David and Bathsheba

David and Bathsheba is a spellbinding story of a gifted king and the woman he loved but could not have.  Told from Bathsheba's perspective, author Roberta Kells Dorr brings to life the passion that almost cost David his kingdom and tested a people's courage and faith in God. David and Bathsheba is colored richly with details of Bible-era Israel-from the details of the everyday way of life to details of the Jewish religion.  Dorr merges reality with folklore as she tells the story of two great characters of the biblical era. The book starts out with Bathsheba as a young girl and David as a strong willed rebellious military leader.  It details the way they met and follows them all the way through their difficulties. 

The one fault that I had with the book was that I found her Bible knowledge lacking because she presented facts in the story as happening one way when the Bible says differently. Example: Nathan found out from Urial about the pregnancy, not from God. But it does give a good look at the history and tradition of that time in history.

The Heart Mender

In the classic storytelling style of The Noticer and The Traveler’s Gift, New York Times best-selling author Andy Andrews now delivers an adventure set sharply against the warm waters and white sands of the Gulf of Mexico in WWII America.

He takes a true story that he experienced, and shows how anger can destroy a life and how forgiveness can set that life free.

Saddened and unable to abandon her resentment toward the Nazi war machine that took her husband’s life, the young and attractive Helen Mason is living a bitter, lonely existence. Betrayed and left for dead, German U-boat officer Lt. Josef Landermann washes ashore in a sleepy town along the northern gulf coast, looking to Helen for survival.

The Heart Mender is a story of life, loss, and reconciliation, reminding us of the power of forgiveness and the universal healing experience of letting go.

Thankful Thoughts--Good Books--The Discovery

Here is another book from one of my favorite authors--Dan Walsh. I highly recommend it to those of you who love historical novels, with just a nod to romance.
From the Back Cover

An Engrossing Story of Family Secrets and a Love for the Ages
When aspiring writer Michael Warner inherits his grandfather's venerable Charleston estate, he settles in to write his first novel. But within the confines of the stately home, he discovers an unpublished manuscript that his grandfather, a literary giant whose novels sold in the millions, had kept hidden from everyone--but which he clearly intended Michael to find. As he delves deep into the exciting tale about spies and sabotage, Michael discovers something that has the power to change not only his future but his past as well.

Laced with suspense and intrigue, The Discovery is a richly woven novel that explores the incredible sacrifices that must be made to forge the love of a lifetime. Author Dan Walsh delivers yet another unique and heartfelt story that will stick with you long after you've turned the last page.

Dan Walsh is the bestselling author of 9 novels, published by Revell and Guideposts, including The Unfinished Gift, The Reunion and The Dance. He has won 3 ACFW Carol Awards, 2 Selah Awards, and twice his novels have been named as finalists for RT Reviews Inspirational Novel of the Year. 

For those who haven't read Dan's books, reviewers often compare him to Nicholas Sparks and Richard Paul Evans. His latest project is partnering with Gary Smalley on a 4-book fiction series. The first book, The Dance, released in April 2013. It hit both the CBA and ECPA bestsellers list. The 2nd novel, The Promise, released in September. Dan served as a pastor for 25 years and now writes full time. He and his wife Cindi have been married 36 years and have 2 grown children, both married, and 1 grandson. They live in Port Orange, FL. 

Thunder Dog

Thunder Dog is the true story of a blind man and his guide dog, and their struggle for escape from Tower One on 9/11.  Faith.  Trust.  Triumph. "I trust Roselle with my life, every day. She trusts me to direct her. And today is no different, except the stakes are higher." Michael Hingson

First came the boom, the loud, deep, unapologetic bellow that seemed to erupt from the very core of the earth. Eerily, the majestic high-rise slowly leaned to the south. On the seventy-eighth floor of the World Trade Center's north tower, no alarms sounded, and no one had information about what had happened at 8:46 a.m. on September 11, 2001. What should have been a normal workday for thousands of people. All that was known to the people inside was what they could see out the windows: smoke and fire and millions of pieces of burning paper and other debris falling through the air. Blind since birth, Michael couldn't see a thing, but he could hear the sounds of shattering glass, falling debris, and terrified people flooding around him and his guide dog, Roselle. However, Roselle sat calmly beside him. In that moment, Michael chose to trust Roselle's judgment and not to panic. They are a team.

