Review: Vision in White by Nora Roberts

Vision in White by Nora Roberts





rating: 4.0/5.0






Book Descripiton:

Wedding photographer Mackensie “Mac” Elliot is most at home behind the camera, but her focus is shattered moments before an important wedding rehearsal when she bumps into the bride-to-be’s brother…an encounter that has them both seeing stars.

A stable, safe English teacher, Carter Maguire is definitely not Mac’s type. But a casual fling might be just what she needs to take her mind off bridezillas. Of course, casual flings can turn into something more when you least expect it. And Mac will have to turn to her three best friends—and business partners—to see her way to her own happy ending.

In typical Nora Roberts fashion, this was a great book. With trying all these new genres and my current addiction with young adult fiction, I had forgotten how much I love romances. And true to a Nora Roberts romance, the characters are wonderful. I understood Mac and I was in love with Carter. It's a great story and romance. I loved the background for this quartet of the wedding business that the four friends are involved in. I found it fascinating. I also found their friendship to be very normal - they have their ups and downs but when it comes down to it they have each other's backs.

So sit a spell and enjoy a wonderful romance with Vision in White. I'm eagerly awaiting Bed of Roses out soon.

Binding: Trade Paperback
On-sale Date: April 28, 2009
Publisher: Berkley Trade
Pages: 352

Review Copy Arrival: Christianish: What if We're Not Really Following Jesus at All? by Mark Steele

Christianish: What if We're Not Really Following Jesus at All? by Mark Steele

I received this from Audra Jennings at The B&B Media Group.

Somewhere between cold faith and hot pursuit lies lukewarm spirituality. And in the media between the wide path and the narrow road we find the middle ground of the spiritual walk. It’s something not quite Christiania. More like…Christianish.

Christianish tells the story of one man’s journey to move from the in-between to a life centered on Christ. To move forward, author Mark Steele goes back to the beginning, to examine Christ’s life and words. Through stories and insights that are sometimes profound, often hilarious, and always honest, Mark delivers a compelling look at what our faith is all about.

Excerpt from Christianish:

©2009 Cook Communications Ministries. Christianish by Mark Steele. Used with permission. May not be further reproduced. All rights reserved.

This is the difference between Christianish and Christ-follower. We have trained ourselves to cope well on a Christianish path: a path where we please the right godly people and don’t feel guilt when our failings are seen by the world at large. Yes, our methods work on this path—but it’s the wrong path. It’s not the approach to Jesus that we are supposed to take—that we are created to take.

So, we fall into confusion over why life doesn’t work and why our faith doesn’t feel right and why nothing true is coming from our so-called Christianity. We attempt to fix it by refining our current method. But here’s the catch: The method won’t work on the right road, because it is a method built for the wrong road.

We cannot change the dysfunction of our Christian walk by simply trying to become better at the wrong we are already living.

We must switch roads. And, in switching, we must discover the new method of living that truly works on the right road.

There is only one way for me to discover the right way to travel the right road.

The way is not a church.

The way is not an ideology.

The way is not a Christian.

The way is Jesus.

In my path of becoming functional in a dysfunctional faith, I crashed and burned quite often. I became and remained the lukewarm that gets spit out. The vomit to which the dog returns. The goat that was separated from the sheep. I nodded and even verbalized amen at each and every one of those stories, tsk-tsking internally at the target of the moral, never once interpreting that the antagonist might just be me.

I was at risk of becoming the one at the pearly gate whom the very Jesus I thought I was serving says He never knew. I lost the plot altogether, grasping at the path toward eternity that fit most nicely into my temporal goals.

FROM CHRISTIANISH TO CHRIST-FOLLOWER

So, the question begs: How does the transformation begin? From Christianish to Christ-follower. What is the road? And what is the method? It is certainly a painful road. A gravel-laden path that requires going back to the very beginning and digging deep into Jesus’ words and actions during the time He walked and breathed on planet Earth.

