shelfreflectionofficial's Reviews (844)

This was an Amazon First Reads. I tend to think worse of books I read on my phone as opposed to hard copies- for some subconscious reason. But this was actually a good one. The conclusion wasn’t a crazy never-saw-that-coming series of events but the author gives you enough suspects and red herrings to keep you unsure of what really happened. Two little nit-picky annoyances that should not influence whether or not you read the book but of which I felt compelled to report are: the overuse of the word ‘fugue’ and the overused description of the dog’s ‘red leash’. But hey at least I know what ‘fugue’ means now!

I've always liked Terri Blackstock's books. This was no exception. She captures the emotional wreck(what I imagine is pretty realistic) of divorce, a custody battle, and what plays into Brenna's depression and alcohol abuse. Nate, the other main character, is the stable, logical, God-centered character that helps Brenna through the ordeal. I think Blackstock did a good job with the romance part of the novel, not making it about the two characters 'fixing' each other. The plot wasn't surprising but I still liked watching it unfold. It's always satisfying to read a story where justice is served. Well, ALMOST served- I would have liked a particular character to be punched in the face...

I actually hadn't read one of Blackstock's books in awhile and it wasn't as suspenseful as I remember her other books being. There was a bit more drama than action, which was fine, just unexpected.

The minor criticisms I have for this book are:
1) when she talks several times about Nate and his dad going through the box of murder files in order to clear his dad's name- that never ended up being how they figured out what happened. I was expecting them to come across a piece of vital information, it was misleading in a non-red-herring way. Why bother writing about them doing that if it wasn't actually going to move the plot?
2) the use of the word 'preacher'. Very rarely did she use Brenna's dad's name. Whenever ANY nonfamily member talked about him, it was always 'the preacher.' For one- do people use preacher over pastor? And two- I've lived in a small town where everyone knows everyone (similar to this book's setting) and people use names. They don't say, "Did you hear about the preacher? He must have killed the preacher. That's the preacher's house. I wonder what happened to the preacher." They would use his name. Especially a murder incident. His name would have been all over the news and papers during the trial. People would know who you are referring to. It just felt very unnatural and annoying how often the word 'preacher' was used. Just sayin.'

**I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.**

A little more slow-moving than I generally prefer, but I wouldn’t call it boring. Really interesting subject matter. Having experienced adoption and loss herself, the author exposes the raw emotion and honesty involved with both and lets us follow Jessica through her journey of understanding and growth dealing with a little-known experience.

I predicted the ‘bad guy’ but still thought she did a fairly good job of hiding it until the end.

I felt a bit unsatisfied with the relationship between Evan and Jess. After reading the ending, I’m less sure about why they were separated. Am I supposed to like him or hate him? And if I’m supposed to like him then it really kinda sucks that there was no resolution between them and their kids have no dad now. I mean, I know real life isn’t a neat little perfect package, but dang that’s sad.

[Oh and side note: I am now terrified to parent a 13 year old...]

Overall a really good read with a unique and compelling plot. I thought she did a good job capturing natural and realistic character interactions as well. And of course, shoutout to my northwest Iowa living!

I hadn't read any of his other Tracy Crosswhite books except the very first one. I don't know what's in between, but it worked out perfectly because this book takes place back in Cedar Grove and actually connects somewhat with book one! A girl thought to be murdered by the same person as Tracy's sister may not have been after all. Cedar Grove is a sketchy town and Tracy and her lawyer husband are both going to get to the bottom of murders and fraud alike.

I really enjoyed the book. Great writing, great characters. Though I'm not a working mother, I can relate to Tracy's struggle in her new journey of motherhood. I appreciated the way Dugoni handled that matter, as well as her marriage to Dan. You don't really see healthy marriages portrayed very often in writing and I liked how he set up their marriage and had them deal with conflict. It's nice to see both partners recognize their selfishness and realize they need to sacrifice for one another.

The author did a good job stringing the plot along, helping us make the connections with the subtle clues. He created suspense and mystery and kept the culprit/s a secret until the end. I might just have to go back and read the middle books in this series!

