Brink of Chaos by Tim LaHaye and Craig Parshall

This is the third book  in the End Series featuring Joshua Jordan, an American hero.  He has fled the United States because of being falsely accused of treason.  He is the designer of the RTS defense system, which has made him welcome in Israel, but also hunted by Israel’s enemies.  His wife, Abby, is a high profile lawyer, trying her best to clear his name so that they may be together again.  She must work behind the scenes because she has refused to be tagged by the government and is on their list to be apprehended.  Also included in the story are their adult children, Deborah and Cal.  Joshua survives several attempts on his life and must make a difficult decision to sacrifice himself to save his family.

This book surprised me.  I was expecting another Left Behind series, and it did have some elements of that.  However, the writing was fast paced and kept me turning pages.  It has some interesting parallels to politics and world events today.  It made me think about possible end times scenarios and my response to them.  In short, it was a good, well-thought out story and had a satisfying, but surprise ending.

If you enjoyed the Left Behind series, but want something with a bit more relevance to today’s events, this book should satisfy you.  Even though it was the third in the series, I could easily follow the story line.  I think many readers will enjoy it like I did.  I appreciate receiving a free copy from the publisher and this is my honest review. 

Faith and Other Flat Tires by Andrea Palpant Dilley

I appreciated Andrea’s honesty in sharing her story.  As a parent, I found it very enlightening.  I was impressed by her upbringing and was glad that she said her departure from faith was not due to anything that her parents had or hadn’t done.  I was encouraged that God was big enough to work in her life despite her doubts and searching.  I would be able to recommend  this book to others looking for  honest answers to life’s questions.

I enjoyed  Andrea’s descriptive writing.  I appreciated the way she laid out the facts of her life without judging others and without giving inappropriate details.  Her book reminded me a bit of Donald Miller’s book, Blue Like Jazz.  Both of them chronicled their spiritual journeys in ways that non-Christians can relate.  I look forward to reading her future books.  Thank you, Zondervan, for the free copy.  I enjoyed it and this is my honest opinion.    

Double Blind by Brandilyn Collins

Lisa Newberry has been traumatized by life. She has experienced several miscarriages.   Her husband has died, she has been attacked and she can’t muster up the strength to face life.  An empowerment chip implanted in her brain offers her hope of a new tomorrow.  She undergoes the surgery and immediately feels better.  However, she begins having horrific nightmares or visions of a murder.  She is convinced that it is from the newly implanted chip.  She fears that it is a memory of a murder that has taken place.  But why does she have those memories and where have they come from?  Who is the woman she sees murdered?  Who is the murderer?   Though terrified, Lisa is determined to answer these questions.

Brandilyn Collins’ book is a real page-turner.   She keeps the plot moving along.  She develops the character of Lisa in a realistic manner and allows the reader to feel Lisa’s pain and fear.  She brings the story to a heart-pounding climax with an unexpected twist.  Then she resolves the story in a satisfactory manner.  I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would recommend it to others as a great summer read.  I appreciate the publisher for giving me  the free e-book and this is my honest review.

Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller

Chris, this one is for you!

My oldest son has been telling me that I need to read this book for awhile now.  And so I have!  Once I started it, I couldn’t put it down.  Don Miller writes in a very conversational style.  I felt as if I knew him once the book was done.  I appreciated his honest and fresh perspective on the Christian life, which he calls Christian spirituality.  I had been afraid that I would find things in the book that I would object to, but I found that wasn’t usually the case.  Don seems to have a good grasp of his subject matter.    He emphasizes salvation, sin, grace, confession, love, worship and community.

He challenged me to see my world and the people in it differently.  He challenged me to love God more and to share His love with others more.  There may be subtle points at which our theologies differ, however, it seemed that he nailed all the really important ones. I was very glad to read the part he wrote on tithing, as I think that is often overlooked today. If you enjoy a book that may stretch your thinking in matters of living out your faith, you should probably include this in the pile in your night stand.  Thanks Jan, for loaning me this book.

Almost Heaven by Chris Fabry

  

Billy Allman is a simple man living in the small town of Dogwood, located in the hills of West Virginia.  His goal in life is to live to the glory of God, although  things are hard and never seem to go according to his plan.  His life seems unimportant and unnoticed by others.  However, Heaven has not overlooked him.  Malachi, an angel sent to watch and protect him, wonders what the Creator’s plan is for Billy.  As Billy’s life unfolds, Malachi begins to sense the music in Billy’s life and the plan God has for him.

What can I say?  I love Chris Fabry’s books for several reasons.  They are set in West Virginia, the state I grew up in.  He handles difficult and real life situations with grace.  He writes from a Christian perspective, and his characters capture my heart.  Almost Heaven was no exception.  Chris kept my attention with a well-paced plot and interesting characters.  I loved the fact that “June Bug” from a previous book showed up in this one, too.  I look forward to reading many more of Chris’ books.

The Guest Book by Mary Beth Whalen

Every year, Macy Dillon has drawn a picture in the guest book at the beach house where her family has vacationed for years.  An anonymous artist responds to her drawing every summer, and at long last writes a letter in the book to invite her to meet him.  Due to a tragedy in her family, the meeting never takes place.  Now, after many years, she and her family have returned to the same beach house.  Her greatest desire is to find the anonymous artist and to finally meet him.  She prays to find him and God brings three men into her life.  Any one of them could be her mysterious artist.  How does she find him?

The author writes about Macy’s family’s grief over her father’s death and how they grow through it.  As a reader, I wanted to keep reading to find out which man was  Macy’s mysterious artist.   The twist at the end of the book was a nice surprise.  If you are looking for an easy beach read, you would enjoy this book.  I am grateful to Zondervan publishing for allowing me to read this book and this is my honest opinion.

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

“Bod” Owens grows up in a graveyard.  He is cared for by the inhabitants there after a man named Jack murders his family.  He learns the ways of the dead from the ghosts and his other-worldly guardian Silas.  In the graveyard he comes to know many diverse characters including a Hound of God, ghouls, and the Sleer.  His adventures include a trip to the land of the ghouls and a brief foray to school.  Eventually, he must leave the graveyard permanently, but what will happen when he comes face to face with his family’s murderer?

This book’s setting and characters were a bit bizarre.  However, I found it very readable and difficult to put down.  As a parent and a teacher, I would want to have read this book before I let my child or student  read it.  Mr. Gaiman does not write from a Christian worldview and his view of death is in direct opposition to the biblical view.  In my opinion, younger children, even avid readers, should not read this book.  They do not have the skills to think critically about the characters and story.  Even though I enjoyed this book, loaned to me by our school librarian, I would not recommend it, unless the reader is an older child able to handle the contents and characters.