Tree Swing Reading

Review of "The Return" by Austin Boyd (Mars Hill Classified Series book 3)

The Return by Austin Boyd

This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance

is introducing

THE RETURN

(Navpress Publishing Group July 13, 2007)

by
Austin Boyd

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Austin Boyd writes from his experience as a decorated Navy pilot, spacecraft engineer and an astronaut candidate finalist. Austin lives with his wife Cindy and four children in America’s “Rocket City”--Huntsville, Alabama, where he directs business development for a large NASA and defense contractor. His creative talents include inspirational fiction and poetry, finely crafted reproduction colonial furniture, archery and long distance cycling. He serves his community as an advocate for a crisis pregnancy center and as a motivational speaker in the area of lifestyle evangelism.

THE RETURN is part of the Mars Hill Classified Series with The Evidence and The Proof

ABOUT THE BOOK:

IS SEEING BELIEVING?
Six years after completing a manned mission to the Red Planet, Admiral John Wells is set to make another journey to Mars. But this time his crew is not alone, as John's team encounters a secret colony comprised of individuals pursuing John Raines' strange religion, the "Father Race."

While John begins to uncover a web of lies on Mars, his wife and daughter are struggling for survival on earth. Now John must survive his dangerous mission and find a way back home, even as a shocking plan begins to unfold millions of miles away on earth.

Austin Boyd is back with his third thrilling novel in the Mars Hill Classified series, full of high-tech intrigue, memorable characters, and adventure that transports readers to another world.

From the Back Cover:

With nothing left for him on Earth, Rear Admiral John Wells didn't hesitate to lead a third NASA team to Mars, but he never dreamed that one day they'd look out their laboratory module into the lights of a slow-moving vehicle not their own. In the third installment of the Mars Hill Classified series, life on Mars becomes increasingly more unpredictable as the past collides with the future and nothing, not even the dead, is as it seems.

Meanwhile, back on Earth, the fate of hundreds, including John Wells' family--presumed dead these last six years--rests precariously in the hands of Malcolm Raines, self-proclaimed Guardian of the Mother Seed and Principal Cleric of Saint Michael's Remnant, and his insidious plans for the Father Race.

Wells will find himself in a race against time and all odds to expose the truth: about Mars, about Malcolm Raines, and, if he's very brave, about himself.

"Austin Boyd is one of the brightest new voices in Christian fiction. His long association with the space program lends authenticity as he reveals the turmoil in the minds and hearts of those who are willing to risk everything by making that journey. In The Return, we learn that both human emotions and God's presence reach far beyond the pull of Earth's gravity."
--Richard L Mabry, author of The Tender ScarMy Reivew:Wow. The suspense and excitement leading up to this third book was carried through to the last page of this installment. I found myself forgetting that these characters were fiction and wanting to reach out and talk to them like they are real! (I know, it's crazy, but I really did immerse myself in this book so I could finish it today) The story had one surprise after another, starting with John Wells and his team on Mars meeting up with a colony of humans already inhabiting Mars. Then seeing the demented power-hungry Malcolm Raines and his followers and the evil plans he has set in motion to create a "perfect race" of people. I was also full of angst knowing that John thought his family had been killed in a helicopter crash at the end of the second book whereas they had really been kidnapped and were being held somewhere awaiting someone to rescure them after six years of waiting on God... Can you see why I couldn't put it down?I was mesmerized by John Wells' faith, and his determination to hold onto God even in the darkness of the presumed loss of his family. I was almost envious of Amy's faith (not her horrible plight, but her reaction to it) as she labored day after day in her prison and yet held on to hope and trust in God to provide for her and her family.  I was thrilled to see the pieces of the mysteries come together through the workings of Agent Kerry and his wife.  Another wonderful book by Austin Boyd! I enoyed it very much and give it a big sunny day rating! My reivew of The Evidence (book 1 in this series)My review of The Proof (book 2 in this series)

Review of "The Proof" by Austin Boyd (Mars Hill Classified Series book 2)

The Proof by Austin Boyd (Mars Hill Classified Series book 2)

Description:

Is There life on Mars?

