Tag: Christian

Girl, Naw! by Lacrica A. Angelle

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)7 Comments

The prologue cut to the heart of the book.  I was shocked it started out this way… and at the same time knew from the very beginning I had to know the rest of this story.  ~ Sheila

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About the Book

Antoinette Walker has seen the good, the bad, and the ugly. Those that know and respect her think she has it all, a girl nawwonderful husband, children that thrive in school, and a counseling practice that is growing by leaps and bounds. When hidden things from her past begin to surface, they threaten to destroy everything Antoinette loves. Only God can give her the strength to continue to counsel other women, as she struggles with her own issues of forgiveness. Will her faith be strong enough to help her stand in the midst of opposition?

About the Author

lacricaLaCricia A`ngelle is a licensed Evangelist, writer, and the President and CEO of His Pen Publishing LLC. A native of Chicago, LaCricia currently resides in Tennessee with her four children. Girl, Naw! is her first novel.

Her writing career began when she was a child writing songs, and short stories. LaCricia has always had a God given gift of putting words together.

As a Christian Fiction author, LaCricia not only writes for entertainment, but she also writes for ministry. Her goal in every piece of written work is to draw someone closer to Christ. The characters face real situations. LaCricia writes so that anyone can read her work and get something out of it, whether they are young or old. When you read a LaCricia A`ngelle original prepare to laugh, cry, pray, and stop to say “hmmm.”

LaCricia is an active member of Damascus Road Authors working along side authors Maurice M. Gray, Dr. Linda F. Beed, and Wanda B. Campbell.

My Thoughts:

I am not really sure what I was expecting when I opened the book, but what I read in the prologue took my breath away.  I am a very visual person and I could feel Antoinettes Walker’s pain from the very first paragraph and knew at that point – I had to read this book.  I had to know where it goes from here.

A book on forgiveness and who really is hurt by forgiveness.  I was really impressed that this was a debut book by this author.  Well written and covering the issue of betrayal and forgiveness when the last thing you want to do is put your heart on the line again…. Lacricia reminds us through her characters that there is always a place we can turn to for support and guidance when the paths we travel are dark and unknown.

I actually surprised myself with how much I enjoyed reading this book. Lacricia is an author that I will watch for new writing from.

I received my review copy from TyWebb Productions

I would rate this as a clean PG book that deals with some tough life issues

RADIO SCHEDULE

September 14 – Black Authors Network (8-10 pm EST)
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Black-Author-Network

September 15 -The Sharvette Mitchell Show (6:15 pm EST)
http://www.BlogTalkRadio.com/Mitchell-Productions

September 17 – Chocolate Pages Show (4 pm EST)
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/chocolatepages

September 17 – WordThirst Literary Online Radio Show (8 pm EST)
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/ashea-goldson

Stray Affections by Charlene Ann Baumbich w/ Giveaway

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)23 Comments

A  read that I enjoyed with a cup of hot cocoa during the cool September  evenings with just a touch of magic… that seems to me, to always be found in Minnesota!  ~ Sheila

This giveaway is now closed.  The winner is Tea! 🙂


The last thing that Cassandra Higgins expects out of her Sunday is to be

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Blog Tour

mesmerized at a collectors’ convention by a snow globe. She’s enjoying some mommy time, with husband Ken at home tending their brood of four young boys, when she’s utterly charmed by the one-of-a kind globe containing figures of three dogs and a little girl with hair the color of her own. She can’t resist taking the unique globe home — even if means wrestling another shopper for it!

The beautiful snowglobe sparks long-dormant memories for Cassie, of her beloved Grandpa Wonky, the stray she rescued as a child, and the painful roots of her combative relationship with her mother, “Bad Betty” Kamrowski. Life in Wanonishaw, Minnesota is never dull, though, and Cassie keeps the recollections at bay, busy balancing her boys, her home daycare operation, and being a good friend to best pal Margret. But after a strange — “flurrious”, as Cassie deems it — moment happens with the remarkable snow globe, Cassie and the people she loves are swirled into a tumultuous, yet grace-filled, and life-changing journey.