Thunder Dog allows you entry into the isolated, fume-filled chamber of stairwell B to experience survival through the eyes of a blind man and his beloved guide dog. Live each moment from the second a Boeing 767 hits the north tower, to the harrowing stairwell escape, to dodging death a second time as both towers fold into the earth.

It's the 9/11 story that will forever change your spirit and your perspective.

Thunder Dog also illuminates Hingson's lifelong determination to achieve equality in a sighted world, Born blind but living as a normal person it shows how the rare trust between a man and his guide dog can inspire an unshakable faith in each one of us.

A Place called Morning

This novel by Ann Tatlock looks at the theme of forgiveness from a little different perspective--that of forgiving ourselves.  

The poignant story is of Mae Demaray was a well-adjusted if somewhat cold woman with a strong faith in God until her grandson was killed in an accident while in her care. Although nobody blames Mae for the tragedy, she feels that it was her fault. As the years pass, her faith slowly crumbles, and she begins to withdraw from the world. Soon Mae's only companion is Roy, a mentally impaired man her mother had taken pity on in their youth. It is owing to Roy that family secrets are revealed, secrets that bring Mae back to the world as well as to God.

I am sure that you will enjoy this well written book in either its Kindle or hard cover format.

Of Windmills and War

Of Windmills and War by Diane Moody is a tale of World War II, the Dutch Resistance movement in Occupied Holland and a huge humanitarian effort led by England and the United States towards the end of the war.

"The rumblings of war in distant countries mattered little to Danny McClain. Growing up in Chicago, his world revolved around after-school jobs, a rescued beagle, his pen pal in Holland, and the Cubs’ chance to go to the World Series. Then, in December of 1941, during his first year at Northwestern University, news of the attack on Pearl Harbor hit much too close to home. After a series of unexpected events over the next couple of years, Danny found himself in the co-pilot seat of a B-17, stationed with the 390th Bomb Group in Framlingham, England. 

Anya Versteeg had been just a teenager when Hitler’s troops invaded her homeland of Holland in May of 1940. Forced to grow up much too fast, the feisty preacher’s daughter eagerly immersed herself in the Dutch Resistance and its many efforts to thwart the enemy. Certain that God had turned His back on Holland, she closed her heart and did whatever she had to do to save her country before it was too late. 

By 1945, the people of Occupied Holland were starving. Cut off from the outside world in retaliation for their failed attempt to oust the Germans invaders, the Dutch had no food, no electricity, no fuel, and little hope of surviving. Thousands were dying every day. Then, just days before the war ended, help came to The Netherlands like manna from heaven. 

Operation Chowhound held special meaning for Lieutenant Danny McClain. Somewhere below in the battered land of tulips and windmills was the girl who needed rescuing—after rescuing so many others. And he would move heaven and earth to find her."

Freedom Fighter

This is the true story of one man’s continuing fight for a world free of religious persecution.

 

Majed El Shafie was arrested, tortured, and sentenced to die after he converted from Islam to Christianity. His dramatic story, and those of others worldwide who are suffering persecution, are told in shocking, yet sensitive detail. Especially startling is the true story of rescuing a very young Pakistani girl who experienced horrific sexual abuse—because her family would not convert to Islam.

 

Although hard to imagine and even harder to accept, this important truth about religious persecution is blatantly exposed. Millions of families are praying for help. They are suffering daily in China, Iran, Iraq, Egypt, and many other countries—solely because of their beliefs.

 

Freedom Fighter is Reverend El Shafie’s outreach—it follows his heroic work over a four-year period as he traveled to Pakistan and Afghanistan to investigate claims of abuse, persecution, and slavery and to speak truth to governments that neglect and violate the human rights of their citizens.

The Dance

Two of my favorite authors teemed up to write this novel about repairing broken relationships.