That’s what Captain John Wells and his NASA colleagues hope to discover, in this second installment of The Mars Hill trilogy, whenthey undertake an aggressive mission to the Red Planet. However, from the outset, nothing goes as planned.

An uncanny prophesy coupled with an unexpected alien starship escortends in a series of catastrophic events that give John plenty to thinkabout as he makes the interminable journey back to Earth. The mysteriesof Mars, woven into a complex tapestry of international intrigue, willlead him to answers even the most faithful fear. As he starts to putthe pieces of the universal puzzle together, the pieces of his lifefall irrevocably apart, but, as he must constantly remind himself, God does indeed have a plan for him.

My Review:

Another great read in this exciting series! 

Again we are treated to a story that includes John Wells and his wife Amy and their struggle to be close even while he is on a journey to Mars that will last over 400 days. We readers are again seeing a ego-driven "pastor" and his desire to proclaim a new race of people under his control and the throngs of people who buy into his scans and the "alien" life-forms he successfully predicts will appear; but we readers know there is more to this story and all is not as it seems with him and his "martians." We get to watch FBI Agent Kerry circle the globe in his quest to find the man responsible for the attacks on the US. We are treated to a firsthand "viewing" of Mars through the eyes of Michelle and Sean as they explore the planet.

I was entranced by this book and read it cover to cover in nearly one sitting. I felt Amy's pain at the separation and loneliness without her husband, John's excitement turning to despondence when things go wrong on his trip home from Mars, and the thrill of the chase as the "bad guy" was sought after. I found myself led to prayer for our country, knowing that this was fiction, and yet fearing the possibility of times like this in our future where corrupt leaders would take advantage. I was reminded that God uses times like that too, as he did with Joseph, and as he does with John and Amy Wells. 

I give this book my sunny day rating and didn't even stop to write this blog before I dove into the third book in this series!

(See my review of the first book in this series, The Evidence)

Review of "The Evidence" by Austin Boyd (Mars Hill Classified Series book 1)

Description:

No amount of training could prepare a man for Spring 2011. As Navy Commander John Wells and his crew watch hopelessly from their space station perch, terrorists cripple the nation's capital and security systems. While the world looks to the Middle East for blame, sudden images off the plains of Mars offer a staggering alternative. With a sophisticated alien culture seemingly confirmed on the Red Planet, a disorganized U.S. government struggles to formulate their next steps. Caught in a web of politics, torn by his family commitments, and called to serve not only his country but his God, John Wells must take a giant step for mankind.

More About Austin Boyd at his website: http://www.austinboyd.com/

My Review:

It took me a bit of plodding to get started with this book, maybe because space is not really my thing, but once I got a few chapters into it, I was hooked!  It was a suspenseful ride and I couldn't stop reading!

Much of the story revovles around John Wells, an astronaut at work in a space station. Meanwhile, the US is under attack.  The book takes you back and forth between Wells in space and the well-planned attacks. The link between the two will remain a mystery for quite some time.  John is a man of faith and he learns to rely on God during the time of fear and confusion for him and his family during their separation. The story is also about his wife, Amy, and her struggle to survive the separation from her husband while raising their four children without him.  It is also about a determined FBI agent who pursues the complex issues surrounding the US attacks and who seeks out John's expertise even from outer space to try to help him figure it out.

400 plus pages flew by in a brief amount of time as I traveled along with Austin Boyd's characters.  I knew the CFBA book tour of the third book was this week and I knew I wanted to read the whole series, but I had no idea how much I would devour the books!  I give this book a sunny day review! 

Giveaways for the week!

A week from today, Sunday, Nov. 4, I will be drawing for 2 book giveaways!  To be entered in the drawing you need to:

1) live in the United States.

