7 of 7 reviews are 5-star, Lending Enabled

Aaron and Markus are twins who live a simple life, working hard on their father’s farm and trying to make ends meet. When the opportunity for a trip to market arises, the twins set out on what should be a simple, safe trip. Unknown to them, their path is destined to be rockier than originally thought and dark trouble lies on the horizon. Welcome to Haven, Aaron and Markus; a place whose inhabitants want you to stay forever.

Haven is the first original work by Justin Pflug. Justin’s inspiration for this extreme paranormal thriller filled with vampires, werewolves, and all manner of fantastical occurrences, has come from his passion for fantasy and sci-fi and from inspiring authors like Jim Butcher, Terry Goodkind, and Patrick Rothfuss.

The Last Bookstore in America by Amy Stewart

221 pages, 13 of 14 reviews are 4 or 5-star, Lending Enabled

A comic novel about the future of books and bookstores by New York Times bestselling author Amy Stewart.

Nothing is what it seems in the offbeat and out-of-the-way town of Eureka, California. Shrouded in fog and hidden behind a curtain of redwoods, this rundown mill town is home to a peculiar cast of characters, a unique homegrown horticultural industry, and one of the last bookstores in America.

No one is more surprised by the unlikely survival of the Firebreathing Dragon than Lewis Hartman, its newest owner. By the time his uncle Sy died and left the bookstore to Lewis, even the most ardent bibliophiles had abandoned printed books in favor of a charming and highly literate digital device called the Gizmo. Bookstores all over the country had closed their doors. But somehow, the Firebreathing Dragon has kept going.

Lewis and his wife Emily find themselves in the unlikely position of owning one of the last bookstores in America. But how has the Firebreathing Dragon managed to survive the death of the book? And if it isn’t keeping itself afloat selling books, what is it selling? Reporters, federal agents, and corporate executives out to salvage their own imperiled industries all converge on the bookstore to uncover its secrets. What they discover is a small town that has fallen under the spell of the Firebreathing Dragon’s unique offerings.

In her first work of fiction, bestselling author and bookstore owner Amy Stewart takes an offbeat and lighthearted look at small-town life and the future of that marvelous two thousand year-old communication device, the printed book.

The Clinch Knot by John Galligan

328 pages, 3 of 3 reviews are 5-star, Lending Enabled

The Dog is in Livingston, Montana, daydreaming about fishing the Stone and, as usual, subsisting on Swisher Sweets, vodka-Tang, and the hope that pretending to forget will be enough.

He’s forged a few tenuous friendships, and now finds himself watching from the bank as troubled local girl Jesse Ringer leads D Ontario Sneed into the swift current of young love. It’s sweet, really … but some of the locals object to the relationship on the basis of Sneed’s skin color.

Then the unthinkable: vibrant, wild Jesse is found shot in the head, and Sneed is passed out in her car, gun beside him, window seams taped, and engine running. Sneed is hospitalized for severe carbon monoxide poisoning and can’t string together a sentence to defend himself, so it falls to the Dog.

If only the Dog could run from his life without ending up in the tangle and snarl of the lives of others. A man who wants to lose himself in the current must be careful of his backcast; it’ll always keep him tethered to a life he’s trying to forget.

Taking A Stand by Kenneth Casper

228 pages, 3 of 3 reviews are 4 or 5-star

Homebuilder Jesse Amorado and former Air Force Captain Tori Carr come from the same Texas town but from very different worlds. When she returns home to Coyote Springs to help her father, a real-estate developer, turn the seediest neighborhood into an exclusive resort for the wealthy, Tori and Jesse immediately clash. He’ll do whatever it takes to save his heritage, and she is caught up in proving herself to her father.As personal tensions rise and local trouble begins to brew, Jesse and Tori fall in love-despite it all. They soon find, however, that they must not only confront vested interests and prejudices, they have to fight for their very lives.Ken Casper brings readers back to Coyote Springs for another tension-filled visit. Come along for another story of mystery and passion from the author of AS THE CROW DIES, book one of The Jason Crow West Texas Mystery Series.Ken Casper is the author of more than 25 novels, short stories and articles. Born and raised in New York City, Ken is now a transplanted Texan. He and Mary, his wife of thirty-five-plus years, own a horse farm in San Angelo. Along with their two dogs, six cats, and eight horses-at last count!-they board and breed horses and Mary teaches English riding. She’s a therapeutic riding instructor for the handicapped, as well.

A History of Harry by CC Lepki

326 pages, 5 of 5 reviews are 5-star, Lending Enabled

My mother died when I was twelve. After that, I stopped speaking. Since then, people have treated me different. The only friend I have left is Harry, the hobo that lives in the park. My father treats me like some sort of science experiment gone wrong, and his girlfriend would do anything just to get rid of me.

At first I thought my dad would never give in to his girlfriend’s pressure. At first, I thought he loved me. But after one mistake, everything changed. My quiet life suddenly became a lot less quiet.

Stuck With You by Trish Jensen

230 pages, 23 of 28 reviews are 4 or 5-star

Two feuding divorce lawyers. One infectious “love bug” virus. The symptoms are hard to resist . . .

