I received The Red Letters Project recently, a recorded version of the book of Matthew, set to music, from Tyndale House Publishers.

2000 years in the making, The Red Letters Project is a dynamic, one-of-a-kind Rock and Pop tour-de-force built on the real Rock, Jesus. Using the words of Christ as found in the Gospel of Matthew (New Living Translation), The Red Letters Project is an unique alternative to spoken-word audio Bibles and traditional rock albums, blending the timeless life-changing text with a musical medium resonant with a new generation. The Red Letters Project is an excellent gift for teens, young adults, lovers of God’s Word, and any fan of rock music, regardless of age.

This was not my cup of tea, at all. I listened to each and every song on all three discs, hoping that the vocalists would be different, the style would change, that a tune would be catchy or something.

Nothing. For me it got very old listening to the same two or three artists (all unknown to me) sing the verses. Probably because there was little change in the vocalization, but it might also be because the book of Matthew is not one of the poetry books of the Bible and for me it didn’t work to set it to music.

I’m not sure who will like this. Maybe people a little older than me who grew up listening to Christian groups like Petra or MxPx? I can’t say for certain. Being around today’s youth quite a bit I can say that I don’t think they’ll enjoy this. You have to be a big fan of a very particular type of music and not mind that the same 3 people are singing all 40 tracks on this compilation. For me it would have worked better if there had been a wide variety of some notable Christian artists who had taken part in this.

Great idea; poorly executed.

A complimentary copy was provided by Tyndale House Publishers for the purpose of reviewing.

It was heartbreaking to hear on Sunday what My Favorite Author From My High School Years (Nicholas Sparks) had to say about My Current Favorite Author (Cormac McCarthy). McCarthy has left his mark on American literature and it’s doubtful we’ll be forgetting about him anytime soon. Combine that with the fact that he has made this impression in such a short amount of time and it serves to make me even more flabbergasted as to why Sparks would just go off about McCarthy’s writing, while placing himself above such names as Shakespeare, Austen, and Hemingway in the same breath.

What is this guy thinking?!

Then it dawned on me.

He knows.

Nick knows.

Go back to the first line of this post. See that? Yeah. Umm…I guess I have some explaining to do.

Nick. We had a good run, dude. The first book of yours that I read was Message in a Bottle, which I picked up on a whim off a shelf at Wal-mart. You had me from the get-go. You were there for me when I was 15 and lonely and the only person in the world I could relate to was Jamie Sullivan (A Walk to Remember) and her plain Jane, Bible-toting ways. Honestly, as melodramatic as it may sound, that little novel helped make me see that it was okay to just be who I was and not care so much about not fitting the mold that I saw so many girls trying to slip into. I can’t tell you how much that meant to me. Because the novel was so open-ended and I had opted for the more positive of the two outcomes, Jamie’s death in the film slayed me. But I didn’t blame you for that. As a writer you let your babies go out into the world and live. And when you sell them to the highest bidder your babies end up tattooed and with mangled faces from the prison fights they got into. I don’t think that metaphor worked, but whatever.

When I read The Notebook something kinda clicked though. Your stories were starting to sound…familiar. Not in the way that makes a story relatable and not in the way that someone is taking what they know of your life and writing some trash piece of work in a creative writing course; just plain repetitive. And so I finished The Notebook and got started on a list of books that I felt like I needed to read before I went to college. Between me and my mom, I was still building a collection of your works, though to this day I have not read another one since The Notebook during (I believe) my sophomore year of high school. Still, I chose to go meet you because I thought that some day I would return and you would welcome me into the loving arms of one of your books.

Then along came Cormac. We met when I was in college and unlike many of the relationships I formed during those years, this one stuck. His voice was gravely and masculine. His words vivid and colorful. His pen a veritable brush against the canvas, making the dust and deep sunsets I’d grown up surrounded by seem so much more beautiful.

Since reading your words the other day I have wondered what it could be that led you to say such critical things about a fellow writer and in public. While this post was intended as a bit of a satire (I know very well that your little public breakdown and verbal vomit about how you are greater than the greats is not fueled by the fact that you are no longer my favorite author), however, I am as serious as can be in questioning — where has your southern sense of decorum gone? I’m not a proponent of using harsh words against someone or their work at any time, but couldn’t you have had the decency to keep your opinion to yourself? Simply saying, “I’m not a fan” would have been sufficient in letting the interviewer know that they weren’t going to get much out of that line of questioning. Instead you took the bait and ran without, making us all privy to your innermost thoughts on Mr. McCarthy and his novel.

