Book Review: The Dating Charade

So, a couple times a year a bunch of Christian fiction authors get together and do a Scavenger Hunt.

It's great! You get to jump from blog to blog, read a bit about the author and his/her (usually her) latest book, write down the CLUE WORDS, and enter raffles by "liking" the author's FB page or signing up for her newsletter.

It's how I discovered Carrie Stuart Parks, my latest favorite author. It's why I read Carry Me Home by an Australian author. It's why I was curious about Irene Hannon's suspense novels and No Ocean Too Wide by Carrie Turansky before friends recommended them, even though I haven't read them yet.

And it's why I followed Australian author Hannah Currie and saw The Dating Charade in a stack of her books and also saw it in another author's TBR pile.

Long way of getting to the point.

The point is, the cover was super cute. The title was fun. The idea of it being about online dating appealed to me.

Basically, it sounded like a really shallow chick-flick novel that I should not check out.

But the cover was soooooo cute.

And I finally caved. As to a guilty pleasure.

And the first several chapters WERE fun. Cassie has been there done that with the online dating thing and she has the first date down to a science.

But, this book is no guilty pleasure.

Because after several chapters (each chapter trades off between Cassie's perspective and Jett's perspective), I was drawn heart and soul into a story about foster care.

I really don't want to ruin the book for you, but the depth here is what pulled at my emotions. It's what made me enjoy this book so much. The "dating charade" took a back seat to the side-story of kids needing stability, and single people with hearts to help but no idea what they're doing. (That last line was a generalization because, again, I don't want to give too much away.)

I have had a heart for foster care for a long time. Caring for other's kids. Taking in those kids who have had to build up walls or have created unacceptable behavior patterns and give them love and stability until they begin to relax and relearn how to live well. I don't have any experience, but it's been a one-day dream.

So that's why I liked this book. And besides, the cover really is so cute!

248: Valentines Day post

I brought the Sunday school kiddos (all 1 of them, and then another joined us) into the sanctuary for worship this morning. We were singing "At the cross You beckon me, You draw me gently to my knees." It's not my favorite song, lyrics-wise. But two sections popped out to me and set me really thinking.

"On it my Savior, both bruised and crushed

Showed that God is love and God is just"

Ack! I love SO much that God is BOTH of those things and not just one. There is such fullness in knowing that God is not just loving, but that He is powerful and that He doesn't put up with garbage (not my usual terminology, but it suits). He doesn't put up with the wicked coming against Him as though they can fight against the Almighty God of the Universe and win.

But, that doesn't have anything to do with Valentines Day.

The second part that stuck out was, "wholly surrendered."

It resonated with what I was pouring out to the Lord while the songs were being sung.

This hope of a relationship all us single girls hold--it's fragile. I have been through "failed" relationships. It HURTS. A couple have broken me. I've been through other circumstances too. I've felt the deep darkness of a black hole when my world rocked with new, unexpected information.

It makes me want to wrap myself up, build my castle walls, and look with a very, very wary eye at hope of a relationship. Mmhm. Yeah, you can feel slightly elated, but I wouldn't count on it happening for nothin'.

(Every time I hear of a single I know online getting into a relationship I'm like, mmm...probably won't last. I mean it's great, but statistically...)

And that's not right (well, at least the hopeless-kind of skepticism I direct at myself). That's being governed by fear and skepticism instead of hope. It sounds like self-protection, but it is not healthy.

The thing is, even if I'm never in another reciprocal relationship (because we all know non-reciprocal, unrequited "relationships" will continue to happen cuz they're our life-blood :-P). Or even if I'm in a relationship that bombs out. Or if I'm not. No matter if I'm single for the rest of my days--WHATEVER, and I mean WHATEVER the future holds as far as companionship and marriage--I have hope.

You know that hurt and black hole I mentioned before? I know I've blogged about this before. Those experiences--those experiences of pain and tears and cannot-Cannot-CANNOT--I am so so so thankful for them.

Because they have PROVEN God's faithfulness. They have PROVEN that life will not end in pain. They have PROVEN that I have hope on the other side of brokenness. They are my guarantee that even if I fall onto the shards of shattered expectations again--if I let myself open up and I'm shattered--that my life is not over. He will get me through. His plans for me are not through. I am held in hands that redeem. I am held in hands that can use me. That to live is Christ and to die is gain, and, as another song goes, "In the hands of our Redeemer, nothing is wasted."

