The Book of Revelation Made Clear by Tim LaHaye and Timothy E. Parker

The Book of Revelation Made Clear by Tim LaHaye and Timothy E. Parker is advertised as being a down-to-Earth guide to understanding the most mysterious book of the Bible.  This book takes the reader beginning to end through the book of Revelations.  It is written with each chapter in the book being a chapter in the book of Revelations.  Each chapter is further broken down into a few verses of the chapter sometimes as few as 3 verses.  The opening of each section of the chapter starts with 3 questions to help you both know what you know and also to direct your reading.  This book directs the reader to whether or not the reading is symbolic or literal.  This book has taken a book that many readers are afraid to study because of all the mystery surrounding it and makes it easier to understand.  In addition the book includes the scripture (The New King James Version) within the reading so if the reader has no Bible or even just the particular version that is being discussed then the reader has access to the version.  When you are done reading the scriptures and the book the reader will have a more clear understanding of the Love of God as written in the book of Revelations.

I liked this book and agree that it clarifies the book of Revelations.  I had never been afraid to study the book before but certainly like the fact that it helped me to read and understand this difficult book on prophecy in the Bible.  It held my attention through the book and is easy to understand.  I would recommend reading this book to any age person who would like to understand the Book of Revelation more fully.
I received this book from Booklook for this review.

The Nourished Kitchen by Jennifer McGruther

The Nourished Kitchen by Jennifer McGruther is a combo cookbook and how-to book for learning to live more simply by eating more simply.  This does not mean easier but rather eating foods closer to the Earth.  This book for instance tells the cook how to make sourdough bread first by telling the reader how to make your own sourdough starter though Ms McGruther also allows using someone else’s starter to help yours out.  She tells how to use your own garden produce to nourish your family but also how to make your own butter and render your own lard to make your foods more flavorful than using margarines and shortening would do.  You will not realize what you have been missing in your diet until you start eating as God intended His food to taste.  You will find that eating the most flavorful foods will not make you fat unless you overeat them.  You will also find yourself satisfyingly full and not overeating when you eat this way.  You will find yourself enjoying your food and isn’t that one of the most enjoyable parts of living? 

I took The Nourished Kitchen to my workplace and have never had so many people from various jobs in my workplace pick up a book of mine and just start thumbing through and start reading it.  Then when you figure that this is mainly a cookbook that is most amazing.  This book is one that the most people asked where you can get it.  If you have ever wondered how to make those foods that your grandma used to make and now no one knows how to make it this is the book for you.  If you would like to get your family eating more nutritious foods this is the book for you.  Ms McGruther has written a gem and you don’t want to miss out on all this knowledge.  I use this book and wish the cover were more easily cleaned as it has food stains all over it.

I received this book from Multnomah Publishing for this review.

The Extrvagant Fool by Kevin Adams

The Extravagant Fool by Kevin Adams is the true story of Kevin’s life after the stock market crash of 2008.  He was one of those people that us ordinary folks had no sympathy for.  He had lived above his means for years, spent every dime he earned then borrowed more so that he could live above his means.  He owned 3 houses all worth more than the last.  He lived in the one and rented all those of less worth.  He was very proud of all he had managed to amass until the crash when he had to look at the way he had wasted his good blessings.  He watched as everything was lost.  He was faced with lawsuits, foreclosures, and homelessness and then to top it all off his son left the home.  He and his family went from being the family where nothing is too good to being the family looking for the charity of others.  He couldn’t buy a job, he wallowed in self-pity until he and his wife decided to listen to that still small voice of Jesus.

 

Mr. Adams pulls no punches with how he squandered his good fortune.  In fact the beginning chapters of the book are difficult to read for this middle income reader who watched as people like Kevin get help to provide for his family while middle income folks kept on paying their bills and watched their retirement go into banker’s pockets.  But by the end of the book where Kevin and Holly start to listen to God and follow his plan, I see their great courage and I had admiration for them.  This book starts slow and is difficult to get into but is worth it in the end.  I would judge this book as average.

I was provided this book from Booksneeze for this review.

A Life Apart by L.Y. Marlow

A Life Apart by L.Y. Marlow is a novel starting during the 1940’s and ending present day.  It is the story of Morris who grew up in an abusive home and decided that his future would be different than his past.  He dated a beautiful girl, Agnes, and when she got pregnant did the right thing and married her.  He loved her but he knew deep down that there was love and then there was LOVE that is everlasting and deep enough to survive all that life threw him.  He joined the Navy and was lucky enough to survive Pearl Harbor but only because his friend, Robert, stuck his black hand in the murky water and pulled Morris’ white behind out and then drug him to safety.  Morris always knew that after Robert died he would find Robert’s family to tell them what a hero he was and how he saved him.  What Morris didn’t know is that he would fall deeply in love with his sister, Beatrice, and the complications that a secret interracial relationship would hurt and enhance all of their lives.  Morris kept the secret of his 2 families—one white and one biracial—for years.  Through the years of his daughter growing up and his son’s death soon after birth.  Through the years of Beatrice’s pregnancy and the raising of their twin daughters.  Through the civil rights years and on and on.  This is the life of one man of this greatest generation mistakes and all but always with love.

