Category Archives: Book Opinion

Still Growing: An Autobiography

Posted on by
Reply

Author:  Kirk Cameron
Publisher:  Regal Books                        still growing
Pages: 256
Genre: Non – Fiction
Source: My daughter

Goodreads:  Kirk Cameron is best known for his role as loveable teenage troublemaker Mike Seaver on the award-winning TV series Growing Pains, but his rise to fame and fortune is only part of his incredible story. In this intimate autobiography, Kirk opens up about his early years, his rocket to stardom, his life-changing encounter with Jesus and the hard choices he’s made along the way to live in the Way of the Master. Fans will get an up-close and personal look at what drives the former teen-magazine heartthrob and find out how God and family became the secrets behind his celebrated smile. In his own words, Kirk shares how he’s still growing—even through the triumphs and temptations of his Hollywood career.

Ope’s Opinion:  Having watch Kirk Cameron grow up on television, I was interested in his view from the inside.  I am also a Christian and was interested in how he got to know God and how it changed his life.

This was well written and easy to follow what was going on.  I do not usually read non-fiction, but this one was worth the read.

Rating:  Three Chairs – I like this book enough to suggest it to a friend or two.
3 chairs

A January Bride

Posted on by
Reply

Author:  Deborah Raney                                            jan bride
Publisher:  Zondervan
Pages:  120
Genre: Contemporary Christian Fiction
Source:  Netgalley 

 

 

Goodreads:  Who can work in a house that’s overrun by contractors and carpenters? Not Madeleine Houser, a successful novelist who gladly accepts the help of her octogenarian friend, Ginny, to arrange for a temporary office in the charming bed and breakfast owned by Ginny’s friend, Arthur. Maddie’s never met the innkeeper––but a friendship grows between them as Maddie and Arthur leave messages for each other each day. To Maddie’s alternate delight and chagrin, she seems to be falling for the inn’s owner––a man who’s likely many years her senior––and who she’s never even met.

Ope’s Opinion:  Even though this book is very short, it was a slow paced.  I felt like Deborah Raney took the time to let us get to know the characters as they got to know each other.  It was an sweet book to read.  
 
My review is like the book – short and sweet and worth the read!  

Rating:  Four Chairs – I like this book so much I know several friends to share it with.
de9fc-4chairs

Anti – Prom

Posted on by
Reply

Author: Abby McDonald
Publisher: Candlewick Press                       anti prom
Pages:  288
Genre:  Young Adult
Source:  Purchased

 

 

 

Goodreads:  Three unlikely allies team up for a night of rebellion, romance, and revenge in a high-stakes dramedy from acclaimed young author Abby McDonald.

They’ve spent years at the same high school without speaking a word to one another, but that’s all about to change. Popular Bliss was having the perfect prom until she found her BFF and boyfriend making out in the back of a limo. Bad girl Jolene wouldn’t be caught dead at the prom, yet here she is, trussed up in pink ruffles, risking her reputation for some guy – some guy who is forty minutes late. And shy, studious, über-planner Meg never counted on her date’s standing her up and leaving her idling in the parking lot outside the prom. Get ready for The Anti-Prom, Abby McDonald’s hilarious, heart-tugging tale about three girls and one unforgettable prom night.

Ope’s Opinion:  This book was not at all what I thought it would be.  I thought it was going to be a cute read about three girls going to their prom.  There was very little time spent at the prom at the beginning of the book.  The rest of the book was an adventure the three girls went on.  

Since all three girls are very different, you could probably find one to relate to.  On the other hand, I would not recommend young adult girls to read this book.  I felt like the revenge the girls were putting into place was inappropriate.

I kept reading this book hoping that it would take a turn for the better.  I was disappointed it never did.  Getting revenge for a whole book, just isn’t my choice of a good book.

Rating:  Two Chairs – I may have one friend who might like this book.
e3de1-2chairs

The Edge of Normal

Posted on by
Reply

Author:  Carla Norton
Publisher: Minotaur Books                      the edge
Pages: 308
Genre: Thriller
Source: BookSparks

Goodreads:  In many ways, Reeve LeClaire looks like a typical twenty-two year old girl. She’s finally landed her own apartment, she waitresses to pay the bills, and she wishes she wasn’t so nervous around new people. She thinks of herself as agile, not skittish. As serious, not grim. But Reeve is anything but normal.

Ten years ago, she was kidnapped and held captive. After a lucky escape, she’s spent the last six years trying to rebuild her life, a recovery thanks in large part to her indispensable therapist Dr. Ezra Lerner. But when he asks her to help another girl rescued from a similar situation, Reeve realizes she may not simply need to mentor this young victim—she may be the only one who can protect her from a cunning predator who is still out there, watching every move.

From the author of the #1 non-fiction bestseller Perfect Victim: The True Story of the Girl in the Box comes a novel that draws you into a chilling and engrossing world. With powerfully gripping characters and an ending that is a masterpiece of deception, Carla Norton’s The Edge of Normal is a stunning debut thriller.

Ope’s Opinion:  When you read this book, do not forget to breath!  This book is so intense you will loose track of time.  

