The Pursuit of God: Updated Edition - A.W. Tozer

This is my nonfiction title that finishes up my 2015 challenge.  Anyone who knows me knows how much I prefer fiction over nonfiction.  For instance, I think I started 3 different nonfiction books before I stumbled on this one and was able to make it all the way through.  Not only that, but it's only 128 pages.  A definite plus for me!  And since my classic was over 500 pages, I didn't feel like I was cheating.

Being the librarian at my church, there are certain authors that appear on the shelves numerous times.  This is one of those authors.  The Pursuit of God is a challenge to stop floating on the surface of the waters and dive deep into relationship with God.  Abandon the surface religion and actively pursue God without ceasing.  Just because we've found God doesn't mean we should stop seeking him.

Even though this book was originally written in 1948, the logic and reasoning behind the author's points are just as relevant if not more so.  At the end of each chapter is a prayer that reflects the chapter's topic.  There's a lot of thee and thou in those, so you might have to slow down to understand them, but this is a great book for those who find themselves in more of a surface than substance relationship with God.

As with many other classics, this one has oodles of editions.  I chose this particular one because it was free.  It was just published in June, but it's free at the moment.  There's also a public domain version that's free.  It's short and sweet and definitely worth reading. I read a chapter a day, so it took me about 10 days to get through it.  You have nothing to lose by giving it a chance, and you just might learn something.

"Complacency is a deadly foe of all spiritual growth."

Good Book!

Through Waters Deep (Waves of Freedom #1) - Sarah Sundin

Hands down, one of my favorite authors!  This is the first book in the Waves of Freedom series and tells the story of Jim and Mary.

It's 1941, mere months before the bombing of Pearl Harbor and America's official entry into the second World War.  Jim is in the Navy, and with two ambitious brothers, he's floated along most of his life, just going with the flow.  He meets up with Mary, a girl he knew in high school and they strike up a friendship.  Initially, he's not interested in a relationship, he's shipping out soon, but he comes to care about her.  Instead of declaring his feelings, he tries to be "suave," which only serves to confuse the situation.

Mary just wants to fade into the background.  With her history, she believes pride to be avoided above all else, even if that means avoiding things she believes she was meant to do.  Jim challenges her beliefs on that score, and she finds the courage to conquer some of her long-held fears and use the talents God gave her.

There's whispers of sabotage at the boat yard Mary works at, and when a bomb is found on Jim's vessel, they end up working together to try and figure out who had a motive and why.  Complications arise both with their relationship and also with the dangers at sea.  As you read this and time gets closer to that fateful day in December, you wonder if they'll have time to declare their love.

This was a great start to the series.  As with her other books, Sundin has decided to focus on a particular family, in this case the Avery's, Jim's family.  The next book in the series, Anchor in the Storm, is said to be due out sometime in 2016, with the final book, The Face of the Deep, out the following year.  From what I've seen, the second book is about Arch(er) and Jim's sister, Lillian.  We get to meet Arch in this book, and I was happy that he was the subject of the next one.  It sounds like the third book will be about Jim's brother, Dan, and Mary's friend, Quintessa.  I'll definitely be on the lookout for both.  This particular book is a complete story you can read alone.  I suspect we'll see this characters later on, but you're not investing in a single story by reading this one.  Great Book!

*I received a copy of this book from Revell through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Finding Mercy (Mercy Medallion Trilogy #2) - Michael Landon, Jr. & Cindy Kelley

This is the second book in the series.  The first one was called Traces of Mercy.  It left me with a major cliffhanger, so I had to read the next one.  I recommend reading the first one before picking this one up, so you won't be lost with what's going on.

Mercy has run away from Elijah and Isaac and is being hunted down by bounty hunters. She's still determined to discover who she really is and doesn't want to put them in danger.  They aren't giving up, though, and end up rescuing her from a dangerous situation.  While at a fort, Mercy sees a portrait that seems familiar, and it gives her a lead that helps her finally discover who she really is.

Finding her family is more confusing than Mercy anticipated.  When she begins to see that she was a much different person before the amnesia, she questions who she really is. Her family is running a plantation with strong feelings about the North, so they decide to keep Elijah's loyalties a secret.  A tragic accident ends up forcing him to stay, and ultimately, revealing his identity to the family.  Once that happens, Mercy, now Charlotte, starts to wonder if she can fit in with her family at all.  With the threat of the bounty hunters still very real, she can't relax and there's other dangers as well.

This was a good book.  The end wrapped up things nicely, which was confusing to me. The series title says it's a trilogy, so I expected another cliffhanger, but it wasn't there. You could read these two and feel perfectly content to stop there.  As of now, I haven't seen anything to suggest a third book, but I'll be keeping an eye out anyway.  Good Book!

Twilight - Kristen Heitzmann

It's been a few years since I've read a book by this author.  Many moons ago, I read Freefall.  I liked it, but it was also a little on the long side for me at the time.  The author had a nice style, so I wanted to try another book by her.  This one was shorter, so I chose it.

Cal is haunted by the demons of the past.  Fighting one fire in particular has changed his life, left him with nightmares and PTSD.  He can't be the firefighter he was meant to be and has been devoting himself to dressing up like a clown and teaching fire safety to children.  His one love, Laurie, is back in town and he wonders what he has to offer her. Just seeing her tears his heart apart, because she seems unwilling to start their relationship back up, but he's not giving up easily.

Laurie has left her husband.  She married him to get the approval of her parents and the posh life she wanted, but the results left her heart hollow and her life in danger.  When bad things start happening, she turns to Cal, and he's willing to risk everything for her while she's unwilling to repeat the past.

