Redwall (Redwall, #1)

Title: Redwall
Author: Brian Jacques
Labels: Fiction | Fantasy
Publisher: Puffin/Philomel Books
Publication Date: September 20, 2002
Recommended To: Children, YA, Adult
Contains: The best story ever.

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Blurb From Goodreads: Redwall Abbey, tranquil home to a community of peace-loving mice is threatened by Cluny the Scourge - the evil-one-eyed rat warlord - and his battle-hardened horde of predators. Cluny is certain that Redwall will fall easily to his fearsome army but he hasn't bargained for the courage and strength of the combined forces of the Redwall mice and their loyal woodland friends.
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Redwall has been one of my favorite books and series since I was a kid. No matter how old I get, it never gets old. I love that regardless of your age, Redwall is a book that is enjoyable for everyone. I have friends who read it as kids and are still periodically reading them as adults. I am fully convinced that Redwall is and will continue to be a classic.

Redwall, the first book in the series, revolves around the adventures of a young mouse named Matthias. Matthias lives at Redwall Abbey, a peaceful sort of place dedicated to helping woodland creatures in need and living in peace in Mossflower. All this is shattered when the notorious rat Cluny the Scourge shows up on the scene, dead set on conquering the abbey and enslaving its inhabitants. It's up to Matthias to step up and lead his fellow creatures to victory over the rat and his horde, with the help of relics left behind by the deceased Martin, the Warrior of Redwall.

I'm very glad I stumbled upon this old favorite and got the chance to read Redwall again! Highly recommended to all ages! I borrowed this book, and therefore was not required nor asked to write a review, nor a positive one at that. I was not compensated for this review.

Critical Reaction

Title: Critical Reaction
Author: Todd M. Johnson
Labels: Fiction | Legal Thriller
Publisher: Bethany House
Publication Date: November 19, 2013
Recommended To: Men, Women, Adult, YA
Contains: Clean

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Blurb From Goodreads: After decades of turning out plutonium for the arms race, the Hanford Nuclear Facility has long been shuttered, though its deadly legacy cannot be fully contained. The men who guard the facility from sabotage or monitor its buildings for radiation leaks are told the risks are under control. They believe it, until the worst happens: a thunderous explosion in the dead of night.
          Two workers, lifer Poppy Martin and new hire Kieran Mullaney, believe themselves lucky to survive the blast. But as the debris is cleared, they discover their safety is not assured. Dead ends and closed doors halt their efforts to discover what really happened--and what radiation may have poisoned them. When stalling and threats force them into the hands of experienced trial lawyer Ryan Hart, they learn that theirs is no ordinary lawsuit. There is something still hidden in the desert of eastern Washington, and someone is willing to go to extreme lengths to make sure it never sees the light of day.
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I had an interesting time reading this book. Initially I was a bit turned of some preconceived ideas of what a thriller should be like. Before Critical Reaction, I had only read one other thriller. This first thriller was crazy face paced, drew you in immediately and didn't let you go even if you did want to take a quick break from it. So that's the impression I had stuck in my mind of what thrillers were like. Evidently legal thrillers are a bit different, but by the end I liked it just as much.

Critical Reaction revolves around a legal case in which Kieran is suing the nuclear waste company that he works for. The lawsuit is a result of an accident that happened several months ago, one in which Kieran is pretty sure he was exposed to radiation. He jumps into the lawsuit with one agenda--to find answers. He enlists a college friend to help him, and thus enters Emily and her estranged father. The trio join forces but soon find that the accident involved far more than anyone realized.

I really did end up liking this book a lot, despite my early reservations toward it. I loved that the point of view switched around to various people involved in the accident, which allowed the reader to periodically see different pieces of the puzzle and attempt to figure out the big picture. Of course, like any good book that uses this technique, it was never enough to get too far ahead and figure out everything before the characters, but it was enough to give the reader motivation to try and thus remain hooked. This is definitely a book that I would recommend!

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher for this review. These opinions are my own; I was not required to write a positive review, nor was I compensated for this review.

Real

Title: Real
Author: Jamie Snyder
Labels: CLGN | Christian Living
Publisher: Bethany House
Publication Date: October 1, 2013
Recommended To: YA, Adults
Contains: N/A

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Blurb From Goodreads: Does your Christianity "show"? Pastor Jamie Snyder shares how to have a deeper, more satisfying walk with Jesus that goes beyond church on Sunday.
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Even though this was a rather short book, and easy read, I found Real to be very thought provoking and at times, convicting. Snyder takes on the task of posing the question we should all be asking ourselves: if it weren't for Sunday, would anyone know we were Christians?