I really liked this book.  It will be on my “best books” list.  Anyone of any age could and should read it.  I had not heard of this author before but I am glad I found this book.  It treats with respect an out of wedlock love and does not sugarcoat it but rather deals with the hardships and pain of all who are involved.

I received this book from Multnomah for this review.

Sharing Christ with the Dying by Melody Rossi

Sharing Christ with the Dying by Melody Rossi is a very simple how to book on introducing a dying person to a personal life and afterlife with Jesus Christ.  The author is very open with how she dealt with the deaths of her mother, father and stepmother.  She tells of how to do the introductions but rely on prayer with God in order to decide when to lay low and when to go forward with Christian education.  She freely admits that she cannot "save" anyone--only Christ can do that.  She tells of how first with her mother she overcame her fears of rejection from her mother in order to show her the truth of salvation which was a big part of Ms. Rossi's own life.  She shows how to be non-confrontational but still get across the message before their ultimate death. 
This book is advertised as a how to book for showing Christ to the dying but what I think is that this book would be a great resource book for anyone going into the mission of telling the story of Christ and his loving mercy to anyone.  It brings forward that no one can save anyone else-that is only Christ's job.  But it tells of how through prayer God can guide the missioner with exactly how far to go and what to say at what time.  It tells how to recognize when a person is open to the spirit and when to be low key and just listen to them.  This book does not pretend to be a tell all book but rather instructs to pray and follow your own prompts from the savior in order to guide you in introducing a spirit filled life to another.  This book needs to be read by all ages.  It has many Biblical references for the missioner to use in their own mission work with the dying.
This book was provided by Bethany House for this review.

Secret Revealed by L. Marie Adeline

Secret Revealed by L Marie Adeline is an erotic book mainly written for women.  Cassie  and Solange have joined the group of women of S.E.C.R.E.T.  This is an underground group of women who have basically given up on having a sex life though they all have secret fantasies which until now they had never shared with any other person.  They both meet Matilda who was the leader of the group in different ways but both just as all the other women in the group were exploring not only their sexuality which had been lost but also their self confidence in themselves and who they once were and could be again.  Cassie had just be crushed by the loss of her relationship with Will and Solange with another relationship and also still maintained connections with her former husband and father to her son.  The jest of the novel is that each member of the S.E.C.R.E.T. club meets with Matilda and fills out the form in which each tells of her fantasies.  Matilda and the others then seek to fulfill the fantasy. 

This is the 3rd of the S.E.C.R.E.T.  series by this author.  It is well written and in graphic detail.  Any who had enjoyed the Shades of Grey series would enjoy this series though it is by of course different authors.  Though the lady on the front of the book is white or at least fair skinned this book tells of the black experience and because of that I thought that the least they should have done is graced the cover with a woman of color.  That is about the only complaint that I would have about the book.  This book should be read only by grown women or only children who are mature enough to handle the subject matter (high school age maybe).

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

Four Weddings and a Kiss by Margaret Brownley, Debra Clopton, Mary Connealy, and Robin Hatcher

Four Weddings and a Kiss by Margaret Brownley, Debra Clopton, Mary Connealy, and Robin Hatcher is 4 novels within a novel.  The novel opens with 5 men who happen to be pastors sitting around a campfire in 1885 discussing the revival meeting that they have been holding the past week.  The youngest pastor is a very young man and has just broke up with the love of his life because he knows that she is not good pastor's wife material.  He is very conservative and he pastors a conservative church in a conservative community.  His 4 pastor advisors encourage him to marry her if he loves her with these 4 stories of odd love matches.  Each of the authors has authored one of each of the 4 novels.  Then the reader is brought back to the original young pastor's problem and the 5 of them work on the solving of his love problem.  Mary Connealy begins with the spitfire named Maizy who finds herself in trouble after purposely disobeying her father and trespassing onto her neighbor's property.  She finds herself between a bear and a cow with calf being protected by a prize bull.  The owner, Rylan, saves her but not without himself being injured so badly that he will find it difficult to meet his financial obligations to the bank and lose his farm.  Maizy has always done the work of a man dressed like a man but she agrees to follow her fathers edict and wear a dress while addressing the needs of Rylan while he recuperates.   When Rylan's lazy hired hand decides to leave the farm Maizy takes on the ranching needs also but this time she calls the shots and goes back to dressing as she pleases (in pants).  There are 3 more western love stories in the book all set in the late 1800's, all Christian, all quite interesting. 
My favorite story of the grouping was the first though all were very good.  I loved reading them and I think that anyone interested in historic or Christian love stories would also love them.  I highly recommend this novel to readers who are of at least middle school years and this is just for the interest of the content.  I thoroughly enjoyed reading the novel.
This book was provided for this review by Booklook.