is not the first book I have read by this author, but it is certainly the best. 
It is 1936 and Kate Merritt, the middle child of Victor and Nadine, works hard to keep her family together. Her father slowly slips into alcoholism and his business suffers during the Great 
Depression. As her mother tries to come to grips with their situation and her sisters seem to remain blissfully oblivious to any problems, it is Kate who must shoulder the emotional load. Who could imagine that a dirty, abandoned little girl named Lorena Birdsong would be just what the Merritts need? 
- I didn't realize when I requested this book from Waterbrook/Multnomah that one of the main characters is a vampire. Oh, well, it's not too bad so far. I'll wait to pass judgment until I finish. The plot is actually pretty interesting up to this point. Review to come.
- If you are a fan of the movie
, but have not read the book, I'm sure you will like it. It is just as funny, but a little different. I like how the author tries to make us believe that this was actually a very old book that he was introduced to as a child and decided to write an abridgement. It is quite amusing how he puts several side notes throughout the text, where he discusses the places where he "left out" the other author's words because he was too verbose. Great idea! I'm glad I can now say I have read the book. 
- I received this non-fiction book from LitFuse Publicity to review. It is written by the author who wrote Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World
. I think this one will be good.
Lady in the Mist did not disappoint. The characters are genuine and believable. As I said last week, they did not come across as black/white, good/bad, but a realistic mixture of "(For) I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing" (Romans 7:19). There are a few "bad guys", but most of the rest are people just like you and me, sinners in need of a savior. 
- I am learning more about WWI than I knew before. I like how the chapters go back and forth from "present-day" (1936) to pre-war and war years. The characters are believable and some are ones I would like to meet if they actually existed. A satisfying read.
- My sister told me about this YA book. I listened to it on CD. I didn't like the way the author read the book, but I did enjoy the story. I will attempt to review it soon here on this blog. - I have watched the movie several times since it first came out and it has become one of my favorites. But I have never read the book. Some say the book is even better than the movie. How could that be? We'll see.
is such a book. Written primarily for Christians, it is a book that I think anyone may benefit from reading. 
The subtitle of this book is Faith in the Midst of Suffering and Evil. In the first chapter, Mr Alcorn states, "Our failure to teach a biblical theology of suffering leaves Christians unprepared for harsh realities. It also leaves our children vulnerable to history, philosophy, and global studies classes 
that raise the problems of evil and suffering while denying the Christian worldview. Since the question will be raised, shouldn't Christian parents and churches raise it first and take people to Scripture to see what God says about it?" He then proceeds in the rest of the book (a whopping 500+ pages!) to answer, biblically, many (if not all) of the questions about suffering and evil in our world. Even though its size may intimidate some readers, I feel that the time spent reading If God is Good is well worth it. 
5 out of 5 stars. 
- I am almost finished with this book which I received from Revell to review. It is the first in a series. One thing I like about it is that the "ex-fiance" is not a mean, bitter, cold-hearted man, but someone who (at least so far) loves Tabitha (the main character) and wants the best for her. A lot of books like this have the two men who are vying for the heart of a woman to be complete opposites, one "perfect", the other evil, or, at the least, whiny and disagreeable. 
- This one was okay, but I didn't agree with some of the theology in it and so had a hard time finishing it. I did like the plot, though. Interesting book. I won his book called Book of Days
(just released in January) in a recent contest, so I'll read it soon and perhaps share my thoughts here. - Here is the blurb from the back of the book: "It is 1936 and Kate Merritt works hard to keep her family together. Her father has slipped into alcoholism, her mother is trying to come to grips with their dire financial situation, and her sisters seem to remain blissfully oblivious to all of it. Kate could never have imagined that a dirty, abandoned little girl named Lorena Birdsong would be just what her family needs."
Stars Collide is the first in a series called Backstage Pass. It
is the story of Kat and Scott, actors who are both Christians and, at the beginning of the book, have just started a serious relationship after working with one another on a family sit-com for a few 
years. There's also Kat's grandmother, Lenora, who is also an actress and is showing signs of dementia.
, I had fun reading this book, although it is not one I would normally pick up and buy or check out from the library. It was a nice diversion for a few hours. Probably anyone who likes cute, funny (and clean) romance books will like Stars Collide. The only reason I give it less that a 5 is because I would rather read other types of novels. So keep that in mind when you consider this one. 4 out of 5 stars.
