A Challenging New Way to Examine your Soul

I'm not really big on self help or motivational books because I've come to realize they only pump me up for an hour or so. However, I've come across a book that has managed to keep me thinking for more than a few minutes after I've set it down. Mark Batterson's "Soul Print" is a phenomenal read about analyzing what makes you unique and valuable in God's eyes. It's a guidebook for developing and cultivating yourself so that you can reach your full potential. I know that doesn't sound promising but I swear it's a great read! Batterson parallels the book with the story of David from the Bible to prove his points and it dovetails perfectly with his message. Very rarely am I so impressed with a book. This one is definitely a must read!

"I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review."

Fishing Your Life Back Together

I'm not going to lie, I was more than a little apprehensive when my copy of "The Fourth Fisherman" by Joe Kissack came in. The cover art left a little to be desired and I thought for sure that I was going to be stuck with some sappy christian inspirational read. I'm sooo glad that I didn't judge this book by it's cover. The story follows two different narratives, the first follows the downward spiral of a successful and out of control business man who has used medication and alcohol to drown out his sorrows and childhood abuse. The second narrative follows three Mexican fisherman as they struggle for survival in the open sea. With no oars, food, nets, or supplies they rely on faith to get them through their several months lost at sea. Salvador, Jesus, and Juan never doubt their faith while the business mogul, Joe Kissack must hit rock bottom before he can once again put his faith in God. It's two inspiring stories based on true events that are intricately and divinely intertwined. It is a fast read and I would highly recommend it to everyone.

“I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review”

As My Dad Once Said, "No dating til you're married!"

I'm not going to lie when I received this book I was filled with apprehension. The title, "I Kissed Dating Goodbye" by Joshua Harris was enough to make me hesitate. Doubts aside I did read it and when I finished I was just as skeptical as when I read the cover. Harris' thesis is that in order to be closer to God and to be true to ourselves and those around us we need to swear off dating until we're really ready to have a committed married relationship with another individual. Essentially, you can't date until you're married. Which for me is a hard concept to stomach. Joshua Harris stated many reasons that dating is corrupt and no good to us. In the text he lists the "7 Habits of Highly Defective Dating" which are as follows:

1. Dating tends to skip the friendship stage of a relationship
2. Dating often makes a physical relationship for love
3. Dating often isolates a couple from other vital relationships
4. Dating can distract young adults from their primary responsibility of preparing for the future
5. Dating can cause discontentment with God's gift of singleness
6. Dating can create an artificial environment for evaluating another person's character
7. Dating often becomes an end in itself

I don't deny that those can be problems in dating, but it is up for people to recognize and avoid those habits. I don't believe that ending dating will solve those problems. This book is interesting, but not something I would base my life on.

"I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review"

Complete List of Books I've Read in 2011

Books I’ve Read in 2011

1. The Devil in the White City – Erik Larson - 447 pages
2. Hocus Pocus – Kurt Vonnegut - 336 pages
3. Gone With the Wind – Margaret Mitchell - 960 pages
4. Galapagos – Kurt Vonnegut - 336 pages
5. The Clothes on Their Backs – Linda Grant - 293 pages
6. Lady in Waiting – Susan Meissner - 352 pages*
7. Octopussy and the Living Daylights – Ian Fleming - 128 pages
8. Water for Elephants – Sara Gruen - 335 pages
9. Strengths Finder 2.0 – Tom Rath - 183 pages
10. The Charlatan’s Boy – Jonathan Rogers - 320 pages*
11. A Fist in the Hornet’s Nest – Richard Engel - 272 pages
12. The Miracle of Mercy Land – River Jordan - 352 pages*
13. Skin Tight – Carl Hiaasen - 416 pages
14. Departures – Christy Miller - 208 pages*
15. God Bless You Dr. Kevorkian – Kurt Vonnegut - 96 pages
16. The Making of Hoosiers – Gayle L. Johnson - 240 pages
17. What Are You Waiting for? – Dannah Gresh - 192 pages*
18. Pretty in Ink – Karen E. Olsen - 320 pages
19. Ink Flamingos – Karen E. Olsen - 320 pages
20. The Missing Ink – Karen E. Olsen - 320 pages
21. Driven to Ink – Karen E. Olsen - 320 pages
22. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone – J. K. Rowling - 320 pages
23. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets – J. K. Rowling - 352 pages
24. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban – J. K. Rowling - 448 pages
25. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire – J. K. Rowling - 752 pages
26. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix – J. K. Rowling - 870 pages
27. Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince – J. K. Rowling - 652 pages
28. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – J. K. Rowling - 784 pages
29. The Stand – Stephen King - 1472 pages
30. How To Be Cool – Johanna Edwards - 368 pages
31. Sacred Cows – Karen E. Olsen - 304 pages
32. The Unoriginal Sinner and the Ice Cream God – John R. Powers - 448 pages
33. Eat Pray Love – Elizabeth Gilbert - 352 pages
34. Ruby – Francesca Lia Block - 224 pages
35. Guilty Pleasures – Laurell K. Hamilton - 329 pages
36. The Laughing Corpse – Laurell K. Hamilton - 304 pages
37. Circus of the Damned – Laurell K. Hamilton - 336 pages
38. The Lunatic Café – Laurell K. Hamilton - 384 pages
39. Bumped – Megan McCafferty - 336 pages
40. Divergent – Veronica Roth - 496 pages
41. The Harvest of Grace – Cindy Woodsmall - 352 pages*
42. The One-Day Way – Chantel Hobbs – 224 pages*
43. The Help – Katheryn Stockett - 464 pages
44. Secondhand Smoke – Karen E. Olsen - 272 pages
45. The Lost City of Z – David Grann - 448 pages
46. Mercy Come Morning – Lisa Tawn Bergren - 240 pages*
47. A Game of Thrones – George R. R. Martin - 720 pages
48. A Clash of Kings – George R. R. Martin - 784 pages
49. Raised Right – Alisa Harris - 240 pages*
50. The Halloween Tree – Ray Bradbury - 160 pages
51. Out of a Far Country - Christopher Yuan - 240 pages*
52. The Walking Dead Compendium One – Robert Kirkman - 1088 pages
53. Tamsin – Peter S. Beagle - 288 pages
54. Mine is the Night – Liz Curtis Higgs - 464 pages*
55. A Storm of Swords – George R. R. Martin - 1216 pages
56. The Christmas Singing – Cindy Woodsmall - 208 pages*
57. The Dragons of Chiril – Donita K. Paul - 416 pages*
58. A Feast for Crows – George R. R. Martin – 1104 pages
59. A Sound Among the Trees – Susan Meissner – 336 pages*
60. The Canary List – Sigmund Brouwer – 304 pages*
61. The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo – Stieg Larsson – 672 pages
62. Fundamentals of Collection Development and Management – Peggy Johnson – 335 pages**
63. Reference and Information Services in the 21st Century: An Introduction – Kay Ann
Cassell – 429 pages**
64. A Dance With Dragons – George R. R. Martin – 1040 pages
65. The Girl Who Played With Fire – Stieg Larsson – 752 pages
66. The Scroll - Grant R. Jeffrey and Alton L. Gansky - (still reading)

