Book reviews: My top 10

My pal Steven told me since I am celebrating my "blogoversary", and since the primary focus of my blog is book reviewing, that I should list my top favorite books that I have reviewed. I thought that was a good idea, so here is my list. I am not, however, listing them in any particular order for one main reason - it is hard for me to rank favorites among favorites, although my top favorite books are suspense/mystery, which would give them an advantage. So here are my top ten:

1) Fatal Illusions by Adam Blumer. This is one of the best suspense/mystery novels I have read and reviewed. I actually did a mini review of it with several other books that I read while on vacation at the ocean, but it deserved a full review. The first book for this author, and I am looking forward to more from him.

2) The Riley Covington Series by Jason Elam & Steve Yohn. This is a totally awesome series. Special ops, suspense, great characters and action. I reviewed two of the three books out so far, and looking forward to more in this series.

3) The Sophie Trace Trilogy by Kathy Herman. I really enjoy Kathy's books. She writes suspense/mystery and always has a strong Christian theme in her books. I think this series is her best yet. I have reviewed the first two books, and will be posting a review for the third and final book in the series soon.

4) The Word of Promise New Testament (CD). Although I did not listen to every CD before I reviewed it, I was, and am impressed with this audio version of the New King James Version of the Bible. Worth getting.

5) Firstborn by Conlan Brown. Another new author, and though this book was different, I really enjoyed it.

6) Shades of Blue by Karen Kingsbury. KK does not write suspense, but I enjoy her writing. This one did not disappoint, and addressed the issue of abortion and the effects of it on the parents.

7) Critical Care by Candace Calvert. This is medical fiction/romance, but was a great book. Looking forward to more from this author.

8) The Unfinished Gift by Dan Walsh. This is a Christmas story, and one of the best I have read. It was the author's first book, and he wrote a great story that tugs on the heart. A sequel is planned for this summer.

9) The Swiss Courier by Tricia Goyer and Mike Yorkey. A great historical fiction novel. Full of suspense and interesting trivia. I really enjoyed reading and reviewing this one.

10) Scream by Mike Dellosso. Mike writes books similar in style to Frank Peretti, though his have more suspense. He has 2 books under his belt, and this is his best so far. More coming from this author soon. He did a guest post for me here.

What Your Son Isn't Telling You by Ross & Shellenberger

Keys to Understanding Your Son's Heart and Mind

Your son struggles with the constant pressure to prove himself--in the classroom, on the playing field, and especially among his friends. And while he may put up a tough exterior, deep inside he hungers for family support and connection. You long to be there for him, but chances are he's put up a formidable wall of silence, leaving you wondering how to break through.


In What Your Son Isn't Telling You, teen experts Michael Ross and Susie Shellenberger offer a rare glimpse into the secret lives of teen boys--behind-the-scenes footage you might miss in the day-to-day life of your son--accompanied by practical advice on how to provide the support and connection your son desperately needs.

Packed with real-life stories and emails from teen guys, this must-read will give you a new understanding of what your son isn't telling

I don't have any kids, but thought this looked like a good book to review, and it was. Though not a long book, having only 190 pages, it is packed with useful information for parents of teen boys. There are 15 chapters dealing with everything from what he needs from Mom, father and son time, dating, the internet, and even covers the gay issue. They included a lot of emails from teen boys, which are fascinating and heartbreaking. I highly recommend this book as a useful tool for any parents who have teen boys, or will.




About the authors:

Michael Ross is a veteran youth communicator and former editor of Breakaway, a national magazine for teen guys published by Focus on the Family. His online advice column--"HEY MIKE!"--was read by thousands worldwide each month. Michael is also the author of more than 18 books for young people, including the Gold Medallion winner BOOM: A Guy's Guide to Growing Up and a bestselling devotional, Faith That Breathes. He and his wife, Tiffany, live in Colorado Springs with their young son, Christopher, and two cats.



Susie Shellenberger was founding editor of Focus on the Family's Brio magazine for teen s in 1990 and continued to serve as editor for more than two decades. A former youth pastor and a high school teacher, she has written more than forty books, is in demand as an international speaker for women's groups and teens, and started the Brio Mother/Daughter Cruise for Focus on the Family. Susie lives in Colorado Springs and recently launched a new magazine for teen s, Susie.

What Your Son Isn't Telling You, subtitled Unlocking The Secret World of Teen Boys, is available from Bethany House Publishers.

Thanks to Bethany House for the review copy.

