Unlocked by Karen Kingsbury

Description:

Before You Take a Stand … You Got to Take a Chance.

Holden Harris is an eighteen-year-old locked in a prison of autism. Despite his quiet ways and quirky behaviors, Holden is very happy and socially normal—on the inside, in a private world all his own. In reality, he is bullied at school by kids who only see that he is very different.

Ella Reynolds is part of the “in” crowd. A cheerleader and star of the high school drama production, her life seems perfect. When she catches Holden listening to her rehearse for the school play, she is drawn to him … the way he is drawn to the music. Then, Ella makes a dramatic discovery—she and Holden were best friends as children.

Frustrated by the way Holden is bullied, and horrified at the indifference of her peers, Ella decides to take a stand against the most privileged and popular kids at school.

Including her boyfriend, Jake.

Ella believes miracles can happen in the unlikeliest places, and that just maybe an entire community might celebrate from the sidelines. But will Holden’s praying mother and the efforts of Ella and a cast of theater kids be enough to unlock the prison that contains Holden?

This time, friendship, faith, and the power of a song must be strong enough to open the doors to the miracle Holden needs.

My review
Though she does not write suspense, my favorite genre' to read, Karen Kingsbury is my favorite author. I thought this book sounded like a winner, as all of hers are, and was it ever. It is a very touching and emotional story, and she pulls out all of the stops on this one. It is obvious she did a lot of research on autism - and I learned a lot about it in the book. She also does an excellent job of portraying the emotions of the boy's parents. The feelings of loss, as if they had truly lost him out of their lives.

She also tackles the subject of bullying in the book. Kids picking on and making fun of kids who are different. I confess I have cried before while reading a Karen Kingsbury book, but this one really brought the waterworks. (I know, I'm a guy - you try reading this one without getting misty-eyed!) The story is not necessarily sad, though parts of it is, but it is an emotional story of hope. This has got to be one of her best books ever. I highly recommend it, and it definitely gets my "read-in-one-sitting" status.

About the author:

New York Times Bestselling author Karen Kingsbury is America's favorite inspirational novelist with over fifteen million books in print. Her Life-Changing Fiction has produced multiple bestsellers, including Take One, Between Sundays, Even Now, One Tuesday Morning, Beyond Tuesday Morning, and Ever After, which was named the 2007 Christian Book of the Year. An award-winning author and newly published songwriter, Karen has had several movies optioned for production, and her novel Like Dandelion Dust is in post production as a major motion picture release. Karen is also a nationally known speaker with several women's groups. She lives in Washington State with her husband Don, and their six children, three of whom were adopted from Haiti.

Unlocked is available from Zondervan Publishing.

Thanks to Zondervan for the review copy.

Check out the trailer for the book - very nicely done.

CSN Stores

If you are looking for counter stools, bookshelves, or other such items, look no further. Thanks to my friend, Molly, I have been given the opportunity to pick out an item to review for CSN stores. To be honest, I had never heard of CSN stores before, but I checked them out after Molly's email. They have 200+ websites with things like furniture, housewares, home improvement, baby and kids, outdoor living, office supply - you name it.

There are a ton of things to pick from. Molly did this bookcase, and maybe I will lean that way - can always use more bookcases - so watch for my review of a CSN product coming up in the next few weeks.

Christmas At Harringtons by Melody Carlson

Sometimes the best gift is a second chance


Christmas is approaching, and Lena Markham finds herself penniless, friendless, and nearly hopeless. She is trying to restart her life, but job opportunities are practically nonexistent. When a secondhand red coat unexpectedly lands her a job as Mrs. Santa at a department store, Lena finally thinks her luck is changing. But can she keep her past a secret?

Reading Christmas at Harrington's, a story full of redemption and true holiday spirit, will be your newest Christmas tradition.

My review:
Melody Carlson has several Christmas novels under her belt, and she is quite the pro at writing them. This one may be her best yet.

The story is about Lena Markham, a woman in her early 40's who has just been released from prison after being in prison for eight years for embezzlement, which she did not do. She has been given some cash and clothes by the prison and sent to a new place to start her new life.

I don't want to give any of the book away, so that is it for my description. I will say that I immensely enjoyed the book. I started it at the doctor's office, but wouldn't you know, they took me in right away. Sigh. I did finish it later that day, and I loved it. I really enjoyed the characters and the plot - and the setting. I love Christmas books, and Christmas makes a great setting for this type of book: a new start, forgiveness, hope.

