take two on “Haunt of Jackals” by Eric Wilson

So after doing my main blog for the book of October for CSFFBT, I actually had a chance to finish the book and I have some other thoughts on it.

While I still think that “Haunt of Jackals” by Eric Wilson is still a good read, there were a few places in it that I thought the actions of the characters did not suit their…well…character.

For instance, if they are so desirous to be in line with The Nazarene, then why Cal Nichols tell Gina Lazarescu (AKA Kate) that she should continue going to church…and then go on to explain that church was only getting together on the weekends, and hanging out with people, and doing other stuff…not actually going to church? Not fellowship together with the saints? Not meeting the on the Lords day to partake of the Lords Supper, to pray, to continue in the apostles teaching?  (see Acts. 2:42-47 ish) Where is the encouragement to read God’s word…the very word that “The Nazarene” inspired?!  I just thought that for them to be so against church, came across not as the characters convictions, but the convictions of the author. While I think that the authors have the “right” to have their convictions portrayed in the book, I think that the way it came across in the book just sent of flags of it not being in line with the characters character.

I hope this makes sense. Again, I still think it is a good read, albeit confusing for someone not well grounded in the scripture and a bit misleading in some areas, but still looking forward to the 3rd book.

CSFFBT- “Haunt of Jackals” by Eric Wilson

This months book was “Haunt of Jackals” by Eric Wilson, book 2 in “Jerusalem’s Undead Trilogy“

I have not finished the book yet, but am more than part way through and have to say I am really enjoying it. You can definetly tell that it is part of a trilogy as there is some storyline that would be easier to understand if I had read the first one (which I plan on doing!).

Before we got this book, I had wondered how someone would be able to write a “vampire” based novel, but with a christian perspective. From what I am reading, it looks like Eric Wilson has done it and done it well…not necessarily your typical vampires, but close enough that it keeps my interest.

I am really enjoying the drama and tension between “Those who hunt” and “Those who resist” in the book. He has some interesting ideas of the application of Christ’s (or “the Nazarene’s) blood that make you think. Even if you disagree with his views, it is a book that is pretty well written and interesting to boot!

 

In this book, as I mentioned, there seem to be two main groups of people- “Those who hunt” (the bad guys) and “Those who resist” (the good guys). They are not groups that everyone in the world is a part of, but they are groups that everyone in the world is affected by in some way or another. Some people are affected for plans of grandeur by some of these groups… these groups are each “undead”. One of them is a group that serve’s God for glory and the other is a group that serves…well…the devil. Normal people in the world are throwing their lot in with these groups…some consciously it seems and some unconsciously.

Like I said, I am only halfway through, but this is a type of book that I will not let go unfinished. I have already mentioned the plotline to my sister and my mom and both of them are interested in reading it. We seem to have this interest in “vampires”, partly I think because as christians we are sometimes drawn to find our what it is that spurs those who are so obviously not serving God.

This book is DEFINITELY not a children or even a youth oriented book, but I think for adults, it’s a good read. Thankfully it is interesting that I want to keep reading it at night, but not too scary that I can’t read it at night! lol

Take a look to see what others have to say about Eric Wilson and his book by checking out these blogs:

Brandon Barr
Wayne Thomas Batson
Jennifer Bogart
Justin Boyer
Keanan Brand
Amy Browning
Karri Compton
Amy Cruson
CSFF Blog Tour
Stacey Dale
D. G. D. Davidson
Jeff Draper
April Erwin
Karina Fabian
Beth Goddard
Todd Michael Greene
Timothy Hicks
Becky Jesse
Cris Jesse
Julie
Carol Keen
Dawn King
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Mirtika
Nissa
John W. Otte
James Somers
Speculative Faith
Rachel Starr Thomson
Robert Treskillard
Steve Trower
Fred Warren
Phyllis Wheeler
Jill Williamson
KM Wilsher

Pantry….

