shelfreflectionofficial's Reviews (844)

***I received this book in a Goodreads Giveaway***

Unexpected ending. It's similar to Big Little Lies in terms of how it's written- different chapters from each character's perspective, plus going back and forth between past and present. The plot revolving around determining the culprit of the 'Amanda situation.' There were a few things that stuck out negatively- lack of creativity in naming the horse- Cinnamon (*eyeroll*), a barn burning down in the middle of a rainstorm (seems unlikely), and someone getting hypothermia in a lake after summer in a short amount of time and no one else affected (again-seems unlikely). The other negative parts of this book were the frequent use of the F-word and some sexual content I did not care to read. Take out all those things and it was a pretty good book. I like mysteries that surprise me. I really thought I had it figured out, but the author put in some nice twists. I plan to read her book The Good Liar. We'll see after that book whether I continue reading this author or not.

I guess I was pretty bored with it. It had a lot of potential- Jersualem post-WWII, espionage, Jack Reacher 'I-only-work-alone-to-get-my-vengeance' assassin vibe, underground rebel organizations, side love story. A lot of great elements that just didn't come together for me. David is the "lone wolf" in Jerusalem, killing British officers, seeking to help Jews be able to settle there as their own nation. The first half of the book is peppered with David's memories of his partisan fighting during the war- always (annoyingly) preceded with a statement like "it brought back memories, etc." I prefer when writers separate past/present chapters by simply starting a new chapter labeled with the appropriate year. But that isn't my main issue with this book.

My main problem and source of boredom was in the mundane details and almost journalesque writing. It read like a day-to-day account of everything that happened each day for David. Sometimes two or three days worth of activities with no real movement in plot. I kept waiting to get to the 'ultimate mission' or main problem that he would have to solve- waiting to see where it all was leading. But there is no overarching mission. It's just a bunch of little missions that all happen really fast and without issue. Nothing goes wrong for David- he does and says everything right. Isn't part of creating a good story to have a major conflict or setback the character has to overcome, even better if they risk their life or other lives are at risk? I didn't sense the danger or feel the tension wondering if it was going to work out. A lot of opportunities to add in a twist- i.e. I thought for sure the therapist he started seeing was going to turn into an informant that rats him out, or his friend Alec actually came back to infiltrate the rebels as an informant, etc- and all the opportunities were missed. My suspicions were never even questions in the story. So many of the details and information were political actions or actions among the hard-to-keep-straight rebel groups that seemed irrelevant to the story or just plain boring. I kept asking- will I need to remember this later, was this supposed to be a significant bit of information I just learned? No to both. Real potential never actualized.

Apparently this story was translated from Hebrew and is a bestseller in Israel. I suppose people in Israel have more personal ties to this story and a lot of things that held me up weren't confusing or boring to them because in a way it's their story too. And I respect that. In that case, I might not be the target audience.

I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway over a year ago and am just now getting to it. I think the title/cover and the fact that it was a kindle version just made it unappealing to start. So it's possible that also tainted my reading of it. If you are interested in the historical elements of post-WWII Jersualem, you might enjoy this book. If you want a hard-hitting, pulsing, Mission Impossible story, better pass on it.

4.5 stars- (deducted half a star for language.) If you haven't read this book yet, stop reading this and other reviews right now. Go read the book first. Don't let others taint your experience or all the hype blur your opinion.

For once I didn't read any reviews before I read the book and I think that enhanced my experience. If I had kept reading over and over again about the major twist and all that I probably would have figured it out because I would have been over-analyzing every aspect of the story. Don't get me wrong, I get immense satisfaction when I can solve the mysteries, but when you read enough thrillers, you start to figure them out faster and easier and you realize every review you write contains 'predictable' or 'not original' and you're looking for that ever-out-of-reach thriller to satisfy your need for a 'shocking twist I never saw coming.' So I'm trying to be less of a 'thriller snob' and trying to just read a book with enjoyment as top priority instead of getting my detective badge.

