Saturday, March 27, 2010

I Love God's Green Earth by Michael & Caroline Carroll

This book is written to be used as a daily devotional for kids and to make them aware of the need to protect God's creation. The devotional quotes daily scripture and touches briefly on the meaning and connection of the environment to the Bible. However, it seemed the book is more scientific than spiritual. The facts are interesting, the jokes cute, but in my opinion don't contribute enough spiritually. As a devotional it lacks substance.

I believe that this book is too detailed and deep for kids under the age of 10. Even after age 10, I question kid's ability to fully grasp the book's complexity. The book is colorfully illustrated with nice pictures, is for the most part cute, and is full of jokes, but is not something that will hold a child's interest for long. If used daily it is likely that kids would get excited about the environment and trying to take care of God's creation, but young kids, as a whole, are more interested in entertainment than in social responsibility. I applaud the authors for attempting to encourage the perspective that the earth as God's magnificent creation I have my doubts though as to their success. At the least, this devotional could be used as a reference book for some school projects as there are some interesting facts listed.

As for myself, I was challenged by the publisher to determine an action step that I could take to make my household more environmentally sound. My action step is to ensure that 95% of light bulbs in my home are compact fluorescent bulbs.

This book was supplied by the publisher as a review copy.

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Beguiled by Deeanne Gist & J. Mark Bertrand

Rylee Monroe is a dog walker in Charleston. Her clients live in the wealthiest part of the city. Recently their homes are being burglarized by a person the police have dubbed the Robin Hood burglar. Items being taken have little or no value while item valued at thousands remain untouched. The thief is giving the items to the poor, just like the mythical Robin Hood.

Logan Woods, a newspaper reporter, is writing a book on crimes in general and the Robin Hood burglar in particular. As he digs into the recent burglaries, he finds that Rylee seems to be at the center of everything. He tries to get close to Rylee, but she doesn't trust him or anyone else. Her father left his family when she was a small child and her mother committed suicide, or so she has been led to believe. She only has her grandmother, who she supports, living in a nursing home.

As the burglaries escalate, the police suspect Rylee of the crimes as she has access to each of the homes being burglarized. She is arrested and put in jail. After being released on bail, she returns to her apartment only to find it has been trashed - everything has been destroyed. She turns to Logan for help. Their relationship is one of mistrust and secrets, but they really do need each other: Logan to find the ending to his book and Rylee to have someone to cover her back.

This is a very interesting romantic suspense novel. You will find yourself asking the questions - what really happened to Rylee's parents, who is living in her ancestral home, who is the Robin Hood burglar - why has he/she committed these crimes?

Highly recommend the book. This is a well written suspense novel. The authors did an excellent job of collaborating the story - leading the reader to a surprising ending.

This book was provided by the publisher as a review copy.

Not a Sparrow Falls by Linda Nichols

The story centers mainly around three individuals - Mary Bridget, Reverend Alasdair MacPherson and Samantha MacPherson. Mary is a lost soul. After the death of her mother she went a little wild - running off with a local boy the town said was peculiar. She soon becomes involved in the making and distribution of drugs, and finds herself on the wrong side of the law. Reverend MacPherson is pastor of John Knox Presbyterian Church. MacPherson has been pastor of the church since its founding. McPherson is a widow with three children to raise on his own. The church elders and the Presbytery president are not pleased with the reverend, because they feel he is too involved with other activities, not taking care of his congregation and are asking for his resignation. Samantha is the Reverend 's daughter. After the death of her mother she went from a loving daughter to a secretive teen, skipping school and getting into all kinds of trouble.

Determined to make a new start, Mary takes on her mother's identity and escapes to Alexandria, Virginia where she becomes nanny to the Reverend's children. The reverend must come to terms with what is best for his family and the church. Samantha must learn to take responsibility for her actions and stop blaming others. Mary, or Birdie as she is now known, must learn to listen when God speaks to her and do his bidding. She thinks she can help this family.

One must read the book to experience the doubts, frustrations, cruelty of one person, and how each character overcame their own challenges. Do they come to realize that God has been with them each step of the way and he always keeps his promises? If God sees each tiny sparrow that falls, surely he will do even more for his children, right?

Linda Nichols is an excellent author of Contemporary Fiction. Highly recommend this book for all christian readers.

This book was provided by the publishers as a review copy.