Paige Hart is blessed and cursed with a large, loving and
. . .colorful Southern family. As the only lawyer in the clan, she can’t say no when her cousin needs her help in a messy, no-holds-barred divorce.

Tax attorney Paige squares off with Ross “the Snake” Bennett – one of the slickest divorce lawyers in the county. The case is going as well as an acrimonious, zinger-filled, wrangle of epic proportions can go until exposure to an infectious bug with an unusual side effect lands both lawyers in quarantine together.

Jailbird by Heather Huffman

264 pages, 15 of 17 reviews are 5-star, Lending Enabled

Rozalyn by Shan

318 pages, 45 of 48 reviews are 5-star, Lending Enabled

Rozalyn McGuay is a simple-minded 15 year old that thinks life is easy. She quickly realizes that life is a force to be reckoned with once she is abandoned by her mother and forced to live with a father who doesn’t want anything to do with her. Seeking love Rozalyn is pushed into the arms of the baddest boy on the block, Tamar Andrews. He shows her there is a thin line between love and hate. Nothing appears to be strong enough to tear her away from Tamar. Go on a journey with Rozalyn as she takes you through her struggles to find out if she will be trapped into fighting for a love that was never hers to begin with; or will she find out the true meaning ’til death do us part’.

The Moses Legacy by Adam Palmer

419 pages, 6 of 6 reviews are 5-star, Lending Enabled

When fragments of stone covered in a mysterious ancient script are found in Egypt, Daniel Klein, an expert in Semitic Languages, is called in to translate them. Daniel believes that the stone’s origins, if revealed, could be potentially explosive, but others are determined to prevent the truth from seeing the light of day.

Framed for murder and forced to go on the run, Daniel and archaeologist Gabrielle Gusack are pursued across the Middle East by a ruthless killer with shadowy motives. As they try to stay one step ahead of their hunter, they realize that the secret of the stones is only the beginning…and the truth could cost millions of lives.

Perfect for fans of Dan Brown.

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I have not read any of these books, so they may not be any good.  Some of the books from previous Free Book posts are still available for free. If you want to see all free books as they come out you should follow Books on the Knob on their RSS or Twitter Feed. Or Ireaderreview or the many free book threads on Amazon’s Message Boards.  As always please check to make sure the books are still free before you “buy” them, especially from Amazon. Prices can change quickly.  This may be a one day offer. Pick it up quick.

Reclaiming Lily by Patti Lacy

387 pages, 60 of 70 reviews are 4 or 5-star, Lending Enabled

A storm the size of Texas brews when Gloria Powell and Kai Chang meet in a Dallas hotel. They have come to discuss the future of Lily, the daughter Gloria adopted from China and the sister Kai hopes to reclaim. Kai is a doctor who had to give up her little sister during the Cultural Revolution and has since discovered that an inherited genetic defect may be waiting to fatally strike Lily.

Gloria’s relationship with her daughter is tattered and strained, and the arrival of Kai, despite the woman’s apparent good intentions, makes Gloria fearful. Gloria longs to restore her relationship with Lily, but in the wake of this potentially devastating diagnosis, is Kai an answer to prayer…or will her arrival force Gloria to sacrifice more than she ever imagined?

A Higher Court by John L Betcher

238 pages, 16 of 22 reviews are 5-star, Lending Enabled

My name is William Kensey. I have a wife and two great kids. Until very recently, I was a well-respected and financially successful trial attorney.  I was also a man who was comfortable with his religion. I preferred it served at arm’s length from the pulpit on Sunday morning. And would rather not discuss it the rest of the week.

The circumstances that led me to write A HIGHER COURT changed all that. The entire experience was both bizarre and unavoidable. You see, I was summoned to serve as a juror in an improbable trial — a trial to determine whether God exists.

I know.  You think that sounds ludicrous. I did, too . . . until the trial began.

Witnesses buried me under mountains of scientific evidence. My own eyes forced me to confront the reality of extreme human suffering. God seemed less and less relevant — even absent — as the trial progressed. At the close of the trial, I had to render my verdict — “God” or “No God.” Affirm a new and deeper faith in a Creator, or confess the triumph of science.

A HIGHER COURT is the story of how I discovered the ultimate truth. I invite you to join me in this revelation. You won’t be sorry.

Valeria’s Cross by Kathi Macias and Susan Wales

352 pages, 14 of 28 reviews are 4 or 5-star, Lending Enabled, Previously Free

Valeria’s Cross is the story of a 3rd century Roman marriage, forged in violence and deceit and built on religious opposition. It is about the many ways that men and women love and fight and grudgingly respect. Yet in the end, God’s faithfulness triumphs.

A Heart Renewed by Karen Baney

340 pages, 12 of 12 reviews are 5-star, Lending Enabled

Julia Colter struggles to accept life under her controlling brother’s greed. The suitors he selects would benefit him, but are far from the ideal husband for her. When her rebellion against her brother puts her life at risk, she turns to her friend for help.

Adam Larson longs to train horses and plans to head west to the Arizona Territory to see his dreams fulfilled. When his sister’s best friend shows up in the middle of the night, he agrees to help her flee. The decision changes his life, in more ways than he expected.

Can Julia forget the pain from her past and open her heart to love?

