Christian Readers Challenge - Finished

Today is the final day of the Christian Readers Challenge.

The challenge was to read at least 5 (I think) Christian books between Jan 1 and Apr 30, 2009.

1. Be Strong & Curvaceous - Shelley Adina
2. Grace for the Afflicted - Matthew Stanley
3. Scrapping Plans - Rebeca Seitz
4. Lost in Las Vegas - Melody Carlson
5. The Red Siren - M.L. Tyndall
6. The Valentine Edition - Robin Shope
7. It's All About Us - Shelley Adina
8. Lessons From San Quentin - Bill Dallas
9. John's Quest - Cecelia Dowdy
10. The Spring of Candy Apples - Debbie Viguie
11. I Do Again - Cheryl and Jeff Scruggs
12. Age Before Beauty - Virginia Smith
13. Fruit of My Lipstick - Shelley Adina
14. Kiss - Ted Dekker and Erin Healy
15. This Side of Heaven - Karen Kingsbury
16. The Stones - Eleanor Gustafson
17. Diamonds in the Shadow - Caroline B. Cooney
18. Scream - Mike Dellosso
19. Katt's in the Cradle - Ginger Kolbaba and Christy Scannell
20. Deadly Charm - Claudia Mair Burney
21. Yesterday's Embers - Deborah Raney
22. Rachel's Tears - Beth Nimmo and Darrell Scott
23. Fatal Illusions - Adam Blumer
24. So Not Happening - Jenny B. Jones
25. Murder, Mayhem and a Fine Man - Claudia Mair Burney
26. The Noticer - Andy Andrews
27. New York Debut - Melody Carlson

New York Debut by Melody Carlson (Book Review)

Title: New York Debut

Author: Melody Carlson

Publisher: Zondervan

Available: May 1, 2009

Genre: YA Fiction/Christian

ISBN-10: 0310714931
ISBN-13: 978-0310714934

I read this for the First Wild Card Tour April 30, 2009.

First sentence: "Where is our Taylor?" asked Grandmother pleasantly.

Book 6 in the Carter House Girls series picks up as DJ is being picked up from the airport on her return from Las Vegas (see my review of book 5, Lost in Las Vegas). Taylor is noticeably absent and DJ has to share with her grandmother that she is at a rehab facility in California for alcohol abuse. Grandmother is upset and disappointed because she is afraid that Taylor won't make it back in time for Fashion Week in NYC.

As school starts up again after New Years, DJ, Rhiannon and Casey begin to notice that Kriti seems to be eating less and working out more. They do an intervention and Kriti confesses that Eliza has been influencing her to lose weight. They convince her she doesn't need to and move her in with DJ - away from Eliza.

Grandmother begins having classes on Saturday mornings to teach the girls about etiquette, manners and how to "own" the cat walk. She opens these up to the community and the Carter House girls find themselves spending time with Daisy, a new friend, and Madison and Tina, two old enemies.

I had only read book 5 prior to this book (other books in the series include Mixed Bags, Stealing Bradford, Homecoming Queen, and Viva Vermont). Again, it was hard to differentiate all the girls at first, and I would not have had a clue had I not read Lost in Las Vegas. I don't think it reads well as a stand alone. That being said, it does have good lessons and values for a teenage Christian girl to follow and illustrates how one can turn to God in all sorts of situations. I hope to eventually be able to go back and read the first 4 books in this series. Bikini Breakdown is book 7 of this series and it is due out in October 2009.

Murder, Mayhem and a Fine Man by Claudia Mair Burney (Book Review)

Title: Murder, Mayhem and a Fine Man (an Amanda Bell Brown mystery)
Author: Claudia Mair Burney
Genre: Mystery/Christian
Available: Now
ISBN-10: 1416551948
ISBN-13: 978-1416551942

I read this book for fun.

First sentence: I had every reason to be peeved, and I told Carly so.

Amanda Bell Brown was celebrating her 40th birthday with her sister Carly when it was interrupted by murder. You see, Carly is a medical examiner and she was the one on call. The victims were two men whose house Bell had been to years before when she was working/investigating cults. But if it wouldn't have been for those murders, Bell would never have met Jazz Brown - lieutenant with the Detroit Police Department.

And so begins Bell and Jazz's friendship - courtship - headlong tumble into love - whatever you want to call it. As they work together to try to solve these murders (Bell is a forensic psychologist) they learn how much they really care for each other.

One of the cult members, Susan, "escapes" and ends up at The Rock House. This is the church Bell attends, where the pastor, Rocky, is also her ex-boyfriend. Susan appears to be in a catatonic state, so Bell goes to visit her to see if she can get her to talk. After waiting hours, Susan doesn't move or speak so Bell goes home. The next day Susan writes Bell's name, so she called in again. She doesn't say much, but what she does say seems to implicate someone for the murders. Susan soon leaves the Rock House and nobody can find her.

Bell gets Rocky to tell her the addresses/phone numbers that Susan gave them when she showed up - before she went catatonic. Bell sets out to find the leader of the cult. She puts her life on the line to try to save the women and children involved. You see - 10 years earlier, she was actually in a cult where she was beaten and de-humanized - where she eventually lost a baby she was carrying. She has a hard time separating the present from these haunting memories in her past.

