The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis

People are stupid and they never recognize that they're stupid.. I've been thinking it forever. But maybe that's the point he's making. We miss our own flaws. He makes the faults of the characters so obvious so that maybe you'll see yourself in the pride, the greed, the selfishness, the moral relativity...

I love the idea of the Gray Land...Because isn't that so much like our world. It offers us things that are good, but mediocre; things that will never truly satisfy or bring peace.

It was almost heart breaking to watch people walk away...but free will, man...

160 Pages

Chicken Soup for the Soul: Life Lessons from the Cat: 101 Tales of Family, Friendship and Fun

 Chicken Soup for the Soul: Life Lessons from the Cat: 101 Tales of Family, Friendship and Fun
by Amy Newmark
Pages: 352
Rating: 5 out of 5

Collection of stories from our feline friends and the lessons they can teach us each day. They provide unconditional love, companionship, and are warm fuzzies. Touching stories to make your day. Part of the proceeds of this book go to the American Humane Society.

Green: The Beginning and the End

 Green: The Beginning and the End
by Ted Dekker
Pages: 400 pages
Rating: 4 out of 5

The Circle has lost hope. Samuel, Thomas Hunter's cherished son, has turned his back on his father. He gathers the dark forces to wage a final war. Thomas is crushed and desperately seeks a way back to our reality to find the one elusive hope that could save them all. 

Four Novels, Two Worlds, One Story. 

White: The Great Pursuit (The Circle #3)

 White: The Great Pursuit (The Circle #3)
by Ted Dekker
Pages: 400
Rating: 4 out of 5

Time Is Running Out In Two Realities.

In one world, a lethal virus threatens to destroy all life as scientists and governments scramble to find an antidote. In the other, a forbidden love could forever destroy the ragtag resistance known as The Circle.

Thomas can bridge both worlds, but he is quickly realizing that he may not be able to save either.

In this mind-bending adventure, Thomas must find a way to rewrite history as he navigates a whirlwind of emotions and events surrounding a pending apocalypse.

The fate of two worlds comes down to one man's choice--and it is a most unlikely choice indeed. Life. Death. Love. Nothing is as it seems. Yet all will forever be transformed by the decisions of one man in the final hours of the Great Pursuit.

Red: The Heroic Rescue (The Circle #2)

 Red: The Heroic Rescue (The Circle #2)
by Ted Dekker
Pages: 400
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Less than a month ago, Thomas Hunter was a failed writer selling coffee at the Java Hut in Denver. Now he finds himself in a desperate quest to rescue two worlds from collapse. In one world, he's a battle-scarred general commanding an army of primitive warriors. In the other, he's racing to outwit villians intent on taking over the world with an unstoppable virus.

The story picks up in the second book now that all the main characters are introduced and the way Thomas is in both worlds is already established. 

Black (Circle Series #1)

 Black
by Ted Dekker
Pages: 560
Rating: 4 out of 5

Ted Dekker is known for his fast-paced, character driven novels that are unlike any other Christian fiction I have read and is often not marketed as Christian fiction. This series is a fantasy tale with our reluctant hero, Thomas, fleeing for his life from loan sharks in our world but entering a whole other reality when he dreams. Is he in the future, the past, or an entirely different planet? The beings he meets in the dream world tell him different things and that the others are lying. Who to believe? Which world is real. Both his sister and his new friends say that their world is real and the other a dream. Are they both real? After several "trips" back and forth Thomas is suffering from sleep deprivation but must learn information from both worlds to save the other. If only he can remember and make the right choices. As you may guess from the subtitle, book one sets up the major problems and players in this series. Part of Thomas' task is to decide which side is evil and which side is good and how does he really know? Whose definition of good and evil is correct?

House by Frank E. Peretti and Ted Dekker

 House (Books of History Chronicles)
by Frank E. Peretti and Ted Dekker
Pages: 368
Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

Two writers of supernatural thrillers with a Christian viewpoint join forces for this haunting story of the darkness inside all of us.

