Call of a Coward

Author: Marcia Moston
Genre: Non-fiction, Missions, Memoir
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Pages: 184

I love missionary stories and devour missions books every chance I get, so naturally I jumped at the chance to read this one.
However, I was disappointed with Call of a Coward. The author, Marcia Moston, was an average Christian housewife until her husband decided that they needed to move to Guatemala to manage an orphanage for a year. The bulk of the book was taken up solely with her accounts of how hard it was for her to cope with the situation and deal with moving from the USA to a third-world country, and how afraid she was of this and that. It was like the ministry they were there to do was playing second fiddle to the hardships they were suffering to do it. Throughout the book I kept thinking 'Okay, when are we going to move on and talk about something besides you and how hard it is to go without your chocolate?' Honestly, aside from a few small mentions of projects here and there, I didn't feel like I got any real information about the actual ministry they were there to do. It was all focused on the author's personal struggles.
But then, after they had moved back to the States and had been called to a church in Vermont, the author suddenly starts talking about how much she doesn't want to go to Vermont and how much she does want to go back to Guatemala. And I, the reader, am left thinking 'Really? When did this sudden love of Guatemala come about? Last I checked you had spent three chapters complaining about how miserable it was.'
Maybe I'm being a little harsh, but I really did feel like the entire book was 'all about me' from the author's perspective, and I really have no use for that kind of a book.

I received a copy of this book free of charge from the publisher in exchange for my review.

Angels, Miracles, and Heavenly Encounters

Various Authors
Compiled by James Stuart Bell
Genre: Non-Fiction, Christian Life and Thought, Spiritual Warfare
Publisher: Bethany House
Pages: 240

I have to admit, I was a little skeptical when I first picked up this book. I've met more than my share of off-the-deep-end people in my short life, and I was somewhat concerned that this book might fall into that category, or turn out to be some sort of ghost story book finagled around to fit under a 'Christian' heading.
Thankfully, I was wrong. Angels, Miracles, and Heavenly Encounters is a lovely, encouraging compilation of true stories from people all over the world and in all walks of life. The nature of the stories varies widely, from casting out demons to quitting smoking, and from impossible rescues to miraculous healing. Not once did I feel like I was reading some televangelist's advertisement campaign. In fact, the book left me feeling refreshed, uplifted, encouraged, and in awe of the power of our God. It made a wonderful reminder of His constant protection over His children, the very real presence of both angels and demons, and the peace God's redeemed can experience and enjoy.
The book kept me turning pages from start to finish. I wouldn't recommend it for young readers, for obvious reasons, but I believe any Christian adult would enjoy it...even a Christian as skeptical as I tend to be. ; )

I received this book from the publisher free of charge in exchange for my review. A favorable review was not required.

Guardian of the Flame

Author: T.L. Higley
Genre: Historical Fiction
Series: The Seven Wonders
Publisher: B&H Books

For quite some time now, Shadow of Colossus has been my favorite T.L. Higley book. After reading Guardian of the Flame, though, I might just have to switch my sympathies. I mean, really - Egypt, the Alexandrian library and lighthouse, Cleopatra, the Antikythera mechanism... it's a recipe for a fantastic story. What's not to adore?
And adore it I did. Sophia, the main character, has been in charge of maintaining the lighthouse at Alexandria for the last twenty years after tragically losing both her husband and his world-changing life's work, the Proginosko. Sophia has let her loneliness make her bitter, ugly, and reclusive, and everyone under her authority is intimidated by her. Except of course, for Ares - her cheeky assistant. But when Caesar comes to Alexandria to settle the conflict between Cleopatra and her brother, the situation only becomes more complicated for everyone involved - especially when a sarcastic Roman centurion is assigned to take control of Sophia's lighthouse.
I don't know what more I can say. I loved, loved, loved this story. The complications, the twists and turns, the character developments, and T.L. Higley's signature gift of transporting her readers back in time and across the distance to the story's setting made this a read I absolutely couldn't put down. I literally slept with the book in my hands... after I fell asleep mid-page at one in the morning.
If you want a phenomenal historical fiction read, any of T.L. Higley's books would be an excellent choice. But Guardian of the Flame would be the one I most highly recommend.