So I was looking through my flylady notebook (www.flylady.net) for some info on how to set up a pantry and what stuff to inlcude in it, and how to keep it organized and it got me thinking about how as christian women (not saying that men don’t or shouldn’t cook, just it seems the majority of it is done by women) that we should make sure that our spiritual pantries are in order and have all the supplies we need as well. The stuff that the pantry list includes is baking supplies, breads, canned goods, condiments, alot of stuff that you would not necessarily think about until you go to make a recipe and find out that the ingredient that you most need is not in your pantry! As christian women, it is good to have a check list for our spiritual pantry too…Are we stocked up on lovingkindness, how about making sure that our joy is unspeakable and full of glory? Are we armed with strength for the days ahead (armed with the strength that God gives), is our cup of giving to the poor and needy always ready and nearby so we can grab it at a moments notice? Is the teaching of kindness full in us and ready to be spread to with wisdom? How about the bread of idleness? Is that loaf getting to be less and less each day or are we letting it grow into something uncontrollable and unmanageable? Anyway, this went through my head this afternoon as I was thinking of the pantry we, Lord willing, will have at the new apartments we will be moving into soon. And how nice it will be to have everything all neat and organized to where I can see what stuff I need and what stuff I can get rid of… Hope it helps and encourages you!! God bless! Proverbs 31

“Ninth Witness” by Bodie & Brock Thoene

This is the 9th book in the A.D. Chronicle’s series by Bodie & Brock Thoene and I have to say that it is one of the best series of books I have read.

The Thoene’s (pronounced Tay-Nee), it appears are a whole family of writers, with mom (Bodie) and dad (Brock) leading the whole clan.

This series goes through biblical times and through the life of Jesus as seen through the eyes of people in the Bible.

There is the story of the blind man at the Nicanor Gate whom Jesus healed, and it goes through his life and how Jesus healed him…not only of blindness but also healed his heart.  Then there is the story of one of the shepherds to whom the angels appeared and foretold of Jesus’ birth.

This story though, follows Jesus through his childhood years, when he went up to the temple and also follows the life of a little boy named Jude and his sister Kerah and how Jesus’ life affected theirs along with Yochanan (John), Jesus’ cousin and his growing up years.

It’s a beautifully written story that seems to bring out the truth of the message of Christ – that he came to heal the sick, and to seek and to save the lost.  Each story is in and of itself a wonderful tale, yet if read through from the first one (First Light) through to the last one that is available (right now at my library, this is the last one in the series available), you can see how the thread of the message is carefully and skillfully interwoven through each and every book.

The stories have a lot of the Hebrew names and words and meanings of different things, and while it’s taken for granted that most of the meanings are accurate, there are enough that coincide with what I know to be the meanings that I do not feel the need to look each and every meaning up to verify its authenticity.  It seems that the Thoene’s have done their research and done it pretty well.

This is a series of books that I plan on buying and keeping in my personal library for my friends to come and borrow and for my daughter to some day be able to read.

Please make sure to check out their websites and also to check out their books. The A.D. Chronicles are by far my favorite that they have written. Pick one up for yourself and you will find yourself immersed in a whole different world where Jesus comes even more alive to your senses. At least thats what it did for me.

Find more info Here (for those of your friends who don’t have the time to read, but maybe have the time to listen to a book on tape or CD) and also Here (the family’s website).

Book Review “The Girlfriends Guide to Pregnancy” by Vicki Iovine

Hello all,

While I know many of you are not females, I thought I would put up reviews of books other than just the ones that I am getting through the CSFF Blog Tour.

For those of you who don’t know, I am an avid reader and am usually reading anywhere from 1-4 books at a time. No, I do not mean ALL at the same time, but I flip back and forth through them all. Also, Cris and I are expecting our first child in December, a little girl whom we’ve decided to name Sarah Hope.  Sooooo since my mind is turned also towards pregnancy and getting ready for labor and delivery, you might see some book reviews dealing with those topics.

Today’s book is “The Girlfriends guide to Pregnancy- or everything your doctor won’t tell you” by Vicki Iovine.

I picked this book up because I had a girlfriend who read it through her first pregnancy and shared some snippets of the book with me that were absolutely hilarious so I thought it might be a good investment. My joy was made even more when I was able to get it for $5.00 at a semi-local maternity store in Hillsboro called “Angel Belly” (LOOOOOOOOVED this store! Check them out…the proprietor of the store is superb!).