2) post a comment to this entry and let me know which of the book or books you are interested in be entered in. 

3) check back to see if you won and I'll tell you what to do next!

The giveaways for this week are:

Just Beyond the Clouds by Karen Kingsbury

Description:

An unforgettable story of two brothers and the only woman whose love can set them both free.

Still aching over his wife's death, Cody Gunner can't bear the thought of also letting go of his Down Syndrome brother, Carl Joseph. Cody wants his brother home, where he will be safe and cared for, not out on his own in a world that Cody knows all too well can be heartless and insecure. So when Carl Joseph's teacher, Elle, begins championing his independence, she finds herself at odds with Cody. But even as these two battle it out, they can not deny the instinctive connection they share, and Cody faces a crisis of the heart.

My Review

And the second book is one of my new favorite books, Nobody by Creston Mapes!

Description:

A police scanner and a reporter's instinct lead Hudson Ambrose to a Las Vegas bus stop ahead of the authorities. There he discovers a dead drifter, a safety deposit key, and a bank book showing nearly a million dollars! Was this murdered Nobody an angel in disguise? Will Hud take the story---or the cash?

My Review

Leave your comment to win! 

This week's book winners!

Congrats to Elysa winner of Splitends and Karen (mommy of 3) who won Rolling Thunder. My daughter drew your names and you should have received an email notifying you.

"Illuminated" by Matt Bronleewe

Illuminated by Matt Bronleewe

This week, theChristian Fiction Blog Alliance

is introducing

Illuminated(Thomas Nelson August 7, 2007)by

Matt Bronleewe

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Matt Bronleewe is a recognized producer, songwriter and author. The former member of the band Jars of Clay, has earned numerous awards producing and co-writing albums that have sold a combined total of over 20 million copies. His songs have recently been recorded by Disney pop sensations Aly & AJ, American Idol finalist Kimberley Locke, and more. Bronleewe has worked with Grammy Award-winning artists such as Michael W. Smith, International pop singer Natalie Imbruglia and Heroes star Hayden Panettiere.

Born in Dallas, Texas, Bronleewe was raised on a farm in Kansas, where he lived until he left for college in 1992. At Greenville College in Illinois, Bronleewe formed the band Jars of Clay with his dorm roommate and two neighbors, and the group soon found success. Though Bronleewe opted to leave Jars of Clay early on to pursue an academic career, he soon found himself in Nashville, co-writing, producing, and playing music professionally.

To add to his list of accomplishments, Bronleewe has expanded his love of story telling beyond music into authorship. He is currently penning a 5 book series for Thomas Nelson Fiction. Illuminated, in stores now, begins the adventurous series about rare manuscripts and the mysteries within.

Bronleewe currently resides in Brentwood, Tenn., with his wife and three children. He continues to write and produce music, and he also volunteers through his church to help disadvantaged youth in the community. Bronleewe enjoys reading, taste-testing good food and watching sports, as well as indulging his interests in art, architecture, design and science.

ABOUT THE BOOK:

IT'S BEEN 500 YEARS IN THE MAKING...PREPARE TO BE ILLUMINATED...
August Adams has failed his family before. He's sacrificed relationships in pursuit of adventure, fame, and money. Now the very lives of those he loves depend on his ability to decipher a centuries-old puzzle encrypted in the colorful hand-painted illuminations that adorn three rare Gutenberg Bibles.

It's a secret that could yield unimaginable wealth, undermine two major religions, and change the course of Western civilization. Two ruthless, ancient organizations are willing to do anything to get their hands on it. And August has the span of one transatlantic flight to figure it out.

If he fails, those he holds most dear will die. If he succeeds, he'll destroy a national treasure.

The clock ticks, the suspense mounts, and the body count rises as August pits his knowledge and his love for his family against the clock, secret societies, and even Johannes Gutenberg himself.

