Claire Rivers finds an acceptance letter to Harvard in her mailbox and begins a journey that is divinely appointed. There's an unseen battle raging at the prestigious university for the hearts and minds of the students. And it's a lot bigger than it first appears. It's not just an attack on Harvard's Christian heritage, but a plan for societal corruption.
This book was kind of awesome. I highly recommend it. If you need a good reminder of how important prayer is, this is the book to read!
Showing posts with label book reviews. Show all posts
Showing posts with label book reviews. Show all posts
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Book Reviews
Adult Fiction
"Mossy Creek" by Deborah Smith, Sandra Chastain, Donna Ball, Debra Dixon, Nancy Knight, and Virginia Ellis
A small southern town is full of quirky characters, including a gun-weilding mayor and flying chihuahua.
This book is definitely funny and clean. It reads more like a collection of short stories, so it's ideal to pick up when you may not have a lot of time to read.
"Exposure" by Brandilynn Collins
Someone is stalking newspaper feature writer Kaycee Raye. Disturbing images keep popping up all around her, but the evidence disappears before anyone else can witness it. Is she imagining everything? Or is there something much darker going on?
I love a good suspense novel and Collins didn't disappoint. There was no objectionable content, and I actually jumped at one point. (Embarrasing, but true.) There was twist at the end that caught me off guard. Looking forward to more!
Fiction for Kids
"The Little Riders" by Margaretha Shemin
Eleven-year-old Johanna goes to visit her grandparents in Holland and is forced to stay there during WWII. She regularly helps her grandparents take care of the "little riders," part of the majestic clock that stands above their town. When the occupying German officials announce a new law that spells disaster for their town clock, Johanna shows great bravery in protecting this special treasure.
The kids and I have all enjoyed this quick read so far. There's a lot of excitement that propels the story and the history lesson is great!
"Mossy Creek" by Deborah Smith, Sandra Chastain, Donna Ball, Debra Dixon, Nancy Knight, and Virginia Ellis
A small southern town is full of quirky characters, including a gun-weilding mayor and flying chihuahua.
This book is definitely funny and clean. It reads more like a collection of short stories, so it's ideal to pick up when you may not have a lot of time to read.
"Exposure" by Brandilynn Collins
Someone is stalking newspaper feature writer Kaycee Raye. Disturbing images keep popping up all around her, but the evidence disappears before anyone else can witness it. Is she imagining everything? Or is there something much darker going on?
I love a good suspense novel and Collins didn't disappoint. There was no objectionable content, and I actually jumped at one point. (Embarrasing, but true.) There was twist at the end that caught me off guard. Looking forward to more!
Fiction for Kids
"The Little Riders" by Margaretha Shemin
Eleven-year-old Johanna goes to visit her grandparents in Holland and is forced to stay there during WWII. She regularly helps her grandparents take care of the "little riders," part of the majestic clock that stands above their town. When the occupying German officials announce a new law that spells disaster for their town clock, Johanna shows great bravery in protecting this special treasure.
The kids and I have all enjoyed this quick read so far. There's a lot of excitement that propels the story and the history lesson is great!
Monday, February 28, 2011
Book Recommendations!
I have been reading a couple of great books lately; here they are in no particular order . . .
Shepherding a Child's Heart by Tedd Tripp
The main difference between this book and many other parenting books I have read is that this one really focuses on your child's heart, rather than the outward behaviour. The author maintains that it is imperative that you look past the symptoms to the cause. A verse quoted in the book comes from Luke 6:45, "The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks."
This is my second time through this book and I enjoy that it doesn't just tell you what the problem is, but gives practical examples and steps to correct it.
The Twenty-One Balloons by William Pene du Bois
A trip by hot-air balloon is the beginning of a giant adventure for Professor William Waterman Sherman. Along the way he meets some delightful characters on the island of Krakatoa and finds himself a part of their magical world.
We probably wouldn't have picked up this book except it is part of our curriculum, and we would have greatly missed out. I usually enjoy all the Newberry Award books but have LOVED this. The kids like it too, and I have a sneaking suspicion that Ethan was getting into the story the night we caught up on a couple chapters. :)
Shepherding a Child's Heart by Tedd Tripp
The main difference between this book and many other parenting books I have read is that this one really focuses on your child's heart, rather than the outward behaviour. The author maintains that it is imperative that you look past the symptoms to the cause. A verse quoted in the book comes from Luke 6:45, "The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks."
This is my second time through this book and I enjoy that it doesn't just tell you what the problem is, but gives practical examples and steps to correct it.
The Twenty-One Balloons by William Pene du Bois
A trip by hot-air balloon is the beginning of a giant adventure for Professor William Waterman Sherman. Along the way he meets some delightful characters on the island of Krakatoa and finds himself a part of their magical world.
We probably wouldn't have picked up this book except it is part of our curriculum, and we would have greatly missed out. I usually enjoy all the Newberry Award books but have LOVED this. The kids like it too, and I have a sneaking suspicion that Ethan was getting into the story the night we caught up on a couple chapters. :)
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Another Book Review (with a caution)
House Rules by Jodi Picoult
An autistic teenage boy who loves forensics becomes the center of suspicion in a murder. I'm actually not done with this book but I really wanted to share it because it is SO accurate. Not every detail is exactly like our experience but the overall picture is. The main character in the book is 18 years old and he has Asperger's Syndrome. I have heard some say that Asperger's is on the high-functioning end of the autism spectrum and others have said that Asperger's is something seperate from autism. So I don't know for sure. But as far as this book is concerned, I felt that the author expressed each individual's experiences so well. I (obviously) related so well to the mom. There are things I've never even been able to express to my own best friend, my hubby. He's in this journey too, and sometimes we just look at each other and say "This is REALLY hard. I don't think I can do this anymore." One daily reality for us is dealing with Bubba when he goes into a meltdown. Here's an excerpt from the book that is so true:
"Dealing with an autistic meltdown is like dealing with a tornado. Once you are close enough to see it coming, there's nothing to do but weather the storm. Unlike a child having a temper tantrum, Jacob doesn't care is his behaviour is making me react. He doesn't make sure he's not hurting himself. He isn't doing it in order to get something. In fact, he's not in control of himself at all. And unlike when he was four or five, I'm not big enough to control him anymore."
