Friday, January 28, 2011
How flattering!
It was just brought to my attention that Craig Froman, author of 'Passport to the World' which I reviewed here, linked to my review on his Writer's Cafe page. How flattering for an author to want to showcase my review. I'm so honored. It really is an exceptional book and I feel privileged to have had the opportunity to review it.
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Next Book Review: 'The Dragon and the Turtle' by Donita K. Paul and Evangeline Denmark
Publishers' Book Description:Friends come in all sizes, shapes, and colors. Sometimes they’re even dragons.
Roger loves adventure. Today he’s playing pirate, sailing the high seas, dancing to the hornpipe, and catching fish. But the wind’s blown him off course and he’s . . . well . . . lost.
When Padraig, a kitten-sized, bug-eating dragon, encounters the lost turtle, he offers to help Roger find his way home. Roger’s directions take some time to follow—his house looks brown, sounds like singing, smells like baking, feels like sand, and tastes like strawberries—and along the way, Roger and Padraig become friends. And friendship always yields unexpected rewards. Like cookies.
I will have this book review up on Monday. It's really a lovely book.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the Blogging for Books book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Litfuse Blog Tour Book Review - With GIVEAWAY: 'The Search' by Suzanne Woods Fisher
Thank you to Revell/Litfuse for providing me with the review copy.
Publishers' Book Description:
Fifteen years ago, Lainey O'Toole made a split-second decision. She couldn't have known that her choice would impact so many. Now in her mid-twenties, she is poised to go to culinary school when her car breaks down in Stoney Ridge, the very Amish town in which her long-reaching decision was made, forcing her to face the shadowed past.
Bess Reihl is less than thrilled to be spending the summer at Rose Hill Farm with her large and intimidating grandmother, Bertha. It quickly becomes clear that she is there to work the farm--and work hard. The labor is made slightly more tolerable by the time it affords Bess to spend with the handsome hired hand, Billy Lapp. But he only has eyes for a flirty and curvaceous older girl.
Lainey's and Bess's worlds are about to collide and the secrets that come to light will shock them both.
Beautifully written, The Search is a skillfully woven story that takes readers through unexpected twists and turns on the long country road toward truth. Fans both old and new will find themselves immersed in this heartwarming--and surprising--tale of young love, forgiveness, and coming to grips with the past.
Bess has basically been tricked into coming to Lancaster from her own Amish community in Ohio to take care of her grandmother that she thought was ill. Bertha was far from ill, she just had her own sneaky ways of getting what she wanted - time with her granddaughter, her son to come home, and for a big secret to be revealed so her family could heal.
I really enjoyed this book. I have to say, I've read several Amish fictions now, and I'm generally a little bit disappointed with them - they just tend to leave me unsatisfied for some reason. That was not the case with The Search. The characters were dynamic, the location was described vividly and the storyline, while dramatic, was believable. It had everything you could want - romance, mystery, heartbreak, excitement, joy... The book truly is superbly written.While this novel can definitely be read on its own, it’s the third in The Lancaster Series and I would recommend picking up the first two novels and start at the beginning.
In no particular order, Suzanne Woods Fisher is a wife, mother, writer, lifelong student of the Bible, raiser of puppies for Guide Dogs for the Blind, a gardener and a cook...the latter two with sporadic results.
Suzanne has loved to write since she was a young teen. After college, she started to write for magazines and became a contributing editor for Christian Parenting Today magazine. Her family moved to Hong Kong for four years, just as the internet was developing, and she continued to write articles in a 44-story high-rise apartment, sending manuscripts 7,000 miles away with a click of a key.
After returning from Hong Kong, Suzanne decided to give her first novel a try. For four and a half months, she worked on an antediluvian computer in a cramped laundry room. She didn't even tell her husband what she was up to. When the novel was completed, she told her family at dinner one night that she had written a book. "That's why there's no food in this house!" said her slightly insensitive sons.
Undaunted...Suzanne found a small royalty publisher for that book and wrote three more (all earned multiple awards). With help from an agent, she now has numerous books under contract with Revell. Also look for Suzanne's Amish non-fiction, Amish Peace: Simple Wisdom for a Complicated World, a non-fiction book of stories and examples about the Old Order Amish, as well as Amish Proverbs, and coming in Spring of 2011, look for Amish Values for Your Family. The Choice and The Waiting are the previous books in the Lancaster County Secrets Collection.
Writing, for Suzanne, is a way to express a love of God and His word. With every book or article, she hopes readers get a sense of what faith really looks like in the daily grind. She hopes they realize that life can be hard, but God is good, and never to confuse the two.
