FaithfulReader.com - WORD OF MOUTH

February/March 2006

This contest period's winner was Mary P., who received a copy of THE PLAGUE MAKER by Tim Downs and RIVER RISING by Athol Dickson.

Toni H.
Jeremiah: He Who Wept by Thom Lemmons
Rating: 4 Stars
A good historical novel about the Prophet Jeremiah.

Diana Phillips (trusthimtoday@hotmail.com)
Passenger's Side by John Michael Forosisky
Rating: 5 Stars
This is the best, and most helpful Christian book that I have ever read! I know that this will draw many people to Christ, and change many lives. It has helped me more than words can say.

Comilla (cleaf77@aol.com)
At the Scent of Water by Linda Nichols
Rating: 5 Stars
A very good read of love and loss. Will these two broken people allow their ravaged hearts to heal? Read and see.

Linda.H.
Even Now by Karen Kingsbury
Rating: 5 Stars
This is a very good book. I highly recommend it.

Description: Shane Galanter is getting married --- to the wrong woman. Can he forget the girl he loved years ago? Lauren Gibbs's dreams of happiness walked out the door with Shane and the daughter she gave up. Emily Baker searches for the mother she never met. Will three hurting people find hope in the ashes of yesterday?

Linda.H.
Love & Respect: The Love She Most Desires, the Res by Dr. Emerson Eggerichs
Rating: 3 Stars
Excellent book. A very good reference for marriages. I would highly recommend it. Description: Discover the secret that cracks the communication code between husbands and wives --- and reap the benefits of marriage as God intended. Citing extensive biblical and psychological research, Eggerichs shows that harmony and happiness in relationships is not achieved by love alone, but by building on both parts of the Ephesians 5:33 equation about love and respect.

Linda.H.
Wild at Heart by John Eldredge
Rating: 5 Stars
An excellent book. I enjoyed reading this very much and I highly recommend it. Here is a description: Dare to be the man God created you to be --- passionate, adventurous, and free! In this provocative look at Christian manhood, Eldredge challenges you to actively pursue the dreams God has given you. Encouragement for every man who wants to walk the road least taken --- and important insights for the woman who loves him!

Ely
A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson
Rating: 5 Stars
The book is a scientific history of the world and Bryson makes it easy to understand. The writing flows and makes me read on, and the concepts are very well explained.

Linda.M.H.
The Five People You Meet In Heaven by Mitch Albom
Rating: 5 Stars
This is one of my favorite books that I have read by this author. I loved how they kept going back to when he was young and it was his birthday. It was sad, though, who the five people were... especially the 4th person. I highly recommend this book.

Mary P.
Angels in Pink: Raina's Story by Lurlene McDaniel
Rating: 4 Stars
This book was a delightful surprise. I read it expecting to dislike it, but found it enjoyable, realistic, and interesting. It's the second in a three-part series, written for the 12 to 17-year-old crowd, but I'm on the fence as to whether or not I'd put the book in my 12 year old's hands. In a couple of years (or with more maturity) I'd think she'd really enjoy it also. It deals with serious issues, but with a light touch. The characters are believable and the plot has some surprising turns.

B Biggs
The Ezekiel Option by Joel C. Rosenberg
Rating: 5 Stars
THE EZEKIEL OPTION uses a growing nuclear alliance between Iran and Russia to create a great thriller. With today's headlines about Iran's nuclear program, Rosenberg's book sounds like it could almost come true.

AP
Eye of the Beholder by Kathy Herman
Rating: 4 Stars
It's the 2nd of the "Seaport Suspense" novels and it really opened my eyes to the effects of prejudice, and how we perceive our neighbors.

Deena
Welcome to Fred by Brad Whittington
Rating: 4 Stars
This book was a little slow to start, but it's a very quirky and well-crafted novel about growing up and discovering your own walk with Christ. I'm eager to read the sequels (this is one in a trilogy).

Jenifer R.
Black by Ted Dekker
Rating: 4 Stars
"Review Summary Fleeing assailants through alleyways in Denver late one night, Thomas Hunter narrowly escapes to the roof of an industrial building. Then a silent bullet from the night clips his head and his world goes black.

Now Thomas wakes from a deep sleep, remembering the vivid dream he just had of being chased. Incredibly real. His head is even bleeding �- but he's fallen on a rock. He's in a green forest, waiting to meet Rachelle, the woman he's falling madly in love with.

That night, Thomas tumbles into bed and falls into a fitful sleep. He dreams. But here comes the real mind bender --- every time Thomas falls asleep in one reality, he awakes in the other. He truly no longer knows which one is real. Each reality has dramatic impact on the other, each proves to be real, each presents huge stakes, and the fate of each will depend on one man: Thomas Hunter."

This seemed like a boring book but once I got into it, I completely enjoyed it! It's a very different story... when you sleep in one world, you are awake in another, and vice versa. This book is definitely worth reading! Think C. S. Lewis or Orson Scott Card... great authors!

Julie
Common Grounds by Glenn Lucke, Ben Young
Rating: 4 Stars
This is a theological novel of three 20- something friends --- one Southern Baptist, one lapsed and now unbelieving Catholic, and one charismatic --- who meet for coffee and often discuss God. An older professor/mentor begins to meet with them and discuss theology. Sometimes the conversation may seem contrived but mostly this is stimulating, thought-provoking reading that doesn't neatly resolve. A sequel is likely.

Meghan
Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller
Rating: 5 Stars
This book is a must read. I finished it entirely in less than 24 hours because I could not put it down. Donald Miller is breathtakingly honest about his experience, which makes it easy for the reader to identify with him. I laughed, I cried, I highlighted. I will be quoting this book for years to come. "We were the direct opposite of a frat house; instead of funneling our testosterone into binge drinking and rowdy parties, we were manning up to Jesus, bumping Him chest to chest as it were, like Bible salesmen on steroids."