Dark Halo (#3 in Angel Eyes Series)

By Shannon Dittemore

I really wanted to enjoy this book. The reviews I read before signing up to review it were excellent, and the premise behind the story (young people dealing with the realities of the spiritual realm with angels and demons and God) really caught my attention, but in the end I just really did not enjoy this book at all.

I found the writing hard to follow (each chapter is written from the alternating perspective of a different one of the main characters -- a literary device which I usually enjoy but which I found annoying in this book) which wasn't my main beef with the book... my main problem was that I just found it difficult to follow the story because of the convoluted language used and -- more importantly the details that were ommitted in the narration. There were a lot of things that seemed to be assumed by the author but which i didn't get in my reading of the story so I was lost by the end of the first chapter and totally disinterested by the end of the 4th.

But judging from the rave reviews this book has received, maybe its just me in this case. I'm ready to concede that possibility for this book.

31 Days to Happiness

How to Find What Really Matters in Life
by David Jeremiah

I have heard a lot about and a lot by Dr. David Jeremiah in the past and so when his new book came out and I had a chance to review it, I jumped on it.

Let me start by saying that I was not disappointed. I thought I would be, but I wasn't.

31 Days to Happiness leads the reader through the book of Ecclesiastes in an effort to find the meaning of life. At first I thought to myself This has been done a million times, not the least of which is Rick Warren's The Purpose Driven Life which was just republished like six months ago... but while Dr. Jeremiah's book does follow a well-worn pattern (31 day devotional-type set up with personal anecdotes coupled with Biblical revelations), the pattern is well-worn for a reason. It keeps the reader interested and allows Dr. Jeremiah to dispense some of the wisdom he's gained through his own experiences (and the experiences of others he's come in contact with) while following along through the ultimate wisdom found in the Bible. Dr. Jeremiah does borrow heavily from other authors (including Rick Warren) but he does so in a way that is helpful and doesn't take away from the particular focus he has on Ecclesiastes. Unfortunately my favourite quotes from the book were quotes from other authors such as:

"If education was the key to life, then universities would be the most moral, ethical, and spiritual centres in any nation. Education would equate to contentment. We all know that's not the case" (Josh McDowell"

and

"The craft that we call modern,
the crimes that we call new,
John Bunyan had 'em typed and filed
in Sixteen Eighty-two" (Rudyard Kipling)

Anyone who has read Ecclesiastes (or anyone who knows Dr. Jeremiah's stuff) will not be surprised at the ultimate conclusion of the book, but the practical lessons to be had from the conclusion (divided up as "Life is Uncertain, Embrace It -- Life is Short, Enjoy It -- Life is Mysterious, Examine It -- and Life is Obedience, Express It) are helpful and encouraging. They help one to see the point of going on despite the seeming monotany or pointlessness that life can sometimes seem to be. Throughout the book Dr. Jeremiah alludes to the ultimate conclusion -- that there is no point to life outside of God, and that is the same conclusion Ecclesiastes comes to.

No surprises, but a great help. I found it a very helpful read.

That being said, I hate the title. In this age of way too many self-help books coming out every month, this title is so cliche it hurts. It doesn't give any information as to what the book is really about and really just amounts to false advertising. Why even go there? Is anyone foolish enough to think that happiness can be achieved through 31 days of reading some writer's book? I hope not. But if there are, those poor people will be sorely disappointed by this book. Its a helpful read. An encouraging read. A book that can help one on the way to developing contentedness and even happiness. But I would be my bottom dollar that no one struggling with unhappiness will read this book and by the end of 31 days find they are now miraculously unhappy no more.

Review Updated to Add:

Since writing the above review I have thought of several friends and relatives who I would have liked to have shared this excellent book with, but because of the title, I just can't bring myself to do it. My friends value my opinion and recommendations when it comes to books, but if I handed them something with this sort of tired, cliche, obviously-will-not-deliver type of title, I can only imagine how they would look at it. If they gave me the benefit of the doubt and read it anyways, then we'd probably be fine, but unfortunately, I'm not willing to take the risk. I had the same problem with the excellent book "How Not to Marry a Jerk" which, if it weren't for the unfortunate title, I would have shared with several people.

A Pretty Age

By Barbara Mueller 

 I had a really hard time getting into this book and was sorely tempted to give up on it after the first few chapters as it was quite confusing, disjointed and, frankly uninteresting. However, I did persevere and was rewarded for my efforts. The story as a whole is intriguing, unique, and draws you in. And the events of those first few chapters prove to be very significant to the later story. However, to me one important hallmark of excellent writing is the ability to place important information into a story in such a way that the reader is able to take it in without feeling beaten over the head with it or totally bemused as to why he is being fed this or that when it seems to have absolutely nothing to do with the story up to that point. I think that this ability is one of the things that made the Harry Potter series so successful. J. K. Rowlings was able to master that art. Barbara Mueller isn't there yet.

Another problem I had with this book was that the story was sometimes completely unintelligible and, more often, just confusing.

