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                                        NEW RECRUIT by Jill Williamson

I was really excited to get a chance to read Jill Williamson new book.  She is the author of one of the best trilogies out there, the award winning "Blood of Kings" trilogy and also the thought provoking book "Replication."  I love the way that she writes and how she brings the characters to life in here stories.  This book is no exception and is the first in a four book series.

The book is about a teenager named Spencer who lives with his grandma and loves to play basketball.  When given the choice between going to military school or joining a Secret Missionary Spy league he joing the later even though his beliefs are not his own.  The Mission League is going on a mission trip to Russia during the summer and Spencer goes jus t to avoid military school and to get closer to a few of the girls who are also going. 

While in Russia he tries to help the local homeless with the rest of the group but stumbles on some mysterious things that he can't seem to stay out of the middle of. 

This is an awesome book and I love the topics that it deals with. I can see myself in Spencers shoes and what how he chooses to deal with the situations around him.  I love how Jill show that God can use us  in situations to draw us to him.  Spencer may not believe in God but God definetly believes in Spencer and using him and those around him.  I love the whole Missionary League and wish that I could sign up.

Thanks to Jill Williamson for providing a copy of the book to read and share my thought on.  I look forward to the rest of the books in this series and the other books that Jill has planned coming out.  Another great book from the folks at Marcher Lord Press.

You can purchase the paperback from Marcher Lord Press:  

http://www.marcherlordpress.com/bookstore/just-weird/the-new-recruit-by-jill-williamson/

Heres the link for the Amazon Kindle version:

http://www.amazon.com/The-New-Recruit-Mission-ebook/dp/B0097ADIGW/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1347914667&sr=8-10&keywords=new+recruit

B&N Nook:  

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-new-recruit-jill-williamson/1112808619?ean=2940015445329

Kobo:

http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/The-New-Recruit/book-HLTfw5TKTk-546eEKkPlrA/page1.html?s=giS868h8wEyx899OlNVp_g&r=1

October Baby

This is a review of the book October Baby which is a novelization of the movie.  I havent had a chance to see the movie yet(but definetly will) so I will not try to compare the two.  I have read All of Eric Wilsons previous works so am very familiar with his writings and would highly recommend them.  I also love the back stories that he adds to his other novelizations it just does so much more for the story.  The only problem is if you read the book first then see the movie you wonder where the backstory is. 

The book follows a young girl who is doing a play in college and on the opening night when she gets up to perform she has a seizure.  Her parents take her to a doctor to discuss what is going on and at this point reveal that she was adopted after a failed abortion.  She then begins a journey in search of who she is and where she came from.

Eric Wilson does a great job of bringing this story to life.  The way he goes into details and descibes things helps bring the story to life.  The characters in the story are brilliantly written and devoleped in such a way that really makes you relate to them and what is going on in their lives.  You cant help but feel their hurt, their pain, and their joy as they go through their journey in the book.  I couldnt stop reading it.  The last 10-20% of the story was so moving and so vivid.  I found myself crying tears of sorrow and then tears of joy the next moment.  This is the first book in a long time that has moved me in such a way( I'm not the crying type usually).  The story and the way it was brought to life really touched me.  I dont know if it had to do with being a parent, being a person that has struggled with feeling alone,  or also struggling with conceiving a child.  IT was probably a combination of all.  I highly recommend this book which comes out in September and cant wait to go see the movie as well.  A very moving story that will bring you to tears(both of joy and sorrow)

Bone House by Stephen Lawhead

This is the second book in the "Bright Empires" series and continues the quest of those trying to find the Skin Map and what it contains. One part of the map has been found and they all continue to search for the remainder while also trying to keep the others from finding it. The story mixes fantasy, science fiction, and history all into one book and takes you on a twisting journey filled with lots of surprises. I like the series so far and it is a great escape book to make you think about other places and times. The characters in the story are great and you are drawn to certain ones. The story does get kind of slow in a couple of parts but overall a great read though. I really like the way the story has developed so far and cant wait for the next book (which sadly comes out in about a year). I really would like to think booksneeze for providing a copy of this book to give an unbiased review on.

A great finish to the homelanders series. This is the fourth and final book in the series and brings to a conclusion the story of Charlie West. Charlie West know who he is but he just cant remember the final piece to figure out who the actually terrorist are and what their plan is. Will he rember in time or will it be too late.

This book is very suspenseful and action packed. It reads quickly as there is a lot going on and the story keeps coming at you. I was very impressed with this book and the way it ended. It is a great series and a great story of standing up for what you believe in.

I received a copy of this book from Booksneeze to give an unbiased opinion on.

Love Food and Live Well by Chantel Hobbs

This is the first time that I had heard of Chantel Hobbs and found this book to be very interesting. Chantel is a very motivational writer and I love the way she goes about encouraging and showing you how to create a healthy lifestyle for yourself. I also love the fact that she has been there and lost the weight instead of someone who is skinny and only lost a few pounds trying to tell you how to lose weight. It encouraged me to see someone go and tell about their struggles and also tell you what to do about it. A great book that I would highly recommend. I will definetly be checking into some of her other books.

