Book Review - Unlocked by Karen Kingsbury

I picked this up for 20 cents when my local library was deleting it from their collection recently and I'm so glad I did. 

This is such a powerful story. 

It made me cry and as I got closer to the end I just couldn't put it down until I was finished. 

It covers topics of autism, bullying, family relationships, friendships and more. 

It's not a romantic love story, but rather looking at the love shown by friends and members of families to each other. It's also about reconnecting.

Autism can be such a tough topic to talk about, particularly when you talk about what might have caused it, how a diagnosis affects family and friends, and the demands of the ongoing care of an autistic child. This book looks at all of these elements in a variety of ways and perspectives.

(This review was not sponsored. I just wanted to share the book.)

ACRBA Tour - Unnoticed by Amanda Deed

5 - 9 May 2017

Australian Christian Readers Blog Alliance

is Introducing 

Unnoticed

(By Rhiza Press, 1 March, 2017)

By 

Amanda Deed

About the Book:

Plain Jane O’Reilly is good at being unnoticed. Detested by her stepmother and teased by her stepsisters, Jane has learned the art of avoiding attention. That is until Price Moreland, an American with big dreams, arrives in her small town.

Does she dare to hope someone might notice her?

However, Price Moreland may not be the prince that the whole town thinks him to be. Was his desire to be a missionary a God-given call, or just a good excuse to run from his past?

Complete with an evil stepmother, a missing shoe and a grand ball, Unnoticed takes the time-old Cinderella fairy tale and gives it an Australian twist.

About the Author:

Amanda Deed has penned several Australian Historical Romances, including The Game, winner of the CALEB Prize for Fiction in 2010. She resides in the South Eastern Suburbs of Melbourne with her family, where she works full-time in her local church office.

Outside of work and family, Amanda loves to write stories filled with intrigue and adventure using her favourite themes as a backdrop: Australia, heritage, romance and faith. Her books include Unnoticed, Ellenvale Gold, Black Forest Redemption and Henry's Run. For more information, go to www.amandadeed.com.au.

My Thoughts

This book is another take on the Cinderella story - this time set in Australia during 1877.
I liked it, and this is one book that I will be finding space on my shelf for. I haven't been reading much historical fiction lately, but this one didn't have such a historical feel (apart from modes of transport and things like that).

It is also a wonderful look at forgiveness and the way that letting God into your life can change your attitude even if your circumstances don't change.

Book Review - Breaking Free by Jennifer Slattery

Breaking Free by Jennifer Slattery

(Thank you to Jennifer for my review copy.)

Sometimes it takes losing everything to grab hold of what really matters. 

Women's ministry leader and Seattle housewife, Alice Goddard, and her successful graphic-designer husband appear to have it all together. Until their credit and debit cards are denied, launching Alice into an investigation that only leads to the discovery of secrets. Meanwhile, her husband is trapped in a downward spiral of lies, shame, and self-destruction. Can they break free from their deception and turn to the only One who can save them? And will it be in time to save their marriage?

Jennifer Slattery is an inspiring contemporary novelist whose stories of hope, love, and grace resonate with real people. She is the author of compelling contemporary romance novels such as Beyond I Do, When Dawn Breaks, Intertwined, and Breaking Free. She also writes for Crosswalk.com and devotions for her personal blog, JenniferSlatteryLivesOutLoud; Internet Cafe Devotions; and Takin' It To The Streets, a ministry serving Omaha Metro's working poor and homeless. When not writing, she enjoys hanging out with her teenage daughter and real-life hero husband, as well as serving in her church.



My Thoughts

This is a hard hitting book. It is a look at the way addictions and a negative family legacy can result in a downward spiral - not just for the individual, but for the whole family. Even families who look like perfect church-going people can have hidden sin, addictions and a lot of serious problems. Yet through all of this, the story brings hope, along with friends and strangers willing to help and pray.

ACRBA Tour - The Warrior Lord's Sword by Ray Hawkins

4 - 8 July

Australian Christian Readers Blog Alliance

is introducing

The Warrior Lord's Sword

(April 2016)

by  Ray Hawkins

About the Book:

'The word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword ...'That is one of the ways the Bible defines itself. This Devotional takes you into 30 other of its definitions. Your confidence in and appreciation of God's word will be strengthened as you understand its claims.The author's hope is that this book will enrich your love for and understanding of God's unchanging scriptures. For God has expressed Himself within them so you will know Him in a personal way.Scripture is God's breath in print with power to declare His glory. It is His sword to strike against ungodliness. He has given it to us also to guide, guard and govern our relationship of faith in Him.

