The Crossing by Seita Jales

The Crossing is not a pretty story with a fairytale ending where everyone lives happily ever after. Actually it is a gritty, down-to-earth, real life narrative centered around a ten-year-old unsolved school bus murder and the lasting effects it has had on several witnesses and the people in their lives. Two of the students on board the bus on that fateful night experience symptoms of PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder). Claudia Campbell experiences increasing bouts of anxiety attacks and her spending habits have gotten out of control. Police officer Casio Hightower struggles with out-of-control bursts of rage that physically harm the people he loves most. When Claudia's husband Victor, an assistant DA reopens the case in hopes of helping his wife, Casio determines to help him solve the case. As new clues come to light, secrets of the past are revealed that change everything they believed to be true. The Crossing was a new reading experience for me. Just when I thought I knew how everything would turn out, something totally unexpected and/or shocking would occur. Interspersed between present day narrative were the last thoughts of the murder victim as she lay dying. Although this did not contribute to the solving of the case, it did add extra insight to the story. The book is well written with evident thought given to the characters and their unique reactions to their shared experience with an emphasis on how faith made a difference in their circumstances. Although The Crossing is very different than the books I usually choose, I would highly recommend it for its honest and insightful look at how one event can change a life forever. This book was provided for review by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing

Softly and tenderly

Softly and Tenderly by Sara Evans with Rachel Hauck
This book follows Jade as she wades through some of life's toughest issues. She says she feels like she's in the middle of a soap opera and I would have to agree. Some parts of the story and it's characters certainly weren't as believable as they could've been. "Jade begins to question everything she thought she knew about family, love, and motherhood", but in the end she "begins to see a future that doesn't rest on the power of her past, but in the goodness of God's tender mercies."
This book had an interesting story line that kept me guessing about what would happen next. However, I feel it focused too much on the negative and the bad things that happened and not enough on how God could be glorified through all that went on. I also feel like the story left me hanging - I finished the last chapter and was really wondering why the story was over right then. It was like my book was without the last two chapters! I appreciate the points made about forgiveness - there was forgiveness on many fronts in this book - and I think it makes you evaluate your own life to see if you, too, have secrets that need to be shared.
This book was provided free of charge from Thomas Nelson. All opinions expressed are solely my own.

The Wonder of Your love by Beth Wiseman

Katie Ann meets an Amish man named Eli who is visiting Canaan for a family event. Eli is a widower who has just seen the last of his kinner marry and move out of the "haus." Now he plans to travel and experience the freedom that a man raising 6 children on his own could never have. Meeting Katie Ann puts a slight crimp in those plans and he wonders if the Lord might not have a different plan in store for him?
Katie Ann and Eli struggle to maintain their relationship as "best friends" but both must come to face the fact that they care for each other much more than just friends do, and make some difficult decisions about where to go from there.
Side stories pop up in the book, including Lucy's, Mrs. Dash's, and Danielle's. (I'm hoping to see her next Land of Canaan book focus on Danielle) My only complaint about this book is that I felt there should have been a little more information on Lucy and her outcome, and Mrs. Dash as well. We never get to hear how things turn out for either of these new mothers. While it's tempting to hate Lucy for what happened with Ivan, you have to realize that she, too, is a victim of Ivan's wandering and irresponsible ways.
Kudos to Beth Wiseman for creating a vivid and engaging community of Amish people that, unlike many other author's Amish characters, are flawed and real. I love Amish fiction, but I lose interest quickly when the author creates a "too perfect to be real" plastic Amish community. Beth's Amish people are faithful and good, yet they struggle to do the right thing and deal with painful life events, just like the rest of us!
I received this book in e-book format free from the publisher through the 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|

HERMIE A COMMON CATERPILLAR by MAX LUCADO

This children's book is a Level 2 Reader book. It has easy words and sentences for the beginning reader. I reviewed the Kindle format of the book. Although the pictures are not in color on the Kindle, they are still very detailed and cute.

Hermie is not only a caterpillar, but he feels he is a fairly plain caterpillar. Hermie has a friend, Wormie, who looks like him and interacts with him in the story. In the story they meet a butterfly, an ant, a snail, and a lady bug of which Hermie & Wormie feel they all have things that make them special and wish they had those qualities, too. 