(Y'all. If I ever do get married and have kids, I want to name one something like "faithfulness." Like "Fidelidad" or "Leal.")

Anyway, so this Valentines Day, I'm trying not to focus on the ROMANCE (in big, fluffy letters) of the holiday. Because, discontentment is painful too. :-P I am embracing the holiday (girls partayyy!). And I'm focusing on NOT clinging to expectations--positive OR negative--but clinging to God's goodness and faithfulness no matter what.

Valentines Post 2018
Valentines Post 2017

Books Finished in 2019

55 finished; 26 nonfiction; 31 audiobooks

Unveiling Grace by Lynn K. Wilder - a great audiobook about a family's journey through and out of Mormonism; very informative about life as a Mormon; inspiring to hear Jesus and the Gospel exalted

Joy by Abigail Santamaria - an audiobook about C.S. Lewis' wife; definitely gritty in its biographical realism

Nine Months with Cerian: Perfectly Human by Sarah C. Williams - one woman's journey through a pregnancy that she knows will end in death but how life is valuable no matter what

The Dime That Lasted Forever by Rochunga Pudaite - the true story behind the man in Beyond the Next Mountain, a missionary movie I watched often growing up; definitely inspiring spiritually; I read this in Hawaii! It helped turn my heart more towards the Lord.

Where the Fire Falls by Karen Barnett - a fictional story set in Yosemite National Park and Camp Curry

A Song Unheard by Roseanna M. White - the 2nd novel in an historical fiction series about a family of thieves who turn to Christ and fall in love; great story

An Hour Unspent by Roseanna M. White - the 3rd novel in the above series

Ember Rising by S.D. Smith - absolutely fantastic series with an amazing narrator; this book was more violent than the preceding two installments

The Hardest Peace by Kara Tippets - written by a woman who was dying

Party of One by Joy Beth Smith - a book about singleness by a single who really seems to have her finger on the pulse of today's singleness

The Jungle Book - I finally read the book the Disney movie was based on...it's nothing like the movie :-P I really enjoyed it and the accompanying other short stories, especially Rikki Tikki Tavi

Mission Impossible by Marilyn Laszlo - missionary story of a lady who never married and who devoted her years to translating the Bible in Papua New Guinea; worth re-reading

No One Ever Asked by Katie Ganshert - a novel that explores prejudice; worth re-reading

Around the World in 80 Days - another classic; twas different than expected; he just goes from place to place and doesn't experience much of the world!

Between Silk and Cyanide by Leo Marks - funny and terribly interesting account by a WW2 codebreaker but with a ridiculous amount of language and crude humor; do not recommend

Glorious Weakness by Alia Joy - a meandering memoir/Christian living by a blogger I used to follow who used to be a missionary kid, is half-Asian, is bipolar, and I think is a social justice advocate?; I'd like to re-read it

Unplanned by Abby Johnson - the story of one woman's journey into and out of Planned Parenthood; riveting

Monuments Men by Robert Edsel - true story of tracking down and reclaiming art stolen by the Nazis; a bit long-winded but very interesting

These are the Generations by Mr. and Mrs. Bae, published by Voice of the Martyrs - the story of a family from North Korea and how the Gospel filtered through down to each generation despite the absence of Bibles, etc.; definitely informed and sparked my interest about North Korea

A Heart Set Free by Janet S. Grunst - an audiobook novel narrated by Cecily White about a woman who comes over by ship to the frontier of Virginia; similar to Love Comes Softly

A River in Darkness by Masaji Ishikawa - the true story of a South Korean who was taken to North Korea as a boy and later escaped; a hopeless story because he was without Christ

Hiding in the Light by Rifqa Bary - the true story of a Muslim girl who becomes a disciple of Jesus while living in a Muslim family; absolutely inspiring

Far Side of the Sea by Kate Breslin - a mystery/romance novel set during WW1

The Butterfly Effect by Andy Andrews - super short story about how any one person's life has a huge effect