I am guessing the truth behind the feelings we see expressed in the interview lies in jealousy. It is understandable that you would be covetous of the talent of a writer, whose own works when set to film produce Academy Award winning pictures. But, sir…please. Remember the things your parents taught you. Use a little grace.

No one likes a whiner.

No one likes a bad sport.

No one likes a narcissist.

And you, sir, have placed yourself squarely in each of those camps.

P.S., There’s very little chance I’ll be reading any of your novels or seeing any films based on your work again. And really, we know that’s what cuts the deepest.

Books:
Life of Pi by Yann Martel
Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay

Starting things off with Yann Martel’s Life of Pi.

10:25am – Talk about getting nowhere fast. I got distracted in the garden and NOW I’m really getting started. Good thing I’m dragging my readathon out into tomorrow.

Took a 2-hour nap, went shopping for herbs, and now they are planted. Reading now.

3:42pm – Starting Darkly Dreaming Dexter.

5:30pm – Read 83pgs/80mins. This book is a pretty quick read. Lots of similarities with the series so far. I know that’s boring to a lot of people, but I enjoy Dexter’s inner monologue.

Breaking to clean and do some dinner prep!

MIDNIGHT - I’m not feeling too well, but I’m not sleepy yet, so I’m going to try to get more reading in. Until the Benadryl kicks in…15pgs/11mins

5:55am – I started to fall asleep in the chair last night and took myself to bed after about 15 pages. But I’m up again and joining you all for the last hour! I won’t be updating again until it’s officially “over.”

7:00am – TIME! 65pgs/60mins. Congrats to all of you who went the distance and managed to stay awake for TWENTY. FOUR. SOLID. HOURS! Now get your behinds in bed. I still feel rotten, but I’m here in my chair, engrossed in this book, so I might be here a little longer. Anyone going to be dragging their readathon out longer into the day?

Mini-Challenges:
The Cliffhanger Challenge
The best cliffhanger so far has been the human head flying out of the refrigeration truck and hitting the side of Dexter’s car. We now know that someone has upped the stakes quite a bit. There’s no way I could put it down after that!

End of Event Meme
1. Which hour was most daunting for you? – Probably the one when I took the Benadryl. Yipes.
2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year? Darkly Dreaming Dexter is the only one I made progress on (that’s what happens when this thing occurs on my planting weekend!) and it’s really a page-turner. Maybe even more if you haven’t seen the TV show.
3. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year? I’d rather see it start on a Friday night locally, but that’s just me. I might do that next time.
4. What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon? Saw a lot of fun mini-challenges. Didn’t participate in as many this year though.
5. How many books did you read? Most of one.
6. What were the names of the books you read? (Listed at the top.)
7. Which book did you enjoy most? The only one I made progress on.
8. Which did you enjoy least? N/A
9. If you were a Cheerleader, do you have any advice for next year’s Cheerleaders? Spreading my time commitment (one hour) over the course of the 24 hours was a good idea. I’ll do that again next time.
10. How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time? Without a doubt, I’ll be here again! I think next time I might try to host a mini-challenge.

A few weeks ago I received a 10-pack of Lenten devotions from Tyndale. Coming from a religious tradition that doesn’t acknowledge Lent in any way, I was intrigued.

The 40 days leading up to Easter, known as Lent, are set aside as a time for reflection and self-denial in preparation for the celebration of Easter. This year at Lent, orient your life toward Jesus Christ with this unique devotional taken from Holy Bible: Mosaic. Encounter Christ by reflecting on the words of Scripture and the art and writings of Christians across time and cultures. Includes full-color artwork; contemporary and historical writings; prayers, poems, and hymns from throughout church history. Full text of each week’s devotional Scripture readings is also included.

These are tiny booklets, great for handing out to friends and family (what I did) and provide devotions for each week of Lent. I didn’t use them to go through Lent and unlike last year, I didn’t give anything up. However, the devotions and scripture readings were wonderful. My mom, because she thought I was turning Catholic, was asking about the devotions sitting on the coffee table and I offered her some to take home. She even gave one to a pastor at their church.

I appreciate Tyndale’s generosity in handing these out for free (almost) in time for Lent and I think that if you are looking for something for a small group to use next year during the Lenten season, this would be a great booklet to check out.

A complimentary copy of this title was provided to me by the Tyndale Blog Network for the purpose of reviewing.