Two couples are stranded on a back-roads highway in the middle of the woods in rural Alabama. Separately, each couple arrives at the only shelter for miles. An unassuming house in the middle of nowhere inhabited by an elderly couple and their adult son. Unfortunately, the family does not have a phone to call for help and their is no cell reception. They all sit down to supper together when they are locked inside the house a psychotic killer. He loves to play games and this one will be over at dawn.

This story had it's scary moments, a few moments of the characters personal discovery and some internal soul-searching, but I think it could have been something more. Each of the four main characters has some trauma from their past to face as well as mistakes and sins to own up too. But there just isn't enough time given for the characters to face both their psychological demons and spiritual demons as well as the physical ones that are the eminent threat in the house. The ending felt rushed to me and as a fan of both writers previous works, it was a disappointment. 

My friends who enjoy really creepy traditional horror wouldn't like the psychological and spiritual components of this book and it is not religious enough for my friends who only read Christian fiction to enjoy.

Western Christmas: Yuletide Lawman / Yuletide Reunion by Louise M. Gouge and Renee Ryan

SUMMARY: Both these novellas have women bouncing back after being jilted and falling in love again, just in time for Christmas.

REVIEW: These were gentle Christmas / light romance reads more than Westerns. I found the characters to be somewhat wishy-washy, so was disappointed.

MY RATING: 2 out of 5                           286 pages

The Headhunter's Daughter: A Mystery (Amanda Brown # 2)

 The Headhunter's Daughter: A Mystery (Amanda Brown # 2)

Tamar Myers

Pages: 256

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Cozy Mystery writer Tamar Myers grew up in Africa. Now she takes us all along for the journey in a mystery series set in the Belgian Congo in the mid-twentieth century. She uses her knowledge of the land and the people to describe the culture and the every day life.  This adventure unfolds with the mystery of an abandoned white infant raised by a tribe of headhunters.

The Most Famous Illegal Goose Creek Parade by Virginia Smith

If you are looking for a fun, feel-good read, this book is sweet and satisfying, just like the recipes for lemon cake and vanilla scones that are included within. Millie is determined to restore a Victorian home and run it as a B&B in her small Kentucky town despite her husband's objections.

224 pages

View all my reviews

A Light in the Window by Jan Karon

In the second book of the Mitford series, Father Tim is dating his neighbor Cynthia but is unwilling to admit that he loves her.  Complications develop when Cynthia sees Father Tim return home after an unplanned all-nighter at a rich widow's house.  Can Father Tim fight off the unwanted attentions of Edith Mallory?  Will he overcome his fear of commitment and ask Cynthia to marry him?  You'll find out the answers to these questions and more.  Another satisfying read! 432 pages.

At Home in Mitford by Jan Karon

I had to go back to re-read the Mitford series after reading Jan Karon's Somewhere safe with somebody good.  I just love Father Tim.  He's overweight, tired all the time, and burnt out at his job at the Mitford Episcopal Church.  His bishop suggests that he take a vacation and his doctor warns him to get his diabetes under control or else!  Father Tim starts running again and opens his house to a stray dog.  It all snowballs from there and soon Father Tim finds himself raising a young boy and dating his neighbor.  Who would have thought it could happen!  A very enjoyable read.  413 pages. 

Freefall by Tracie Abramson

(Posted for Diann Stark)

This romantic suspense novel brings together Lieutenant Brent Miller and Amy Whitmore, an LDS Senator's daughter. Brent successfully frees six of seven hostages in the Middle East. Amy, the final hostage, and Brent must cross miles of desert to safety. In order to survive Brent will need her as much as she needs him. Saint Squad series, book 1.