I found Stray Affections to be an easy read set in my home state – which for some reason I still get a kick out of reading books centered in Minnesota.  Within the first few pages of this book you are introduced to the strain in the relationship between our main character Cassandra (daycare provider and mother of four) and her mother Betty.  IE.  Bad Betty.

Stray Affections deals with betrayal (Cassandra has memories of when she felt she had let down her family pet, Toby, as a child).  This book is centered around a snow globe – and unresolved memories that bubble to the surface as Cassandra learns the power of forgiveness all wrapped into a book that is a bit quirky and fun – ending with an event that not only includes the whole community but with a volunteer effort that made my heart leap!

I read this book while at our cabin in Finland, Minnesota.  I found that an appropriate place to sit back over Labor day weekend and sink into this book.  I found the book a quick, lite read and loved the “Burt’s Durve’s Recipes in the back of the book.  I will be trying these out at the October Bookies Book Club potluck at my home!

Charlene Ann Baumbich is a popular author and speaker and an award-winning journalist. In addition to her Dearest Dorothy series of novels, she has written seven nonfiction books of humor and inspiration. A bungee-jumping, once motorcycle-owning grandma and unabashed dog lover, Charlene lives with her husband and rescued dog Kornflake in Glen Ellyn, Illinois. She loves telling stories, laughing whenever possible, and considers herself a Wild Child of God.

Ashley has generously offered me an additional copy of this book to give away to one lucky reader!  Here’s how to enter:

1 Entry – leave a comment here on something you do in your own community as a volunteer or to better our world

BONUS Entry (ahhh… the coveted bonus entry!) Tweet about this giveaway or blog on it for an extra entry

Remember US entrys only – no po box numbers.  Giveaway will close on September 30

I received this book, and an additional copy to give away from Ashley Boyer of  Multnomah Books

I would give this book a G rating

Fearless by Max Lucado

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)14 Comments

This book is so timely… so on the mark… from the moment I opened it I was reminded what an incredible author Max Lucado is and how his voice is a soothing one in times that feel uncertain…  ~ Sheila

FearlessEach sunrise seems to bring fresh reasons for fear.

They’re talking layoffs at work, slowdowns in the economy, flare-ups in the Middle East, turnovers at headquarters, downturns in the housing market, upswings in global warming. The plague of our day, terrorism, begins with the word terror. Fear, it seems, has taken up a hundred-year lease on the building next door and set up shop. Oversized and rude, fear herds us into a prison of unlocked doors. Wouldn’t it be great to walk out?

Imagine your life, wholly untouched by angst. What if faith, not fear, was your default reaction to threats? If you could hover a fear magnet over your heart and extract every last shaving of dread, insecurity, or doubt, what would remain? Envision a day, just one day, where you could trust more and fear less.

Can you imagine your life without fear?

I tend to forget how great an author Max Lucado is.  That is… I tend to forget until I pick up one of his books, like this one… and “oh yeah”… Max writes like you are sitting in a coffee shop enjoying a wonderful conversation with a close friend over mocha lattes.

In times that seem like no ones job is a surety….  friends and family alike are struggling with finances and fears…. Max writes a book that reminds of us how often the Bible talks about “Do Not Fear”

Feed your fears, and your Faith will starve.

Feed your Faith, and your fears will.

Page 74… Fearless by Max Lucado

I really enjoyed this book and the reminders that worry does not add one second to our lives.  In typical Max Lucado style, this book is peppered with his life stories that apply to why we should not fear, why we should be reminded and know that all is in God’s Hands.  We (I) need to keep our (my) Faith in God.

We all have fears in our life… if we wear them on the outside or hide them deep within us like a disease eating away at us from the inside out…  (see the chapter on There’s a Dragon in My Closet).

There is a wonderful discussion guide in the back of this book that can help you break this down even more and really look closely at each chapter and how it can apply in your own life.

This is a book that I can refer to again and again… and I will.  You can purchase your copy of this book here.

