Books, Movies, and Chinese Food

Title : Secrets of the Heart Author : Al Lacy Copyright : 1998 How long was the book languishing in your TBR pile ? About a month What made you buy/borrow the book in the first place ? Actually I read this book when it originally came out but I'm currently going through the alphabet with Christian fiction authors and I was in the L's and I thought I'd reread it because I didn't remember the story. What were your thoughts on the story ? Well now I remember why I didn't really like this book the first time around. The premise of the series is interesting, about mail order brides and their decision to leave home to marry a stranger. This story however, is about revenge and how as a Christian you shouldn't want it. Not wanting to spoil the story for anyone who hasn't read it, a quick recap would be this: Poor girl marries rich guy, rich inlaws hate girl, husband dies, in laws take away daughter and won't let mother see her, mother answers mail order ad

A change will do you good Dee is now living the fabulous life. Once overweight and unhappy, thanks to gastric bypass surgery, plastic surgery and a great job she's starting to enjoy life a little more. She still won't forgive her ex-husband who cheated on her even though he keeps bugging her about it. She's enjoying her new image and wants to enjoy her life to her fullest. Unfortunately her two 30+ year children don't seem to share this idea with her and constantly bicker with Dee blaming her for their parents' breakup. Plus Dee's new clients are not the easiest bunch to work with. Then just as there is a new guy in the horizon, Dee is forced to work with her ex on the project! This definitely puts her new faith in Christianity to the test. This was a really fun book to read. I enjoyed reading about Dee's business with all the movie stars. Loved the costume ball sequence with Patrick Swayze. I also enjoyed that the person who had kept doing wrong to D

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing RECLAIMING NICK ( Tyndale Fiction, 2007) by Susan May Warren ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Award winning author SUSAN MAY WARREN recently returned home to her native Minnesota after serving for eight years with her husband and four children as missionaries with SEND International in Far East Russia. She now writes full time from Minnesota's north woods. Visit her Web site at www.susanmaywarren.com . Here is my review from back in February: I wanna be a cowboy baby Nick Noble is a modern day prodigal son. He's finally returned to the family ranch after leaving ten years ago. His father has died and Nick has found out that the ranch has been split between him and his siblings and his former best friend Cole. He wants to know why Cole should get what is rightfully his. Piper is pretending to be a ranch cook so she can investigate Nick who she believes is the cause of why her brother went to jail. The two develop a rel

Could you survive? The blackout story continues in the second book in the Restoration series. The town is beginning to adapt to an lifestyle without electricity. It is like living in the middle ages again, with the people having to discover new ways to survive. The Banning family has managed to create a semi-comfortable life in this new world. They have food, will soon have water, shelter, and most importantly each other. However not everyone has it this lucky, as the reader is introduced to a group of siblings trying to fend for themselves without their mother. The two groups clash with a battle about what it takes to truly survive in this new world. Reading about the filth that the children had to live in made me really uncomfortable at times. It's really amazing how we take just a working toilet for granted. This book pretty much explains survival of the fittest. Only the people who lived in communities where there was some sense of order was able to live a semi-normal

It's the end of the world as we know it... The world has suddenly gone dark and quiet. Something has caused all forms of power to go out, from advanced forms of technology to even the smallest battery. Communication is at a standstill, cars are left unattended, people must now walk on foot to get around. Chaos is erupting everywhere. In the midst of this, the reader is introduced to the Banning family and their struggles to adapt to this new type of world. As their town tries to live in this new society, murders keep happening forcing the community to realize the murderer is one of their own. When I read this book, I got freaked out thinking about what if this really happened today. Loss of communication would be totally devastating to our livelihood. Just when a hurricane or blizzard comes, we complain about not having electricity for a couple of days. Here in the book, the characters have no idea when or if they will ever get power again. It's scary to think about what i

First off, I was going to boycott this movie. The reason is because I am not a Kirsten Dunst fan at all. Maybe it's because she acts annoying in all the movies she's been in. Maybe it's because she always dated actors I used to have crushes on. I mean I didn't (and still won't) see any of the Spiderman movies in theaters because of her even though I absolutely adore Tobey Maguire and James Franco. So when I saw the trailer for this movie portraying Dunst as the extravagant and flighty queen, I said forget about it. But then that trailer really got to me. I really liked the song "Age of Consent" by New Order so much that I put it on my MySpace page where it's been for the last couple of months even though I have received many pleads to change it (NEVER!!). I heard all the hype about how the movie is unique for using modern music in a period costume drama. So I caved and decided to watch it. Well let me say, I was blown away, and I actually enjoy

