Undaunted {Review}

Undaunted is the story of writer Josh McDowell's life.  The beginning is about his childhood growing up on a small farm in Michigan.  It was hard to read about the horrors he lived through with an alcoholic father, sexually abusive family employee, and a very disjointed family.  Needless to say he came to the conclusion that he was the most God-forsaken person in the world at age eleven and he grew up not believing in God.  In college, he harassed a group of Christian students who challenged him to prove that the Resurrection never happened.  This led him to a summer spent in Europe searching for answers from original sources.  He ended up finding that the evidence completely supported the Bible and ended up becoming a Christian.  Although he was a new Christian, he found that he still needed to deal with some of the horrors of his past and he slowly began to forgive those who had wronged him.  In the end, his father even became a Christian because of Josh's love and forgiveness.
I thought this was a sad, amazing, and inspiring story all in one.  While it is so sad that any child would have to experience the pain that Josh did, it is amazing to know that God's love can overcome anything.  It is very inspiring to read that Josh was able to forgive those who did such cruel things and helps remind me that I can and need to forgive those in my life who harm me, no matter how small the offense.  I also love how God turned something so ugly into something beautiful when Josh's Christianity led his father to God, who in turn also led others in their town to Him.  This is a great book that I highly recommend.

I received this book for free for review from Tyndale House Publishers.

Blessings,

Be Still My Soul {Review}

I recently has the opportunity to read Be Still My Soul by Joanne Bischof.  It is a story about Lonnie and Gideon who are forced to get married after her father witnesses Gideon kiss Lonnie.  Lonnie has grown up very poor and with an abusive father and has clung to her faith all her life.  Gideon is a handsome ladies' man who is frustrated that he was forced into the marriage. Together they leave the only homes they have ever known to try and find work and a place in a distant town.  Along the way discover an elderly couple who helps them work through some of their troubles, but Gideon's past mistakes keep coming back to haunt him and it seems their hearts might never be healed.
I thought this was a really good book.  Although it seems pretty predictable, there were several twists that kept it interesting.  I enjoyed the fact that Lonnie stood strong in her faith and was an example of God's love to her new husband despite the way he treated her.  Everything was written very descriptively and I had an easy time picturing the story in my mind. Joanne Bischof did a great job writing this historical fictional and I can't wait to read more by her, especially since this was the first in the Cadence of Grace series.

I received this book for free for review from Waterbrook Multnomah.

Blessings,

The Reason {Review}

I recently had the opportunity to review William Sirls' new novel The Reason. Although it was a little slow reading and took me a while to get through it, I did end up enjoying it. It is about a town of people who are going through some very difficult circumstances including cancer, blindness, and living with regrets from the past.  When a stranger enters their lives and tells them to only believe, they each respond differently to letting go and letting God be in control of their lives.  I thought the situations the characters went through were very real and the questions they asked about God were ones that many of us have asked when going through a difficult time.  This book is a good reminder that no matter what our circumstances, we only have to believe that God is in control and the reason he does everything he does is because of his great love for us.

From the publisher:

When Facing the Impossible, Can You Only Believe?

Storm clouds gather over a small Michigan town. As thunder shakes the sky, the lights inside St. Thomas church flicker . . . and then go out.

All is black until a thick bolt of lightning slices the sky, striking the church’s large wooden cross—leaving it ablaze and splintered in two.

When the storm ends—the search for answers begins.

James Lindy, the church’s blind minister, wonders how his small congregation can repair the cross and keep their faith in the midst of adversity. And he hears the words “only believe.”

Macey Lewis, the town’s brilliant young oncologist, is drawn to Alex, a young boy who’s recently been diagnosed with an aggressive leukemia. She puts her hope in modern medicine—yet is challenged to “only believe.”

And Alex’s single mom, who has given everything she can to her boy—is pleading with God to know the reason this is happening . . . to save her son. But she only hears silence and wonders how she can possibly “only believe.”

The Reason is a milestone debut novel, opening with a blast and never letting up as it introduces us to everyday characters who are wrestling with the questions: where is God when bad things happen? And does God ignore the prayers of the faithful? The answer each character receives will astound readers while offering an unforgettable call to hope, to change, to . . . only believe.

I received this book for free for review from Booksneeze.

