Christian Bookworm

The Calling by Deborah Hodge, is a novel of hope, redemption and second chances. Growing up a preacher’s daughter, Cate saw the ugly side of ministry when Christians don’t always act like Christians should and is determined to never be a pastor’s wife. This leads her to abandon her relationship with David, the youth pastor at her dad’s church, and marry a man who also seems to share her beliefs but is not called to be a pastor.

Cate soon realizes however, that the man she married does not share her beliefs, and soon begins to ridicule her for them. During this time Cate has begun to go back to church and rededicates her life to Jesus. She also knows she needs to do something about her marriage, but when she sits down to discuss their relationship with her husband, he drops a bombshell on her. He has decided that since Cate is no fun, he is leaving her for a mutual friend. Cate falls into a deep depression and only through the intervention of a friend and the care and love of her parents helps her to climb out of the pit she has fallen into.

As she begins her new life, she is determined to follow God’s leading in all things, and eventuallly that path leads her back to David, the man she ran from in her past. Working together as friends in the mission field gives them time to get to know the individuals they have become.

I have to say that I enjoyed reading The Calling, although parts of it were painful. I think we all have known people or been hurt by people who profess to be Christians but don’t act how Christ wants us to. People who, although we are admonished by Jesus not to judge others, judge anyway based sometimes on rules or rituals or ignorance. Cate has to deal with these situations not only as a child, but also as an adult. I once heard a pastor say that Christians can be meanest to other Christians.

In the end, although I won’t say what the end is, Cate determines that even if it means the loss of what she wants, she will follow God’s calling. Can we all say that? Are we willing to give up what we want in order to submit to God’s plan for our life? Jeremiah 29:11 says “For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you a hope and a future.”

How have you followed God’s call in your life?

Shades of Blue is a typical Karen Kingsbury novel. It grabs you from the first page to the last and when you’re done with the book you need to find the Kleenex to wipe your eyes, if you haven’t emptied the box before you get to the conclusion. In Shades of Blue we meet Brad, who is a successful advertising agent and engaged to be married to the woman of his dreams in 6 weeks. However, his new assignment for a kids clothing line brings to mind some things in his past that he thought he’d gotten over.

Brad feels like God is leading him back to his past to “finish that chapter before he can write a new one,” while his fiancé Laura must come to terms with the knowledge that Brad had a past that he has not told her about and he’s not the man she thought he was. Meanwhile, Emma has lost her faith in God and man because of choices in her past. She thinks that no matter how much she might want to pray or believe, she isn’t worthy because of what she had done. 

I bought this book the week of Thanksgiving, and as much as I wanted to read it I was holding off because I knew 1) I would not want to put it down and 2) I would be crying through it. Well, I started it when I had way too much to do ( I couldn’t stand it anymore) and stayed up way too late reading it and yes, I cried. Karen deals with the issue of abortion with compassion and sensitivity, reminding all of us of God’s compassion and love towards his people. Needless to say, I loved this book and have already recommended it to my friends. Although I have never had to deal with this subject or know anyone who has, it does a good job of showing how the “world” justifies it and can even persuade believers that it’s ok.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on Shades of Blue.

 In her newest Love Inspired Suspense release Endless Night, Dana Mentink introduces us to Jackie Swann and Roman Carter. Jackie finds herself in trouble when she discovers discrepancies in the insurance billing. Afraid for her life, she flees to Alaska with proof of his crimes, back to the place where she grew up, and back into the life of her old flame, Roman Carter.

Their romance ended badly when Jackie’s brother was killed in a car accident in which Roman was the driver. Shocked and unable to forgive, she moved away from Alaska and Roman and forgot the plans they had made. Meanwhile, Roman has lived the knowledgethat he killed his friend.

Once Jackie arrives in Alaska, at the ranch of the Delucchis, she is shot at, has her cabin broken into and attacked. She also begins to suspect something isn’t right at the Delucchis’ ranch, but doesn’t know what. Things all come to a head one night and she learns nothing is as it seems, but the only one she can trust is Roman.

In Endless Night, Dana broaches the topic of forgiveness not only of others, but of ourselves. Jackie must learn to forgive Roman,and he must forgive not only himself for the accident that claimed Jackie’s brother, but someone else who had a secret about that night that they kept for all those years. Dana reminds us that forgiveness is a choice and not always an easy one.
 
I highly recommend this book. The action is fast paced and kept me guessing. When I thought I had it figured out, something else happened that made me question my theory. There are a few twists and turns I will let you find out on your own, but I would suggest you get a mug of hot chocolate and make sure you have plenty of time because you will not want to stop until you have finished this book.

What’s your favorite way to settle in and read?

I think I could read a new book every day for the next year and still not run out of books I want to read. If you ask my husband, he’ll tell you I almost always have a book in my hand. There are so many books I see that I want to read that I started to make a list of the 10 books I wanted to read first.

As I was making that list, 10 became 20, and now the list is very long. Listed below is the first 10 books I want to read.

1. They Told Me Their Stories by Tom Welchel (this is a book that my Pastor has talked about several times)
2. Endless Love by Elizabeth Anne Ryan
3. Against All Odds (Heroes of Quantico Series, Book 1) by Irene Hannon
4. Hearts in the Crosshairs by Susan Page Davis
5. The Heavenly Man: The Remarkable True Story of Chinese Christian Brother Yun by Brother Yun
6. The Corporate Escape by Elizabeth Drake
7. How You Can Be Led by the Spirit of God by Kenneth Hagin
8. The Calling by Deborah A Hodge
9. Bible Faith Study Course by Kenneth Hagin
10. Take Your Best Shot: Do Something Bigger Than Yourself by Austin Gutwein

What books are you wanting to read?

In The Sister Pact by Cami Checketts we are treated to a gripping, page turning story about sisters Savannah and Allison. Allison is attacked early on by a stalker that leaves her in a coma; meanwhile the stalker turns his attention to her sister Savannah. While Allison is in a coma, Savannah must convince the Detective investigating that she is innocent of the attack on her sister and becomes determined to track down the attacker herself. When damaging secrets come to light, Savannah must rely on her faith to see her through.

In addition to being a great suspense novel, The Sister Pact also deals with eating disorders in an understandable and direct way. I highly recommend this book as I could not put it down once I picked it up. Cami Checketts is now on my list of must reads.