Permission To Speak Freely by Anne Jackson

What is the one thing you feel you can't say in church?

That is a pregnant question with multiple burdensome answers. Yet author Anne Jackson asks the hard questions and records the sometimes difficult answers for us to read. With an openness that most people would shrink from, she shares her own struggles in searching for a way to speak about topics that are "unmentionable" in church. The things people want to hide in their closets and pretend they don't exist.

It is so easy for us to hide behind our stained glass masquerade and pretend...act as if life is fine, when life is anything but fine and we are crumbling on the inside. You know it's easy to do. We all do it. 

Permission to Speak Freely doesn't give a specific outline on how to walk into a church and boom...begin the difficult conversations. It does offer hope. It does show that there are other people in this world with the same questions, feelings, comments. It lets us know we are not alone. It shows there is healing in confession.

"...you have a story. And this story is made up of your past and present and future, and many things color it."

Ultimately, your story, my story, may help someone else. Prevent mistakes. Defeat loneliness. Allow healing. However, we will never know if our story could help someone else,  if we don't break through the self-imposed barriers of the church. If we don't speak freely.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com <http://BookSneeze.com> 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 

Angel Song

"Be sure to welcome strangers into your home. By doing this, some people have welcomed angels as guests, without even knowing it." Hebrews 13:2

You never know who you may be talking to...what song you may hear...what may happen. 

Ann Fletcher, an up and coming interior designer, returns home to Charleston for the first time in years to see her younger sister graduate with a master's degree. Before the graduation arrives, a tragic accident takes place and Ann's younger sister, Sarah, passes away. Sarah's last words are: "Annie. Help. Annie. Help." 

Ann struggles as she tries to make sense of what her sister was saying. How could she have helped her? What could she have done to make a difference? And what was that haunting melody that her sister was humming in the ambulance and the hospital? Why did she keep hearing it over and over again in her dreams? How did her sister's next door neighbor with Down's Syndrome hear the same song?

As Ann struggles to find her faith, she tries to balance dealing with her past in Charleston and keeping up with her future design career in New York City. Authors Shelia Walsh and Kathyrn Cushman weave together a beautiful story of a woman's struggle to deal with the unknown and the known...to distinguish between fact and fiction...to see the angels around her.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com <http://BookSneeze.com> 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 

Almost Perfect Marriage?

Admit it--who doesn't want a perfect marriage? I know there is no such thing as perfection this side of heaven, but I still believe that everyone would love to have a marriage that is as close as it can be to perfect. Rick and Bubba's Guide to the Almost Nearly Perfect Marriage is a hilarious, quick-read for any couple. 

Rick and Bubba are two good old boys from the South who share stories from their own married lives in the hopes that they will help others who are soon to be married. The book is not so much a guide to the perfect marriage, but more a description of how-to or how-not-to handle various situations that may or may not arise in a marriage. The authors use their light-hearted approach to the sometimes difficult topic of marriage to  make some profound points. Their tip lists left me smiling and sometimes literally laughing out loud.  Their stories left me laughing and yet reminded me of many things that even I can improve on in my marriage.

If you are searching for just the right gift for the newly engaged couple or the couple celebrating their Golden 50th anniversary, you need search no longer. The Guide to the Almost Nearly Perfect Marriage is a great combination of laughter and truth, mixed with some sound Biblical advice. 


Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com <http://BookSneeze.com> 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 

It Happened In Italy

I have had a sort of strange fascination or desire to learn as much as I could about the Holocaust since high school. My English teacher, not my history teacher, prompted this desire for knowledge.  He was a converted German Orthodox Jew. Because of him, I devoured Anne Frank's diary and the story of Corrie ten Boom. I read many Thoene series based on this time period, drug my family to the Holocaust museum in Washington DC, and scoured the library for whatever I could find relating to this.

However, in all my searching, I never once came across anything about the Holocaust in Italy. I never once read anything about their being Jews, let alone Jewish survivors, in Italy. And then I came across Elizabeth Bettina's book It Happened In Italy--untold stories of how the people of Italy defied the horrors of the holocaust.

It began with a picture. A picture of a rabbi standing on the steps of a Catholic church in the Italian village of Campagna. A picture taken during World War II. How was this possible? What was a Jewish rabbi doing in Italy?  This picture began a quest for Elizabeth Bettina and little did she realize how far this quest would take her.

From New York to Italy to the Vatican City, Elizabeth and her friends uncovered numerous intriguing stories and connections that led her across the countryside of Italy discovering just how involved Italy was with the survival of the Jews. At a time, when many European countries were trying to rid the world of what they considered a lower race, many Italians treated the Jewish people--as simply that people. They took them in, hid them, protected them, and placed them in internment camps that were nothing like Auschwitz.  Compared to Auschwitz, the Italian camps were picnics--where people were married, babies were born, and the Sabbath was celebrated.

It Happened In Italy serves as a reminder to all, that while World War II is still one of the darkest periods of history in our world, that there was still good. There were still people who cared. There were still many who chose life over law and Elizabeth Bettina has captured many of their stories--many stories of Jews who survived because of Italians who cared.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com <http://BookSneeze.com> 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 

Face of Betrayal

Words are not adequate to describe this book. Lis Wiehl drew on her own personal experiences as a federal prosecutor, TV journalist, and the law to write her first "Triple Threat Novel" and I am anxiously awaiting the release of the second.