While reading this book, I did find many humerous stories about either labor, delivery, the husband during either of those two events, and all around information about being pregnant that made me feel like a normal human being instead of some science experiment for everyone to ogle over! lol

The sad thing about this book, is that I also found alot of language that I did not particularly care for. While the author in no way that I can read from the book claims any christianity, I just did not see any need for some vulgar language to be used.  That is one of the pitfalls of this book, another one, is that there were instances in the book that encouraged you to just lie to your husband to get more out of him, as in being able to rest more, or being able to take advantage of his kindness, and THAT I do not approve of.

As I said, she does not claim any christianity, and I think the book would have been made better without the language and the lying, but overall it DID give me some useful information that I have had questions about, but have been too embarrassed to ask my midwife about.

I think I would give the book 2 1/2 out of 5 stars. I liked the humour, but I can get alot of the information from talking to other moms and also from asking my doctor…despite the embarassment!

Thats all I have to say about this book. More reviews coming later.

The Vanishing Sculptor – Donita K. Paul

Alright, this month’s book was “The Vanishing Sculptor” by Donita K. Paul.

This book took me a little while to get into, but once I did I found that it was very interesting. I liked the world that it was set in and I liked seeing the struggles that the main character was going through…not that I like it when characters in books struggle, but I liked how Donita wrote about it and made it seem more real to me than just words on a page.

In this book you will encounter various races, such as Emerlindians, tumanhofers and speaking parrots and see the interaction they have as they all try to fathom the deep mysteries of the wonderful Wulder…

My favorite character in this book is the at times persnickety Sir Beccaroon, a Giant Grand Parrot, who at times seems more like a mother hen than a parrot. I liked seeing how he would at times resist what was presented to him in favor of the more “logical” course, but how it worked out in the end.

Take a look at it for yourself and you will see what I mean. I have read a few of Donita’s other books and enjoyed her literary style in those books, and was pleased to see myself drawn into the world of Chiril.

Take a look and see what others have to say about it in the following blogs as well as taking a look at the author’s blog at: http://dragonbloggin.blogspot.com/ 

Participants’ Links:
Brandon Barr
Jim Black
Justin Boyer
Rachel Briard
Karri Compton
Amy Cruson
CSFF Blog Tour
Stacey Dale
D. G. D. Davidson
Jeff Draper
April Erwin
Karina Fabian
Linda Gilmore
Todd Michael Greene
Katie Hart
Ryan Heart
Becky Jesse
Cris Jesse
Jason Joyner
Julie
Carol Keen
Krystine Kercher
Dawn King
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Mirtika
Eve Nielsen (posting later in the week)
Nissa
John W. Otte
Lyn Perry
Crista Richey
Cheryl Russell
Chawna Schroeder
James Somers
Speculative Faith
Rachel Starr Thomson
Robert Treskillard
Steve Trower
Fred Warren
Dona Watson
Phyllis Wheeler
Elizabeth Williams
KM Wilsher

“North! Or Be Eaten” by Andrew Peterson

Hello friends,

This is not part of the CSFFBT yet, but Cris and I have had an opportunity to read “North! Or Be Eaten” by Andrew Peterson before hand and I have to say it is one of the finest books I’ve read. It is his 2nd in the Wingfeather saga and takes the reader on adventures through the Glipwood forest, through the thieving Stranders of the East Bend and in to the dreaded Fork Factory.  It is a tale of dread, woe, misery, acheivment, accomplishment and overcoming obstacles. Through it all Andrew weaves bits of the Creator’s truth in so seamlessly that it would seem unnatural to have it not be in there.

I love how he brings out the strengths of the characters, along with their weaknesses and does not make all the characters be hero’s, as in never doing anything wrong, but hero’s in the fact that through their weaknesses they realize them for what they are and have to deal with the consequences of their actions, and I love seeing how they overcome them.

This book might be slated as young adult, but I would recommend it to any age group that seeks adventure in the written form.

Please make sure to read his first book “On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness” and you’ll see what I mean.

For more on the Wingfeather Saga, visit http://wingfeathersaga.com/

For more on Andrew Peterson, check out http://www.andrew-peterson.com/index.php  and  http://www.rabbitroom.com/

For more from the publisher, go to http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/

CSFFBT-August-OFFWORLD by Robin Parrish

Alright, so this months book actually came to us very early so I have had this read and have been waiting for when I could do a post about it.