What we don't see in Bubba that was evident in this story is the language. More than ever lately he has been making these strange sounds with his mouth. It's almost like what you would do to entertain a baby. He is gaining in the language department over time, but I continually wonder if we will ever have a real conversation. I love him so much it hurts. I just want to connect with him.
I put this book out there with a caution, because it does contain some language. I generally hate/don't read anything with language in it, but I feel like this book is helping me to understand my feelings about our situation so much better.
An autistic teenage boy who loves forensics becomes the center of suspicion in a murder. I'm actually not done with this book but I really wanted to share it because it is SO accurate. Not every detail is exactly like our experience but the overall picture is. The main character in the book is 18 years old and he has Asperger's Syndrome. I have heard some say that Asperger's is on the high-functioning end of the autism spectrum and others have said that Asperger's is something seperate from autism. So I don't know for sure. But as far as this book is concerned, I felt that the author expressed each individual's experiences so well. I (obviously) related so well to the mom. There are things I've never even been able to express to my own best friend, my hubby. He's in this journey too, and sometimes we just look at each other and say "This is REALLY hard. I don't think I can do this anymore." One daily reality for us is dealing with Bubba when he goes into a meltdown. Here's an excerpt from the book that is so true:
"Dealing with an autistic meltdown is like dealing with a tornado. Once you are close enough to see it coming, there's nothing to do but weather the storm. Unlike a child having a temper tantrum, Jacob doesn't care is his behaviour is making me react. He doesn't make sure he's not hurting himself. He isn't doing it in order to get something. In fact, he's not in control of himself at all. And unlike when he was four or five, I'm not big enough to control him anymore."
What we don't see in Bubba that was evident in this story is the language. More than ever lately he has been making these strange sounds with his mouth. It's almost like what you would do to entertain a baby. He is gaining in the language department over time, but I continually wonder if we will ever have a real conversation. I love him so much it hurts. I just want to connect with him.
I put this book out there with a caution, because it does contain some language. I generally hate/don't read anything with language in it, but I feel like this book is helping me to understand my feelings about our situation so much better.
Thursday, January 6, 2011
New Book Review
It has been forever since I've shared a book recommendation, but I've been reading a ton lately and have some really good ones.
"Her Mother's Hope" and "Her Daughter's Dream" by Francine Rivers
These two books follow the women of a family from the beginning of WWI through present day. "Her Mother's Hope" begins with the story of Marta as she leaves her difficult childhood behind in Switzerland. She travels and learns from many skilled cooks and housekeepers as she pursues her dream to run her own hotel. She meets a man, marries, and halfway through the book the story is told from her daughter Hildemara's point of view.
In "Her Daughter's Dream," Hildemara has had a daughter, Caroline. The first half of the book is told through Caroline's eyes, as she struggles with her relationship with her mother. She has a daughter, May Flower Dawn, and the second half of the book is told through Dawn's eyes.
Common themes in these books are misunderstandings between mothers and daughters and sacrificial love. They are based on the real life saga of the author's family. I was so moved when I read them; it made me want to express how much the women in my family mean to me. It made me wish my grandma was still here. And more than anything, I appreciated the blessed childhood I had.
"Left To Tell" by Imaculee Ilibagiza
This is a true story of one woman who survived the horrifying slaughter of almost one million people in Rwanda. As a Tutsi, she was hunted by the Hutus and hid in a tiny bathroom with 7 other women for 91 days. Almost her entire family was killed. But in spite of the horror and hate, she grew closer to God and forgave her family's killers.
This book was so eye-opening to me. I was fourteen when this happened, and I really had no idea what was going on. I'm so grateful for our freedom and safety in this country but wish I had known; had been able to do something. This is another book that is very inspiring!
"Her Mother's Hope" and "Her Daughter's Dream" by Francine Rivers
These two books follow the women of a family from the beginning of WWI through present day. "Her Mother's Hope" begins with the story of Marta as she leaves her difficult childhood behind in Switzerland. She travels and learns from many skilled cooks and housekeepers as she pursues her dream to run her own hotel. She meets a man, marries, and halfway through the book the story is told from her daughter Hildemara's point of view.
In "Her Daughter's Dream," Hildemara has had a daughter, Caroline. The first half of the book is told through Caroline's eyes, as she struggles with her relationship with her mother. She has a daughter, May Flower Dawn, and the second half of the book is told through Dawn's eyes.
Common themes in these books are misunderstandings between mothers and daughters and sacrificial love. They are based on the real life saga of the author's family. I was so moved when I read them; it made me want to express how much the women in my family mean to me. It made me wish my grandma was still here. And more than anything, I appreciated the blessed childhood I had.
"Left To Tell" by Imaculee Ilibagiza
This is a true story of one woman who survived the horrifying slaughter of almost one million people in Rwanda. As a Tutsi, she was hunted by the Hutus and hid in a tiny bathroom with 7 other women for 91 days. Almost her entire family was killed. But in spite of the horror and hate, she grew closer to God and forgave her family's killers.
This book was so eye-opening to me. I was fourteen when this happened, and I really had no idea what was going on. I'm so grateful for our freedom and safety in this country but wish I had known; had been able to do something. This is another book that is very inspiring!
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