Gargoyle

Gargoyle.

I do not think that I will truly recommend this book to anyone. While it was good, interesting even. it did not inspire me to want to suggest another read it.

I started this book with slight expectations that were most definitely not met, but that changed once I read the teaser on the inside cover. Once I told my husband this, he pointed me in the error of my ways, telling me that I should not blog about books with any expectations or biased. Because that would be wrong to the reader of my blog. I agree that he is right, but I also think that any reviewer of any item will always have a biased opinion.

Andrew Davidson did do a very good job on this book. I really enjoyed the MANY love stories with in the one story. Some noble, some not. But no matter what throughout this whole book, well except for the very beginning really, you can in a sense feel the love.

Now I'm not going to lie, part of the reason I would not suggest this book is because of the foul language. But I also understand why it is there and how the main character came to use the language and his profession. Which is porn. I don't know just how much of the information is true, about the pornography anyways, (Andrew spent seven years on research for this book.) but it's a somewhat interesting glimpse into a porn stars life and the few people around him.

I also think that the main character should have maybe tried to fashion a new penis after his accident but, love is not just about the sexual aspects. It is about more, but I just figured he'd be more comfortable peeing like he used to.

Up Next: Brides of the West by Lori Copeland

Sinner

Sinner.

We all are though aren't we?

i highly suggest reading the preceding stories before reading this one. It will probably help. Or you can do what I am doing: going back and reading "Showdown", "Saint" and "Sinner".

Now this book made me angry or upset, which ever you want. I couldn't stand the intolerance in the "Tolerance Is Beautiful". But if you really think about it, you can tolerate when others don't agree with you, but you can't tolerate when they say you are wrong, and have said it over the course of two thousand years. The keg gets closer and closer to exploding.

It is a good book. Not exactly what I was hoping for, but then again the info on the back did leave me with much of an idea as to what to be expecting. The ending of course was my favorite. But I'm sorry Ted the part where Billy….got back at Black was hard for me to picture.

There was really only one cuss word in the book, which was good. But it was full of hate and anger, which I assume is explained in the preceding stories and is more understood at the end. I really wouldn't have minded if a few things were fixed by those who scrambled them, but the end days come the way they are supposed to.

Upnext: The Gargoyle by Andrew Davison

A Long Stay In A Distant Land

A Long Trip In a Distant Land by Chieh Chieng

I really enjoyed this book and laughed out loud several times. There is definitely humor in it. The part about Deliverance really made me laugh, I tried to tell my husband between spirts of laughter and he laughed too. I really like how the Lum family had such matter of fact short answers.

Even though there was cussing I'll suggest this book. There wasn't a lot of cussing but there was enough to annoy to me. Melvins Aphorisms were great, and I wish they knew what number 11 meant. Chieh did a really good job with the shifting of the chapters, at first i was a little hesitant about it but it was great. A really good job. The last two sentences kind of confused me but not a big deal.

The Lum family interactions were pretty funny though, maybe some not in the laugh or laugh out loud sort of way but in the ironic but a smile on your face, still classifies as funny kind of way. So I guess humorous would be a better word right?

Part of me thinks Louis should have stayed in Hong Kong, but he probably found more meaning and love in his life, right?

Up Next: Sinner by Ted Dekker (aka Tod hahaha)

Chocolate Secrets

Chocolate Secrets

I guess I never really realized I like romance novels. Now this isn't one of those naughty romance novels, in fact far from. Although it does have a few suggestions in it. Truly my only faults with this book are that one: it's to perfect. And two: there were SEVERAL typos. I'm not entirely happy about the typos, but I can live with them.

So when I first opened this book for a read I was a little apprehensive about reading it. Alex, one of the main characters, is a horoscope lover. I am not. I really don't like horoscopes and all that stuff, but if you do than thats your thing.

This book only took me a few hours to read it, so yes it is a bit short, but it is pretty good. There was no cussing, and I would like to think that it ended with no premarital sex. But that's just me.

Zelda did a really good job of throwing the family feud in, I enjoyed it actually. To find out that it was more that it seemed, wasn't too much of a shock. The more than it seemed part wasn't exactly what I had thought it was though. So props Zelda Benjamin, props.

I also really liked how Mike showed up just when he was needed.

Up next: A Long Stay in a Distant land by Chieh Chieng

Refiners Fire

Refiners Fire Was a great book.