"...this rare breed of suspense thriller combines mysterious hidden clues, secret societies, buried treasure, double agents, and the Knights Templar...if you turned National Treasure into international treasure, traded DaVinci codes for Gutenberg Bibles, married it to Indiana Jones, and added the pacing of 24 you'd be in the neighborhood of Illuminated...on a scale of one to 10, this one goes to 11."
-Aspiring Retail Magazine

MY REVIEW HERE

Review of "Hollywood Nobody" by Lisa Samson

Hollywood Nobody by Lisa Samson

Description:

Book Description
Fifteen-year-old Scotty Dawn has spent her young life on the road, traveling to movie sets with her single mom, Charley, a food designer. Yet even though Scotty is wise beyond her years, she still struggles to find her identity. Complicating matters is a mother who offers no guidance and a father she's never met.

Now Scotty is determined to discover what she wants from life. She's even documenting the journey on her "Hollywood Nobody" blog. But as Scotty begins to find dark answers to tough questions, will her story have a happy ending?

The first in a series, Hollywood Nobody is a novel for teen girls that examines real issues with honesty and humor. Enhancing the book's themes, the story includes journal and blog entries as well as screenplay dialog, providing an engaging experience for readers.

From the Back Cover
Scotty Dawn has all the freedom a fifteen-year-old girl could want. As she and her mom, Charley, travel to movie sets for Charley's work, Scotty's allowed to go anywhere and be anything. But there are costs to such a life. Scotty doesn't know who she is, where she comes from, or who to trust. And who is the mysterious man they've been running from? Does he hold the clue to Charley's big secret?

Scotty writes in her Hollywood Nobody blog, and the answers she finds are darker than she had expected. Will she discover who she can trust and finally make sense of her world?

About Lisa Samson:

Find out about her on her blog: http://lisasamson.typepad.com/

My Review:

Scotty Dawn is a quirky teenager who is fabulous! She has lived a very unusual life traveling around to film shoots where her mother, who is a hippy and wants to be called "Charley" instead of "Mom," creates the food used in the productions.  Scotty has an inside view of the Hollywood world and she blogs about it.  (Gotta love a girl who blogs!) Her blogs reflect her personality and are spunky and down-to-earth.  Scotty is very independent and unique for a teenager. She homeschools herself, emails an older couple who lives from an RV like she does, dresses in vintage hodge podge, and is really into cheese.  While out on the beach late one night, she watches crabs and meets Seth, not realizing he's one of the stars in the movie and they develop a friendship.

Life with Charley has secrets that Scotty knows are there but has never gotten any answers about.  Mysterious events lead Scotty closer and closer to discovering the truth about some of the secrets and she's not so sure she wants to find out.  In the meantime, she has day-to-day simple experiences, like writing in her journal and blog, hanging out with Seth, meeting a waitress in town, searching the internet for information about Jesus, and reading The Great Gatsby for the third time. Scotty is a wonderful character, who's life on the road has made her look at typical teenage issues with a wiser perspective. She's her own person who seems wise beyond her years.  I can't wait to read more about her in the next book!

I always enjoy Lisa Samson's books and this was no exception. The writing voice was fresh and quirky, like Scotty and the book was a fast read. I was expecting Scotty to find a few more answers about Jesus along the way, but I would guess that her journey will continue throughout the series.  I give this book my sunny day rating! 

Review of "Spa Girls" series by Kristin Billerbeck

I finally got to read the three books in the Spa Girls Series by Kristin Billerbeck. 

Check out Kristin Billerbeck's website at http://www.kristinbillerbeck.com/

Book one: She's All That

Description:

Forever friends Morgan Malliard, Poppy Clayton, and Lilly Jacobs live completely separate lives---and "catch up" at California's Spa Del Mar. When Lilly decides that "bad hair" is at the root of all her problems, her cohorts are full of "helpful" advice. But what does God have in store for three gals pursuing the perfect pedicure?