When you look at the New Testament from the Jesus perspective, it breaks down quickly into eleven key components of His history:

1. How He came into the world.

2. How He was tempted.

3. How His enemies responded to Him.

4. How He ministered to the common man.

5. How He made His living.

6. How He responded to His enemies.

7. How His friends responded to Him.

8. How He loved.

9. How He performed miracles.

10. How He died.

11. How He left.

The truth is here—not merely in the verses we have memorized, but in the manner in which the Savior spent His days. For me to become the true definition of a Christian, it will require breaking His thoughts down—and being willing to transform my own behavior into what I discover. It will require facing the music—and then doing something about it. It will require unlearning and baby steps. I have no idea what that sort of experiment will entail.

But I’m going to find out.

I now set out to find the right road.

The functional method.

I will be a Christ-follower.

And leave the stench of Christianish behind for good

BBAW Giveaway #2: A Change in Altitude by Anita Shreve

It's time for my second giveaway and it's the next book on my tbr pile. I finished Ring of Fire at lunchtime and it's good so go enter my giveaway for that here.

Margaret and Patrick have been married just a few months when they set off on what they hope will be a great adventure-a year living in Kenya. Margaret quickly realizes there is a great deal she doesn't know about the complex mores of her new home, and about her own husband.

A British couple invites the newlyweds to join on a climbing expedition to Mount Kenya, and they eagerly agree. But during their harrowing ascent, a horrific accident occurs. In the aftermath of the tragedy, Margaret struggles to understand what happened on the mountain and how these events have transformed her and her marriage, perhaps forever.

A Change in Altitude illuminates the inner landscape of a couple, the irrevocable impact of tragedy, and the elusive nature of forgiveness. With stunning language and striking emotional intensity, Anita Shreve transports us to the exotic panoramas of Africa and into the core of our most intimate relationships.

So my second giveaway of the week is a new copy of A Change in Altitude courtesy of Miriam Parker at Hachette books. This comes out on Tuesday so I will make this giveaway through Monday September 21st and draw on Tuesday. So if you would like to get a chance to win this book, please comment. Rules are simple for this week:

• +1 for comment with email
• +2 for each way you follow (twitter, email, rss feed/blogger/etc.)
• +3 for tweeting (1 entry for this per day)
  

Thanks for stopping by.

Book Review: Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater (1 ARC Tours)

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater





rating: 4.5/5.0






From Amazon.com:

For years, Grace has watched the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf--her wolf--is a chilling presence she can't seem to live without. Meanwhile, Sam has lived two lives: In winter, the frozen woods, the protection of the pack, and the silent company of a fearless girl. In summer, a few precious months of being human . . . until the cold makes him shift back again.

Now, Grace meets a yellow-eyed boy whose familiarity takes her breath away. It's her wolf. It has to be. But as winter nears, Sam must fight to stay human--or risk losing himself, and Grace, forever.

My Review:

I wasn’t sure what to expect with this book. I signed up to read it with 1-ARC-Tours because I had heard wonderful things about it. I have read plenty of vampire paranormals but never really liked the werewolf angle, but decided to give it a shot due to the wonderful reviews. I am so glad I did. There is so much more to this book than the paranormal angle. It covers the female teen experience with friends and boys well, the first love aspect is sweet and touching and the history given behind Sam keeps you turning pages.

I especially enjoyed how this was told from both Sam and Grace’s point of view. It was nice to see both sides and how they felt about each other and about the things that were going on in the town and in the woods. I also liked the aspect of Grace’s parents, as unfortunate as Grace was to have them as her parents (they were self-absorbed), I think this is true of a lot of parents of this current generation. Not all (as I have children) but a lot. I think this speaks to the fact that we should pay attention to our children. You feel for Grace because of her family situation, but you never feel she is pathetic. She comes across as a fairly strong heroine who knows what she wants even though she has the typical teenage problems.

A wonderful storyline and back story of the wolves, plus great characters. I wanted this book to keep going when it ended. I want to know more about the characters. Shiver is a lovely young adult novel that will touch your heart.

Binding: Hardcover
On-sale Date: August 1, 2009
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Pages: 400

Review Copy Arrival: Not So Fast: Slow Down Solutions for Frenzied Families by Ann Kroeker

Is every hour rush hour at your house?

We’re raising our kids in a high-speed, high-pressured, 24/7 world. Pushing children to get ahead, we cram everything possible into our days to maximize their chance at success. We’re overloaded, overextended, overcommitted, and over-caffeinated. And we’re paying a price.

