The Search Committee
Tim Owens

Tim Owens’ book is a great read. It shows how everyone, even religious people, fight the same battles and conflicts. There are personality clashes, fights, and misunderstandings between them. The story almost feels like a bit of a soap opera at first. There is so much backstabbing and conflict between the people.

At first, the story seemed a bit superficial to read. However, once I got to know the people who were involved in the story and all the background characters, the story came to life and gained significance. I realized that they were as human as the rest of us with a lot of warts and drawbacks. It is in the journeys of these people, their dreams, and the events of their lives outside of the van and church visits that we realize that their search for a pastor is a search for grace, hope, direction, and love in their lives.

This is a great award winning novel. The characters make this novel realistic and moving. I loved the book and I had to reread it a second time to really get the real meaning behind the prose. This is a deep book that should be read more than once.

I received this book compliments of Tyndale Publishers Ltd. for exchange of a review.

Rating: 4 stars

Reviewed by Irene S. Roth

Booksneeze Book Review:
Then Sings My Soul: The Story of Our Songs
Book 3
By Robert J. Morgan

This is a wonderfully inspiring book about the history of our hymns. I was so moved to learn so much about the hymns themselves and their origins. Morgan shows readers how to understand our faith through religious hymns. And I believe that we could learn a lot about our faith by studying our hymns.

I will be referring to Morgan’s book a lot. It has taken a prominent place on my religious shelf of books. This is Morgan’s third book in the series of hymn books. The first book was about the world’s greatest hymns and the stories behind them. He showed readers how to understand our faith through religious hymns. Now Morgan expands on this initial book by including the history of worship and some biographical comments on various composers.

There is nothing better than expressing the love of God by singing hymns. I just love to raise my voice in church and sing as a community of believers. It is so much a part of worship for me. Now after reading Morgan’s book, I will know a lot more background about these wonderful hymns. What a gem of a book by a very knowledgeable and prolific author. I can’t wait to read his next books.

Rating: 5 stars

Reviewed: by Irene S. Roth

I received this kindle e-book from Thomas Nelson’s through BookSneeze.com, http://BookSneeze.com book reviewers program. The views in this book review are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16CFR, Part 255.

Booksneeze Book Review:
Heaven is for Real for Kids
By Todd and Sonja Burpo

This is a wonderfully inspiring book about heaven from a little boy’s perspective. It is completely enchanting and so cute. It will transform every reader’s view of what heaven is like.

The story starts with Colton, the little boy, sick in a hospital. The next thing he knows he closes his eyes and he’s in heaven. Colton gives the reader an in-depth view of heaven and the radiating love of God.

Colton discovers heaven is bright, and there is beautiful music. There are lots of colours and despite the fact that there is no sun, it is bright and luminous. Everyone is happy in heaven. There are kids, people, angels, and God in heaven. And everyone gets along. How awesome!

Also, Colton discovers that no one ever gets sick or hurt in heaven. Colton’s favourite place in heaven is next to God’s throne. God told the boy a lot in heaven. He told Colton to be nice and to talk to God in prayer regularly. God also told Colton that to get to heaven, he must believe in God and live according to his statutes.

When Colton woke up again in the hospital bed, he had a lot of stories to tell. But most importantly of all, his life was transformed forever.

Rating: 5 stars

Reviewed: by Irene S. Roth

I received this kindle e-book from Thomas Nelson’s through BookSneeze.com, http://BookSneeze.com book reviewers program. The views in this book review are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16CFR, Part 255.

Why I Hate Canadians
Will Ferguson

This is a really funny polemic! I laughed so hard while reading it. If you want to read a funny book, by a Canadian author, this is the book to pick up and enjoy during the holidays. This was Will Ferguson’s first book. It was a true success. It sold over 50,000 copies and Will Ferguson’s quit his day job. How great is that! If only more writers could be that lucky!

This book is about Canadian culture, politics, and emotions. The book was written as a response to the 1995 referendum wherein Canadians allowed one segment in one province to vote an entire country out of existence. I remember these days vividly, being from Montreal. That was a scary time indeed. Canada’s near death experience proved to be an important moment for an entire generation of young Canadians.