When the cult leader and Susan show up at her apartment, what will she risk to save Jazz, who she believes might be "The One?"

I recently read Deadly Charm (review here) which was the third Amanda Bell Brown mystery. I loved this one as much as that one and can't wait to get book 2 - Death, Deceit and Some Smooth Jazz. There is something about the way the author writes that just stays with me. I love the sarcastic flirting that goes on between these two - it keeps me smiling all the way through the book. Sometimes, reading as many books as I do, the characters can get mixed up or the plots can be confusing - but I don't find this happening when I read the Amanda Bell Brown books. Keep them coming!

So Not Happening by Jenny B. Jones (Book Review)

Title: So Not Happening
Author: Jenny B. Jones
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Genre: YA Fiction/Christian
Available: May 5, 2009

ISBN-10: 1595545417
ISBN-13: 978-1595545411
I read this for the First Wild Card Tour.

First sentence: One year ago my mom got traded in for a newer model.

Bella's life has been turned upside down. In the blink of an eye she has gone from living in NYC with her "plastic surgeon to the stars" father and her charity, fund-raising mom - to living in Truman, Oklahoma. On a farm, no less, with her mom, new step-dad, and two step brothers. The oldest which seems to be going to great lengths to make her life impossible.

To make matters worse, she manages to alienate herself further when she blogs at her old school's website (Hilliard School for Girls) about the lack of fashion, brains and everything in between at Truman. This information spreads quickly throughout Truman High School, her new alma-mater.

As a form of punishment she is placed on the school's newspaper staff, where she meets the 'sorta hot' editor Luke. His first assignment for her is to sit in the school's trash dumpster and see if she can dig anything up.

She manages to overhear a conversation between two football players which puts her on the scent of a real story. A story that may or may not explain the apparent suicide of a player the previous year, a car crash that landed one student in a nursing home wasting away and why her stepbrother is so hostile to everyone.

Even though Luke tells her to stay out of the story she thinks she has uncovered and stay focused on her "trash" story, Bella can't seem to contain her nosy nature.

Come join her in an adventure which threatens her life as well as her younger stepbrother's, takes her to a sweaty wrestling gym and to a railroad overpass.

This was a cute read. Although Bella is a Christian, you don't see a lot of evidence to support this. She spends a lot of time lamenting about her suddenly awful life and why everyone should feel sorry for her. She doesn't bother to consider that her presence in her new home may make others uncomfortable as well. She was in many instances where she could have called on God, but just sort of relied on luck. (It also seems to be missing how her mother went from her somewhat shallow life in NYC to becoming a Christian and marrying this man in Oklahoma because she felt it was God's will.) I do sort of think that a lot of Christian teens live this sort of self-centered life these days. I think that part of being a teen is learning to let go of believing you are the center of the universe. There also seems to be a lack of good role models for today's teens. Bella was a good person, but she could have taken a more "cross-centered" approach to many of her problems.

Fatal Illusions by Adam Blumer (Book Review)

Title: Fatal Illusions
Author: Adam Blumer
Publisher: Kregel Publications
Available: Now
Genre: Christian/Suspense
First sentence: As dusk settled over the suburban Cincinnati neighborhood, the sodium-vapor lights along the quiet street blinked and came to life on cue.

Marc and Gillian were a couple in crisis - though at first they did not seem to realize this. Marc was an assistant pastor and one of his duties was Christian counseling. Stacey, on of his parishioners, had been coming to counseling as she said she was trying to reconcile with her husband. Marc felt that she was developing a crush on him, so had a female staffer take over her counseling. Stacey continued to call him and send him e-mails, which Marc tried to ignore.

Gillian had given birth to stillborn twins six months ago. She was still grieving, visiting their graves and writing them letters. Neither confided in the other the obstacles they were up against.

On the day that Stacey's feelings got out of hand, Gillian finds a love letter that she had written to Marc, hinting at an affair. Before Gillian can confront him about it, Stacey shows up at their house and shoots Marc in the chest, accusing him of attempted rape as she runs from his home. Fortunately, he survives, but he and Gill are further apart than ever.

Together, accompanied by their 16-year-old daughter Crystal, they take a sabbatical to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan in hopes that the media circle will die down in their absence. Little do they know that they are moving to the same remote area as the Magician Murderer, a serial killer who has killed 4 girls in Cincinnati. Girls that all resemble their daughter Crystal.

This book was hard for me to put down. You are instantly immersed in the murders and through them begin to know Detective Riley. A veteran cop and a Christian who is on the brink of retirement. But he can't seem to let go of this case.

Between the loss of the babies, Marc's shooting and Stacey, Marc and Gillian have lost faith in each other and where is their faith in God? You cheer them on that they will somehow be able to see how the other is hurting and open up to the love they once had for each other and the love that God still has for them.

There are a lot of twists in this book, but the way it came together in the end was very believable! As everyone begins to close in on the killer, I found myself urging them on - trying to tell them how close they were. I also loved the way it brought everything around to believing and trusting in God. I highly recommend this book! You can read the first chapter here.

Purchase book here.

Rachel's Tears by Beth Nimmo and Darrell Scott (Book Review)

Title: Rachel's Tears
Authors: Beth Nimmo and Darrell Scott
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Genre: Biography/Religious
ISBN: 978-1-4003-1347-1
This book was made available for me to read from Thomas Nelson.