About the Author

Ray Hawkins, retired after over 40 years as a Churches of Christ minister, enjoys sharing themes from the Scriptures through Devotional writing. Married to Mary, multi-published inspirational romance author, they have three children and five grandchildren. Ray shares his insights in his first two books on Marriage and Children with more ideas to come about ministry and much more. Living in Beauty Point Tasmania Ray heads up a new Christian Fellowship as well as doing relief preaching, community work and writing.

My Thoughts:

I haven't finished reading this yet.
Ray always gives me things to think about, learn and study more.
This book gives glimpses of the purpose of the Bible and reminds us that it is God's Word.

ACRBA Tour - Glimpses of Light by Jeanette O'Hagen & Nola Passmore

2 - 6 May

Australian Christian Readers Blog Alliance

is introducing

Glimpses of Light

(By the Light Books, 15 December 2015)

Edited by  Jeanette O'Hagan and Nola L Passmore

About the Book:

Be challenged, captivated and moved by these imaginative reflections on faith, help in time of need, joy in the midst of tragedy, and surprising encounters with God.

During 2015, the International Year of Light, twenty-one authors from Australia and the United States have come together to explore the theme of 'glimpses of light'—finding light in dark places—through short stories, poems, flash fiction and creative non-fiction.

Glimpses of Light includes contributions from respected and award-winning authors and poets Jo-Anne Berthelsen, Paula Vince, Lynne Stringer, Adele Jones, Jo Wanmer, Jeanette Grant-Thomson and Ellen Carr, as well as exciting new talent.

Profits from this anthology go to CBM Australia, giving sight to the blind.

About the Authors

JEANETTE O'HAGAN

Jeanette O’Hagan enjoys writing fiction, poetry, blogging and editing. She is writing her Akrad’s Legacy Series—a Young Adult secondary world fantasy fiction with adventure, courtly intrigue and romantic elements. Her short stories and poems are published in Tied in Pink romance anthology, Another Time Another Place, Poetica Christi’s Inner Child, Let the Sea Roar, Like a Girl. 

Jeanette has practised medicine, studied communication, history, theology and, more recently, a Master’s in writing. She loves reading, painting, travel, catching up for coffee with friends, pondering the meaning of life and communicating God’s great love. She lives in Brisbane with her husband and children. 

Website: jeanetteohagan.com

NOLA PASSMORE

Nola Passmore’s poetry, devotions, inspirational articles, and short fiction have appeared in magazines, journals and anthologies in Australia and overseas. Although she’s a former academic with qualifications in creative writing, psychology, and Christian ministry; she’s found that you can never underestimate the power of friends and mentors in the writing journey.

With ringleader roles in Quirky Quills and the Toowoomba chapter of Omega Writers, she’ll be nagging (oops, encouraging) other writers for some time. She and her husband Tim have a freelance writing and editing business called The Write Flourish. 

Website: www.thewriteflourish.com.au

My Thoughts:

While I personally did not enjoy this book, other than the last chapter written by Jo-Anne Berthelsen, those of you who like fantasy books may like this one. I do not enjoy fantasy, and that is predominantly what this book is.
So if you do like fantasy, maybe you could buy this book and at the same time support CBM Australia in the work that they are doing in poorer countries around the world.

ACRBA Tour - Twice Stolen by Susanne Timpani

4 - 8 April

Australian Christian Readers Blog Alliance

is introducing

Twice Stolen

(Armour Books, 14 February 2016)

Susanne Timpani

About the Book:

After the death of his grandmother, Dimitri finds he's been lied to most of his life. His journey into the Outback to unravel the mystery of his identity leads to an encounter with Leah, a nurse with a tragic secret.

About the Author

Susanne is married, has four beautiful children and works as a community nurse with children and families. Themes of her work and her faith appear in her writing. 