When seventeen year old Katie disappears over Christmas break, reporter Cassidy Shaw is the first to spread the news to the media. In step her friends and former classmates, Federal Prosecutor Allison Pierce and FBI Agent Nicole Hedges. Together the three ladies work to figure out what happened to Katie--was she kidnapped? Did she runaway? Was she involved with the Senator? Most importantly was she still alive?

I enjoyed how Wiehl moved the story back and forth telling the narrative, but mixing in blog posts written by Katie before her disappearance. This kept the story moving and allowed the reader to get to know Katie in a way that we otherwise would not have.

It is refreshing to read a book that showed three strong women in places of position that is not written with a pro-fem mentality in mind. These are just a group of friends who work together to solve a mystery. And yet as strong as these women are each one is faced with her own vulnerabilities--infertility, domestic abuse, shattered dreams, haunted pasts--Wiehl captures it all under one cover.

Overall, this is a book I would highly recommend. It twists and turns and leaves you turning page after page to see what happens next. I am typically pretty good about guessing the end to a story--not this one. Pick it up today.



Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com <http://BookSneeze.com> 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 

The Kiss Part Two

Okay, if my riveting review did not make you want to pick up a copy of this book. Perhaps this will help. Wow....

The Kiss

I must confess I am typically not a Ted Dekker fan. He is an amazing author and has developed a wonderful craft and quite a following. However, I find his novels are slightly too creepy for me--nightmarish, dark. So I must admit that I was skeptical when I first began reading 'The Kiss" by Ted Dekker and Erin Healey. Would this too be another nightmarish, sci-fi novel? The title sounded more like a romance novel, although I had my doubts with Ted Dekker’s name on the cover.

"The Kiss" details the aftermath of Shauna McAllister's near fatal death. Was it an accident or is there more to the story? Sadly, when Shauna wakes up in the hospital she has lost all memories six months prior to the accident. How did she end up in the hospital? Did she argue with her office-seeking father? Who is that man at the end of her bed? A boyfriend--how could she forget him? Why couldn't she remember anything? What was wrong with her? Who can she trust?

Dekker and Healy take us on a twisted journey of mind-altering pharmaceuticals, the black market slave trade, undercover journalists, and more. Random text messages, hidden papers, and a strange and scary gift, finally lead Shauna to the truth. But will she ever recover the memories she has lost? Pick up a copy and find out for yourself. I promise you will not be disappointed.


Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com <http://BookSneeze.com> 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 

The Unseen

"...but no one seemed to notice him. This he knew he
could count on. People looked, but they never saw."

Have you ever had that creepy, gives you goose bumps, feeling that someone was watching you and your every move? What if someone truly was watching? What if there was someone--someone in the walls peering out at you, trying to make a connection, trying to get a small glimpse into your life?

In The Unseen, by T.L. Hines, Lucas, aka Humpty, reaches out trying to connect with the world around him, while staying hidden. He is harmless, simply spying on those around him in public places and inventing stories about their lives without ever approaching them. This loner lives vicariously through the lives of others. Through his daily infiltrations in the metro DC area, he discovers he is not alone in his urban exploration. He encounters a group called the Creep Club, a club that takes his “creeping” a step further.

Lucas soon gets in over his head and is pulled into the world of double agents, the mafia, and a folk tune singing guitar player. He continues on his quest to do the right thing while struggling with the Dark Vibrations inside.

Hines does an expert job of building suspense and throwing the reader for a loop with the number of twists and turns this novel takes. Surprisingly, although published by Thomas Nelson there is not a spiritual side to this book. Although one could make spiritual applications, I expected a more straightforward approach from the publisher. However, that should not stop anyone from reading this excellent novel. The creativity of Hines is enough to keep any thrill seeker turning pages until he reaches the surprising end.


Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com <http://BookSneeze.com> 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 

Field of Blood

We are not fighting against humans. We are fighting against forces and authorities and against rulers of darkness and powers in the spiritual world.
Ephesians 6:12

With the current popularity of a certain vampire series, bells and whistles sounded in my head when I first read the description of Eric Wilson's Field of Blood. Could there seriously be a "Christian" book about vampires? Would that even work? With my interest piqued, I sat down to read the first few chapters.

As I grew to love the main character Gina Lazarescu, I learned that there is more to her and to her blood that meets the eye. Digging a little deeper I dove into the world of the Collectors and their desperate need to feed their deepest desire. And let's not forget the good guys, the Nistarim who are on the side of the Nazarene. The ultimate fight between good and evil is once again portrayed--Collectors vs. The Ones Who Resist.

There is a constant battle going on around us. A battle for our souls. Will we choose to accept or reject the Nazarene? Will we be ruled by our own selfish needs and desires? Can we see ourselves mirrored in the lives of the Collectors?

From Seattle to Romania and all the places in between, Wilson definitely captured my attention. He does a wonderful job weaving Israel's past with the United State's and Romania's present. His use of quotes from the book of Jude and from Dracula add to the uniqueness of the story.

After a slow start, in the end I did not want to put Field of Blood down. I will anxiously await the 2nd part of this trilogy. My only complaint is that I have to wait till the end of 2009!

For more info visit:http://www.jerusalemsundead.com/

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com <http://BookSneeze.com> 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