Book Review of The 13th Tribe by Robert Liparulo

Robert Liparulo's book, The 13th Tribe, is about a group of immortals who have been trying to earn their way into heaven by killing sinners and Jagger Baird, a former army ranger who is angry with God for an accident that claimed the life of his best friend, but left him alive.  The reader will meet many characters throughout the book, and eventually the characters lives (and stories) will intertwine.  Jagger's wife and son are caught in the crossfire of the Tribe's biggest attack ever where millions of lives will be threatened, and Jagger will stop at nothing to save his family and to stop the tribe from killing millions of innocent people.

I have one word for this book - WOW.  If you want to read a christian novel that is full of action and suspense, this is the book for you.  Not only is it full of action and suspense, but it also has several twists and turns that will surprise you.  My jaw dropped several times while reading this book, and I did not want to put it down.  I highly recommend it!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> 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 

Book Review of From Blah to Awe: Shaking Up a Boring Faith by Jenna Lucado Bishop

Jenna Lucado Bishop's book, From Blah to Awe: Shaking Up a Boring Faith, is geared towards girls in junior high and high school.  The book recognizes that everyone at one time or another gets bored with God, but points out that during those times we are missing out.  The author goes through different ways a person might get bored with God and how to get "unbored."  The book is full of personal stories from other young ladies, scripture and ways to strengthen your relationship with God.

Jenna writes with a very conversational tone which is perfect for the young readers this book is geared toward.  I really liked that she asked questions in each chapter, and most of those questions were followed by space for the reader to write her answers.  At the end of each chapter, there is a "To Sum it Up" section that covers what was read in the chapter which I felt was an important addition to the book.  How often does a teenager read something only to have forgotten what he/she just read?  I know that I forget things that I read after a few minutes, and I am 33!  I also liked the prayers throughout the book.  One of the parts that I thought was really neat was in the chapter A Very Unboring Story  where Jenna wrote about the gospel and took a closer look at "your character" (meaning the reader) and God's character within the gospel story.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone with a young girl that is struggling with her relationship with  Jesus.  In fact, I would recommend it to any adult that is struggling with their relationship with Jesus.  You won't be disappointed.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> 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  

Book Review of Miracles Are For Real: What Happens When Heaven Touches Earth by James L. Garlow & Keith Wall

In Miracles Are For Real: What Happens When Heaven Touches Earth, James Garlow and Keith Wall look at what miracles are and what they mean for believers today. Garlow and Wall look at both miracles that happened while Jesus was alive, miracles that happened in eras past and some modern day miracles.  The authors purposes in writing this book were in the introduction on pages 11 & 12.

1. God is alive, well, and intensely interested in your life.

2. Not only do miracles happen, but they still happen today.

3. Regarding the supernatural, the best way to live - the only way to live - is to believe that a miracle could happen at any moment.

I got the most inspiration from reading the accounts of real modern day miracles experienced by others.  I also found it interesting that there are all different kids of miracles.  However, I found that all of the information about the different kinds of miracles was a little confusing at times.  Overall, I would say that if you are looking for some inspiration, this might be a book you'd enjoy.

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

Book Review of The Exceptional Life: 8 Powerful Steps to Experiencing God's Best for You by Stephen Arterburn

Stephen Arterburn's book, The Exceptional Life: 8 Powerful Steps to Experiencing God's Best for You, covers 8 different things in our lives that may be hindering us from - like it says in the title - experiencing God's best for us.  In the introduction of the book, Arterburn states that he believes if he were to take the main problem anyone is having in life, no matter what it is, he'd be able to boil it down to the fact they must release one of eight things in order to gain the beneficial qualities they are missing.  For every negative quality a person releases, they will gain a positive.  Here is a list of what Arterburn covers in this book.

1. Give up guilt and shame, in order to get back hope.
2. Give up resentment, in order to get back love.
3. Give up fear, in order to get back trust.
4. Give up anger, in order to get back forgiveness.
5. Give up instant gratification, in order to get back patience.
6. Give up learned helplessness, in order to get back power.
7. Give up isolation, in order to get back connection and community.
8. Give up addiction, in order to get back freedom.

I love Stephen Arterburn's writing style.  He seems to be knowledgeable of current trends, down to earth and extremely candid which is very appealing to me when I am reading a book--especially a book to help improve my life.  This book is eye opening, and Arterburn's insight to each topic is thought-provoking.  If you want to improve your life, I would definitely recommend this book.  You won't be disappointed.

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

Book Review of Heart of Ice (A Triple Threat Novel) by Lis Wiehl with April Henry

Heart of Ice is the third novel in the Triple Threat series by Lis Wiehl with April Henry.  The series is about three friends: Cassidy, a TV crime reporter, Allison, a federal prosecutor, and Nicole, an FBI agent.  The three women together make up the Triple Threat Club and work together to solve crimes in the town of Portland.  In this book, the villain is Elizabeth Avery, a master manipulator, convincing many people to do things for her.  When random crimes start popping up all over Portland, the Triple Threat Club is on the case, and they won't believe where these crimes lead them!

I enjoyed this book, but I was a little confused as to why it is published by a Christian publisher.  One of the main characters, Allison, is a Christian and there are moments in the book when faith is talked about, but it is not throughout the entire book which is what I would have expected coming from a Christian publisher.  With that said, the book is fast paced and interesting to read.  The characters are real and are dealing with everyday situations that I could easily relate to.  If you are looking for a good thriller to read, I would recommend this book.   


Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> 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 
    

Book Review of A Year With Jesus: Daily Readings and Reflections on Jesus' Own Words by R.P. Nettelhorst

R.P. Nettelhorst's book, A Year with Jesus: Daily Readings and Reflections on Jesus' Own Words, is a collection of daily Bible readings and reflections of each one.  Nettelhorst's reflections are informative, encouraging and thought-provoking.  The book is split up into 10 different topics which include: Love and Hate, Truths and Lies, Arrogance and Humility, Friends and Enemies, Belief and Disbelief, Patience and Impatience, Deserved and Undeserved, Good and Evil, Fidelity and Treachery and Life and Death.

I absolutely LOVE this devotional.  The readings are short, but each one really makes you think about your own walk with God.  I really liked the introductions that Nettelhorst wrote for each topic as well.  Those alone could be a daily reading as well because they are just as thought-provoking as each daily reading is.  I highly recommend this book for anyone looking for a good devotional because this one definitely surpassed my expectations and is EXCELLENT!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> 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 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Book Review of An Amish Wedding by Beth Wiseman, Kathleen Fuller and Kelly Long

The book An Amish Wedding is actually a collection of three separate novellas.  The first novella, A Perfect Secret by Kelly Long, tells the story of Rose Bender and Luke Lantz.  Rose discovers that her fiancee is hiding something, and she is determined to find out the truth.  The second novella, A Perfect Match by Kathleen Fuller, tells the story of Naomi King and Zeke Lapp.  Naomi meets Zeke, and there is an immediate attraction between the two of them, but she has made a promise that creates an obstacle for them to be together.  The third novella, The Perfect Plan by Beth Wiseman, tells the story of Priscilla King and Chester Lapp.  Priscilla and Chester are very much in love, but as their wedding day approaches, many things start to go wrong making them question if they are following God's perfect plan.

I really enjoyed reading this book.  There is a glossary in the front of the book with some of the Amish terms that are used throughout each novella.  I found this helpful along the way, but eventually was able to know what each word meant as I read.  Each novella kept me interested which is very important to me while reading a book.  I absolutely LOVED that the stories were intertwined.  It was neat to see the main characters in each novella as supporting characters in the others.  I highly recommend this book!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> 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 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”