I received this book for review from Thomas Nelson

This is my 100th review!  Watch later today for a giveaway to celebrate!



Blog Tour: The SweetGum Ladies Knit For Love by Beth Pattillo

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)11 Comments

Back-to-School Fiction Blog Tour

Summary for The Sweetgum Ladies Knit for Love

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Blog Tour

Once a month, the six women of the Sweetgum Knit Lit Society gather to discuss books and share their knitting projects. Inspired by her recently-wedded bliss, group leader Eugenie chooses “Great Love Stories in Literature” as the theme for the year’s reading list–a risky selection for a group whose members span the spectrum of age and relationship status.

As the Knit Lit ladies read and discus classic romances like Romeo and Juliet, Wuthering Heights, and Pride and Prejudice, each member is confronted with her own perception about love. Camille’s unexpected reunion with an old crush forces her to confront conflicting desires. Newly widowed Esther finds her role in Sweetgum changing and is surprised by two unlikely friends. Hannah isn’t sure she’s ready for the trials of first love. Newcomer Maria finds her life turned upside-down by increasing family obligations and a handsome, arrogant lawyer, and Eugenie and Merry are both asked to make sacrifices for their husbands that challenge their principles.

Even in a sleepy, southern town like Sweetgum, Tennessee, love isn’t easy. The Knit Lit ladies learn they can find strength and guidance in the novels they read, the love of their family, their community–and especially in each other.

I love books about books.  About reading groups, about book discussions…. I am a bookie through and through.  Beth Pattillo did not disappoint with a group of women who gathered to knit and share their love of books.  I enjoyed the books personalities from the “judges” to the laid back… the personalities popped and I was pleased with Beth Pattillo’s character development.  I liked them.  I wanted to hang out with them, and I dont even knit! With an easy flow to this read it was just fun to meet the likeable women of Sweetgum, Tennessee.

Author Info: RITA Award-winning Beth Patillo combines her love of knitting and books in her engaging Sweetgum series. Pattillo served churches in Missouri and Tennessee before founding Faith Leader, a spiritual leadership development program.

** Watch for this book as well as other delightful reads come up for giveaway during BBAW, September 14 – 18**

This book was a review copy sent to me by Ashley Boyer of Multnomah Books, Random House

This book is rated G

Rose House by Tina Ann Forkner

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)6 Comments

Back-to-School Fiction Blog Tour

rose

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Blog Tour

A vivid story of a private grief, a secret painting, and one woman’s search for hope.

Still mourning the loss of her family in a tragic accident, Lillian Diamon finds herself drawn back to the

Rose House, a quiet cottage where four years earlier she had poured out her anguish among its fragrant blossoms.
She returns to the rolling hills and lush vineyards of the Sonoma Valley in search of something she can’t quite name. But then Lillian stumbles onto an unexpected discovery: displayed in the La Rosaleda Gallery is a painting that captures every detail of her most private moment of misery, from the sorrow etched across her face to the sandals on her feet.
What kind of artist would dare to intrude on such a personal scene, and how did he happen to witness Lillian’s pain? As the mystery surrounding the portrait becomes entangled with the accident that claimed the lives of her husband and children, Lillian is forced to rethink her assumptions about what really happened that day.
A captivating novel rich with detail, Rose House explores how the brushstrokes of pain can illuminate the true beauty of life.

Rose House is about grief and loss.  Lillian finds herself at Rose House grieving a loss of family to a tragic car accident.  While staying close to Rose House as detectives have requested, she feels as though she is being watched.  Years later upon her return to Rose House she wanders into a shop and finds a picture of Rose House with a woman in the picture who is undoubtedly her.  Who took the picture?  What did they want?

Rose House is the type of book I really want to say more about, but find that anything I say feels like I am giving too much away.  A gentle read on grief and beyond….

Tina Ann Forkner is the author of Ruby Among Us. Originally from Oklahoma, she now lives with her husband and three children in Wyoming, where she serves on the Laramie County Library Foundation’s board of directors.