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I have not read any of these books, so they may not be any good.  Some of the books from previous Free Book posts are still available for free. If you want to see all free books as they come out you should follow Books on the Knob on their RSS or Twitter Feed. Or Ireaderreview or the many free book threads on Amazon’s Message Boards.  As always please check to make sure the books are still free before you “buy” them, especially from Amazon. Prices can change quickly.  This may be a one day offer. Pick it up quick.

Takeaway: The Holy Spirit is with us today just as he was with the apostles in Acts.

Who is the Holy Spirit uses the parallel books of Luke and Acts to illustrate how the Holy Spirit empowers Christians to do God’s work in the world.

For the last six months of last year I was focused on reading and reading about the gospel of Luke.  Spending that much time in Luke really helped to focus me on how intentional the parallels from the gospel of Luke and the books of Acts are.  This book takes the parallels and focuses on how the Holy Spirit not only is God, in the same way that Jesus was God in person on the earth, but shows how the Apostles, through the power of the Holy Spirit, worked to fulfill the mission of God just as Christ did.

This is a wide ranging book.  And if anything, that would be my main criticism.  I almost wish it was more focused.  But Yong wants to hit all the major themes and actions of the Holy Spirit in the book of Acts.  So there is a very good section on the power of the spirit in salvation and empowering the apostles while they were in Jerusalem.

The economics of Acts and the implications of how the Spirit worked in class, cultural issues, language and racial politics of Israel take a significant role in the book.

The way that Holy Spirit pushes and prods the early church away from their previous understanding and expectations of a kingdom of Israel toward seeing God’s Kingdom as broader than Israel and the fulfillment of scripture is often missed when we already know the story of the church as gentiles.

While I think this was a very good book, the Holy Spirit was at times lost in the story of the early church.  Because everything in the book is assumed to be the work of the Holy Spirit, at times it almost seemed like the Holy Spirit moved to the background and became an understood instead of an explicit subject.  I would have liked a bit more tangible discussion of the Holy Spirit as the Holy Spirit instead of looking at the Holy Spirit purely through the results of the work that the Holy Spirit has done.

That being said, this is a very good book to take you through the book of Acts.  It is very biblically focused and with 39 short chapters it can be read in a lot of short chucks.

Yong is a professor at Regent University and very well known for his books on the theology of disability and the study of Pentecostalism and missions.  I am going to get to those.  I have had those recommended to me several times before I picked this book up.  I did not realize he was the same author, I just picked it up because it was on sale and I am reading about the trinity this year.

Purchase Links: Paperback, Kindle Edition

Other books by Amos Yong
The Bible, Disability and the Church: A New Vision of the People of God
Theology and Down Syndrome: Reimagining Disability in Late Modernity
Hospitality and the Other: Pentecost, Christian Practices and the Neighbor

Note: I have to force myself to read quotes of books in book reviews.  So I tend to not use a lot of quotes when writing reviews.  But these are three very good quotes from the book that will give you a sense of the writing. These three will make the book seem more political and economic focused than it is, but they are quotes that really struck me.

One question for us today, especially we who are on the top side of the global market economy, is whether we would do any different: would we embrace and then live out the “good news” of the coming kingdom or would we fight to preserve the status quo and our own place in it? If the Holy Spirit were to convict our hearts like Zaccheus’s, our response just might also extend the new economy of salvation so as to reconcile people, oppose and correct the unjust structures of our world, and bring about the healing of many nations.

It is important here to follow the cue provided by Luke to note that “salvation” in Luke and Acts almost never refers primarily to what happens after death, but means, literally, wholeness and health. The healing of this man involved not only the cure of his lameness but also his reintegration into Jewish communal life as represented by his entering the temple. Further, he would no longer be a beggar but could now make contributions as a member of his society. In each of these ways, the good news of salvation had relevance not for the afterlife but for life in the here and now.

The missionary ventures of Paul in these two chapters confirm that the gospel of Jesus Christ is both continuous with and yet also discontinuous from Jewish and Gentile culture and religiosity. The Spirit’s redemption of culture requires a preservation of the old in some respects but also a repudiation of former beliefs and practices in other respects. If the work of the Spirit brought about a renewal, restoration, and reappropriation of all that was good and true in the social, cultural, and religious spheres of human life, it could also be seen from another perspective that the coming of the Spirit turned the world upside down in each of these domains of human endeavor. Continuity or discontinuity, when, and how? These are questions that require ongoing discernment of the Spirit’s presence and activity.

Original Sin is a doctrine I have always had trouble understanding.  It is not that I disagree that we are all sinful.  I affirm that.

My issues have been in the way that Christians understand the origin of sin, the way some understand the need for a physical Adam and Eve to affirm the doctrine of original sin (which then some need in order to justify the need for Christ’s death and resurrection), and the extent of the corruption of the world caused by the fall.

Jacobs is an author I appreciate.  He is a professor at Wheaton College and while we overlapped (he is still there) I did not have him for any classes.  But he is one of those authors that as I read I am always aware that he is much smarter than I.  Not in a snooty or negative way.  He is very readable.  It is that he always brings in ideas and sources that I would not have considered (and often do not even know exist).