Snyder proceeds to step by step evaluate seven aspects that define a life dedicated to Jesus, including unbridled generosity, daring courage, rebellious joy, and others. Despite its short length, this book touches on so many aspects of being a following of Jesus. Probably my favorite quote of the whole book was at the end, literally one of the last pages where Snyder says, "Political and religious leaders of the day even accused the church of turning the world upside down in the name of Jesus. [...] I would love to be accused of turning the world upside down in the name of Jesus."

I liked that each chapter ended with questions, which makes this a great book to use for a youth group, Sunday school, or other small group study. It's an easy read--I made it through it in only a few days despite work, school, homework, and being sick. But at the same time, I found it challenging in a lot of ways. Definitely worth the read!

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher for this review. These opinions are my own; I was not required to write a positive review, nor was I compensated for this review.

Counseling: How to Counsel Biblically

Title: Counseling: How to Counsel Biblically
Author: John MacArthur
Labels: Church and Ministry | Pastoral Helps | Pastoral Care & Counseling
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Publication Date: August 23, 2005
Recommended To: Counseling Students, Church Leaders
Contains: N/A

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Blurb From Goodreads: Solid theological foundations of biblical counseling are clearly presented in contrast to humanistic and secular theories of psychological counseling. A practical, proactive, and relevant book for students, church leaders, and lay people. This collection of writers represents some of America's leading biblical teachers and counselors.

Other contributors include: Ken L. Sarles, David Powlison, Douglas Bookman, David B. Maddox, Robert Smith, William W. Goode, and Dennis M. Swanson.
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This was a book I had to read for a counseling class I took at the beginning of the semester. Now, I'm going to lay this right out from the beginning--I don't agree with everything that MacArthur teaches, nor all his views. My professor made a point of saying that she didn't agree with everything either; however, she said that she thought it was probably the best single book that covers everything on the subject.

On her second statement, I would agree. I think that if you're looking for one book to give you a general knowledge base on the topic, this is a good book to pick up. It covers most of the bases, and explains things thoroughly, I thought. If you're looking for a book to get you started with Biblical Counseling, or just something to understand the subject better, this is a good place to start.

I bought this book, and therefore was not required nor asked to write a review, nor a positive one at that. I was not compensated for this review.

Christmas in Apple Ridge

Title: Christmas in Apple Ridge
Author: Cindy Woodsmall
Labels: Fiction | Contemporary
Publisher: Waterbrook Multnomah
Publication Date: October 9, 2012
Recommended To: Women, YA, Adult
Contains: Clean romance.


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Blurb From Goodreads: Experience the holidays with the Plain folk of Apple Ridge, Pennsylvania, in these touching novellas centered around love, romance, heartache, and restoration from best-selling author Cindy Woodsmall.
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Since this is a three-in-one, I'm going to briefly review each novella individually.

The Sound of Sleigh Bells: I thought this novella was really good. It was an interesting read, and I loved that it had a secrecy strand running through it. The secret that Beth carried throughout the better part of the book added depth and built up the story well. It ended up not being quite as dramatic as I had expected--however I over exaggerate things in my head--but I thought it was a real life issue that can be relatable to the guilt felt by many people today. I loved Jonah to death. He was such a cool character with an awesome background. My favorite part was probably that they wrote letters to each other, which I love the idea of!

The Christmas Singing: This was probably the most unique Amish story I've read, hands down. Mattie is a professional cake decorator, who was once in love with Gideon before he brutally dumped her with the misleading belief that he was having an affair. As it turns out, the real story behind his reasons were heartbreaking and made the story so much more deep and real. Loved it!

The Dawn of Christmas: First off, I just need to say that I absolutely love the name Levi. Definitely one of my favorite guy names. Anyway, I thought this novella was very interesting and had a lot of unexpected twists and turns to it. It starts off with Levi getting hurt, and Sadie saving his life by coincidentally finding him. Both characters have scars from the past and an intriguing fear of commitment, that I think most people can identify with on some level. I thought this was really great and well worth the read.