I would have thought being introduced to the antagonist so early in the story that it would take the suspense away.  It actually worked in the opposite way.  Seeing all the points of view made the story move very quickly.

I think this book needs to be made into a movie.  The writing was so detailed I could see each scene and character.

I would have given this book five stars if it had stopped about 30 pages earlier.

I am ready to read another book by Carla Norton.  She can keep me up late at night any time.

Rating:  Four Chairs – I like this book so much I know several friends to share it with.
de9fc-4chairs

Save the Date

Posted on by
1

Author:  Jenny B. Jones
Publisher: Thomas Nelson                                 save
Pages:  320
Genre: Christian Fiction
Source: Purchased

 

 

 

 

Goodreads:  You are cordially invited to the wedding of the year with the most unlikely bride and groom. Save the date . . . and say your prayers.

When funding for Lucy’s non-profit job is pulled, she is determined to find out why. Enter Alex Sinclair, former professional football star and heir to Sinclair Enterprises the primary donor to Lucy’s non-profit organization.

Both Lucy and Alex have something the other desperately wants.

Alex has it all . . . except for the votes he needs to win his bid for Congress. Despite their mutual dislike, Alex makes Lucy a proposition: pose as his fiancee in return for the money she desperately needs. Bound to a man who isn’t quite what he seems, Lucy finds her heart and her future on the line.

“Save the Date” is a spunky romance that will have readers laughing out loud as this dubious pair try to save their careers, their dreams . . . and maybe even a date.

Ope’s Opinion: This book definitely has God at it’s center.  It is not preachy, but obvious.  It was fun to watch the characters develop their relationships with each other and with God at the same time.  

You know how this book is going to end from the beginning, but is fun to go down the path.  At the beginning, Lucy seems to be more clumsy then I felt was realistic.  I think the author was trying to show her development in her confidence, but I felt it was a little too exaggerated for me.  I guess that is petty.   

I am going to pass this book on my daughters mother-in-law.  She likes Christian Fiction, like I do.  

I will be looking for more of Jenny B. Jones books to read.

Rating:  Four Chairs – I like the book so much I know several friends to share it with.
de9fc-4chairs

Left

Posted on by
Reply

Author: Tamar Ossowski
Publisher:  Skyhorse Publishing                left
Pages: 238
Genre:  Drama
Source: My Daughter

Goodreads:  Therese Wolley is a mother who has made a promise. She works as a secretary, shops for groceries on Saturdays, and takes care of her two girls. She doesn t dwell on the fact that her girls are fatherless, mostly because her own father abandoned her before she was born and she has done just fine without him.Even though her older daughter regularly wakes with nightmares and her younger one whispers letters under her breath, she doesn t shift from her resolve that everything will be fine. She promises . . . and they believe.

Until the morning an obituary in the newspaper changes everything. Therese immediately knows what she has to do. She cannot delay what she has planned, and she cannot find the words to explain her heartbreaking decision to her daughters. She considers her responsibilities, her girls, and her promise. Then she does the only thing that any real mother would do. She goes on the run with one daughter . . . and abandons the other.

Left is told from the perspectives of Franny, the autistic sister who is left behind; Matilda, the troubled older sister who vows to go back and save her; and Therese, a mother on the run.

Ope’s Opinion:  Franny’s voice pulls at your heartstrings.  She is realistic.
Matlida’s voice bounces from being mature beyond her age to being very immature – which at her age is normal.
Therese’s voice seems very selfish, until the end and you see her true motivation.

I did not enjoy the fact that everyone had secrets.  It is enjoyable to read and figure out some secrets, but this book was overloaded with them.  I found  my mind wandering some times and others I was frustrated.  I don’t know if it was the writing as much as the subject.

The last 40 pages brought everything together and made sense out of the rest of the story.

Rating: Three Chairs – I like this book enough to suggest it to a friend or two.
3 chairs

Heart On A Shoestring

Posted on by
1

Author:  Marilyn Grey
Publisher:  Winslet Press                heart
Pages:  300
Genre:  Contemporary
Source: Winslet Press

 

 

 

Goodreads:  BOOK 4 IN THE UNSPOKEN SERIES: COMING 2014!
“Dreaming of the person you want to be is wasting the person you already are.”
Kurt Cobain

A Novel of Self-Discovery

Rebelling against a life of black and white, Miranda Ryan paints the world in a technicolor fever. She spends her free time on park benches, analyzing people from the outside in and creating whimsical stories about their lives. Unbridled and full of life, her ever-changing heart is a revolving door no man can figure out. And she likes it that way. But when Derek Rhodes enters her life, he stubbornly challenges her every move. As she unsuccessfully avoids this opinionated prankster her colors fade to gray and she is forced into a choice . . . to lose the self she knows or the self she has never been.

Derek Rhodes wears the same shade of brown every day and avoids eye contact with strangers, until Miranda walks into his life and splashes his world with streaks of colors he swore he’d never touch. Drawn to her imaginative personality, he finds himself questioning his own cynical nature and flat-lined ideals, only to fall in love and realize the only woman he’s ever let into his heart has no plans of letting a man into hers. Follow them both as they poke and prod and test each others limits on a journey of discovery.

