I’m not the typical scifi reader. I don’t read books about dragons or wizards (which is probably considered fantasy rather than scifi, but I lump it all together) and only occasionally high-tech stuff. I would put this book in the high-tech sector. If there is such a thing (there is in my mind). See? I don’t even know all of the sub-genres. Nor do I really care to. I like what I like whether it’s part of a specific subset or not.

So when I heard about this book, I admit I was intrigued. And a little worried that it could easily be horrible. It wasn’t. I was pleasantly surprised that it was quite readable. The action moved along quickly and I found myself wanting to find out what happens. Isn’t that the goal of any book – to keep us reading?

Of course, the plot may be a little out there. Artificial brains? “Eternal” human life? No Christians in America? Yet the way the author presents the details makes them believable within the story. And while the main female character (Abigail) is the daughter of missionaries, I didn’t feel hit over the head with proselytizing from the character or the author. Even she struggled a little with her beliefs and how to best share them with others.

This isn’t a deep novel or one that you need to read slowly. I think it’s a good summer book, especially if you like to escape and just enjoy a story with some action and suspense. I give it a solid 3 out of 5 stars.

Here’s the publisher’s blurb about the book:

In the future, it’s possible to live forever—but at what cost?

A.D. 2088.

Missionary daughter Abigail Caldwell emerges from the jungle for the first time in her thirty-four years, the sole survivor of a mysterious disease that killed her village. Abby goes to America, only to discover a nation where Christianity has completely died out. A curious message from her grandfather assigns her a surprising mission: re-introduce the Christian faith in America, no matter how insurmountable the odds.

But a larger threat looms. The world’s leading artificial intelligence industrialist has perfected a technique for downloading the human brain into a silicon form. Brain transplants have begun, and with them comes the potential of eliminating physical death altogether—but at what expense?

As Abby navigates a society grown more addicted to stimulating the body than nurturing the soul, she and Creighton Daniels, a historian troubled by his father’s unexpected death, become unwitting targets of powerful men who will stop at nothing to further their nefarious goals. Hanging in the balance—the spiritual future of all humanity.

In this fast-paced thriller, startling near-future science collides with thought-provoking religious themes to create a spell-binding “what-if?” novel.

You can purchase the book directly from the publisher here, or from Amazon here (this is an affiliate link). This book was provided for review by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group.

The Golden Cross by Angela Elwell Hunt (great deal for Spring Break reads!)

Faithful Heart by Al Lacy (another Spring Break hopeful)

Mother-Daughter Duet by Cheri Fuller & Ali Plum (giveaway will accompany this one!) (PS- it’s also available as an eBook)

Dancing with My Father by Sally Clarkson (another giveaway) (also available as eBook)

Taking Flight: Inspiration And Techniques To Give Your Creative Spirit Wings by Kelly Rae Roberts (affiliate link)

In Love and War, John and Stasi Eldredge discuss their marriage and what they’ve learned through hard work and many years of actively seeking to understand each other. I do like that they presented both of their takes on situations, what they were thinking and how a misunderstanding affected each of them.

That said, the book is heavy on traditional gender roles based on the Bible and Christian traditions. While there’s not anything wrong with that, it’s not always in line with my own personal beliefs. But I still found plenty of things to take away from the book, mostly being in the form of pondering how I act (and react to things) in my marriage. Am I thinking about the best interests of our relationship in things I do and say? Am I really listening to what my partner wants, or do I just hear what I think he wants?

It earns a solid 3 stars from me. It was easy to read and understand and I think I learned a few things from it.

Book Summary:

What the Eldredge bestsellers Wild at Heart did for men, and Captivating did for women, LOVE & WAR will do for married couples everywhere. John and Stasi Eldredge have contributed the quintessential works on Christian spirituality through the experience of men and the experience of women and now they turn their focus to the incredible dynamic between those two forces.

With refreshing openness that will grab readers from the first page, the Eldredges candidly discuss their own marriage and the insights they’ve gained from the challenges they faced. Each talks independently to the reader about what they’ve learned, giving their guidance personal immediacy and a balance between the male and female perspectives that has been absent from all previous books on this topic.   They begin LOVE & WAR with an obvious but necessary acknowledgement: Marriage is fabulously hard. They advise that the sooner we get the shame and confusion off our backs, the sooner we’ll find our way through.

LOVE & WAR shows couples how to fight for their love and happiness, calling men and women to step into the great adventure God has waiting for them together. Walking alongside John and Stasi Eldredge, every couple can discover how their individual journeys are growing into a story of meaning much greater than anything they could do or be on their own.