It was an interesting read and made me realize how horribly spoiled I am. My heart was hurt when a mother gave one of her children up for adoption, when girls had to become prostitutes to feed their family, and a man wanted to assinate his parents. Actually the last one didn't bother me to much after finding out what they, more so the father, had done in the Romanian prisons.

This book is an eye opener for Christians and non-Christians. People are forced to give false testimony about neighbors, young girls forced to become prostitutes to keep younger siblings alive and fed, people beaten to death with clubs and if they aren't actually dead they're shot in the head. It's an eye opener.

I do suggest this book being read by everyone. It has a good ending. I didn't skip a single page. I was although hoping to find a more heart felt reunion, but i do understand the background of the two men.

Up Next: Chocolate Secrets by Zelda Benjamin

Handling the Undead

By John Ajvide Lindqvist.

The setting is in a town in Sweden. There were a few words, songs and other things that I just skipped because I just couldn't pronounce them! This book is pretty good. I was really sucked in in the first few chapters. And then I ended up skipping a few paragraphs and pages and sentences. This book has about 380+ pages. And surprisingly it took me a few days to finish this book because I lost my interest.

I also really didn't like the cussing. Where there wasn't a curse word on every page, I was highly annoyed when they did show up. I didn't quite understand the ending. Was this a Christian-ish book? Or was Christianity just shoved in for the Grandma to make a simple mistake? I really don't know.

I did really like the insight to baby rabbits thoughts. Definitely cute!

I didn't really like that it wasn't told why the dead came back. But I am pretty sure I did't skip it, if I did definitely clue me in! Also the boiling anger that a father was cooking toward his daughter(who's dead son had come back), angered me. While both had just arguments, the father wasn't really listening.

It seemed like there was a lot of family feuding in the book. Really even the ones who where together weren't.

Up Next: Refiners Fire by Sylvia Bambola.

Those Bones Are Not My Child

I highly recommend not reading this book.

The prologue was good. The first chapter was not. I read as much of the book as I could, I promise. But that was not very much. I even tried to skip a head a few chapters. Nothing.

Then a few more chapters.

Nothing.

This book had no suspense in it. At least none that I found. I new the boy was dead as soon as the first chapter started. So I am so sorry, but I really can't tell you much about this book. Maybe you could read it and tell me to try again or something. But it just didn't work for me.

Library Card.

Okay so I finally got a chance to get some books. And as of now, I have four. The next book on my list to review is "Those Bones are Not My Child" by Toni Cade Bambara. To be frankly honest it was completely the title that grabbed me.

Have a great weekend! And a safe Halloween!

Skin

Skin..

Skin by Ted Dekker.

A very interesting book. I'd like to say with more twist than a screw, but there are a lot of really long screws out there! It starts off slowly, like a roller coaster and then pretty much dives right in it all.

Just a drive through bucks of rain for one girl. Just a rush to a hospital because of a snake bite for a brother and sister. Just another homicide for a cop. And for a gamer just a meet up in some small town.

Ted Dekker brings a lot of suspects out who could be the killer. A killer who is killing randomly. Who is able to walk through town during the day, and through police barricades. Could it be one of the five strangers who meet up out of the blue on a stormy night? Is it a police officer or FBI agent?

I was pulled in the story in the first part of the book. Good suspense. But toward the end, I was almost board with all the twist. The constant wondering who the serial killer is, the drone of the Wendy, Nicole, Carey, Colt and Jerry trying to figure out what was happening. I almost skipped a few paragraphs but decided not to seeing as every time I do that I always manage to miss some sort of detail. Which I would have had I skipped.

While the detail was there I still found my self grasping to finish some of the picture. Mainly the physical appearance of the characters. Described as plain and ridiculously beautiful, and not the ugliest didn't help me to see just how plain or how average.

I suggest you read this. Get your own take.

Like the other two books I was left wanting more at the end. So I guess I'm just going to have to own up to the fact that I like when books end with the end. But then again, it is good to think about how you see the book ending.

Up next: Thunder of Heaven by Ted Dekker

Brink of Death

Brink of Death is the first in the Hidden Faces Series, and thank goodness unbeknownst to me I grabbed the first book in a series I had no idea about. But will not be able to finish at this time, because my library doesn't have the rest of the series. However, if I can get enough suggestions I may go and buy the series. Brandilyn Collins did a really good job with this book though. It was very suspenseful and I found my self picturing what would happen on the next page, "Is the killer in the next room? Did she see him in one of the court rooms?". She also through a few curveballs in there as well. Ha ha How was my baseball terminology? A few things happened that I did not expect, and I'm usually pretty good about guessing what's going to happen next.

