Favorite Christian Books

First off, I want to thank Thomas Nelson for the opportunity to review this book – 100 Prayers God Loves to Hear, 100 Praise Songs
strong>About this Book:God loves to hear from His children and this book will help kids feel comfortable talking to God and singing praise to Him.  Prayers include classic prayers such as “Now I Lay Me;” Biblical prayers such as “The Lord’s Prayer;” topical prayers such as how to pray when I am afraid or what to pray when I am thankful; and prayers from famous believers.  Familiar Bible verses tell of God’s promises and encourage little ones to talk to Him every day. This is a great resource to help kids memorize 100 Bible verses.  Includes two CDs with 100 new praise songs written and recorded by Grammy-nominated producer, Stephen Elkins.

Jorja’s Review: Since my boys are a little too old for this book, I shared it with a darling 5 year old at my church, Jorja. On a Sunday morning a couple of weeks ago, I gave her the book and asked her to if she would have her mom and dad read her the prayers and listen to the CD.  On Wednesday after that I saw Jorja and she was carrying around her book.  Her Mom shared she’d been carrying it around since I gave it to her, looking at the pictures. They had also listened to the CD and although Mom said the songs are a little “vanilla” Jorja is enjoying them. On Sunday I talked with Jorja, who with her sweet smile said she like looking through the book and listening to the CD. Since she is starting kindergarten this year I asked her about school.  She got a big smile on her face and said she was really liking school.  When I asked her the best part, she said “Learning to read.”  She said she’s looking forward to being able to read her new book.

My Review: The book is a great size for kids Jora’s age.  It seems to be made of a durable material that should last. As Jorja’s Mom pointed out this type of book makes this age group feel good about it because it’s not a “baby” book. Even though they may not be able to read the words, they feel “grown up” being able to carry it around and looking at it.  As I read some of the prayers I wonder how many words parents may have to explain.  The author did use some words that are more advanced than the average 4 – 8 year old. However, I don’t think it will be hard for most parents to help a child understand.  It was a joy to watch Jorja’s eyes light up when I asked her about the book.

About the Book: Maya Davis already has many titles—Christian, barista, maid of honor (new), possible girlfriend (newer), aunt (newest)—and her life is about to become even more complicated. Just when she thought things couldn’t get any worse, her ex-boyfriend proposes to her roommate and best friend, Jen. It’s not long until their apartment becomes Wedding Central. As if that weren’t enough, Jen’s obnoxious mom moves in to help plan the wedding, and Maya’s genius brother and sister-in-law announce that they’re expecting. Then to top it off, there’s the whole matter of Jack—is it love? Who wouldn’t need a coffee break!

My Review: First off, let me say I’m not a fan of chick lit and I’m past the age of girlfriends getting married and the whole dating nightmare.  With that said I must admit I thoroughly enjoyed this story.  You get a little bit of everything with this story. You have the insecure Maya, you have the “perfect” (but sweet) girl living the almost perfect life, with Jen, you have the wicked mother with Ms. Mitchell and then the guys. Travis, Maya’s ex who’s dating Jen, Ethan the computer geek, co-worker and then there’s Jack, Maya’s longtime friend. I could write pages about Jack. I enjoyed not only the characters but the story, they come across as real people with real issues.  I love how we see Maya search for God’s help in her daily life. I loved the sticky notes.

This book had a lot of great reminders for me. First it reminded me how grateful I am that my parents were supportive of my marriage and who I was marrying. It reminded me that God wants a daily relationship with His children. Maya demonstrates the struggles that we all face and how we can look to God’s Word for our guidance.

If you want something that is an easy read with fun characters that will make you laugh and cry that offers some good biblical principles about life then pick up this book.

If you don’t like books that are overtly Christian then you will want to take a pass.

If you want to learn more about the author check out her website: www.erynnmangum.com

Thank You to NavPress for the opportunity to review this book.

Finished Terri Blackstock‘s Predator this weekend, and it was great.  I’ll be posting my review this week.  I also finished Joyce Meyer’s book, Eat and Stay Thin: Simple, Spiritual Satisfaction Weight Control. Both books were very good and enlightening. More to come on both!

