Book Review

Page Turning Action and Adventure

January 3, 2016 by Suzie Waltner 4 Comments

When I met author Bonnie Calhoun at the American Christian Fiction Writers’ Conference last September, one of her first questions was, “What do you write?”. I told her contemporary romance, and her immediate response was that it was boring, that everyone writes romance. Granted, at the time, I had not read any of Calhoun’s work, but still, I was a little offended by her comment. I mean, there are a lot of great romance authors out there and romance does a banging business every year.

And then I read one of Bonnie’s books…

In the second book of The Stone Braide Chronicles, Selah Rishon is trying to search for answers to many questions. What does being the novarium mean for her, how can she help Bodhi regain his strength and powers, and is her family in danger? Her father, Glade, seems to be trying to keep her in the dark about too many things.

When she finds some information about her step-father, the Mountain, and a woman who Glade has warned her is evil, Selah knows what she has to do. Despite her nightmares, despite barely being able to escape the first time around, she is driven back to the Mountain. If there is any chance she can save her family, that she can atone and apologize for her actions, she must follow that path.

Meanwhile, Bodhi has made a deal with Glade, one that takes him away from the woman he loves. But he’s dying, losing his abilities, what good is he to Selah now? Yet, despite his doubts, he knows protecting her is more important than anything.

Calhoun keeps the story moving at a fast-pace, one that keeps the pages turning and the reader engaged. With more questions and action around each corner, readers will fly through this book and be anxiously awaiting the next installment to Selah’s story.

If you’re a fan of dystopian YA or if you have teenagers who enjoy adventure and action, then The Stone Braide Chronicles are a great option with no foul language. There is a little bit of violence in them (the author herself says she prefers the 3 Bs in her stories—body count, bloodshed, and blowing things up) but she handles the descriptions well.

While I haven’t read the first book in the series, Thunder, there was little to no spiritual message in Lightning. This is an adventure about a girl trying to figure out who she is and who she can trust.

Lightning is available now at your local Family Christian or online.

****Family Christian provided me with a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest and fair review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Family Christian has generously provided a copy of Lightning and a $25.00 Customer Appreciate Certificate to one lucky reader of this blog. Enter below.

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Strengthening your Soul, Body, and Mind

January 1, 2016 by Suzie Waltner Leave a Comment

January first. Today happens to be an appropriate day for talking about my latest read. New Year’s Day. The day when gyms are full, people are throwing out all of the junk food left over from Christmas and from their pantry. A day when a large number of people are promising themselves to get out of debt, spend more time in devotions, eat healthier, exercise more, and many other kinds of resolutions.

I’ll be honest, when I first picked up The Daniel Fast for Weight Loss by Susan Gregory, I was pretty certain I was picking up another diet book. And I was pleasantly surprised that, while this book did focus a little bit on what the actual fast entails, it was definitely more aimed toward getting your mind and heart in the right place for what it means to fast.

A fast consists of spending time with God, listening closely to what He has to share with or reveal to us. It’s about shutting out the world for a portion of your day and communing with our Savior. It’s about preparing your meals and thanking Him for the provisions and the awesome creations he made to care for our bodies.

This book was filled with scripture reference to both support fasting and to meditate on during your fast. Gregory also cautions against continuing the fast more than the twenty-one-day period the fast is designed for. She does, however, give you some ideas as how to continue on a healthy lifestyle after the fast.

Filled with recipes, a 21-day guide to your fast, and lots of explanation of the motivation behind The Daniel Fast, this book is an excellent resource for anyone serious about executing a fast that includes healthy, delicious foods while still giving up some less-than-desirable unhealthy options. Yes, this fast takes some preparation and work, but the author lays out strategies to help you along the way as well as a couple of websites where you can go for ideas, inspiration, and motivation. If you’re ready to spend some time getting closer to God while detoxing your body of some harmful substances, consider picking this book up for your go-to-reference.

Available now from your favorite bookstore or online

***Tyndale Blog Network provided me with a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest and fair review. All opinions expressed are my own.

The Beauty of Community Done Well

December 24, 2015 by Suzie Waltner Leave a Comment

Do you long for friendships that last longer than life itself? Friends you can count on for anything. Friends who show up no matter how hard or busy your lives are, no matter what kind of suffering any of you are going through?

During her lifetime, Kara Tippetts cultivated her community carefully.She and another member of that community, Jill Lynn Buteyn, teamed up to write about what sharing life with someone going through suffering looks like in the flesh. Kara Tippetts’ suffering was not an easy road. Not for her, her family, or those friends who love her. Her journey with cancer was chronicled on her blog, Mundane Faithfulness, and the blog only expanded her community.

In the book, Buteyn carries the burden of explaining what showing up in suffering looks like and Tippetts offers her own insights at the end of the chapter.

This book was hard to read. There is sadness and sorrow in sharing, as Tippetts calls it, the hard in someone’s life. We want to be able to fix the problem, to offer answers. But that’s not always what God calls us to. Sometimes all our loved one needs is someone to run to the store for them, to do a load or two of laundry for her family, or to simply sit and be still.

