Book Reviews

I have been known to review books for publishers for free…here’s the results.

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Book Review – 7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess

2
2 weeks ago
by Lundie in

7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess by Jen Hatmaker

The basic summary of this book is that Jen (with the support of family and friends) decided to spend 7 months (with a few small breaks) fasting in 7 categories:

  1. Food – Select 7 foods to eat
  2. Clothes – Select 7 items of clothing to wear
  3. Possessions – Give 7 items away every day
  4. Media – Fast from 7 media/technology sources
  5. Waste – Select 7 habits for a greener life
  6. Spending – Select 7 places to spend money
  7. Stress – Practice the Seven Sacred Pauses and practice Sabbath

This book is written in journal format, with real-time reactions and storytelling as she goes through each category. One of the things I love most about reading from Jen is because she’s funny. She seems honest and genuine, with just the right blend of humor and humility. I got to walk through this journey with her, and I am coming away from it changed.

Click HERE to read what my review categories (below) are all about.

My Review
Snackable? Well, yes and no. The format is really good. Like I said, it’s in a journal format (e.g., Day 1, Day 2, etc.) though she didn’t write every day, it is easy to pick the book up and just read one day’s worth in a sitting. However, different days had different impacts. Some sections were so funny, I could just read and read. Others were pretty meaty, and thought provoking, where I read a day or two and had to put it down for a bit to ruminate.
“Lundie” ending? I guess you could say that? It’s not fiction, so it doesn’t require it. However, I LOVED her conclusion chapter. It made it all the more meaningful to me. She didn’t write this book to teach others what to do. She writes,
“Honestly, we’re not sure what’s next for the Hatmakers….However, even if I had a clear directive, I’m not sure I’d share it here. Whatever God has done or is doing in our family is certainly not a template, and I don’t want it to be….You have an entirely different set of factors. I have no idea what this might look like in your life, nor do I want that job. Your story is God’s to write, not mine.”
Best thing? She was so real, I feel like one of her girlfriends.
Worst thing? Well, I don’t know that it’s really a “worst”. There is so much stuff in this book that I want to do something about that it can get a little overwhelming! But then Jen had the exact same problems that I have when I want to take action, especially in the realm of purchasing food – multiple personalities: Frugal? Organic? or Local? She writes,
“So [Local] is horrified by [Frugal]‘s priority to buy cheap, and [Frugal] outright mocks [Organic] and [Local] for spending more….The competing voices confuse me, and I’m not sure which personality should dominate. This leaves me in a mess half the time, and I manage to feel guilty one way or another, no matter which purchasing priority wins the day. I’ve either spent too much, but cheap processed junk, or I’ve subsidized the sweatshop industry. Evidently simplifying can be complicated. GAH!”
Special Features from the Publisher
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Book Review – That Certain Spark, by Cathy Marie Hake

0
1 month ago
by Lundie in


That Certain Spark
by Cathy Marie Hake

In the Christian Historical Fiction category, this book receives a 3 out of 5 stars. It wasn’t bad, just didn’t wow me.

Honestly, it has been several months since I read this book, so it’s not particularly fresh in my mind. Standard Christian Romance storyline. Stoic man, outspoken/independent woman, in a time when women were not supposed to have their own lives. Clash then romance. Nice little book.

My Review
Snackable? Though the chapters weren’t exceptionally long, it was not enjoyable to only read a few papges here and there.
“Lundie” ending? Yes. I would say it’s rare for a book in the Christian Fiction category to NOT have a happy “tied in a bow” ending.
Best thing? It was a nice bit of brain candy.
Worst thing? It’s your standard historical Christian Fiction Romance.
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Book Review – The Mailbox, by Marybeth Whalen

2
1 year ago
by Lundie in ,

The Mailbox: A Novel, by Marybeth Whalen

(Just so ya know up front, this book was provided to me, for review, by The B&B Media Group. Also, I worked with Marybeth during my stint as an admin and writer for FaithLifts.)

