For Such a Time - Kate Breslin

Hello, yes, it's me. It's about time I remembered I had this blog. I've been getting back into reading and reviewing, and I just finished a lovely WWII novel. :)

Description from the publisher:

In 1944, blonde and blue-eyed Jewess Hadassah Benjamin feels abandoned by God when she is saved from a firing squad only to be handed over to a new enemy. Pressed into service by SS-Kommandant Colonel Aric von Schmidt at the transit camp of Theresienstadt in Czechoslovakia, she is able to hide behind the false identity of Stella Muller. However, in order to survive and maintain her cover as Aric's secretary, she is forced to stand by as her own people are sent to Auschwitz. Suspecting her employer is a man of hidden depths and sympathies, Stella cautiously appeals to him on behalf of those in the camp. Aric's compassion gives her hope, and she finds herself battling a growing attraction for this man she knows she should despise as an enemy. Stella pours herself into her efforts to keep even some of the camp's prisoners safe, but she risks the revelation of her true identity with every attempt. When her bravery brings her to the point of the ultimate sacrifice, she has only her faith to lean upon. Perhaps God has placed her there for such a time as this, but how can she save her people when she is unable to save herself?

This book is a very creative comparison between the story of Esther of the Bible and this story of a Jewish girl living amongst Nazis. If you're familiar with the story of Esther it's easy to pick out who the main characters are and what their outcomes will be. Also, a verse from Esther is written at the beginning of each chapter which hints at what is going to happen next. Even though the story follows a similar storyline to Esther, Breslin's suspenseful writing and unexpected twists at the end kept me quickly turning pages and not wanting to put the book down.

In exchange for my honest opinion, Bethany House Publishers provided a copy of this novel for my review.

The Widow of Saunders Creek - Tracy Bateman

I usually don't read Christian Romance books. Mostly because they're so predictable. They all seem to have the same storyline - young newlywed woman loses the love of her life, the grieving widow meets a handsome, single gentleman who has a troubled past and won't let himself fall in love with her, she feels guilty because she starts to have feelings for him, by the end of the story one of them has a near death accident and they realize they both love each other. Of course I do like to read a good love story but I prefer it to have a little more depth in it.

Description from the publisher:

Corrie Saunders grew up in a life of privilege. But she gave it all up for Jarrod, her Army husband, a man she knew was a hero when she vowed to spend her life with him. She just didn’t expect her hero to sacrifice his life taking on an Iraqi suicide bomber.

Six months after Jarrod’s death, Corrie retreats to the family home her husband inherited deep in the Missouri Ozarks. She doesn’t know how to live without Jarrod—she doesn’t want to. By moving to Saunders Creek and living in a house beloved by him, she hopes that somehow her Jarrod will come back to her.

Something about the house suggests maybe he has. Corrie begins to wonder if she can feel Jarrod’s presence.

Jarrod’s cousin Eli is helping Corrie with the house’s restoration and he knows that his dead cousin is not what Corrie senses. Eli, as a believing man and at odds with his mystically-oriented family members, thinks friendly visits from beyond are hogwash. But he takes spirits with dark intentions seriously. Can he convince Corrie that letting go of Jarrod will lead to finding her footing again— and to the One she can truly put her faith into?

I received The Widow of Saunders Creek as an ARC from Waterbrook Multnomah and honestly, I wasn't expecting much. After I started reading it though, I didn't want to stop. It was a cute story even though it was predictable and everything happened perfectly. I loved the old fashioned town and the close-knit family atmosphere. I liked Eli, but I mean, who wouldn't like a guy like him? The spirit world element of of the story was interesting but I thought it seemed a little overboard and unrealistic some of the time.

In short, this story was predictable and lacked some depth but it was a pleasant and enjoyable read.

some quotes from Catching Fire

Everybody's talking about the Hunger Games. So I will too. ;)

In December I jotted down the titles on my list of books to pick up at the library. My friends gave them all 5 star ratings on Goodreads so I thought I should check them out. But even then, judging the books by their covers, I didn't have a desire to read them until I stumbled across the movie trailer on Youtube. I immediately got very excited because just from watching the trailer I knew it was going to be a story that I would love. And it most definitely was. I mean, who doesn't love a book that you can not put down? That no matter how late it is you will not turn your light off at the end of the chapter because you have to find out what happens next! Thank goodness I read them over Christmas break because I would not have gotten my school done anyway.

Since I loved the books, I was obviously excited to see the movie. I saw it twice. Once with my friends, then with my family. I liked the movie, but it wasn't as good as the book. But that's the way it usually works. It wasn't terrible, it was really good actually. But it should have been better. I'm looking forward to seeing it again when it comes out on DVD, but it isn't the kind of movie that I'll buy and display beside absolute favorite movies that I watch over and over all the time, like LotR. I loved the score though, and all the actors were excellent.