After reading this book, I long for a community like this, and now I have a blueprint as how to make it happen. Kara Tippetts loved those around her with a big love. A love that will touch lives well into eternity in heaven as her community rejoicing in seeing her whole and healthy again.

If you know someone who is suffering, if you’re suffering yourself, or if you just long for lasting and meaningful friendships, this book is a resource filled with practical and specific insights, observations, and suggestions. Just be sure and leave the tissue box near!

Just show up is available at your local Family Christian or online

***David C. Cook and Family Christian provided me with a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest and fair review. All opinions expressed are my own.

A Respectable Actress by Dorothy Love

December 20, 2015 by Suzie Waltner Leave a Comment

This month’s book theme for me seems to be historical fiction with widowers who had less than happy marriages to their first wives. Considering the context and the time period, this probably happened often. I’m just amused how some months my reading seems to have a theme. But really, when you enjoy the books, there’s really nothing to complain about, right?

Famed actress India Hartley is in Savannah, GA to begin a tour of theaters in the southern US. On her second night on stage, a tragedy occurs, and India is accused of murdering her co-star. She so stunned by the accusations and the events, she hardly notices the man who a benefactor hired as her lawyer.

Philip Sinclair’s law practice must succeed so he can restore his plantation home on St. Simon’s Island. In order to escape the public outcry, Philip convinces the judge to let him take India to his home, Indigo Point, until the trial date. Many parts and people of Georgia are struggling after the war, and St. Simon’s is no exception. The people of the island are surviving but Philip wants to create something to bring jobs and money to his island’s economy.

Once ensconced at Indigo Point, India tries to settle in. But mystery seems to follow her. There seems to be a shrine to someone in Philip’s home that India is kept out of, the people of the town have their own opinions of her, and, while she feels comforted in the presence of her lawyer, she’s quickly falling in love with him and fears what the future may bring (whether that be death by gallows or a life without theater or Philip).

Dorothy Love’s tale is told from only India’s perspective so the reader is left guessing at Philip’s thoughts and feelings right along with India. As they mystery weaves together, it’s a little convoluted but in the end, all of the moving parts come together for a satisfying conclusion. And reading about the theater during this time period was interesting and educational. It was enjoyable reading the story from the actress’s eyes.

***The Fiction Guild provided them with a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest and fair review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Two Worlds Collide

December 16, 2015 by Suzie Waltner Leave a Comment

Oil and water. Toothpaste and orange juice. Just like some combinations, some people just don’t go together…or do they?

Sophie van Riijn’s deepest desire in life is to be a wife and mother but after three failed engagements, she isn’t sure God is going to grant her that dream. Instead, she finds purpose in the simple task of her volunteer position taking weather measurements for the Weather Bureau in Washington D.C. in her little town of New Holland on the Hudson River. Despite the fact her weather station has been set up on private property (without the owners’ permission), she faithfully records her statistics and reports them every day. But when the Vandermarks suddenly return home without warning, she can’t hide the fact she’s been using the rooftop of the Dierenpark mansion.

Quentin Vandermark is furious when he learns the staff at his ancestral home has been exploiting the place for profit. And Sophie van Riijn is the worst of the lot with her illegal weather station and her incessant cheer. But the young woman has somehow managed to relate to his son—something few people are able to do.

Reluctantly, he hires Sophie to tutor his son as well as cook for the household. Without much effort, she manages to draw each member to her side. Quentin pokes and prods at her, trying to prove her kindheartedness and cheer aren’t real but no matter what he does, she seems to remain constant. And soon he finds himself wanting to know why. His life and his beliefs are firmly rooted in science, in what can be explained but Sophie’s belief in God is drawing him to something he’s been missing in life.

While Sophie has grown up at Dierenpark and loves it with all of her heart, Quentin has never been there. But he can see they appeal that draws people to the lands. Too bad his grandfather has commissioned him to destroy it.

I love the character of Sophie. Despite what Quentin believes, life has knocked her down a few times but her faith remains firm. No matter what Quentin Vandermark’s mood, she always rises above it. Sure, she gets angry and hurt—she’s human, after all—but she apologizes when necessary and is determined to love the people around her no matter how they treat her.

Quentin is brooding, moody, brusque, and to-the-point, but when push comes to shove, he’ll do anything for his son. His one goal is for the boy to grow up and become a good man, not an entitled rich child but one who knows the value and rewards of hard work. While he and Sophie are at odds most of the time, he sees the value in what she can teach the boy. And as he gets to know Sophie better, he begins to past her attractive appearance to her even more attractive heart and soul.

This one was hard to put down and I raced through it in two days. Definitely worth the time to read it. Elizabeth Camden is quickly becoming one of my favorite Historical fiction authors.

***Bethany House Publishers provided me with a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest and fair review. All opinions expressed are my own.