Renowned relationship-expert Smalley joins with award-winning novelist Walsh to create a heart-wrenching portrait of a painful marriage. The story of Jim and Marilyn Anderson feels as true as any real couple’s, thanks to Smalley’s years as a counselor and Walsh’s excellent attention to detail. Like many women, Marilyn, decades into her marriage, finds herself feeling unloved and disconnected from her husband. Jim prides himself on being the head of his home in a biblical manner, and he’s shocked and furious when he discovers that Marilyn has decided to leave him. What will their grown children think? How will their community accept it? Jim’s world has crumbled, while Marilyn has rebuilt hers. Then, on separate paths, Marilyn and Jim both begin to find healing through ballroom dancing. Jim hopes to win Marilyn back, but her heart may be far too hardened after years of neglect. Readers will be totally drawn into their emotional journey as the wounds, large and small, continue to reveal themselves in the Andersons’ marriage.

Undaunted

Undaunted by Josh McDowell is the true story that chronicles the life of a young farm boy named Josh who carried unspeakable memories of an alcoholic father and a farmhand’s abuse, causing him to defy God’s existence. Yet God redeemed a horrible situation with his unbelievable grace. Today Josh McDowell is one of the most popular evangelists in the world who defends the reality of Jesus Christ to millions through his presentations and classic book More Than a Carpenter. Undaunted unfolds the dramatic spiritual transformation in Josh’s life when he faces his past head-on and puts everything entirely in God’s hands. The result is an undaunted faith, a gift freely offered to everyone who seeks it.

For the first time, Josh fully reveals the dramatic spiritual transformation that occurred when he faced his past head-on and put everything entirely in God’s hands. It’s a story of overcoming shame, grief, and despair and embracing real love for the first time. It’s a tale of divine grace: when the worst that life can throw at you happens, you can come out on the other side with a faith that is full, free—and undaunted.

Certain Jeopardy

Six American men live behind a protective façade, their real work hidden from neighbors and friends. Different in countless ways, they are intimately the same in one: at any moment their lives can be altered with a phone call, and their actions may change the world.

They are Special Ops. And one team’s mission is about to hit certain jeopardy status when the discovery of an Al Qaeda base in Venezuela becomes secondary to thwarting the transport of a nuclear weapons expert from that training camp to Iran.

Informed by the true combat experience of Captain Jeff Struecker and finessed by award-winning novelist Alton Gansky, Certain Jeopardy is an immersing and pulsating fictional account of what really happens at every level of a stealth engagement: the physical enemy encounter, the spiritual war fought within a soldier, and the emotional battles in families back at home.

Washed By Blood

The autobiography is the story of an Out-of-Control Rock Star. An Inescapable Addiction to Drugs. A Miraculous Redemption through Jesus Christ.

You think you've heard this story before but you haven't. Washed by Blood is a look at the dramatic saving power of Jesus Christ unlike any other—one that shows how God looks out for all of us, even those who seem farthest away from his grace.

Brian "Head" Welch was a rock star who thought he had it all. He was the lead guitarist in Korn, one of the biggest and most controversial rock bands on the planet. He lived in a mansion, had millions of dollars in the bank, and legions of fans all over the globe.

He was living the good life, and it should have been perfect. But it was all a lie.

What no one knew was that backstage and away from the crowds, Head was fighting a debilitating addiction to methamphetamine, and that nothing—not even the birth of his daughter—could make him quit for good. He had given up. He was empty inside. He spent his days contemplating suicide convinced that each high would be his last.

And that was when he found God.

Washed by Blood tells the remarkable story of how God's unconditional love freed Head from his addictions and saved him from death. Here Head describes the joys and struggles of his journey to faith, detailing how Jesus has helped him cope with his pain and find the path that's right for both him and his daughter. An account of triumphs, hardships, and the healing power of Jesus, Washed by Blood is an inspirational demonstration that God is always there to save even the most troubled souls.

Lotus Buds

Lotus Buds by Amy Carmichael, a Protestant Christian missionary in India, who opened an orphanage and founded a mission in Dohnavur, is a touching look at some of the children that were rescued. This story was written around 1905.

It is full of delightful descriptions of the little girls she took into her care. She and her workers showered love on the little girls. As the chapters unfold, we realizes there was something sinister behind the need for the rescue of these little ones, many just infants when Miss Carmichael takes them in, saving them from becoming temple prostitutes.

