Long Way Gone - A Book Review

Long Way Gone is the first book I have read by Charles Martin.  I really don't read a lot of books by male authors.  It's nothing personal, I just usually connect better with books written by female authors.  This book, however, was completely different.  Wow!  That's the word that best describes it for me.  I did not want it to end and if all the books Charles Martin writes are like this I will be reading them all.

This book is heartbreaking.  Heartbreaking and heartwarming all at the same time. It was sad, but held hope.  If you have ever felt like you were too far gone for God's love, you can relate to this book.  Such a powerful message of forgiveness. I can count on one hand how many books have made me cry and this book has made the list.  It is moving.  A must read!

At the age of eighteen, musician and songwriter Cooper O’Connor took everything his father held dear and drove 1,200 miles from home to Nashville, his life riding on a six-string guitar and the bold wager that he had talent. But his wager soon proved foolish.

Five years after losing everything, he falls in love with Daley Cross, an angelic voice in need of a song. But just as he realizes his love for Daley, Cooper faces a tragedy that threatens his life as well as his career. With nowhere else to go, he returns home to the remote Colorado mountains, searching for answers about his father and his faith.

When Daley shows up on his street corner twenty years later, he wonders if it’s too late to tell her the truth about his past—and if he is ready to face it himself.

A radical retelling of the prodigal son story, Long Way Gone takes us from tent revivals to the Ryman Auditorium to the tender relationship between a broken man and the father who never stopped calling him home.

“No matter where you go, no matter whether you succeed or fail, stand or fall, no gone is too far gone. You can always come home.”

***Thanks to booklookbloggers.com for poviding me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

The Inn Keeper at Ivy Hill - A Book Review

The lifeblood of the Wiltshire Village of Ivy Hill is its coaching inn, The Bell.  When the innkeeper dies suddenly, his genttel wife, Jane Bell becomes the reluctant owner.  Jane has no notion of how to run a business.  However, with the town's livelihood at stake and a large loan due, she must find a way to bring new life to the inn.

Despite their strained relationship, Jane turns to her resentful mother-in-law, Thora, for help.  Formerly mistress of The Bell, Thora is struggling to find her place in the world.  As she and Jane work together, they form a measure of trust, and Thora's wounded heart begins to heal.  when she encounters two men from her past, she sees them, and her future, in a different light.

With pressure mounting from the bank, Jane employs innovative methods to turn the inn around, and puzzles of the intentions of several men who seem to have a vested interest in the place.  Will her efforts be enough to save The Bell.  Will Thora embrace the possibility of a second chance at love?

My Thoughts:

Have you ever read a book, completely bored with it, but keep reading in hopes that something will change. Hoping there will be a twist or turn of events.  That's where I found myself with this book.  I have read previous books by Julie Klassen that I really liked, but this book didn't seem to have the same intrigue that I usually find within her books.  The romance was lacking.  The main character Jane seemed to take a backseat to Thora and the book ended rather abruptly.

I am assuming with the way it ended that the story will pick up where this one left off in the next book.  I think I'll pass on the next one though.  If it is anything like this one I would much rather spend my time reading something with a little more appeal.

***Thanks to Bethany House Publishing for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Journal The Word Bible, KJV

Bible Journaling is such an enjoyable pass time of mine.  It is becoming increasingly popular and if you have not tried it yet, I encourage you to do so.  I recently had the chance to review The Journal The Word Bible.  It is the second journal Bible I have and I really like this one.  It is in large print which is really nice, and it also has the word of Jesus in red.  It has a nice sturdy hard cover which I really like and it has an elastic enclosure that wraps around the entire Bible.

When I first opened up I was a little concerned that the pages were going to be too thin and would bleed through with all that I wanted to do, but I was pleasantly surprised.  Even though the pages seem thin you can stamp, color, marker and more on the pages without worry of it bleeding through.  I will not however, that I use non-bleed artist pens and items that specialize in Bible journaling.  I'm not sure how it would be if you were to use regular markers.

If you are someone who is not very artistic and not quite ready to draw or color in your Bible, that's okay.  With a margin with blank lines on each page it makes it great for several things.  You could jot down sermon notes or thoughts on God's word, cross references and much more.

The only thing I would change about this Bible is that it would be a little larger.  The pages are rather small, but the size also makes it great for bringing to church.

I am so happy to have this as a part of my Library and I can't wait to fill the pages!

***Thanks to booklookbloggers.com for providing me with a copy of this great Bible in exchange for my honest review.

A Primary Decision - A Book Review

 

A Primary Decision by Dr. Kevin Lehman and Jeff Nesbit is the third book in the Worthington Destiny Series.  I had not read the previous book and do not feel it is necessary to read this one.  However, this was such an enjoyable book I would like to go back and read the other two. 

This was a very timely read considering all that is going on in our country right now with our recent election.  I wasn't sure what to expect from this book.  I am usually not a fan of male writers.  Nothing against men, I just tend to like women authors better in the genres I like, but this novel was a pleasant surprise.  I loved the mystery in it and I was not expecting that aspect at all.  I would definitely recommend this book.  I was a nice change of pace for me.

Sara Worthington never expected to become the US attorney general.  At least not this early in her career.  Plunged into the vicious vetting process, with all sides digging for secrets in her family closet, she steels herself for the path forward.  Nothing will deter her from making her mark on the world in the biggest way possible, even if that means prosecuting the current president of the United States.  Yet powerful forces conspire behind the scenes to take the Worthington family down, and the president orders her to close the investigation.  Will she comply or turn the tables to pursue her ultimate dream....the US presidency?

***Thanks to Revell Reads for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.