Susanne is the author of the blog, 10 Minute Daily Retreat. These twice weekly reflections on scripture can be read via:

http://susannetimpani.blogspot.com.au/ 
https://www.facebook.com/10MinuteDailyRetreat

Her first novel, Twice Stolen, was released in February 2016. It fits the genre of Inspirational Fiction, has Australian Aboriginal themes and is flavoured with a sprinkling of Medical Romance.

Twice stolen won the CALEB prize for an unpublished manuscript.  The book is published by Armour Books

My Thoughts:

I wasn't sure about this book when I first picked it up. I didn't know if I would like it, and the blurb certainly doesn't give much away. However, I found it to be a very interesting look at the issue of the Stolen Generation. While I knew of the existence of this crazy practice and unforgivable (to some people) act of tearing children away from parents, it was not something that I had really spent a lot of time thinking about, particularly as it relates to the next generation (and those to follow) who are now in search of their cultural identity.
Susanne says that she is an outsider looking in, and I think she has very respectfully brought awareness of the issues relating to the children who were stolen and their descendants.
One of the things I really liked was the way the Aboriginal Elders who have embraced faith in God still also recognise their Aboriginal culture and draw parallels between the things they have been taught orally and what they have read in the Bible.

ACRBA Tour - The Pounamu Prophecy by Cindy Williams

7 - 11 March

Australian Christian Readers Blog Alliance

is introducing

The Pounamu Prophecy

(Rhiza Press, 1 October 2015)

Cindy Williams

About the Book:

Since she watched her village burn to the ground, Mere’s life has been anything but dull. Now as an older woman she has come to stay with Helene and James to finish writing her life story – a tale of injustice, revenge and
reconciliation.

But Helene and James have their own problems. After five years together, their marriage has become dull, predictable, boring … and it starts to unravel. 

Weaving fiction with the traumatic history of the Ngati Whatua tribe of Auckland, The Pounamu Prophecy sweeps from the sultry heat of Australia to the verdant shores of New Zealand.

About the Author

Cindy Williams lives in Sydney with her husband and teenage son.

As a child growing up in a culturally rich part of New Zealand she enjoyed writing, not copious screeds, but short intense pieces that brought tears to her eyes and made people think. She marvelled at the power of words to inspire far beyond the intentions of the author.

Then she became a dietitian – all science and seriously researched facts. She completed a Master of Public Health and a Graduate Diploma in Communication and spent many years encouraging and inspiring people to live a healthy life.

She writes a nutrition blog – www.nutritionchic.com – and is working on her second novel, set in first century Israel. She teaches scripture in schools, and swim and cycles. She is also studying for a Diploma of Theology and trying to improve her abysmal French! 

My Thoughts

It is sad to think that in every culture there is some form of discrimination based on race and that every generation sees (or doesn't see because it is covered up) attempts to rid the world of a particular race or culture. This book deals with some of that as the story of the past and present are intertwined.

I wasn't sure about reading this book initially, but I have grown to appreciate many things from it - like the message of forgiveness.

Well done, Cindy, for sensitively dealing with the issues you have presented through this story.

ACRBA Tour - Star! Stable! Saviour! by Cameron Semmens

6 - 10 December

Australian Christian Readers Blog Alliance

is introducing

Star! Stable! Saviour!
(Wombat Books 1 December 2015)

By

Cameron Semmens

About the Book:

“Forget the kids! It was me who loved this in our house. OK the kids did too!” – Sally Smith

The traditional Christmas story has been told and re-told for nearly two thousand years – but never quite like this. Poet Cameron Semmens’s quirky and alliterated re-telling of it in Star! Stable! Savior! brings a totally fresh perspective on the ancient Christmas story.

Originally published in 2007 under the title The Story of The Star, The Stable and The Saviour, the book sold out after only a few years. Now it’s back with a fresh, punchy new title.

About the Author

Cameron Semmens is a poet, entertainer and poetry educator with 15 books to his name. He makes his living through words: performing, running workshops and book design. He lives in the Dandenong Rangers with his wife and two children.

My Thoughts:
This is a funny take on the Christmas story ... and a real tongue twister!!
A good idea for the kids in your life who have already heard the Christmas story a million times and can probably tell it better than you can!