** Watch for this book as well as other delightful reads come up for giveaway during BBAW, September 14 – 18**

This book was a review copy sent to me by Ashley Boyer of Multnomah Books, Random House

This book is rated G



Blog Tour: The Confidential Life of Eugenia Cooper by Kathleen Y’ Barbo

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)5 Comments

Back-to-School Fiction Blog Tour


confidential lifeSummary for The Confidential Life of Eugenia Cooper

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Blog Tour

The future is clearly mapper out for New York socialit Eugeinia “Genie” Cooper, but she secretly longs to slip into the boots of her favorite dime-novel heroine and experience just one adventure before settling down. When the opportunity arises, Gennie jumps at the chance to experience the Wild West, but her plans go awry when she is drawn into the lives of silver baron Daniel Beck and his daughter and finds herself caring for them more than is prudent–especially as she’s supposed to go back to New York and marry another man.

As Gennie adapts to the rough-and-tumble world of 1880s Colorado, she must decide whether her future lies with the enigmatic Daniel Beck or back home with the life planned for her since birth. The question is whether Daniel’s past–and disgruntled miners bent on revenge–will take that choice away from her.

I have always enjoyed books (and movies)where people switch places, “trade lives” so to speak…  and that is what happens with Eugunia “Gennie”.  Leaving her socialite lifestyle Genie trades places with her maid and the fun really begins!

A fun lite read that had a few laugh out loud moments.  I enjoyed how this fun loving character found herself in a western themed life. As a lover of dime novel books, she finds herself almost in the same situations as the characters in the books she has so enjoyed to read!

Author:  Kathleen Y’Barbo is the best-selling, award-winning author of more than thirty novels, novellas, and young adult books, with more than a half-million in print. A graduate of Texas A&M University, she is currently a publicist with Books & Such literary agency.

** Watch for this book as well as other delightful reads come up for giveaway during BBAW, September 14 – 18**

This book was a review copy sent to me by Ashley Boyer of Multnomah Books, Random House

This book is rated G


Any Minute by Joyce Meyer & Deborah Bedford (Audio review)

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)22 Comments

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any minuteSarah Harper is driven to achieve success no matter what the cost. She wants to do good and not hurt the people she loves–especially children and her husband, Joe–but her desire to succeed in her career too often leaves little time for family. One cold, autumn afternoon, all of that changes when Sarah’s car plunges off a bridge and into a river. She is presumed dead by those on the “outside,” but Sarah’s spirit is still very much alive. What she discovers on the other side transforms everything about Sarah’s view of life-

-past, present, and future. When Sarah is revived, she is a changed woman. And the unsuspecting world around her will never be the same again.

Joyce holds an earned PhD in theology from Life Christian University in Tampa, Florida; an honorary joyce meyerdoctorate in divinity from Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma; and an honorary doctorate in sacred theology from Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, Arizona. Joyce and her husband, Dave, have been married for over forty years, and they are the parents of four grown children. Dave and Joyce Meyer make their home in St. Louis, Missouri.

On Thursday I spent the better part of the day in my Durango hauling my sons belongings 3 1/2 hours away to his college.  While in the vehicle that long I finally had just the occasion to pop in this audio book.  I really enjoyed this audio book and I am a bit saddened to say that I picked up on a little bit of me in the main character of Sarah Harper.  I tend to be an over achiever, driven, and many times over booked.  This audio book reminded me once again what is important – and what truly is not.

I really enjoyed the reader, Ellen Archer, and found she mastered this well.  I have never read a Joyce Meyer book before but I will actively be searching out her work now.

I received this audio book from Hachette Audio Books for review

This is a G rated audio



The Hope of Refuge by Cindy Woodsmall w/ Giveaway!

