shelfreflectionofficial's Reviews (844)

For some reason I own this book so I figured I should probably read it. I appreciate a good, clean legal thriller, but this was just... not real enjoyable. Randy Singer is a way better 'Christian equivalent' to John Grisham.

Be warned: you will read over 150 pages before any semblance of a court case. You spend the first half of the book witnessing the main character's unauthentic, legalistic and self-righteous lifestyle and personality. I very nearly quit several times but I had thought based on some reviews that the book was more a study in character development and that he was setting the foundation of a character to showcase how far she comes by the end. Well. That didn't happen. I suppose because it's a series the author intends to progress, but I'm not going to wade through hundreds of pages of monotony to see a sliver of character change.

Honestly, if you are not a Christian, please don't read this book. I can only imagine what you will come away feeling about followers of Christ. I totally understand the variety of convictions people have regarding their faith and am not advocating that everything Tami was about was wrong. But the way she viewed people and treated people was painful to read and not what you would find preached in most evangelical churches. I think the only two people outside her family that she felt were worthy of compassion were the two elderly characters and even one of those she was afraid of for most of the book.

Fast forward to the actual court case part of the story and the pace picks up a bit and is more engaging. The potential for solving a cold case that links several of the characters together is intriguing. Until at the point of climax, it just kind of 'goes away.' There's no real bad guys after all and it's just back to being a tragic story we'll never know about. Woo hoo.

One further irritation: Two of Tami's colleagues are interested in her and she is oscillating between which one is *basically* godly enough for her. And we get to the end where she is going to tell her parents which one she is bringing home. And yup, you guessed it. Didn't happen. [Spoiler alert: based on the book summaries for the next 2 in this series- she STILL has not decided. Chew on that before you head to book 2)

So much work for NO payoff. It's like the author purposely wrote this book with the mantra 'How can I tone this way down in conflict and way up in religiosity?' Wasted my time.

I'm probably not going to own it anymore.

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Having recently watched Limetown on Facebook, I couldn’t help but picture Jessica Biel investigating and voicing the podcast. Different subject matter but same concept. I think Goldin could have fleshed out the podcast part more to sound more like a legitimate podcast but it wasn’t distracting.

This was a hard book to read, if rape is a trigger for you, better pass on this one. It’s so hard to read descriptions of sexual assault (it wasn’t overly graphic) and the evil men can have in treating women this way. It will probably get you riled up.

Rape is a sensitive topic. Unfortunately, those who have accused falsely have tainted how others’ stories are viewed and brought to justice. It’s interesting how persuasive writing can be. I would say I am not of the camp where we *always* believe all rape claims are true, though I think the vast majority of them are real. However this story definitely forces you to consider the cost to the rape victim to take allegations to trial. The fact that she is essentially experiencing the trauma and humiliation all over again but publicly, is hard to stomach, especially in the cross-examination. To think about it in those terms, puts rape trials into a new perspective. What an important topic to explore and challenge readers on! Ugh I just can’t even understand how a person can be driven to do this to another person and I want to go on rampage and bring justice to all victims of such evil!

Goldin brought the story to life. It focuses more on the court case and investigation than getting to know the characters on a deep level. I was okay with that. I did not feel unattached to the story and I feel like entering into the mind of the rape victims would have almost taken away from the effectiveness of the revealing.

I liked the connection between the two rape events to add another dimension. I wasn’t super keen about how Hannah handled requesting help- how would she really expect someone to respond to such a cloak and dagger approach? Maybe at first to get her attention makes sense but the continual refusing to meet and being creepy in how she delivered information was a bit much. But again, didn’t really take away my engagement in the story.

‘Enjoyed’ seems like a wrong word to describe how you feel about reading this book because the content is violent and heart-breaking, but I am glad to have read it. I feel like it is a meaningful story and was handled well. I will probably look into reading more of this author’s books.