First sentence: The events of April 20, 1999, have generated miles of print in newspapers and magazines and months' worth of coverage on TV and radio all over the world.

In a few days, on April 20th, it will be the tenth anniversary of the Columbine tragedy. Two boys, armed with guns and bombs, killed 12 students and a teacher before turning the guns on themselves. One of those students was Rachel Joy Scott.

Rachel was not the most popular, or the smartest, or the prettiest - but she had a light shining within her. This light was the love and personal relationship she with the Lord. This light was Jesus living inside her.

Not until after her death did her parents even realize the depth of Rachel's personal relationship with Christ. This was discovered through the numerous journals and drawings that she left behind.

Rachel's Tears gives us a glimpse of this amazing girl's short life. Told through stories and observations from her parents, family and close friends, we see what a special girl Rachel was. She reached out to anyone who was needing, regardless of race, popularity, looks, etc.

Through writings from her journals we see her deep love for God and her willingness to serve Him and do His will. We also her humility and her struggles.

Dear God,

Why do I feel dry in Your Spirit? Why do I feel that the fire has died withing me, yet so many claim they see he light of You, oh God, burning brightly? Why do I have to feel moments of doubt, distrust, disbelief, stages of anger and stages of loneliness when it comes to You, Father? Why do I lose focus of you during praise and worship as well as prayer? Why can't I completely be consumed by You? Why can't I be used by You? Why do I feel self-righteous at times? Why do I feel afraid? (Rachel's Tears, p111 - an entry from her journal)

This book has touched me in many ways. It makes me see how I would like to be with my walk with God - how I would like my family to be. It shows how God can take a tragic situation and use it for His good. It shows how one person, one child, can change so many.

Yesterday's Embers by Deborah Raney (Book Review)

Title: Yesterday's Embers
Author: Deborah Raney
Publisher: Howard Books/Simon & Schuster
Genre: Christian Fiction
Available: Now
Read for First Wild Card Tour

First sentence(s): "You sure you guys'll be okay?" Doug Devore leaned over the sofa to plant a kiss on his wife's lips. (go here to read the first chapter)

Doug Devore loses his wife Kaye and daughter Rachel, tragically, on Thanksgiving Day. He doesn't know how he is going to raise his remaining five children - ranging in age from Harley at age 2 to Kayeleigh who was 12. He was already working two jobs and Kaye had worked part-time. Together they had just barely covered the bills.

Mickey Valdez is the director at Doug's daycare. He becomes habitually late in picking up the kids and so she offers to bring them home one night. Doug invites her to stay for the take-out he had picked up for dinner. The kids seem thrilled to have her there and Doug is reminded what it is like to have a woman in the house.

Mickey and Doug next meet outside of daycare at a wedding in town. Doug had only gone at the insistence of his daughter Kayeleigh, who wanted to wear the pink dress her mom had made for the Christmas program. A program that she never attended. He hadn't done any socializing since his wife had died 2 1/2 months earlier. He preferred living in his grief-stricken fog - only surfacing for his job and his kids.

Well-meaning townsfolk pushed the two of them together for a dance. This led to them spending most of the evening together dancing and Doug taking Mickey home afterwards. This was all very upsetting to Kayeleigh. She did not want to see her dad laughing and dancing with anyone like he used to with her mom.

After a few weeks Mickey and Doug are seeing each other regularly - but it has only been a few months since Kaye died. As they grow closer, Kayeleigh continues to pull farther away. Is the spark between Doug and Mickey really love? Or is it taking the place of something else?

I enjoyed this story very much. It was very realistic with characters that were full of warmth and feeling. It pulled at my heartstrings when Doug lost his wife and daughter. I struggled with him as he tried to go on with his life and help his kids adjust to their new reality. I felt as anxious as Mickey when they began "courting". Wondering if it was too much of a good thing too soon. I wanted Mickey and Doug to come through everything as a couple - but you must read the book yourself to see what happens!

Deadly Charm by Claudia Mair Burney (Book Review)

Title: Deadly Charm (an amanda bell brown mystery)
Author: Claudia Mair Burney
Publisher: Howard Books/Simon & Schuster
Genre: Christian Fiction
Available: Now

First sentence: Rocky showed up at my apartment door with an offer that, in his words, I "no coulda refuse."

Dr. Amanda Bell Brown, or Bell to her friends, has been pretty lost without her husband Jazz. He had left her the day after they got married when he found her kissing her ex-boyfriend Rocky. Well, actually Rocky had kissed her. He did not know that she had gotten married and she was trying to let him know without causing more hurt.

Rocky was the pastor of the Rock House. Ezekial Thunder and his family were staying with Rocky while Ezekial was trying to jump start his ministry again. He had made a shambles of it a few years back when he had an affair with an intern. Since then his wife had passed away and he had married the intern, Nikki. Together they had a little boy, almost 3, by the name of Zeke or Little Zeekie. Ezekial had other children - all of whom were named some form of Ezekial.

