Review: All in Good Time

All in Good Time follows Dessa Caldwell as she seeks to fulfill her dream of opening a safe house for former prostitutes in the city of Denver in the late 1800s.  But after she's collected as many charitable donations as possible to open Pierson House, she is still in need of a loan to finance the purchase of the house in Denver's Fourth Ward.  After being turned down by numerous banks, one of her last options is Hawkins National Bank, owned by the most successful man in town.  Henry Hawkins is the owner of the bank and though he seems a formidable man, he is determined to hide his past- specifically how his initial capital for his bank came to him. 

All in Good Time was a nice quick read.  I liked that the author definitely brought attention to the issue of prostitution in the post-war post-gold rush era in Colorado, as well as the racial tensions between Whites and Chinese.  The characters were all developed well, and it was nice that no one was 'perfect' and each character had something in their past which affected them in major ways.  Although there were some 'park your brain' moments, I thoroughly enjoyed the story.  The book is part of the Guilded Legacy series so I'm hoping for some more good stories about social and economic justice in the West.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Tyndale House Publishers as part of their book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Review: All for a Song

Dorothy Lynn Dunbar comes from a small town, and it seems her path in life is already laid out: she is engaged to the pastor who took over her father's pulpit and has a solid place in her church and community.  But when she visits her sister in the big city of St. Louis, Dorothy Lynn begins to wonder what her life could be like if she moved away from her hometown of Heron's Nest.  By chance she hears a woman evangelist speaking one night and is offered the chance to travel with her team and sing on stage.  Dorothy Lynn loves to write music and sing, but she never dreamed of performing for anyone.  But when the chance to help find her brother in California opens up, she packs up and joins the evangelist's group.  She promises her fiance she will return, but when she finds herself in California, will things change?

While the writing of All for a Song was good and the plot interesting, there were a few parts about the storyline that the author simply glossed over.  Dorothy Lynn's confusing and ambiguous relationship with one of the male characters is never really fully developed or explained, and at the end of the book, the reader is wondering just what actually happened between the two.  The writing method shifts between present day and the Roaring Twenties, where the bulk of the book takes place.  I liked this method of delivering the story, but at the end the book somehow felt rather incomplete, like I was waiting for one final thought to tie up all the loose ends. 

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Tyndale House Publishers as part of their book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

My Foolish Heart

My Foolish Heart is the story of small-town girl Isadora who spends her nights as Miss Foolish Heart, the host of a syndicated talk radio show.  While her neighbors and friends in her town have no idea Issy is the host of the famous talk show, viewers tune in to hear her advice on dating, searching for the perfect man, and falling in love.  If the truth were to be known- that she's never really done any of those things- Isadora's talk show ratings might plummet.  But her ratings actually soar when she seems to be falling in love on air with a caller- one that she doesn't realize lives right next door to her.

Caleb served a tour of duty in Iraq, paying a high price when he was injured.  He moves to a small town hoping to avoid pity while he hides his disability.  He aims to land his dream job as the high school football coach.  When his pretty neighbor catches his eye, he makes a brash decision to call into the radio show My Foolish Heart, searching for help.  Soon he finds himself confused: is he falling for his neighbor or in fact, Miss Foolish Heart?

This was a cute story written by Susan May Warren.  I finished it rather quickly, as the story was well-written and a fun read.  Even though the overall tone of the book was light, there definitely was some heavier themes- including PTSD and death- addressed throughout the pages.  For the most part, the author was aware of these issues and addressed them appropriately.  Warren also did a really good job of developing the secondary characters of the story and weaved the four main characters' lives together beautifully.  I recommend this short read if you want to experience the gamut of emotions but still feel as through you've unwound with a good book.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Tyndale House Publishers as part of their book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

The Mockingbird Parables

I have to admit- the first thing I noticed about this book was the cover; I really like the art and color scheme.  Then I read the title and the description: "In The Mockingbird Parables, Matt Litton journeys through Harper Lee's beloved 1960 literary masterpiece, introducing each character through the lens of faith."  Of course I was hooked on the idea and couldn't wait to receive the book so I could review it for Tyndale House.