Little pet peeves: overuse of the word ‘surreptitiously’; always using ‘getting hold of’ instead of ‘getting ahold of’ like a normal person; 96,000 people is not a ‘small town’ and people don’t know everyone and everyone’s business- live in a town of 2000 and try describing that again; and Hannah’s portions didn’t seem like a natural retelling verbally or in writing and was a bit frustrating and unrealistic how she split it up the way she did

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

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Phillips writes that his two main audiences for this book are Christians who are interested in theology but don't show much zeal for sharing the gospel or for Christians who are zealous in evangelism but may be lacking in biblical foundation for their witness leading to a rather watered down form of the gospel. Both audiences are in need of an upgrade.

Thus, his book, a study in John, sets out to illuminate the example of evangelism shown in Scripture that highlights the necessity for us to 'go and tell' but also to center our witness on biblical truths and facts rather than emotion, entertainment, or simply seeking (what ends up typically being shallow) success.

While I didn't find this book ground-breaking, per say, I did feel convicted in many regards and encouraged in many regards. I believe it is a book worth reading. Each chapter concludes with a list of questions that I think are great for discussions. A lot of times end-of-chapter questions are pretty fluffy and easy to skip over, but I think this book asks open-ended questions that really challenge you to reflect on the world, your experience, your heart, and ways to grow in your faith. I would definitely recommend this book as a Bible Study option.

He covers a lot of things including the elements that make an effective witness, the characteristics of genuine faith, and the power of personal testimony. He stresses our need to address sin and our need for a Savior. He doesn't advocate for one 'method' of evangelism but writes that we should be creative and use whatever opportunities God places in our path. He also emphasizes how we are not the ones doing the saving and that the Holy Spirit convicts and converts. So it's not so much a 'how to' or step-by-step guide to evangelize but is a more organic exposition of what evangelism looks like based on what the Bible tells us about John the Baptist, and Jesus' encounters with Nicodemus and the Samaritan woman. It's an effort to change the way we think about evangelism and remind us why sharing the gospel is so important.

I also appreciated the appendix Phillips included to touch on God's sovereignty and evangelism as I believe it is essential in understanding when we share the gospel. You may not be Reformed or Calvinist in your theology, but I encourage you to read it anyway and think about the implications of God's sovereignty and let it encourage you, giving you confidence, boldness, and patience.

If we are not excited about God’s Word, if we are not warmed by close fellowship with God, and if we are not humbled by Christ’s suffering on the cross for our sins, we will not be very effective witnesses.

During His life, [Christ] paid no attention to military, political, or economic affairs. But He wearied Himself down the Samaritan road to save this woman’s soul, and her witness to her neighbors was of compelling interest to our Lord. Does this not challenge our own priorities and interests? Even though we have earthly duties, isn’t what truly matters in every arena not the things of worldly concern but those things that advance the gospel and glorify God?

The divergence between Jesus’ focus and our own explains the unhappiness and lack of fulfillment many of us experience, even as Christians. Do you realize that the more self-centered we are, the more unhappy and unfulfilled we are? Are you trying to feast on an unwholesome diet of worldly amusements, earthly success, or sinful pleasure? You will never be satisfied that way! Too many Christians can recite details of all the sit-coms on TV but do not know what to say to lead a sinner to Christ. Many others feed richly on God’s Word, but because they do not serve-- and especially because they do not witness-- they find themselves strangely unfulfilled.

I am praying that God will change my priorities so they align with what Jesus deemed most important- drawing people to Him. I'm easily caught up in my own life and my own struggles and though I love theology, my zeal for sharing the Gospel is lacking and thus, what I'm actually doing to love my neighbor is also lacking. Maybe this book will help you change your priorities too. The world and this life is a mist, but eternity is long.

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I would highly recommend this book for people from all sides of this issue. It is not driven by a political agenda, and I appreciated how Kevin DeYoung approached this emotionally charged topic.