Bell does not really care for Ezekial and Nikki, especially after her "exorcism" of her "interracial dating and adultery" demon at Ezekial's Crusade. It had ended badly with her vomiting right at the feet of Ezekial. This episode made it on CNN when they began covering the Thunders after Little Zeekie accidentally dies while taking a bath at Rocky's. Or was it an accident?

Bell decides that it is up to her to find out. She teams up with her detective husband, Jazz, whom she is still separated from, to try to find out the truth.

I really enjoyed reading this book. Bell was full of quick wit and a sarcastic tongue which brought a smile to my face quite often. I loved the banter between Jazz and Bell. They clearly loved each other but were both very proud and independent. Here is an excerpt of that banter:

I didn't move. "What are you doing?"

"Opening the door for you."

"Why didn't you drive over to where your car is?"

"I'm not ready to leave yet, Bell."

"What if I've had enough of you for one day?"

"Oh, I happen to know you can take more of me than that." He said this with a wicked grin.

"Is your head always in the gutter?"

He leaned toward me, his arm resting on the top of the Love Bug. "Get out of the car, baby."

"No."

"I know you're mad. We can talk inside."

"I don't want to talk to you."

"You asked me to look into this for you, and that is what I did. Will you get out of the car so I can tell you whatI accomplished this evening?"

I took a peek at him. "You were just working?"

"I was."

"You're not attracted to that Cruella De Vil stick figure?"

"Hardly"

"And you don't think I'm too fat?"

"Bell, get out of the car. It's cold out here."

"You were supposed to say something romantic that made me believe you don't think I'm fat."

"Bell, if you don't step out of the Love Bug right now, I'm going to drag you upstairs."

"That fell way short of romantic, not to mention you still haven't said I'm not fat."

He sighed and rake his fingers through his hair. "You're not fat. I think you're stunning. You're so hot that I can hardly resist you, even though I'm still mad at you."

I grinned. "You think I'm hot?"

"Perhaps you should focus on my saying I'm still mad at you."

"You'll get over it. About me being hot. . ."

"You'll be hotter inside your apartment."

"Do you want to ravish me?"

"No. I want to throttle you. Please get out of the car."

I stepped a leg out. "I'm only letting you inside so you can report what happened with your girlfriend Nikki."

He moved back, took my hand, and helped me out of the car. "Fine."

"I don't want you getting fresh just because you're my husband. We're separated."

"You grill me about whether or not I want you, and now you insist that I not flirt with you."

"I have my standards." (pg 135-137)

This goes on all the way through the book. It cracked me up because I could so see arguing like this with my husband. Come back tomorrow for the First Wild Card Tour and read the first chapter!

Katt's in the Cradle by Ginger Kolbaba and Christy Scannell (Book Review)

Title: Katt's in the Cradle
Author: Ginger Kolbaba & Christy Scannell
Publisher: Howard Books/Simon and Schuster
Genre: Christian Fiction
Available: Now

First sentence: "I can't believe it!" Felicia Lopez-Morrison waved as she ricocheted through the tables, heading toward her three friends seated in their usual booth in the back right-hand corner of Lulu's.

When you are in the trenches, sometimes you're up to your neck in mud. That's the not-so-glamorous life of a pastor's wife.

Felicia's family is. . .complicated. That's putting it nicely. Now they're flying in from LA - all at once - to stay with her. . .just when her brother-in-law, Javier, and Mama aren't even speaking to each other. And the whole church will be there to witness the feud.

Mimi has a lot on her mind with her four energetic kids - especially Milo the screamer, with his Pavarotti voice. Then her live-in alcoholic dad starts to mow their lawn at midnight.

Lisa has her hands full with loudmouth Tom Graves and the other troublemakers at Red River Assembly. Then vicious rumors start to fly about the Barton family. . .and the attacks and threats get increasingly personal.

Jennifer is pushing her adopted daughter, Carys, in a stroller, when she notices a black town car - the same car she's seen several times over the past week. Could someone be following her?

The PWs plunge into an unnerving mystery. . .and discover what "family" really means.

(Description from book cover)

This book was just okay for me. But in all fairness, I think it would have made a tremendous difference if I had the opportunity to read the first two books Desperate Pastors' Wives and A Matter of Wife and Death first.

I liked the writing style - it was very flowing and easy to read and understand. The problems that the four wives were having were things that have probably happened somewhere at sometime - so it was realistic, except that I am not sure they would all be going on at the same time.

When I first started reading the book, the characters kept getting jumbled up in my mind. Again,I attribute this to not reading the first two books. There is a nice synopsis of each wife at the beginning of the book, though, so I referred to it quite often in the beginning.

I did like that it made me think about how I treat or even think about my friends and family. I hope that I do not devalue their feelings or ambitions just because it might be different from my own. It also showed me how necessary it is to show Christ's love in all encounters.

You can go here to read the first chapter!

Diamonds in the Shadow by Caroline B. Cooney (Book Review)

Title: Diamonds in the Shadow
Author: Caroline B. Cooney
Publisher: Waterbrook (Random House)
Genre: YA Fiction/Christian
Available: Now
Why did I read? - First Wild Card Tour

First sentence: In Africa, five people got on a plane.

When the apartment that the Amabo family was to stay in falls through - Jared is forced to share his bedroom with Mattu - their teenage son. He is not very happy about this -not happy at all. Mopsy, Jared's younger sister, is overjoyed at the fact that their teenage daughter Alake will be bunking with her.

