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<![CDATA[Valerie added 'Watch Over Me']]>
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/76268495
to: Watch Over Me (Paperback)byChrista Parrish bookshelves: for-book-reviews
Watch Over Me, by Christa Parrish is my first book by Christa Parrish. Her style of writing is easy and captivating.
Abbi and Benjamin have been struggling in their marriage since he returned from his military tour to Afganistan. Back in South Dakota, where he is a deputy, he finds a newborn baby girl in a field while carrying out regular duties. He saves the baby and starts visiting her in the hospital every day. When a foster home is needed for the baby, Abbi and Ben step forward.
Ben has shut Abbi out and there is little remaining in their relationship. Abbi finds less and less reason to stay in their rocky marriage.
The story is riddled with unfolding subplots: Matthew, a deaf and mute math genius needs a new kidney; He lives with his dysfunctional aunt and her four daughters; Abbi is bulimic; Abbi's best friend shut her out when her husband was killed in Afganistan; The on-going investigation of who left the baby to die in a field dominates Ben's thoughts, along with his Afganistan experience; Abbi and Ben's less-than-satisfactory church experience. There were many flesh and blood messy characters.
I appreciated the realism of the book. I liked that it wasn't the story-book ending. Life is not filled with fairy-tale endings, and I was afraid this book would disappoint me with a happily-ever-after conclusion. It did not. But it had a conquering ending. It was a realistic ending and one where the characters were continuing to grow and overcome.
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<![CDATA[Valerie added 'Things Worth Remembering']]>
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/76268363
to: Things Worth Remembering (Paperback)byJakina Stark bookshelves: for-book-reviews
Things Worth Remembering was my first book by Jackina Stark. It was emotionally laden with regret and pain, but redeemed by forgiveness and a new start.
Kendy is Maisey's mother and Kendy loves Maisey more than life itself. Over the years she's been shut out of Maisey's life more and more. Now Maisey is planning her wedding and it's becoming evident to all that Maisey is hostile toward her mother. Finally the dam burst and with raging anger it's revealed why Maisey hates her mother.
When Maisey was thirteen years old she witnessed her mother's indiscretion and has hated her ever since. Meanwhile, until a couple of days before the wedding, Kendy is oblivious to why Maisey is so distant and that she ever saw anything questionable. In a torrent of tears and hatred, Maisey's rage threatens her wedding.
The emotions in the book were realistic and the predicaments too. I liked that the story unfolded from both Maisey and Kendy's perspective.
I was mildly disappointment with Kendy's indiscretion, that relatively speaking, was minor. It was powerful enough to jeopardize many relationships. However, for the person who is reading this book who has experienced much worse indiscretions, I think the message wasn't too hopeful. The message could be about God's forgiveness of relatively minor indiscretions, but not the big ones.
I enjoyed the book. I felt the emotions, I experienced the temporary hopelessness of "having screwed up too badly." I will definitely read more Jackina Starks writing.
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<![CDATA[Valerie added 'Fresh Start: God's Invitation to a Great Life']]>
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/72897891
to: Fresh Start: God's Invitation to a Great Life (Hardcover)byDoug Fields bookshelves: for-book-reviews
Fresh Start is written by Doug Fields, youth minister of Saddleback Church. Although it's written by a youth minister it is not written with youth in mind. It is written to anyone who's craving a new beginning in life. Fields generously sprinkles Fresh Start with humor, and gave me many laugh-out-loud moments as I read about conquering and overcoming the snags in life that we all experience.
With humility, compassion (and a lot of humor which I loved) he encourages the reader to get out of the stuck life and embrace a fresh start in life, in abundant joyful living. He addresses areas we all get bogged down in at various stages in life: pride, regret, hurt, conflicts, fear, rejection, anger, superficial friendships.
He writes, "We are stuck people... the power to change doesn't come from our own strength or resolve or positive thinking... Real lasting change comes from God's unlimited power. Anything else is a temporary fix... God is in the transformation business. He takes real, flawed, messy people and invites us to start fresh and live lives of fullness and forward motion... fresh starts are available more than once... God doesn't demand that we walk a tightrope of perfection. His grace is offered continually and is always within reach."
I enjoyed this book. It's radically laced with messy humanity and loaded with practical help in overcoming the messy predicaments we fall hostage to along life's path.
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<![CDATA[Valerie added 'Leaving Yesterday']]>
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/76268305
to: Leaving Yesterday (Paperback)byKathryn Cushman bookshelves: for-book-reviews
Leaving Yesterday, by Kathryn Cushman is a captivating book about a mother (Alisa) who has lost a son to murder and her second son (Kurt) has embraced a life of hard drugs. Living on the streets and with no contact with his family, Alisa is overjoyed to finally hear from Kurt and learn he has checked himself into rehab. Feeling hope for the first time in years, her hopes are dashed by the revelation that he is a suspect in the murder of a drug dealer.
Alisa discovers hard evidence of Kurt's guilt and the majority of the story is devoted to her struggle to hide or disclose the evidence.
Subplots within the story are her struggling marriage and her work in women's ministry.
Kurt and Alisa are faced with horrific decisions and both have to decide between safety and doing the right thing. Their story is realistic and their poor choices reverberate throughout the book, as does their wisdom. A unique combination, for sure.