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing IT HAPPENS EVERY SPRING ( Tyndale Fiction, 2007) by Gary Chapman and Catherine Palmer ABOUT THE AUTHORS: GARY CHAPMAN is the author of the New York Times best seller The Five Love Languages and numerous othe r books . He's the director of Marriage & Family Life Consultants, Inc., and host of A Growing Marriage , a syndicated radio program heard on over 100 stations across North America. He and his wife, Karolyn , live in North Carolina. CATHERINE PALMER is the Christy Award-winning, CBA best-selling author of more than forty novels--including The Bachelor's Bargain --which have more than 2 million copies in print. She lives in Missouri with her husband, Tim, and two sons. Got Spring Fever? In the small town of Tranquility, everything seems to be picture perfect from the outside. It's your average small American town where everyone knows your name. It's also spring, a happy ti

A second helping please The Potluck ladies are back with more adventures and more food to share. In this go-round, once again each character has her own back story that takes special meaning in her life. Evie is trying to get attention of her sheriff boyfriend and somehow becomes engaged to another man! Goldie is trying to settle into her new single life, but her former husband keeps trying to win her back. Vonnie brings her long lost son to meet the family of the father he never knew while Donna seems to be catching his eye and that of reporter Clay. Lizzy's adult son has moved back home after being separated from his wife. And then there's Lisa Leann, whose wedding shop is a hit and she starts her own column with a little help from the tidbits she picks up around the store. The characters all intertwined through their potlucks which bring a sense of togetherness to the story. Once again, I had a grand time while reading this book. It was funny, the characters were fleshe

Fight fire with fire The Yada Yada Prayer group faces its toughest challenges yet. From white supremacy groups to interracial churches, lottery money to unplanned pregnancies, the group still manages to find time to get together and pray over all the hot issues in their lives. Heavy and serious topics are discussed making the reader feel like they are watching their evening news. Just be prepared to laugh, cry, get angry..just get ready to feel any emotion you have while reading this book. I felt this book had the strongest message and dealt with the most serious issues discussed in the series so far. I really hate seeing the words of the Bible twisted and used to discriminate against others. How people can actually believe the lies told by these groups is beyond me. This was the first book in the series where I felt that everyone reacted realistically. With the group being so diverse, the race issue was bound to be brought up. It's also amazing how just by being Christians

Fantasy fun for the kiddies Landon Snow, on a trip to visit his grandparents, finds himself transported into a magical world beyond the library. In it he discovers talking books, chess pieces that come to life, and trying to find out what is the meaning of the Book his grandfather keeps talking about. Strange clues and riddles keep him on his toes during his search. Will he find out the answer to what is the meaning of everything? I read this book mainly because it was highly touted as a Christian alternative to Harry Potter. Since I am a huge Harry Potter fan, I was curious as to see whether or not this book could live up to the hype. Well, if I was just going to compare the two, I find myself slightly disappointed. This book is nothing like Harry Potter, if anything it's more Lemony Snicket where you learn things while you're reading. There is lots of imagery in this book, a lot which might go over the head of little kids. I must admit, I got confused quite a bit while re

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing THE RELIANCE ( Barbour, January 1, 2007) by Mary Lu Tyndall ABOUT THE AUTHOR: M. L. (MARYLU) TYNDALL grew up on the beaches of South Florida loving the sea and the warm tropics. But despite the beauty around her, she always felt an ache in her soul--a longing for something more. After college, she married and moved to California where she had two children and settled into a job at a local computer company. Although she had done everything the world expected, she was still miserable. She hated her job and her marriage was falling apart. Still searching for purpose, adventure and true love, she spent her late twenties and early thirties doing all the things the world told her would make her happy, and after years, her children suffered, her second marriage suffered, and she was still miserable. One day, she picked up her old Bible, dusted it off, and began to read. Somewhere in the middle, God opened her hardened heart to see

Word Imagery at its best Heather Curridge is living the life she's always dreamed of and that everyone envies. She's married a doctor, has a wonderful son, good friends, a big house, and enough money to splurge on whatever she wants. However buying tennis courts and swimming pools isn't all it's cracked up to be. Soon Heather finds herself feeling unsatisfied with her life. Her son's encounters with a bully dredges up old memories from her past. It takes a jaywalking kangaroo, a car full of cake and two Quaker ladies to help Heather realize what are the most important things in her life. First off I loved the Beatles references in this book. The book was divided into three parts, each named after a Beatles song. Heather's story was very intriguing. Her past with Gary and Mary kept getting hinted at throughout the book, giving you only slight glimpses into the past. This either will keep you wanting to read to find out more, or frustrates you because Hea