Also have been following Chantel's program and have lost 25 pounds so far.

I received a copy of this from Multnomah and blogging for books to give an unbiased review on.

Awesome Book!!! One Step Away by Eric Wilson

I really love the way that Eric Wilson writes and the suspense that he builds upto in his books. When I heard he was writing a new twist on the story of JOB I had to check it out. I went and bought both the Kindle and a paperback version. The difference between this story and the story of JOb is that the characters(the Vreelands) inherit a large sum of money and items instead of losing everything like Job. Th Vreelands must deal with how the money will affect their faith in God.

I found myself connecting to the family right off(espicially Bret). Bret is 33 yrs old and has been married for 11 yrs(I turn 33 this month and have also been married 11 yrs). He is a hard worker who is trying to just get by and his family is on a strict budget. They really have to stick to their budget and if it is not on there they cant slurge on something. I could really relate to this and ws instantly drawn into the story. The Vreelands inherit $6,000,000 and quickly have to adjust and figure out where their priorities in life are. Do they keep doing what they were doing before and will thei family adjust to this new lifestyle.

The story is great and the suspense that Eric Wilson add with the inheritance and the family history is awesome. I kind of had an idea of where the book might head but boy was I wrong. The way that Eric Wilson brings out the characters and the direction he takes the book was a great ride and one to be enjoyed. I loved the ending and cant wait to read more from ERic Wilson and Bay Forest books.

Grouptune

I wanted to tell you guys about a new website called Grouptune. It is kind of like the daily coupon site groupon but it offers weekly deals on Christian music. Right now you can download Blutree's "God of this City" for $3.99 and it includes 2 never breleased versions of the song "God of this City." This website looks really coll and I have already downloaded 2 offers so far from the site and plan on downloading more. Check it out at www.grouptune.com

Nick of Time

First Off I would like to thank booksneeze and Thomas Nelson for providing a copy of this book to read and give my unbiased review on.

I really love the "Bug Man" novels that are written by author tim Downs and was excited when I saw he had a new one out in the series. The Bug man as Nick Polchak is called is one of my favorite literary characters of all time. He is funny, quirky, and just plain weird. You can't help but like the guy.

This book starts off with Nick and Alena ( a dog trainer and recluse from previous books in the BUg Man series) planning the final pieces of their upcoming wedding in a few days. When Nick gets asked to help an old friend out on a case. When Nick travels to Philadelphia to help him out he finds the friend has been murdered. Nick decides to look into the murder and also searches for what he really wants in life as he must decide what is really important to himself.

The book is a great read with great characters and really captures your attention. I really wasnt ready for what I considered a big plot twist towars the later part of the book as it really hit me out of nowhere as I didnt even see it coming. It was a great change as I thought I knew where the book was going but I guess not.

I would really recommend all of the series of books and this one is one of the best in the series.

Ale Boys Feast

A missing King. People trapped in the woods. A young boy finding an escape underground. A journey to find a mythic city. This sounded like a great book and am glad I recieved a copy from Multnomah/Blogging for books to give an unbiased review of.

First off this book is part of a series and I did not know that so I havent read the other books in the series but really think you should before reading this as I really had no cluw what was going on even though they had a page with a quick recap on it. The book was ind of slow for me and really hard to get into it. It did have some good parts though and was written very well it was just not for me even though I usually like books like this. It may have been different if I had read the rest of the series though. Overall a decent book but just not for me.

The Charlatan's Boy Review

I have heard alot of good things about this book and read some great reviews on this book and was excited to get a copy from Waterbrook Multnomah to give an unbiased review of.

The story is about a scam artist/charlatan who travels the country to make money anyway he can. He has a young boy with him that he makes dress up a Feechie( a type of wild people who live in the swamps that no one has ever really seen). The Boy just wants to find out who he really is, where he came from, and to find a place to belong.

The story sounded really interesting and I really wanted to love the book but it was just okay and didnt really stand out to me. I hope the next book in the series gets a little better and more exciting . The writing was great and it was an interesting story but it again wasn't for me.

Defiant Joy

I first heard about G. K. Chesterton when I was reading about C.S. Lewis and the affect that Chesterton had on him. I checked out some of Chesterton works such as The Father Brown Mysteries, Man who was thursday, and the Ballad of the White Horse. I realized that after looking into Chesterton that he wrote lots of different things. I was really suprised when I got the chance to receive a review copy of this book from BookSneeze and thomas Nelson and to give an unbiased review.

The book is great and does a great job of giving a glimpse at Chesterton. The book does read quickly and seems to just give a glimpse into Chestertons works. I really liked this but if you are wanting a more indepth look I would look elsewhere as this again is just a short intro to Chesterton and his works.

Overall though a really well written look at Chesterton and his works. I loved this book and will definetly look more into Chesterton as he is often overlooked by people and really an unknown even though he has written on lots of subjects and had a huge impact on lots of people.