True Love Dates by Debra Fileta - a relationship book that was really good

The Insanity of God by Nick Ripken - crazy accounts of how Christians remained faithful under persecution from the perspective of a missionary searching for answers

The North Side Gang by Charles River Editors - short book about Chicago history/Al Capone's rival gang

Educated by Tara Westover - the depressing memoir of a 30 something year old's journey out of a family who isolated themselves from society, government, education, and medicine

The Great Fire by Jim Murphy - a short but intriguing book (published by Scholastic) about the Great Chicago Fire; totally interesting

Jane by the Book by Pepper Basham - a romance novel; interesting writing; see books by same author below

Blink by Ted Dekker - a re-read; this is the novel I say taught me to think differently about the theological debate about if God knows the future, do we have choice

A Summer of Dreams by Elizabeth Camden - this novella introduced me to a new favorite fiction author

Beyond All Dreams by Elizabeth Camden

From This Moment by Elizabeth Camden

With Every Breath by Elizabeth Camden

Toward the Sunrise by Elizabeth Camden - and then there were no more audiobooks on my library app and I was ready for a break from her style

Annie Oakley: Woman at Arms by Courtney Ryley Cooper - a biography written by a contemporary; very interesting; Annie Oakley was an interesting and noble woman

Number of Love by Roseanne M. White - a novel that picks up where the series mentioned above by the same author left off; I love this character--she thinks differently than most--she thinks in numbers

Argo: How the CIA and Hollywood Pulled Off the Most Audacious Rescue in History by Antonio Mendez and Matt Baglio - that subtitle definitely overdramatized this true account of how a few were rescued during the Iran hostage crisis; still, very informative (though I zoned out a bit at the beginning--it was slow to get to the action) about a time of history I knew nothing about; don't recommend (language)

Second Impressions by Pepper Basham - novel; do not recommend; Christian fiction where characters toy with temptation

Facade by Pepper Basham - novel; decided not to read this author anymore 

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott - wonderful re-read; highly recommend ;)

Now and Then and Always by Melissa Tagg - mystery and romance novel with plaid shirts and an inn that needs rescuing

Ring of Secrets by Roseanna M. White - romance, spy novel

50 Children by Steven Pressman - true story of how a Jewish couple in the States fanangle the impossible and bring 50 children from Nazi Germany and Austria over to America, fighting United States immigration laws the whole way; completely new information to me; oddly similar to today's immigration issues (not taking a stance with that statement, but the similarities made me pause and compare the two)

A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway - my first Hemingway; LOVED his style; the book was a bit of a pointless ramble; the ending was so so sad in its acknowledgement of the destruction of giving in to temptation unrepentedly

The Apartment Next Door by William Andrew Johnston - a bit of a fun old mystery novel narrated by Cecily White

Hidden Love by Cara Putnam - a novella with too much romance for me (physical attraction, etc.); a bit of mystery (with unsatisfying conclusion) and a geocaching journey

Fragments of Fear by Carrie Stuart Parks - WHOAH! my first novel by this author and a head spinner

Formula of Deception by Carrie Stuart Parks - came back for more! Not as good as the other but still whoah!

Carry Me Home by Dorothy Adamek - a novel set on the Australian frontier about a mail-order bride whose fiance dies upon her arrival and who lives with a man and his daughter to take care of the daughter but she doesn't know that the fiance made the man promise to marry his mail-order bride before he died

The Great Escape by Paul Brickhill - a long-winded but very interesting account of how POWs in WW2 tried to escape multiple times

A Cry from the Dust by Carrie S. Parks - another intense novel about Mormon terrorists

The Reluctant Duchess by Roseanna M. White - I think this was a re-read for me; the 2nd in a series; God tells a man to marry a woman from Scotland; romance and mystery; intense because the woman was violated prior to her marriage

The Greatest Gift by Ann Voskamp - her Christmas devotional; I made it through the all the days this time!

Movie Review - Frozen II

Brace yourself for an unpopular opinion.

First, I liked the song about everything changes but some things stay the same. As believers we know that through all the dispensations of life, Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever. I thought Olaf's song was hilarious--when I am older and wiser, I'll know EVERYTHING! I really liked the snowflakes and ice-related stuff. Like the little flurries above the Tangled-esque lizard (who totally was not explained). It was fun that many of the songs were in the same genre as the original film. I loved Elsa's outfit, at least the collar part.

