Never Let You Go

I never cease to be awed by God's creation. Yesterday while Mia and I were driving into town after I picked her up from the bus, she saw a cloud in the shape of a heart. I told her that it was God telling her how much He loves her, and she couldn't stop smiling. The cloud broke up just a few seconds later, and we both thought it was amazing how the cloud was in the shape of a heart just long enough for Mia to see it and acknowledge it as hers, and then it was gone.

Today on the way home, I saw a bald eagle sitting on top of a pole just off of the road. I raced home to grab my camera and was thrilled that it was still there when I got back. I got the picture you see, then got out of the van quietly and started walking toward it for a better picture. It took off soaring, and it was a beautiful sight just to watch it float over the field.

Never Let You Go by Erin Healy is a poignant and frightening look at the harsh consequences of unforgiveness. Lexi Solomon is struggling to make ends meet as a single mom to nine-year-old Molly. When her estranged husband Grant shows up, followed by her drug dealer friend Warden, Lexi's life is suddenly thrown into turmoil, especially when Warren threatens to hurt Molly if Lexi doesn't speak at the parole hearing of her sister's murderer, Norman, in an attempt to get him freed from prison early. Lexi's history is complicated and she is quickly overwhelmed and trapped by the demands of Warden and her fears of losing Molly for good. Healy, who has written terrific thrillers with Ted Dekker, puts her experience to good use here. Readers will feel torn for Lexi's sake. She seems to be trapped by her past, and with every turn of the page, her situation just gets worse and worse. Warden is a terrifying villain who is always one step ahead of Lexi. There are spiritual elements, but Healy keeps them to just the right level. It keeps readers guessing and creates tension and fear without overusing it. Lexi is presented with a powerful choice, one that readers face on a daily basis, although not as extreme as hers, and there's an excellent message in it.

Thank you to Phenix & Phenix Literary Publicists for providing me with a copy of this book for review.

Addict at Ten

Today I woke up in a world of pain, but I needed to get Mia to swimming lessons, and then I had errands to run in Green Bay. Mia and I got ready to go, but when I went to start the van, the engine wouldn't turn over. The battery was dead. I called around asking for help, but it seemed like everyone I called was either out of town or at work. Mia was in tears over missing another day (she graciously offered to miss class on Thursday of last week because of my pain).

A little before noon, my stepdad, Jeff, came and got the van running again, and we headed off to Shopko. The pain was much better, so I felt up to doing the bit of shopping we needed. We're leaving for camping on Wednesday, and unfortunately, mice ate through all of our air mattresses, our raft, and Mia's beach toys, so I needed to pick up a new air mattress. There were also some great sales for school supplies, and I wanted to get a jump on that. Mia got two pair of shoes, including pink high tops, a new backpack (she's growing up, no Disney characters this year!), and two folders: a panda and iCarly. Plus, we got a great air mattress that I think will be perfect. She skipped out of the store, planning her first day of school outfit and certain that she is going to rock second grade.

We stopped for a late lunch at McDonald's, and to our surprise, the new Happy Meal prize is Littlest Pet Shop toys. Mia has a huge collection already, but she loves playing with them, so we both ordered Happy Meals so she could get two toys. By the time we got home, she was practically walking on air, and she decided that God had made the van break down so that she could have a really amazing afternoon (I didn't tell her that we would have gone to Green Bay even if she had made it to swimming lessons), and we talked about how we always need to trust that God is working for the best for us, even when all we can see is darkness around us.

Addict at Ten by Derek Steele is an inspiring story of overcoming terrible addictions. Derek Steele grew up in a house without affection or love. Forced to care for himself most of the time by his busy and distracted parents, he gets drunk for the first time at eight, discovers marijuana at nine, and as addicted to getting high by ten years old. That leads him down a road to harder and harder drugs from cocaine to crack, ecstasy, and more alcohol. He soon turns to theft and drug dealing to afford his habit and destroys what little relationship he had with his parents. When at the age of twenty, he crosses a drug dealer who then puts out a hit on Derek, and is about to go to prison, he has a sudden epiphany and sees the truth about the road he's been traveling and enters rehab to turn his life around. A twelve-step program introduces Derek to the Lord, and the story ends on a high note with the author married, a happy father of two, and wealthy beyond his wildest dreams. Steele is unflinching in his look at his drug abuse, and the abuse he does to his body is terrifying. I've read other stories like this, but Steele offers something more in that it doesn't end with his recovery. Several years after being clean, he starts to falter and questions whether he needs to truly stay clean. He describes how his complacency almost lured him into re-addiction, but offers warning signs to stay strong. His story about overcoming addictions is inspiring and encouraging for anyone caught in addiction or who loves someone who is.

Thank you to Phenix & Phenix Literary Publicists for providing me with a copy of this book for review.

Christian Encounters: Jane Austen

Today was the final concert of the school year. Molly didn't get as many solos as she usually does, but she got to dance in two numbers, and that was a lot of fun to watch. This concert always marks the beginning of the end of the school year. Only three more weeks of school, just two more Mondays, and the kids will be home for the summer. Doogie is already home from college; he was done last Wednesday. It's hard to imagine that in just a few weeks, Molly will be senior, and this time next year, we'll be preparing for her graduation. I am so not ready for that!