ACRBA Tour - Intertwined by Jennifer Slattery

2 - 6 November

Australian Christian Readers Blog Alliance

is introducing

Intertwined
(New Hope Publishers September 2015)

By

Jennifer Slattery

About the Book:

Abandoned by her husband, an organ procurement coordinator fighting to keep her job and her sanity encounters an old flame facing an unthinkable tragedy.

For Tammy Kuhn, being an organ procurement coordinator is more than a job. It’s a ministry. But when her husband of sixteen years leaves her for another woman, struggles with childcare, her absentee ex-husband, and an altercation with a doctor threaten her job. Embittered and overwhelmed, she fights to maintain her sanity when a late night encounter with an old flame stirs emotions long since buried but the ICU is no place for romance.

About the Author

Jennifer Slattery writes missional romance novels for New Hope Publishers. Her debut, "Beyond I Do", releases in August. She also writes Christian Living articles for Crosswalk.com and devotions for her personal blog, JenniferSlatteryLivesOutLoud; Internet Cafe Devotions; and Takin' it to the Streets', a ministry serving Omaha Metro's working poor and homeless. 

When she's not writing, she enjoys reading, hanging out at the mall with her teenage daughter, enjoying her real-life hero husband, or serving in her church or community.

My Thoughts:
This book shows just how messed up life can get - especially when divorce is a factor. It shows the hurt for the adults involved and also for the children, and the way children can be manipulated by the adults who are trying to hurt each other.
I found it hard to put this book down because I needed to know that it all worked out in the end.

This is also a book that highlights the need for organ donation, and the hope it can bring to a family to know that the loved one who they have lost, can live on through the lives of the organ recipients.

ACRBA Tour - Same by Katrina Roe

5 - 9 October

Australian Christian Readers Blog Alliance

is introducing

Same
(Wombat Books 1 July 2015)

By

Written by: Katrina Roe Illustrated by: Jemima Trappel

About the Book:

When Uncle Charlie comes to visit, Ivy keeps her distance. He seems different from other people she knows. Can Uncle Charlie find a way to show her that he is not so different after all?

Same is a touching true story about love, acceptance and finding common ground.

Katrina Roe’s debut children’s book Marty’s Nut-Free Party was shortlised in the Speech Pathology and CALEB awards. Same helps a child relate to what is actually the same, in someone who seems so different.

About the Author

Katrina Roe is an author and radio presenter.

Most recently she was host of the morning show on Sydney’s Hope 103.2 radio (www.hope1032.com.au) before leaving to have her second baby. 

Katrina also has a successful parenting blog (www.frommouthsofbabes.wordpress.com). 

Marty’s Nut-Free Party was her first children’s book, followed by Emily Eases herWheezes. Emily was listed as a notable book by CBCA in 2015. Same is her latest book, and is scheduled for release in July 2015.

Katrina has also contributed to two inspirational anthologies, All Creation Sings: Psalms of Everyday Christians and a book about miscarriage called In God’s Hands: Overcoming Miscarriage in a Broken World.

In 2009, she completed her Masters in International Relations, just for fun!  Katrina also likes kayaking, bushwalking, reading novels, taking holidays, listening to music and hanging out with friends.  She’s adamant that tea should always be made in a pot and she has a definite weakness for soft cheese.
She lives in Sydney with her three young daughters and her husband Chris.

Jemima is a Sydney-based artist and illustrator who enjoys riding her bicycle. Like many illustrators she was born holding a pencil and uses it frequently to bring words to life. 

She decided to make a career out of her passion, and in 2012, after five years at the College of Fine Arts and the University of NSW, she emerged with a Bachelor of Fine Arts (with honours), a Bachelor of Arts (a combined degree) and the ability to converse in French.

Same by Katrina Roe, is her first book with Wombat Books. Prior to this, Jemima illustrated Wonderfully Madison (2013 – winner of the children's book category in the Caleb awards that year) and Fearlessly Madison (2014) by Penny Reeve (published by Youthworks Media). She is also the illustrator of the short comic, A friend in need, by Karen Bielharz (part of the self-published Kinds of Blue anthology, 2011), and is the linework artist for the short animation Money Tree (2011), written and directed by Hawanatu Bangura. 

