Review: One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp

I am not the target reader for this book.

I bought it a year ago on the recommendation of two friends, and I still haven’t finished it. I’m not going to: I picked it up again, and I simply don’t get the appeal. The writing is too esoteric, too literary for my taste, as though it's focusing on beautiful words at the expense of being understood. Some sentences I read and reread and still don’t know what they say.

I love the concept: Count your blessings (literally). Be thankful. Show gratitude. Live in joy. Live in communion with God. Live fully right where you are. But that, for me, should be simple. And One Thousand Gifts is anything but, as I continually find the language getting in the way of the message.

It has over a thousand five-star reviews on Amazon, but my opinion is firmly aligned with the 10% minority who give it one or two stars. Two stars on Amazon means “I didn’t like it”; one star means “I hated it”. I wouldn’t go so far as to say I hated it. As I said, I like the idea. My issue is with the execution, as one sentence that is simply beautiful is followed by one that might as well be written in another language. But I didn’t like it (which will still mean just one star on Goodreads, which has a different rating system).

Ironically, the one and two-star reviews show up as “Most Helpful” on the Amazon page, with thousands of “helpful” votes between the top three reviews. Perhaps this suggests just as many people dislike this book as love it, but as good Christians they follow the Bambi rule and don’t wish to write a critical review. I can see their point. I’m writing this review, but I won’t be posting it on Amazon.

Writing, to me, is about reading. It’s about expressing an idea in words your reader can understand, appreciate, apply. One Thousand Gifts has obviously spoken to thousands, perhaps millions, of women, but I’m not one of them. I just don’t get it. I don’t get the language, and I don’t get the appeal.

One Thousand Gifts counts towards my 2015 Reading Challenge as a book with a number in the title.

Review: Completely Smitten by Kristine Grayson

2015 Reading Challenge: A Book with Magic

Kristine Grayson is one of many pen names of Kristine Kathryn Rusch. I’m a regular follower of her blog, as she has extensive experience in writing and publishing, and writes some excellent blog posts on the subject. I’ve also read and reviewed her marketing book, Discoverability, which was also excellent.

However, writing about writing isn’t how Rusch/Greyson has made her name (names?). She’s written widely across fiction genres, including romance, paranormal romance, science fiction and fantasy, including for popular lines such as Star Trek. I have been interested in sampling some of her fiction, so was pleased when I found this in my local library, and even more pleased when I found it could count towards my 2015 Reading Challenge, as A Book With Magic.

Completely Smitten is the story of Darius, cursed by the Fates for mocking true love, forced to live in an ugly body until he unites one hundred pairs of soul mates. It’s been three thousand years, and he has just united his ninety-eighth and ninety-ninth couples when he meets—and falls for—Ariel Summers. Unfortunately, he can see she has a soul mate, and his job isn’t to fall for Ariel, but to find and match her with the lucky man. But the path of true love never did run smooth, and Darius has to use more than a little of his magic with Ariel.

And there’s plenty of magic, along with plenty of humour, witty dialogue (truly, some of the dialogue is a study in excellence), excellent characters, and a plot that twists and turns throughout history while remaining firmly anchored in the present.

Best of all, while it was a paranormal romance in the sense that Darius is three thousand years old and has an interesting background (among other things, he inspired many of Shakespeare’s plays), it was a sweet romance with little bad language, no violence, and no sex.

It's not Christian romance, but it is a clean, fun read. Recommended for those looking for an enjoyable general market romance with no inappropriate content.

Review: From Eden with Love by Ray Hawkins

17 - 21 February 2014

Australian Christian Readers Blog Alliance

is introducing

From Eden with Love 

Even Before Publishing

By

Ray Hawkins

About the Book

Be taken on a tour of the Majesty of Marriage through 31 days of 'From Eden with Love.'

Discover the Heavenly mystery underpinning the meaning of the Christian Marriage.


About the Author

Ray Hawkins, retired after over 40 years as a Churches of Christ minister, enjoys sharing themes from the Scriptures through Devotional writing. Married to Mary, multi-published inspirational romance author, they have three children and five grandchildren. Ray shares his insights in his first two books on Marriage and Children with more ideas to come about ministry and much more. Living in Beauty Point Tasmania Ray heads up a new Christian Fellowship as well as doing relief preaching, community work and writing.

My Review

From Eden with Love : 31 Biblical Devotions to Meditate on God's Heart for Marriage is a devotional based on love and marriage, and could be used by individuals, couples or small groups. Each devotional includes a short Bible reading, a discussion, a short question for personal reflection, and a prayer. The discussion passages are longer than in some devotionals, but I think the length is fitting with the seriousness of the subject: marriage is for the long haul, and problems can’t be fixed with a soundbite. Some of the readings don’t seem immediately relevant to the topic of the devotional, but the meaning does become clear.

There’s a lot of relationship and marriage advice around, and I have to admit that I take a lot of it with the proverbial grain of salt because it comes from people who (to me) don’t have sufficient credibility to comment. That’s the main reason I like this book of marriage devotions. Ray and Mary Hawkins have been married for almost fifty years, and that gives him the credibility to comment on what the recipe for a successful marriage might be. After all, it is obviously worked for him. Recommended.