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)28 Comments

This giveaway is closed – congratulations winner!  🙂

Over this past weekend Al and I were traveling to a nearby town and on the side of the road an Amish woman was selling items with her horse cart parked behind her.  It was such a beautiful site and I wished I could stop and take a picture.  It reminded me of the warm feeling I got when I read The Hope of Refuge.  ~ Sheila

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Blog Tour

Raised in foster care and now the widowed mother of a little girl, Cara Moore struggles against poverty, fear, and a Hope of Refugerelentless stalker. When a trail of memories leads Cara and Lori out of New York City toward an Amish community, she follows every lead, eager for answers and a fresh start. She discovers that long-held secrets about her family history ripple beneath the surface of Dry Lake, Pennsylvania, and it’s no place for an outsider. But one Amish man, Ephraim Mast, dares to fulfill the command he believes that he received from God–“Be me to her”– despite how it threatens his way of life.

Completely opposite of the hard, untrusting Cara, Ephraim’s sister Deborah also finds her dreams crumbling when the man she has pledged to build a life with begins withdrawing from Deborah and his community, including his mother, Ada Stoltzfus. Can the run-down house that Ada envisions transforming unite them toward a common purpose–or push Mahlon away forever? While Ephraim is trying to do what he believes is right, will he be shunned and lose everything–including the guarded single mother who simply longs for a better life?

I really enjoy reading about other cultures.  In The Hope of Refuge, I get a chance to walk among the Amish and the way they do life.  This book is really about two women – Cara, trying hard to find a safe life for herself and her daughter, and then Deborah who has waited a long time to be with the love of her life, finds he is changing and it is out of her power to bring him back…

An enjoyable read.  I love the flow of the words and the writing around the Amish community.  I felt from this book I had a good sense of what that community life was like for them.  Wonderfully developed characters and I found myself really thinking about the message Ephram had believed he had received from God about Cara, “Be Me, to her.”

Author Bio:

Cindy WoodsmallCindy Woodsmall is the author of When the Heart Cries, When the Morning Comes, and The New York Times Best-Seller When the Soul Mends. Her ability to authentically capture the heart of her characters comes from her real-life connections with Amish Mennonite and Old Order Amish families. A mother of three sons and two daughters-in-law, Cindy lives in Georgia with her husband of thirty-one years.

Cindy Woodsmall on NBC Nightline


I have not read Cindy Woodsmall before this book but I do look forward to reading her again.

I have a giveaway copy for this book!  To enter:

1.  Leave a comment with what you do to relieve stress or anxiety when put in a stressful situation

2.  Blog or twitter this giveaway for a bonus entry -leave the link here on a separate comment

3.  Comment on any other posting and receive an additional entry

USA only please and no po box numbers.  be sure I have a way to connect with you if you are the winner.  This giveaway will end September 1

You can still follow Cindy’s adventures on Youtube, Facebook, and Twitter. See you there!

I received this book and a giveaway copy from Liz Johnson of Random House

This book is rated PG


Faith In Fiction Saturday: The Pastor Character

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)6 Comments

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Today’s Faith in Fiction questions is:

What do you think about the portrayal of pastors and ministers in general market fiction? How about Christian fiction? How was the pastor portrayed in the last book you read with a minister? What’s your favorite fictional minister? What do you think is an accurate and realistic fictional clergyman?

As I thought about these questions, I have to say it was a bit embarrassing that I actually had to use my Tag Cloud on my sidebar to find my Christian Fiction reviews.  My last one was in March of this year.  Yikes!  I have read more recent Christian reads but they were not fiction.

Looking over that last review of In Search of Eden, the pastor as I recall in that book, was your typical loving Pastor who was kindhearted, giving…  not a real jump out at you character, but a secondary character, almost an “insert pastor here.”

The books I mentioned in last Saturday’s Faith in Fiction, the three Randall Arthur books, the pastors in these books were more the struggling with faith pastors due to life circumstances and/or poor choices on their part.  One of the books portrays a pastor that is so by the Book (literally) that he drives his own wife and daughter away.  Francine Rivers has written of these types of pastors in her Christian Fiction books as well.

I have to admit, I actually prefer the pastor characters I mentioned in the second paragraph.  The sometimes struggling, sometimes questioning, pastor.  To me that is just more real and I prefer to think of pastors as people who are trying to get it right, just like the rest of us.

