Sunday, October 30, 2011

Sunday Inspiration (14)


"If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world."
C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity





Sunday Inspiration is a weekly feature hosted here @ Read Love.
It began from my desire to share a nugget of encouragement or wisdom.
I didn't intend for it to be a community thing, but due to positive feedback,
I'm giving it a try! (Thanks, Kate)

Participation is welcome!
Your quote need not be faith-based, but it should be positive and uplifting.

Sunday, October 23, 2011

Sunday Inspiration (13)


"'The greatest friend of truth is Time,
her greatest enemy is Prejudice, and
her constant companion is Humility
."
Charles Caleb Colton, The Lacon






Sunday Inspiration is a weekly feature hosted here @ Read Love.
It began from my desire to share a nugget of encouragement or wisdom.
I didn't intend for it to be a community thing, but due to positive feedback,
I'm giving it a try! (Thanks, Kate)

Participation is welcome!
Your quote need not be faith-based, but it should be positive and uplifting.

Friday, October 21, 2011

Read Love Reviews: The Wishing Pearl

The Wishing Pearl by Nicole O'Dell

Pub. Date: October 1, 2011
Publisher: Barbour Publishing, Inc. 
Format: Paperback, 367pp
Age Range: Young Adult
Series: Diamond Estates #1
ISBN-13: 9781616264543




Synopsis from Amazon.com:
Sixteen-year-old Olivia Mansfield can’t wait to escape the confines of her home, which promises nothing but perpetual torment and abuse from her stepfather. When poor choices lead her to the brink of a complete breakdown, Olivia comes to a crossroads. Will she find the path to ultimate hope and healing that her heart longs for?

From the Author:

This is the book of my heart. All of my books mean something special to me and are borne out of many of my own choices or experiences. But this one, in many ways (not all) is the story of finding my own faith and hope at a residential Teen Challenge center when I was a young teen. The reasons Olivia landed at Diamond Estates and the path she walked to get there are very different than my own, but Olivia and I shared the same need: Jesus.

My Review:

I won a copy of this book through a Goodreads First Reads giveaway.  And one day, not long after receiving the email notification from Goodreads, I received a package from Amazon.  The author, Nicole O'Dell, had bought me a copy of her book! How cool is that? I've never received a giveaway book so quickly before! I was really impressed and grateful.

The Wishing Pearl is the first in a planned series of Diamond Estates novels.  Diamond Estates is a Christian outreach center, a residential treatment facility for troubled teens.  In book one, we meet Olivia Mansfield, whom O'Dell manages to introduce to us in a way in which we can immediately sympathize with her.  The opening scene has her playing her oboe:  "The oboe understood her.  It sang her somber song.  Melancholy and forlorn...Perfect words to describe its cry and Olivia."  Right away, you want to learn about Olivia and her sadness.  And you find she is a nice girl.  She's not a bad girl, but she is losing her way -- she starts to make poor choices.  As Olivia navigates these choices, the author expertly shows her thought process, which is legitimately and believably one of a sixteen-year-old girl.  Eventually, Olivia's life becomes unmanageable, and she reaches a breaking point which ultimately takes her to Diamond Estates.  Her flight begins more as running away from danger in fear than running toward God or rescue, but Olivia is able to learn to trust in God and regain the faith that she had lost as a child.  This book chronicles her journey.
 
Rather than go into the plot in-depth, I'm going to touch on some aspects I particularly enjoyed.  First, Olivia's relationship with her brother Jake who is deaf. He and Olivia have a very special relationship.  The novel uses their relationship, as well as another deaf character, to show compassion and empathy toward people who are different.  Second, there are humorous moments that help keep the book and its serious topics from feeling too heavy.  Third, I enjoyed getting to know Olivia's three roommates.  The girls' group dynamic is very well done.  And although there is an occasional weighty one-on-one discussion, the lighthearted moments show the girls as friends and family.  This character-centered aspect helps keep the novel from feeling like an Afterschool Special.  Finally, I liked that the mean girl -- yes, every book has one -- is served a portion of grace rather than revenge.  This is definitely an idea worth exploring in teen literature!

Where the novel shines is in its portrayal of thoughts and feelings that seem like they are coming from a real teen.  Nicole O'Dell does an exceptional job giving voice to all the feelings of doubt, shame, inadequacy, fear, etc., that a teen -- especially a girl -- can feel.  For teens who are faced with tough situations that give rise to hard questions, fear, and discouragement, the novel provides guidance and hope.  At one point, Olivia is encouraged to "fight the lies".  The explanation that follows this advice, touching on what those lies are, is a terrific lesson that people of all ages can benefit from.  Curious? Read the book!