Thanks to Even Before Publishing and ARCBA for providing a free ebook for review.

ACRBA Review: Shadowed in Silk by Christine Lindsey

3 - 7 February 2014

Australian Christian Readers Blog Alliance

is introducing

Shadowed in Silk

WhiteFire Publishing Sept 2011

By

Christine Lindsay

About the Book

She was invisible to those who should have loved her.

After the Great War, Abby Fraser returns to India with her small son, where her husband is stationed with the British army. She has longed to go home to the land of glittering palaces and veiled women . . . but Nick has become a cruel stranger. It will take more than her American pluck to survive.

Major Geoff Richards, broken over the loss of so many of his men in the trenches of France, returns to his cavalry post in Amritsar. But his faith does little to help him understand the ruthlessness of his British peers toward the Indian people he loves. Nor does it explain how he is to protect Abby Fraser and her child from the husband who mistreats them.

Amid political unrest, inhospitable deserts, and Russian spies, tensions rise in India as the people cry for the freedom espoused by Gandhi. Caught between their own ideals and duty, Geoff and Abby stumble into sinister secrets . . . secrets that will thrust them out of the shadows and straight into the fire of revolution.

About the Author

Christine Lindsay writes historical inspirational novels with strong love stories, and she takes pride in her Irish roots. Her great grandfather and grandfather worked as riveters in the Belfast shipyard, one of those ships her ancestors helped build was the Titanic. On her mother’s side it was stories of ancestors who served in the British Cavalry in India that seeded Christine’s long-time fascination with the British Raj and became the stimulus for her Twilight of the British Raj series.

The Pacific coast of Canada, about 200 miles north of Seattle, is Christine’s home where she lives with her husband, David, and they enjoy the visits from their adult children and grandchildren. Like a lot of authors, Christine’s chief editor is her cat

www.christinelindsay.com

My Review

Shadowed in Silk is a story filled with conflict at several levels. While Abby arrives in India determined to have a proper marriage and family, it is soon apparent that Nick has his own agenda, and encourages her to do what the other wives do. Claude, a civil service man, is only too pleased to show Abby around. Meanwhile, Geoff has to fight his own feelings for Abby, feelings which are inappropriate towards a married woman.

Behind this search for the Russian spy, and the overarching backdrop of the rise of the Indian independence movement, led by Ghandi. While I knew something of India’s struggle for independence, I hadn’t realised the movement dated back that far. A huge amount of research obviously went in to making Shadowed in Silk as historically accurate as possible, yet this research never overwhelmed the story, a huge achievement. I was also impressed by the use of description in the way the author made me feel as though I was in India in 1918, and the use of a sprinkling of the local languages to give it more Indian flavour.

Shadowed in Silk had everything I want in a novel: an original plot, interesting and intelligent characters, plenty of conflict and tension (I could feel my heart-rate increasing as I read it), and an underlying Christian theme. I highly recommend Shadowed in Silk for those readers who enjoy historical fiction, especially that set outside the more traditional locations of the US and the British Isles.

Thanks to the author and ACRBA for providing a free ebook for review. You can find out more about Christine Lindsey at her website.

Review: Mason Wilson and the Dead Bird Debacle by M P Jones

It’s the end of term, and Mason Wilson has been assigned an unusual homework project for the holidays: research a conspiracy theory. Normally he’d just leave it until the last minute then cobble something together from Wikipedia, but this project is different: his teacher will submit the best project to the competition being run by a national newspaper—a competition which has a GBP 20,000 prize, a prize his family needs.

Mason knows that to win the prize he’s going to have to do something special, so he starts researching. Two ideas catch his attention: why do you never see dead birds, and what is the secret ingredient in Coola Cola? He decides that might be too difficult to find out, and when he sees a strange cat in the neighbourhood with a bird in its’ mouth, he decides to follow it …

There were quite a few English jokes that foreigners (or children) might not get, such as Clifford Machs, the public relations guru. I enjoyed the writing style and the characters, there was just the right amount of humour, the plot was well thought through, and the story had a clear Christian message without being preachy.

Children, especially boys, will be intrigued by the mystery of where dead birds go, the idea of the secret ingredient in Coola Cola … and the slightly disturbing way in which the two come together. Mason Wilson & The Dead Bird Debacle has echoes of Roald Dahl and new children’s fiction such as Diary of A Wimpy Kid. It’s enjoyable Christian fiction for 8-12 year olds who enjoy the slightly quirky nature of an English setting.

Thanks to the author for providing a free ebook for review.

Review: How Sweet the Sound by Meredith Resce

I’m going to start by saying that I’m not really a fan of Christian allegory. I’ve read some great ones (e.g. Chronicles of Narnia and Streiker's Bride) and some that really missed the boat for me, both in terms of story and allegory (e.g. Streiker's Morning Sun). So I was a bit apprehensive when I picked How Sweet The Sound up and realised it was allegory.

I had nothing to worry about.

