The Incredible, Powerful, Insp..

Posted 08/20/2017 by Charli in Book Reviews / 0 Comments

While I was drawn in by the title of this book, I honestly thought I would end up not liking it. After all, I usually get annoyed with non-fiction Christian books for some reason. There always seems to be something that just bugs me about them. Not so much for this one. Jumoke Akinniranye paints a fuller picture of some of the most prominent women of the Bible, giving insight as to how they might have felt, what the culture of the time was like and how they fit into that culture, and showing what we can learn from them. She even includes women who set bad examples, such as Queen Jezebel – so we can learn from their mistakes. One of my favorite sections was on Martha and Mary from the New Testament. We all know the story of how Martha got fed up with Mary not helping her […]

All Saints by Michael Spurlock..

Posted 08/18/2017 by Charli in Book Reviews / 0 Comments

Imagine being called to lead a church with issues. Dire financial issues, a recent split in the congregation, and a congregation that needs to heal from said split. Now imagine that you’ve been called to lead this church as your very first assignment out of seminary. That’s what Reverend Michael Spurlock faced when he was called to lead All Saints Episcopal Church in Smyrna, TN. This book was nothing short of amazing to be perfectly honest. The telling of the backstories, which was essential to understanding what was happening with Rev. Spurlock, Ye Win, and other major players in the book, worked very well. I will say that I had hoped to learn more about All Saints’ split that happened just prior to Rev. Spurlock taking over, but that probably wasn’t something that was necessary to the story and was more to satisfy my own curiosity about the matter. This […]

He Calls You Beautiful by Dee ..

Posted 08/08/2017 by Charli in Book Reviews / 0 Comments

I’m generally looking for new Bible study books and when given the chance to review He Calls You Beautiful I thought I’d hit the jackpot. Finally, someone could explain to me why in the world Song of Songs (Song of Solomon in some Bibles) was even included in the Bible, because it just didn’t seem to fit. Sadly, I just wasn’t impressed by this book. It was difficult for me to get interested in it. The writing isn’t bad, in fact, the writing is beautifully done. But for some reason the material presented just didn’t resonate with me. Perhaps it is because I’m not in the right time/place in my life, so this isn’t a message that I need to hear? I love that the book includes Bible study material for both individuals and small groups. The subject matter is such that when I saw that it included Bible study […]

Vegangelical by Sarah Withrow ..

Posted 07/06/2017 by Charli in Book Reviews / 0 Comments

As a vegetarian Christian who struggles daily with whether or not it is all right from a faith perspective to even be a vegetarian. I’ve had Romans 14:2 KJV “For one believeth that he may eat all things: another, who is weak, eateth herbs” used against me as a reason not to be vegetarian. So you can imagine my surprise to see a book that actually uses research into Biblical principles for not only being vegetarian but being vegan. Sarah Withrow King holds a Masters’ Degree in Theology, so the theological and Biblical research in this book is sound. It makes sense. God created the creatures and commanded us to be good stewards of our planet and His other creatures. She even takes on the tricky question of whether or not Jesus ate fish (or other animals for that matter). While she makes several good points regarding the reasons in […]

The Gilded Cage by Lauren Smit..

Posted 01/24/2016 by Charli in Book Reviews / 0 Comments

It took me a bit to get into this one, but once I did, I was hooked. I admit, I have a BDSM fetish when I read–if the fan fiction I tend to read is any indication–so any book that includes that is generally a winner with me. I have to say though, this is the first time I’ve actually liked any of the erotica novels I’ve tried reading. I usually find romance/erotica novels to be poorly written and laughable with what the characters are trying to do in the bedroom, but I definitely didn’t find that issue in this novel. Plus, most romance/erotica novels have little in the way of actual story other than the copious amounts of sex that are featured. This book actually has a story that goes with it and it’s an intriguing one at that. Yes, this is the second in a series, but you […]