The 1990’s were a bad decade for Canadian unity. It was a time of wrenching debates and constitutional turmoil that solved nothing. The country staggered from one national crisis to another, beginning with The Meech Lake Accord and ending with a Clarity Act that outlined the very terms of Canada’s future surrender.

Will’s book was written between the fall of the Berlin Wall and the horrific crash of the Twin Towers in New York in September 11th that changed the course of our world forever. When Will was writing this book, he thought the end of history was plausible. It was a deeply depressing time indeed. Thank goodness we’re still here and we can marvel at the wonder and beauty of this beautiful country.

I love this book for its wry humour. Readers who are interested in the idiosyncrasies of being a Canadian will absolutely love the book as well. So fasten your seat belt and get ready to read a humorous book that you won’t be able to put down…well at least not until you’re finished it!

Reviewed by Irene S. Roth

For the Canadian Book Challenge

Rating: 4 stars

Lead….For God’s Sake!
A Parable About the Heart of Leadership
Todd G. Gongwer

What a gem of a book and a moving story. It is about a high school coach who, although being the most successful basketball coach in Kentucky, starts falling short of what he expects. Most of the players are simply going through the motions and not playing hard. They lost many games and they can’t seem to get motivated to win much less to be their best.

Steve Rocker, the coach, tries all the motivational methods at his disposal. They all worked in the past. But for some reason now nothing is working. He is getting more and more desperate as he spends endless hours going through game tapes and trying to discover what he can to get the team out of the slump. His family is taking a back seat. His wife is getting upset and frustrated with him as he comes home at all hours of the morning. And Steve is becoming increasingly upset and frustrated with himself.

Then a chance meeting with a janitor, Joe Taylor, changes his life forever. Joe encouraged Steve to continue and to not give up on his players. He told him to lead from the heart and to help the kids to discover the real reason why they are playing basketball. All of this was confusing to Steve until one day he got it! And his life changed forever. It just goes to prove that wisdom can sometimes come from unlikely places.

This is one of the most moving and heart warming books that I ever read. It made me laugh, and cry. What a journey! But after reading the book I can honestly say that I have grown in leaps and bounds! Kudos to Todd Gongwer!

I received this book compliments of Tyndale Publishers Ltd.

Rating: 5+ stars…

Reviewed by Irene S. Roth

Booksneeze Book Review: Cliques, Hicks and Ugly Sticks:
Confessions of April Grace
By K.D. McCrite

This is a wonderfully reflective book from an eleven year old girl living on a farm in Arkansas in 1986. Her life is quite difficult, being a typical teen who is unsure of her body or how she fits in with others. What Alice Grace has though is spunk and a strong sense of self that gets her through any hurdle that she has with honours. She is an example for all adolescent girls who are meek and have characteristics of being a doormat.

However, what isn’t typical of her upbringing and life is that she lives right across from her grandmother who has two boyfriends and is stuck in a love triangle. How could that happen? And add to that that her other becomes unexpectedly pregnant, and you have quite a mix of drama and insanity. I felt very empathic with April Grace having lived in a dysfunctional family myself. Nothing can quite compare to April’s life though.

I recommend this book for all teen girls who are struggling to find their way. April Grace will show them how to be spunky and how to stand up for who they are and what they want.

Rating: 5 stars

Reviewed: by Irene S. Roth

I received this kindle e-book from Thomas Nelson’s through BookSneeze.com, http://BookSneeze.com book reviewers program. The views in this book review are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16CFR, Part 255.

When God Whispers Your Name:
Discover the Path to Hope in Knowing That God Cares For You
By: Max Lucado

Lucado’s book is very hopeful and awe-inspiring in an uncertain and highly complex time. Lucado believes that somewhere between the pages of this book, you will hear God speaking to you and calling your name. Many of us don’t feel worthy for God to give us any attention. Perhaps we’ve made mistakes or are feeling unhopeful. We seem to be running from one thing to another without a purpose or mission. Starting today, our life could become much more meaningful.

How can God speak to us, we may ask? Well, God can speak to us by doing good works in us. We have so much to make our lives much more meaningful. We just have to want to do it. God may also speak to us through the pages of Lucado’s book. I know I had moments of complete peace and acceptance while reading this book. And I think that was God telling me that everything will be okay in my life. All I have to do is have faith and trust God.