In the Christian Fiction category, this book receives a 4 out of 5 stars.

My Review
Snackable? It’s a small meal type book. Chapters are not huge, but it’s best to stay with a chapter until the end. It does a Past/Present flip flop with each chapter, so it is good to stay with the chapter breaks as best as you can.
“Lundie” ending? Yes. :)
Best thing? It surprised me a little in the end. I love having both a surprise and a Lundie ending in the same book!! LOL.
Worst thing? I struggled at the beginning of the book to get the flow of it. At first I thought it was just a bunch of different non sequitur stories. It took a couple chapters to realize it was one set of characters in different time frames. After I got that figured out, it was great!
Special Features from the Publisher Book Preview on YouTube
About the Author
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Book Review – Nightmare, by Robin Parrish

1
1 year ago
by Lundie in ,

Nightmare
by Robin Parrish

(Just so ya know up front, this book was provided to me, for review, by the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance.)

In the Christian Fiction category, this book receives a 4 out of 5 stars. Click here for more details on what my scores and ratings mean.

My Review
Snackable? Not really, although the chapters are not terribly long, and they do have good solid breaks between chapters (past/present). Suspense-wise, it’s not easy to just read a little and put it down.
“Lundie” ending? Yes. :)
Best thing? It was genuinely scary. It addressed the paranormal in a way that was respectful, in my opinion of the Christian world view. I especially like what the author had to say in the “From the Author” section:

I believe that there are all manner of supernatural things happening in the spiritual realm at all times. And I believe that the spirit realm exists parallel to the mortal world we live in, and the two overlap in ways we can’t and won’t fully understand until our time here is over.
Worst thing? First, as much as I wanted to read this book, there were a couple of nights that I was reading in bed when I decided it was a bad idea. Again, to quote the author,

“While I’m fascinated by the work of paranormal investigators, it cannot be overstressed that touching the paranormal is inherently dangerous.”

Mr. Parrish’s writing had me right there in the thick of it, and frankly, some parts had me a little spooked and were best saved until morning.
 
Second, the flow of the last few chapters had me struggling. I suppose when anyone tries to write about the (fictional) truth behind the mysterious and paranormal, it can be difficult to accept. It certainly wasn’t enough to stop me from re-reading this book somewhere in the future.
Special Features from the Publisher Read the first chapter.
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Book Review: Indivisible, by Kristen Heitzmann

0
1 year ago
by Lundie in ,

Indivisible: A Novel
by Kristen Heitzmann

Just so ya know up front, this book was provided to me, for review, by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group.

As this is the first review since my hiatus from all things bloggy, my scoring is getting recrafted. I think I’m going to start giving a 1-5 scale for the book overall based on its genre.

5 stars = “Go buy it right now!!! I’m getting it for my Kindle too!”
4 stars = “Add it to your wish list ASAP. I’m keeping mine.”
3 stars = “Yeah, I enjoyed it. I’ll pass it on.”
2 stars = “Glad I didn’t pay for it! Or if I did, you can have mine if you still want to read it.”
1 star = “Don’t bother. I won’t even burden you with my copy.”

In the Christian Romance Fiction category, this book receives a 3 out of 5 stars.

My Review
Snackable? Middle of the road. You do need have to have a few minutes to sit down to hang on to the clues along the way.
“Lundie” ending? Had a predictably happy ending.
Best thing? The theme of recovery (from addiction, abuse, etc.) was prevalent in all story lines.
Worst thing? It was hard for me to read such dark concepts (torture of animals) in what I was expecting to be an otherwise “Christian” novel. I actually do enjoy forensic science (esp. Patricia Cornwell – Kay Scarpetta series), and am not easily grossed out, but somehow the shock factor of the suffering of the animals made me ill in this genre. It felt like the “yuck” factor was turned up a notch to make the book a little more “edgy” and I’m not sure the usual readers for this type of book will appreciate it. I didn’t.
Special Features from the Publisher Download Chapter 1
Audio Interview with Author – MP3
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