This week for the fiction book I’m reading, Latte Daze by Erynn Mangum.  So far this has been a cute book. The main character, Maya is just too funny.  She’s quirky and is already making me smile, which is nice after a “heavy” read like Predator.

The non-fiction book is one I started a while back but got side tracked, Worship Matter by Bob Kauflin. I’ll be blogging about that book over at: www.magnusonhouse.com/worship

I started Terri Blackstock‘s Predator last night. It is starting off in typical Blackstock fashion.  She grabs you from the opening pages. This book deals with an important subject, online predators. I can’t say for sure yet, but my guess this book is going to highlight the dangers of sharing too much information about yourself on the web. Be it through blogs, MySpace, Facebook or Twitter, we really need to think about what we “put out there.” Hopefully this book will help educate or at least raise the awareness for parents regarding their kids.  Too often parents don’t have a clue what their kids are doing online.  I once told a youth pastor if he really wanted to understand high school kids get MySpace and read what they’re writing.  It will open your eyes (and many times scare you to your knees!)

I’m still working on Joyce Meyer‘s Eat and Stay Thin. Hopefully, I’ll finish it this week, but I want to take my time and really process what she has to say. She really brings things down to basics. No fancy diets, no high and lofty ideas, just practical Biblically based concepts. Some as simple as, educate yourself on what you’re eating and eat a balanced diet. The hardest thing she’s given us so far is, “Don’t eat unless you are hungry and stop eating when you’re comfortable.”  She also deals with the importance of taking our emotional and spiritual needs to God instead of food.  It’s been a good read and one that I should read on a regular basis.

Be blessed!

Rooms By James L. Rubart / B&H Publishing Group When Micah Taylor’s uncle leaves him a home on the Oregon coast, he suspects a prank—but the place is beautiful! However, bizarre things begin to happen, and Micah is told the house is “spiritual.” What’s that supposed to mean? Would God use a building to heal a man’s darkest wounds? Includes discussion questions. 400 pages, softcover from B&H.

About the book: Rich and owner of a software company with a beautiful partner both professionally and personally.  Micah Taylor has the world by the tail with no worries. Until a strange letter comes from a deceased uncle and it changes his world forever.  A beautiful home located in the town that scarred his life since he was a child now sits waiting for him. What he finds is so much more than a beautiful 9,000 square foot home on the beach.

The characters: Micah Taylor is so many people I have met. It’s all about the power, the wealth and the fame.  He lives with guilt and bitterness from his childhood that drives him even harder to be a success. The other characters were strong additions to the story.  The author did a great job with all of the characters.  With Rick you had the all important friend and mentor.  Julie, Sarah, and Shannon, these three ladies added their own appropriate aspects to the story.

My Review: Last week  I said this book made me think of Dekker/Peretti’s House meets The Shack by William P. Young.  It really did have some of the “creepiness” of House but it is much more thought provoking than The Shack was for me. In this book Rubart weaves a tale of how our choices affect our life. Micah is truly every man. We are all faced with choices and those choices lead to different outcomes in our life. This book does a great job of reminding us we can’t live in both worlds, we are either hot or we’re cold. The lukewarm, well, we know what will happen to the lukewarm.

I’m really not sure who to compare this author to, I’ve not read anyone else that has written in this style.  It was an enjoyable read that made me think.  This is a good read, that it is well written and fast paced. If you are like me you are thinking after the first third of the book, “What more can happen?”  but you will find so much more can and does happen.  It’s a book that I’ll think about for quite awhile.  Good stuff!

This week I’m working on a fiction book on my kindle, Rooms: A Novel by James L. Rubart. I’m about 30% through the book and it’s been quite interesting. There was a lot of hype about this book a few months ago on the ACFW’s group. I can’t believe everything that has happened to the main character and we’re only 30% through. Right now it makes me think of a combination of The Shack by William Young and House by Frank Perreti and Ted Dekker. I am looking forward to where it will take me next.