Many of us are experiencing a carcinoma of the spirit. We have a lot of anger which won’t go away. We can’t face the past and we want to change it. We fear the future and what may happen. Consequently, this present moment becomes a time when we don’t live fully much less experience God’s loving embrace in our lives. One of the first things that we should do is to let go of our anger and to trust God. God will mend our heart and spirit, if we allow Him to help us. All we have to do is ask in prayer, and it will be granted.

Lucado believes that God is not near us, around us but in us. God is in the heart no one else has seen. God lives in the hidden recesses of our being. All we have to do is turn inward to experience God’s majesty and peace. And yes, we must take the time and make the space to listen to God because He is speaking to us. In fact, He may be calling our name this very moment. All we have to do is pay attention.

Rating: 5 stars

Reviewed: by Irene S. Roth

I received this book from Thomas Nelson’s through BookSneeze.com, http://BookSneeze.com book reviewers program. The views in this book review are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16CFR, Part 255.

Coal Dust Kisses: A Christmas Memoir
By: Will Ferguson

This is a wonderfully entertaining book about one person’s journey through continents and Christmas times. Will is a wonderful storyteller, and he is so funny. He makes the reader laugh out loud many times throughout the book.

Will is a funny, poignant and heartfelt storyteller. The reader will feel transported to take this trip through time and continents with Will. Will traces a single story of coal dust and Christmas from his grandfather’s childhood in Scotland through to his own life as a father.

This book is a must read for individuals, given the upcoming Christmas season. The reader will treated to the real meaning of Christmas, which has nothing to do with large presents and consumerism. Instead, the kids and people had another special gift that they looked forward to on Christmas morning. I will leave it to the reader to find out for him/herself about this wonderful gift. The book is like a breath of fresh air.

5 stars

Reviewed by Irene S. Roth

{W}hole
Lisa Whittle

All of us have holes in our lives. Holes are usually things that we don’t like about ourselves or our life. They may be bad things that occurred to us through no fault of our own. Sometimes, we allow these holes or inadequacies to define us. These are usually things that hold us back from living a holy and Godly life.

Instead of arguing for the negative aspects of the holes in our lives, Lisa believes that these holes could be seen as something that makes us whole. Through our holes we can learn so much about ourselves. And ultimately we could use these holes to grow and become better than we were before.

{W}hole is an honest and true story about all the holes in Lisa’s life. When an event shook her life to the core, the holes in her spiritual life came to the fore. The lessons that she learned because of her difficulties and holes created new discoveries about herself that she would have never become aware of if she hadn’t gone through her painful experiences.

We don’t have to be limited by anything. Waking up from a difficult experience is not easy. Choosing the thing that makes our soul well does not exempt us from the heart breaks of life either. However, by trying to fill our holes, we can make ourselves whole again.

We can all embark on this path of self-discovery and self-understanding. All we need is courage and rugged honesty. Our whole story can transform our brokenness and our holes one step at a time. I recommend this book to anyone who is struggling to be whole again after a difficult experience.

I received this book compliments of Tyndale Publishers Ltd.

Reviewed by Irene S. Roth

The Postman’s Round: A Novel
By: Denis Theriault

This is a wonderful and engaging book by a wonderful Canadian author. I love the story line and coming from Montreal myself, I was able to relate to some of the landscape that he described.

The story has a unique charm and stoic quality that is rarely seen in a novel of this type. Everything seems to happen slowly in this novel but with a lot of intention. The poetry in the book is worth reading and rereading a hundred times. I felt really sorry for the main character. But at the same time, the author gave him a deep and thought provoking character profile that is unmatched.

Bilodo is a conscientious postman who has a solitary existence. He lives in an apartment all alone with his goldfish, Bill. The model postal worker has a secret though that could get him into trouble. However, it is hidden throughout the story, and only the reader gets to glimpse into this wonderful world of intrigue towards the end of the story.

I don’t want to give any more of the story away. I encourage readers to read this book for a wonderful poetic and philosophical treat that is written by an author with a very powerful imagination.

Reviewed by Irene S. Roth