The Christmas List by Richard Paul Evans

The Christmas List by Richard Paul Evans

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This is a modern day Ebenezer Scrooge story. Kiel is a very busy business man who has left his wife and son. He and his girlfriend have plans to steal away for the weekend at a quaint bed and breakfast in the mountains. He arrives early and waits...and waits...and waits. She never comes. The morning paper arrives and he sees his obituary. He supposedly died on the trip!



Comments are pouring in from all over the world about him. Comments that you don't want to read about yourself. The only nice ones? From his wife. Who he left. Who he served with divorce papers the day she had her first chemo treatment. What a jerk!



Kiel decides he wants to change things. After all, he's alive. Now he just has to convince others of that. He calls his secretary Linda and asks for a list of all the people who he's wronged in life. She returns with a list of 5 stating that these were the most affected. He sets out on a quest to right these wrongs and along the way, learns many valuable lessons.



This book was written out of an experience that the author had while still in school. His English teacher had him to write his own obituary. I have my students to do the same. It's a lesson in leaving legacies. What kind of legacy would you leave? What would you want others saying about you when you are no longer here?



I highly recommend this book. It didn't necessarily have to center around Christmas because the story could apply at any time. This book will make you consider choices you have made in this life. There is still time to make amends if you need to! Leave a legacy you'd be proud to read of in the paper!



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Zan-Gah and the Beautiful Country by A.R Shickman

Zan-Gah and the Beautiful Country by Allan Richard Shickman

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Zan-Gah is so excited to have his twin, Dael, back home but he's not the same person he was when he disappeared a few years ago. Zan-Gah fell in love with the "Beautiful Country" of the Wasps when he was captive there. He wants to go back so he arranges for elders of his tribe to journey there to see if peace can be found amongst the various tribes. When they arrive in "Wasp-land", there is a horrible stench and death is evident. The Wasp people are gone. Zah-Gah decides to pursue moving the Ba-Caro tribe to this beautiful land. Along the way, division takes place because of Dael's instabilities, both from being held captive and tortured for a great many years and seeing his wife and child die right in front of him.



This book gives more background on Dael's captivity and allows you in his mind more than we saw in Zah-Gah A Prehistoric Adventure. One can truly see just how messed up he really is. Had Dael been alive today, he would have PTSD.



I feel sorry for Dael but then again I don't. He could have "manned up" and handled his problems better. I also don't have much sympathy for Zan-Gah as he could have done things differently as well. As I was hoping, Siraka-Finaka made an appearance in this book and is even more feisty than ever! She is still my favorite character in this series!



Thank you to Bonnie at Earthshaker Books for providing a review copy of both books in this series.



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Secrets of a Christmas Box by Stephen Hornby

Secrets of a Christmas Box by Steven Hornby

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


If you've ever wondered what happens on the Christmas tree when the family goes to sleep, this is the book for you! I also learned how my packages get those little rips in them just from sitting under the tree. It's a great way to start the holiday season reading one chapter a day right up until Christmas Day! At 25 short chapters, I envision families sitting around a fire next to the tree reading this festive story about Larry, Debbie, and Splint.

Larry is a snowman ornament who carries a tree shaped umbrella with him everywhere he goes. Debbie is an adorable reindeer who's a bit smitten with Larry. Splint is the newest ornament on the tree and is having a hard time finding a place to fit in. The tree is decorated and the family goes to bed so it's time for the "Awakening Ceremony". Larry is trying to find his brother Terrance but he's nowhere to be found. How could he have not made it to the tree this year? Larry is determined to leave the tree and find him even though it's totally against the rules. Debbie and Splint agree to help him out. Along the way, packages are torn, the evil white box purrs, and steps are mastered with a paperclip and yarn. Will Terrance be found? Can Larry, Debbie, and Splint survive this adventure into the unknown world away from the tree or the Christmas box? What happens when a mutiny happens on a Christmas tree?

I would advise parents on this one as it does become a bit violent towards the end. I wouldn't personally recommend reading this to youngsters under 8. I was going to read it to my 6 and 4 year olds and I'm glad now that I didn't before I read this. I know they would be terrified of the tree and would have nightmares as well. Otherwise, it's a great read for your yearly festivities!



