Monday, November 16, 2015

Review of "Forgiven" by Terri Roberts with Jeanette Windle

Terri Roberts is the mother of Charlie Roberts, who was Nickel Mines Amish school shooter in October 2006. He shot 10 girls; five of them died before he then killed himself. It is a tragedy that affects many still today, and it created more questions than answers.

This book tells the firsthand account from a mother's perspective; both during the events as well as the fallout that came after; and it is definitely difficult to read at times. However, the overwhelming thread of forgiveness that is described in this book will move you to tears for such different reasons. The amount of grace shown in these relationships can only be described as supernatural. Certainly anyone would be hard pressed to understand how this could happen and would want to know WHY, but I especially loved the theme throughout that forgiveness was the choice they made. No matter what. And the Amish people directly involved, specifically affected, whose own children died that day - they still chose to forgive, and did so in very tangible ways.

This is a beautiful telling of how it is possible for good to come from evil, and that even when terrible things happen - with God truly anything is possible.

I was given a copy of this book by Bethany House in exchange for my honest review.

Saturday, November 14, 2015

Review of "She's Almost a Teenager" by Peter & Heather Larson, David & Claudia Arp

What a great book for the parents of pre-teen/tween girls! (Even great for ages beyond) Focused on teaching parents how to better relate to their girl in practical ways through honest communication, this wonderful book provides different questions to ask and most importantly conversation starters on every topic in the book:
The Big-Picture Talk
The Friends Talk
The Academics Talk
The Body Talk
The Faith Talk
The Boys Talk
The Money Talk
The Tech Talk

Unpacked and explained in very simple ways, each chapter is frank and honest without being alarming or terribly painful. The authors share stories from their own experiences and provide simple ways to help your daughter navigate her way to adulthood with your guidance. It is easy to recommend this book!

I was provided a free copy from Bethany House in exchange for my honest review.

Tuesday, November 10, 2015

Review of "Rising Darkness" by Nancy Mehl

The third book in the Finding Sanctuary series, this story brings both this and the "Road to Kingdom" series full circle by including a few of their characters who have also found their way to Sanctuary.

Sophie Wittenbauer, the troubled teen from Kingdom is now Sophie Bauer, a newspaper writer with dreams of becoming an investigative reporter. She has made major strides to shed her former life and image, and comes to Kingdom in search of a criminal from a long-unsolved crime.

When she arrives her cover is soon compromised, and she is repeatedly threatened by an unknown adversary. However, she is determined to find the truth and continues to persevere in her investigation. Through it all she also discovers the God she has been running from is also one of those pursuing her.

I enjoyed this book as I have all the others (in both of these series) by Nancy Mehl. The mystery is good and the characters well written. I can easily recommend this book.

I received a free copy of this book from Bethany House in exchange for my honest review.