By Hugh Halter
                                         Expected publication: July 1st 2015 by David C. Cook

* I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley to review.

How do I start? My goodness this book was a mind twister and I don't mean in a bad way but in a good way! I am a Christian who feels reluctant to declare to be one because of the bum rap that we Christians have been dealt with. I don't blame the world of non-believers because basically I understand the reaction and feelings. Anymore I cringe and shake my head equally of what I see in the world  <i>and</i> within the ranks of my Christian brothers and sisters.
This book is about judgment and how we, as Christians have failed royally and shamefully in that area. We are called to first love God and then love our neighbor which I feel means <i>everybody</i> regardless of color, beliefs or sexual orientation. This book outlines in detail that call to love and not to judge. We as Christians have taken on such a judgmental stance so much so that most people hate us and want nothing to do with the "love" that we are suppose to show and hand out.

This book will do a number on how you view your fellow man and woman and unearth hidden and not so hidden attitudes and judgments. The author starts out with a scenario of his judgment in a given day. I related to that immediately. To be human is to be judgmental and I feel that it is an innate trait within us. The author explores this tendency to judge. Be prepared to have you look sincerely and honestly with yourself and a "religiosity" that is often solidly intact in all of us. He hit upon so many points that I think the Christian community needs to hear and to think about. If you are a rigid, severely conservative, self righteous Christian, be prepared to have a few of your hard earned ideals thrown out of joint!
Here is a quote from the book that resounded within me:
<i>"let us live as a true aroma of Christ instead of a stench or fume of brimstone. If it is Christ in us, if God is making His appeal through us, then why do we keep trying to protect our image and our values? We should instead be image bearers and let people be with us so they can pick up on our values. May wisdom be proved right! May the church come alive! And may you live with Jesus." </i>

         by David Martin 
                                                                 Published  by WriteLife

* I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley to review.

I really didn't know what to expect from this book and I had an open mind. A few of the short stories or rather essays were interesting and there were a few good ideas. I learned of an event under the Wilson Administration termed the United States Occupation of Veracruz which occurred in 1914. I never had a clue about this part of our history and I enjoyed reading the back story leading up to the 7 month occupation. The essays afterward seem to proclaim a general view that Christianity is false and the attitude about religion is negative. The book ultimately ended up to be in my opinion "anti-Christian". This fact pushed back my enjoyment and the rating for this book.    

     by M. Esther Lovejoy
                                                                    Published by Discovery House Publishers          

*I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley to review.

I wasn't sure what to expect with this book as sometimes I can be quite hard on books especially ones that lean towards the self-help genre. Though being a Christian book the term self-help seems a bit ludicrous because we are ultimately not relying on the self but leaning upon the Bible and the Lord. I think there should be a sub category all of it's own in regards to books of this nature. Esther Lovejoy brings to our attention in a new way of looking at suffering. Actually she uses scriptural references and personal experiences. I really appreciated the personal insight and her being transparent in bringing to light how her own personal suffering can often bring a certain spiritual sweetness to a person's life.
She quotes and refers to many authors and the spiritual greats of the past to illustrate the depth and potential "sweetness" to suffering. I liked how she laid out her chapters and her exploring  the subject of suffering. We are all born to suffering because of the original sin. It is a human inclination to veer away from suffering and pain. She illustrates through her own personal story and understanding that we all suffer and not only do we suffer pain and disappointments but Christ suffered as well. What we think is something that only we humans have understanding and experience of, Christ did as well, we are not alone and are not victims of suffering. Suffering can be a tool, a sweetness to the whole human experience. Our suffering is where we can be ultimately in the vulnerable place of reaching out to our Heavenly Father and being comforted.
I appreciated her emphasizes and time spent in exploring the depth of pain and the fact that we can lean on the Lord and expect to be heard and comforted. I am looking forward to more books by this author, I was pleasantly surprised by the wisdom in this book. 

Shot Down

        by Steve Snyder
                                          Published August 27th 2014 by Smashwords Edition

*I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley to review.

I have always been interested in WW 2 and reading Steve Snyder's account of his father, Lieutenant
Howard Snyder, brought not just another story to light. The author gave an honest and a very interesting and different perspective into what it was like to be a pilot of a B-17, dubbed the Flying Fortress. The set-up of the narrative, the openness and the details of the time was quite fresh and new to me. The details about the planes and military life never bored me and I never lost my interest, in fact I become more interested in WW2. It helped me to understand the era and I felt like I could easily place myself alongside a typical American pilot experiencing a not so typical war.