Before diving into the complexities of Greek and Hebrew language and all things Bible interpretation, he is quick to clarify something that needs to be reiterated more often: “I hope we can agree that the Bible is manifestly not a book about homosexuality. That is to say, if we think the big takeaway from this Big Book is the rightness or wrongness of homosexual activity, then we’ve managed to take a sublime narrative and pound it into a single talking point… the first and more significant question is ‘What does the Bible teach about everything?’"

He then defines his terms and explains that the question he is trying to answer in this particular book is: "Is homosexual activity a sin that must be repented of, forsaken, and forgiven, or, given the right context and commitment, can we consider same-sex sexual intimacy a blessing worth celebrating and solemnizing?" (the latter as suggested in other books such as Torn)

I think this is of utmost importance when talking about this issue as people have a framework they understand certain words through which can cause a lot of problems and misunderstandings. DeYoung is clear in his semantics and accessible in his application.

Part 1 of his book focused on Scripture- both Old Testament and New Testament. He begins in Genesis with the creation account- becoming one flesh: is this prescriptive? is it more about not being alone than not being incomplete?

He moves on to the story of Lot with his daughters in the Sodom and Gomorrah account- is this actually about homosexuality or is this really just about non-consensual sex?

The passages in Leviticus get a lot of attention in today’s debate. If we have to obey Leviticus, why are we wearing clothes made with two kinds of fabric, eating bacon, , etc.? And so a big question is: Does Leviticus still apply to us today or is it part of the Mosaic law-covenant we are no longer bound by?

He fleshes out six reasons for why we can take those verses seriously and concludes with, “Anyone who has studied the Bible as a serious discipline understands that navigating the relationship between the Old and the New Testament can be tricky business. We don’t simply adopt the Mosaic covenant as our church membership covenant. Nor do we simply dismiss God’s gracious self-disclosure in the Torah because of a gag line about eating shellfish. Leviticus was part of the Bible Jesus read, the Bible Jesus believed, and the Bible Jesus did not want to abolish. We ought to take seriously how the Holiness Code reveals to us the holy character of God and the holy people we are supposed to be.”

In the New Testament he focuses on Romans, 1 Corinthians and 1 Timothy. He addresses the question of whether the Romans verses is more about exchanging “natural” for “unnatural” relationships in terms of sexual orientation or exploitation and more study of the original language(malakoi and arsenokoitai).

In Part 2 he touches on all the most common objections to the traditional Biblical view:

- the traditional view of marriage is only based on a few verses?

- how would God create people with desires they are not allowed to express? isn’t he a fair God?

- can’t we reject a traditional view of marriage because of cultural distance—back then the culture didn’t have any concept of sexual orientation and healthy covenantal same-sex unions?

- church negligence- why do Christians make a big deal of homosexuality and give a pass to other sins like divorce and gluttony?

- but God is a loving, gracious, and forgiving God, won’t he will love us and save us no matter what relationships we engage in if they are healthy?

- do you really want to hold onto the traditional view of marriage and be on the wrong side of history?

Though his book focuses on homosexuality and the church, he includes appendices that discuss what is at stake in terms of the ‘political’ aspect of same-sex unions in terms of human flourishing and equal rights. He also includes some thoughtful suggestions on how we communicate on this topic in a loving, yet confident way.

Well-researched throughout, taking into account the original language—what the words mean and how else they are used in Scripture— this book is an excellent, concise, intelligent, and grace-filled discussion on a highly relevant and controversial topic.

“We cannot settle for a culturally imported understanding of love. The steadfast love of God must not be confused with a blanket affirmation or an inspirational pep talk. No halfway responsible parent would ever think that loving her child means affirming his every desire and finding ways to fulfill whatever wishes he deems important… We can respect differing opinions and treat our opponents with civility, but we cannot give our unqualified, unconditional affirmation to every belief and behavior. We must love what God loves. But we must also hate what God hates.”