My Thoughts:
This is a beautifully illustrated story and is very true to life. Both children and adults have the same reactions as Ivy did in the story when someone who is "different" appears (although adults don't generally run away). This story is a good reminder to look for something that we can have in common with everyone; and such a good way of teaching children.

I'll be donating my copy to the after school care program where I work, so that those children can learn about finding something the same in everyone they meet.

Book Review - My Brother's Crown by Mindy Starns Clark & Leslie Gould

One of the great things about books is that you learn some things about yourself while you read them. For the Bingo Reading Challenge that I've been doing this year, one of the squares was for a book that 'Takes place in your favourite time period.' I had been racking my brain for ages trying to figure out what my favourite time period actually is, and in reading the book I'm about to review I found it (more on that in my next challenge update).

My Brother's Crown

Cousins of the Dove #1

by Mindy Starns Clark and Leslie Gould

(Thank you to Harvest House Publishers for my copy.)

Back Cover:

Women of Uncommon Courage

France, 1685

Catherine Gillet knows her brother, Jules, wants to protect her from the sinister threats of the French crown. But Jules is involved in a potentially deadly enterprise, one connected with an encoded document. When his actions put the whole family at risk, will Catherine find a way to save them?

Virginia, present day

Rene Talbot, a direct descendant of Catherine's, is fascinated by the document that's been part of her family legacy for more than three centuries. Certain its pages hold hidden secrets, she takes a closer look - and makes a shocking discovery. But when memories of a childhood trauma are rekindled, she's forced to seek answers of a different kind. Inspired by the faith and bravery of Catherine, can Renee find the truth and face her deepest fears at last?

From the authors of the Christy Award-winning The Amish Midwife comes an epic story of two women, centuries apart, each discovering her own hidden bravery, standing for what she believes in, and finding love in unexpected places.

Authors:

Mindy Starns Clark is the bestselling author of more than 20 books (over 1 million copies sold) including fiction and non-fiction. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, John, and their two daughters. Connect with Mindy at www.mindystarnsclark,com.

Leslie Gould is a bestselling author of 20 novels. She received her master of fine arts degree from Portland State University and lives in Oregon with her husband, Peter, and their four children. Connect with Leslie at www.lesliegould.com.

My Thoughts:

Mindy and Leslie have beautifully woven the stories from these two time periods together. It is a wonderful thing to know your family history and it certainly plays a part in what you do in your life now and why - this was true for Renee as she reflected on the life Catherine lived.

While I had heard of the Huguenots, I was not very familiar with why they were persecuted (not that I really understand persecution in any form - it just should not be, but then we haven't reached heaven yet). The persecution of these people, was yet another example of religious persecution - something that has shown itself in many different forms, during every century.

Faith is at the centre of both of these women's lives. One thing that challenged me, particularly from Catherine's story, is how essential it is to know what you believe and why you believe it.

While there is completion to this book, there are also many questions raised and threads of both stories yet to be unravelled. I look forward to reading the next book in this series: My Sister's Prayer.

ACRBA Tour - Mirage by Jeanette Grant-Thomson

8 - 12 June 2015

Australian Christian Readers Blog Alliance

is introducing

Mirage
(Ark House Press)

By

Jeanette Grant-Thomson

About the Book:
Miraim is desperate. Her mind is a fog of drug-induced forgetfulness. She has forgotten her past, her family, even who she is. But who is the disturbingly familiar girl in the shopping centre?

Enmeshed in Soleternity, a cult in the Queensland outback, Miriam is pregnant. She believes her future - and that of her baby - lies with the cult.

Bronwyn is determined to rescue Miriam. She has not bargained on falling in love with the journalist helping her.

Away from Soleternity, Miriam faces conflicts. Sol . . .Soleternity . . .and now Anna and Christianity. How can she know the truth? Who is to be trusted?

About the Author

Jeanette Grant-Thomson has been writing since she was a child, having short pieces published. Her first book was Jodie's Story (Anzea 1991 and two later editions), followed by two more biographies and two novels. She is a teacher and a writer, living in Redlands.

My Thoughts:
I was initially reluctant to read this book because of the subject matter that it deals with - cults.
It's not something you think about much, and they are not really heard about much, unless something goes wrong and there is a news story about one, or an expose on one of the current affairs programs. In reality, you don't want to have to think about them, but you do need to be aware that they do exist; and the reason they exist is because we live in a sinful, broken world.