Blessings,

Short-Straw Bride {Review}

I read Short-Straw Bride by Karen Witemeyer in less than 24 hours.  I couldn't put it down it was so good!  It is about four orphaned brothers who have secluded themselves from the world in order to stay together.  Travis, the oldest, swore to his dying father that he would protect his family and their land.  None of them have been off the land for years and they keep everyone else off of it.  Until Meredith shows up to warn them of a plot to get them off their land.  Then their world will never be the same.

From the publisher:

No one steps on Archer land. Not if they value their life. But when Meredith Hayes overhears a lethal plot to burn the Archer brothers off their ranch, a twelve-year-old debt compels her to take the risk. Fourteen years of constant vigilance hardens a man. Yet when Travis Archer confronts a female trespasser with the same vivid blue eyes as the courageous young girl he once aided, he can't bring himself to send her away. And when an act of sacrifice leaves her injured and her reputation in shreds, gratitude and guilt send him riding to her rescue once again. Four brothers. Four straws. One bride. Despite the fact that Travis is no longer the gallant youth Meredith once dreamed about, she determines to stand by his side against the enemy that threatens them both. But will love ever be hers? Or will Travis always see her merely as a short-straw bride?

Despite the usual predictability of romance stories, I still love them.  This one however was not nearly as predictable.  I thought the story line was really creative and well written.  I also loved the side characters.  I couldn't wait to see what would happen next and often found myself laughing out loud.  I highly recommend Short-Straw Bride and can't wait to read more from Karen Witemeyer.

I received this book for free for review from Bethany House Publishers.


Blessings,

Unbroken {Review}

Unbroken, by Laura Hillenbrand, is not usually the type of book I read.  When I had the opportunity to review it, I figured I would give it a try and then let my husband read it when I was done because he likes stories about war.  But I am so glad I read it because it is an amazing story! 

Here is what the publisher says:

On a May afternoon in 1943, an Army Air Forces bomber crashed into the Pacific Ocean and disappeared, leaving only a spray of debris and a slick of oil, gasoline, and blood. Then, on the ocean surface, a face appeared. It was that of a young lieutenant, the plane’s bombardier, who was struggling to a life raft and pulling himself aboard. So began one of the most extraordinary odysseys of the Second World War.

The lieutenant’s name was Louis Zamperini. In boyhood, he’d been a cunning and incorrigible delinquent, breaking into houses, brawling, and fleeing his home to ride the rails. As a teenager, he had channeled his defiance into running, discovering a prodigious talent that had carried him to the Berlin Olympics and within sight of the four-minute mile. But when war had come, the athlete had become an airman, embarking on a journey that led to his doomed flight, a tiny raft, and a drift into the unknown.

Ahead of Zamperini lay thousands of miles of open ocean, leaping sharks, a foundering raft, thirst and starvation, enemy aircraft, and, beyond, a trial even greater. Driven to the limits of endurance, Zamperini would answer desperation with ingenuity; suffering with hope, resolve, and humor; brutality with rebellion. His fate, whether triumph or tragedy, would be suspended on the fraying wire of his will.

In her long-awaited new book, Laura Hillenbrand writes with the same rich and vivid narrative voice she displayed in Seabiscuit. Telling an unforgettable story of a man’s journey into extremity, Unbroken is a testament to the resilience of the human mind, body, and spirit.

While I thought the book started a little slow with a ton of background info that didn't seem very relevant, it all came together later in the story.  By the middle of the book I couldn't put it down!  For some reason, I have never realized how many POWs were held by Japan in WWII.  When I think of WWII, I usually think of Hitler and the concentration camps in Europe, but after reading Louie's story, I now know of the horrors men faced in the Pacific as well.  It gives me a great appreciation and thankfulness for the freedoms we have in our lives today.  I thought the story would be just about being stranded on a raft for over 40 days, but then Louie's story turned even worse and he was forced through horror after horror in the Japanese POW camps.  It is amazing what physical tortures an unbroken mind and strong will can endure.  And the book didn't even end with his rescue, it went on to tell how Louie overcame alcoholism, became a Christian, used his story to help others, and even forgave his captors.  This story had me laughing and crying and, while I am sad that this is a true story that many POWs lived through, I think this is a great book to read.

I recieved this book for free for review from Waterbrook Multnomah.

Blessings,