This is not a theological history, but a cultural one.  So Jacobs is dealing primarily with the way that Christianity and the west have culturally understood original sin.  Occasionally the cultural and the theological understanding separate.  I think at least partially, this is my issue with original sin.  I hear people speaking of the transmission of sin as if it were literally part of our DNA.  I believe it was Augustine that proposed that one reason that Jesus could be born of a woman and not be corrupted by original sin is that sin was transferred through semen.

As with other theological concepts, the analogy and metaphors that we use to explain them, sometime distort the actual content.

Personally, I need more work on original sin to be ‘comfortable’ with it.  It is not a doctrine that I think comes easily to a post-modern world.  But Jacobs does a very good job introducing it and some of the ways that it has influence out culture for good and ill.  One of the areas that I need to explore is the different way that the Eastern Orthodox church deals with original sin.  My understanding is that the Eastern Orthodox church has a very different understanding of sin.  That is outside the realm of this book, but will be in my future reading.

I picked up a used hardback copy of Original Sin.  If you would like it, let me know in the comments and I will send it to you.

Purchase Links: Hardcover, Kindle Edition

Safe at Home: A Novel by Richard Doster

351 pages, 12 of 14 reviews are 5-star, Lending Enabled

The spring of ’53 started out like any other for sports columnist Jack Hall, as he and the rest of his small southern town, Whitney, eagerly awaited the magical first pitch that would open the Bobcat’s season. But when ticket sales wane with the new distractions of air conditioning and I Love Lucy, the Bobcats face an early end not only to the season but to their careers as well. The team needs a white knight to save them and ironically, that white knight seems to be a 17 year old “colored kid”, Percy Jackson, who’s got a .364 batting average and has never seen a grounder he couldn’t chase down.

Not everyone—not even most people—though can wrap their heads around an integrated baseball field, even if they have seen them on TV. This is Whitney. Things don’t change and they don’t need to change. Do they?

Hearts, minds, faith and tradition will be tested as will friendships and marriages when this sleepy southern town comes to grips with itself amid the early years of the Civil Rights Movement.

Day of War by Cliff Graham

369 pages, 61 of 68 reviews are 5-star, Previously Free (second book in series was released today)

In ancient Israel, at the crossroads of the great trading routes, a man named Benaiah is searching for a fresh start in life. He has joined a band of soldiers led by a warlord named David, seeking to bury the past that refuses to leave him. Their ragged army is disgruntled and full of reckless men. Some are loyal to David, but others are only with him for the promise of captured wealth. While the ruthless and increasingly mad King Saul marches hopelessly against the powerful Philistines, loyal son Jonathan in tow, the land of the Hebrew tribes has never been more despondent—and more in need of rescue. Over the course of ten days, from snowy mountain passes to sword-wracked battlefields, Benaiah and his fellow mercenaries must call upon every skill they have to survive and establish the throne for David—if they don’t kill each other first. Day of War brings to life the exploits of the Mighty Men of Israel, a rag-tag band of disgruntled warriors on the run with David, the soon-to-be King. Their legendary deeds are recorded in 2 Samuel 23 and 1 Chronicles 11

The Black Church at its Best by Larry Macon

200 pages, no reviews, Lending Enabled

The Black Church at its Best tells the rich history of the Black Church with introductory porch stories told to the author by his father.

Dr. Larry L. Macon, Sr. is a professor of religion in African American Studies. He is the author of Discipling African American Males, Messages for Modern Times, Then They Shall Fast and Cover Ups.

Diary of a Black Church Musician by C Angela

110 pages, 1 of 1 reviews are 5-star, Lending Enabled

This is a story about the experiences of C. Angela, a church musician, who has served in many different denominations in her lifetime. This book also shares the stories of several other church musicians portrayed in the composite, Roland Barber. It addresses some of the challenges and concerns that musicians have faced. It also provides practical guidance to musicians and gives information to music lovers that will help them to be more appreciative and understanding of their church musicians.

When Black Preachers Preach: Leading Black Preachers Give Direction & Encouragement to a Nation That Has Lost Its Way by Daniel Whyte III –  Vol. 1, Vol. 2, Vol 3

each volume is about 150 pages, Lending Enabled

In the not too distant past, God raised up a fresh and exciting voice in America. That voice is the voice of the black preacher who refused to use Gods sacred desk as a stage for entertainment or as a platform for political causes. Rather, these God-sent black preachers chose to stand boldly and preach, Thus saith the Lord without compromise, fear or favor. These preachers are not popular, but neither were the preachers in the Bible. No, these preachers may not be popular, but they certainly need to be heard. Your life will be blessed and encouraged while reading these powerful messages from these faithful men of God.

When Black Preachers Preach, Volume 2, highlights some of the most dynamic preachers of our present day. The men included in this volume are pastoring some of the fastest growing Bible-believing churches in America, and head up exciting, evangelistic organizations and conferences aimed at reaching black America with the unadulterated Gospel of Jesus Christ. If you are one of the few dear people who still love what God calls “sound doctrine,” if you love powerful and exciting preaching that is also biblical, then the book that you hold in your hands is the right book for you. Read it and be blessed and encouraged.