This book was great.  The characters are real, flaws and all, and you're really cheering for them to conquer their past and get on with their lives.  They won't be able to do it without God, and that part of the story is woven into the story in such a beautiful way.  I really liked how the book didn't end when the danger left.  It continued on until there was true healing for Cal and Laurie.  Normally, having a lot of pages after the action ends can get tedious, but this book is an exception.  You get so invested in wanting to see these two succeed, you don't feel like there's resolution until they're made whole.

In the end, I was glad I gave this author another chance.  I really enjoyed this one and heartily recommend it.  Good Book!

The Bones Will Speak (Gwen Marcey #2) - Carrie Stuart Parks

This is the second book in the Gwen Marcey series.  The first one, A Cry from the Dust, was a great book and I was happy to have the opportunity to read this one.

When her dog discovers some remains close to her house, Gwen gets wrapped up in something that’s much larger than she thinks.  Finding one of the victims alive, she’s stunned to see the resemblance to her own daughter.  At first, she thinks it must be a coincidence, but the further into the investigation she gets, the more it looks like she’s being specifically targeted.  The question is: why?

Gwen’s personal life is still a mess.  She’s still having hot flashes, problems with her ex, and money issues.  None of these things are going to stop her from protecting her family.  She’s strong, courageous and smart and will do it on her own if she has to.

This is a great book.  Once you get involved in the story, you’re gathering clues with Gwen and trying to figure out what’s important and who’s behind it.  I didn’t have the killer figured out, so I got to be shocked with that one.  I love this author’s writing style and her attention to detail.  The two books I’ve read by her have a great balance between information you need without overdoing it.  There’s plenty of twists and turns in there to keep you guessing.

There’s another book planned for this series and I can’t wait for it to come out.  They can be read out of order.  Great Book!

*I received a copy of this book from Thomas Nelson through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

In Firefly Valley (Texas Crossroads #2) - Amanda Cabot

This is the second book in the series.  The first book is called At Bluebonnet Lake.

Marisa's lost her job and her money.  Driving a beat-up car, she arrives back in Dupree to take a job at Rainbow's End.  She has a lot of of issues to deal with, but she's intrigued when she meets a handsome man.

Blake has come to see his friend, Greg, get married.  The surprise of the news has Blake scrambling to see what has brought about such a change in his friend.  He's got a bad case of writer's block, and maybe a change of scenery will help.  Since so few people know his true identity, he feels safe.

These two are attracted to each other, but each one has issues to deal with.  Marisa is fighting her past with an alcoholic father, which has colored her views of relationships and looking for perfection.  Blake discovers that Marisa doesn't approve of his books and now is unwilling to reveal his identity.

You're also following the love story of Drew and Lauren.  Drew wasn't the most pleasant character in the first book, but he seems to have had a change of heart.  Lauren's own heart is starting to heal after the loss of her husband, and she notices the change in him. I loved both characters from this part of the story.

This was a pretty good book.  I instantly liked Blake's character, but I didn't like Marisa's character for a while.  She was one of those people who expected perfection from others and ignored her own issues, but reading through her journey of realization changed my mind and I liked her at the end.

The third book in the series, On Lone Star Trail, is set to come out February 2016.  It tells the story of Gillian, a character mentioned in this book, but she never quite makes it to Rainbow's End.  Greg and Kate from the first book are around a lot, we are at their resort, but you're not lost if you haven't read At Bluebonnet Lake making it okay to read these books out of order.  Good Book!

*I received a copy of this book from Revell through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

My leap of faith - Allie's Journey

On Monday, I released my first novel called Allie's Journey.  I wrote this book for my girls, ages 11 and 12.  It's 225 pages and tells the story of Allie, a freshman in high school. Here's the book description:

Turas has been waiting for a hero…

Taken from the world she knows, Allie finds herself trapped in a strange land.  Things are not always as they seem, and an evil has swept through the land, causing it and the people living there to suffer.  The only hope of freedom lies in a hero mentioned in the Legend of the Guardian and a pearl bracelet.  Allie fits the general description of the hero, but she’s more interested in getting back to her own world.  After she realizes the legend may be her only hope, she agrees to try but struggles with the quest.  When she finds her life in danger time after time, she wonders if she’s in over her head and if she’ll ever make it home.

This has been a labor of love for me.  I enjoy writing and hope the positive message in the book will help people of all ages conquer the lies we tell ourselves and accept that we're all children of God, precious in His sight.  For me, this is a massive leap of faith.  I'm going to trust God with the outcome of this venture see what happens!

If you're interested in reading it, you can find it here:
Allie's Journey

"I will lift my eyes up to the mountains;

From where shall my help come?

My help comes from the Lord,

Who made heaven and earth."

Psalm 121:1-2 (NASB)

The Strange Case of Origami Yoda (Origami Yoda #1) - Tom Angleberger

This is the book my daughter recommended to me.  I was a little wary at first, this book seemed a little on the strange side to me, but I was committed to reading it.

Tommy is analyzing recent events to make the determination if Origami Yoda is real or just a wad of paper.  Dwight is a strange kid, but he's strange and no one seems to like him. When his Origami Yoda starts giving out advice, the kids are amazed when the advice seems to be working out!  Dwight is still considered weird and a loser, but the more time that goes by, Tommy starts to suspect that Dwight is smarter than he lets on and maybe not such a loser after all.

From a parent's perspective, it bothered me how often the kids would harass Dwight or call him a loser.  It did get better toward the end, so I'll give the author some credit for that.

There are six books in this series, all revolving around origami characters based on the Star Wars series.  From the looks of it, Dwight is portrayed differently in these books, so that's a plus.  Overall, the story was okay, but it wasn't the best thing I've read that my kids have recommended.