This months book is OffWorld by Robin Parrish and is hands-down my favorite of all the books I have read for the CSFFBT to date.

I think why this one was my favorite was because it dealt with stuff that I have had an interest in for a very long time – astronauts and outer space.

I have always wanted to be an astronaut, and was even planning on finishing school and then Lord Willing, working for NASA before I got into a car accident a couple of years ago.  God changed my plans for the better.

Anyway, back to the book, I was drawn into this book just by the jacket cover, and the info on it. Then once I actually started reading the book, I was hooked.

The way that Robin Parrish writes is so good that even though I am not familiar with all the ins and outs of a space ship, or walking on Mars, or even how to land back on earth in a space ship, that I could visualize all of the details as if I was really there.

To me that is a sign of a good book and a good author – if I can be drawn into the story so much that I can actually see it being played out in my head as if I was right there…I could smell the smells, see the sights and feel the metal of the machines… very good.

I highly recommend this book to anyone and everyone, and have even told my family about it. 

More info hopefully to follow tomorrow and wednesday so come on back and check out what I have to say.

If you want to check out what other people have to say about this book, check these blogs out:

Brandon Barr
Jim Black
Justin Boyer
Keanan Brand
Gina Burgess
Canadianladybug
Melissa Carswell
Valerie Comer
Karri Compton
Amy Cruson
CSFF Blog Tour
Stacey Dale
D. G. D. Davidson
Jeff Draper
April Erwin
Karina Fabian
Linda Gilmore
Beth Goddard
Todd Michael Greene
Katie Hart
Ryan Heart
Becky Jesse
Cris Jesse
Jason Joyner
Julie
Carol Keen
Krystine Kercher
Dawn King
Melissa Meeks
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Mirtika
Eve Nielsen (posting later in the week)
Nissa
John W. Otte
Lyn Perry
Steve Rice
Chawna Schroeder
James Somers
Speculative Faith
Stephanie
Rachel Starr Thomson
Steve Trower
Fred Warren
Dona Watson
Elizabeth Williams

CSFFBT-July “The Enclave” by Karen Hancock #3

I mentioned in my last post that this one might be a bit of a spoiler, that’s my story and I’m stickin’ to it. Be warned all who read further.

The Enclave by Karen Hancock:

Alright, for the subject matter of the book, it dealt with issues of science and stuff that people have made movies out of and debated for quite awhile now. They have shown episodes of Star Trek (the old one!) dealing with some of these issues, and in my understanding, some of it is still up for debate on whether or not alot of it is right, morally, ethically, etc.

The issues I am talking about are: Cloning, Advanced Tissue Regeneration (brought to my mind kind of what people are hoping to accomplish with stem cell research and umbilical cord research), Cryogenics, (altho this was not touched on nearly as much as the others), and some other scientific subjects. The majority of it tho involved cloning. I know there are issues of where that has successfully been cloned lambs, I think I heard of a cow, and some other animals, or animal products, but in my understanding, no human has successfully been cloned yet.  One of the issues that Ms. Hancock brought up in the book was the issue of whether or not clones would have souls, and if they did, they would not be the same soul of the person that was cloned.

Then the cryogenics came in and it focused on people wanting to further their life…or spending a bunch of money to prolong their bodies long enough for scientific research to come up with cures for various ailments. I always think the process of freezing someones body in hopes that they will be cured in the future is intriguing.

 

The ATR (as stated in the book) or, Advanced Tissue Regeneration was something that really caught my eye! I was in a very bad car accident 7 years ago, and sustained multiple injuries that took me a long time to heal, when I read the part in the book about this it made me wonder if scientists really have advanced this far, and how much something would cost. But as my mom taught me, when you have a thought, follow it through to the end result. What would be the precursor to finding out these results? Would they kill innocents in their research to have better and more advanced medicine, or science? I understand that alot of the drugs we have on the market today are researched this way, and I am in no way condemning helpful medicine, or doctors, or procedures, just these thoughts that are going through my head. Would I be able to accept treatment, or have I accepted treatment that has been tested on innocent people and in turn killed them, or made their lives less livable???