Suzanne can be found on-line at: www.suzannewoodsfisher.com
About the Contest:
Suzanne Woods Fisher's latest installment of the Lancaster County Secrets, The Search
, is just out and to celebrate Suzanne is hosting The Search iPad Giveaway!One Grand Prize winner will receive an iPad Prize Package worth over $500 and includes:
- A brand new iPad (16KB with Wi-Fi)
- Signed copies of all three Lancaster Country Secrets books (The Choice
, The Waiting
, & The Search
Facebook Party:
Join Suzanne for the Everything is Coming Up Roses Facebook Party on February 3rd! She’ll be announcing the winner of the The Search iPad Giveaway, hosting a book club discussion of The Search, giving away copies of all three books and HEAPS of other readerly prizes! Including roses delivered to your door for three months for you AND a friend! Be sure to join us on Thursday, February 3rd at 5:00 PM PST (6:00 MST, 7:00 CST & 8 EST) at Suzanne’s Author Page.
Other Bloggers that are reviewing this book Today:
Jenifer @ Parris Ponderings
Janet @ Janet at Home Is Where God Sends You
Jennifer @ Mrs. Q: Book Addict
Paula @ Thrifty mommas brain food
Thanks for stopping by!
Monday, January 10, 2011
Tyndale House Review: 'Gray Matter' by David Levy, MD
A perfect blend of medical drama and spiritual insight, Gray Matter is a fascinating account of Dr. David Levy’s decision to begin asking his patients if he could pray for them before surgery. Some are thrilled. Some are skeptical. Some are hostile, and some are quite literally transformed by the request.
Each chapter focuses on a specific case, opening with a detailed description of the patient’s diagnosis and the procedure that will need to be performed, followed by the prayer “request.” From there, readers get to look over Dr. Levy’s shoulder as he performs the operation, and then we wait—right alongside Dr. Levy, the patients, and their families—to see the final results.
Dr. Levy’s musings on what successful and unsuccessful surgical results imply about God, faith, and the power of prayer are honest and insightful. As we watch him come to his ultimate conclusion that no matter what the results of the procedure are, “God is good,” we cannot help but be truly moved and inspired.
I had a hard time making up my mind about this book. Overall, I liked it. I think that David Levy is a courageous man for being willing to do what he has done - pray with his patients before and after procedures - but a few parts of the book really bothered me. I admit that it could just be my being overly sensitive and possibly over analyzing the authors words or attitude, but there were several parts where, while trying to 'prove' how humble he was, he instead came across as arrogant. He tried way too hard (and way too many times) to show that he, a highly trained neurosurgeon who is basically regarded as God by his patients, had to come down to their level and show them that he was just a man, and God was there for them. If he'd only written it once or twice in the book, I would've bought it and never thought twice about it, but I would guess that he mentions that same thought at least 6 times. It just felt disingenuous at times. Now, that being said, I don't feel at all that that was his intention, and I don't feel that he is arrogant or self serving - I believe that he really is a servant of God and truly had the best of intentions.
And now, onto the positive part - I just had to get that out of the way first. David Levy, I think, has had a pretty remarkable ride to the place that he's currently at in his life. He started out as a nonreligious Jew (one Christian parent, one Jewish parent - neither one religious - and of half Jewish ancestry), while in medical school he started attending Synagogue and socializing and identifying with the local Jewish population. But, something just didn't feel right. Later, after he was already a surgeon, he started attending a Christian church and he felt that he had finally found what had been missing in his life - Jesus.
Over the next several years Dr. Levy starts feeling strongly that he should be praying with his patients. He is, understandably, quite leery of doing this and very nervous as to how he - and his actions - would be perceived not only by his patients, but by the medical community as a whole. His reputation was something extremely important to him and he was quite fearful of the ramifications of doing something so frowned upon - bringing God into the hospital. However, one day he decides that he can put it off no longer. He had to do what God was asking him to do. Once he starts, amazing miracles start to take place - and the reader is allowed the opportunity to be a witness to it all.
This book really was amazing - even in spite of my reservations. I admire the courage that it must have taken for Dr. Levy to take that first step. He seems to understand that medicine is only one part of the equation; if we don't have God, nothing will be complete. I would recommend this book for anyone that enjoys inspiring Christian literature - especially anyone that works in the medical profession. I think this one's a winner.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher, Tyndale House Publishers. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
Friday, January 7, 2011
Next Book Review: 'Gray Matter' by David Levy, MD (Tyndale)
A perfect blend of medical drama and spiritual insight, Gray Matter is a fascinating account of Dr. David Levy’s decision to begin asking his patients if he could pray for them before surgery. Some are thrilled. Some are skeptical. Some are hostile, and some are quite literally transformed by the request.
Each chapter focuses on a specific case, opening with a detailed description of the patient’s diagnosis and the procedure that will need to be performed, followed by the prayer “request.” From there, readers get to look over Dr. Levy’s shoulder as he performs the operation, and then we wait—right alongside Dr. Levy, the patients, and their families—to see the final results.
Dr. Levy’s musings on what successful and unsuccessful surgical results imply about God, faith, and the power of prayer are honest and insightful. As we watch him come to his ultimate conclusion that no matter what the results of the procedure are, “God is good,” we cannot help but be truly moved and inspired.
I enjoyed this book, although I WILL say that there were a few things that bothered me about it. I look forward to bringing you the review on Monday. See you then!
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher, Tyndale House Publishers. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
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