Read Your Name Challenge Wrap up

Never fear - I am almost done with my Wrap Up Challenge posts! This one you had to read a book beginning with the letters of your name -

• Kiss - Ted Dekker and Erin Healy
• Rachel's Tears - Beth Nimmo and Darrell Scott
• I Do Again - Cheryl and Jeff Scruggs
• Scream for Me - Karen Rose
• Trail of Crumbs - Kim Sunee
• It's All About Us - Shelley Adina
• New York Debut - Melody Carlson
• Age Before Beauty - Virginia Smith

Read Your Name Challenge

Nothing but Trouble by Susan May Warren (Book Review)

Title: Nothing but Trouble
Author: Susan May Warren
Publisher/Publication Date: Tyndale House, April 2009

I read this book for the First Wild Card Tour that was yesterday (oops!) I spent 9 hours on the road yesterday and completely lost track of all dates! I can see that it is going to take me a few days to get back on track with my postings!

First sentence: PJ Sugar would never escape trouble.

I really hate using the canned synopsis' of books - but since I am drowning, I am going to for the next few.

About the book: (from Barnes and Noble website) PJ Sugar knows three things for sure:

After traveling the country for ten years hoping to shake free from the trail of disaster that's become her life, she needs a fresh start.

The last person she wants to see when she heads home for her sister's wedding is Boone her former flame and the reason she left town.

Her best friend's husband absolutely did not commit the first murder Kellogg, Minnesota, has seen in more than a decade.

What PJ doesn't know is that when she starts digging for evidence, she'll uncover much more than she bargained for - a deadly conspiracy, a knack for investigation, and maybe, just maybe, that fresh start shes been longing for.

My thoughts: I just found another series that is going to be a "must read" for me. PJ Sugar is delightful! She is flawed, which shows her humanity and also makes you want to be her cheerleader. She is also trying very hard to be the person that she can be in Christ, but because of all the trouble she has "found" in her life - it takes her awhile to realize that Christ sees beyond the troubles and the flaws.

PJ returns to Kellogg as a favor to her sister, Connie. Connie is getting married and their mother just broke her ankle - so she needs to find someone fast to watch her 4 year old son while she is on her honeymoon. PJ hasn't been back in Kellogg since she left town 10 years before, right after her high school graduation. She had been accused unjustly of arson at the country club - an accusation that her boyfriend, Boone, doesn't deny - even though he knows that it wasn't her. And where is her sister getting married? Said country club. Talk about walking out of the present right back into the past. She shows up at the club an hour before the wedding is to take place - and before the day is over has been in the midst of a struggle involving an old teacher and her best friend's husband - ran into Boone, who is now a police detective - tried to corral Davy, her 4 year old nephew - and wonders why the more things change the more they stay the same!

This book was a very quick read - but very entertaining. The host of characters ranges from PJ and Boone, to her sister's new Russian in-laws, Jeremy - a "pizza delivery guy" , and believe it or not, a goat! I am definitely watching for the next book in this series - as the ending of this one left us with an interesting scenario for PJ's personal life that I am hoping will be explored!

Nothing but Trouble
Publisher/Publication date: Tyndale House Publishing, April 2009
ISBN: 9781414313122
352 pages

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.

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.

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!

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!

Trail of Crumbs by Kim Sunee (Book Review)

Title: Trail of Crumbs: Hunger, Love and the Search for Home
Author: Kim Sunee
Publisher: Hachette Book Group
Genre: Nonfiction/Memoir

First sentence: Let me start by saying where I am.

From the cover: Kim Sunee was abandoned in a Korean marketplace at the age of three and raised by adoptive parents in New Orleans. But by the age of twenty-two, her life was totally transformed - she found herself the companion of a French mogul, and mistress over his homes in Paris and Provence. Yet despite the glamorous trappings, Kim never felt quite at home. It was only in the kitchen, where she encountered exotic ingredients and fed crowds of friends, that she felt she truly belonged. Trail of Crumbs is a compelling personal narrative of the search for home pursued among the tastes, aromas, and sensuality of food across three continents.

This book was beautifully written! It led you through Kim's life - most of it centered in her 20's after she had moved out of the United States. It showed such a deep yearning to try to understand where she fit in, where she belonged, that you just wanted to reach into the book and take her in your arms to let her know that it would all be okay. By being "lost" by her mom, she grew up always searching, never quite feeling "at home."

I interpreted the title "Trail of Crumbs" to be a metaphor for two things. First, she used to have a dream about her and her brother as Hansel and Gretel, just waiting for the moon to come out so they could see the trail of crumbs - only to find out that they had been eaten by the birds. Secondly, how she seemed to feel most comfortable in the kitchen, regardless of where she was, cooking wonderful dishes for friends. So as she traveled, she left her own 'trail of crumbs'. Her book is doctored with tales of wonderful foods in exotic (to me) places. At the ends of many of the chapters are recipes of what sound like delicious dishes. I hope someday to have the courage to try some of them. (There is an index in the back of the book listing these recipes.)