When Black Preachers Preach, Volume 3, the final book in the When Black Preachers Preach trilogy, pays tribute to those black preachers of the past and present, who preach the inspired Word of God as the final authority on every aspect of life. These preachers have stood faithful to their God and to His unadulterated Word down through the years. If you are one of the few dear people who still love what God calls “sound doctrine,” if you love powerful and exciting preaching that is also biblical, then the book that you hold in your hands is the right book for you. Read it and be blessed and encouraged.

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I have not read any of these books, so they may not be any good.  Some of the books from previous Free Book posts are still available for free. If you want to see all free books as they come out you should follow Books on the Knob on their RSS or Twitter Feed. Or Ireaderreview or the many free book threads on Amazon’s Message Boards.  As always please check to make sure the books are still free before you “buy” them, especially from Amazon. Prices can change quickly.  This may be a one day offer. Pick it up quick.

I used to read a lot more business and leadership books.  I have now come to the realization that I am neither all that interested in business nor all that good at leadership.

What has always interested me about business and leadership books are the insights into human behavior.  And that is why I still pick up the occasional business book.

The Myth of the Garage is collection of essays from Dan and Chip Heath’s column in Fast Company.  It is a free kindle or audiobook (which is the real reason I picked this one up.)

There are 16 essays and most of them are pretty good.  The three things that I found most interesting are all related to going against our common assumptions.

The essay on mutual funds gives a variety of reasons why you should never buy an actively managed mutual fund.  Essentially when you look at all the history of mutual funds, in only 8 percent of the cases do they out-perform unmanaged index funds.  That is because even if the managers do out perform the market (which they often do not) the fees associated with the management eat away all of benefit.  We may feel better knowing some trained economists and brokers are working for us, but if we do not benefit, then we should not be doing it.

The title piece is about the fact that while we have a cultural myth about entrepreneurs working in a garage to bring a product to market, in reality most entrepreneurs have a long history of business experience in the field.  They may have a short term garage experience, but prior to that garage experience, they probably worked for a large company gaining the experience they needed to lead them to the garage.  This is somewhat similar to Malcolm Gladwell’s idea of 10,000 hours to breakout success.

There is also a chapter on the problems of incentives that I think did more to convince me of the problems of overreach that any the dozens of articles from conservative and libertarian political bloggers and authors.  Essentially it is the problem of unintended consequences, which is very pragmatic and non-ideological.

Overall this is a good 2 hours of audio or about 70 pages in ebooks.  It clearly is put together to introduce you to the Heath brothers and their other books.  But their other books are supposed to be very good (my wife highly recommends Made to Stick, but I haven’t read it yet).

I appreciate these repurposed and introduction books.  I like being introduced to new authors.  What I am not a fan of, are teaser samples that are not complete in and of themselves.  I don’t want to read something that does not have an ending.  That pretty much will guarantee that I will not read your books.  But a short self contained introduction to your work is likely to get me to read more.

Purchase Links: Free Kindle Edition, Free Audible.com Audiobook

Match Made in Heaven by Bob Mitchell

256 pages, 11 of 13 reviews are 4 or 5-star, Lending Enabled

Lying on An operating table, about to undergo emergency heart surgery, Elliott Goodman hears the voice of God–as in The Almighty–speaking to him. God, it seems, has a last-second wager for Elliott, challenging him to an eighteen-hole golf match. If Elliott wins, he’ll be saved. If he loses. . .

God sends down eighteen legendary opponents to play against Elliott and to hopefully teach him a few tricks along the way. From Leonardo da Vinci (nice clubs) to Marilyn Monroe (nice. . .everything), Babe Ruth (pass the hot dogs), Abraham Lincoln (cheater!), and fourteen other luminaries, including Moses, John Lennon, Joan of Arc, Picasso, W.C. Fields, Gandhi, and Shakespeare, Elliott squares off against some of the most extraordinary people who’ve ever lived. As shots are analyzed, balls enter bunkers, and Freud drives the cart (control freak), Elliott has a chance to examine his life and his form, to see what he can correct or improve before facing his ultimate adversary.

Big-hearted and delightfully original, Match Made in Heaven is a timeless tale about finding joy and inspiration on the greatest of all courses–life.

Small Church, Big Impact by Brandon O’Brien

no reviews, Lending Enabled

By gathering stories about effective churches from small-church pastors, Brandon O’Brien demonstrates that a church’s success is not contingent on its size. This is a selection from Brandon O’Brien’s book, The Strategically Small Church.

Unlocking the Mysteries of Satan by Dennis McCallum

2 of 2reviews are 5-star, Lending Enabled

Pastor and teacher Dennis McCallum clarifies what the Bible teaches about Satan, evil spirits, demonic control, and spiritual warfare–including the devil’s capabilities and limitations, and practical steps to counter evil forces. This is a selection from Satan and His Kingdom.

Jesus Killed My Church by Randy Bohlender

6 of 6 reviews are 5-star, Lending Enabled

The test of our lifetime is not graded on our production but on our willingness to agree that the leadership of Jesus is perfect.

Have you even been given every tool for success and managed to fail anyway?

How do you react when you’re doing the very thing you were wired to do and all the wires get crossed?

Jesus Killed My Church is the story of a church planter who had every reason to succeed, yet God had another idea. Or another definition of success.

