A Great Read!

Dr. David Chambers is a renowned Biblical archeologist who has turned his back on his science, his family and the love of his life. Then he gets the one phone call that will change his life forever. His new dig will bring amazing reward as well as great danger. His very dear friend asks him to return to Israel and head a dig that is shrouded in secrecy. It doesn't take Chambers long to realize that the goal is to find the Temple treasures.

What follows is a journey that brings tragedy as well as triumps. People lose their lives in the name of science and religious discovery. Lives and relationships are restored as well. But in the end, Chambers seems to be left wondering if it is all worth it.

The characters I found to be very believable, the storyline tightly knit. I admit that I suspected the bad guy by about the middle of the book but that did not dim the storyline at all. I found this to be a great read and would definitely recommend it to anyone.

The Crossing by Serita Jakes

I really enjoy suspense/mystery/thriller books and was excited to receive this one and jump into it. I like the premise of the book but think it is a little shallow.

Ten years ago a beloved teacher was murdered, a star football player injured and a young girl left emotionally scarred for life. As that night continues to haunt the survivors, the unsolved mystery is re-opened in hopes of bringing closure for those survivors. As the story unfolds, lives are torn apart while new friendships are formed.

At times this book seemed very predictable, yet there were some surprises. I honestly did not see a couple of things coming though.

In general, this is a good read and would be enjoyed by most readers. It is a good basic story and the characters are believable. I look forward to reading more by Ms. Jakes and watching her develop as an author.

I received this book free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishers in exchange for this review.

Mercy Come Morning by Lisa Tanw Bergren

This proved to be a heartwarming story of forgiveness and personal redemption. Krista Mueller is estranged from her mother who is suffering from Alzheimer's disease and is in the end stages of heart failure. Years before, Krista placed her mother in a care facility and left to live her own life. Now she has returned to her dying mother's bedside and found that she has a much greater connection to her mother than she thought. Through letters and her mother's journal, Krista discovers who her mother really was and what she was trying to do for her daughter. Krista struggles with forgiveness but learns that in the end, she and her mother were searching for the same thing.

This book came to me at a point in my life when I needed to deal with forgiveness of others and the story brought tears to my eyes as I began to see forgiveness for what it can offer to everyone.

This book was provided to me free by Waterbrook Multnomah Publishers in exchange for this review.

Dinner with a Perfect Stranger by David Gregory

What a great read! "Dinner with a Perfect Stranger" by David Gregory is a great book. It is easy to read but packs a lot to think about. A mysterious invitation to dinner with Jesus would leave anyone with lots to think about.

I love the way the book is laid out; each chapter reflecting a course of a meal. I felt as though I was sitting at another table in the restaurant observing the dinner. Starting with the reluctant invitation to the dinner, the main character Nick works his way through some of his questions about Christianity. He knows some of the basics of world religions and asks why they are wrong. The answers come openly from Jesus and clearly show why other world religions are wrong. As the book progresses, so does the dinner and with each new course we see Nick open up even more to the gift that is found in Jesus Christ. Personally, I love the last chapter (Home) and the hope that it leaves with the reader.

I think this book is a great starting point for those who, like Nick, are questioning why world religions are wrong. It provides a great, easy introduction to the fundamentals and leaves the reader with a great hope.

The One Day Way by Chantel Hobbs

A book of practical advice for weight loss and exercise from someone who's been there. Chantel Hobbs provides advice backed by her own weight loss journey. After maintaining weight loss of over 200 pounds, she knows what she is talking about.

She provides her "Ten Commandments" to losing weight and maintaining the weight loss. Also include are her power snacks, as well as some cardio and strength training exercises.

My personal favorite part of her plan is the reminder that each day is a new day. You won't get anywhere today based upon what you did yesterday. You also don't have to beat yourself up for what you did. Truly a refreshing outlook.

Overall, a good place to start with a journey towards weight loss and self-improvement.

I received this book free from WaterBrook Multnoman Publishing Group in exchange for this review.

The Basic Truths

Dug Down Deep, Building Your Life on Truths That Last is my first encounter with Joshua Harris. I found his writing style to be very easy to read. He presents many of the basics of Christianity in an easy to digest manner. Intermixed with the tenants of Christianity, Harris tells stories of real people and how they came to faith and/or live out their faith.

