Peter Martyr Vermigli (Christian Biographies for Young Readers) by Simonetta Carr.

Our Review

Katie loves to read! She and I both love to read biographies, especially about missionaries.

She devoured the book and says she loves all the details about Peter Martyr Vermigli’s life and seeing his travels.

I love the quality of this hardcover biography. The illustrations and photographs really bring it to life for readers, young and old.

Katie was so excited that we’ve actually visited many of the places listed in the text. We were not familiar with Peter Martyr Vermigli and all his travels and contributions to the Reformation. This is a great addition to our home library.

I enjoyed this book as much as my kids!

The book includes an introduction, 6 chapters about Peter Martyr Vermigli, a timeline, Did You Know? section about facts of the era, What Happened to Others? section about his contemporaries, and quotes.

We love all the information about the Reformation!

Summary

Born in Florence, Italy, in 1499, Peter Martyr Vermigli decided that he wanted to teach God’s Word when he grew up. After many years of study, he became a well-respected leader in the Roman Catholic Church, yet he questioned the church’s teachings because he believed they were contrary to the Bible. Eventually forced to flee Italy and the Roman Church, Vermigli joined the Reformers north of the Alps and devoted the rest of his life to teaching, preaching, and writing about the great truths of the Protestant Reformation. He lived in many parts of Europe, and he influenced many of the most important figures of his times.

There’s a whole series of Christian Biographies for Young Readers. I want to collect them all!

This volume in the Christian Biographies for Young Readers series retells the story of a servant of Christ who left behind a postion of prominence in the Roman Church to courageously join the cause of the Protestant Reformation. Enhanced by illustrious, photographs, and additional information about the Reformation era, this account shows young readers how God can use the piety and talents of one man to advance the cause of His truth.

About the Author

Simonetta Carr was born in Italy and has lived and worked in different cultures. A former elementary school teacher, she has home-schooled her eight children for many years. She has written for newspapers and magazines around the world and has translated the works of several Christian authors into Italian. Presently, she lives in San Diego with her husband Thomas and family. She is a member and Sunday School teacher at Christ United Reformed Church.

Things We Lost in the Fire: Stories by Mariana Enriquez, is a collection of twelve short stories about life in Argentina.

My Review:

I love the daring, creepy, and even macabre stories written in this collection. Like contemporary Latina lit meets Victorian Gothic novel. Some episodes, I was glad were over and others I wanted more, to know what happened but the story just ended and left me wondering. The characters are rich in personality within even a few pages which attests to Mariana Enriquez’ masterful storytelling. The history and culture revealed in the stories and characters are exciting for me and I kept reading, sometimes late into the night, like binge-watching a favorite series. I do love how the entire book theme seems to be about women and girls and their experiences, memories, fears, and love. The male characters take a backseat as supporting characters. Women have a voice in these stories.

Summary:

In these wildly imaginative, devilishly daring tales of the macabre, internationally bestselling author Mariana Enriquez brings contemporary Argentina to vibrant life as a place where shocking inequality, violence, and corruption are the law of the land, while military dictatorship and legions of desaparecidos loom large in the collective memory. In these stories, reminiscent of Shirley Jackson and Julio Cortázar, three young friends distract themselves with drugs and pain in the midst a government-enforced blackout; a girl with nothing to lose steps into an abandoned house and never comes back out; to protest a viral form of domestic violence, a group of women set themselves on fire.

But alongside the black magic and disturbing disappearances, these stories are fueled by compassion for the frightened and the lost, ultimately bringing these characters—mothers and daughters, husbands and wives—into a surprisingly familiar reality. Written in hypnotic prose that gives grace to the grotesque, Things We Lost in the Fire is a powerful exploration of what happens when our darkest desires are left to roam unchecked, and signals the arrival of an astonishing and necessary voice in contemporary fiction.

About the Author:

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

My review for No More Faking Fine: Ending the Pretending by Esther Fleece, published by Zondervan.

Description:

If you’ve ever been given empty clichés during challenging times, you know how painful it can feel to be misunderstood by well-meaning people. Far too often, it seems the response we get to our hurt and disappointment is to suck it up, or pray it away.

But Scripture reveals a God who meets us where we are, not where we pretend to be.

No More Faking Fine is your invitation to get gut-level honest with God through the life-giving language of lament. Lament, a practice woven throughout Scripture, is a prayer that God never ignores, never silences, and never wastes. As author Esther Fleece says, “Lament is the unexpected pathway to true intimacy with God, and with those around us.”

Esther learned this the hard way, by believing she could shut down painful emotions that haunted her from a broken past she tried to forget on her fast track to success. But in silencing her pain, she robbed herself of the opportunity to be healed. Maybe you’ve done the same.