Escape From the World Trade Center by Leslie Haskin

43 of 61 reviews are 4 or 5-star, Lending Enabled, Previously Free

A 9/11 Survivor’s True Story

This is the riveting account of Leslie Haskin’s escape from the World Trade Center after the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. The former insurance executive shares what she saw and endured as she struggled down 36 floors in a doomed and dying building and away from a life focused on perks, prestige, and power.

The Faith of Ashish by Kay Marshall Strom
320 pages, 9 of 10 reviews are 4 or 5-star, Lending Enabled, Previously FreeVirat and Latha named their son Ashish, for he is the light and glory of their world. Yet a simple drink of water from the wrong cup changes them forever. Virat, Latha, and Ashish are Untouchables in 1905 India, members of a caste who must never contaminate the world of the other, higher, castes.When Ashish is in desperate need of a doctor, Virat risks everything to save his son and ventures into the dangerous realm of the high caste. There, the strength of a father’s love, the power of a young British nurse, and the faith of a child change the lives around them.

When the Devil Whistles by Rick Acker

339 pages, 35 of 48 reviews are 4 or 5-star, Lending Enabled, Previously Free

Allie Whitman is a professional whistleblower with a knack for sniffing out fraud in government contracts. Conner Norman is a gifted litigator and together they form Devil to Pay, Inc., a shell corporation that files lawsuits based on Allie s investigations. They soon find themselves fighting potentially fatal battles in and out of the courtroom, going great lengths to protect secrets that could ruin them both.

The Big 5-OH by Sandra Bricker

290 pages, of reviews are 4 or 5-star, Lending Enabled, Previously Free

Olivia Wallace has a birthday curse . . . or so she thinks. It was a broken heart on her 16th, a car accident on her 21st, pneumonia on her 30th, and a fall down a flight of stairs on her 35th. There were Ohio blizzards on her 38th, 39th, and 40th; and six days before her 45th, she lost the love of her life to a heart attack. Numbing grief stole that birthday and a couple more to follow and, on the morning of her 48th birthday, she received the call she’d dreaded ever since losing her mom so many years ago…she was diagnosed with stage-3 ovarian cancer. The doctors didn’t hold out a lot of hope, but Liv survived and maintained her faith. Months of surgeries and chemotherapy and radiation treatments followed.

But now, as her 50th birthday creeps up the icy Ohio path toward her, her hair has grown back, her energy level is up, and she is officially cancer free. It makes her nervous. After everything she’s gone through, Liv hates the idea of driving on icy roads and returning to work as an O.R. nurse in a local Cincinnati hospital.

Her best friend Hallie knows just the thing to break Liv out of the winter doldrums, while providing a safe haven of warmth, sunshine, and a time to regroup: a holiday in the Florida sunshine!

Delivered With Love by Sherry Kyle

336 pages, 30 of 52 reviews are 4 or 5-star, Lending Enabled, Previously Free

An old love letter found in the glove compartment of a young woman’s inherited 1972 Volkswagen propels her to leave her life in Los Angeles and go to the small town of Capitola, California. There her dream of finding the writer of the letter leads her on an unexpected journey that changes her life forever.

Claire James, age twenty-three, is ready to make it on her own.  When she’s fired from her job as a waitress and subsequently kicked out of her sister’s home, she sees it as an opportunity to start over.  But even before moving, a thirty-five-year-old love letter written to her mother keeps Claire stuck in the past.  Michael Thompson, a middle-aged real estate agent, wants to keep the past where it belongs–at least until his grown daughter is married.  But, then a young woman comes to town . . .

An Emerging Spirituality: You Spiritual Revolution Without the Smoke and Mirrors by Ricky Maye

174 pages, 2 of 2 reviews are 5-star, Lending Enabled, Previously Free

Love Done Right: Devos by Jessica Harris

1 reviews is 5-star, Lending Enabled

A Journey from Lust into the Love of God.

A collection of devotionals specifically written for Christian women struggling with lust. Written by the creator of Beggar’s Daughter, Jessica Harris. Formerly addicted to pornography and other lust sin, Jessica shares her heart with women and provides candid glimpses into her own journey and discovery of the depths of God’s love.

Why We Raise Belgian Horses: A Novel by Kathryn Judson

216 pages, 1 of 1 reviews are 5-star, Lending Enabled

When famine threatens a small fishing village in 19th century Norway, some families leave, and others send family members away, until the emergency is over. Among those sent off are 17-year-old Lars and his little brother Torvald, who go to America to live with their Uncle Anders in Dakota Territory. Lars finds that being an immigrant has its challenges, and being a pioneer has its challenges, and being a young man looking ahead to finding a wife has its challenges. As if all that weren’t enough, when he buys his first horse, he accidentally buys a horse that turns him into a laughingstock. But Uncle Anders won’t let him sell the horse – for one thing, they’ve been short of horses and need a new horse, and for another, Uncle Anders is not one to let people push him, or anyone under his roof, into doing anything. But that crazy, laughable horse is just about to become far more important than anyone could imagine, on a Christmas Eve the world gets turned upside down.