The Amabo family are refugees from Africa. They have received passage to the states and are being sponsered by Jared's church. They will help to give them training and find jobs - but there is trouble from the start. The biggest being that the fifth refugee on the plane doesn't like not being in control. Then Andre Amabo, the father, has had his hands chopped off during the war in Africa - one at the wrist, the other at the elbow. Alake doesn't speak - and doesn't appear to hear either. She has to be prodded to even eat. And what is up with Mattu and the two cardboard boxes that contain the ashes of his grandparents?

Jarod doesn't believe in the same God that his parents do, and that the Amabo's seem to also. He feels praying is a waste of time. But while the Amabo's are staying with them, his reality begins to change. He finds that doing things for other people really isn't that much trouble. He discovers that his younger sister isn't so annoying, but has great insight and can even be trusted. And he discovers what secrets the ashes of Mattu's grandparents contain. What he does with that information will decide the fate of both families - but will he make the right choice?

This would be a great book for middle schoolers and maybe early high school. It is well written, but seems a little simplistic for older than that. I would not recommend it for younger thatn middle school because of some of the violence that it describes.

People are not who or what you expect in this book - and that helped to make it a quite a page turner. I was able to read it in just two sittings. Please come back tomorrow for the tour and to read the first chapter!

Scream by Mike Dellosso (Book Review)

Title: Scream
Author: Mike Dellosso
Publisher: Realms (A Strang Company)
Genre: Thriller/Christian Fiction
Available: Now

First sentence: Mark Stone could still smell the grease on his hands.

Description from the book cover: While talking to his friend on the phone, Mark Stone is startled by a cacophony of otherworldly screams. Seconds later, a tragic accident claims his friend's life. When this happens several more times - screams followed by an untimely death - he is compelled to act.

Battling his failure as a husband and struggling with his own damaged faith, Mark embarks on a mission to find the meaning behind the screams and hopefully stop death from calling on its next victim. When his estranged wife is kidnapped and he again hears the screams as she calls from her cell phone, his search becomes much more personal and much more urgent.

(Go here to read the first chapter)

I love thrillers and this one did not disappoint! Mike Dellosso created characters that were very believable. People that you wanted to cheer on and tell them not to give up hope. The pace of the book was perfect - it kept you turning the pages, but did not give away any secrets too soon.

Scream really starts out as two stories - and as the book progresses the two stories combine to make for a great ending! I especially loved the way the message of Christ was delivered without getting "pushy" or "in your face." This would be a great book for a non-believer or one right on the fence. It made me take a look at whether or not I was telling everyone that I knew about Christ's love and sacrifice - and sadly, that answer is no. So now I get to decide how I will change that!

Thanks Mike for writing such a wonderful thriller while including Christ's message. I can't wait to pass it on to my friends who are not believers. Hopefully it will give me the opportunity to strike up some meaningful conversations.

The Stones by Eleanor Gustafson (Book Review)

Title: The Stones

Author: Eleanor Gustafson

Publisher: Whitaker House

Genre: Historical Christian Fiction

Available: Now

Reading for: First Wild Card Tour



First sentence: I dreamed of Goliath last night, strangely enough, considering it was Joab, David's general, who died yesterday.



From the book cover:

With comprehensive detail and flowing prose, Eleanor Gustafson crafts the retelling of King David's life--from his teenaged anointing to his death--as seen through the eyes of Asaph, a Levite musician.



Fictional in scope, yet with amazing scriptural accuracy, The Stones provides a revealing, behind-the-scenes glimpse into biblical history with all the twists, turns, thrills, and romance of the world's great drama.



You will be there as:

• A young teen collects stones to take on a giant.


• A prideful rebel takes count of his fighting men.


• A fallible leader succumbs to lust, temptation, and deceit.


• A poet and musician grows closer to God through prayer and worship.


• A man after God's heart discovers the unfailing love and forgiveness of his Creator.

The Stones is an epic adventure of man's innate need to worship God and rely on Him for strength--and how badly it can go when he fails to do so.

I loved reading this book and am glad that I had this opportunity. It was wonderful to be able to read about King David in a chronological fashion. Even though the details and possible motivations for some of the story has been created to fill it out - you can trust that it still followed scripture. The fact that David was a 'man after God's heart' was evident, but it also showed David as a man with struggles much the same as you or I.

Sometimes I find it hard to read the Bible because the chronology often isn't there and, depending on the translation, it can be hard to understand. It is fun to read about it as if it were a fictional drama - knowing that it was not! I am in a study of Psalms 119 right now - this Psalm is thought to have been written by David because of some of the verses. After reading The Stones, I was able to see some different instances in the Psalm were I think it absolutely sounded like something that David was going through - like in this instance with this passage from page 91:

Hear my prayer, O God;

Listen to my words.

Strangers attack me;

Ruthless men seek my life.

Surely God is my help,

The one who sustains me.

This Side of Heaven by Karen Kingsbury (Book Review)

Title: This Side of Heaven

Author: Karen Kingsbury

Publisher: Center Street/Hachette Books

Available: Now

First sentence: The pain was a living, breathing demon, pressing its claws deep into his flesh and promising never to let go, not until death had the final word.