No More Faking Fine is your permission to lament—to give voice to the hurt, frustration, and disappointment you’ve kept inside and silenced for too long. Drawing from careful biblical study and hard-won insight, Esther reveals how to use God’s own language to draw closer to Him as He leads us through any darkness into His marvelous light.

My Review:

This book was quite interesting to me.

I agree that many people, even Christians can’t handle laments. Most of us are silenced and reduced to “faking fine.” No one really wants to know anything about the negative. But everyone seems to be a counselor and offers advice that’s unwanted and unneeded.

I couldn’t relate to the author’s neverending supply of supportive friends who helped her all along the way with her issues. I found myself wanting to feel more sorry for her lack of relationship with her family, but I had some questions. She left her brother out of her story almost altogether. How did he react to events?

I couldn’t relate to the somewhat shallow craving for shopping and closets full of shoes. I don’t lament things. I’m not into prosperity gospel. And who gets to go on a long retreat to Alaska to heal? Almost none of us.

I think I was hoping for more of a workbook than a personal account. The book touches on a lot of good points about biblical laments in Psalms, Job, Lamentations. Some of the stories became repetitive and I think it could have been condensed a bit.

The book is a good commentary of realizing that many of us are not “just fine.”

About the Author:

Esther Fleece is an international speaker and writer on Millennials and faith, leadership, and family, recognized among Christianity Today’s “Top 50 Women Shaping the Church and Culture” and CNN’s “Five Women in Religion to Watch.” As founder and CEO of L&L Consulting,  she works to connect influential individuals and organizations to their mutual benefit.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookLook Bloggers book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

My review for The Pledge of a Lifetime: Her hope for connection. His guide through conflict. by Mark T. Oelze, MA, published by WestBow Press.

Description:

What is it about conflict that causes all of us to shy away? Why is it so difficult? What if there was a step-by-step process to guide us through conflict and create a deeper connection at the same time? And what if the principles learned could enhance all communication?

In The Pledge of a Lifetime, follow Jake and Lisa’s story and discover how to transform tense confrontations into rich conversations. Watch family dynamics improve as everyone works together to communicate in a manner governed by love.

From his years of conflict resolving experiences, Mark Oelze leads you into the counselor’s office between the covers of this book, where you will learn the keys to process any conflict, big or small. Fear no longer has to hold you back. Work the PLEDGE to build strong healthy communication with love as your highest goal!

My Review:

I could barely get through this book. I didn’t learn anything. It didn’t save my marriage. It didn’t teach me how to better communicate. It insulted my intelligence.

I didn’t like the book format of a fictional married couple in counseling. They were flat unlikeable characters. I couldn’t relate to their trite little issues that just stereotype men and women. I was done when the husband accused the wife of talking too much.

I didn’t like the fictional counselor. I thought he seemed tired and sarcastic and exasperated with the couple and that’s just rude.

The acrostic PLEDGE just regurgitates all the psychobabble that marriage counselors have given couples for decades. It’s nothing new, just packaged cute.

The end of each chapter has a summary of the “lessons” for each letter of the PLEDGE.

I suppose this book would be ok for married couples who are just experiencing a little bit of communication conflict, but not any major issues. This is not a book for marriages in crisis.

About the Author:

Mark Oelze has been a marriage and family counselor since 1985, helping couples process conflict in a manner that is completely governed by love. Married 33 years, he and his wife, Zerrin, teach the Madly In Love Marriage Conference. They have three grown children and live in Wichita, Kansas. Knowing the power of words, Mark and Zerrin have a passion to see intentional love shape the way we communicate.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookLook Bloggers book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

The kids and I just love Victuals: An Appalachian Journey, with Recipes by Ronni Lundy.

My Review:

Victuals is a photographic wonder, a delightful story about the history and current artists of Appalachian cookery. The recipes are rich and filling, full of seasonal and regional ingredients.

The heritage of Germans and Scots dot the North Georgia mountains where we would often take day trips or mini vacations. It was always fun to visit the bakeries and shops.

I grew up south of Atlanta, and most of my mother’s family are spread all over the valleys and plains of Georgia and the Carolinas. I can’t rightly claim this as my heritage, but many of the recipes are the same as what I grew up with in my grandmother’s and great aunt’s houses.

My girls especially loved the history and stories of the recipes. We now have names for some of our favorites that I make often: killed greens for fresh lettuces drizzled with seasoned bacon grease. Sallet (sautéed mixed greens) graces our table almost weekly. We all love Salmon Cakes.

We have some fun new recipe to try: Miner’s Goulash, Root & Sausage Pie, and some delectable desserts.

Some of the ingredients listed aren’t available where we currently live. Some ingredients are seasonal and regional. I’d love to visit some of the restaurants and shops listed in the book.

American cuisine is sometimes ridiculed by foodies, but there is a rich food culture in Appalachia that I am proud to call close to home.