This book is free in Kindle format from Amazon.

Sacred Acres

On a Sunday in May 2008, an F-5 tornado struck the town of Parkersburg, Iowa, killing eight people and destroying 250 homes and businesses within 34 seconds. The next day, Parkersburg’s beloved football coach, Ed Thomas, made a stunning prediction: “God willing, we will play our first home game here on this field this season.” One hundred days later, the home team scored a victory on the field they dubbed “The Sacred Acre,” serving as a galvanizing point for the town to band together and rebuild. But just as Parkersburg was recovering, another devastating tragedy struck. While working with a group of football and volleyball players early one morning, one of Ed’s former students walked in and gunned him down point blank. Ed Thomas was 58. The murder of this hometown hero spread across national news headlines. Ed’s community and family reeled from shock. Yet the story doesn’t end here. What happened next proves that even a double tragedy is no match for faith, love … and the power of forgiveness.
Even if you had never heard of all the tragedy that was faced in this town, it will tug at your heart. It makes you feel some of what we all really feel going through bad times. Having so much faith and passing it on without people even realizing it gave Coach and his family the ability to be such strong leaders of the community. A great lesson is within these pages along with a story of a teacher and football coach who was content to live in a small town and lead young people into adulthood with good work ethics and the thought that you always remember where you came from. A must read for all ages.

Though None Go with Me

Though None Go with Me is a unique heart-warming love story of an unforgettable woman and her determination to make her life an experiment in obedience to God. Elisabeth Grace Leroy, born at the turn of the century, wants something more. Then one night as a young teen she finds what her heart has been yearning for. The defining moment in her life comes when she stands and promises to deepen her commitment and follow Christ, no matter the cost. So begins a remarkable journey of resolve, winding through valleys of loss and deserts of testing toward a legacy of faith. Two world wars, the Great Depression, and devastating personal loss form the backdrop for a lifetime of walking with God despite all odds. Though None Go with Me is a powerful novel depicting one courageous woman's determination to stand faithful in all circumstances. It is a moving saga of forgiveness and peace amid the loves, trials, and joys of an American family. And ultimately, it is a portrait of the far-reaching impact of a life that fully embraces the steadfast promises of God.  

I highly recommend this book.

Amy Carmichael-Selfless Servant of India

This biography in novel form portrays the life of Amy Carmichael a young woman who went to India as a missionary. After saving one little girl from temple prostitution, Amy and her colleagues started orphanages to house these children. An invalid the latter part of her life, Amy continued to encourage her "kids" and colleagues and many others through her books.  Amy Carmichael served for 56 years in India without a furlough, taking the love of Christ to many the world considered unlovely.

This was  an inspiring look at the dedication and love for others that this amazing women displayed when she was but a child and continued until her death at age 83.

Another Forgotten Child

I read this haunting memoir from Sunday Times and New York Times bestselling author Cathy Glass, a foster mother living in England.

Eight-year-old Aimee was on the child protection register at birth. The social services are looking for a very experienced foster carer to look after Aimee and, when she reads the referral, Cathy understands why. Despite her reservations, Cathy agrees to Aimee on – and reading the report instantly tugs at her heart strings.

When she arrives, Aimee is angry. And she has every right to be. She has spent the first eight years of her life living with her drug-dependent mother in a flat that the social worker described as ‘not fit for human habitation’.

Aimee’s aggressive mother is constantly causing trouble at contact, and makes sweeping allegations against Cathy and her family in front of her daughter as well.  As Aimee begins to trust Cathy, she starts to open up. And the more Cathy learns about Aimee’s life before she came into care, the more horrified she becomes.

It’s clear that Aimee should have been rescued much sooner and as her journey seems to be coming to a happy end, Cathy can’t help but reflect on all the other ‘forgotten children’ that are still suffering…

This story is hard to read as it exposes the trauma that many innocent children suffer, but it also is uplifting to know that there are people who are willing to work with these wounded children.

Romanov Conspiracy

"Glenn Meade’s electrifying novel combines the epic sweep and drama of a heroic quest, the passion and tragedy of Doctor Zhivago, and a majestic cast of characters that will stay with you long after the final pages have been turned. . . . 