This book was provided for review by WaterBrook Multnomah.

As someone who was raised in church without really being sure I knew what I believed or why, I identified with Joshua Harris. I’ve questioned whether I believed because I’d been in church all my life, because it was all I knew, or because it was just expected of me.

And as an adult I’ve gone a long way from my church roots. So Harris’ book was a nice refresher for me. In it, he explains how orthodoxy and theology and doctrine aren’t just for scholars. They are for everyone who believes. If you don’t have a good foundation, where are you then?

Harris’ writing is very approachable – it’s a conversational style that’s easy to read and understand. His book is by no means a deep theological study, but he does give reference to many scholars he has read and learned from, which gives me many more things to add to my reading list.

This book gave me a lot to think about. If you’re returning to the church or want to delve deeper into what theology and doctrine mean to your spiritual journey, I think this is a good place to start.

This book was provided for review by the publisher, WaterBrook Multnomah.

Feldhahn interviewed a large number of men and created a pretty comprehensive survey to find out how women are perceived in the workplace. The results may just surprise you.

A lot of men and women just have different ways of working. That’s not to say that every man does the same thing or every woman does. But over time you start to notice patterns. And those patterns are what Feldhahn addresses.

The author emphasizes that women should just be aware of how they are being perceived in the workplace — especially when you work with a large group of men. For instance, if you show any emotion, you will most likely be seen as irrational (unable to think clearly at that point). That was tough for me to read, because I sometimes have an emotional reaction whether I want to or not. As in, I have no control over it no matter how hard I try. I know it has hindered me a time or two.

The advice in the book is not telling women to change who they are or to try and act more like they think a man would. The bigger point is to be aware of your actions in the workplace and how they are perceived.

The version of the book I read also had advice for women of faith, with advice from other women who already have experience with these questions (especially if you work in a faith-based company, which can actually be a little more understanding of the work-style differences between men and women, according to the author).

If you’ve ever wondered why the workplace “rules” seem frustrating or are holding you back, I actually think you can learn a few things from this book. Again, the emphasis isn’t to change yourself, but to just be more aware of how others perceive you. I’ve learned myself how empowering it can be just to be “in the know.”

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

But we don’t IF we don’t let fear rule our lives. And that’s the message of Fearless by Max Lucado. Don’t let fear take control. Don’t let it paralyze you.

I tend to worry a lot. Not just a little, but a lot. Way more than any one person should. Reading this helps remind me that I can’t control everything. And that it’s okay if I don’t.

I really enjoy Lucado’s writing. I’ve read quite a few books of his over the years and they always have accessible language. He’s like a trusted friend, sitting and chatting with you instead of the well-known pastor and author that he is. I have yet to find a book of his that I didn’t enjoy or get something out of.

I like the study guide at the end. While I didn’t go through every exercise like you would in a group (by writing out my answers, etc.), I read it and like the discussion questions. I think it could be an interesting study for a church group.

When I mentioned to friends that I was reading the book, they asked me to let them know how it was. I will be recommending that they read it. We could all use a little more comfort – and a lot less fear – these days. 4 out of 5 stars.

You can buy Fearless from Amazon, or find out more information from the publisher by clicking here.

This review was not compensated beyond receiving a review copy of the book as part of Thomas Nelson’s Book Review Bloggers program.

Beautiful Mess

As a fan of the group since their debut single, Meet in the Middle, I’ve always loved their sound and have a few of their cds. I really wanted to read this book and find out more about the band. If you’re a big country music fan, or interested in this group, you’ll probably like the book. At times, it gave some background and stories that I felt weren’t really relevant to either the chapter it was in, or just the book in general. It was nice to have a chapter devoted to each band member, so if you have a favorite you can read about that person.

I did feel the book was a little choppy in how the chapters were arranged. While the chapter about their charity work had some good points, I really just felt like skimming it. And it was placed in an awkward spot, interrupting the flow of the story about how Marty Roe had vocal problems. In fact, the vocal issues – which I hadn’t known about before this story – were used as a teaser throughout the book. The author kept hinting about it, finally revealing the story at the end. To me, while it was a big source of tension in the band, it felt drawn out a bit too much.

Overall, though, I did enjoy learning about how the band came together and managed to stay intact all of these years. I’d give it three out of five stars.

You can buy the book from Amazon, and find more information from the publisher by clicking here.

This review was not compensated beyond receiving a review copy of the book as part of Thomas Nelson’s Book Review Bloggers program.