As far as a favorite fictional pastor character, I am coming up blank here.  All I can think of is the Pastor in The Mitford books by Jan Karon, he was ok, but the books themselves were such light reads.  I am open to suggestions. (Obviously I am in need of a good Christian Fiction book).  🙂

Faith in Fiction Saturdays is a meme created by My Friend Amy

Faith in Fiction Saturday: Diversity in Christian Fiction

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)7 Comments

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I have been watching My Friend Amy’s Faith in Fiction posts for several weeks now and just have not had the time to participate but told her last week that this would be the week that I would start.

Do you think Christian fiction represents a diverse range of belief, Christian experience, skin color, and nationality? Have you ever read a book and realized you hadn’t read anything quite like it in Christian fiction before? Have you ever wished an author would take a different point of view? Do you think that avid readers of Christian fiction are open to more diversity in Christian fiction? What are some stand-out examples of books that represent diversity in Christian fiction?

By reading her post this morning and then searching my book shelves, I find that her response about the lack of Christian authors of other nationalities is few and far between to be true. In fact, I was surprised to look through my wide variety of books to come back with a Christian Author of another nationality for this post…. and I came up empty handed.  (Read Amy’s post she mentions a couple authors here who I have not read but sound like they have great reads that I would love to try.)

This sort of shocked me as I guess, when I am choosing a Christian Fiction read I have never paid attention to what nationality the author was, I just assumed that there were many represented in what I have read.  This is not true.

When we talk diversity in Christian Fiction I think back to three books I read several years ago by a Christian Author who I just loved and found to be so real, Randall Arthur.

The three books are Jordan’s Crossing, Brotherhood of Betrayal, and Wisdom Hunter. For me, at the time of reading, Randall had such a fresh perspective on Christian Fiction that I had not experienced before. These books each have a powerful message about the enslaving hypocrisy of legalistic Christianity.

wisdom hunterRandall Arthurs books deal with tough topics like in Wisdom Hunter,
” Jason Faircloth is a pastor in a large and growing church. He is known as the general, and leads with power. Jason sees the world in black and white. That means some thing are absolutely wrong and other things are absolutely right. Jason believes God has shown him which ideas are which. He is so strict that he drives his teenage daughter to run away.
One day Jason’s world is turned upside down. He learns that his runaway daughter died after just delivering a baby. Jason’s daughter was married, and the father of the baby does not want Jason to see the baby; or know where they live. Jason’s wife goes into a deep depression after hearing the news, and dies shortly after.
Jason feels like he has no idea what to believe in anymore. He begins a nation wide search to find his granddaughter and discover what life is about. ”

jordans-crossing2Jordan’s Crossing,

When pastor John Rau, an avowed liberal, accepted a position with a European missions agency, his decision was not based on an opportunity to serve God, but on the monetary rewards the position would bring him. Shortly after his family’s arrival in Germany, Jordan’s priorities dramatically change. When his young son, Chase, is murdered, Jordan becomes obsessed with finding his son’s killers and delivering justice by his own hand.

brotherhoodBrotherhood of Betrayal,

“Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples,” Jesus said (John 13:35, NLT).  Respected missionary pastor Clay McCain leaves his family and growing church in Sweden for a beautiful, wealthy woman. But the Christian community reacts cruelly – even to his innocent abandoned family… A Family Nightmare… Clay McCain, a high-profile American pastor serving in Stockholm, Sweden, mysteriously disappears. Who can his wife, Rachel, and her three young children turn to for help? Her Swedish friends? Her home church in the United States? Her mission board? Her relatives? Rachel’s eventual outreach of trust, alongside a shocking discovery, sets off an unexpected avalanche of betrayal that turns her world, her family, and her faith upside down.

Randall Arthur served as a Missionary in Europe for twenty-two years.  He and his wife Sherri, worked as Church planters in Germany and Norway before returning to the US in 1998.

I love that he touched on many subjects that are not easy to  discuss in Christian fiction when the reality is, these are  import topics.

There are many great Christian Fiction authors and reads out there and I tend to like the ones that really press the tough issues that are a reality in our world.