This week I had the privilege to review a book by one of my favorite Christian fiction authors, Liz Curtis Higgs. Her latest book, Here Burns My Candle, does not disappoint. Higgs once again tells the story of characters in Scotland with a biblical tale superimposed over their lives. This time we’re looking at the story of Naomi and Ruth. Theis book was a delight to read and I never wanted to put it down. Higgs has a way of doing that. Her books are some of the very few romances that I enjoy reading. there is something about the way that she handles the characters that I really love. They are round, believable, and most importantly — real.

Here is the publisher’s summary:

Lady Elisabeth Kerr is a keeper of secrets. A Highlander by birth and a Lowlander by marriage, she honors the auld ways, even as doubts and fears stir deep within her.

Her husband, Lord Donald, has secrets of his own, well hidden from the household, yet whispered among the town gossips.

His mother, the dowager Lady Marjory, hides gold beneath her floor and guilt inside her heart. Though her two abiding passions are maintaining her place in society and coddling her grown sons, Marjory’s many regrets, buried in Greyfriars Churchyard, continue to plague her.

One by one the Kerr family secrets begin to surface, even as bonny Prince Charlie and his rebel army ride into Edinburgh in September 1745, intent on capturing the crown.

A timeless story of love and betrayal, loss and redemption, flickering against the vivid backdrop of eighteenth-century Scotland, Here Burns My Candle illumines the dark side of human nature, even as hope, the brightest of tapers, lights the way home.

Here Burns My Candle is available for purchase from the publisher.

This was book was provided for review by WaterBrook Multnomah.

I’ve had a thing for Alfred Hitchcock and his films for as long as I can remember. Now, the fella himself was a bit of a creepo. If you don’t know anything about this just do some research into his obsession with Grace Kelly and Tippi Hedren. You can’t blame him, really, they’re gorgeous, and someone who is able to come up with the suspense laden tales he did is bound to be a little bit weird.

The whole thing started with a bookshelf in 1991 or ’92. I’d gotten in the habit of perusing the shelves of family members ever since my love of reading had been sparked. Rows and rows of books that I had paid no attention to were suddenly potential treasure troves.

One afternoon I was digging through my grandparents’ office when I found this:

Now, the book I found was in hardcover and the coloring was very different as I recall, but it was this book. And boy, was I thrilled. What we have here is some sort of spector, presumably Mr. Hitchcock himself, carrying his head and holding a two-faced version of his head by a string. Then in the background we have a creepy, possibly living house with the head of Alfred Hitchcock in it. Hot. Dog. (Sort of makes me think of The Haunting of Hill House. One of the scariest scary stories, ever, in my opinion. Leave the film versions alone and don’t let them influence the story. None of the ones I’ve seen hold up to the book.)

Shortly thereafter someone found me reading the book and tossed it out. Something about me being 7-years-old, I guess. Either way, it was just a few years later that my Granny introduced me to Rear Window and I was sold. I’m not one for really, really scary stuff, but Hitchcock’s work has just enough suspense to keep you wondering up until the very last moments.

Since we got our Roku player a couple of weeks ago I have been making my way through the first season of Alfred Hitchcock Presents, a program I used to catch when I was at my grandparents’ house, usually with Granny. Presents is very tame and only a few here and there deal with live burials and the like

I’m about to dive into the second season and while I have been enjoying it all quite a bit, it doesn’t hold a candle to The Twilight Zone. I happen to think that these older shows are much better than what the networks serve up these days, but I would love to hear your opinion!

Do you have any favorite sci-fi/fantasy/suspense TV shows? Newer, older, off-the-air?

*I’ll blow you kisses if you mention something other than The X-Files.

Their names are two of the most well known in Christian writing today. Both have authored books aimed at their own gender, diving into what the Bible has to say about why we are created so differently and how it is that God brings us together. Two unique sexes each with their own purpose.

It is in their new collaborative work–Love & War–that John and Stasi Eldredge discuss how men and women operate in marriage offer their advice on how to find “the marriage you’ve dreamed of.” I usually go into books like this with a critical eye because I’m not sure that anyone has it figured out, but I am always up for listening to wisdom from those who have been married for many years. The Eldredges have a good track record and more than likely I would have bought this book on my own had I not be offered the opportunity to review it before I had the chance to get to the bookstore.

There is so much to learn from this book. There’s no way I could cover it all in this review and I won’t begin to try. What I will tell you is that I love the way these two write together. It flows, isn’t choppy, and doesn’t feel like a constant narration of other people’s stories (which “Christian living” titles are wont to do).

