Trauma Plan

by

Candace Calvert

A Review

People handle life’s difficulties in different ways:

• Some people run, rather than face their problems
• Some people renew their faith
• Some people find new faith
• Some people find their faith is just what they need
• Some people lash out and hurt those they love

Candace Calvert’s Trauma Plan includes all five.  As in her previous books (I reviewed Code Triage), the characters came to life as I read the book.  There were times I wished that the story was true - I wanted to pray for those who found themselves in various stages of resistance or danger.  

The arrival of a new critical care center designed to meet the needs of the poor and needy near a posh housing addition has many of the residents on edge.  It appears that crime (both simple vandalism and more serious activity) is on the increase.  Those who oppose Dr. Jackson Travis’ new center express a serious concern for the safety of their neighborhood.   

Riley Hale, an experienced Trauma Nurse and, now, Trauma Chaplain, finds herself in the midst of the crisis building around the critical care center.  Friends, acquaintances, and patients, also join in the fight - for what is right and in support of the critical care center.  
Ultimately, the answer comes as people learn to trust (and in at least one case, not trust) those around them.  Faith plays a vital role in the lives of the characters in the story.  It is a faith that is planted, lived out, and grows, as Riley, Jack, Vesta Calder, and Bandy Biggs, interact and find the value of faith in their individual lives.

I found the book an interesting read, partly because I spent a year working as a chaplain in a variety of hospital settings as part of my education in ministry.   The people that Riley Hale meets and deals with are real - and exist in any hospital setting, or in any setting for that matter, hopital, job, or church.       
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This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review.  The opinions expressed are mine alone.  

Assassins Code - A Review

Assassins Code

by

Jonathan Maberry

A Review

If I had known where Assassins Code was going before I started it, I would not have chosen to review the book.  And though, now that I do know more about the book and author and will not intentionally read another,  I have to admit that I did enjoy the book.

Several elements caught my intention when I originally requested to review the book -

1. The book was a thriller - a genre I generally enjoy.
2. The location of most the book is the Middle East.
3. The religious undertones of the book were inviting to this reader

However, once I began seeing hints of vampires and zombies (from a previous book), I began having my own doubts about the book.  However, Assassin’s Code continued to draw me in and I found myself interested in the characters and relationships developed in the book.

As Maberry writes, he integrates the concerns of Islam, Judaism, and Catholicism - along with an army of vampires - into a believable (though clearly fictional) story.  

Joe Ledger is an experienced member of the armed forces and trained investigator - yet he is caught by surprise at the enemy which he and his team now face.  As he explores the legends (true and false) which define much of our knowledge of the Catholic Church and vampires as presented in literature from a variety of cultures, Ledger learns a great deal about the “real” vampires he is encountering.  

The story held my attention, the characters were believable, at least within the confines of the story, and writer is a skilled artisan.  I read the book through to the end - I wonder “How many brownie points do I have now?”   
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This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review.  The opinions expressed are mine alone.  

Preaching to Connect: A Review

Preaching to Connect
Truth to Life:
The Power of Narrative to Tell the Story

by

Benjamin Kelley

A Review

When I picked up the book, I thought I was getting a tutorial on narrative preaching.  Rather, what I received was a well done argument for weaving narrative elements into all sermons - whatever style the preacher uses.  The argument was not lost on this preacher.

The author spends the first two-thirds of the book discussing each of what he identifies as the three major preaching styles - expositional, topical, and narrative.  For each type he gives examples, discusses the history of the style (both in scripture and in history), and he reviews the strengths and weaknesses of each style.  Finally, he gives the results of a study he completed for his doctoral studies that examined the effectiveness of each sermon type.  

At a point approximately ⅔ of the way through the book, Kelley writes:

... it is time for me to lay down my hand to hopefully persuade you to try and

integrate narrative elements into your proclamation of the gospel, regardless of whether you choose to cultivate an overall expository, narrative, or topical style of preaching. … my goal from this point forward is to demonstrate that each style of preaching can be both equally faithful to the biblical text, and effective at reaching post-modern audiences if consideration is given toward integrating narrative

elements, or what I will call story-ness, into the sermon.  [86]

Rather than trying to get a preacher, wherever he or she may be in their career, to change their style, Kelley suggests that there are times to include narrative elements in any sermon.  Including a narrative element in a sermon will bring the gospel home to the hearts of the hearer.  People need to both be told and be shown the truth.  This is the most best way to teach and to see people eventually transformed by the gospel.  Though Kelley does not mention it, this seems to echo the fact that people have different learning styles.      

I found the argument convincing - and will, today, begin to find ways to intentionally  incorporate narrative elements into my sermons.  Though I will still need to find a tutorial on crafting the narrative sermon, Benjamin Kelley’s Preaching To Connect has had and will have a significant impact on my own preaching.   I trust that this 200 page book will do the same for yours.
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This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review.  The opinions expressed are mine alone.  

Trauma Plan

by

Candace Calvert

A Review

I just added this to my to be read and reviewed list - published by Christian publisher Tyndale House, this will be the third book I have read in this series.  The others have been good, I expect the same for this book as well.  The review will be published later.
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This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review.  The opinions expressed are mine alone.  

Get Fluffy: A Review

Get Fluffy

by

Sparkle Abbey

A Review

Get Fluffy is a fun read, though not a great book.

First, what did I like about the book - I liked the local in which the local pet store owner lived, Laguna Beach, CA, and environs.  The story stirred up memories of a visit we made to that location last summer - the eccentric people, the small shops, the landmarks - all brought back pleasant memories.  I also enjoyed exploring the many dog breeds mentioned throughout the book.  I took time to look several of the new ones up on the AKC web site.  Finally, the book served as a running commentary on cultural phenomena known as haute couture.  Name dropping of the well known designers that clothed and adorned the rich was a much a feature of the book as the dropping of canine breeds.  I received an education on a lifestyle that I will not be participating in.

The characters were well developed - broken enough to be believable, yet complex enough to hold this reader’s attention.

A couple of details contributed to problems with the book.  First, Get Fluffy is a sequel to the earlier Desperate Housedogs.  Though the protagonists differ in each book (Caro and Melinda are cousins), the second book assumes a great deal of prior knowledge from the first book.  Though no critical plot lines are carried from book one to book two, relationships, occupations, and personalities all are assisted by reading Desperate Housedogs prior to reading Get Fluffy.  Incidentally, the publisher did include both books when this reader requested a review copy of Get Fluffy.   

Secondly, rather than guiding the reader to the resolution carefully through the entire book, Get Fluffy (and, the earlier, Desperate Housedogs) rely on details released in the final chapter or two of the book.  This is a greater problem in the first book, but the problem does repeat itself in the second book.  

I have read a number of cozy mysteries and found them both fun and great.  Get Fluffy would not be one of them.  Having said that, I will look forward to reading the next book in the series, Kitty Kitty, Bang Bang.  Though it will not be great, it will be fun.
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This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review.  The opinions expressed are mine alone.  

Books to be reviewed ...

Here are some of the books I am currently reading prior to writing a review:

Preaching to Connect

     Turings Cathedral

            Assassins Code