Never a dull moment The Yada Yada sisters are back again. This time around the group is facing issues such as Avis dating again after being widowed, Stu moving in above Jodi and the two clashing over their personalities and Delores' son wanting to date Jodi's daughter. The group is also trying to help out the same woman who threatened their lives some months ago. While there is dispute over how the matter should be treated, the group still finds time to bond together, helping each other out in times of sorrow, distress, and happiness. This book is as real as real life is. I've never read a book where I feel like I'm actually living the lives of the characters. They have so much going on in their lives that I wish I could participate in. I really liked Amanda's quinceanera and what Denny did for her. I wish more father's were that loving towards their daughters, society would be so much better off if they did. I also liked the Polar Plunge opening in th

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing THE WATCHERS ( Bethany House, March 1, 2007) by MARK ANDREW OLSEN ABOUT THE AUTHOR: MARK ANDREW OLSEN whose novel The Assignment was a Christy Award finalist, also collaborated on bestsellers Hadassah (now the major motion picture: One Night With the King ), The Hadassah Covenant , and Rescued . The son of missionaries to France, Mark is a graduate of Baylor University. He and his wife, Connie, live in Colorado Springs with their three children. ABOUT THE BOOK: Just below the surface among the family of God lives another family tree--one traced in spirit, invisible and ageless, known as the Watchers. For two thousand years they've seen beyond the veil separating this world from the next, passing on their gift through a lineage mostly overlooked. Throughout history they've scouted the borders of the supernatural frontier, but now their survival hangs by a thread. And their fate lies in the hands of a young woman,

Taken from Bonnie: Michele the owner of the Blogging Chicks blogroll has started a new blogroll for Christians called the Christian Blogosphere blogroll. It is open to Christians of all demonations and gender. You can find out more information about the blogroll at the Christian Blogosphere . More links on your blog are always good. :)

Hate the sin? Gracie Lee Harris has moved to California and married a man who has turned out to be two timing con man. He has not only gotten into a car accident with her car and taken her money, he's also gotten another woman pregnant! And it's someone from Gracie's small group from church! Then if things couldn't get any worse, he gets murdered in the hospital! Gracie finds out there are several suspects that could have done this including her (evil) mother in law and her (nasty) step daughter. She has to discover who the murderer is before she becomes the next target. This was a fun book. It's not your normal Christian happy family novel. There isn't really a happy, let's tie up all the ends, everyone hugs ending. And Dennis commits huge sins that he never repents for. Which is fine with me, to me that is more realistic than him getting a deathbed conversion. I really could not stand her mother in law or her step daughter. I know mothers are usua

Art Smart Desiree Jacobs works as an art security adviser that has been trained in the ways of an art thief by her father. She knows everything about how to get around security systems in museums and how to tell a genuine piece of art from a fake. Then she gets the news that her father has been murdered and he has left behind to her a container full of stolen paintings. Desiree needs to return the paintings to their rightful owners before anyone notices. Meanwhile special agent Tony Lucano is hot on Desiree's trail, trying to find out what her plans really are. They have a sketchy relationship where he doesn't trust Desiree and she can't stand him. However the two will have to set aside their differences to find out who her father's murderer is and to stop the art thieves. I think that Desiree had an awesome job. I really liked Desiree's ability to disguise herself enough to fool people for her job. I enjoyed the scene where she almost got caught even thou

Real Life Fiction The Yada Yada Prayer Group has been meeting for a while now and everyone is starting to get used to each other. Even though the group is very diverse, friendships are beginning to flourish and everyone is starting to open up little by little. But then one night at a group meeting, a woman comes into Jodi's house and threatens the group with a knife causing many old wounds to be opened in the group. Other issues with racism, anger, and trust put the group through a tough time as it tests all how strong is their friendship and their faith. First off, I love love love the Yada Yada book series. I wish I was in a group like this. I love how this book series is very daring in the topics it chooses. Racism is something that most Christian books avoid because it's a touchy subject. Since the book is told from Jodi's POV, it's very easy to take her side on the issue with Ma Dear, Denny, and Adele. You get frustrated with everyone for not communicating

It is March 1st , time for the FIRST Day Blog Tour! (Join our alliance! Click the button!) The FIRST day of every month we will feature an author and his/her latest book's FIRST chapter! This month's feature author is: Marvin Olasky and his book: Scimitar's Edge ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Dr. Olasky is editor-in-chief of World Magazine, a senior fellow of the Acton Institute, and a professor at the University of Texas at Austin. He and his wife Susan have been married for 30 years and have four sons. He has written 17 non-fiction books and has also started (with several others) a Christian school; he has been a crisis pregnancy center chairman, a foster parent, a Little League assistant coach, a PTA president, and an informal advisor to George W. Bush. He is a graduate of Yale University and the University of Michigan. Stepping away from his roles as professor, historian, and creator of "compassionate conservatism," Marvin Olasky , editor-in-chief of WORLD Magazine has