Grieving God's Way

Author: Margaret Brownley
Genre: Christian Life and Thought
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Pages: 195

Having recently lost both of my closest grandparents in less than a year's time, I thought it might be interesting to get another Christian's perspective on the grieving process, so I picked this book up.
While the author does have some excellent advice for the grieving Christian, such as turning your focus onto others, keeping yourself active and healthy, dealing with survivor's guilt, and making a conscious effort to learn and grow in your faith through your grief, I have to say that I wasn't terribly impressed with this book.
Yes, grief is an ugly, brutal, complicated thing that doesn't go away over night and is tough to deal with. But there were several instances while reading this book when it seemed like I was being encouraged to dwell on my grief, analyzing and bisecting it rather than actually healing and moving on. The entire book wasn't that way, but a few sections of it definitely gave off that impression.
Some of the author's statements seemed overly poeticized, making grief and bereavement into some vague, almost mystical idea. In my experience, there is nothing mystical about grief. The writing was beautiful, but not always meaningful. There were several times when I felt like quoting Cap Rountree from The Sacketts: "Now ain't that purdy? I don't know what it means, but it sure did sound elegant."
"The stillness of grief is an invitation to sail into the inner self and explore the harbor of forgotten goals and still-cherished dreams..." (Pg. 4)
Lovely writing, I'll be the first to acknowledge. But someone please explain to me exactly what that is supposed to actually mean. My personality and upbringing are both very much geared towards keeping it real, and this book fell a ways short of that mark. I'm just not that touchy-feely.
As I said, there was some very helpful content in this book. I had been my grandmother's primary caretaker for seven months when she passed away, and I've struggled with survivor's guilt as a result. This book did offer some very practical advice on how to deal with that in a positive way.
But on the whole, it was just too poeticized and touchy-feely for my tastes.

I received this book free of charge from the publisher in exchange for my review.

Fearless

Author: Eric Blehm
Genre: Non-Fiction, Biography/Military
Publisher: Waterbrook
Pages: 253

As a patriotic, pro-military American and a soon-to-be military sister, I had high hopes for this book, but was somewhat worried that I would be disappointed. I wasn't. Everything this book promises, it delivers... and then some.
Fearless is the story of larger-than-life Adam Brown, a down-to-earth Arkansas boy whose surrender to Jesus - pointed out in the book as the only time in his life he ever surrendered - pulled him out of a vicious tailspin through drug addictions and everything that went with it. His remarkable character and personality, dominated by his compassion, protectiveness, and as the title implies, fearlessness, shine from every page. His journey was dark and frustrating at times, even for me as a reader. Honestly, there were times when I genuinely wished I could deck the guy for some of the things he did and the mistakes he made.
But the power of Christ was unmistakeably evident in this man's life. From the county jail he made his way step after dogged step into the ranks of SEAL team SIX - one of America's most elite fighting forces. His testimony as a Christian, his example as a husband, father, and compassionate human being, and his amazing commitment as a soldier are incredibly inspiring. I was literally in tears for the last 50 pages of the book.
I cannot recommend this book strongly enough. In addition to Adam Brown's incredible life story, Fearless is filled with amazing insight into the war efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan, unflinching looks into the true nature of radical Islamic terrorism, eye-opening descriptions of the training and screening our soldiers go through, and inspiring accounts of the families who stand behind those soldiers. Every American adult should read this book. Period.

I received this book free of charge in exchange for my review, but a favorable review was not required.