But it also scared me. Especially when Annie had her realization. At that part in the book it was getting dark and I so happened to be the only one in the house at that time. Not so fun.

Just as as with Death Watch I was also surprised at how this book caught and kept my attention. I guess it was because I happened to pick up another suspense book. I figured I'd just pick this one because of the title, sounded interesting. But as I read the cover I started to lose my interest. I also grew angry with Annie's son, Stephan, and with the fact that I just couldn't figure this criminal out. I especially didn't like how mean he was to his cat. Yes I like animals, but sorry to cat lovers, I like dogs much more.

The author did a really nice job of throwing a few chapters in that were from…someone else's point of view. I even found myself hopping after two chapter from Annie's point of view hoping that the next one would be from a different perspective. Although when I first opened the book to start reading I wasn't sure if I would like first person view point, but I was able to get past that. I can't say that it drew me closer into the book. I prefer to see what everyone is thinking and feeling, so I suppose I do prefer omniscient. Though, it was just the right fit for Brink of Death. Annie's description of the events was able to help me by pass it.

While Brink of Death was a very good book, it did however end with a cliff hanger. Which I wasn't quite expecting.

Up next: Skin

(sorry, I can't find a picture of Brink of Death!)

Death Watch

Death watch has truly surprised me. I don't know why. But it absolutely did. I never expected the ending I got. In fact I expected a much different ending. I didn't expect to really like the book and I didn't expect to feel so attached to the characters and left wanting more. But Cavanaugh and Kuiper did a great job. To me, there was suspense. As much as suspense drives me crazy, I love it. I love the feeling I had when it came down to the wire for the Death Watch death to happen. In all honestly, this is one of the best books I've read in a while. Now I'm not going to hide this from you, it is a Christian book. And in saying that I must say that it puts things into a bit of a perspective. Why wouldn't these events happen? Why couldn't they? There is no reason why Death Watch shouldn't happen, but that other Christians heed the calling. Christian or not I suggest this book to everyone.

It might not change your life, it might not change your views or how your feel or even how you think. But it'll plant a seed. Hopefully for the better. Sydney and Hunz went through quite and experience together, and while the last chapter may leave you with your own idea of what is to come there is no doubt that the two became closer through their journey together. Yet again, lives where touched, on quite a large level, I might ad.

Cavanaugh and Kuiper are very good authors in that they brought me into the book. I grew angry with several characters (almost having to stop reading so that I could calm down a little bit). I felt heart ache for characters that didn't make it. And of course I became very angry and agitated with the ignorance of some of the others.

I can't wait to hear what you might think, let me know!

Up Next: Brink of Death by Brandilyn Collins

[ps, even though you may not believe my, I finished Death Watch in one day…. go me! ha ha ha :) ]

Chapter One, Page One, Book One

I just finished reading "Five People You Meet In Heaven", yesterday afternoon actually, and wasn't very satisfied. Don't get me wrong it was a good book but it didn't live up to my expectations. Then this morning I got to thinking that maybe my opinion on the books I read could help others. It could push someone to read a one of those books and form their own opinion on it. They could see why I liked it, why I detested it or why I can't wait to read it again. When I start a book I usually don't put it down, even if I don't like the book I keep trying to give it a chance to spark my interest.

Book discussions are a lot of fun to me, but my husband isn't apt to join in any with me so feel free to converse with me about any of the books I write about! Or suggest books that I should read! :)

Oh! Which brings me back to "Five People You Meet In Heaven" by Mitch Albom. Like I said it let me down just a lil. Where as the ending message was a good one. And the beginning was very good. I suppose it was the last paragraph that left me unsatisfied. The five people that Eddie met helped him to understand why his life was the way it was. They helped him to forgive and let go. They helped him to heal. Eddie touched a lot of live at his job. The author Mitch Albom did a really good of writing this book. I really liked how he broke up the time lines and chapters. It was interesting to see why Eddie was the way he was and all the experiences in his life that shaped him to be who he was.

When I read about the love of the life and my questions were answered through the chapters, it almost made me love sick for my husband.

Coming up next: Death Watch by Jack Cavanaugh and Jerry Kuiper.