From Publishers Weekly
Christian chick-lit star Billerbeck has moved on from her popular Ashley Stockingdale trilogy with an engaging new novel that features struggling fashion designer Lilly Jacobs and her two best friends, Morgan and Poppy. The trio met at Stanford, and they couldn't be more different: Morgan's the down-to-earth daughter of a wealthy diamond dealer, while Poppy is a tie-dye-sporting chiropractor who's always prattling on about nutrition and energy. Now in their late 20s, the three are still best friends, and they make periodic trips to a spa when life gets too rough. As the novel opens, Lilly's just been passed over for a promotion, and discovers her boyfriend has been two-timing. She decides it's time to launch her own couture company. Along the way, Morgan gets ensnared in a curious May-December romance, and Lilly falls for a gold-digging Brit she meets at church. As if her plate weren't full enough, Lilly's birth mother, who abandoned her as a baby, turns up out of the blue; what's more, $20,000 of Lilly's start-up money vanishes. But all's well that ends well: Lilly finds true love and is trumpeted as the next Vera Wang. Snappy dialogue and lovable characters make this novel a winner.

Book 2: A Girl's Best Friend

Description:

Morgan's a girl who has it all, or so it seem. But even with diamonds at her disposal, a fabulous figure and a doting daddy, her well-sculpted life has left her without an identity to call her own. To add insult to injury, the Prince Charming she thought she'd found to rescue her proved to be a dud. So with all of that going on, a getaway with her best friends was in order. And it's then that Morgan can rejuvenate, regroup and figure out with God's help how to make a life she can live with.

From Kristin's website:

The second novel in the Spa Girls Collection focuses on Morgan, who seems to have it all--diamonds at her disposal, a willowy figure, elegance, and a doting daddy. But her etiquette-controlled, well-sculpted life has left her without an identity to call her own.

Book 3: Calm, Cool and Adjusted

Description:

Best friends since Johnny Depp wore scissors for hands, "The Spa Girls" live very separate lives, but stay in touch with routine visits to California's Spa Del Mar. The third novel in the Spa Girls Series focuses on Silicon Valley chiropractor Poppy Clayton, who is as calm, cool and adjusted as they come. ..Or is she? Known for her bad fashion sense, a love for all things natural and the inability to get a second date, Poppy is beginning to wonder if she might be misaligned herself. Her route to self discovery will be an unnatural one--a plastic surgeon, a house in Santa Cruz and a wedding date from the dark side. It's all enough to send a girland her gal palsrunning for the spa.

My Review:

I read these books over our weekend getaway and enjoyed them very much.  I think Billerbeck does an amazing job with dialogue. I just wish I could be as profound with my words as these girls are! In typical Billerbeck fashion, she looks at women who struggle with self-image, relationships, family dynamics, and their friendship with each other.  Each book is from a different friend's point of view. One cannot help but recognize the way that this special friendship fills a void in these women's lives. In all three cases the women's mother's have died or are absent and the friendship fills that place. The friends are hard on each other when it is needed--holding each other accountable when they get out of balance when their quirks and obsessions get out of control. I am actually quite amazed at how frankly they speak to each other, but they do it out of love and concern.

Lilly struggles to break out on her own in the fashion world. While she is gifted in this area, she cannot seem to recognize her talent and a miriad of problems seem to be roadblocks to her success, including her our doubts and insecurities.

Morgan is forced to break out from under her father's control to be her own person and not just his puppet when he is accused of breaking tax laws. She must learn to value herself and her faith enough to get free and find out she can make it on her own, and in fact, it is better for her to be free.

Poppy has taken natural health to an obsession and uses it to stuff away her real issues. Her friends think she is taking her tree-hugging tendencies too far. When her foot ends up in a cast, she has to figure out what she has been literally running from.

I really like Billerbeck and enjoyed the series for a wonderful reminder of the value of friendship, the importance of looking to God for our self-worth and not to things or family, and, of course, the importance of a good spa date to make it all better! :)

I give this series a sunny day rating!