The author is an English teacher who has taught To Kill a Mockingbird to his high school students for several years.  I would venture to say that by the time most American students (and indeed students from all over the world) have graduated from high school, they've read Harper Lee's classic (and if you haven't read it, go.read.it.now).  I think I first read the book sometime in middle school and I remember falling in love with the characters and story on a deeper level than I had previously understood with things literary.  One statement on the back cover resonates with me (and probably millions of others as well): "For many of us, To Kill A Mockingbird was the first book to evoke a moral and spiritual stirring."

Litton works his way through several of the main players and key events of To Kill a Mockingbird and draws a parable from the individuals' character, beliefs, and experiences.  Each chapter is titled appropriately; for example, some of the chapter titles are: "The Parable of House Fires and Church Collections: Our Responsibility to Care for the Neighborhood", The Parable of Atticus Finch: The Model of Christian Courage", "The Parable of Miss Maudie's Azaleas: Our Responsibility to Care for Creation", and "The Parable of Tom Robinson: How Compassion Can Overcome Our Differences."

I very much enjoyed being reintroduced to some of the characters from Lee's novel, and for the most part I agreed with the parables and teachings Litton explained.  There were definitely some moments where I didn't agree with his theology, but overall the book was well written and very engaging.  Litton's strongest arguments dealt with our responsibility to care for the earth and for others, as well as that teaching our children a global understanding of the world is of utmost importance.  As the book description states, "The Mockingbird Parables compels us to ask these often-ignored questions: Do we truly love our neighbors?  Are we building community?  Are we influencing society for the better?"

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Tyndale House Publishers as part of their book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Bible Jumble For Kids

Tyndale Books sent me this book the other week, and I finally got a chance to sit down and flip through it. Bible Jumble For Kids is pretty thick and chalk full of different jumbles designed for children age eight and older. Each of the jumbles (i.e. puzzles) are based on biblical content, and I was surprised to find out just how difficult some of them could be! I love how Scripture is included in each puzzle and is actually the focus of the entire book. In case the puzzle gets too hard for the kid (or you, if you have trouble like I did on a few of them), there is even a box of clues which can help you complete the puzzle and often points you back to Scripture and other biblical concepts.

I think this would be a wonderful gift for any child and would probably be something great to keep him or her entertained during your road trip this summer!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Tyndale House Publishers as part of their book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

What's In the Bible?

Recently, I had the opportunity to review the new children's series What's in the Bible? from the one and only Phil Vischer, creator of VeggieTales. Tyndale House is partnering with Vischer to produce and promote the series that will go through the Bible, book by book, to help teach children...well, What's in the Bible.

My husband and I watched the first two episodes and enjoyed the show immensely. It is a combination of live action, animation, and puppets. The content is great, and although there are bound to be some theological differences in how the information is presented, I felt that overall, the series was remarkably well done. Vischer doesn't water down the information, but rather seeks to present the whole truth to children, teaching them the meaning of big church words thrown around so casually by many believers (e.g. covenant, redemption, canon). One of my favorite segments is titled A Pirate's Guide to Church History; I thought this particular bit was an especially important idea because church history is a generally untouched subject, and yet it is so critical to understand. Even in the first two episodes, Vischer manages to delve into difficult and sticky topics like original sin and the canonization of the Bible.

And of course, you can expect the series to be both serious and funny, engaging not just your children but most likely the whole family. Here is a short excerpt:



I am really looking forward to checking out all the other episodes as well! Maybe the best news of this particular post is that Tyndale has provided me with two certificates for one free DVD of What's in the Bible? to give to two lucky readers!  Each certificate is good for one particular episode: The first episode is titled In the Beginning, and the second episode is titled Let My People Go. If you'd like to win one of these episodes, just leave a comment to be entered.   I'll draw the winners one week from today on the Ides of March (that's March 15th for those of you who didn't take Latin).

Good luck and happy watching!