The Legend of the Firefish

Author: George Bryan Polivka
Series: The Trophy Chase Trilogy
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Harvest House Publishers
Pages: 347

I. Loved. This. Book. Seriously, I couldn't put it down.
I came across this book completely by accident while looking for something else online, but when I saw that it was fantasy and written by a Christian author, I figured it was worth a look. And boy howdy, was it worth the look!
After being dishonorably expelled from seminary, Packer Throme became the star pupil of Nearing Vast's fencing school. Now he has a plan to help the friends and neighbors of his youth out of the poverty of the fishing industry by learning to hunt and kill the legendary Firefish - a monstrous sea creature whose meat has healing and strengthening properties. Armed with information from his deceased father's journal, Packer sets out to stow away on the Trophy Chase, a pirate ship turned Firefish-hunting boat, and learn the art of hunting the beasts.
Unfortunately, it isn't quite that simple. What follows is a fast-paced, heart-pounding adventure that includes swordfights, high-seas adventure, deadly encounters with Firefish, love, betrayal, and more, and it doesn't relent for a minute from the first page to the last.
As I said before, I loved this book. Some aspects of it were very dark, violent, even brutal, but it was all necessary to portray the depravity of the pirates' world and lifestyle, and it was handled very skillfully by the author. And I loved the way the author managed to transition from darkness to humor without making the story feel forced or awkward. Both sides of the coin felt completely natural, which takes rare skill on the part of the author, and the results in The Legend of the Firefish were delightful. One scene I found particularly entertaining is when one of the characters drowns and another character performs CPR. The other characters, born and raised in a culture similar to our world's eighteenth century, are horrified when the drowned character coughs up a bellyful of water and starts breathing again. They come to the conclusion that the character who performed CPR must be some kind of voodoo witch to do such a thing. You've gotta love that kind of humor.
A few things to be aware of: One is the violence, as I've already mentioned. I wouldn't say it was gory, but there was definitely a lot of bloodshed and death.
Another is the fact that the main characters all drink. There is very little actual drunkenness, and none on the part of the main character (though he does drink as well), but it's something to be aware of if that is a problem for you.
The main character and his love interest/almost-fiancee kiss a couple of times over the course of the story. There is nothing worse than that anywhere in the story, but it's also something to be aware of.
One last thing, this one more of an annoyance than a real problem, is that the author very frequently changes the character point of view in mid-scene... sometimes even mid-paragraph. Over all it didn't cause a ton of problems for me as a reader, but there were a few places where I did struggle to figure out whose viewpoint I was supposed to be in.
And in a few places, the individual characters' spiritual arcs felt kind of muddled and confused, or like they were waffling sporadically back and forth without much rhyme or reason. At first it was vaguely annoying, but if you think about it, how often is a real person's real spiritual journey cut and dried and uncomplicated? So that really didn't bother me that much. And although I didn't always agree with the choices the characters made, I could always see how they had arrived at that conclusion, which is much better than wondering 'Where in the world did that come from?'.
There were a couple of instances where the thought: "Christian version of Pirates of the Caribbean" crossed my mind, but not at all in a bad way. A few of the story elements had a somewhat PotC-esque flavor to them, but I never felt like I was reading a Christian 're-make' at all.
Aside from those few things, as I've already made abundantly clear, this was an awesome book! I will be re-reading it very soon, because it had me so riveted that I sped through in record time so I'm sure there are details I missed. If you're looking for a riveting, rip-roaring nautical adventure, The Legend of the Firefish is for you!

The Truth About the Lordship of Christ

Author: John MacArthur
Genre: Theology, Christian Doctrine
Series: The Truth About
Publisher: Thomas Nelson

Like the rest of the series, I have to say that this book was greatly refreshing. As a long-time Believer, it's easy for me to begin taking principles of doctrine and theology for granted. The Truth About series has taken me back to those too-often overlooked fundamentals and refreshed them.
In regards to this book in particular, I should mention that the title is a bit... well, not deceiving, but it made me expect something different than what I got. The basic mission and achievement of the book is a good, solid discussion of what it means and looks like to truly be a follower of Christ. I have no complaints. MacArthur walks his readers through a heavily referenced look at dozens of real-world applications of following Christ, as well as offering a no-holds-barred discussion of the problems and lies Christians can and have allowed to seep into the church and our lives.
As I said, this book and The Truth About series as a whole were deeply refreshing and I recommend them for anyone wanting or needing a trip back to the beautiful fundamentals that form the foundation of our faith.

I received this book free of charge from the publisher in exchange for my review.