Sunday, March 21, 2010

Never Say Never by Lisa Wingate

Donetta Bradford and her two friends, Imagene and Lucy, are going on a cruise. They have never been on one before and have high expectations. They start the drive from Daily, Texas in high spirits to sail on the Liberation docked in Perdida. A hurricane named Glorietta is brewing out in the gulf, but they are unconcerned. After all, the hurricane is predicted to miss them altogether. The trio is having a high ole time with their movies, food and good conversation until they run into a traffic bottleneck. Seems all predictions of Hurricane Glorietta were wrong and the storm is fast approaching land. They join the row of cars trying to exodus to higher ground, and soon find themselves out of gas and stranded on the side of the highway. Things are not looking too good for the women and the storm is really bearing down.

Kai Miller lives in Perdida and works on the Liberation. She arrives at the dock on the departure date to find the ship has already sailed in the middle of the night due to the approaching storm. Not knowing exactly what to do, she returns home to pack a few belongings and to find higher ground. Her landlord is not to be found and she just can't leave his two dogs to fend for themselves. She load up the dogs in her van, joins the line of departing vehicles and hopes she can outrun the storm.

Kai is soon caught up in the stop and go traffic with no where to go, but follow the car in front of her. She sees the stranded van and stops to help. She loads the women, all their belongings in her van, with the dogs, and continues on her mad exodus. Everything is going fine until she has a flat tire. She is forced to pull out in the first available spot which is the driveway of an electric company station. Now what where they going to do? Suddenly they hear singing. Were they going crazy - who would be out on night like this - maybe there was a house close by. Soon a man emerges out of the darkness. He and the Holy Ghost Church congregation are stranded as well and he was trying to find a way out. He takes the women and the dogs to an abandoned church in the woods where his people are staying.

This is where the story become interesting. You will find yourself laughing, crying and right in the middle of the hurricane. What happens to this bunch of unlikely strangers makes a very heart warming story. I just couldn't put the book down until the final page.

One must read the book to appreciate Lisa Wingate's unique style of writing. She is an excellent writer of contemporary fiction. I can't recommend this book too highly. You will thoroughly enjoy her way with words. She has written two other books about life in Daily, Texas which I plan to read.

This book was provided by the publisher as a review copy.

Friday, March 12, 2010

The Eastern Stars by Mark Kurlansky

This is a very complex book! - Is it a history of the sugar mills and the town of San Pedro de Macoris ... or a history of baseball and its players? Yes to both.

San Pedro de Macoris is a small town in the Dominican Republic. For centuries their main industry has been sugar - exporting it to Europe and the United States. The great mills are no longer being operated, just abandon empty rusty buildings. The few left employ very few for four to six months per season. The town is extremely impoverished. Each ruling government party has bought in European and American developer to build large hotels to encourage tourism, but few tourist have come. San Pedro is one of the most ethnically diverse areas of the Dominican Republic and one of the poorest.

The main mill is controlled by the existing ruling government party and at the start of the sugar season, a big banner goes up over the mill which reads "Gracias Presidente por ina nueva zafra" - Thank you President for a new cane harvest, as if he has anything to do with the good or bad harvest.

The second industry in San Pedro de Macoris is baseball. "Baseball is not just a way of life - it's the way of life.," says the author. Make shift stadiums are everywhere - boys of all ages play baseball in dirt filled lots with sock balls and cane stick bats. Their dream is to make it in the United States big leagues - becoming rich and famous, returning to San Pedro to build big mansions and drive SUVs. The town is overrun with scouts from all leagues - sorting through all the promising candidates. Boys as young as 14 years are signed with a major US teams to be groomed to their full potential. Some never make it to even the A league, being released and sent home. But a select few have made it to the big leagues, keeping the dream alive for all the other boys.

Seventy-nine boys from San Pedro have made it to the Majors - Jose Cano, Alfonso Soriano, and Sammy Sosa to name a few. Sammy is the only batter to hit 60 or more home runs for three consecutive years. He is one of only five players to hit 600 home runs.

The book is a story of many who sought freedom from poverty through baseball. However,the total failures are almost the same as successes. When one asked the question - Why does the town of San Pedro produce so many baseball players? The answer - Because we don't have anything else to do and we aren't tall enough for basketball.

Good book for baseball fans and historians. They will thank this small impoverished town for turning out such great players in a sport that has become America's pastime. The Dominican Republic may be a challenged nation, but it sure turns out some great baseball players who have the dream of making it in the Big Leagues.

This book was provided by the publisher as a review copy.

Mornings In Jenin by Susan Abulhawa

This is the story of a young Palestinian girl named Amal borne in the refugee camp of Jenin. Her family had been evicted from their home during the 6-Day war between Palestine and the soon to be State of Israel. One must read the book to follow her journey from Jenin to a Jerusalem orphanage to Beirut, Lebanon to America and her decision to return to Jenin.