That's what I got with this one. Enjoyment. I found the plot very intriguing and suspenseful- a patient that refuses to speak after being discovered with the murdered body of her husband. The psychoanalysis of said patient in an effort to understand what happened. You know the patient will eventually speak. And you know everything hinges on those words. Though I didn't particularly like any of the characters, I don't feel this was a book that was trying to do that. It was a psychological journey to challenge what you think to be true and see who is to blame for her husband's murder. It was one of those books that as soon as you finish you want to read it a second time to see what you missed. I appreciate that in a book. So yes, read the tragedy that is Theo and Alicia. And see what breaks the silence.

I know books about a 'Bug Man' don't really sound that interesting, and the first couple in the series don't seem very appealing in title or cover, but this series is a really good read! It's basically like CSI or Bones but with 'bug' forensics instead. (and just a one man show, not a team) It's actually pretty interesting. Not to mention it's pretty funny! And for me to say that means something- I hate when authors try too hard to be funny or use cliché humor. Downs has a really good handle on wit and sarcasm and writes in a natural way. This story was more interesting than some of the others as I'm from a Midwest farming community so it was pretty relatable. And I don't know if the science and all that is legit behind this plot, but if it is... then it's actually pretty easy to cripple the American economy. And this tells you exactly how. So I'm gonna go ahead and assume it's more difficult than they let on. *fingers crossed* Anyway- on to Bug Man #6! (which by the way- reading the summary for #6 essentially tells you what the mysterious and 'missing' bonus chapter would reveal about this book's cliffhanger)

I was intrigued by this book-the cover, the supposed premise. But it only took a few pages to realize I wasn’t going to like it. They jumped right in without much backstory or description. I couldn’t picture the world she had created. There was terminology that wasn’t defined. It was confusing. I found the book’s summary to be deceiving. I thought it would be an adventure, suspense story of a person who was killed and became a droid/companion and sought revenge on the person who killed her and that there would be clues to follow and information we would learn where things didn’t happen the way she remembered them, etc. But really her story wasn’t even the majority of the book. It follows so many other characters that share a link but don’t serve any purpose for Lilac and her mission.

If the author’s main point in writing this story was the explore the perspectives of how people lived in this dystopian world over a long period of time, how their lives were affected, and how relationships worked- then don’t present it as a revenge/redemption story. And even if she had presented it accurately, I wouldn’t say she even excelled in the ‘drama’ genre. I don’t mind reading from a variety of perspectives- i.e. I think Big Little Lies does that well- but this was very jumpy, spanning too much time, a lot of vague inner processing of the characters, and it all seemed pretty meaningless.

I was constantly asking ‘Where is she going with this?’ and tried to speculate how she was going to bring it altogether but it never happened. It had so much potential that went untapped. The moments that she actually decided to resolve, happened in a short, undramatic, and anticlimactic way. Another common thought I had throughout- ‘Wait, that’s it?’ The last sentence of the whole book that was meant to be fulfilling and whole was weak and empty. I was just not impressed with the writing and execution. It was confusing, boring, and disappointing. Additionally, this book had a lot of sexual content I did not care for.

I wish she could start over and attempt this again. I think it could have been a better ‘I,robot meets ghost-in-the-shell’ type of book that I could have enjoyed. This fell far short.

** I received an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review **

This is the second volume and I enjoyed it just as much as the first. It has the same readings listed at the top, but whereas the first volume you just read the first pair of Scriptures, the second volume you read the second pair and the commentary is associated with those two sections instead. After reading both volumes I have now read the entire OT once, the NT twice, and Psalms twice in the span of two years. The pace really isn’t too bad; it’s not too hard to catch up if you miss a few days. Carson’s commentary is solid and very helpful. There are a lot of passages that are confusing or just kind of boring and it’s easy to just read it and forget about it and be done with it, but with Carson’s commentary he offers context, perspective, background, cross-references, or reflective questions that help you stay focused and meditative on even the hardest books of the Bible. I would highly recommend both volumes- especially if you are like me and struggle to make reading the Bible a habit.

This is a hard book for me to review. I read it and then read some other reviews and see that people either loved it or dismissed it. And I can see both sides.

Was the book too long and have some unnecessary details and descriptions? Yep. Were the characters likable? Not really. Were parts of the stories unbelievable and unrealistic? In my opinion, yes.