Not So Fast: Slow-Down Solutions for Frenzied Families explores the jarring effects of our overcommitted culture and offers refreshing alternatives with a Christian perspective. Author Ann Kroeker relates her own story of how embracing a slower everyday pace has resulted in a richer, fuller, and more meaningful family and spiritual life. Practical ideas and insights will spark creativity and personal reflection. Plus, ponder real-life stories from parents reaping the riches of a simper, slower lifestyle. Not so Fast offers hope that families struggling with hurried hearts and frantic souls can discover the rejuvenating power of an unrushed life.

Author Bio: Author of The Contemplative Mom, Ann Kroeker is an acclaimed writer and speaker committed to encouraging and inspiring families as they face the demands of daily living. A contributor to the award-winning Experiencing the Passion of Jesus, she has written for numerous corporations and her articles have appeared in a variety of publications including Decision, The Student, Christian Home and School, and Indianapolis Woman. Ann and her husband, Philippe, have been married 18 years and have four children.

I received this from Audra Jennings at The B&B Media Group - Thank you so much Audra - I really need this book.

BBAW Giveaway #1: Century - Ring of Fire Book #1 by P.D. Baccalario

I've been a little lax this week - I had so much more planned, but my health, my job and my life aren't cooperating with BBAW! But I will take the time and post some long-needed reviews and I will also post some giveaways. And the giveaways will make me read some books with overdue reviews and then passs them on to you.

Every hundred years, four kids from four cities must save the world.

A mix-up with their reservations forces Harvey from New York, Mistral from Paris, and Sheng from Shanghai to share a room with the hotel owner’s daughter, Elettra. The four kids discover an amazing coincidence—they all have birthdays on February 29, Leap Day. That night, a strange man gives them a briefcase and asks them to take care of it until he returns. Soon afterward, the man is murdered.

The kids open the briefcase. In it they find a series of clues that take them all over Rome, through dusty libraries and dark catacombs, in search of the elusive Ring of Fire, an ancient object so powerful that legend says even a Roman emperor couldn’t control it.

In the first book of the Century quartet, Italian author P. D. Baccalario begins a mystery that will take four cities and four extraordinary kids to solve.

So my first giveaway of the week is for my current read, Century: Ring of Fire Book 1 by P.D. Baccalario. It's a gently used ARC that I just received last week. I'm 1/3 of the way through this book and it's very entertaining so far, I'm enjoying the suspense and getting to know the characters. I think of it like a tween/teen Da Vinci Code adventure-type book. No religious connection, just the adventure of following clues left in strange places. So if you would like to get a chance to win this book. Please comment. Rules are simple for this week:

• +1 for comment with email
• +2 for each way you follow (twitter, email, rss feed/blogger/etc.)
• +3 for tweeting (1 entry for this per day)
  

I'll open this through Sunday September 20th and draw the winner on Monday! Thanks for stopping by.

BBAW: Reading Meme

Wednesday's post with BBAW is a Reading Meme - we're supposed to pick a few questions and answer or answer all of them in just a few words. I think I did pretty good as I am usually wordy with my posts.

Do you snack while you read? If so, favorite reading snack?

• Dark chocolate M&Ms

Do you tend to mark your books as you read, or does the idea of
writing in books horrify you?

• Don't mark.

How do you keep your place while reading a book? Bookmark? Dog-ears?

• Bookmark

Laying the book flat open?

• Only hard backs if I can

Fiction, Non-fiction, or both?

• Both but mainly fiction

Hard copy or audiobooks?

• Both

Are you a person who tends to read to the end of chapters, or are you able to put a book down at any point?

• It depends how sleepy I am - I do try and read to a stopping point

If you come across an unfamiliar word, do you stop to look it up right away?

• No

What are you currently reading?

• Vanished by Joesph Finder

What is the last book you bought?

• The Mediator: Shadowland by Meg Cabot

Are you the type of person that only reads one book at a time or can you read more than one at a time?

• I read several at a time

Do you have a favorite time of day and/or place to read?

• In the evening in my chair in the living room

Do you prefer series books or stand alone books?

• I love both

Is there a specific book or author that you find yourself recommending over and over?

• Michelle Moran is my current favorite (Cleopatra's Daughter)

How do you organize your books? (By genre, title, author’s last name, etc.?)

• Genre mainly - don't have time to alphabetize anymore