**I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.**

I did not read 'The Tattooist of Auschwitz' and can not compare or connect the two books. I don't feel like I needed to have read the other book to understand this one.

This book is called Cilka's Journey and that's exactly what is portrayed- it's a telling of her journey. There is no major plotline, mission, or problem to solve other than recounting the years that Cilka spent in a Russian gulag for her 'crimes.' It is not for the faint of heart. The hardships she endures include rape and violence. It is hard to read, and yet, it is important, whether the author took liberties with Cilka's life or not. I, for one, had not heard of these gulags and was enlightened to millions of lives lost under Stalin's authority, and the kind of inhuman treatment he ordered/allowed. But Cilka's resilience is inspiring.

I don't like giving a three star rating to a book about such tender matters, and it is not given for the story. It's probably just because I've read so many books like this recently that this one just didn't rise above those. The book description indicates there is an aspect of love story, but that doesn't really get started until 80% into the book. It's very much a description of day to day life over the course of her 8 years at the prison. It feels wrong to say that I was bored, but in all honesty, that's what I felt. I typically prefer books that have more of a plot. I'm not sure I'll read The Tattooist of Auschwitz at this point. But if you liked that one, then I'm guessing this one is right up your alley!

"Revenge seeks chaos. Justice seeks balance." The Red Hunter is rage. Both Claudia and Zoey were victims of violence. But neither of them will let their captors win. Zoey seeks revenge. Claudia lives resilience. The stakes are high when their stories intersect and they're at risk to be victims yet again. How far can rage take you? A pulsing story that doesn't let up until the last pages. I loved the story, hated the f-words.

Translated to English and taking place in Copenhagen, this was a new experience for me- I don't think I've read any Nordic/Scandinavian Noir as many reviewers have categorized this. Good luck pronouncing most of the proper nouns! It was an interesting setting with theatrical ties, and a compelling murder(s) scene/plot, but for some reason I just couldn't get into this one. To me, the characters weren't engaging, the murder victim was somewhat of an enigma even into the ending,, and I just found myself unable to picture or imagine what was going on, let alone care.. I wasn't transported into the story. I also didn't care for a lot of the language and content. Overall, the plot points seemed well-crafted, but the rest of it did not engage me enough to want to read any of her other books.

Also- the title and cover give off this sinister feeling about who her tenants are, but in reality, the tenants themselves aren't really the focus. One of them was murdered, but we don't really get to know her at all. It's a bit misleading to see the front of the book.

**Received an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**

Dumas allows us a look into life in America as an Iranian (at least growing up in the 70s and 80s.) With similar humor to Lauren Graham, she tells us of things lost in translation, her father's comical and generous endeavors, adventures in American foods, and more. It was interesting to read more of the differences between the Persian and American culture beyond just religious differences. Even though I disagree with her religion, I enjoyed reading her memoir and was very entertained by her stories. She reminds us that how you treat someone, no matter their beliefs, can have a profound affect on someone. Especially, I think, immigrants. I can only imagine what it would be like to try to live and function in a new country so different from my own- a little help and genuine kind words go a long way.

My only critiques are: I wish she had included more pictures to help us visualize her family, culture, and life. And I wish the chapters had a little more chronological flow to them. I have no problem with each chapter capturing a different topic, experience, or thought. I actually prefer memoirs written in this style. But jumping back and forth between her childhood and her married life felt a little too disjointed.

It's such a fast, light read, that everyone should pick up this book and meet Firoozeh and her funny family!