But.

I had two big issues with the movie. Well, one BIG issue and one "meh" issue. Two ways that the movie veered from the original.

I'll start with the less HUGE issue--the romance. Frozen was lauded for not being about romance. Sure, there was romance--one of my favorite songs from the original talks about Anna stuffing her mouth with chocolate because she's nervous over seeing a guy--but the big message was sisterly love overcoming all odds. While that concept definitely continues in Frozen II, a side romantic story line weaves through a good chunk of the movie leading to a very silly, yes, SILLY, song by Kristoff that had me laughing out of disbelief. Like, surely that was supposed to be funny. It was too much like an '80s or '90s music video. Someone tell me if that was supposed to be funny. I also thought the line in the song where he says he doesn't know who he would be without Anna a bit unhealthy? In a dating relationship, we need to have a foundation that is not dependent on another person.

Now to the BIG issue. In the first movie, we learn Elsa has magical powers. I'm not too crazy about movies with "magic," but I kinda felt you could excuse it in the first movie. It was more "magical" than MAGIC. A fairy tale-esque world where magical things happen like rocks who sing about Kristoff's desperation for human hugs.

***SPOILER ALERT***

In Frozen II, the movie starts with a story about an Enchanted Forest guarded by 4 spirits: earth, wind (or was it sky? air?), fire, and water. Something happens to anger the 4 spirits, and the Enchanted Forest is shut off from the rest of the world. That is the background for the whole movie. 4 spirits of Nature. And possibly a 5th spirit. They make a point of saying that Elsa's powers are not magic but rather Nature's gifts.

In this it crossed the line from simply "magical" to actual spirits. I thought it was interesting that it didn't stick to the old Disney theme of potions, magic spells, and witches. Instead, it had more of an animistic feel. Either way, it wasn't any less contrary to a Biblical worldview.

(By the way, after thinking about it, I realized the "spirits" are probably  the lizard (fire), Gale (wind), Elsa's tamed sea horse (water), and the earth giants.)

Elsa hears the 5th spirit calling to her. So she pursues it and sings a song asking the voice/spirit to come and show itself to her. She has been seeking for something her whole life, and she thinks this is it. Show yourself to me.

That scene made me very uncomfortable. I do not want any children I know being taught to ask unclean spirits to reveal themselves. Hugely creepy and dangerous song there, Elsa.

Then, she finds out in tears of ecstatic amazement, that she is the 5th spirit. That which she has been looking for her whole life is herself. Humanism?

Also, interestingly, the way Anna and Elsa interact with the spirits is simply an acknowledgement of their reality, but no consideration that they may have any responsibility towards these powers. It reminded me very much of our cultural agnosticism--yeah, God may exist, but what does that have to do with me? Not that I WANTED Anna and Elsa to show obeisance, but it was interesting.

In the end, the movie was way too much about spirits for me to endorse. Spirits and how they give you things and how you are seeking them out and how they are angry and how they are keeping you from doing things--that crosses a line.

247: planning

I've been feeling a bit blue, unusually lonely.

I'm not sure why. Maybe it's because of how early it goes dark.

Tomorrow I'm teaching Sunday School. Our key verse is Galatians 4:4 - But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His Son....

I'm reminding myself how God had the birth of Jesus planned for many, many years. He orchestrated all the different events so it would come down to that moment in time when Light would break through the darkness.

God doesn't live my life moment by moment or season by season. He declares the end from the beginning. Whatever He has planned, He started arranging things to make it happen long before right now.

He's got this.

Meanwhile, I remind myself--though lately it's come easy, but for some reason the last couple weeks it has not--that my Hope is not in a person or circumstances but in His sovereignty and goodness, that I belong to Him, and that He is active in our lives.

We can do this, y'all. Let us do it well.

246: blessed but not easy

Written December 11, 2016
Mary rejoiced in God's choice to use her to bear the Messiah. She didn't know the outcome: that she would have to see her own Son crucified. She rejoiced in the innocence of faith, in the acceptance of heavy responsibility. And yet, God is good. Everything she said about Him in Lk. 1:46-55 is true. He did do great things for her. Just not the easy path she (or Joseph) had originally envisioned. She was blessed among women.