Nothing had worked out as Josh Warren had planned. After high school, his girlfriend Becky had broken up with him, he quit school and became a tow truck driver. He had a dream of opening his own tow truck business.

A year after a wild week in Vegas he discovers he is the father of a little girl, Savannah. Her mom wants child support, but Josh does not have the amount that she wants, so she stops contacting him and he is left to wonder about his child. Soon after that, an accident at work leaves Josh with severe back pain and fighting for a settlement from an insurance company. He hopes with the settlement money he can get the surgery he needs on his back, find his daughter, who is now seven, and open up his tow truck business. He has hope again as he just rededicated his life to Christ.

Josh's parents, especially his mom Annie, has felt great disappointment in Josh. They do not understand why he would want to drive tow trucks. They had expected him to go to college and marry Becky. They are convinced that Savannah is not his daughter and want him to let go of those thoughts himself. Annie feels he has thrown his life away.

When Josh is not able to search for Savannah, will Annie pick up his cause and fight to find Savannah to try to discover if she is truly his daughter? And will she take the time to discover the man that her son has become?

This book pulled me in immediately and got me emotionally attached. Then it punched me in the gut and left me crying and trying to catch my breath - only to lead me on to a victorious ending, even though it is not the one you can only imagine.

I love Karen Kingsbury and how her books evoke great emotion - at least in me. At the end of this book she shares how this story is based on her brother Dave's life, which made me cry all over again. If you haven't had the opportunity to read one of her books - this would be a good one to start with.

Go here to read the first 2 1/2 chapters as well as her letter to her readers at the end of the book

Kiss by Ted Dekker and Erin Healy (Book Review)

Title: Kiss
Author: Ted Dekker and Erin Healy
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Genre: Fiction/Christian/Suspense

First sentence: The view from my therapist's window was unremarkable.

Shauna awoke after being in a coma for six weeks to a nightmare that she would like to forget. She had no idea why or how she ended up in the hospital. Actually, she couldn't remember the last 6 months. She knew who she was, who her brother Rudy was, her dad Landan, "Uncle" Trent, even her evil stepmother Patrice. However, she did not know Wayne Spade, the guy who claimed to be her boyfriend. How could she have forgotten him?

After Shauna is released from the hospital, Wayne offers to stay with her 24/7 to help her recuperate. He works for her Uncle Trent at her father's company, McAllister MediVista, so there isn't a problem with him getting some time off. She discovers that her brother Rudy is brain-damaged due to the accident that put her in the coma. The accident that they say she caused. She had been indicted while in the coma because they had found Ecstacy in her system, and in her car, and in her apartment. She couldn't EVER remember taking drugs in her life. How could this be happening to her?

Rudy had been her father's favorite ever since he had married Patrice. She had been left for Patrice to raise and Patrice was every bit the wicked stepmother - even burning Shauna with an iron. But did her father believe her? No. He believed Patrice when she told him that Shauna just wanted to be the center of attention. This drove a wedge between Shauna and her dad, which is why she now calls him Landon.

Soon, Shauna starts remembering things - but they don't seem to be her memories. Why is she remembering things that couldn't possibly have happened to her? And can she really trust Wayne or is he trying to kill her?

The underlying theme in Kiss is that God will always love you and you don't need to fear. (Shauna keeps remembering her deceased mom telling her this.) What Shauna wants more than anything is for Landon to feel this way about her. We also get to see some family and romantic relationships develop and some family and romantic relationships fall apart. You will have to read to find out whose!

This was my first Ted Dekker book (I know, I know, I must have been living under a rock!) and I loved it - the book, not living under the rock. Thrillers are hard for me to put down and this one was no exception. I was lucky enough to get a galley of Mr. Dekker's book that is coming out in April - The Boneman's Daughters and can't wait to read it!

The Fruit of My Lipstick by Shelley Adina (Book Review)

Title: The Fruit of My Lipstick (Book 2 in the All About Us Series)
Author: Shelley Adina
Publisher: Faith Words/Hachette Books
Genre: YA/Christian fiction

First sentence: The New Year. . . when a young girl's heart turns to new beginnings, weight loss, and a new term of chemistry!

Christmas break is over and we are back at Spencer Academy with Lissa, Gillian, Carly, and Shani. Since Lissa was able to tell her story about Callum in It's All About Us (and Carly will share her story in book 3 - Be Strong and Curvaceous) it is Gillian's turn to come clean about her infatuation with Lucas Hayes - the smartest guy at Spencer Academy.

Lucas is working towards the Physics Olympiad when he and Gillian hook up. Gillian has never had a boyfriend before and is pretty quick to get swept up in the moment. While she likes Lucas, and always looks forward to seeing him, she doesn't always feel quite happy after her time spent with him - but it is nothing that she can put her finger on, so she just chalks it up to not having anything to compare it to. At the same time, though, she needs to concentrate on her own grads or her Type A dad will be coming down on her pretty hard!

Most of the other juniors are studying hard also, except for those that have been buying exam sheets from Source10. Nobody knows who this person is - but the whole junior class is going to be punished with F's if they are not caught!

