Review of The Seraph Seal by Leonard Sweet and Lori Wagner

Because of the complexity of the storyline, I have included the description of the book from the publisher:

“An epic tale of good and evil based on the four horsemen of the Apocalypse found in Revelation.

Using the four horsemen of the Apocalypse to symbolize the four Gospels, four transcendentals, and four forces of the universe (air, water, earth, and fire), Sweet and Wagner weave a fast-paced, end-times tale of good vs. evil and the promise of a new dawn for humanity.

Set in 2048, when planet Earth is suffering from the damaging effects of years of misuse and abuse, cultural history professor Paul Binder receives a mysterious letter that leads him to examine a lost 2nd-century Diatessaron manuscript. Ancient prophecies, cryptic letters, and strange events set him on a course to uncover the missing clues that could lead humanity into a new age. Layered with forgotten symbolism from the ancient, Jewish, and Christian traditions, the novel is a type of engaged fiction in which the main character's lost journal serves as a guide to the reader in interpreting clues and understanding the novel's conclusion.”

This is a fictional tale of the end times.  As a fan of the Left Behind series, I thought I would enjoy this one too; however, I have only gotten through a little less than half of the book, and I can’t force myself to finish it.  There are multiple characters and multiple story lines going on at the same time.  There are constant shifts in these story lines and their settings within each chapter, which is very confusing and feels choppy.  In one chapter, I counted seven different scenes.

I’m sure there are many people who enjoyed this book very much, but unfortunately, I am not one of them, and I could not recommend it to others.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

Review of the Lightkeeper’s Ball by Colleen Coble

Set in the early 1900’s, Olivia Stewart travels to Mercy Falls, California to investigate the death of her sister Eleanor.  Olivia keeps her identity hidden from Eleanor’s fiancé, Harrison Bennett, as she believes he have played a part in Eleanor’s death.  Woven into the story are themes of societal expectations of the wealthy, especially those of women.  Olivia strains against these expectations as she desires to become her own person.  She also becomes involved in organizing a ball to raise funds to rebuild the Mercy Falls lighthouse that was destroyed in a storm.  Mystery, intrigue, and romance make this a very enjoyable read.

This is the first book of Colleen Coble’s that I have read and I liked it very much.  I think I will be looking up her other books, especially those that are part of this Mercy Falls series.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

Review of Max on Life: Answers and Insights to Your Most Important Questions by Max Lucado

Max on Life provides answers to 172 questions on various topics. Some topics are heavy duty- why are we here, who is God, life after death, and unanswered prayers. Max gives a one page answer, which may seem to be too simplistic to some.  However, I can see this being helpful to a newer believer-finding an answer and usually a biblical verse that they can reference. This is not a book for in-depth theological answers. Max also covers a lot of simpler topics, such as hospitality, worry, and getting out a bad mood.  I can envision using this as a reference book, because there is a helpful topical index in the back of the book.
If you’ve read other Max Lucado books, you may recognize that some of the answers are from those other books, so it may seem repetitious. I’ve enjoyed his other books, but as for this one, I would say it was just okay.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

Review of The Story of the Bible by Larry Stone

I love to read the Bible, but I thought that reading about the history of how the Bible came to be might not be very interesting.  I was wrong!! Larry Stone has written a concise and interesting story about how the 66 books written by more than forty authors in three languages over a period of fifteen hundred years became the Bible we know today. Mr. Stone starts at the very beginning, discussing Hebrew and Greek languages, the people of the Bible, and the beginning of a new faith.  He takes us through the early church years, the Middle Ages, and all the way through the Bible being brought to the new world and up to current times.  He describes the people involved in the different translations and how decisions were made on what was included in the Bible. The Story of the Bible has beautiful illustrations and also has removable color reproductions of pages from the different Bibles that are discussed that gives an extra dimension to the book.

I really enjoyed reading this book, and I know it is a book I will reference in the future and share with others.  I would highly recommend it to anyone interested in learning more about the most important book in the world-the Bible!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com  http://booksneeze.com/ book review bloggers program.  I was not required to write a positive review.  The opinions I have expressed are my own.  I am discloing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part255.

Review of Same Life, New Story by Jan Silvious

This is a ten week Bible study that sees our lives as stories we are continually writing with God.  If we don’t like our life as it is, we can choose to write a new story.  Jan Silvious uses ten women from the Bible to illustrate the difficulties that can be encountered and overcome.  These include letting go of issues from the past, changing an “I can’t” to “I can”, getting rid of drama, working through fear, and choosing resilience in the face of adversity.  Jan skillfully interweaves stories of Naomi, Leah, Rahab, Hannah, and others with stories from modern day women.  Each chapter ends with questions for personal reflection as well as group discussion questions, so the book can be used for personal study alone or with a group.

I have read a lot of self-help books.  Sometimes I only get halfway through, and stop reading because the information is the same old, same old and I lose interest.  With Same Life, New Story, I did not have that problem.  I found it to be an inspiring and challenging way to look at life.  I found the stories within to be interesting and I would highly recommend this book to others.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.