I really enjoyed The Wishing Pearl and would highly recommend it! I look forward to reading the next installment, The Embittered Ruby, when it comes out next April. 

Sunday, October 16, 2011

Sunday Inspiration (12)


"'Learn what is true in order to do what is right' is the summing up of the whole duty of man..."
-Thomas H. Huxley






Sunday Inspiration is a weekly feature hosted here @ Read Love.
It began from my desire to share a nugget of encouragement or wisdom.
I didn't intend for it to be a community thing, but due to positive feedback,
I'm giving it a try! (Thanks, Kate)

Participation is welcome!
Your quote need not be faith-based, but it should be positive and uplifting.


Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Waiting on Wednesday (11)

 
"Waiting on" Wednesday is a weekly chance for bloggers to share books we can't wait to get our hands on.  
It's hosted by Jill from Breaking The Spine. 

Available in Paperback January 3, 2012:


Tyndale:  The Man Who Gave God an English Voice
  by David Teems


  • Publisher: Thomas Nelson, Inc.
  • Format: Paperback, 336pp
  • Age Range: Adult
  • ISBN-13: 9781595552211

Synopsis from BN.com:

The English Bible was born in defiance. It was also born in exile, in flight, in a kind of exodus. And these are the very elements that empowered William Tyndale in his bid to bring the English Scripture to the common citizen. Being "a stranger in a strange land," the very homesickness he struggled with, gave life to the words of Jesus, Paul, and to the wandering Moses. Tyndale's efforts ultimately cost him his life, a price he was certain he would have to pay. But his contribution to English spirituality is measureless.
Even five centuries after his death at the stake, Tyndale's presence looms wherever English is spoken. His single word innovations, such as "Passover," "beautiful," and "atonement" allowed the common man to more fully understand God's blessings and promises. His natural lyricism shines in phrases like "Let not your hearts be troubled," and "for thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory." Every time we say the Lord's Prayer as it is written in the King James Bible or use the word "love" as it is written in 1 Corinthians 13 or bless others with "The Lord bless thee and keep thee, the Lord make his face to shine upon thee," we are reminded of the rich bounty Tyndale has given us.
Although Tyndale has been somewhat elusive to his biographers, Teems brings wit and wisdom to the story of the man known as the "architect of the English language," the English Paul who defied a kingdom and a tyrannical church to introduce God to the plowboy.
I can never get over that the Bible used to be available in only Greek or Latin.  I can't fathom sitting in those old Masses not knowing what was being spoken unless you were wealthy or privileged enough to be educated.  I'm so thankful for the Reformation and the efforts of the men who brought religion to the masses.

This looks like an informative and enjoyable read!


That's what I'm waiting on! Now how 'bout you?

 



Sunday, October 9, 2011

Read Love Reviews: Erak's Ransom

Erak's Ransom by John Flanagan

Pub. Date: Sept 6, 2011
Publisher: Penguin Group, USA 
Format: Paperback, 273pp
Age Range: 9 to 12
Series: Ranger's Apprentice #7
ISBN-13: 9780142415252




Synopsis from BN.com:

What does it mean to earn the Silver Oakleaf? So few men have done so. For Will, a mere boy, that symbol of honor has long felt out of reach. Now, in the wake of Araluen's uneasy truce with the raiding Skandians comes word that the Skandian leader has been captured by a dangerous desert tribe. The Rangers are sent to free him. But the desert is like nothing these warriors have seen before. Strangers in a strange land, they are brutalized by sandstorms, beaten by the unrelenting heat, tricked by one tribe that plays by its own rules, and surprisingly befriended by another. Like a desert mirage, nothing is as it seems. Yet one thing is constant: the bravery of the Rangers.
In this red-hot adventure, winner of the Australian Book of the Year Award for Older Children, John Flanagan raises the stakes on the series that has already sold millions of copies worldwide.

My Review:

As this is the seventh in a ten-book series, I can't divulge too much without spoilers.  Therefore, I'm going to do a mini-review.  I'll tell you what I like about this series and what I enjoyed about Erak's Ransom in particular.

With the Ranger's Apprentice series, John Flanagan has created a host of endearing characters.  In this book, a great number of them are thrust together for the latest quest.  The strength of the series is these characters, so I was thrilled to see so many of my favorites in one book:  Will, Halt, Gil, Horace, Evanyln, and Erak.  The comraderie and humor shared by the characters is always a highlight, and there is plenty of that here.