'The Truth About Forgiveness'

Author: John MacArthur
Genre: Christian Life and Thought, Theology
Series: The Truth About
Publisher: Thomas Nelson

I requested this book after reviewing (and loving) it prequel, The Truth About Grace. (Click to read my review.)
I don't know if I would say I enjoyed this book as completely as I enjoyed Grace, but it was still a very enjoyable study of core truths about something that we Christians tend to throw around as a byword very casually.
The parable of the prodigal son is one of the book's main focuses, and the author goes into explicit detail about what is both said overtly and implied in each tiny aspect of the story. Honestly, I'm still on the fence about whether I actually liked that or not. True, I'm not an expert on ancient middle-eastern cultures, so the detailed explanations of what even the smallest detail implied to the Pharisees Jesus was addressing provided some interesting insight. However, I still get very nervous when people (no matter how much of an expert they may be) begin expounding in great detail on what is implied by, but not actually said in, a passage of Scripture. The fact that the author was simply trying to get to the bones of the story rather than trying to promote some radical new idea made me feel better, though.
Over all, this book is focused on God's forgiveness of humans and spends very little time discussing the forgiveness of one person to another. But that shouldn't be a problem, since the forgiveness God has extended to us is the pattern we use to forgive each other.
As I said of the prequel, The Truth About Forgiveness was a lovely, refreshing read that took me back to the basics while still challenging me to think in new ways about the incredible nature of God, and I would highly recommend it.

'The Truth About Grace'

Author: John MacArthur
Genre: Religion/Christian Life and Thought
Series: The Truth About
Publisher: Thomas Nelson

I really wasn't sure what to expect when I picked this book up, but I was delighted with what I got. The Truth About Grace is not a cutting-edge, ground-breaking revelation like so many books flooding the market today claim to be. Instead, it is just what the title says: a straightforward look at the fundamental truths about grace as laid out in the Bible.
The book is heavily referenced, which I love. To make it even better, the references are all from scripture rather than from other theologians or scholars.
I wouldn't call this book a heavy-duty study, necessarily (although I do plan on re-reading it in the near future), but it made a wonderfully refreshing look into the founding principle of the Christian faith. And it's always good to revisit the basics of what we believe; otherwise it becomes very easy to get lost in the details. This is a book that will be staying on my shelf for a good while, I suspect.

I received this book free of charge from the publisher in exchange for my review.

'Elisabeth of Austria: The Princess Bride'

Author: Barry Denenberg
Genre: Historical, Historical Fiction
Series: The Royal Diaries
Publisher: Scholastic

Elisabeth of Austria is an independent young lady who loves spending time outdoors, riding horses, and looking after her host of pets. Her family life is a little less than ideal, which seems to be typical of royal families, but she nonetheless enjoys a peaceful, somewhat isolated life in a secluded but beautiful palace.
When Elisabeth accompanies her sister and mother on a trip to introduce her sister to the emperor in hopes of arranging a marriage, she instead finds herself caught up in a whirlwind romance and engaged to the emperor her sister had hoped to marry. With barely enough time to realize what's happening, she's been swept into the new, very different, very strict life of the emperor's court.
I have to be honest, while the descriptions of Elisabeth's home and the quiet life she led there were beautiful and appealing, the story left me feeling sad and disappointed for Elisabeth. Several times throughout the book I found myself thinking 'Don't do it, girl! Back out of it while you still have a chance!' Unfortunately, she didn't listen to me. And the epilogue confirmed the fact that Elisabeth and her emperor did not live happily ever after.
I will say, though, that the author did a fantastic job taking the historical facts of Elisabeth's life and putting them together into the fictional young version of her featured in this book. History tells us that throughout her adult life Elisabeth was obsessed with her appearances (particularly her hair) and struggled with anorexia. Author Barry Denenberg did an excellent job of showing the beginnings of those tendencies in his fictional reconstruction of Elisabeth.
As always, a book from the Royal Diaries series makes a great supplement to a history lesson, or a fun way to begin learning about a historical figure... even if it isn't always the most uplifting lesson in the world.