This book sounded great and I couldnt wait to read it. I loved Lawheads other 2 series that I have read(The King Raven Trilogy and The Celtic Crusades). and this one sounded just as good. The story of a young man who finds out that he can time travel along ley lines and must search for a Skin Map that is the key to travel. The book crosses many different time periods and dimensions in search of this map which contains all of the time travel routes and was tattooed on a mans body and the map was made from his skin when he died. I mean it sounds great with the mix of suspense and fantasy. The characters are very well developed and you instantly like the way they are brought about. The whole story though is kind of messy and skips around and is kind of hard to follow. I will check out the next book in the series when it comes out next fall. I hope the story comes together a little more than this one. The book also leaves you hanging on a lot of things.

This movie premieres Tomorrow Saturday JAn. 8th at 8/7C on Fox and is part of the "Family Movie Night." I was excited to get the chance to preview the movie and check it out before it airs on TV. The "Family Movie Nights" have had some pretty good shows with "The Secrets of the Mountain" "Jensen Project" and "A Walk in My Shoes." I have really been impressed so far with the quality of these movies and the acting has been great. I was interested to see Brooke White of American Idol Fame and check out her acting skills. Also this has Phllicia Rashad from the Cosby show. I was really impressed with the acting and thought the movie was really well made.

The movie follows a couple whose plans are turned totally upside down when one of their friends dies and leaves them responsible to bring up their four children (three of whom have been adopted from third world countries). The movie shows the struggle that the couple and the children take to get used to each other and their new environments. It is a great family movie and more movies in Hollywood should be made like these. I hope everyone tunes in and I thank Buzzplant for giving me this oppurtunity to review this movie.

This is a very interesting study Bible and I love that it contains insight from the gifted pastor and teacher Max Lucado. I found the life lessons that are contained give you more depth and insight on what is going on in the Bible and helps you apply it to your life. The Applications help you with a more personal study of the Bible in your quite time. The New King James Version is not the Version I usually use but it is nice for a change and I would really like to see the study Bible available in other Translations of the Bible. Thank you to Booksneeze and Thomas Nelson for providing this copy to review and give my thoughts on.

This is the third book in the Homelanders series by Andrew Klavan. I love these books and the story is great. The story is about Charlie West who cant remember a year of his life. He is being hunted by both the police and an Islamic terrorist group. In this book Charlie still doesnt know who to trust but he starts to get his memory back but only a little at a time. can Charlie stay ahead of everyone chasing him long enough to figure out who he can trust.

The writing is great and very action packed I would recommend this series for both young adult and the adult crowds as it has a little something for everyone. It reads quickly and keeps you wanting more. My only problem with the series is that the books come out so far apart and we have to wait until August 2011 for the final book in the series. Also when you finally start the book it takes you a little while to figure out what is going on since you havent read the previous book in awhile.

Really great series though and I thank Thomas Nelson and Booksneeze for providing a copy of this book to review and give an unbiased opinion and review of.

DVD Review: Homeless for the Holidays

This movie really sounded great and was based on a true story. the m/ovie tells of a man who loses his job around the holidays. It totally changes his lifestyle and he goes through many struggles. He does this to truly find himself and to find out who God wanta him to be.

The movie wasnt overly preachy and had a great faith based message. It was also a great family movie that didnt have all that garbage that Hollywood thinks you need to put in. My only problem was that the /movie was completly cheesy. I know the Christian moviem/akers can put out some top quality stuff but this was pretty bad even for a low budget Christian fm.

I thank Team Buzzplant for sending a copy of the movie to review.

This Dvd was pretty good and had a great meesage about paying attention to what matters most in our lives. The movie is based on a true story and stars Dean Cain(Adventures of Lois and Clark). the movie does drag or slow down and moves at a great pace.

Me being a father I could relate to some of the struggles that Randy(Cain) goes through to find his missing son. It kind of hits home and makes you think.

Overall a good movie that I liked and I am glad that it wasnt cheesy as some low budget movies tend to get sometimes.

I received a free copy of The Way Home from Booksneeze for review purposes. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own

This is a review of The Seven Minute Difference:Small Steps to Big Changes and The 7 Minute Life Daily Planner both by author and motivational speaker Allyson Lewis. This is not the typical type of book that I read but I recieved a copy from Buzzplant and was interested in checking it out after looking at it.

I liked the book, I wouldnt say for me personally its a great book overall but Lewis makes some great points in it that make you really think. Her goal is to get us to change our lives in just 7 minutes a day. T do this you have to realize what your goals are and what your priorities are. You then focus on those and make a plan of how you will change your life and those around you. I liked the main idea of first having to clarify what your gol in life was and then to unlock you purpose, strengths, and knowledge to achieve that goal. The planner is a daily planner to help organize all of your thought and ideas and to keep track of what you do everday. By keeping track of what you do can help you focus more on your priorities.

Again overall an interesting book that makes you think and gives you some great ideas and motivation to look at your life.

I really love Max Lucado books and he has written some really interesting and life changing ones. This book is a good book but for me wasnt as good as some of his others. My kids liked the book though and found it interesting all of the thing s it talks about using your hands for. The book does have some good illustrations though and has a great message. Again I think children will like the story and especially toddlers who are using their hands and will introduce them to lots of ways to use them

I thank Thomas Nelson and Booksneze for sending me a copy to review.