Harris takes his readers through his own story of "going through the motions" of Christianity in his childhood to his realization of needing to know God personally. He shares stories of his family and friends which help the reader to see how the basics of the faith can be lived out.

He concludes with what he calls "Humble Orthodoxy" which I found to be a great reminder of how we are to live. It serves as a great reminder that while we have been given the greatest gift of all, we must be humble in our knowledge and sharing of that gift.

Overall, I thought this was a great book which served to remind me, as well as bring new light to all of the wonders of the gift given by God through His son Jesus Christ.

Advice and Chocolate, What Could Be Better?

In "The Chocolate Diaries, Secrets for a Sweeter Journey on the Rocky Road of Life", Karen Scalf Linamen serves up advice, resources and chocolate - what a great combination.

Retelling stories of women she has come to know, the author gives the reader hope by offering coping mechanisms, great resources, humor, tears and of course chocolate. Each story, set in an easy to read chapter, brings something new to the reader. Stories of every day women who survived abuse and moved on to create and run victim's support organization to insight into the life of Jan Dravecky as she raised her family while supporting her husband's baseball career then stood with him during his battle with cancer. Each chapter is punctuated with a quick and easy chocolate recipe, just enough to be a pick me up at any time.

Reading this book during a particularly rocky period in my own life gave me some new perspectives as well as challenges. The author is a list maker and encourages her readers to do the same. I love her suggestion that you start each list with "eat chocolate daily" so at the end of the day you can at least cross one thing off your list. I think I'm going to try that one.

The "Food for Thought" at the end of each chapter makes this a great read for a book club. Those tidbits provide some great things to think on and would be wonderful material to share with others.

A great little book, an easy read and some great new ideas for when I'm craving chocolate - overall a great combination.

I received this book free from WaterBrook Multnoman Publishing Group in exchange for this review.

Indivisible by Kristen Heitzmann

This was my first read from this author and I think it may well be my last.

I found Indivisible to be very hard to get into. I love a good thriller but just couldn't find it here. I found the characters to be hard to get to know and felt a few of them were unnecessary. There was one I flat out didn't understand the purpose behind.

There were only a few strains of story line that lend to the mark of Christian fiction. The passing references to prayer and church disappointed me. There was a positive reinforcement of prayer when one character realized that she can't do it wrong - after having been told this previously. It would have been refreshing to see this aspect of the character develop.

I just couldn't get into this one. I wished the central characters would have been more developed in their faith.

The Corruptible by Mark Mynheir

From the first line of this novel, I was hooked. I was laughing out loud before the end of the first page. This is a great story about Ray Quinn, ex homicide detective turned PI. Hired by an Orlando businessman to help resolve a case of missing corporate information, Ray works through the case with his friend Crevis and the help of his former homicide partners. There is also Pam, sister of an murder victim whose case Ray worked. Pam has the task of being the voice of faith and plays it very well, not pushing when she shouldn't and being there when she needs to.

I love a good mystery/thriller and really enjoyed this one. I must admit, I thought I had it figured out in the middle of the book. Happily I was only partly correct. There are plenty of twists and turns in this book that make it one you have to think about. The characters are well thought out and work well off of each other.

This was my first read by this author and it won't be my last. I received this book for free from Waterbrook Multnomah Press in exchange for my review.

Life, In Spite of Me by Kristen Jane Anderson and Tricia Goyer

Wow! What an amazing, encouraging, inspiring story. I had a hard time putting it down. The courage with which the author shares her story is truly inspirational. She is open and honest about her struggles before her attempted suicide, her triumphs and setbacks during her recovery and her hope for the future. I appreciated the fact that she included some of her setbacks during her recovery; she did not "sugar coat" it, leading the reader to believe that all was well once she began her recovery. I was bothered some by her writing of taking herself off her antidepressant medications. While I realize this is a part of her story, I feel it should have been discussed with a bit of a disclaimer. Stopping medications, even with a doctor's supervision, is not for all patients. I just feel this is something to be very careful with and I feel it might have been addressed differently. That being said, I still will highly recommend this book to anyone. It is an amazing story of courage and how God can work in lives when given the chance. I enjoyed the afterword written by her mother and would love to hear more from her. As the mother of teenage sons, I feel this book can be a powerful tool for both teenagers and parents.

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