Blogoversary Update and Other stuff

My computer is down and been "in the hospital" since Thursday a week ago, waiting for a part, so I have been using my parents' computer. Unfortunately, I have not been able to post a new blog for some weird reason, but finally got that issue fixed. Fortunately, I had several posts scheduled. I did have a couple of things I wanted to talk about, so here is an "update on my life" post, along with more on the blogoversary.

First off, the blogoversary: If you have been following my giveaways going on, I have had one every day this month, and there will be 10 in all, the last being on March 10. The deadline to enter all 10 is midnight on March 15, with the drawings all on March 16. Since I will have mutiple winners, I am going to try something new: instead of emailing every winner, I will publish the winners on a blog post on March 16, and let the winners email me their mailing address. I will not be a stickler about it in case everyone doesn't read this notice, and will give the winners a couple of weeks to get back to me, and then will email anyone who hasn't. Just hoping to save myself a little time.

One more thing about the blogoversary: there are 2 "special" giveaways. One was specifically for people who had commented on this blog prior to this month. The second "special" giveaway will be on March 10, and will have two winners. There is still plenty of time to enter the seven giveaways that have posted so far.

Now for the "other stuff" - an update on my life. For anyone who knows me well, or has followed this blog for very long, you probably know I have been unemployed for several months. I recently got a job at Sav A Lot, a grocery store. One just opened here in my town. There is good and bad. The good: I have a job, and it is only 4 minutes away. The bad: it is only part time, and not enough to get me into my own place again, but it is a step in the right direction.

In Justice by Alan Sears

(Note: This is a "free book review", meaning the book was not sent to me to review, but is one I purchased, and was so impressed by it, decided to review it anyway. Also, this is NOT a giveaway.)

America’s first and most important freedom is on life support.

Three friends say good-bye after graduation from Princeton. Each is bound by high ideals and a resolute ambition to change the world . . . but unable to anticipate the dramatic events that will bring them back together.

Each Sunday Pastor Pat Preston stands behind the pulpit of his Nashville megachurch, hoping to change the world by proclaiming biblical truth.

Newly appointed U.S. Assistant Attorney General John Knox Smith is out to change the world one arrest at a time. He is determined to mandate equality and wipe out intolerance by criminalizing hate speech. And he will prosecute anyone who discriminates against the new legal classes of people he has helped create . . . even Pat Preston.

Standing between them is their friend Matt Branson, who now works in the Justice Department.

Aided by the Alliance, a legal organization dedicated to defending religious freedom, Pastor Pat fights to hold onto his faith, his family—and his mind.

Can Pastor Pat and religious freedom survive this frightening world John Knox Smith is working to create?

This was a fantastic, yet scary book. Though fictional, it is a all-too believable scenario of what could happen right here in our free USA if liberals and organizations like the ACLU keep pushing their agenda of hate speech and try to do away with our freedom of speech.

In the book, which IS fiction, that is exactly what happens. Preachers are hauled off to jail. Christian broadcasts are taken off the air, Christian organizations are shut down, and properties belonging to people guilty of hate speech suddenly become the property of the US government. Some churches and pastors give in, and preach a watered down Gospel that would offend no one, instead of facing fines and imprisonment.

What made the story all the more believable and scary for me are the credentials of the author. He isn't some random author who knows nothing about these things, but is the CEO of the Alliance Defense Fund,a legal alliance of Christian attorneys and like-minded organizations defending the right of people to freely live out their faith. A group of people who are out there fighting for the freedoms of Christians across this land.

This book reminded me of how important it is for Christians to vote, and to vote people in who will preserve our freedoms, not destroy them.

My one complaint about the book is minor: the story doesn't really end, but leaves the reader hanging and awaiting for the sequel: In Justice - America On Trial.

About the author:

Alan Sears is the President, CEO , and General Counsel of the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF), the largest religious liberty legal alliance in America (www.telladf.org). He has served in private law practice and in numerous positions within the United States Government, including the Department of Justice, as an Assistant U.S. Attorney and Chief of the Criminal Section, as Director of the Attorney General’s Commission on Pornography; and as Associate Solicitor in the Department of the Interior. Alan has coauthored several books, including The Homosexual Agenda: Exposing the Principal Threat to Religious Freedom Today, and The ACLU vs. America, both with Craig Osten.

In Justice is avaiable from Winepress Publishing.

My Lady by Joyce Wheeler

Author, Joyce Wheeler, creates characters courageous enough to face life’s problems head-on in a compelling story filled with romance, heartache, and new beginnings. My Lady follows the life of vibrant Jolene O’Neil as she reaps the whirlwind of life’s storms.