Ope’s Opinion:  You do not need to read the other books in the series to enjoy this one.   Heart On A Shoestring took me a little longer to get into then the previous books, but it definitely pulled my heart strings as I read it.

Miranda and Derek have a lot to deal with – as I think most of us do.  Watching them help each other discover who they really are and who they are meant to be was an awesome ride.

It is so refreshing to read a love a story without explicit love scenes.  I would encourage a teen and mom to read these stories and have a conversation after each one.  Each story brings new topics up to revaluate your opinion from a different perspective.

Marilyn Grey is an amazing author. I am looking forward to when Bloom comes out.  Keep writing and I’ll keep reading!

Rating:  Four Chairs – I like this book so much I know several friends to share it with.
de9fc-4chairs

Crossing the Line

Posted on by
Reply

crossingAuthor:  Katie McGarry
Publisher:  Harlequin TEEN
Pages: 67
Genre:  Young Adult
Source: Purchased

Goodreads:  Katie McGarry captivated readers with her “riveting, emotional”* Young Adult debut, Pushing the Limits. In this gripping novella, she tells the story of Lila and Lincoln, who discover that sometimes it’s worth crossing the line for love…

Lila McCormick, Echo’s best friend from Pushing the Limits, first met Lincoln Turner when tragedy struck both their lives. But she never expected their surprise encounter would lead to two years of exchanging letters—or that she’d fall for the boy she’s only seen once. Their relationship is a secret, but Lila feels closer to Lincoln than anyone else. Until she finds out that he lied to her about the one thing she depended on him for the most.

Hurting Lila is the last thing Lincoln wanted. For two years, her letters have been the only thing getting him through the day. Admitting his feelings would cross a line he’s never dared breach before. But Lincoln will do whatever it takes to fix his mistakes, earn Lila’s forgiveness—and finally win a chance to be with the girl he loves.

Ope’s Opinion:  This book would have been five chairs, but I did not want it to end so soon!  It was very short and sweet, yet the characters were well developed.  Even though it was short, I felt like it was a complete story.

I was swept away in the story line.  I want an update.  I want to know where they are now!

This is my second Katie McGarry book and I intend to read more of her books!


Rating:  Four Chairs – I like this book so much I know several friends to share it with.
de9fc-4chairs

A December Bride

Posted on by
1

Author:  Denise Hunter            dec bride
Publisher: Zondervan
Pages: 94
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Source: Purchased

Goodreads: A year’s worth of novellas from twelve inspirational romance authors. Happily ever after guaranteed.
What started as a whim turned into an accidental—and very public—engagement. Can Layla and Seth keep up the facade in Chapel Springs this holiday season—for the sake of her career . . . and his heart?
Under normal circumstances, Seth Murphy—the best friend of Layla O’Reilly’s ex-fiance—would be the last person she’d marry. But the news of their upcoming (and phony) nuptials convinces a big client that Layla may be high-society enough to work for his agency—a coup that would put her fledgling home-staging business on the map.
Seth has secretly loved Layla for years, even when she was dating his best friend. Maybe she’ll never forgive him for the way he hurt her back then, but he has to try. And Layla is willing to keep up their engagement farce until she’s landed her client.
For Layla, it’s the chance to save her career. But for Seth, it’s his last chance to win her heart.

Ope’s Opinion:  This was a perfect book for this time of year!  It was short, but all the elements of a good book where there.  The characters were well developed, the story was wonderful and it just swept you away.

Although it was a predictable story line, there were enough turns along the way to keep me reading.  The characters all knew each other before the beginning of the story – that helped make it more believable.

I am now looking forward to the other books in the series A Year of Weddings.

Rating:  Four Chairs – I like this book so much I know several friends to share it with.
de9fc-4chairs

The Christmas Train

Posted on by
Reply

Author: David Baldacci
Publisher: Warner Books                       chr train
Pages:  288
Genre: Holiday / Mystery
Source: My Daughter 

Good reads:  Disillusioned journalist Tom Langdon must get from Washington D.C. to L.A in time for Christmas. Forced to travel by train, he begins a journey of rude awakenings, thrilling adventures and holiday magic. He has no idea that the locomotives pulling him across America will actually take him into the rugged terrain of his own heart, as he rediscovers people’s essential goodness and someone very special he believed he had lost.

The Christmas Train is filled with memorable characters who have packed their bags with as much wisdom as mischief … and shows how we do get second chances to fulfill our deepest hopes and dreams, especially during this season of miracles.

Ope’s Opinion:  This was a really cute story.  It was predictable, but had a lot of twists before it got to the predictable ending.  I enjoyed the whole idea of being on the train and meeting all the people who were riding together.

At this time of year, when life is hectic and some times stressful, this is a great, easy, enjoyable read.  It will take you away for a few hours and make you happy.  For those of us who are a little older, it will take us back to a time when we first fell in love.

Rating: Three Chairs – I like the book enough to suggest it to a friend or two.
3 chairs