SOMETIMES MYSTERIES ARE NEVER SOLVED. SOMETIMES THERE ARE NO ANSWERS. 

Dr. Laura Pavlov, an American forensic archaeologist, is about to unravel a mystery that promises to shed light on one of the 20th century’s greatest enigmas. 

A member of an international team digging on the outskirts of the present-day Russian city of Ekaterinburg, where the Romanov royal family was executed in July 1918, Pavlov discovers a body perfectly preserved in the permafrost of a disused mine shaft. 

The remains offer dramatic new clues to the disappearance of the Romanovs, and in particular their famous daughter, Princess Anastasia, whose murder has always been in question. Pavlov’s discovery sets her on an unlikely journey to Ireland, where a carefully hidden account of a years-old covert mission is about to change the accepted course of world history and hurl her back into the past—into a maelstrom of deceit, secrets, and lies. 

Drawn from historical fact, The Romanov Conspiracy is a high-tension story of love and friendship tested by war, and a desperate battle between revenge and redemption, set against one of the most bloody and brutal revolutions in world history."

Dancing With Max

Love and courage took on a whole new meaning when I completed this true story of a mother and her autistic son.

Meet a remarkable young man. Max doesn't communicate like we do. But he communicates better than we do about the most important things. Max doesn't think like we do. But his actions reflect deep spiritual truths. With candor and wit, Emily Colson shares about her personal battles and heartbreak when, as a suddenly single mother, she discovers her only child has autism. Emily illuminates the page with imagery---making you laugh, making you cry, inspiring you to face your own challenges. 

Chuck Colson, in his most personal writing since Born Again, speaks as a father and grandfather. It is a tender side Max brings out of his grandfather, a side some haven't seen. 

As Emily recalls her experiences, we discover that Max's disability does not so much define who he is, but reveals who we are. Dancing with Max is not a fairy tale with a magical ending. It's a real life story of grace and second chances and fresh starts in spite of life's hardest problems. And Max? Max will make you fall in love with life all over again, leaving you dancing with joy.

It is available from Amazon for Kindle now priced at $1.99

Daisy Chain

I just finished reading Daisy Chain by Mary Demuth.  It is a hauntingly touching story that touches on many of today's problems.

The abrupt disappearance of young Daisy Chance from a small Texas town in 1973 spins three lives out of control---Jed, whose guilt over not protecting his friend Daisy strangles him; Emory Chance, who blames her own choices for her daughter's demise; and Ouisie Pepper, who is plagued by headaches while pierced by the shattered pieces of a family in crisis. 
In this first book in the Defiance, Texas Trilogy, fourteen-year-old Jed Pepper has a sickening secret: He's convinced it's his fault his best friend Daisy went missing. Jed's pain sends him on a quest for answers to mysteries woven through the fabric of his own life and the lives of the families of Defiance, Texas. When he finally confronts the terrible truths he's been denying all his life, Jed must choose between rebellion and love, anger and freedom. 
Daisy Chain is an achingly beautiful southern coming-of-age story. It offers a haunting yet hopeful backdrop for human depravity and beauty, for terrible secrets and God's surprising redemption.

Unconventional

Unconventional is the perfect novel for anyone who has ever had a dream or striven for purpose and then doubted him or herself along the way. Hebert beautifully illustrates the pain and heartache that accompanies creativity and talent.  Hebert helps readers to make sense of all the rejection in the end by revealing a greater purpose. 

"Young James Frost just knows, deep in his bones, that he's a writer. He writes far into early mornings, after his wearying hours of scrubbing toilets and sweeping floors. He loves writing that much. Then he meets and falls in love with Leigh, the one bright spot in his endless misery of self-doubt. A quiet but resolutely religious girl, she has to fight off disapproval of her own from overly critical parents, whose insults are countered by James's often-voiced admiration of her. Likewise, Leigh's faith in his talents begins to build his confidence, eventually allowing her to introduce him to a different way to help himself: relying on God."

James Frost's journey of doubt, depression, hopelessness, and eventually, faith and joy, is one that will truly inspire readers who have ever dared to chase their dreams.