But anyway, the reason I wanted to write up this blog post was because I just finished rereading Catching Fire and this time I realized another reason why I love the books so much: the humor. It's kind of a dry, sarcastic humor. The kind that makes you chuckle. So here are some of those parts and also a couple of my other favorite quotes.

     There's no welcoming committee on the platform, just a squad of eight Peacekeepers who direct us into the back of an armored truck. Effie sniffs as the door clanks closed behind us. "Really, you'd think we were all criminals," she says.
     Not all of us, Effie. Just me, I think.

     "Oh, before we set a date, we better clear it with Karniss's mother," says the president. The audience gives a big laugh and the president puts his arm around me. "Maybe if the whole country puts its mind to it, we can get you married before you're thirty."
     "You'll probably have to pass a new law," I say with a giggle.
     "If that's what it takes," says the president with conspiratorial good humor.
     Oh, the fun we two have together.

     While I was wallowing around on the floor of that cellar, thinking only of myself, he was here, thinking only of me. Shame isn't a strong enough word for what I feel.
     "You could live a hundred lifetimes and not deserve him, you know," Haymitch says.
     "Yeah, yeah," I say brusquely. "No question, he's the superior one in this trio."

     As the alcohol overcomes my mind. I hear the glass shatter on the floor. This seems appropriate since I have obviously lost my grip on everything.

     "Yes, I think your days of pink lipstick and ribbons are behind you," says Cinna. He touches the button on my wrist again, estinguishing my light. "Let's not run down your power pack. When you're on the chariot this time, no waving, no smiling. I just want you to look straight ahead, as if the entire audience is beneath your notice."
     "Finally something I'll be good at," I say.

     Do you think we'd have ended up like this if only one of us had won?" he asks, glancing around at the other victors. "Just another part of the freak show?"
     "Sure. Especially you, I say.
     "Oh. And why especially me?" he says with a smile.
     "Because you have a weakness for beautiful things and I don't," I say with an air of superiority. "They would lure you into their Capitol ways and you'd be lost entirely."
     "Having an eye for beauty isn't the same thing as a weakness," Peeta points out. "Except possibly when it comes to you."

     "So what should we do with our last few days?"
     "I just want to spend every possible minute of the rest of my life with you," Peeta replies.

     "I wish I could freeze this moment, right here, right now, and live in it forever," he says

     Finnick recites a poem he wrote to his one true love in the Capitol, and about a hundred people faint because they're sure he means them.

     "Done knocking yourself out, sweetheart?" says Haymitch, the annoyance clear in his voice. But as I careen forward he steps up and catches my wrists, steadying me. He looks at my hand. "So it's you and a syringe against the Capitol? See, this is why no one lets you make the plans."

a few of my favorite parts from To Kill a Mockingbird

    "Atticus, you must be wrong. . . ."
    "How's that?"
    "Well, most folks seem to think they're right and you're wrong. . . ."
   "They're certainly entitled to think that, and they're entitled to full respect for their opinions," said Atticus, "but before I can live with other folks I've got to live with myself. The one thing that doesn't abide by majority rule is a person's conscience."

                

    "No, everybody's gotta learn, nobody's born knowin'. That Walter's as smart as he can be, he just gets held back sometimes because he has to stay out and help his daddy. Nothin's wrong with him. Naw, Jem, I think there's just one kind of folks. Folks."
    Jen turned and punched his pillow. When he settled back his face was cloudy. He was going in to one of his declines, and I grew wary. His brows came together; his mouth became a thin line. He was silent for a while.
    "That is what I thought, too," he said at last, "when I was your age. If there is just one kind of folks, why can't they get along with each other? If they're all alike, why do they go out of their way to despise each other? Scout, I think I am beginning to understand something. I think I'm beginning to understand why Boo Radley's stayed shut up in the house all this time . . . it's because he wants to stay inside"

                

    It was summertime, and two children scampered down the sidewalk toward a man approaching in the distance. The man waved, and the children raced each other to him. It was still summertime, and the children came closer. A boy trudged down the sidewalk dragging a fishingpole behind him. A man stood waiting with his hands on his hips. Summertime, and his children played in the front yeard with their friend, enacting a strange little drama of their own invention.
      It was fall and his children fought ont he sidewalk in front of Mrs. Dubose's. The boy helped his sister to her feet and they made their way home. Fall, and his children trotted to and fro around the corner, the day's woe's and triymph's on their face. They stopped at an oak tree, delighted, puzzled apprehensive.
     Winter, and his children shivered at the front gate, silhouetted against a blazing house. Winter and a man walked into the street, dropped his glasses, and show a dog.
      Summer, and he watched his children's heart break. Autumn again, and Boo's children needed him.
     Atticus was right. One time he said you never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them. Just standing on the Radley porch was enough.