Review of "The Vase of Many Colors" by Rachel Thoene

The Vase of Many Colors by Rachel Thoene 

I am grateful I was asked to review this book. I don't normally review children's books, but this is one of those children's books that ends up speaking to the grown ups just as much as to the child!

Description:

In the very small house, on the very grand hill, in the very small town author Rachel Thoene – daughter of veteran bestsellers Bodie and Brock Thoene - masterfully explores the captivating notions of forgiveness and grace in The Vase of Many Colors. This beautifully written and colorfully illustrated family tale peeks into the world of the very bouncy girl and her old, crooked grandmother. A world where rainbows appear on the walls and simple flower-gathering is a nightly ritual.

Vase of Many Colors in you.

Themes of the Book

Finding forgiveness. Picking up the pieces after an accident. Learning to forgive yourself. The meaning of grace.

About Rachel Thoene (daughter of Brock and Bodie Thoene)

Rachel knows what it’s like to pick up broken pieces. As a site administrator at two alternative schools for at-risk students in an urban school district in Sacramento, California, she helps students put the pieces of their broken lives back  together and discover success where there was only self doubt. As a mother, she finds new beauty in the hearts of her two children, Ian and Jessie. “Every person we come into contact with has the potential to be a beautiful and valuable work of art,” Rachel says. The inspiration for the story began as an email to a friend who was struggling with how to relate to her teenage son. When the story further developed, Rachel realized that the underlying message appealed to the experiences of adults and children alike.

A few questions she was asked about the book:

Who is the target audience for Vase of Many Colors?  Adults or Children?

 

Oh! Why limit it to just those two groups? I think the target audience is whomever has relationships with other human beings… some of my teachers have used it in their classes with their high school aged students and also with their own grandchildren. I have shared the story with school children and adults in difficult situations. It doesn’t really matter who you are or how old, if you deal with other human beings, you need to read this story. My boss has used it with staff members. I have shared it with some of my students who are teen age mothers and grandmothers who are raising their grandchildren…. The target audience is humans.

 

How can adults and children both benefit from reading Vase of Many Colors?

 

I think the story speaks to the fact that ALL of us have made, currently make and will continue to make mistakes. We will experience heartaches but WOW! The good news is that we can be forgiven, we can be healed, and we can be whole again. And it even applies to really deep hurts, like death of a loved one or a serious illness, loss of a job or other traumatic spiritual and emotional experiences… we’ll be all busted up to pieces but you know what? God can put us back together again. And when He does, we find ourselves staring into the old dark, musty closets of our past and wondering how in all heaven and earth He is going to take all that garbage and make anything good of it…. But He always does. And we never look the same but we’re new and improved… we might have a couple of emotional limps or scars left over but you ask any cancer patient who has beaten the disease and they will tell you that the scars serve as reminders of the battle and their courage to win and also as their reminder of their humanity. Those reminders cause us to be compassionate toward others who are experiencing the same or similar issues.

My Review:

I read this book to my girls (5 and 8) and found that this is the kind of book that can be enjoyed on 2 levels really.  My girls enjoyed the story and the colors and recognized themselves in the girl who dances and twirls about the house (very common in our home too!). They were grateful for a grandmother who could fix the vase and "bring it back to life" in a sense. I got the story on a different level.  I was thinking of picking up broken pieces in a symbolic sense and how hard it can be to pick them up and make something of them.  I think the last page says it all: "To appreciate wholeness, you have to have been broken...to know happiness you have to have known darkness. To see color, you have to have known darkness. To smell perfume, you have to have known decay."  This is a great gift book for someone who feels broken and needs a reminder that we can go on and that God can make something beautiful out of the broken pieces.

Funny Monday week 2

Here's one that my  husband thinks is fabulous!  He's even started singing "No, no, no, no, no..." like this guy does.