About the Author:

Born in Corbin, Kentucky, Ronni Lundy has long chronicled the people of the hillbilly diaspora as a journalist and cookbook author. She is the former restaurant reviewer and music critic for The Courier-Journal in Louisville, former editor of Louisville Magazine, and has contributed to many national magazines. Her book Shuck Beans, Stack Cakes and Honest Fried Chicken was recognized by Gourmet magazine as one of six essential books on Southern cooking. In 2009, Lundy received the Southern Foodways Alliance Craig Claiborne Lifetime Achievement Award. She has contributed to Eating Well, Gourmet, Bon Appétit, Esquire, and other magazines.

Summary:

Victuals is an exploration of the foodways, people, and places of Appalachia. Written by Ronni Lundy, regarded as the most engaging authority on the region, the book guides us through the surprisingly diverse history–and vibrant present–of food in the Mountain South.

Victuals explores the diverse and complex food scene of the Mountain South through recipes, stories, traditions, and innovations. Each chapter explores a specific defining food or tradition of the region–such as salt, beans, corn (and corn liquor). The essays introduce readers to their rich histories and the farmers, curers, hunters, and chefs who define the region’s contemporary landscape. Sitting at a diverse intersection of cuisines, Appalachia offers a wide range of ingredients and products that can be transformed using traditional methods and contemporary applications. Through 80 recipes and stories gathered on her travels in the region, Lundy shares dishes that distill the story and flavors of the Mountain South.

Awards:

— Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Best Cookbooks of 2016
— Chicago Tribune: Best Cookbooks of 2016
— Cooking Light: Fall Cookbook Roundup, September issue
— Louisville Courier-Journal: Cookbook Gift Guide
— San Fransisco Chronicle: “Best of” Cookbook Roundup
— The Kitchn: Holiday Cookbook Roundup
— Tampa Bay Times: Cookbook Gift Guide
— Tasting Table: The Most Exciting New Cookbooks for Fall
— Tasting Table: Holiday Cookbook Gift Guide
— Wall Street Journal: Holiday Gift Guide: Food Books
— Washington Post: Best Cookbooks of 2016

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

Hag-Seed by Margaret Atwood is an amazing portrayal of Shakespeare’s The Tempest.

Margaret Atwood’s brilliance shines as usual with a frame story of revenge.

Atwood is by far one of my favorite authors. I love how she turns phrases and delves into the minds of people affected by circumstances beyond their control. While most of her protagonists are women dealing with sexual politics, I love how she turns around The Tempest with, of course, a male main who seeks revenge against very real politicians and uses society’s dregs to win back his life. And in the end, he discovers that kindness and goodness is better than bitterness.

The Hogarth Shakespeare Series

For more than four hundred years, Shakespeare’s works have been performed, read, and loved throughout the world. They have been reinterpreted for each new generation, whether as teen films, musicals, science-fiction flicks, Japanese warrior tales, or literary transformations. The Hogarth Press was founded by Virginia and Leonard Woolf in 1917, with a mission to publish the best new writing of the age. In 2012, Hogarth was launched in London and New York to continue the tradition. The Hogarth Shakespeare project sees Shakespeare’s works retold by acclaimed and best selling novelists of today. The series launched in October 2015, and to date will be published in twenty countries.

About the book:

William Shakespeare’s The Tempest retold as Hag-Seed

Felix is at the top of his game as Artistic Director of the Makeshiweg Theatre Festival. His productions have amazed and confounded. Now he’s staging a Tempest like no other: not only will it boost his reputation, it will heal emotional wounds.

Or that was the plan. Instead, after an act of unforeseen treachery, Felix is living in exile in a backwoods hovel, haunted by memories of his beloved lost daughter, Miranda. And also brewing revenge.

After twelve years, revenge finally arrives in the shape of a theatre course at a nearby prison. Here, Felix and his inmate actors will put on his Tempest and snare the traitors who destroyed him. It’s magic! But will it remake Felix as his enemies fall?

Margaret Atwood’s novel take on Shakespeare’s play of enchantment, retribution, and second chances leads us on an interactive, illusion-ridden journey filled with new surprises and wonders of its own.

About the author:

Margaret Atwood, whose work has been published in thirty-five countries, is the author of more than forty books of fiction, poetry, and critical essays. In addition to The Handmaid’s Tale, her novels include Cat’s Eye, short-listed for the 1989 Booker Prize; Alias Grace, which won the Giller Prize in Canada and the Premio Mondello in Italy; The Blind Assassin, winner of the 2000 Booker Prize; Oryx and Crake, short-listed for the 2003 Man Booker Prize; The Year of the Flood; and her most recent, MaddAddam. She is the recipient of the Los Angeles Times Innovator’s Award, and lives in Toronto with the writer Graeme Gibson.