Justin is the grandson of the King, and has been betrothed to Christina since he was a boy. They have only met a few times, as she lives with her parents to the distant island of Terranin. But trouble is afoot, and the King sends Justin, along with bodyguards Gabe and Michael, on an undercover mission to discover what has happened, and to find Christina and bring her back. When Justin’s small group reach Christina’s home, they find it abandoned, her parents murdered, and Christina living with Lucien, the self-appointed Emperor of a now-depraved and deprived land.

I found Christina very annoying at times with her reluctance to trust Justin and her unwillingness to leave Lucien's 'protection'. But that's the nature of an allegorical story about the relationship between Christ and the church. There are no real surprises in the plot in that it follows the biblical record, but it's interesting to think about the way the author has chosen to portray this in an allegorical fantasy.

The story is told in a rather distant third-person point of view, almost omniscient. I don’t usually like this style, but it worked here because the story is almost like a fairy tale, set in a faraway land with a handsome Prince trying to win the hand of the fair lady. There were some editorial issues (e.g. telling, head-hopping, typos and paragraphs that were too long for the Kindle screen), but nothing that distracted from the story. It should be noted that there were some scenes that, while not graphic, means that this is an adult novel.

Overall, I enjoyed How Sweet The Sound a lot (especially the ending). It is well worth reading.

Thanks to Meredith Resce for providing a free ebook for review.

Review: Love on Laird Avenue by Cindy A Christiansen

Tatum Stewart has just graduated from University and is looking to escape from the shadow of her over-protective (and rich) father. She plans to start her own computer programming business, seriously look for a boyfriend and renovate the dream house she has just purchased in lovely Laird Avenue. Unfortunately, the house has a secret hidden in the basement that is about to attract some unwanted attention.

Ryan Bulldarren is an expert at all things around home renovation, with all the skills of a builder, electrician, plumber and architect all rolled into one. Unfortunately, he also has a learning difficulty which means he lacks confidence in his professional abilities – and his ability to maintain a relationship. Ryan and Tatum are immediately attracted to each other, but the path of true love isn’t going to run smoothly, between Tatum’s blind dates and the intruders who keep trying to get into the house.

The prologue suggested that Love On Laird Ave was going to be a romantic suspense, but actually it was more romantic comedy with a bit of suspense thrown in. I enjoyed the plot, and Ryan is a really likeable character (although I’d normally be suspicious of any man who can recognise a pair of $500 mens shoes in the dark).

However, I found Tatum to be a little over-the-top for my taste, and found it difficult to believe that she had the intelligence to graduate college. I know she’s meant to be a poor little rich girl striking out to gain independence, but seriously? Buying new clothes every day because she doesn’t know how to turn on an electric washing machine? Wanting to be independent but allowing Daddy to underwrite the mortgage? (Daddy’s obviously underwriting the credit card and the $275 haircuts as well). Inviting blind dates off an internet matchmaking site home to dinner – without a chaperone?

Love On Laird Ave is a self-published novel, and while the proofreading was excellent, there were some editing issues, such as repetition (e.g. twenty sentences beginning with the word ‘she’ in two pages). There are also some issues with the narrative, with too much ‘tell’ and not enough ‘show’, but overall, this is an easy-to-read romance with some nice writing that would benefit from some editorial polish.

Thanks to Cindy A Christiansen and Secret Cravings Publishing for providing a free ebook for review.


P.S. Although most of my reviews are Christian fiction, this one is not. It is a 'clean' read, but none of the main characters have any religious conviction, Christian or otherwise, and it is written by a Mormon. It is set in Utah, so there are a handful of references to the Mormons (specifically, around Prohibition) but nothing particularly 'religious'. 

The 2012 Christy Award Finalists

The Christy Award is named for the novel Christy by Catherine Marshall, an author who first became famous with the publication of her first book, ‘A Man Called Peter’, about her deceased husband, a popular pastor who had also been Chaplain to the US Senate.  Her first novel, Christy, was published in 1967, and with more than 10 million copies sold, is one of the most popular and influential Christian novels ever.  The Christy Award was started in 1999 when a group of Christian publishers confirmed the need for establishing a Christian fiction award to recognize novelists and novels of excellence in several genres of Christian fiction.

The Christy Award is designed to:

• Nurture and encourage creativity and quality in the writing and publishing of fiction written from a Christian worldview;
• Bring a new awareness of the breadth and depth of fiction choices available, helping to broaden the readership;
• Provide opportunity to recognize novelists whose work may not have reached bestseller status.

Entries open in October each year to all books published and/or distributed in the United States in that calendar year, with the finalists announced in May and the winners announced in July the following year. So, for example, the 2012 Christy Awards are for books published in the 2011 calendar year.

If you are new to Christian publishing and don’t know what to read, you could do a lot worse than start with some of the Christy Award finalists and winners in a genre you enjoy. However, as with any award, winning a prize is not going to guarantee that you will enjoy the novel (while I have read and enjoyed many of the finalists and winning novels, there is at least one that I thought was a wall-banger, even though it was in a category that I usually read and enjoy. The finalists for 2012 are:

Contemporary Romance/Romantic Suspense



Contemporary Series, Sequels and Novellas

Contemporary Standalone


First Novel

Historical

Historical Romance


Suspense


Visionary


Young Adult