Total pages read: 28,173
Average 1 book every 5 days
Averaged 77 pages a day

Of those 15 were received for free (ones with the asterisks) and I reviewed them on amazon and my blogs:
http://barbarianlibrarian1.blogspot.com/
http://cataldisbooks.blogspot.com/

** Textbooks (and yes I really did read all the chapters)

If You're a fan of Dan Brown... You Won't be of this

I enjoy conspiracy theory as much as the next guy, but Sigmund Brouwer's, "The Canary List," just doesn't quite do it for me. This review may start out horrible, but in all honesty, it gets a whole lot better towards the end.

"The Canary List" is the story of young 12 year old girl, Jaimie, who can feel darkness coming for her, she can literally feel the presence of evil. As a foster child, she trusts no one except her psychiatrist and her teacher and after an exceptionally hard night she turns to her teacher Mr. Grey for help and gets him in a world of trouble. A chain of events is set in motion and in order to clear his name, win back his son, and help Jaimie, Mr. Grey must get to the bottom of whatever Jaimie's "gift" is, and why the Vatican is trying to get involved.

The plot has too many twists and turns to list in such a small review, but I can guarantee you it is indeed a roller coaster ride. I started off hating the book until about page 100. After that I became hopelessly addicted, and I too, wanted to discover Jaimie's gift and figure out why the Vatican needed her help. If you can bear to have a slow start then I recommend this book. It's not nearly as complex as Dan Brown's work but it around the same ally.

Oh and one other thing, the ending is superb which alone makes up for the fact that the book starts off by being so droll and weird. Just wait til you learn what the canary list really is!

"I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review"

For the Love of... Wulder?!?!

I am about to share with you (drumroll please) one of the worst books that I have read this year. Worst might even be an understatement, it's just that... bad. The Dragons of Chiril by Donita K. Paul sounded promising enough. Donita K. Paul has written a handful of other dragon books and the cover of this novel boasted, "a fantastic journey of discovery for all ages." It was a journey all right, but it was not in the least bit fantastic!

This novel follows young Miss Tipper, her long lost father (who left when she was 5 but has come back through a weird portal and know disappears and reappears randomly), a giant parrot named Beccaroon (really?!?!), an aspiring young artist who is a big fan of Verrin Schoop's (Tipper's father) artwork, a grumpy old wizard, and an even grumpier and crazy librarian. This rag tag team comes together to go on a quest to find three of Schoop's lost sculptures in order to reunite them and fix the portal that Schoop is stuck in. It's a pretty ridiculous plot that maybe possibly could have worked out, but fails miserably. Throughout the story and their quest, and all their little trials they become closer and also get closer to Wulder (the all knowing, powerful thing? Like God? Who knows...).

Overall, this story isn't worth anyone's time. None of the characters are likable or memorable, the plot is slow, silly, and drawn out, and the story is overall... boring! I wanted to stop reading after the first 20 pages, but the good little reviewer I am toughed it out and read it to the end (what a waste!). If you value your time you'll pass on this ridiculous book!

Oh, and a happy thanksgiving to all!!

“I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review”

Over the Top, But in a Good Way

It's getting cold and snow is on more than just people's imagination. It's coming. That being said, winter is my favorite time to read. I love curling up with a book in front of the fireplace. It just feels right. Mine is the Night by Liz Curtis Higgs fit the right criteria. Christian romance isn't normally my cup of tea, but Higgs paints the emotions of her characters on beautifully, it's hard not to get at least a little swept up in the story. The novel follows you Elizabeth Kerr and her mother-in-law, Marjory, as they find shelter in Skelkirk with their cousin, Anne. The two young women have lost all, Marjory's sons (and Elizabeth's husband) were killed fighting with the Jacobites on the wrong side of King George. They lose their titles, land, possessions, and money and are forced to Skelkirk to live with a poor cousin. The three become close and all have budding romances: Marjory with her former manservant, Gibson, Anne with the local tailor, and Elizabeth with her wealthy employer, the Admiral. The story is quite long and takes a while to develop, but overall I can't fault the author for beautiful prose and character development. A pretty good read, especially for this time of year.

“I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review”