Audio Book: Reading time: 9 hours and 53 minutes. 242 pages

The Undaunted by Gerald Lund

(Posted for Diann Stark)

This is a story about David and how he and his family came to America, the father continued working in the Coal mines, but David took out on his own. Eventually David helped move a group of people who were called to the San Juan Mission in 1879.  They were to create a settlement to serve as a buffer between the established towns of Utah and the lawless frontier of the Four Corners area.  First they had to create a trail over desert slick rock and through desolate cliffs. The story goes into the telling how they built the roads for the wagons to be able to travel through. The first few chapters was hard for me to get through, but, once they get to America the story had my attention and turned out to be a good read!


Audio Book: Reading time: 31 hours and 44 minutes. 804 pages 

52 Steps to Murder by Steve Demaree

This is the first book in the Dekker Cozy Mystery series. I mainly chose it because I have read books 2 and 3 and wanted to see how the series started. The summary reads: "An elderly woman is found poisoned in the upstairs bedroom of her home whose from door stands 52 steps above the street in an old-fashioned whodunit that blends clues, red herrings, suspects, and humor." The mystery is pretty good, but I quickly got tired of the mean-spirited humor and  of the main character as well as the all-to-frequent references to food. 221 pages.

Foreclosed by Traci Tyne Hilton

I picked up this book because it was free and sounded like fun.  In Foreclosed, we are introduced to Mitzy Neuhaus, a real estate agent who tries to stay upbeat despite a flagging economy. She is at loggerheads with real estate rival Alonzo Miramontes as they both decide to pursue the purchase of a recently foreclosed, Victorian home. Turns out inside the home there may be a hidden treasure of jewels! I really, really wanted to like this book for its perky cover alone. But the old adage holds true: you can't judge a book by its cover. The plot and dialogue were okay. The characters were flat. An editor might help. 244 pages.

Lutheran Ladies Circle by Kris Knorr

I learned about the Lutheran Ladies Circle series from BookBub and was intrigued by the description: "If you're looking for a sweet book about dealing with change-this isn't it. The Lutheran Ladies are sassy, have strong-spined opinions, and have stepped out of your office, your kid's soccer club, or your church to live on these pages. They deal with change-sometimes poorly-but with humor and heartache, they're knocking the rough edges from the journey." While many of the characters are caricatures, there is enough truth in them to ring true. I found myself laughing at their antics, and heartened by their friendships while learning some Biblical and spiritual truths.

In Book One, Plucking One String, Vera Henley is the pastor's wife who is used to keeping the ladies of the church organized. Then her husband dies, and suddenly she is not sure who she is anymore. 222 pages.

In Book Two, Through the Knothole, we learn more about Kay McCabe who is struggling with a divorce, children leaving home, losing a job, and taking in boarders. 228 pages.

In Book Three, Thanks for Leaving, we learn the story of  Aunt Ula who takes us back to World War 2 as we learn why and how she developed her feisty nature. 220 pages.

Dekker Cozy Mystery Series by Steve Demaree

Cy Dekker and Lou Murdock are semi-retired from the Hilldale Police Department. They only come back to active duty when a murder has been committed - which seems to happen with regularity! In book 2 of the series, Murder in Winter (204 pages), Cy and Lou must track down the person who is killing a group of actors. In book 3, Murder in the Library (246 pages), Cy and Lou must figure out who killed their friend and mentor, Colonel James Buckham Hardesty. This is a lighthearted, cozy, Christian mystery series that is a little slow at times, but I found myself compelled to read to the end to find out whodunit.

The Walk Series by Richard Paul Evans

(Posted for Paul Mathews)

His very successful lifestyle has fallen apart and he decides to walk across America. He meets many interesting people and good and bad things happen to him.  He finds his own meaning of life realized one step at a time.

Book 1    The Walk     5 hours 35 minutes, 336 pages

Book 2    Miles to Go     7 hours 20 minutes, 400 pages

Book 3    The Road to Grace     6 hours, 256 pages

Book 4    A Step of Faith     5 hours 45 minutes, 279 pages