You must read Kim's story of loss and loneliness as she loved, in her way, Olivier, but could not come to accept the life he created for her.

"Somehow, I thought, he'll never realize that the everything he wants to give me will never take away the nothing that I've always had." (p66)

Join her as she searches for acceptance and family and discovers a strength to let go of what cannot be changed and move forward.

About the author: Kim Sunee has been featured in the New York Times, Ladies' Home Journal, People, Elle, and Glamour. She is the founding food editor of Cottage Living and the host of "Local Flavor with Kim Sunee" for MyRecipes.com. You can visit her website at http://www.kimsunee.com/.

It's All About Us by Shelley Adina - Book Review

Title: It's All About Us - (Book 1 in the All About Us series)
Author: Shelley Adina
Publisher: Faith Words
Genre: YA fiction

First sentence: Some things you just know without being told.

Lissa Mansfield is having a tough time adjusting to her junior year at Spencer Academy. She had agreed to attend boarding school as her parents were going to be doing a lot of traveling for business. Her dad is a famous movie director and her mom is currently working on a charity campaign with Angelina Jolie. So she left behind her best friend Kaz, her ex-boyfriend, and the popular crowd that knew she was a Christian and accepted it.

She gets paired with Gillian Chang for a roommate and it doesn't take long for them to clash. Before long though, they discover that they are each Christians. Gillian wants to organize a weekly prayer circle. Lissa reluctantly goes along, hoping that Vanessa (most popular girl in school) or Callum (the hottest guy she has ever seen) won't see her there.

Without trying too much she wins the attention of Callum -but will she submit to his pressure and compromise her beliefs? Vanessa soon targets her to bring in a big celebrity for the Benefactor's Day Dance. Does that mean they are finally accepting her? And will her and Gillian ever become the friends that roommates should be?

Trying hard to find where she belongs and wanting to be accepted, Lissa and her faith hit some stumbling blocks. With the help of Gillian and bestfriend from back home, Kaz, they get her back on track. Great read for teen girls!

Side note: I read the 3rd book (Be Strong and Curvaceous) as part of a First Wild Card Tour. You can go here to read my review and here to read the first chapter of Be Strong and Curvaceous.

Scream for Me - Karen Rose (Book Review)

Title: Scream for Me

Author: Karen Rose

Genre: Romantic Suspense Fiction

Publisher: Hachette Books - Thanks Renee and Hachette!

First sentence: A bell dinged.

This was book 2 in a series with Agent Daniel Vartanian, but it read well as a stand alone. The first book, Die For Me, I have on reserve at our library, so that should tell you that I really enjoyed this book!

Daniel Vartanian is a Special Agent with the GBI, Georgia Bureau of Investigation. He has just returned from a case which involved his parents and his brother (I have a sneaky suspicion that this is what Die For Me is about...) He isn't even home a day before a murdered girl is discovered in a ditch and the investigation lands in his lap. It appears to be a copycat murder from 13 years earlier.

Alex Fallon is the twin sister of Alicia Tremaine, who was killed 13 years ago. She has received a call that her stepsister, Bailey, is missing and she is listed as the emergency contact for her 4 year old niece, Hope. This comes as quite a shock, as she didn't even know she had a niece. The last time she saw Bailey was to get her into a rehab program 5 years earlier.

Daniel's investigation and Alex's missing stepsister lead them on a collision course to each other - and the sparks start to fly. As the bodies pile up, will Alex ever find Bailey? Can Daniel catch the murderer? And can they both confront the ghosts of their past so that they can move into a better future?

This was a quick read for me, even at 569 pages! It was great the way all the suspects fell into place one-by-one. It was like watching dominoes fall in slow motion. I almost just typed a spoiler here - so I will just end on that note! Great book!

Read Your Name Challenge

The challenge is to read your name in book title first letters, ultimately spelling out your name. I am going to use my whole first name this time - so that would be Kristina.

That means:
1. Using your first name, or blogger name, or your pets name, or even your favorite literary character's name; whichever you like, choose books with first title letters that spell out your name. (Audio books and eBooks are also okay.)
2. Bloggers and non-bloggers alike are free to join.
3. If you have your own blog, go back to the host blog here every month and leave a comment containing the link to your challenge page containing the books you've read or each review you've written for books that count for this challenge. (Crossovers with other challenges are okay.) There will be a new post for this on the first of every month.
4. The challenge runs from Jan. 1st 2009, to Dec. 31st 2009. You may join at any time.

So go visit Victoria at her blog to sign up!

• Kiss - Ted Dekker and Erin Healy
• Rachel's Tears - Beth Nimmo and Darrell Scott
• I Do Again - Cheryl and Jeff Scruggs
• Scream for Me - Karen Rose
• Trail of Crumbs - Kim Sunee
• It's All About Us - Shelley Adina
• New York Debut - Melody Carlson
• Age Before Beauty - Virginia Smith