“A rant is not an idea, and feeling hurt is not an argument. To be sure, how we make each other feel is not unimportant. But in our age of perpetual outrage, we must make clear that offendedness is not proof of the coherence or plausibility of any argument. Now is not the time for fuzzy thinking. Now is not the time to shy away from careful definitions. Now is not the time to let moods substitute for logic. These are difficult issues. These are personal issues. These are complicated issues. We cannot chart our ethical course by what feels better. We cannot build our theology based on what makes us look nicer. We cannot abdicate intellectual responsibility because smart people disagree.”

“Let God be true though every one were a liar…” Romans 3:4

“The God we worship is indeed a God of love. Which does not, according to any verse in the Bible, make sexual sin acceptable. But it does, by the witness of a thousand verses all over the Bible, make every one of our sexual sins changeable, redeemable, and wondrously forgivable.”

I would also recommend reading from a perspective of someone who has been there— Jackie Hill Perry’s book ‘Gay Girl, Good God.’

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I really like Amy Poehler so I was excited to read this book. I actually had been waiting for a copy of it from my library since April. However, I was disappointed. The book was not as funny as I had imagined. I read Bossypants by Tina Fey and Is Everyone Hanging out Without Me by Mindy Kaling and I think both of those were better than this one. Both of those books made me like Tina and Mindy more, but Yes Please made me like Amy Poehler less.

There were far too many jokes/stories dependent on drugs and drug references and being drunk, both of which I don't really find funny. [Apparently Amy spent most of her twenties on drugs.] There was also quite a bit more swearing than I would care for. You don't need any of those to write a funny book but this was loaded with them.

It also felt hard to read as far as 'flow' goes. She jumped around a lot and went back and forth in the middle of her stories. A lot of her name-dropping and references were lost on me, maybe it would have been funnier if I had known what she was talking about, but it got old after a while.

She inserted copies of pictures from her childhood or poems she had written when she was younger, and told some stories about SNL and Parks and Rec- that's what I wish she would have done more of. This book had a lot of potential but just didn't reach the 'hilarity standard' I had in my head for Amy Poehler based on everything else I had seen of hers.

I had thought I should have just bought the book since I had waited so long for the library's copy, but I'm glad I didn't. I don't think I would read it again and wouldn't really want this book lying around my house. I guess I'll just have to stick to watching Parks and Rec than reading more about Amy's life.

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I loved this book! Card has a smart and dry sense of humor and it shows. Lost and Found showcases his mastery of dialogue and wit and character relationships.

I loved all the characters! Each person had their own original distinction- not a run of the mill ‘outcast’ or ‘dad’ or ‘cop’ character but something with a creative flair. In that way it reminded me a little of Miss Peregrine’s Peculiar Children. I liked how even though Ezekiel and Beth were the “weird” kids they didn’t play the whiny victim but almost had a sense of impatient apathy because they were smart enough to understand their identity didn’t have to be shaped by what their peers thought of them.

I especially loved the relationship between Ezekiel and his dad. Their banter and the way they interact and trust each other is very meaningful. You can tell they understand each other and care about one another. You just don’t see good and healthy parent/child relationships portrayed in books and movies very much. Where a parent and child (from the beginning) can enjoy each other, trust each other, and make each other laugh, while still maintaining the idea of a parent having authority and the child respecting that authority. It does exist in that way in real life and I appreciate that he included it.

I read this book without ever really reading the summary (because Ender’s Game- need I say more?). So it all starts off normal: Okay a kid is an outcast at school because people thought he stole a bike when he returned it to its owner when really he just finds things and tries to reunite them with who they belong to. Not common but not out there. But actually it’s not common. It’s his micropower (genius right?! Because it’s not a superpower??) and he gets to be in this group of people who all have micropowers. Awesome things like making people yawn, or pores that produce counter smells to neutralize a pungent room, or the ability to know if your belly button is an inny or an outty. And then a completely (basically) normal kid goes on a rescue mission (of suburban proportions) using his micropower and the help of a completely normal police officer and his dad. And I love how Card can plant a sci-fy story aspect into a normal YA novel and somehow juxtapose these two storylines into something so cohesive and comfortable. I could see this being a really good movie. (but obviously the book will always be better)