But did the book capture my attention, keep my interest and evoke emotion? Absolutely.

The story is a tangled mess of complicated emotions. From what I gathered from the dedication of the book, I would agree with others who think the author intended for us to like Jude, the "helicopter" mom (highly understated adjective for this character). I felt a lot of judgment and frustration with her parenting and her behavior after the accident. But at the same time, I've never experienced depression or such severe grief so I can't claim her behavior was over the top or inaccurate. As a mother, reading the chapters surrounding the accident and the death of one of the kids was especially hard- you can't read about someone else's loss without putting yourself in their shoes. Losing a child is an ongoing fear of being a parent and to have it realized is unimaginable.

Add to all those emotions the processing of the character and writing choices of the author. I had my own annoyances- the nicknames the characters used for each other (I'm into nicknames and the ones she chose were terrible), the passivity of the husband and Jude's dysfunctional position of being king of the house and controller of the family (even the ending was tainted by the fact that she was the hinge on which everything was pinned), the imaginary friend bit (tacky and overplayed), and just the general dialogue and thoughts of the teenagers (I've become more critical of YA books that portray teens as more mature than they should or with unrealistic dialogue).

However cliché the setting and characters, however 'unbelievable' the story, I can't deny that I was drawn in and largely enjoyed reading it. At some point I have to realize the author had a specific story she wanted to tell and she chose everything for a reason; the reason wasn't because she wanted to depict an exact replica of a historical event, but because she wanted to explore the fears of a mother of teenagers realized and how the consequences could change their lives. And it doesn't matter if we like how it happened, it's the story she wanted to tell. (And as I'm writing this I realize that I haven't thought this way with other books I've read and it seems inconsistent. But my feelings are allowed to change, so sue me.) In this circumstance I felt that the story held my interest and tapped my emotions enough to overlook the things other reviewers were unable to. And bonus: it provided an opportunity for my husband and I to discuss unlikely hypothetical situations we could experience in 15+ years, ha.

All in all, it's a 4 star because I would still think most people will enjoy reading it, but not a 5 star because there were some poor choices in characters/writing.

This would make a great movie! It was a captivating read and I got through it fast. It pulls you in from the first page to the very last. What I love about Freeman’s thrillers is that he doesn’t throw in fluff and filler characters/memories/background, etc. Everything has a purpose and meaning and he leaves out the rest. We don’t get bogged down in extras. He puts us on a fast-paced hunt for truth and answers that don’t disappoint. After I finished, I immediately felt the need to read the whole thing again! If you haven’t read a Brian Freeman book, now is the time, if you already have- it’s the same great psychological thriller you’re used to!

"We are chasing freedom yet becoming slaves."

"What if the goal isn't to hustle but to be faithful?"

The point of this book is to reflect on our busyness and the way we spend our time and resources- is it actually delivering the freedom it promises? how is it affecting us and our families? what do we lose when we don't truly rest or experience silence?

My husband started it and pointed out some science analogies he made that were inaccurate (there IS gravity on the moon, you won't float away, it's just less than earth; and the whole frog jumping out of gradually boiling water is a myth-- *not sure how these got past editing*) so I suppose my expectations were skewed when I started to read. But honestly, I thought it was a worthwhile book and found it better than I was expecting. Yeah some analogies weren't perfect, but the points he makes are still valid.

I don't feel like I'm currently in the 'hustle' mindset and may need to revisit this book when our kids are older and our schedule is busier, BUT I still found some good and convicting insights in this book.

I'm not really a regular goal-setter but I liked how he has eliminated the word 'goal' and replaced it with 'formation.' The semantics aren't what attracts me but rather his explanation. A goal is linear, and is focused on the endpoint, the accomplishment itself, whereas a formation is circular and is about the process. I've read several books lately that contrast 'doing' and 'being.' Sanctification and identity isn't what we do or accomplish but about who we are becoming in Christ, our 'being.' And I like to think of that as a circular process rather than a placement on a line. So much of following Christ is forgetting and remembering, a returning to "the same place for refreshment and renewal" or what he also classifies as a 'rhythm.'