Hermie and Wormie have a common friendship not only because they look alike but also because they both talk to God. God tells them each time they question him about why they are common that he is not finished with them yet. 

Hermie gets tired, goes to sleep and wakes up a butterfly. He encourages, Wormie who hasn't changed yet, that God is not finished with him either. The book ends with Wormie getting tired and going to sleep, which makes for a great bedtime story.

This book would be a good discussion point for parents to talk about changes that God is doing in their child as she is growing, to discuss how everyone has special abilities and aren't really "common," and to discuss dreams their child has for when she is "all grown up."

Waiting for Morning BY Karen Kingsburg

There was a horrific jolt and the defending sound of twisting, sparking metal and shattering glass. Jenny screamed, but it was to late. The explorer took to the air like a child's toy spinning wildly and coming to rest wrapped around a telephone pole a hundred feet away." In Karen Kingsbury's Waiting For Morning, the tragedies represent life experiences. This book is interesting and heart warming. It is hard to put down.
Hannah Ryan waits for her two girls and wonderful husband to come home from a summer camping trip. It is a perfect Christian family with nothing missing or where anything could go wrong. They got in a wreck with an unstable drunk driver. Instantly, her oldest daughter and husband died. The youngest daughter lives, but goes through severe trauma. Hannah tries to convict the driver of first-degree murder. It will be the biggest charge for drunk driving in the history of California. At the same time, it just makes things insoluble between her daughter and herself when both are bewildered about the accident.
Kingsbury makes the characters very easy to understand. Hannah Ryan is portrayed as a dynamic character in direct characterization. Jenny, her daughter, a very round character, struggles with so many difficulties after the deaths of her family members. Both struggle with unspeakable feelings of sorrow and rage that fuse into one chilling purpose for living. All Hannah wants is revenge against Brian Wesley, the drunk driver that causes her all the pain. In fury of things going on, Hannah shuts the Lord out of her life, the biggest mistake of all.
It is not very difficult nor too easy to follow along with. The book's superior ways in the dialogue is extremely intelligible. Although the characters are older, the reading is not too mature for younger teens. The language is internal. It speaks to the inside of your heart. The tone can make a person change completely, or can shake them up. It is also shocking at times with a touch of thrill.
When the holidays arrive, everything becomes a lot harder for everyone. The Novel takes place in a city in the mists of California. It takes place around the time of holidays and vacations, which makes it more difficult on Jenny and Hannah.
The story, told in third person omniscient, revolves around Hannah. A couple of flashbacks take place while she remembers memories, and looks back at old pictures. The foreshadowing works greatly and proves that someone can live for something that they cannot find in themselves. "I don't need God anymore..." becomes the realistic nature of this novel. Horrible circumstances make many people question their faith.
Waiting For Morning, by Karen Kingsbury, a fantastic book on true-life experiences, keeps the reader on edge, waiting for the next sight. It can have a huge effect on a person from laughing, to crying, to smiling. It can and will leave the readers in true amazement. If people need to find themselves or find the truth in the Lord during hard battles, this book is wonderful.

Gabby God’s Little Angel

By Sheila Walsh

The book introduces us to the clumsy angel Gabby who has a new assignment. She will be the guardian angel for a little girl Sophie. Gabby and Sophie share some similar traits even though one is an angel and one is a human. Of course Sophie doesn't know Gabby is there but Gabby takes her mission very seriously. Walsh presents the story in a simple way to let little girls know that God loves us very much and even sends angels to protect us. She uses Psalm 91:11 to let girls know this concept is biblical.

The Bone house

By Stephen R. Lawhead

The bone house is a follow up edition in the Skin Map series.you will understand this book more if you have read the first book.kit Livingstone finds himself in a race against time and a parallel universes as he seeks out a map that a relative Cosimo instructed him about .In doing so he faces deadly and evil enemy's.

It has a lot of characters.It is detailed and interesting science fiction book.It is well written.

This book was sent to me from by review from Book Sneeze.