring. It goes over the history and how the US has been focused on the 'Salesperson' mentality, and why that was important.

In short, Quiet should be read by individuals of all backgrounds, but especially for those who are in a position of leadership or who identify as being an introvert. All too often we fail to reach our potential because we are too afraid, or we see a 'glass ceiling' of sorts. It is okay to be quiet, it is okay to be shy, and those characteristics can bring a great strength. 

I am happy to give this book 5/5 stars for quality of information. This did not read like one of the normal 'dull' self-help/understanding books, instead it was gripping, innovative. I have already recommended this to my family and friends, and will certainly recommend it to more.

I received this book for free as part of a Blogging for Books program operated by WaterBrook Multnomah in exchange for my honest review.

A New Perspective



Christmas Stories. We all know the traditional stories. Of santa of Jesus in a manger, the Savior of our world. But all too often, we live in these stories and we forget the extraordinary nature of them. The God of the universe come down in a manger, the Savior of creation who lived to die for us, though we do not deserve it. In Christmas Stories, we see a collection of short stories by Max Lucado. In Part 1 we look more at the lives of those impacted by Jesus, where Christ is Celebrated. In Part 2 we look at the story of Jesus through different eyes, from Gabriel to Mary to Joseph to a little bow who worked in a carpenter shop that crafted the manger in which Jesus lay.

I really enjoyed this collection of stories. Part 1 is my favorite however, I really enjoyed the Christmas Candle as it told a story of how God can use an ordinary situation to bless His followers, that sometimes hope is what is needed. Maybe He is the Messiah was another wonderful story, and if it does not cause someone to think of their actions, of how they would respond, I do not know what would. The Christmas Child was definitely a tearjerker, as was the Answer is Yes, both are stories I will be reading with my friends next time Christmas comes around. The North Pole or the Manger was a comparison between Jesus and santa, between Salvation and presents. Which would you choose?

Part 2, was interesting as well. We got to see perspectives from Gabriel, Joseph, and a carpenter named Jacob. We saw Christ from different perspectives and it all shows just how much He gave up for us, for people that would later crucify Him on a cross. How amazing is that love? How can one not want to praise it.

After reading this book, I would gladly give it 5/5 stars. It was phenomenal and caused me to look at things differently, I suggest for each of you to read it to your families at well around Christmas Time, it will make a good 'Advent Calendar' of sorts, perhaps reading a chapter or a few pages each evening until the book is complete. Either way, purchase this book, you will not regret it.

I received his book for free via BookSneeze's blogging for books program. I was in no way required to give a positive review, however due to the nature of this book chose to give a 5 star review on the merits of the author's work. I look forward to reading more of Max Lucado's books in the future.

Stressing Out? Check This Out!

In her book Stress Point, Sarah Martin introduces us to a book designed to address different points of contention that a female may encounter during their 20s. The target audience is 20-30 year old females. Martin takes a look at career, self image, body image, love and dating, serious romantic relationships, friends and family, money, independence, making a difference, and spiritual maturity in her book.

I enjoyed the cover to the book and thought it was creative, however, at times I found it hard to thoroughly engage with Martin's writing style, however she more than made up for that with the different questions and answers she had interspersed throughout the book. I enjoyed the fact that Martin constantly had us engaging with the material we'd read. As I received an e-book copy of this title, I found it a bit more difficult to completely interact as I did not like having to use a separate padd of paper. It'd be nice if the e-book format could have a website where you could enter information or something on the page by which you could interact, but I understand that technology is not yet there at this point in the book search for that. This is not a criticism of the author but more what I wish could be reality in general for any book that has a question/answer portion to it.

Each 'stress point' had a specific flow to it as Martin attempted to show a loving and caring God to her readers.

I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to individuals in my age group to read. I give this book 4/5 stars for being easy to read and engage.

I received this book for free via BookSneeze in exchange for my honest review.