One of my favorite parts of the book was at the beginning, when they brought up something that came up again and again throughout the rest of the text. In the first chapter they discuss how our marriages are a part of a much larger story–one that God has written. To quote them, “The Bible begins with a marriage, and ends with a marriage.” Like them, I’m not sure that I had ever noticed that before. The Bible is a story of love, devotion, and redemption. There are so many parallels to be drawn there and the Eldredges do a fabulous job of captivating the reader, drawing us into the story they weave, and telling us how, in their experience, the marriage of our dreams is possible. Not to say that it will be without the bumps in the road and various struggles that plague all human relationships. But with the love of Christ in our hearts we can learn to give ourselves fully and in turn experience a connection far beyond the fairy tales of childhood dreams.

At 222 pages it is a quick read and one that I will be going back through very soon.

This was book was provided for review by WaterBrook Multnomah.

This was a refreshing read and I have to be honest with you: I can’t wait to get back in it, do more studying, and glean as much as I can from it. Angels by Dr. David Jeremiah is a definite win.

I come from a religious background that really emphasizes spiritual experiences and it always struck me as odd that angels weren’t often included. Dr. Jeremiah’s book is a great bit of wisdom for those wondering how angels come into play in our daily lives, how God uses them, and how some people abuse the term “angel” and distort what the being truly is.

I was impressed with the amount of research the author put in and believe that you can trust the conclusions he comes to. There are plenty of references to the passages he uses from the Bible, along with a number of anecdotes he employs to show both sides of where most people stand on angels — including anecdotes featuring those that misuse the beings for the most part. It’s interesting because he brings up the fact that they are either telling a falsehood or that they are being betrayed. And I think we all know who the betrayer is here.

This book was such an interesting read. I would recommend to anyone who has ever wondered about angels and what their roles are — in Heaven and on Earth.

This book was provided for review by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group.

I was so excited to read this. I mean, it’s got two things that I love: the Gospel and LOST. Where could it go wrong?

A lot of places, as it turns out. Without getting into all of the theological concerns I had about the book, it just wasn’t the spectacular read I was expecting. It is interesting, but most likely only for those who have a pedestrian knowledge of the series and who haven’t thought very deeply about the meaning of some of the symbolism. What Seay gives us is a very basic look at some of the Biblical symbols used in the series as well as examples of how redemption is a main theme.

I think I got that from the first season of the series, how about you?

The difficulty here is knowing who he is aiming this book at. Clearly, you must have some knowledge of the series before going in, but not too much or he’s going to lose your interest pretty quickly. Maybe this would be good for someone who is in the middle of Season 1 and who doesn’t know much about what’s going on. Then again, it’s riddled with spoilers and it is easy to see that the author put the finishing touches on right after Season 5 concluded. It doesn’t appear that the book will be relevant at all after the beginning of Season 6 (tonight, folks!), much less after the series has concluded.

One thing I hope I don’t see is this book in a religious section of a book store. It is a light commentary on some of the Biblical symbols as they are presented in the series. In no way does it make the deep connections that I believe may be possible to draw between what the creators of this series are doing and the Bible. There just isn’t a lot of quality material here.

Save your $14.99 and do the research yourself. Breaking out your Bible and employing a working knowledge of very basic Sunday School curriculum will provide you with a much deeper understanding of what the author is trying to get at than what he does himself.

A complimentary copy of this book was provided for me by Thomas Nelson.

I was pleasantly surprised to find this cute book in the mail the other day. Being in a ministry that targets women of all ages, I like to keep informed about what’s out there for the youngest of our sisters. For Girls Only! Devotions, written by Carolyn Larsen and illustrated by Leah Sutherland, is right on target.

I give this one my stamp of approval. They succeed in using language that is relevant to pre-teens (Wait, you call them “tweens” now, right? I’m old. Forgive me.) with images that are just cutesy enough to appeal to those on the younger end of the spectrum they are aiming for, without making it feel too young for the older girls. I enjoyed this and I’m 25.

The subject matter is definitely age appropriate and focuses on key Biblical concepts that are important to grasp early on. Devotions are labeled by topic, all of which were things that girls of this age deal with (friends, relationships with parents, and one topic I found that accurately describes the opinion of many a middle school girl — “It’s Not My Fault!”).

For Girls Only! Devotions would make a great gift for any pre-teen girl and is the perfect starter to get our younger ladies in the habit of doing devotions.

A complimentary copy of this title was provided to me by the Tyndale Blog Network for the purpose of reviewing.