This is the type of book that you will want to read again, next Christmas. Melody Carlson has written a winner here, and you will not be disappointed if you read this book.

About the author:

Melody Carlson is the award-winning author of over two hundred books, several of them Christmas novellas from Revell, including her much-loved and bestselling book, The Christmas Bus. She also writes many teen books, including Just Another Girl, Anything but Normal, the Diary of a Teenage Girl series, the TrueColors series, and the Carter House Girls series. Melody was nominated for a Romantic Times Career Achievement Award in the inspirational market for her books, including the Notes from a Spinning Planet series and Finding Alice, which is in production as a Lifetime Television movie. She and her husband serve on the Young Life adult committee in central Oregon. Visit Melody's website at www.melodycarlson.com.
Christmas At Harrington's is available from Revell Publishers, an imprint of Baker Book House.

Thanks to Revell for the review copy.

The Silent Order by Melanie Dobson

This week, theChristian Fiction Blog Allianceis introducingThe Silent OrderSummerside Press (November 1, 2010)byMelanie Dobson
 ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Melanie Dobson is the award-winning author of The Black Cloister; Love Finds You in Liberty, Indiana; and Together for Good.

Prior to launching Dobson Media Group in 1999, Melanie was the corporate publicity manager at Focus on the Family where she was responsible for the publicity of events, products, films, and TV specials. Melanie received her undergraduate degree in journalism from Liberty University and her master's degree in communication from Regent University. She has worked in the fields of publicity and journalism for fifteen years including two years as a publicist for The Family Channel.

Melanie and her husband, Jon, met in Colorado Springs in 1997 at Vanguard Church. Jon works in the field of computer animation. Since they've been married, the Dobsons have relocated numerous times including stints in Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina, Colorado, Berlin, and Southern California. These days they are enjoying their new home in the Pacific Northwest.

Jon and Melanie have adopted their two daughters —Karly (6) and Kinzel (5). When Melanie isn't writing or entertaining their girls, she enjoys exploring ghost towns and dusty back roads, traveling, hiking, line dancing, and reading inspirational fiction.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Rural America - 1928. After the murder of his partner, Detective Rollin Wells hides away in an Amish home near Sugarcreek, Ohio, to find out who in the police force is collaborating with Cleveland’s notorious mob. While Rollin searches for answers to his partner’s death, he befriends an elusive young Amish woman named Katie and her young son. As Rollin learns about Katie’s past, he’s shocked at the secret Katie is hiding - a secret that has haunted Rollin for eight years.

If you would like to read the first chapter of The Silent Order, go HERE.

My review:
I gotta admit it. I wondered to myself "What on earth was this author thinking?! Amish and mafia?!" It does seem a strange mix, but it worked. I thoroughly enjoyed the book.

It is set in Cleveland and Sugarcreek, Ohio. Sugarcreek is in Holmes County, and the whole area is a big Amish area. It is also not far from me - about an hour and fifteen minutes - great place to visit - so that made the book even more interesting to me, being set in a place I am familiar with.

So what does the mafia and Amish have to do with each other? Nothing, but in this book, the Amish end up hiding and protecting a police detective that the mafia is after. There is a lot in the book about Amish, and there is a lot in the book about the mafia. Makes for an interesting mix, and the average Amish book lover might not enjoy this one, unless you are also into suspense.

I really did enjoy the book, even more than the previous book that I read by this author. I have been disappointed in a couple of books I have read from this publisher, but not in this one. It is a great suspense novel, and is definitely Christian. I definitely recommend it.

Thanks to Summerside Press for the review copy.

Hatteras Girl by Alice Wisler

This week, theChristian Fiction Blog Allianceis introducingHatteras GirlBethany House; Original edition (October 1, 2010)byAlice Wisler



ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Alice J. Wisler is an author, public speaker, advocate, and fundraiser. She has been a guest on several radio and TV programs to promote her self-published cookbooks, Slices of Sunlight and Down the Cereal Aisle. She graduated from Eastern Mennonite University and has traveled the country in jobs that minister to people. Alice was raised in Japan and currently resides in Durham, North Carolina.