Alright, back on subject. As you can see this book is not only entertaining as a great read, but it is also thought provoking, as made evident by my rabbit trailing down into wonder-land.

I loved how the idea that no matter where a person is, the word of God is active and can reach even down into the darkest of depths to reach a persons soul and convict them.

I give Karen Hancock’s book “The Enclave” two great big thumbs up! I lent it to my mom and am thinking about stealing hubby’s copy to re-read it again. And its only been 2 days since I finished the book! For me, this is what makes a book worth keeping and recommending. On if I would read it over and over again, and “The Enclave” is definitely one that I think I would pick out new stuff each time I read it for quite awhile.

For more information on this book, or blogs reviewing this book, make sure to check out the following links:

Karen Hancock’s blog (note, she recently changed to WordPress, so be sure to use this new address) – http://karenhancock.wordpress.com/

*Participants’ Links:

Brandon Barr
Jennifer Bogart
Keanan Brand
Grace Bridges
Canadianladybug
Melissa Carswell
Valerie Comer
Amy Cruson
CSFF Blog Tour
Stacey Dale
D. G. D. Davidson
Janey DeMeo
Jeff Draper
Emmalyn Edwards
April Erwin
Karina Fabian
Beth Goddard
Todd Michael Greene
Heather R. Hunt
Becky Jesse
Cris Jesse
Julie
Carol Keen
Krystine Kercher
Dawn King
Mike Lynch
Melissa Meeks
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Mirtika
Eve Nielsen
Nissa
John W. Otte
Steve Rice
Crista Richey
James Somers
Speculative Faith
Stephanie
Rachel Starr Thomson
Steve Trower
Fred Warren
Elizabeth Williams

CSFFBT-July “The Enclave” by Karen Hancock

Alright, yesterday I talked about my love of the book “The Enclave” by Karen Hancock and one of the main characters “Lacey McHenry”. Today I would like to focus my attention to one of the other leading characters “Cameron Reinhardt”.

For those of you who have not read the book, you might just want to stay with reading my first review as this one and the one following might just give some plots away. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

 

Alright, Cam, as he is called in the book is somewhat of a distraction, I guess would be the right word, to me. In the beginning of the book he is portrayed to be an ignorant, blundering, clueless but genius man. Not even a man really, more of a boy in a man’s body.

Further in the book he is portrayed to drop some of his mannerisms of awkwardness and become more of a cool person, but with demons haunting him that make him awkward. Then all of a sudden he is shown to be able to cast off that persona and become someone entirely different, such as a super cool spy hero.

While I liked the character immensely, some of the changes in his personality just didn’t seem to fit in my opinion.

I would imagine that if a person was awkward and bumbling around alot, regardless of the training that he might have had at one time that he would have made more “mistakes” due to him being this different person for so long. Habits that have formed and have been continued for years and years are hard to break after just a few days. A month, maybe, but a few days…not so likely. True, a certain few are able to break these habits very quickly, but it just seemed a bit out of character for him.

 

Aside from those inconsistencies, I thought the charisma (?) between Cameron and Lacy are very interesting to see unfold, and to see how they grow to trust each other, despite the odds working against them.

 

For more information on this book, or this author, make sure to check out the following links:

Karen Hancock’s blog (note, she recently changed to WordPress, so be sure to use this new address) – http://karenhancock.wordpress.com/

*Participants’ Links:

Brandon Barr
Jennifer Bogart
Keanan Brand
Grace Bridges
Canadianladybug
Melissa Carswell
Valerie Comer
Amy Cruson
CSFF Blog Tour
Stacey Dale
D. G. D. Davidson
Janey DeMeo
Jeff Draper
Emmalyn Edwards
April Erwin
Karina Fabian
Beth Goddard
Todd Michael Greene
Heather R. Hunt
Becky Jesse
Cris Jesse
Julie
Carol Keen
Krystine Kercher
Dawn King
Mike Lynch
Melissa Meeks
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Mirtika
Eve Nielsen
Nissa
John W. Otte
Steve Rice
Crista Richey
James Somers
Speculative Faith
Stephanie
Rachel Starr Thomson
Steve Trower
Fred Warren
Elizabeth Williams