After I finished the book I realized that I didn’t really have a visual sense of the book- the setting or what the characters looked like- because Card didn’t spend time (or rather waste time) describing everything. Which would’ve detracted from the overall driving force of the story. And if he did describe something it wasn’t the cliche lavender soap, chestnut hair, broad shoulders, milky white or sun-kissed skin type of language but something completely original and hilarious and way more helpful in actually manifesting in your mind. If you read this book, you will not feel like you’ve read a hundred like it.

This story shows me that Orson Scott Card is a smart, creative, and funny guy who has imagination and sarcasm and the ability to write things that are meaningful. I hope he keeps writing books.

I believe you need this story because it will make you laugh, it will engage you, it will teach you things you never knew, and it will sit with you in the best possible way.




[Side parental guidance warning: a kidnapping occurs for the purpose of child pornography. It is not described or enacted but nonetheless may raise questions or fears for younger readers]

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I was really wanting a suspenseful mystery book with a lot of action and this fit the bill! I’ve always enjoyed Coben’s books and this was no different. Each chapter moves the plot significantly- providing new clues or people to investigate. I appreciate that he’s not afraid to kill off unexpected people and that the main character was not Liam Neeson. ‘Run Away’ explores a magnified version of all parents’ fears- a wayward child caught up in drugs and crime. How far would we go to save and protect our children? This book will twist your stomach, keep you tense, and make you curl your fists. Add in a cult with its lies and manipulation and you’ve got yourself a cast of characters, most of which you want to punch in the face a few times.

Knocked off a star for language and an arguably unsatisfying ending. The answers were satisfying but the resolution and wrap-up were weak. All in all, it was a hard book to put down and I’d recommend it for that thriller you’ve been looking for.

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I think “entertaining and useless” is an accurate description of this book! Some of the science and terminology went over my head but I still learned a lot. And saw an incredible video of a massive landslide. My curiosity did not go un-piqued throughout the whole book. Munroe is intelligent and witty. His illustrations are on point and footnotes hilarious! He covers scenarios like: how to have a pool party, how to play tag, how to dig a hole, how to charge your phone, how to get somewhere fast, etc. There’s a little bit of everything. I do think I liked his book What If a little better, but this was a close second. He better keep writing books like this! Even if you’re not a self-proclaimed science enthusiast, reading this book might have you second guessing whether you should be studying science after all! Well at least absurd and useless science we all need but didn’t know it...

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“Sometimes the road to justice is a crooked street.”
In this case the famed ‘crookedest’ street in San Francisco- Lombard Street. Which also happens to correlate to the crooked red snakes painted nearby victim after victim in this tangled mess of corruption.

Frost’s old friend dies on his doorstep and launches him headlong into a mob-like world as he tries to find the killer. You can’t trust anyone and everyone keeps dying. There’s plenty of the suspense and surprises that Freeman is known for.

I thought this was going to wrap up this series, and I had two pages left and thought I was going to be very unsatisfied with the ending but BOOM he smacks you with a cliffhanger. Hold on to your potatoes folks, we’re not done yet!

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“Sometimes the only thing you need for madness is a memory burned into your eyes.”

Frost Easton and Rudy Cutter both have haunting memories. But one is a murderer and the other plays by the rules. This story is a thrilling game of cat and mouse. I thought it would bother me knowing who the killer is from the beginning, but Freeman has the gift of writing suspense and each page is as compelling as the last. Frost is chasing down his sister’s killer, grasping for clues and evidence to send him back to prison the right way. Each encounter you think you know how it will go, but things aren’t always what they seem. You don’t get the whole story until the very last page. Who are the targets and who are the players? There’s only one way to find out!

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