Unspoken by Dee Henderson

If you are the kind of reader who enjoys a bit of romance with your suspense, this is the author for you. I am not a big fan of fiction but her writing is full and she ties off her loose ends and leaves no dangling bits to take away from the story line. The main character suffers from PTSD due to having been kidnapped almost 20 years ago but the focus of the story is the development of romance in the hear and now time line. A bit too much detail was spent on old coins and the details of the coins, but as I like old money I thought that was an expectable tarry of time. it is a long book and took me 3 days to read. It is hard to review it without giving away the plot or outcome of the story. It is well written and a good story line that is strong in details with well rounded solid characters.

The Christmas Candle by Max Lucado

Let me start by saying that Lucado is my favorite author. But now let me also add; but not for his fiction. Lucado is top notch at non fiction inspirational writing and that is his forte. As a fiction writer, I find him less than the best. There are times when it is hard to tell who is talking. The characters are full but the story line is not as well developed as it could be. Susan Boyles starred in the movie version made in the UK. The setting does come to life and it does have a happy ending. I did enjoy the book but felt it could have been better and that is not up to par with Max's normal delivery of awesomness. In a nut shell, every 25 years an angel touches a candle and the candle maker must decide whom to gift that candle to as their prayers offered over the candle will be answered. I understood that the idea was that God answers the prayers, I just did not appreciate the idea that once every 25 years an angel touches a candle to make that candle special. The story line is a little loose in other places as well. The character of the new preacher is a little flat. The candle takes on powers in the end when it lights up an area very large to shine on a young girl and her baby. I did not care for the supernatural element. I can see how many people would really enjoy the story. To be honest, I am not a fan of fiction and that greys my review right off the bat. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher through the Booksneeze in exchange for writing a review. If you think that got the book a favorite review then I would encourage you to read several other reviews as I tend to be brutally honest.

The Compass Bible available at Walmart for 20 dollars with a life time guarantee!!

First off, the bible comes with a life time guarantee!! It looks and feels like soft tooled leather so it rests comfortably in your hands while you read or on your lap without trying to slide off. It is a new translation and is wonderful for those who struggle to understand what the bible is saying; it also includes notes that include cultural, historical, theological, and devotional thoughts about the life during the time the book was written. The maps are wonderful and there is a guide to plan out how to read the bible in a year. The format reminds me of Tim Lahaya's format in his book about how to study the bible. This bible also has introductions to each book, which gives you a good feel for the upcoming book so you go into the book with a better understanding of what to expect that book to be saying. There is an old saying; offer a man a turnip and you feed him once. Teach a man how to garden and he can feed himself for a lifetime. Consider that nothing is more important that bringing someone to Jesus. Many people want to make the journey but find that the bible is too hard to understand and the confusion keeps them from getting to trust God. This bible is literally designed to breach that barrier. If you want to help someone get to know God, this bible is a great place to start. Give them a copy of it because this is a bible that they can read and understand.

The Daniel Cure

This is the disappointing book of the year!! SAVE YOUR MONEY!! Instead try the Hallelujah Diet by Malkmus and The China Study by Dr. Campbell. This book, falls short all the way around, advocating vegetarian only eating, but no raw! Save your money!! The recipe section is some what enticing, for cooked veggies; nothing on the raw side!! I used to work for Indians, all of them were life long vegetarians; one was extremely diabetic...so what does it really cure to eat all veggies? they ate healthy, cooked all from scratch, olive oil only, etc. I cannot express how disappointed I was in this book, it had so much potiential, and I was really looking forward to reading it.

Forgiveness by Matthew West

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for writing a review. However, that does not in anyway ensure a positive review as I tend to be brutal in my assessments of works of literature especially where hope is involved. A poorly written book is somewhat like a beautiful sucker that tastes like paper. Its a false hope so I am more critical of hopeful works than I am of fiction. That being said, West is a wonderful singer and talented song writer. It is no surprise that his book was somewhat thin or short as he gets to his point and moves to the next point of interest. West includes stories from real people and recounts moments of faith in their lives when they stepped out on faith and was rewarded by God for believing and calling upon God to help them through out their struggles. How people have made it past the bitterness of disappointment when others treated them wrong and how god made things better for them. West also accounts stories from his own life that inspired his songs and lifted the crushing spirit of doubt that we all encounter at some point in our lives. He talks about some songs in particular and what he was going through when he wrote those songs, what aspects of his life were impacted by struggles and how his faith pulled his out a slump and how he used his faith to write the songs that propelled his career forward. West always gives God the glory and credit for his success and encourages the reader to focus on God during hard times and keep in prayer and devotion and God will see them through. It is this point in the work when West starts talking about the lives and events of some real people and how they reached up to god for new direction and to guide them and West talks about how well things turned out for them. It is a book about hope and positive results when we are faithful through the fire and floods of life. I felt like I would enjoy this book because I have several of his albums. He writes from stories of real people shared with him and this is also his source of song lyrics in many instances. A lot of people will enjoy this book, it is small, brief and steps on 3 aspects of forgiveness. It is a descent book and if you are a fan of his you will likely enjoy this little book which is a collection of stories of sharing about how others have forgiven. I could see how some people might like the book.