Finally, while I really enjoyed the actual story, I did not find it at all believable. For instance, [POSSIBLE SPOILER] Antoinette in her final diary entries writes about how she overhears sounds from downstairs that indicate that her chance has come to possibly escape her captivity. However, if she were truly feeling as though her chance for a quick escape had finally come, she would not have taken the extra time to write the further 3 paragraphs of narrative before signing the diary, hiding it for her friend, and taking her leave! Also, who writes about current events in the past tense? Just before, apparently, taking the sudden chance for escape she writes "Shortly, I heard the door below creak on its hinges..." [END OF SPOILER]

I really did enjoy the story about this poor girl's plight and her friend's adventure to save her, but the execution was definitely hard to follow at times.

Good Piece of Entertaining and Thought-Provoking "Biblical Fiction"

When Jesus Wept Jerusalem Chronicles, The Volume: 1

By Bodie and Brock Thoene

I was intrigued by the title and brief description of this book but was still prepared to be disappointed. I have read a lot of disappointing pieces of Biblical Fiction lately. But I was very pleasantly surprised as I read this book to find that it was unique, imaginative, intriguing, Biblical, though-provoking, and an excellent story.

I *really* enjoyed how the author made a full character out of Lazarus and his family. If you've ever seen the movie Barabbas, you'll see how completely on the other end of the spectrum this Lazarus is from the awful depiction of him in that film. And the things postulated about what happens after death and what life must have been like for Lazarus (as well as the young girl who Jesus also brought back to life -- she made a cameo appearance in this story) after he had experienced being in the afterlife and then was dragged back to this present world.

What impressed me most was the authors’ ability to write a story on this theme that was not terribly predictable and which kept me wanting to find out how things were going to end DESPITE the fact that I already knew the basics of the inevitable ending from the story it parallels in the Bible. This is not easy to do with Biblical fiction and I applaud Bodie and Brock Thoene for this book. 

I'll be very interested to see what they come up with for Volume 2...

BATHSHEBA Bathed in Grace

I did not enjoy this book at all.

I was intrigued by the title and then even more intrigued by the description as I LOVE Biblical fiction and I really enjoy thinking about the stories behind the women of the Bible so I was really looking forward to getting into this author's mind on these topics.

I found that the short stories in this book read more like a highschool type essay on the subject rather than an engaging piece of writing. The characters lacked compelling depth and instead had odd thought monologues and plot points that didn't seem to make sense or stay consistent with the narratives found in the Bible.

I started with Bathsheba's story and was not engaged enough in it to be able to finish it so I moved on to Leah's story because I have always been intrigued by Leah. But her story really lacked anything which helped me to identify with her character's heartache or provide me with any new thoughts on what her life might really have been like.

I cannot recommend this book for purchase.

It's Helpful to know "The Story of the Voice"

The Story of the Voice
By David Capes, Chris Seay, and James Couch

I have counted myself very blessed to have been able to read from the Voice Bible translation almost exclusively lately. I'll be honest, I didn't think I'd like it at first and every serious Bible reader I've tried to introduce it to since has had serious reservations about acknowledging a "paraphrase" of the Bible (and don't even get me started on the difficulties associated with suggesting they actually read it!) But I can say without any hesitation that I *love* the Voice translation and have come to trust it as a safe and reliable rendering of God's Word to His people. That being said, Id like to stop being ridiculed for having gone over to the "dark side" or loose side when it comes to Bible translations and that's where "The Story of the Voice" comes in.

I must admit that I probably would never have purchased this book; not because if isn't *excellent*, but because the idea of spending money on a book about a translation (when said translations has a perfectly comprehensive forward included with it) is a little much for my frugal mind to agree to. But I am so glad to have it.

The story of this translation is truly fascinating, and it's important to be able to get into the minds of the people behind this work in order to understand the thought process and prayer that went into some of the more startling translation/rendering decisions.

Get it. Understand it. And I challenge you to walk away from the Voice without a new respect for this controversial translation. Then pass the Story on to the next person who you think would benefit from stepping into the Story of Scripture.

Sisters in Faith Bible, King James Version

Sisters in Faith Bible, King James Version
Edited by: Michele Clark Jenkins and Stephanie Perry Moore

I was skeptical at first about *yet another* bible devoted to Black people. But I was (somewhat) pleasantly surprised by this Sisters in Faith Bible because it wasn't quite like all the others.

I like that this Bible doesn't pander to stereotypes about coloured women, nor does it ignore the real issues that women face regardless of colour. I think that any women would benefit from the devotional helps included in this Bible because they are relevant to us all.

But at the same time, this is yet another example of a publisher publishing another bible just to sell more bibles to the same old people and I'm getting really tired of that. I truly suspect that the reason that the bible remains the best selling book of all time is not because more and more people are buying it, but because Christians keep being told they need to get this new bible and that new bible because of the added content. This is saddening consumerism at its core. And the Sisters in Faith bible is an excellent example of this because of the way it is put together: clearly this bible isn't meant to be given to a new believer or someone who is far from God because its only available in the King James Version. Any new believer would be discourage by that, no matter how many excellent helps are included. This bible is obviously marketed towards the enthusiastic older coloured believers (of which I count myself one), but those people already have a bible, I guarantee you.

It's a lovely bible, but lets get together as followers of Christ and encourage our publishers to figure out how we can reach the lost, not get money out of each other.