Although number 7 in published order, according to the series timeline, Erak's Ransom fits between books 4 and 5.  Flanagan explains that he realized he failed to address a key moment in Will and Halt's story.  Glancing around the web, there are some readers grumbling that the author went backward in the timeline, annoyed by the knowledge that certain characters will survive, or frustrated at the delay in waiting to find out how the events later in the timeline will play out.  I am thrilled that Erak's Ransom rewinds.  For one, the story allows us to spend quality time with Halt whose presence was lacking in books 5 and 6.  And I always love those rowdy Skandians! 

Erak's Ransom introduces a new desert landscape and three groups that inhabit it:  the Arridi, the Bedullin, and the Tualaghi.  With this new world and new people, we have an opportunity for a different kind of adventure.  And we meet various people, gaining new friends and allies, as well as facing new foes and creating new enemies along the way.  I like that Flanagan's worlds and races are loosely based on our own.  This can be a good opportunity for kids who are reading the books to use them as a launching point to study real-life people and their histories.  For instance, the Arridi are an Arab people, the Bedullin informed by the Bedouin, and the Tualgahi based on the Tuareg.

I highly recommend both this book and series! It's full of adventure, bravery, honor, and action, while also alive with humor.  Clean and intelligent, these books are never dumbed down and are always fun! Think The Lord of the Rings meets Robin Hood for a young audience.

Sunday Inspiration (11)


"O Lord of the oceans, my little bark sails on a restless sea. Grant that Jesus may sit at the helm and steer me safely; Suffer no adverse currents to divert my heavenward course; Let not my faith be wrecked amid storms and shoals; Bring me to harbor with flying pennants, hull unbreached, cargo unspoiled. ...Help me, protect me in the moving sea until I reach the shore of unceasing praise. Amen."
-A Puritan Prayer




Sunday Inspiration is a weekly feature hosted here @ Read Love.
It began from my desire to share a nugget of encouragement or wisdom.
I didn't intend for it to be a community thing, but due to positive feedback,
I'm giving it a try! (Thanks, Kate)

Participation is welcome!
Your quote need not be faith-based, but it should be positive and uplifting.

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Giveaway Winner: Jeremy Riddle CD Giveaway


Last night, a winner was chosen for the Read Love 
Jeremy Riddle CD Giveaway!  

I want to thank everyone who entered and read the review!


And the Winner is:

Daniel M.

Congratulations, Daniel!
Please let me know how you like the CD.  I hope you love it! 





Monday, October 3, 2011

CD Reviews: NewReleaseTuesday.com


I have been asked to join the Album Review Staff at NewReleaseTuesday.com, the #1-ranked Christian music website. Each month I'll be writing two or three reviews for them. (Note: I will still be posting book reviews, etc., here on Read Love.)

NewReleaseTuesday.com is a terrific site, full of Christian music (and book) reviews and news.  Each week, you can stream an entire album!  If you're interested, click on the logo below to learn more!


I can't publish my NRT reviews on Read Love, but here are links to my first two posts there if you'd like to check them out.  Just click through on the CD cover to hop over to NewReleaseTuesday.com.  Thanks!



Brittany Hargest - Love All The Way
4.5 stars



 Shane & Shane - The One You Need
4.5 stars





*I receive no remuneration for my reviews at NewReleaseTuesday.com.*

Sunday, October 2, 2011

Sunday Inspiration (10)


"Man can live his truth, his deepest truth, but he cannot speak it.  It is for this reason that love becomes the ultimate human answer to the ultimate human question."
Archibald MacLeish, Time, December 22, 1958






Sunday Inspiration is a weekly feature hosted here @ Read Love.
It began from my desire to share a nugget of encouragement or wisdom.
I didn't intend for it to be a community thing, but due to positive feedback,
I'm giving it a try! (Thanks, Kate)

Participation is welcome!
Your quote need not be faith-based, but it should be positive and uplifting.

Saturday, October 1, 2011

Giveaway Winners: Ginny Owens CD Giveaway and The Shunning DVD Giveaway


Last night, winners were chosen for the first Read Love giveaways!  

I want to thank everyone who entered and read the reviews!
I wish there could have been more than one winner in each giveaway.

Without further ado.....

The Winners Are:

Erin C.    Confirmed winner of the Ginny Owens CD, Get In, I'm Driving!

Lindsey    Confirmed winner of The Shunning DVD.