Fairly simple little mysteries for young readers!

Love and War by John and Stasi Eldridge has some great ideas to get you inspired to change the way you relate to your spouse. One of my favorite thoughts from the book is the reminder that God uses marriage to illustrate His love and relationship for us- and the note that the world is watching! What a motivator to remember that the way my husband and I relate to each other is being watched by others and that we can be an example of God's love and desire for us! though scary when you think about what is truly happening in our marriage somedays and when you look at the divorce rate within the church! I also appreciated the reminder that I am the greatest influence on my husband's spirit, though again, a very scary thought!
A negative I had read in other reviews was about the negativity of the book, and I have to agree in part that the authors do seem to assume that we all have years and years of awful horrible baggage affecting us. While I agree that our pasts affect our relationships, their examples and anecdotes tended toward extremely negative situations. I was also disappointed in the comment towards the end of the book that people who choose to say single and couples who choose not to have children are "fundamentally selfish" since their premise is that out main purpose on earth is to learn to love (which apparently one cannot do without a spouse or child). While (as with any book) there are negatives and things I don't necessarily agree with, I do see the benefit of this book to married individuals or to couples or group study. It was mainly inspirational in nature I would say and lacked real concrete, hands on advice but would be a good starting point for discussion with one's spouse or small group. Worth taking a look at.

I recieved a copy of this book for free from the publisher.

I had high expectations for this book, as I was expecting a Da Vinci Code type thriller and it really wasn't. The premise seemed great; the world is falling apart and the main character recieves clues through letters and historical artifacts towards some climactic final. However, the writing felt a little dry and I never really felt connected to the characters. There was a lot of science-y information and it really jumped around a lot- I could never remember if I was supposed to know a character or if they were a new one thrown in there to support what was happening in the story. It took me a long time to read this one (and I'm a fast reader!) because I just never felt invested in the story. I don't think I would recommend this one, and doubt I'd read it again, unfortunately.

I recieved a copy for free for review from the publisher.

This was a really easy book to read, lots of action. The main character is an elite war hero with amazing skills and a team that provides him with cool gadgets for crime fighting. He develops a plan to "show the world a better way" and begins to help people by saving them from crime and villains. The action was great; the only issues I had were the character of Alice, while loveable and necessary to the story, seemed a bit unrealistic- he saves her from an abusive husband and immediately trusts her enough to risk his identity being revealed and eventually even invite her to live with them in his secret hideaway to save her from her husband. That whole thing came about too easy and she accepted his actions and plans with very little thought- it seemed to tied up and neat. The Christianity part of the book seemed almost secondary as well- growing up with a pacifist background, I was a little torn between the "help" the team gives others and the means used to do it, which granted, later becomes part of the character's conflict. It just seemed to be shoved to the side to allow for all the action to unfold. I did enjoy it though and would recommend it.

I recieved this book for free from the publisher for review.

I chose this book from Waterbrook Multnomah Press thinking that my daughter might like to read it as she gets older. I enjoy many youth and young adult books but had a very hard time with these 3 books. While I do appreciate the strong faith they demonstrate for young readers, as most of the characters are strong Christians despite their young ages, it really seemed much too unrealistic and almost silly. The dialogue seems very contrived to get across the author's "message" and so much of the stories seems so fake. The main character meets an older boy while returning from a missions trip to a new home her family moved to while she was away, and pines over him while adjusting to life in her new city. The entire situation is strange, especially the part where she feels God telling her (at 16) to "fight for this boy" and when she tells her dad this, he encourages it! Whose parent would encourage a 16 year old to go after a boy several years older that she met in an airport? All the interactions between the family members and most of the friends as well seems very fake and "too good to be true". I would think that perhaps an early pre-teen might enjoy these books, but I can't picture any girls much older than that enjoying them.

I recieved an e-copy of this book from Waterbrook Multnomah for review.