The way this book was written also makes sense in light of a recent blog post that Jeanette did about her own search for God. Not that she was in a cult, but she was searching for God and He did draw her to Himself.
It makes me think of something I read a long time ago, where Blaise Pascal brought up the context of all of us having a "God-shaped hole".
“What else does this craving, and this helplessness, proclaim but that there was once in man a true happiness, of which all that now remains is the empty print and trace? This he tries in vain to fill with everything around him, seeking in things that are not there the help he cannot find in those that are, though none can help, since this infinite abyss can be filled only with an infinite and immutable object; in other words by God himself.” 
- Blaise Pascal, Pensées VII(425)

ACRBA Blog Tour - Too Pretty by Andrea Grigg

4 - 8 May 2015

Australian Christian Readers Blog Alliance

is introducing

Too Pretty
((Rhiza Press), August 2014)

By

Andrea Grigg

About the Book:

Being beautiful isn’t easy – just ask Ellie Paxton.

Frustrated by a long string of empty relationships, Ellie makes a promise to God not to date for six months, a promise she’s determined to keep.

Tired of being continually misjudged because of her looks Ellie moves to Sydney for a fresh start. But when her path keeps crossing with the darkly handsome Nathaniel, that promise becomes much harder to fulfil.

As they battle with their attraction for each other, Ellie is not the only one to discover it takes more than simply looking in a mirror to find out who you truly are …

Could it be that God has a bigger plan? Could this really be one of those matches made in heaven …?

About the Author

Andrea Grigg grew up in Auckland, New Zealand, but has lived more than half her life in Australia. 

Andrea lives with her husband on Queensland’s Gold Coast, where they have raised their three adult children – two daughters and a son.

Recently retired from teaching ten-year-olds, if she isn’t being a domestic executive or socialising, Andrea can be found in her cave, writing stories.

My Thoughts:

This book was really interesting in the way family dynamics affect the way people feel about themselves and how they respond to things that happen in their lives. I also liked it that there were boundaries in how far characters would go physically in their relationship.

By working through the issues that came up for the characters, you also learn that you don't have to be (and really shouldn't be) defined by your past. Things from the past need to be learned from, but should not consume you. Yes, there may be consequences, but it is possible to move beyond your past.

The only thing I didn't like was the cover of the book. It nearly put me off reading the book. I just don't like having the face that big on the cover, and it seemed really artificial. Normally I don't comment on covers, but this one was just a bit too much for me.

ACRBA Blog Tour - Andrew Murray: Destined to Serve by Olea Nel

6 - 10 April 2015

Australian Christian Readers Blog Alliance

is introducing

Andrew Murray Destined to Serve: A Biographical Novel 

(Clairvaux House (own imprint), 1 October 2014)

By

Dr Olea Nel 

About the Book:

For those who love Historical Fiction about Christian heroes of the faith"Historically accurate, and based upon Andrew Murray's letters and early biographies"

A boyish and fun-loving Andrew Murray arrives back in South Africa after being ordained at the Hague on his twentieth birthday. He soon discovers that his preaching lacks the power displayed by his heroes of the faith. He therefore decides to embark on a quest to become a powerful preacher filled with the Holy Spirit.

About the Author

Dr Olea Nel was born in Cape Town, South Africa. After completing her training as a teacher in Andrew Murray’s heartland of Wellington, she relocated to Australia to further her studies. Besides attaining a PhD in Linguistics, she also has qualifications in Information Studies and Theology. Having now retired from her position as a senior librarian at the National Library of Australia, she is able to pursue her passion for research, especially within the fields of church history and biography. Her aim is to share her findings with fellow Christians.

http://www.onandrewmurray.com/author

My Thoughts:
I don't often read biographies, so for this to be a biographical novel it made it much easier to read. It made it more personal, more like you were there with Andrew Murray, hearing his thoughts, sharing his life, rather than just hearing "so and so did this, went there, talked to x ...".

Olea has done a really good job of painting a picture of what life was like for Andrew Murray during this time of his life - and the story is not done yet. This is just the first in a series of books, and I'm really looking forward to the next one.

Before I read this, I had heard of Andrew Murray, but didn't really know anything about him. This book is about his first few years in ministry.