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Zan-Gah: A Prehistoric Adventure by A.R. Shickman

Zan-Gah:  A Prehistoric Adventure by Allan Richard Shickman

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Zan is not your typical boy. He lives in a cave with his family and tribe. He hunts with a spear. He sounds pretty scary...especially when a youngster goes missing and neighboring tribes get together to kill the enemy...a huge lioness. Zan is raring to go but everyone says no. Like your typical child, Zan disobeys and goes anyway. Then he kills the lioness all by himself. It's then that he gains the respect of all the tribes in the area, especially his own. A highly respected tribal leader from a neighboring tribe gives him a name of distinction...Zan-Gah.

Zan's twin had been missing for quite some time (part of the reason why no one wanted him to fight the lioness). Zan-Gah now feels empowered to find his brother Dael. Of course, his parents are against this and he finally wins the argument. He will have to travel through many of the neighboring (and warring) tribes to find Dael. Along the way, he learns why the tribes are holding such grudges and almost becomes a victim of them. He has no idea how bad it really is until he meets Rydel and finds the Wasp tribe.

Will he find Dael? Does he survive the interesting Wasp people? Read this fascinating story to find out!

If there is one feature of this book that stands out it would be the vivid use of language and imagery. I felt like I was in the story and could picture the sights sounds, and smells with ease (ok, some smells I could have done without!)

I also have to mention my favorite character. Siraka-Finaka is a minor character but not one to be messed with!! Siraka-Finaka is Chul's wife and she is fill of spunk and spice. Not someone I'd want to battle for sure! I hope she'll show up again in Zan-Gah and the Beautiful Country!

Many thanks to Earthshaker Books for providing this book for review!



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Stupid Christmas by Leland Gregory

Stupid Christmas by Leland Gregory

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This book was not what I thought it would be when I downloaded it to my Kindle. However, I was looking for a Christmas themed book (trying to STILL get into the spirit this year!) so I chose this one to read. It's a collection of short stories and news clippings of events that have occurred involving a Christmas themes. Only a couple of the stories were humorous in my opinion but I did learn where some of the typical traditions originated. Fans of the popular Bathroom Reader series would enjoy this book as it is very similar in nature.

This was a free download for Kindle from Amazon.



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The Healer's Apprentice by Melanie Dickerson

The Healer's Apprentice by Melanie Dickerson

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This book was my first Kindle e-book purchase and I anxiously dived in after hearing many good things about it.

Rose is a young woman who is apprenticing under the town healer. Rose, however, does not like blood and cannot stand the smells associated with illness. What else is there for this young woodcutter's daughter to do?

Lord Hamlin has long been betrothed (since the age of 5 actually) to Lady Salomea. He's never met her because she's in hiding from the evil Moncure. Setting his sights on Rose gives him a bit of challenge though. Can he possibly be faithful to his betrothed or will his brother Lord Rupert win Rose's favor?

This is a spin-off so to speak of the story of Sleeping Beauty, only with a few twists. It is a good story but I did feel that the characters were lacking a bit. I wasn't really connected to any one character and became slightly bored with the story in the middle. It did pick up and had a very predictable ending that I figured out around the middle of the book. I do think young girls (8+) will enjoy this book as it gives hope for the fairytale ending.

I appreciate the author's note about how she came about developing this story and how she strived to keep to keep this book as historically accurate as possible. She is honest about a couple of areas where she knows she struggled in doing so.

I would have to say that the most discouraging thing to me about this book is that I never got a clear picture of what the characters looked like. I kept asking myself what each one would look like if I were to jump in the book and see them.

I do recommend this book and believe that the younger set will have a larger appreciation for this book!



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My Thoughts on the Charlatan's Boy by Jonathan Rogers

As the CSFF Blog Tour wraps up, I wanted to leave you my final thoughts on The Charlatan's Boy by Jonathan Rogers.

This book was getting four stars from me until the last chapter. Once reading this book, I gave it 5 stars and a standing ovation (really, I did!) I don't think I've ever given a book a standing ovation before!! 

Grady only knows himself as a feechie (for more information on this, please refer to YouTube video posted on Monday of Jonathan telling us about feechies or check out his website for more info!). He's a good feechie too! He can scare the best of them! Floyd is a not-so-great charlatan (is there such thing as a good one?!?) who is using little Grady to make a few bucks here and there. Grady loves his life as a feechie...until the day Floyd tells him that he's not really feechie. Floyd also drops another bombshell...he's not Grady's dad. 