I’m also reading a non-fiction book this week, at least I hope it’s non-fiction. It’s Joyce Meyer‘s book Eat and Stay Thin. I must confess the past 6 years I’ve REALLY struggled with my weight. A lot of reasons, poor eating habits, not enough exercise, depression, stress… so far Joyce has offered some very basic down to earth information. Reminds me a little bit of the Weigh Down Workshop, except thankfully Joyce believes in the trinity, but this is not the place for that discussion. Basically, when we have weight issues that becomes our focus, the weight. In reality, our focus needs to be on God and Him alone. When we try to fight the battle of the bulge in our own strength we fail. Thankfully we have the promise that we can do all things through CHRIST who strengthens us and along that I’ve been mediating on Greater is HE that is me than he that is in the world.

I hope to finish Rooms soon, as I received a special treat in the mail yesterday. My copy of Terri Blackstock’s new book, Predator arrived!!!! I’ve been looking forward to this book since I first heard about it. Should be a good one!

I “stumbled” upon a website: http://edgyinspirational.blogspot.com/p/challenges.html and found a really cool challenge. The goal is to read at least 6 ebooks in 6 months!  It’s sounds like fun especially since I’ve I’ve read two this month already!!!!  Check out the challenge and join the fun.  There’s even a chance to win an Amazon Gift card… which who doesn’t want one of those.

It also looks like a great website with good info about my favorite genre Inspirational Fiction.

Blessings!

Description: Cozy murder mystery. When the meanest gossip in Brea Ridge dies mysteriously, suspicions turn to cake decorator Daphne Martin. But all Daphne did was deliver a spice cake with cream cheese frosting–and find Yodel’s body. Now Daphne’s got to help solve the murder and clear her good name. Problem is, her Virginia hometown is brimming with people who had good reason to kill Yodel, and Daphne’s whole family is among them.

My Review: This book was exactly what I expected, a cute, fun mystery. The characters were fun and likable. Daphne was fun to follow with her quirks and her curiosity. Her sister’s family was wonderful to see the interaction with the twins was too cute and all too realistic. The dynamics between Daphne and her parents were all too familiar and sad. Mom’s attitude toward Daphne and the choices she had made were more than a little frustrating.

Although I enjoyed the story there were a couple of things that bothered me about it. One is the whole story was built on gossip. Grant it the victim was known as the meanest gossip in town she wasn’t the only one that enjoyed telling tells. Even Daphne suffered the pain of gossip yet multiple times throughout the story she’s sitting over coffee and cake learning the “dirt” about other members of the town and potential suspects.

The second issue is although this is marketed as Christian fiction there was little evidence of God in the story. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think a book needs God and Christianity mentioned on every page, but I do expect something to indicates at least one character believes in a God. The closest thing was Dad’s prayer over Thanksgiving Dinner.

I did enjoy the story and look forward to reading more by this author. It was well written and enjoyable to read.

If you want to learn more about the author you can visit her website at: http://www.gayletrent.com/

Forget Me Not, Crossroads Crisis Center Series #1 By Vicki Hinze / Random House, Inc A mysterious incident leaves Susan Brandt dead—and her husband, Ben, devastated. Three years later, a similar accident occurs. The victim looks exactly like his late wife and carries Susan’s name on a crisis center’s card—but this woman survives. When somebody wants her dead, will Ben risk his life and his heart to save her? 352 pages, softcover from Multnomah.

This story was a rocket ride. At times I felt like I needed to keep a score card to keep all the players straight. There was a lot of action and interaction and I couldn’t skip over text for fear of missing a key component. The author pulls you in from the beginning and keeps you guessing. She tended to give you just enough information but not too much for you to figure it out all the while keeping your hooked on the story.

I loved the main female character. She had such depth of character and despite all she had been through her honest and open faith stood strong. It took me a little longer for me to warm up to Ben, but throughout the book he touched my heart as he dealt with his own issues. The supporting characters were wonderful, though there was one character from the Crisis Center that I questioned whether or not she was who she was suppose to be.

Without giving away too much, I loved the journey that the main characters traveled.  It was touching.

I was even more excited when I realized this was book one of a series. Ms. Hinze has done a great job putting together a strong ensemble of characters and I look forward to reading more about them.

This book is one I purchased from amazon.com.

Michelle!  She wins a copy of Brandilyn Collins’ new book Deceit! Congrats and thank you for participating!