Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Reclaiming love by Ravi Zacharias

Ravi Zacharias really is one of my favorite Christian authors and in his book about radical relationships he certainly did not disappoint.
1 Corinthians 13, Paul places love at the very center of what it means to embrace life in Christ and Mr. Zacharias really looks into what it means to love and how that love is so radical and will radically change your life.
As always,Zacharias does an excellent job at blending person stories in to make the points more clear.

The power of a half hour by Tommy Barnett

This book was an excellent read and really got me thinking about time and what I spend it on. In Tommy Barnett's "The Power of a Half Hour" he talks extensively about time and how to spend ones time more productively. As a pastor of a very long congregation Tommy is all about helping people really live and using the time they have been given wisely.
This book is filled with so many great examples and stories to illustrate his points and I really came away from reading this book very encouraging and thinking more about the time I have been given and what I am going to do with it.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

"The Sentinels of Andersonville" by Tracy Groot

I am a huge history buff and the Civil War in particular has always been one of my favorite time periods to study, so I was very excited when I received a copy of "The Sentinels of Andersonville" by Tracy Groot.
Andersonville was one of the greatest horrors of the civil war and Tracy brings it alive with her well written, intriguing new book.
Sentry Dance Pickett has changed while serving as a Sentry at Andersonville after seeing the absolute horrors that are there and he feels powerless to change anything.It is not until Violet Stiles witnesses the horrors for herself and decides to get involved that they enlist the help of Emery Jones, who has befriended a Union soldier and does not want him to die, that they hatch a plan. Will they get in trouble for treason? As they learn about loving their neighbor,even those deemed your enemies, will they live or pay the ultimate price?

This was a well written,engaging read with likable characters and a great story line.I would not suggest it for a younger reader as some of the descriptions,being historically accurate, are rather gruesome.
I do highly recommend this book for anyone who enjoys finding more about our countries past and enjoys a good read.

I received a copy of this book from Tyndale in exchange for my honest review,all opinions expressed are my own.


Tuesday, January 21, 2014

The Queen's Handmaid by Tracy Higley

This is the first book by Tracy Higley I have read and I really enjoyed it and plan on reading some of her other books because I enjoyed "The Queen's handmaid" so much.
Lydia is a young women who knows nothing of her past. As a servant to Cleopatra she lives her life in fear of her displeasure.When a dear friend Simon is killed and entrusts her with a great secret her life is forever changed. As Lydia leaves with Herod the Great to be servant to his soon-to-be wife Mariamma she is thrust into a world of deceit and lies and is not sure she will make it out of it all alive. As Lydia learns about her past she quickly learns that there is one who holds her future and that no matter what happens she must learn to trust in him.

For anyone who enjoys wonderful historical fiction this is a great read! It was well researched and engaging,really bringing history to life.Reading about the various characters made me want to learn about them so it caused me to get more into the history of that time period and the fascinating and tragic characters from then.

Women of Courage by Wanda Brunstetter

I have not gotten into Wanda Brunstetter books before in the past so I was skeptical that I would enjoy her newest book "Women of Courage" but I was delighted to find that it was an excellent read and  that I enjoyed it thoroughly!

Amanda Pearson is a young Quaker women who,after getting jilted right before her wedding,sets out to the West coast to be a missionary to the Indians. Her journey is fraught with many discouragement and dangers and when she is brought into the home of a young Indian woman, Mary, and her trapper husband Amanda is quick to share the gospel with them. Also nearby is a young half Indian trapper,Buck, who is skeptical of the Christian faith after being shown cruelty at the hand of a "Christian". As Amanda gets to know the new people in her life she is quick to see that God moves in mysterious ways, but will he answer the prayers of her heart as she begins to fall in love with someone who does not share her faith?

I really enjoyed this book,it had a great message and I liked how it told the story from several different points of view and was realistic without giving too many details. At times it felt like an awful lot of bad things happened to Amanda and Mary,but when you think about it times were hard and it was probably fairly accurate in the portrayal of how bad it probably was.

I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good historical fiction that is enjoyable and engaging to read.

Dysfunction junction by April Erwin

Once again April Erwin has done it again with a thoroughly engaging read with characters so enjoyable and realistic that they draw you in,making you sad when you are finished and making you greatly anticipate her next book!

Kianna Ravencamp is 26 and has never been kissed.Although she yearns to find someone to love and be loved by, she is surrounded by dysfunctional and failed marriages, making her wonder if the marriage her parent's have is something that is obsolete. When Kianna is given a journal for her birthday and is encouraged by her friend to dream big and fulfill her lifelong dream of taking voice lessons and make a recording she does not imagine it will change her life so drastically. Now Kianna goes from being 26 and never kissed to have 3 guys interested in her.What is she to make of her handsome singing partner Nick's flirtatious attitude, her vocal coach interest in her or her dear friend childhood friend Jason acting odd around her? Whatever is going on in Kianna life she quickly finds that God is taking her in paths she did not imagine and He has a plan for her life.

I really enjoyed this book and recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good Christian book with wonderful characters who you can relate to and a great content that really causes you to reflect on God's workings in your own life.

Monday, January 13, 2014

Unstoppable by Nick Vujicic

I have read some about Nick Vujicic,a very awesome person who has overcome being born without arms or legs and is a pretty impressive guy. I had never read a book by Nick before and I have to say it was such a treat to read the book as Nick is a very engaging writer who is honest and fresh.
In "Unstoppable"  Nick really talks about faith and how faith is an action, even in the darkest of times, knowing that God is there and He has a plan in everything. Nick was very upfront about his struggles with faith and about the times in his life when he has been overwhelmed and depressed and yet,with God's help has been able to overcome that.
Nick addressed many issues, such as feeling out of control, matters of the heart, etc and shares personal experiences as well as experiences of people he has met or knows.

I found this book a really good,inspiring read and highly recommend it to anyone who is in need of an encouraging word.