Throughout the remainder of the book, Floyd and Grady go on some pretty amazing journeys as they travel around trying to make some coppers. Grady goes from "feechie" to "mind measuring assistant" and back to feechie while he tries to figure out who he *really* is. Would he ever find someone to love him for him and not for a money making venture?

My favorite feature of this book was the beginning of each chapter. I just love how Grady introduced each new chapter! You see a crystal ball (much like on the cover) with somewhat of a sarcastic or funny remark about a new adventure. I found myself chuckling at Grady's humor and wanting to box Floyd in the ears!! 

I highly recommend this book for youngsters on up. There are so many beautiful and valuable lessons to be learned in this book that  represents how life was back in the "Old West". I found myself thinking back to my childhood when I was involved in a musical (Going West) where I was a part of the traveling salesman group peddling some sort of healing elixir. 

I am very excited to see what is in store for Grady in his next adventure, which will start in 2011!

Many thanks to Jonathan Rogers for the time invested in making this tour possible (writing the book, visiting our blogs, answering interview questions, etc) as well as Waterbrook Publishers who provided the copy of the book for review. 

Finally, please be sure to visit with others on the tour! I'm sure they will all some entertaining info on this great book! 
 
http://www.sally-apokedak.com/whispers_of_dawn/"> Sally Apokedak
http://the1amster1.wordpress.com/"> Amy Bissell
http://tessbissell.wordpress.com/"> Red Bissell
http://quiverfullfamily.com/"> Jennifer Bogart
http://www.oerkenleaves.blogspot.com/"> Thomas Clayton Booher
http://www.AdventuresInFiction.blogspot.com/"> Keanan Brand
http://rbclibrary.wordpress.com/"> Beckie Burnham
http://jeffchapmanwriter.blogspot.com/"> Jeff Chapman
http://www.christianfictionbookreviews.com/"> Christian Fiction Book Reviews
http://valeriecomer.com/"> Valerie Comer
http://csffblogtour.com/"> CSFF Blog Tour
http://www.scificatholic.com/"> D. G. D. Davidson
http://projectinga.blogspot.com/"> April Erwin
http://askandrea.adamsweb.us/"> Andrea Graham
http://going-greene.blogspot.com/"> Tori Greene
http://cloakanddaggerfiction.blogspot.com"> Katie Hart
http://www.613media.com/"> Bruce Hennigan
http://www.christopherhopper.com"> Christopher Hopper
http://jessebecky.wordpress.com/"> Becky Jesse
http://crisjesse.wordpress.com"> Cris Jesse
http://www.spoiledfortheordinary.blogspot.com/"> Jason Joyner
http://www.molcotw.blogspot.com/"> Julie
http://carolkeen.blogspot.com/"> Carol Keen
http://www.shannonmcdermott.com/"> Shannon McDermott
http://methodistcorner.net/"> Allen McGraw
http://mikalatos.blogspot.com"> Matt Mikalatos
http://rebeccaluellamiller.wordpress.com/"> Rebecca LuElla Miller
http://linalamont.blogspot.com/"> Nissa
http://dragonbloggin.blogspot.com/"> Donita K. Paul
http://thestuffyouneedtoknow.blogspot.com/"> SarahFlan
http://www.sarahsawyer.com/blog"> Sarah Sawyer
http://www.chawnaschroeder.blogspot.com/"> Chawna Schroeder
http://www.bluerosesheart.blogspot.com/"> Tammy Shelnut
http://reviewsfromtheheart.blogspot.com/"> Kathleen Smith
http://www.jamessomers.blogspot.com/"> James Somers
http://www.mindsinger.com/"> Donna Swanson
http://www.epictales.org/blog/robertblog.php"> Robert Treskillard
http://frederation.wordpress.com"> Fred Warren
http://christian-fantasy-book-reviews.com/blog/"> Phyllis Wheeler
http://www.theravenquill.blogspot.com/">  Nicole White
http://kerani-in-the-world.blogspot.com/"> Elizabeth Williams
http://facesoflions.wordpress.com/"> Dave Wilson