Fools’ Heaven: Love, Lust and Death Beyond the Pulpit by DT Pollard

236 pages, 2 of 3 reviews are 4 star, Lending Enabled

What happens when lust, depravity, and ego make themselves known in a setting of utmost venerability?

Born to two poor rural high school dropouts, Mike Robertson is a young white man called to preach at an early age. Janice Johnson, a young black woman four years older than Mike, is drawn to this teenage tent preacher. As husband and wife, they leave their modest origins behind and rise to lead a megachurch empire in Dallas, Texas.

The journey from obscurity to religious superstardom is fraught with many challenges, including racial discrimination, drugs, deception, moral depravity, sexual assault, and a murder attempt—all in the name of religion.

Spanning more than fifty years, this engaging novel focuses on this determined interracial couple who learn that life can take them from the humblest beginnings to the highest of heights, even as they struggle to maintain their perspectives.

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I have not read any of these books, so they may not be any good.  Some of the books from previous Free Book posts are still available for free. If you want to see all free books as they come out you should follow Books on the Knob on their RSS or Twitter Feed. Or Ireaderreview or the many free book threads on Amazon’s Message Boards.  As always please check to make sure the books are still free before you “buy” them, especially from Amazon. Prices can change quickly.  This may be a one day offer. Pick it up quick.

I swear this is not going to become a young adult review blog.  But I seem unable to finish anything else lately.  I believe I am in the midst of being brain fried.

In spite of being unable to concentrate on anything remotely theological, I have enjoyed Artemis Fowl.  In the Lost Colony, we discover that there are another family of fairies, the demons (we already know about elves, dwarves, pixies, etc).

When the rest of the fairy families went underground to escape the humans, the demons moved their island across time and space.  But occasionally the magic that moved them brings one demon back for a short visit.  And Artemis has figured out how to predict those visits and that the increasing regularity of them means that the demon magic is breaking down and their island may be lost forever.

Demons in this story are violent and agressive (or most of them are) but not evil.  This book explores insularity that Artemis (and some new brilliant characters) face by being both smarter than everyone around them, and a little too sure of themselves.

This was a solid, but not great addition to the series. It moved the story along well (the series has been very strong about keeping a fresh story), moved into realms of more traditional fantasy concepts.  But while I enjoyed it and am going to start book six very soon, something seemed to be missing in The Lost Colony that made it a bit less than other books in the series.

Purchase Links: Paperback, Kindle Edition, Audible.com Audiobook (note: as of Feb 15, 2012 the paperback is only $3.20, while the Kindle is $6.29)

Related articles

• Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer (bookwi.se)
• The Arctic Incident (Artemis Fowl #2) by Eoin Colfer (bookwi.se)
• The Opal Deception (Artemis Fowl: Book 4) by Eoin Colfer (bookwi.se)

Wool by Hugh Howey

70 pages, 185 of 200 reviews are 4 or 5-star, Lending Enabled

Thousands of them have lived underground. They’ve lived there so long, there are only legends about people living anywhere else. Such a life requires rules. Strict rules. There are things that must not be discussed. Like going outside. Never mention you might like going outside.

Or you’ll get what you wish for.

Ketchup is a Vegetable: And Other Lies Moms Tell Themselves by Robin O’Bryant

266 pages, 96 of 101 reviews are 5-star, Lending Enabled

If you don’t have anything nice to say about motherhood, then… read this book. Robin O’Bryant offers a no holds barred look at the day to day life of being a mother to three, running a household and the everyday monotony of parenting.

It’s not always pretty but it’s real. Whether she’s stuffing cabbage in her bra… dealing with defiant yet determined daughters… yelling at the F.B.I… or explaining the birds and the bees to her preschooler… you’re sure to find dozens of humorous and relatable situations.

From the creator of Robin’s Chicks, one of the South’s most popular blogs on motherhood, misunderstandings and musings, comes a collection of essays that will not only make you laugh and cry, but realize that you’re not alone in your journey.

Forgetting English: Stories by Midge Raymond

117 pages, 20 of 21 reviews are 4 or 5-star, Lending Enabled

Forgetting English explores the indelible imprint of home upon identity and the ways in which new frontiers both defy and confirm it. From a biologist navigating the icy moonscape of Antarctica to a businesswoman seeking refuge in the South Pacific, the characters who inhabit these stories travel for business and for pleasure, out of duty and in search of freedom, and each comes face-to-face with the unexpected.

Midge Raymond’s short fiction has been featured in the Los Angeles Times magazine, American Literary Review, North American Review, the Ontario Review, Witness, and others. She holds an MA from Boston University’s College of Communication, where she taught for six years, and has also worked as an editor and copywriter. She now lives in Seattle, where she teaches at Richard Hugo House.

Bring on the Blessing by Beverly Jenkins

383 pages, 60 of 69 reviews are 4 or 5-star, Lending Enabled, Previously Free

Just a Kiss Away by Jill Barnett

The Rocking Horse by Gloria Zachgo

302 pages, 10 of 10 reviews are 5-star, Lending Enabled

Can a family that has been savagely ripped apart find healing and redemption? Are the mysteries hidden in the human heart destined to reveal themselves? The Rocking Horse, Gloria Zachgo’s spellbinding suspense novel, charts the harrowing emotional journey of one family that is torn asunder, then magically drawn together again.