Book Reviews: Fragments of Fear, Formula of Deception, and Carry Me Home

This is not a life update. This is a novel-love update. :D

So, have any of you heard of the Christian fiction author scavenger hunts that happen in the fall and spring? They are tremendous! Probably not the correct adjective, but they really are...insightful. Again, not the correct adjective. They introduce me to new authors, and I discovered one that I LOVE. So. They are tremendously insightful in directing me to new books and authors. There. Click here to learn more.

Through the most recent scavenger hunt, I came across author and forensic artist Carrie Stuart Parks. Forensic artist--I bet she writes interesting stuff, yeah? But then, she said that Frank Peretti was her mentor. He's only my favorite fiction author of all time. His books are riveting. As I was able to find Carrie Stuart Parks' books free on Hoopla (library app--it's amazing), I immediately downloaded and began listening to Fragments of Fear.

As you may have inferred, this is not a slowly-unfolding Christian romance. The first chapter gripped my attention. Here is what the Amazon summary says:

Evelyn McTavish’s world came crashing down with the suicide of her fiancé. As she struggles to put her life back together and make a living from her art, she receives a call that her dog is about to be destroyed at the pound. Except she doesn’t own a dog. The shelter is adamant that the microchip embedded in the canine with her name and address makes it hers.

Evelyn recognizes the dog as one owned by archaeologist John Coyote because she was commissioned to draw the two of them. The simple solution is to return the dog to his owner—but she arrives only to discover John’s murdered body.

The problem is, no one believes her. No one listens. This book will keep you guessing--and fearing for her life--until the very end.

I almost immediately began listening to the other Carrie Stuart Parks' audiobook available on Hoopla (excellent reader, btw).

Formula of Deception is about artist Murphy Anderson who has come to Alaska to find out what happened to her sister who was murdered (or was she?) by a serial killer. But when Murphy's money and ID are stolen, she poses as a forensic artist so she can get a job, and then gets caught up in a long-buried mystery about Ruuwaq Island.

This one was just as riveting, though with a slightly slower start. It also has some funny quips. The romance is definitely on the back burner, though the attraction is stated outright. Death and injury seem to haunt the main character like a hound dog, and you don't know who to trust through the whole thing! I'll admit, when it was over, I thought, "What just happened?" It was a little confusing!

As there were no more Carrie Stuart Parks audiobooks on Hoopla, and as I ran out of book allowances for the month (boooo!), I moved on to another author I wanted to try from the scavenger hunt.

Dorothy Adamek is an Australian author, and her book Carry Me Home is set in Australia. That's what drew me--to read a book set in a place that the author knows intimately! Well, the storyline drew me too. Excerpt from Amazon:

Chasing her dead father’s dreams, the twenty-year-old English bride arrives in Australia in 1875 for an arranged marriage....

But instead of her fiancé, Finella is met by Shadrach Jones, a poor farmer sent to collect her from the busy Melbourne pier.

Carry Me Home is much more like the other novels I have reviewed here. The setting is the Australian equivalent of "pioneer life" along with lots of mud and no "fancies." Finella not only meets Shadrach Jones, she also meets Shadrach's sister Molly, who is a 14 year old with a brain injury that has kept her at a young girl's mental capacity. Finella falls in love with Molly, and perhaps the brother? You'll have to read to find out :-P *chuckle* I will say, there is a huge twist at the end that will have your jaw dropping. No. Seriously. Like, WHAT?! *chuckle* If you read this book, DO talk to me afterwards.

Well, tomorrow my Hoopla allowance restarts with the new month--actually, it's after midnight so it probably starts now! I can't seem to get into any of the books that are on my Kindle, and I'm slowly (though enjoyably) making my way through a paperback copy of P.G. Wodehouse's Jeeves in the Morning--my first time not listening to P.G. Wodehouse! I also came across an intriguing personal narrative by Henry "Box" Brown that I have only read parts of so far, if you are interested in checking it out here.

Ok, time to scram!

Hoping to fall into another lovely story soon,
Michelle