I like that his book is targeting the lies we are sold that we just need to hustle more, try and work harder and we can reach our dreams and have the lives we want. That's not the message of the Bible but is the suffocating message of our culture.

His book is a compelling case for the ordinary. Not that following Jesus is boring and mundane in the sense that it's depressing and meaningless, but that faithfulness is ordinary. It's the everyday. The moments we have daily in the obscure lives we have now. It's a little uncomfortable to think about it in those terms because culture pushes the big, extraordinary, famous, and shiny as 'meaningful' lives. I thought it was interesting how he pointed out that the main thing we remember about Moses didn't happen until very late in his life. He had already spent decades being faithful tending sheep until God called on him to carry out His plan. We just need to be faithful in the place we have now until God calls on us.

Another sticking point for me was considering the Sabbath. It's one of the ten commandments that's easy to forget about. But it has caused me to think about what it means to remember the Sabbath and keep it holy. How can we do this as a family?

He talks about fear being frantic. Much of our 'hustle' is done in fear not in faith. That resonated with me in how I've been feeling convicted lately to live and parent out of faith, not fear. So much of the media and culture is rooted in and plays to fear. It's always a good reminder to step back and evaluate what is driving us, what is our source, and what we are chasing.

One thing I felt the book was missing was the grace and the Holy Spirit's work in our lives. (I would recommend reading this in tandem with The Imperfect Disciple by Jared Wilson.) Life is about being, not doing, but 1) anything we become is not from our careful structuring of the 'perfect' work/life/rest balance but the Holy Spirit changing us and enabling us to do anything good; 2) the relationship between obedience and grace is a bit tricky- we are responsible for our choices and are held accountable for our use of our time and resources and how we treat others, etc, but we also are free to fail because his grace covers our imperfections. I think this book put a little too much emphasis on our own ability to create the 'correct life.'

That being said, there is a lot of assumption or interpretation that happens in reading books and Bethke is actually pretty good about clarifying where people may say, 'Yes, but...' And I don't think he would disagree with anything I just said but just chose to talk about other things.

There are some political comments in this book, but it's not in an effort to push a particular agenda other than rightly asking us to stop making politics part of our core identity. And I appreciate that. The polarization of politics is out of control and is causing people to evaluate other people's faith and moral character based on their voting record as if that is where our identity lies. In a book that has set out to challenge the things that our influencing us, you have to mention political things.

As a result of this book, am I going to radically change my life, throw out my phone, say 'no' to everything for the next year, boycott the internet, and spend all of Sunday praying- no, and he's not suggesting this. But you can bet this book has challenged me to be wiser in the things I say 'yes' to, wiser in my use of technology, sensitive to what I am allowing to influence my family and me and our identities, willing to experience silence, and above all- focusing on being more like Jesus- being faithful, the circular process of sanctification in the ordinary. There is freedom, and it's not found in hustling.

It's only 46 pages but it addresses an important aspect of what it means to follow Christ that we all struggle with. The truth is: neither our sins nor our accomplishments are connected to our identity. The bad things we've done or the great things we've achieved have no bearing on our worth or our purpose! That is great news! (And you can read about it in like 20 minutes!)

He makes a good point that virtually every other religion says performance leads to the declaration of your salvation or your 'justification' but Christianity says- no, performance doesn't lead to a favorable verdict in the courtroom of goodness; in fact, we aren't even in the courtroom. We have already been declared justified the moment we believe Jesus went to the courtroom for us and took our punishment, paying off the debt of our sins. The 'performance' or rather, the freedom to obey and the grace when we don't comes AFTER the verdict. We don't need to live every day on trial, wondering if what we're doing is good enough.

He also reflects on the way society tries to blame our self-esteem: our bad behavior is a cause of either too high self-esteem or too low. But what if it's not our self-esteem at all. True humility is not thinking less of ourselves or more of ourselves, but just thinking about ourselves less . Our identity is not formed from how we think about ourselves but how we think about God and what He says about us.

As someone who struggles with pride, this is a great, quick read to help me refocus on the right things and to recognize when my thinking becomes self-absorbed.

'Self-love' is the pulse of the world, but Jesus wants us to be self-forgetful.