Kisses from Katie by Katie Davis

After watching Katie Davis being interviewed by David Platt I was totally inspired and intrigued by this girl, just a few years older than me, who was serving in Uganda and being a mother to thirteen adopted girls. I was very excited to find out she had written a book about the experiences she had after saying "yes" to God. A few days later I received an email telling me that I had, in fact, won a copy of the book from a blog that I had randomly found after searching for a "Kisses from Katie book giveaway!" I got the book Friday afternoon and I finished it Saturday afternoon. Let me warn you: this book could change you life.

"Jesus wrecked my life. For as long as I could remember, I had everything this world says is important. In high school, I was class president, homecoming queen, top of my class. I dated cute boys and wore cute shoes and drove a cute sports car. I had wonderful, supportive parents who so desired my success that they would have paid for me to go to college anywhere my heart desired. But I loved Jesus.
Slowly but surely I began to realize the truth: I had loved and admired and worshiped Jesus without doing what He said . . . I wanted to actually do what Jesus said to do.

So I quit my life.


I quit college; I quit cute designer clothes and my little yellow convertible; I quit my boyfriend. I no longer have all the things the world says are important. I do not have a retirement fund; I do not even have electricity some days. But I have everything I know is important. I have a joy and a peace that are unimaginable and can come only from a place better than this earth. I cannot fathom being happier. Jesus wrecked my life, shattered it to pieces, and put it back together more beautifully."

This book shares the stories, the trials and successes, of Katie's journey as she follows God's call. From the very first day of teaching Kindergarten, to hearing little Scovia ask "Can I call you Mommy?, to the agonizing semester back home in America, torn between two lives, to the heartbreaking story of Jane, and the stories of all the people Katie held, fed, bathed, prayed over, nursed back to health, and loved. This is a book about faith and purpose.

"Lord, may we choose you every moment of every day. We want to be fully committed to You. We want every day to become a day we say "yes" to You. We repent for luke-warmness, from mediocrity, from normalcy. We want to shine so brightly for You that others can't help but see and feel your love. Let us look at every encounter as an opportunity to show your love."

I can't recommend Kisses from Katie enough. I can guarantee that this powerful book will challenge, inspire and bless you. After finishing this book you will be left wondering "How can I do what Katie did?" Imagine what could happen around the world if every Christian was willing to serve God with the same passion and love as Katie Davis.

"I do not not have to change the world. Jesus will do that. I can, however, change the world for one person. If one person sees the love of Christ in me, it is worth every minute. In fact, it is worth spending my life for."

Katie's Blog 

The Priest's Graveyard by Ted Dekker

Book Description: Two abandoned souls are on the hunt for one powerful man. Soon, their paths will cross and lead to one twisted fate. Danny Hansen is a Bosnian immigrant who came to America with hopes of escaping haunted memories of a tragic war that took his mother's life. Now he's a priest who lives by a law of love and compassion. It is powerful men and hypocrites who abide by legal law but eschew the law of love that most incense Danny. As an avenging angel, he believes it is his duty to show them the error of their ways, at any cost. Renee Gilmore is the frail and helpless victim of one such powerful man. Having escaped his clutches, she now lives only to satisfy justice by destroying him, regardless of whom she must become in that pursuit. But when Danny and Renee's paths become inexorably entangled things go very, very badly and neither of them may make it out of this hunt alive. Judge not, or you too will be judged. My Thoughts: Every time I finish a book by Ted Dekker I shake my head and say "wow." And that's pretty much all I can say after the crazy ride I just went on. The Priest's Graveyard is intense and thrilling and challenging. It messes with your mind and you're not sure what's right and what's wrong. How far would you go, rather, how far should you go, to stop someone from hurting someone else? In the story, Danny believes it's his job to go as far as killing someone to save the people that person is hurting. And the crazy thing is, I felt myself cheering Danny on and agreeing with his reasoning. That really shocked me! I was siding myself with the "bad guy!" The Priests Graveyard also explores themes of judging others and revenge. But ultimately, this story is about love and grace. This book is dark. But just like Dekker's other books it's in the darkest moments that the light comes through the brightest. Amazing how that works, huh? I've fallen in love with these characters and am looking forward to seeing them again. Ted did an amazing job at writing in first person female. It pulled me in and I felt like I was Renee. This book is a thrilling story. It'll take your breath away. And make you cry. And laugh. It will change the way you think about people. This is definitely one of Ted's best.