Not meant to be exhaustive, this book is a short (easily read in one sitting), practical resource that offers great insights for something we’ve all wondered about- how to help a grieving friend. I’ve been on both sides of grief, as I’m sure most of us have, but for some reason we can still ‘forget’ how to interact with those grieving- saying things that aren’t helpful or not being proactive in offering help, comfort, time, or service. Hoeksema sets out to provide tips on how to show compassion to those around us who are grieving. She mentions grief even in forms of divorce, loss of job, loss of friendship, etc, but I would say most of the content centers around the death of a loved one. Her most recent loss of her husband informs each chapter and she offers examples of what helped her through the beginning seasons of a journey living without a loved one. She offers great encouragement to not avoid these sometimes awkward situations: don’t distance yourselves from relationships, but stick with your people, especially after the initial year of loss. Grief is an unfortunate part of this broken world, and we can't just hope it goes away. We need to cultivate compassion in our relationships and offer long-term comfort and hope to those who need it most. I’m sure I will be consulting this booklet in the future!

An honest, intellectually stimulating unfolding of Nabeel's journey from Islam to Christianity.
First of all, the author is a medical doctor, has two master's degrees and was working on a PH.D before he passed away, so you can believe that he was a well-read intellectual who did the work- research and asking hard questions. He acknowledges that, as all of us do when we are confronted with something that challenges our current beliefs, we have a tendency to only search for proof to defend ourselves rather than looking at the material from all sides with no preconceived ideas. He asserts that he took measures to keep this knowledge at the forefront when he would do his research.

Secondly, Nabeel explains the purpose of the book upfront- it is not meant to include all the details involved with some of the topics, but does cite another book he wrote for those interested in information and further investigation. His purpose was tri-fold: helping Christians understand Muslims and their perspective, contrasting the gospel with Islam using historical facts (namely in regards to Jesus' crucifixion, resurrection, and claim to be God vs Muhammed and the Quran), and exposing the struggle that Muslims go through when being confronted with the gospel. I feel that he accomplished these objectives excellently.

Observations:
- I really appreciated the inclusion of 'expert contributions' associated with each topic/section; it added even more credibility and insights to the material being presented
-I found it very enlightening when he described the eastern vs western approach to learning and religion. Muslims and other eastern religions are part of an honor/shame paradigm in which the authority is the leadership and obedience is honoring and asking questions and challenging the leadership is shameful. In contrast the western paradigm is one of innocence/guilt in which reason is the ultimate authority and asking questions and thinking critically sharpens authority rather than causing dissension. Recognizing this difference between cultures is helpful for me in understanding how to communicate with Muslims and see things from their perspective and framework.
- I have done my own study of Christianity (not to the extent as Nabeel) but still asking some hard questions and seeking answers to defend my faith and beliefs. Even so, there were some new facts and logical trains of thought that I had not encountered before that were very eye-opening. While addressing the trustworthiness of the Bible, Nabeel adds a disclaimer at the end acknowledging that he didn't spend a very large chunk of space discussing this topic because to a Muslim comparing the Bible and the Quran is comparing apples to oranges. The equivalent of the Quran is the person of Jesus himself- the Word incarnate. So it was more important for him to get to the truth of who Jesus really was- did he really die on the cross, did he really resurrect from the dead, and did he really claim his deity? His journey did not avoid the inerrancy of the Bible, but he just chose not to put a lot of it into this particular book.
- I was impressed by this book in many ways. It was good writing that was easy to follow. He depicted his state of mind, the data, and the emotions of each encounter well. His progression from topic to topic made sense and was well-researched. He didn't want Christianity to be true and his life's foundation to be found false- this tension is evident in his journey and confirms its authenticity. His conversion didn't happen overnight- it reminds us that friendships and relationships are paramount to helping Muslims see the truth of Christianity. It's not going to happen in one conversation. It's a periodic discussion between friends who trust each other, respect each other, and love each other. It's walking alongside someone who is struggling with something life-altering and knowing when to ask questions and when to listen. It's allowing God to show himself to them in a way they will understand and when they are ready for it. It's learning from them and about them before questioning their beliefs.

I could go on but instead I will just recommend you read it for yourself. I can guarantee you that he addresses questions you've asked as well. Learn and investigate alongside him. If he doesn't provide you with enough details in this book- go find your answers. Read his other book. Read someone else's book. Go straight to the original manuscripts. Do whatever it takes to get the truth. Truth is worth struggling for.