Overall I thought these three novellas were fantastic, and definitely got me in the Christmas mood! Highly recommended! I received a free copy of this book from the publisher for this review. These opinions are my own; I was not required to write a positive review, nor was I compensated for this review.

King (Books of the Infinite, #3)

Title: King
Author: R.J. Larson
Labels: Fiction | Fantasy
Publisher: Bethany House
Publication Date: July 1, 2013
Recommended To: Middle & Highschool, Adult
Contains: Clean.

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Blurb From Goodreads: Akabe of Siphra is certain his people are insane. Why have they made him a king? What, in the name of peacetime boredom do kings do?
          Frustrated by a lengthy silence from his Creator, the Infinite, Akabe decides to prove himself as king by undertaking a monumental task, his own lifelong dream: Rebuild the Infinite’s temple in Siphra. But Akabe’s impulsive decision sweeps him into a storm of controversy. The Infinite’s enemies join forces in Siphra, and beyond, conspiring to destroy the emerging temple—and to kill their king and his mysterious new queen.
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Initially, I didn't really think I was going to like this book, but I'll be honest, I ended up really enjoying it. I initially didn't have high hopes for this book because it looked like it was aimed more toward juvenile fiction (based off the cover and blurb), which is not my age level and therefore usually doesn't really keep my attention, unless it's a classic or just a flat out awesome juvenile fiction.

However, I loved this book. Each character was unique and real; the setting was detailed and vivid; the plot was intriguing and kept me guessing without losing me in the process. One of the things that really stood out to me was the seemingly implied parallel between the god figure in King, referred to as the Infinite. I don't know if this was actually intended or not, but it seemed to me that the Infinite was a representation of God. As far as I could tell, the root theology behind this lined up, although of course the female prophet (one of the main characters) had certain powers that are not necessarily present today, though they could be compared to gifts and temporary abilities God used through His own prophets to fulfill His purpose. I don't really know how to explain it any better than that, but I thought it was cool to see the similarities.

Overall, I thought it was a great book and definitely one I would recommend to those adults as well as middle and highschoolers. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher for this review. These opinions are my own; I was not required to write a positive review, nor was I compensated for this review.

Redeeming Love

Title: Redeeming Love
Author: Francine Rivers
Labels: Fiction | General | Romance
Publisher: Waterbrook Multnomah
Publication Date: May 9, 2005
Recommended To: Adults
Contains: Mature topics

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Blurb From Goodreads: California's gold country, 1850. A time when men sold their souls for a bag of gold and women sold their bodies for a place to sleep. Angel expects nothing from men but betrayal. Sold into prostitution as a child she survives by keeping her hatred alive. And what she hates most are the men who use her, leaving her empty and dead inside.
          Then she meets Michael Hosea. A man who seeks his Father's heart in everything, Michael obeys God's call to marry Angel and to love her unconditionally. Slowly, day by day, he defies Angel's every bitter expectation, until despite her resistance, her frozen heart begins to thaw. But with her unexpected softening come overwhelming feelings of unworthiness and fear. And so Angel runs. Back to the darkness, away from her husband's pursuing love, terrified of the truth she no longer can deny: Her final healing must come from the One who loves her even more than Michael does...the One who will never let her go.
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This book was really deep and emotional, but I loved it. Redeeming Love is a retelling of the Biblical account of Hosea and Gomer. For those of you who may not be familiar with this account, Hosea was a Biblical prophet who, by the instruction of God, marries a prostitute. God's purpose in this marriage was to show a picture of the relationship between Himself and Israel.

Coming into this book, I was already well aware of the Biblical account of this particular couple, so I was very interested in seeing where Rivers would go with it. She ended up going above and beyond my expectations. I wasn't expecting the way in which these two unlikely characters ended up together, but it fit the story well. While some details differed from the Biblical account, the changed details worked well for the story and the overall plot followed the main point.

I thought this book was fantastic. It showed the struggles on both sides, and dug deep into the emotional spectrum of it. I was glad it showed those struggles without crossing any lines between appropriate and inappropriate. I would highly recommend this book to adults--adults because it does touch on mature topics. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher for this review. These opinions are my own; I was not required to write a positive review, nor was I compensated for this review.

NOTE: I read the revised Christian version, which has had all explicit scenes/language taken out of it. I have heard that the original copy is rather explicit. Depending on how you feel about such things, you may want to take that into consideration.