Facts about Alice

* Born in Osaka, Japan and lived in Japan for 18 years

* Went to Kyoto International School and Canadian Academy

* Majored in Social Work and graduated in 1983 from Eastern Mennonite University

* Worked at a group home for disadvantaged kids outside of Philadelphia

* Taught English and Culture Orientation at a refugee camp in the Philippines

* Taught English as a Second Language in Japan

* Speaks and teaches on Writing the Heartache

* Has three kids on earth, and one in Heaven

* Recently got married to Carl on 2/7/09



ABOUT THE BOOK

There are two things twenty-nine-year-old Jackie Donovan asks God for: an honest, wonderful man to marry, and to own a bed-and-breakfast in the Outer Banks region. In the meantime, Jackie works for Lighthouse Views magazine, writing articles about other local business owners, and intrepidly goes on the blind dates set up by her well-meaning but oh-so-clueless relatives.



There's one specific property Jackie dreams of purchasing: the Bailey Place, a fabulous old home where Jackie spent many happy childhood afternoons, a place that has now fallen into disrepair because of its outrageous price tag.



When Jackie meets handsome Davis Erickson, who holds the key to the Bailey Place, Jackie is sure God has answered both her prayers. But as Jackie learns some disturbing details about Davis's past, she begins to question her own motivation. Will she risk her long-held dreams to find out the truth?



If you would like to read the first chapter of Hatteras Girl, go HERE.

Giveaway

Still a couple of more days to enter to win a cool Christms book here.

Son of Hamas by Mosab Hassan Yousef

Book description:

Since he was a small boy, Mosab Hassan Yousef has had an inside view of the deadly terrorist group Hamas. The oldest son of Sheikh Hassan Yousef, a founding member of Hamas and its most popular leader, young Mosab assisted his father for years in his political activities while being groomed to assume his legacy, politics, status . . . and power. But everything changed when Mosab turned away from terror and violence, and embraced instead the teachings of another famous Middle East leader. In Son of Hamas, Mosab Yousef—now called “Joseph”—reveals new information about the world’s most dangerous terrorist organization and unveils the truth about his own role, his agonizing separation from family and homeland, the dangerous decision to make his newfound faith public, and his belief that the Christian mandate to “love your enemies” is the only way to peace in the Middle East.

 

My review:

I honestly cannot remember reading a more interesting and gripping non-fiction book. This one gets my "read-in-one-sitting" status, for that is exactly what I did. The story is well written, and is a fascinating tale. I learned a lot about Islam, the Hamas, the conflict between Isreal and the Palestinians, and a lot more.

 

The most amazing part of the story is not that Mosab became an agent working with the Isrealis against Hamas, an organization his own father helped to start, but that in spite of his strict Islamic upbringing, that God reached down and changed him from a son of Hamas to a follower of Jesus Christ.

 

Though my normal genre' is Christian fiction, and my favorite is suspense/mystery, I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and highly recommend it. It will be worth your time.

 

About the author:

Mosab Hassan Yousef was born in Ramallah, in the Palestinian West Bank, in 1978. His father, Sheikh Hassan Yousef, is a founding leader of Hamas, internationally recognized as a terrorist organization and responsible for countless suicide bombings and other deadly attacks against Israel. Yousef was an integral part of the movement, for which he was imprisoned several times by the Shin Bet, the Israeli intelligence service. He withstood torture in prison only to discover Hamas was torturing its own people in a relentless search for collaborators. He began to question who his enemies really were—Israel? Hamas? America?

While in an Israeli prison, Yousef was approached about becoming a spy for the Shin Bet. Initially, Yousef accepted the offer with the idea that he would betray them, and in hopes he could use the role to protect his father and family. Later, as Yousef saw the hypocrisy within Hamas and became a Christian, he used the position to save lives on both sides of the conflict. Yousef worked as a double agent within Hamas for nearly 10 years. He became a vital intelligence asset for the Israeli government while serving side-by-side with his father within the upper ranks of Hamas. After a chance encounter with a British tourist, Yousef started a six-year quest that jeopardized Hamas, endangered his family, and threatened his life. He has since embraced the Christian faith and sought political asylum in America. His story was revealed in the 2008 Fox News documentary "Escape from Hamas."

Yousef 's first book, Son of Hamas, written with Ron Brackin (SaltRiver), released March 2, 2010. In Son of Hamas, Yousef reveals new information about this dangerous terrorist organization and unveils the truth behind his own secret role. He describes his surreal journey to a new faith that instructed him to love his enemies. And he tells the story of the agonizing decisions that led him to walk away from his family, friends, and homeland. For blog updates from Yousef, visit http://www.sonofhamas.com/.

Son of Hamas is available from Saltriver Publishing, an imprint of Tyndale Publishing.

Thanks to Tyndale for the review copy.