Jenny Preston has been missing for twenty-two years after being taken at the age of two on the very night her mother Amanda, Aunt Ruth, and Uncle Don were brutally and senselessly murdered. While Jenny’s grandparents learn to cope with the tragedies, the sheriff, Will Barclay, must grapple with his own guilt and secrets involving the murders. The crime, which rocked the small town of Shady Creek, Kansas, has never been solved.

More than two decades later, a woman who calls herself Julie Hendricks is led by a childhood toy to Shady Creek, where she finds refuge from an abusive husband. Living on her own for the first time in her life, she starts to regain her self esteem and make new friends. Her life is then turned upside down again when she discovers she may be the child that was abducted from this very town so many years ago.

With the encouragement of her new friends, and a very special someone, she returns to Chicago to learn the truth of her childhood history from her father. After a gripping turn of events, Julie returns to Shady Creek to wrestle with the emotional complexities of her new life and how her past life is starting to catch up with her. An unexpected hero comes to Julie’s aid.

A story of family, home, and the grave consequences of actions, The Rocking Horse explores the aftermath of the most unimaginable heartache: the disappearance of a child. Fast-paced and full of intrigue, this riveting read mines the depths of the human heart on its road to recovery.

Mozart’s Wife by Juliet Waldron

399 pages, 21 of 21 reviews are 4 or 5-star, Lending Enabled

Giddy sugarplum or calculating bitch? Pretty Konstanze aroused strong feelings among her contemporaries. Her in-law’s loathed her. Mozart’s friends, more than forty years after his death, remained eager to gossip about her “failures” as wife to the world’s first superstar. Maturing from child, to wife, to hard-headed widow, Konstanze would pay Mozart’s debts, provide for their children, and relentlessly market and mythologize her brilliant husband. Mozart’s letters attest to his affection for Konstanze as well as to their powerful sexual bond. Nevertheless, prominent among the many mysteries surrounding the composer’s untimely death: why did his much beloved Konstanze never mark his grave?

That Bear Ate My Pants by Tony James Slater

303 pages, 10 of 11 reviews are 5-star, Lending Enabled

There comes a time in every man’s life when he says to himself, “Holy Sh*t! I’m about to be eaten by a bear!”

Tony James Slater went to Ecuador, determined to become a man.
It never occurred to him that ‘or die trying’ might be an option…

The trouble with volunteering in a South American animal refuge is that everything wants a piece of you. And the trouble with being Tony, is that most of them got one.

Just how do you ‘look after’ something that’s trying it’s damnedest to kill you and eat you?
And how do you find love when you a) don’t speak the language, and b) are constantly covered in excrement and entrails?

If only he’d had some relevant experience. Other than owning a pet rabbit when he was nine. And if only he’d bought some travel insurance…

That Bear Ate My Pants is the hilarious tale of one man’s quest to better himself. Whether losing a machete fight with a tree, picking dead tarantulas out of a tank of live ones or sewing the head back on to a partially decapitated crocodile, Tony’s misadventures are ridiculous, unbelievable and always entertaining.

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I have not read any of these books, so they may not be any good.  Some of the books from previous Free Book posts are still available for free. If you want to see all free books as they come out you should follow Books on the Knob on their RSS or Twitter Feed. Or Ireaderreview or the many free book threads on Amazon’s Message Boards.  As always please check to make sure the books are still free before you “buy” them, especially from Amazon. Prices can change quickly.  This may be a one day offer. Pick it up quick.

The Tylenol Mafia: Marketing Murder and Johnson & Johnson by Scott Bartz

632 pages, 11 of 11 reviews are 4 or 5-star, Lending Enabled

Naked America by Michael Smith

688 pages, 1 of 1 reviews are 5-star, Lending Enabled

The Order of the Kingdom by Tudor Bismark

190 pages, 1 of 1 reviews are 5-star, Lending Enabled

In two previous books, Order in the House and The Kingdom in Motion, Bishop Bismark dealt with the basic dynamics of Kingdom theology and Kingdom structure. This new series directly addresses the need for order in our personal lives. Many times we question the lack of blessing in our lives, blind to the chaos in which we live. Once we understand that God blesses order, we can begin to establish order and align ourselves with an orderly God and all that He has planned for us. An ordered life is imperative, as it will create a counter culture of order in the body of Christ and society at large. This study covers the following:
• Fruitfulness
• The Way Mantles Pass
• Influence
• Order versus Disorder
• Ordained Order
• Order Produces Prosperity

Make Love Everyday: 12 Sure-fire ways to Celebrate your Marriage by Jay and Laura Laffoon

128 pages, 1 of 1 reviews are 5-star, Lending Enabled

Marriage was created to be a CELEBRATION! This book gives couples permission to celebrate, and shows them how to live with respect, ceremony, and festivity.

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I have not read any of these books, so they may not be any good.  Some of the books from previous Free Book posts are still available for free. If you want to see all free books as they come out you should follow Books on the Knob on their RSS or Twitter Feed. Or Ireaderreview or the many free book threads on Amazon’s Message Boards.  As always please check to make sure the books are still free before you “buy” them, especially from Amazon. Prices can change quickly.  This may be a one day offer. Pick it up quick.