Young Yasser Arafat had just formed the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and the world would soon label him a terrorist. Tears will be streaming down your face as you experience her fear in being constantly under Israel's guns/planes/tanks, the watchful eye of the Israeli solders, and the war crimes of Ariel Sharon. You will hear the voices behind the headlines of the massacres in Lebanon. Who are the terrorists - Israel or Palestine - the PLO or Israel's Prime Minister. Will she survive her return to Jenin?

The author was born to refugees of the 6-Day War and has first hand knowledge of what it is like to be a Palestinian under Israel's thumb.

The story will keep you turning pages to learn how she survives the death of her family, her marriage, the birth of her child and the hardships she endures in America trying to fulfill her father's dream of getting an education. You will experience the family's struggles to survive through over 60 years of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

A must read book for all ages. When you have finished I believe you will come away with a different view of the Israeli government that is supposedly an ally of the United States.

This book was provided by the publisher as a review copy.

Thursday, March 11, 2010

The House of Tomorrow by Peter Bognanni

This is a story of two misfits. Sebastian Pendergast who lives in a geodesic dome in the woods with his eccentric "Nana". He has been home schooled since the age of 4 by Nana in the teachings of the futurist philosopher Buckminster R. Fuller. Sebastian is being groomed to someday save the world. He has never been out into the real world as he is forbidden to leave the dome. Nana gives tours of the dome and Sebastian works in the gift shop. Peter Whitcomb is an angry, guilt ridden teenager who recently underwent a heart transplant. He is guilty because another young boy had to die so he could live. He is mostly confined to his home, rarely going outside, and really doesn't know what to do with himself.

Peter meets Sebastian by accident when he, his mother and sister take the dome tour. Soon Sebastian is leaving the dome at night and going to visit Peter. Nana catches him in a lie and asks him to leave. Sebastian goes to live with the Whitcombs. He doesn't really understand Peter or the family, but they all sort of become friends. Peter wishes to start a rap band as he thinks it would be cool - he would then become rich and famous. Neither he nor Sebastian have any musical talent or really know how to start a band.

What follows in the lives of these two unlikely friends makes for a very interesting story. One must read the book to learn if Peter actually forms a band. Does Sebastian return to the dome? What happens to Nana? Each of these questions and the superb writing kept me reading even though I felt the vulgar language was inappropriate. It did nothing to enhance the story.

Therefore, would not recommend the book for young readers or those who wish to avoid gratuitous vulgarity. An interesting read that ultimately left me disappointed.

This book was provided by the publisher as a review copy.

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Buried Alive by Roy Hallums

Roy Hallums is a retired U.S. Navy Commander working as a civilian in Iraq. His company, Saudi Arabia Trading, provides food for the American Army in Baghdad. With the collapse of Saddam Husein's regime, kidnapping becomes the growth industry in Iraq for anyone with a car and friends with AK-47s. Anyone is a target: foreign correspondents, wealthy Iraqis, foreign diplomats. In 2004 Roy Hallums is kidnapped by such terrorists and this book is his story told with his own words.

His family was not notified of his kidnapping for several months and only learn of the incident by seeing the video that aired on the Internet and Al Jazeera television. The family goes into denial - he is suppose to be in Saudia Arabia; not Baghdad. Since the US government does not negotiate with or pay ransom to terrorists, the government agencies, expecially the FBI, were not very helpful to the family, always citing national security.

One must read the book to learn how Hallums survives the beatings, starvation, filth, moves from safe house to safe house, the threat of being killed, promises of being released, all the while forced to make videos surrounded by hooded men with AK-47s, and always having his face covered so he couldn't see his kidnappers. For months Hallums is in total darkness, literally buried alive in a hole in the ground, covered over by concrete. And as Hallums see other captives come and go, some he is sure has been ransomed, others he is not sure if they were executed or freed, he is sure he will die any day, he thinks no one is really looking for him and he is doomed. He survives as he forces his mind to take mental trips, praying and asking God for his rescue.

The book clearly depicts the cruelty of one human being to another. The book keeps you turning pages to learn how he survives day to day, and how he survives the drama of when or if he will he be rescued, ransomed by his company, or be executed.

Recommended book for all readers, especially those interested in the Iraq war. As you read Hallums' ordeal, you will become sad, find tears steaming down your face, and most of all, you'll find yourself praying for his rescue.

This book was provided by the publisher as a review copy.