Air Force Captain John Harris whisks Jolene away to Europe, unaware that another is brooding about her return. Is it just an accident or murder that suddenly takes her husband’s life? Jolene struggles through her questions and grief back at a youth Bible camp in South Dakota, when a dark, compelling man from her past returns to haunt her again.

From a honeymoon in Hawaii to the terror-filled back roads in the Black Hills, Jolene finds herself running from a compromised past into a hope for her future. Can an unrepentant sinner familiar with God choose a course against His will and find salvation? It will take every ounce of Jolene’s faith and trust in God to take the needed steps that will connect the pieces.

As readers trace Jolene’s footsteps along the western prairies, they will discover an inspiring, often humorous, tale of love, faith, and courage.

This book was an enjoyable read, though things happened a little fast at times, and the heroine of the story had a lot of sad things happen to her. The author's intent seemed to be to show that no matter what we go through, God can bring us through it, and that all things do work together for good to those who love Him.

I did have a couple of issues with the book: a marriage between Christian and non-Christian, and too much flirtation between a married person and another.

The book is mostly romance, so readers of Christian romance novels will enjoy this.

About the author:

Joyce Wheeler grew up on the prairies of South Dakota, learning at an early age to appreciate the greatness of God’s creation. The transition from rancher’s daughter to rancher’s wife when she married Justin came easy, and they have continued to pass their ranching tradition down to their children and grandchildren.

Joyce’s interest in adventure and intrigue persuaded her to conjure up meaningful stories about ordinary people in difficult circumstances. She has walked, ridden, and drove over prairie trails and used those times to not only praise our Creator, but also weave stories that would reflect her appreciation of God’s world.

As an avid reader, Joyce traveled the world in her armchair with a cup of coffee in one hand and a book in the other, until her own unfulfilled desire to write a book began to unfold. At the urging of friends and family, Joyce took delight in developing characters of her own in and among the settings of a ranching lifestyle in which she is knowledgeable. The result was Joyce’s very first book, entitled My Lady.

In addition to being a wife, mother, and grandmother, Joyce has enjoyed being a homemaker, bookkeeper, and gardener. Her hobbies include activities like family gatherings, music, horseback riding, hiking and ranch work. Some of her fondest memories are skiing with her grandchildren and white water rafting on the Snake River. Her greatest joy, however, is the growing knowledge that God is a part of every aspect of our lives and serving Him is the most exciting adventure of all.

My Lady is available from Winepress Publishers.

Thanks to Winepress for the review copy.

Heart's Awakening by Delia Parr

This week, the

Christian Fiction Blog Alliance

is introducing

Hearts Awakening

Bethany House (March 1, 2010)

by

Delia Parr





ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Delia Parr, pen name for Mary Lechleidner, is the author of 10 historical novels and the winner of several awards, including the Laurel Wreath Award for Historical Romance and the Aspen Gold Award for Best Inspirational Book. She is a full-time high school teacher who spends her summer vacations writing and kayaking. The mother of three grown children, she lives in Collingswood, New Jersey.





ABOUT THE BOOK

Two people in desperate circumstances. Life has left few choices for Elvira Kilmer. Her hopes for marriage and a family of her own have long since passed her by, and her arrival on Dillon's Island, nestled in the Susquehanna River, is not of her choosing, either.



She needs work. And Jackson Smith needs a housekeeper. Yet Ellie never imagined the widower would be so young...so handsome. Jackson, on the other hand, has never met anyone quite so...plain. But he quickly comes to realize that Ellie's presence may solve his own problems--both the rearing of his young boys and the scandal that surrounds his first marriage.



When Jackson offers her something quite out of the ordinary, will Ellie look beyond mere necessity and risk opening her heart?



Yet what options does she have? To marry would mean a home and stability. So despite the rumors circling Jackson and his first wife, Ellie accepts this unlikely proposal...



If you would like to read the first chapter of Hearts Awakening, go HERE.

Blogoversary giveaway #2

Giveaway #2 is Between Sundays by Karen Kingsbury.

When 8-year-old Cory Briggs is orphaned, his mom's best friend, Megan Gunn, wants to adopt him. There's only one problem. She needs consent from the boy's father. Cory insists his dad is Aaron Hill, quarterback of the San Francisco 49ers. Megan is afraid he's headed for heartbreak. Is his belief wishful thinking---or is it true?

To enter, leave a comment. All winners will be drawn on March 16