First, one of Gillian's friends is suspended for the deed - then Gillian herself is put on house arrest as a suspect! They give their problems to God and pray that the truth will come out - but will it happen in time to save the semester? And where will this leave Gillian in her relationship with Carly, Lissa and Shani - not to mention Lucas!

I enjoyed this book as much as I did the 1st and 3rd books in the series. I like the way they gradually lead you into Christianity without being preachy. I think this series would definitely be good for those teens/young adults struggling with their faith.

The fourth book in the series - Who Made You a Princess? is due out in May 2009!

I Do Again by Cheryl and Jeff Scruggs (Book Review)

Title: I Do Again
Author: Cheryl and Jeff Scruggs
Publisher: Waterbrook Press
Genre: Christian Living/Love and Marriage

First sentence: A man I know was walking to his car after a golf tournament when he realized the remote trunk opener wouldn't work.

This is the true story of Cheryl and Jeff Scruggs. When they met, the attraction was instantaneous, but Cheryl would not go out with Jeff as she was in a relationship with someone else. Jeff did not give up though and eventually Cheryl broke up with her boyfriend. So the next time Jeff asked, she said yes.

After about a year of dating, Jeff was being relocated from Memphis to California. He asked Cheryl to marry him and she immediately said yes! They were the golden couple in California - attractive couple, good careers, beautiful home - but they could not have children. Their twin daughters were born after successful in vitro. But still there was something missing.

Cheryl began to feel like their life and relationship was shallow, so unfortunately she began to look outside of her marriage for her emotional needs. As the next couple of years passed - she continued to tell Jeff she was fine, when in reality, she was far from it. She eventually asked him for a divorce. Jeff was devastated - he did not see this coming at all. He begged Cheryl to work on their marriage so they could fix it. They even went to see some counselors, but Cheryl's mind was made up. She wanted out. Eighteen months later, they were divorced.

About this time Jeff started to get more involved with the youth ministry at his church. Cheryl's friends were encouraging her that she needed to find a new church. She couldn't continue to go to the one that her and Jeff had attended. She eventually found one. Cheryl had been raised Catholic and couldn't understand how she had never heard or learned some of things she was learning at her new church. Like the promises and plans God has for us and our marriage in the Song of Solomon. Or that she could have a personal relationship with Him.

I do not want to tell you anymore about the book (but you can probably guess from the title). Please come along and read about how Cheryl and Jeff learned to forgive each other and trust in God and the miraculous changes this made in their lives.

This book was somewhat hard for me to read. I became a believer when I was 13, but fell away from God at 17 when my dad passed away. In the following years I went to college and got married at the age of 21. Eight years and two daughters later I also asked my husband for a divorce - for many of the same reasons that Cheryl did. It was a little scary to read my thoughts and actions in print as someone else's life! It also took us about 18 months to get divorced, as my husband did not want it, and I was content (and couldn't afford it) to just let things stay how they were. I remember when the judge asked me if I felt we had done everything to save our marriage and even though I answered "Yes" - in my heart I knew that I had done nothing. My story takes a different turn here from Jeff and Cheryl's though. God led me to a wonderful man just when I was considering quitting my job and moving back to my childhood home. We have now been married 8 years and have added a son to our mix. I am still very much in love with him!

Age Before Beauty by Virginia Smith (Book Review)

Title: Age Before Beauty (Book 2 in the Sister to Sister Series)
Author: Virginia Smith
Publisher: Revell (Baker Publishing Group)
Genre: Contemporary Fiction/Christian

First sentence: The mirror had to be warped.

How many times have we said that to ourselves? Or moved the bathroom scale because it must not be level to read that much? This book touched home with me greatly - as I became a stay-at-home mom after my third child (current ages 16,14,and 4). I kept telling myself - why did I work so hard to get those A's? Why did I go to college if I was just going to stay at home? Like Allie from the book, I researched some work-from-home "deals". I even cross-stitched for a company out of New York and was paid as an independent contractor. So after 4 1/2 years of being at home - what do I do? I love every minute with my son and I blog about books! :)

Allie helped to drive the point home with me, that staying at home was me doing my part for our own little team. I had struggled with the some of the same issues - losing that post-baby weight, earning my share, being okay with someone else watching my baby, and wondering if my husband was trustworthy. I have conquered some of these, still struggle with others but daily have been learning that if I trust in God, my Father, that the worries seem less and the blessings more.

Hmmm.. this has turned into not so much a book review but a review of my past 5 years! To the book - Allie and her husband Eric are parents to 2 month old Joanie Leigh (named after her two sisters Joan and Tori - and this is where it gets weird - my oldest daughter's name is Tori Leigh. . .). Allie is due to go back to work in a few weeks and is struggling with the decision to put her daughter in daycare. She attends a Varie Cose party and thinks she has found the answer to her problems - she will start her own Varie Cose business! (Think Amway). About this time Eric's mother, Betty, shows up on their porch needing a place to stay as she has moved out on her husband because "he did not appreciate her" anymore. Not what Allie needed - she dislikes her mother-in-law as much as her mother-in-law dislikes her.

Come and see how Allie progresses with her business, deals with her mother-in-law, and makes it all work - and who helps her in the end!

This was a quick read that I really could relate to and enjoyed immensely. Even though it is the 2nd book in the Sister to Sister series, it read absolutely wonderfully as a stand alone. Highly recommend this book for any new mom!