I especially appreciated that the author wrote his book in a revealing way without being vulgar, coarse or full of gore. I like to hear about what happened "over there" but I can become quite squeamish with an author's mishandling of the topic. I found Steve Snyder handled all the afore mentioned items with much delicacy.

The end and the acknowledgements were just the right touch and feel that I like in a book. Not often do I read acknowledgements in a book, I wanted more insight into the journey of this author and the legacy that was left to him by his father. Certainly well worth the read.

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Pace Yourself: Quitting the Business of Busyness

by Brady Boyd
Published September 1st 2014 by David C. Cook



*I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley to review.
                
It has been a while since I truly have enjoyed a book so much as this one, in fact right to the end! I can be quite hard on Christian non-fiction books because I don't want to hear the same old adages from all the other books that I have read. I don't necessarily pick apart a book when it comes to the theology because I am not a theologian, I'll leave that to the people in the know. I approach the Word with a somewhat simplistic attitude and I will double check the scripture references. Though I ultimately lean on the Holy Spirit for guidance and clarification. I have been raised all my life in church and have heard and read a lot and I tire quickly of people wanting to pull apart the Word of God.

So when I started this book by Brady Boyd, I was prepared for the "same old" themes and generalized ideology. The author managed to bring to my attention ideas, thoughts, feelings and spiritual musings that I have wondered about or have experienced but never heard or read anywhere. I am a person who thinks deeply about my spiritual life, a part of the natural curiosity in me. This is the first time that I read a book that consistently brought up new ways of looking at the theme of being busy, learning to be still and waiting on God. I love where he says "I may have escaped the stressors of daily life, but had I even rested at all? This is what God is hinting at here, that restfulness is tethered to the state of our souls".

I constantly highlighted throughout the book right to the end. I am always somewhat disappointed with a book towards the end because basically all the material has been explored and discussed through the first third and then it is basically a "filler" and conclusion towards the end. I noticed with this book there were a constant looping and rhythm of ideas and stories and excitement of the subject matter to the last chapter. The book kept my attention and I felt inspired and I will recommend this to my friends and family. 

Orchard House: How a Neglected Garden Taught One Family to Grow

   by Tara Weaver

Expected publication: March 24th 2015 by Ballantine Books

 

*I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley to review.

 

When I think of my mother I first remember our trips to the library and our shared love for reading and then, it is my memories of our gardening together. Reading this book brought back such sweet memories of gardening and cooking and preserving the bounty from our garden. For the past two years I have been delving back into the rich world of gardening and canning the rich rewards. My own daughter and her husband were the ones who helped my renewed interest; perhaps because they do the majority of the work! I happily reminisce while canning or dehydrating. The author really tapped into my memories and I suppose I am biased in saying that I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book because of my own past experiences.

I enjoyed her delving into the difficulties of her relationship with her mother and brother. Psychology and introspection are subjects that go right along with an activity such as gardening and I think it was a brilliant combination for a book. At times it appeared as though she was a bit too much on the introspection but good old fashioned catharsis is good for the soul, after all we are all human and have a complaint or two in this life. I found the writing was very well done and I would definitely recommend it.  

Bell of the Desert

  by Alan Gold

Published November 18th 2014 by Yucca Publishing


*I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley to review.

Gertrude Bell was a woman before her time and reading this historical fiction based upon this remarkable woman came across very well as a fictionalized biography. I truly love books that inspire me and encourages me to discover more about who or what I am reading about. What I liked about the book was the way that the author handled bringing Gertrude Bell front and center in our story. Her curiosity and drive not to be held back because of her sex was thoroughly outlined. This book was chocked full of adventure and bits of information about Arabia and its' people.

Politics was par for the course in such an undertaking writing about such an important figure in history. My patience waned at times with the political maneuvering but I don't hold it against the book, it is a personal disinterest on my part. The story was wrapped up quite nicely and you had a good sense of what Gertrude had done for that part of the world. She rubbed elbows and locked minds with many historical figures such as Harry Lawrence also known as Lawrence of Arabia and Winston Churchill.

I did find that the many references to her sexual escapades did tax my patience but I think that the majority of the public are interested in such details but personally I found it taxing and quite unnecessary. Overall it is a good read, I recommend it to anyone who is interested in history, adventure, women who have overstepped their rigid roles of the time and in the Middle East.