Christian Encounters: Jane Austen by Peter Leithart is the newest edition in a terrific series about famous Christians in history. I am a big Austen fan, but I've never read any of her biographies. Although she's been dead for nearly two hundred years, her popularity continues to grow with the constant updates of movies based on her popular novels, as well as in novels like Pride and Prejudice and Zombies and Sense and Sensibility and Sea Creatures. Jane's image has undergone several incarnations over the course of history, but it seems only in the late twentieth century has she been acknowledged as the witty, clever, and ironic creator of the English novel. Leithart does a wonderful job of recreating Austen's life (Jenny, as he calls her), with her large, loving, and literate family. He doesn't try to make more of her faith than is truly on the record. Austen had a true and deep faith, but it was that of the eighteenth century: quiet, unspoken, and humble. He uses letters between family members and friends, Jane's books, and prayers she wrote herself to support his thesis. Leithart portrays Jane as a favorite aunt, one who was always ready with a funny story, had time to play games with bored children, and loved to laugh. This biography will not only shed light on Austen's faith, but on how her upbringing contributed to her ability to write such timeless stories.
Thank you to Phenix & Phenix Publicity for providing me with a copy of this book for review!

The Clouds Roll Away

I was so looking forward to today. My mom and I have been attending the semi-annual Amish quilt auction since before Molly was born (and she'll be seventeen in a few months), but I woke up this morning with no voice, a stuffy nose, a cough, and feeling just miserable. I hate letting Mom down, because this is what we do for Mother's Day each year, but Molly went with her after work, and the two had a good time. Mom picked up a bunch of plants and an outdoor glider rocker, and the two went in together to buy Jesse and I an outdoor bench with built in planters on the arms. I'm so glad that Molly and Mom spent some together, and I spent the day in bed, napping, reading, and hopefully recuperating for tomorrow.

The Clouds Roll Away by Sibella Giroello is the third book in the Raleigh Harmon series about a Virginia FBI agent with a specialty in mineralogy. Raleigh has returned home from her exile in Washington and is assigned a hate crimes case against a high-profile rap star known for his philanthropy. Her boss hates her and regularly throws her scut jobs, including working the phones on a gang task force which leads to more troubles with authority as well as an up close and personal view of the gang members. I fell in love with Raleigh in the first book in this series, The Stones Cry Out, which is definitely a must read to understand the complicated relationships in this volume. Raleigh keeps everyone at arm's length after the murder of her father, which is still unsolved, including God despite her best intentions. The mystery at the heart of the novel is almost overly complex, but some readers will suss out the bad guy early on. But just like TV viewers don't turn in to Bones on a regular basis for the cases, readers will come back again and again for Raleigh's complicated emotions and the strong characters who surround her. Giorello's writing is restrained and occasionally haunting making this more than just your average mystery. It's compelling, enjoyable, and will keep readers coming back for more.

Thank you to Phenix & Phenix Literary Publicists for providing me with a copy of this book for review.

Today's picture is Mia goofing around with her grandpa and my brother Jake's dog Sophie.

Thirsty

The other there was a short story about an unusual rescue during the torrential rainfalls and mudslides in California. A dog had gotten washed into the Los Angeles River and couldn't climb out, so a helicopter dropped in a firefighter to rescue the poor animal. The dog was successfully rescued, is doing fine and has been named Lucky. The firefighter is recovering from the bites he received from it in its fear.

We tend to hear stories like this during natural disasters, and they give me hope for humanity. This is why: in a another country, one that doesn't value life, a dog like that would be left to die. Think about Communist Russia. Money would not be wasted on the rescue of a stray dog. But here in the US, while we may complain about rising taxes and plummeting stocks, when a dog is at risk of drowning, we send in the troops to save it and then hundreds of people will often line up waiting to adopt it.

I believe that we do this because of the message that God gave us all the way back in Genesis, to take care of the earth and everything in it. Even those who don't believe in God often feel the need to care for the helpless and needy, both human and animal. It's part of our genetic make-up to want to take care of the earth. Now there are plenty of people who push that need aside and aren't just willing to let helpless dogs drown, but to end the lives of humans they feel are living unproductive lives. I pray for them.

But in watching that video, I was proud that in this country where it often seems to crime to speak of God or faith, in a crisis, doesn't leave anyone behind, not even animals. It's something to consider.

Thirsty by Kristin Bair O'Keefe is historical fiction that resonates with today's reader. "I am unhappy. I despise my husband. I settled in ways I'd never planned. I am not honest. All my life I've shared in lies. I lied to my children, told them this world was good and kind despite their father's cruelty," words from Klara, the main character of this stunning debut novel. Klara leaves Croatia in 1883 at the age of sixteen and marries Drago to escape the fists of her father and the never-ending care of her five siblings. They come to American looking for a better life and instead find Thirsty, Pennsylvania, a coal mining town that seems colored in shades of mustard yellow, black, and red and free of any beauty. Klara and Drago's marriage quickly falls into the pattern of Klara's parents: screams, abuse, black eyes and bloody noses. Into this dark world, Klara brings three children, including daughter Sky who eventually continues the family tradition of violent marriage. The novel follows over thirty years of Klara's life as she faces death, loss, and grief beyond imagine. O'Keefe's voice is bruising in its brutal honesty about the legacy of familial abuse, but she leaves the reader breathless and with just a hint of hope for the fate of Sky's daughters. This is a novel that just won't let the reader go even with the turn of the final page.

Thank you to Phenix & Phenix Literary Publicists for providing me with a copy of this book for review!