The Spring of Candy Apples by Debbie Viguie (Book Review)

Title: The Spring of Candy Apples (Book 4 in Sweet Seasons Series)
Author: Debbie Viguie
Publisher: Zondervan
Genre: Teen Fiction/Christian

First sentence: Candace wondered how every couple of months she managed to wind up seated across the desk from a Zone executive.

The Spring of Candy Apples is the 4th book in the Sweet Seasons series, but it read well as a stand alone, as I have not had the opportunity to read the first three books.

We catch up with Candace during her interview for The Zone's college scholarship to Florida Coast College. The interview is with John Hanson, the owner of The Zone, an amusement park in California. Candace was entered into the running by her friend, Josh, for her rendition of a new amusement park ride called Balloon Races. During the interview, Candace also gets promoted from a seasonal employee to a regular part-timer working at The Candy Counter.

Candace's life is getting busy. She enjoys working at The Zone and is also involved in a talent show that is coming up there. Add to that the lead in her school play, Man of La Mancha, boyfriend, best friends, and her church youth group.

Over the course of the book we meet Tamara, her best friend and fellow castmate in Man of La Mancha. She and Tamara have been best friends for a very long time and have planned to go to UCLA together. Candace does not know how she is going to tell her friend that she is considering going to Florida Coast.

Kurt is her boyfriend whom she met after she started working at The Zone. He used to be Lisa's boyfriend, another Zone employee, and this has brought out a host of problems and animosity in Lisa.

She also met Josh working at the Zone and he quickly became a good friend. It also benefited her friend Tamara as she is seriously dating Josh's brother James. Josh always seems to be around when Candace needs reassurance or someone to talk to - and he is also a Christian.

Join Candace as she decides if Kurt is "the one", which college to choose, and how Josh figures into all this!

This was a very cute story and a quick read. It was definitely not preachy, but was able to get across the story of salvation through it's characters. It was a light read but covered romance, touched on family issues, values, and handling important choices. I would recommend for girls 14-18 years old.

John's Quest by Cecelia Dowdy (Book Review)

Title: John's Quest
Author: Cecelia Dowdy
Publisher: Heartsong Presents
Genre: Christian Fiction/Contemporary Romance

First sentence: The loud banging at Monica Crawford's front door awakened her.

Monica's life changed when her younger sister Gina dropped off her seven-year-old son Scotty in the middle of the night. She claimed she was going on the road with her circus boyfriend and needed Monica to take care of him while she was gone.

Monica didn't have a choice. She was a Christian and had always been the more responsible sibling. She had thought that at her age she would be married with children of her own - but it hadn't worked out that way. Kevin, her last boyfriend, had dumped her 2 years before, and was already married to someone else and had a baby.

Scotty, her nephew, was blind and Gina hadn't made it a priority to see that he attended school regularly. Monica soon found out that he was behind. She promptly hired a tutor.

John was an agnostic, but had spent most of his free time during the last 10 years working with blind children. Scotty immediately took to him and Monica also felt a pull towards him.

As their friendship grows, Monica is torn as she knows she cannot date a non-believer. John is struggling with his beliefs also. His parents had raised him to be an agnostic, but then they had accepted Christ six months before they were killed in an auto accident. He had never gotten to talk with them about why they changed their beliefs.

Can Monica handle raising a blind child? How will she deal with her growing attraction to John? Will John come to understand and accept Christ? And when Gina comes back in the picture, will she take Scotty and run?

I liked this book and it was very quick to read. I wish that it would have dug deeper into John's issues with Christianity and how/why things ended the way they did with him (not going to spoil it for you!) It was fun to read a Christian romance though!

Lessons From San Quentin by Bill Dallas with George Barna (Book Review)

Title: Lessons From San Quentin: Everything I Needed to Know in Life I Learned in Prison
Author: Bill Dallas with George Barna
Publisher: Tyndale House
Genre: Nonfiction/Personal Growth

First sentence: When I entered San Quentin for the first time, I was only thirty-one years old.

This is the story of Bill Dallas' journey from high-flying real estate magnate to prisoner H64741 in San Quentin. Bill Dallas was a "boy wonder" in the real estate market in the late 80's, but when the market crashed in the 90's, so did his life. He was found guilty of commingling of funds (using money from one project to fund another one without the investor's knowledge).

During his legal battles he started to question his faith - or lack thereof. In 1991 he even asked Jesus into his heart. But he tried to "earn" his salvation by memorizing scripture and reading the Bible rather than having a real relationship with Christ.

Upon his conviction, he was sent to a minimum security prison where he learned fire-fighting techniques - with the plan that he was to finish his sentence at a fire camp. Due to circumstances out of his control he was sent to maximum security at San Quentin.

In San Quentin he had to hit rock bottom before he could start his climb out. With the help of the Lifers at San Quentin he discovered what faith in God really means and begins to discover what he calls his "transforming principles".

I loved this book and found so much that I can apply to my life - and my own "prisons". My plan is to copy down his transforming principles and hang them somewhere in my house where I can read them often! I highly recommend this book for anyone looking for a deeper relationship with Christ and more fulfillment in their life. You can go here to read the first chapter.