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

The Wedding Shop by Rachel Hauck is a mysterious historical story within a story.

I love historical fiction. Sometimes, I do want a sappy love story to just lose myself in. This novel has two – a modern one and a flashback to an earlier time, during the Great Depression. And wouldn’t you know it – they’re all connected.

I started out a little disappointed in the writing. The plot was fine, moving along, though predictable. There were some editing issues and I had trouble with some modifiers, rereading several sentences to make sense of them.

More than halfway through, there are some fun surprises – twists and turns that are delightful and unexpected.

I was a little put off by the kissing scenes. They made me roll my eyes a bit.

The dialogue was stilted in many places, full of exaggerated Southern euphemisms and clichés.

I felt the ending was rushed, missing out important resolutions that left me wondering and could have easily been wrapped up with a few more pages of dialogue.

Overall, the book was interesting and offered hope, redemption, forgiveness. I look forward to the others in the series.

Book Description:

From The New York Times bestselling author of The Wedding Dress and The Wedding Chapel comes The Wedding Shop.

Two women separated by decades. Both set out to help others find their dreams when their own have crumbled.

It’s the early 1930s, but Cora Scott is walking in stride as a career woman after having inherited her great aunt’s wedding shop in Heart’s Bend, Tennessee, where brides come from as far away as Birmingham to experience her famed bridal treatment. Meanwhile, Cora is counting down the days until her own true love returns from the river to make her his bride. But days turn into months and months to years. All the while, Birch Good continues to woo Cora and try to show her that while he is solid and dependable, he can sweep her off her feet.

More than eighty years later, former Air Force Captain Haley Morgan has returned home to Heart’s Bend after finishing her commitment to military service. After the devastating death of her best friend, Tammy, and discovering the truth about the man she loved, Haley is searching for her place in life.

When Haley decides to reopen the romantic but abandoned wedding shop where she and Tammy played and dreamed as children, she begins a journey of courage, mystery, and love.

As Cora’s and Haley’s stories intertwine through time in the shadow of the beloved wedding shop, they both discover the power of their own dreams and the magic of everyday love.

About the Author:

Rachel Hauck is a New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal Bestselling author.

A graduate of Ohio State University with a degree in Journalism, Rachel and her husband live in central Florida. She is a huge Buckeyes football fan.

Visit her at www.rachelhauck.com or www.facebook.com/rachelhauck

I just love Walking on Water: Reflections on Faith and Art by Madeleine L’Engle.

My review:

I recommend this book to any writer or artist, anyone in the creative world.

This book is not just for artists. This book is about creating, and the connections between faith and art. Anyone who appreciates the creative will be touched by this book.

This book is more than a devotional. It’s more than a writing manual. It’s not just an inspirational journey.

It’s not biblical doctrine. It’s the summation of a writer wrestling with God and the world and revealing what she’s learned from decades of experience.

Within twelve little meditations, we are encouraged to strive to be more than we are, because God calls us to be. We are encouraged to use our intuition and imagination, to trust and believe. We are exhorted to be vulnerable and love, love, love. We are reminded that none of us is qualified but only to give God glory.

Some of my favorite quotes:

Stories make us more alive, more human, more courageous, more loving.

You have to write the book that wants to be written. And if the book will be too difficult for grown-ups, then you write it for children.

Our truest response to the irrationality of the world is to paint or sing or write, for only in such response do we find truth.

When we were children, we used to think that when we were grown-up we would no longer be vulnerable. But to grow up is to accept vulnerability… To be alive is to be vulnerable.

But unless we are creators we are not fully alive. What do I mean by creators? Not only artists, whose acts of creation are the obvious ones of working with paint of clay or words. Creativity is a way of living life, no matter our vocation or how we earn our living. Creativity is not limited to the arts, or having some kind of important career.

We don’t want to feel less when we have finished a book; we want to feel that new possibilities of being have been opened to us. We don’t want to close a book with a sense that life is totally unfair and that there is no light in the darkness; we want to feel that we have been given illumination.

About the Book:

In this classic book, Madeleine L’Engle addresses the questions, What does it mean to be a Christian artist? and What is the relationship between faith and art? Through L’Engle’s beautiful and insightful essay, readers will find themselves called to what the author views as the prime tasks of an artist: to listen, to remain aware, and to respond to creation through one’s own art.

About the Author:

Madeleine L’Engle was the author of more than forty-five books for all ages, among them the beloved A Wrinkle in Time, awarded the Newbery Medal; A Ring of Endless Light, a Newbery Honor Book; A Swiftly Tilting Planet,winner of the American Book Award; and the Austin family series of which Troubling a Star is the fifth book. L’Engle was named the 1998 recipient of the Margaret A. Edwards award, honoring her lifetime contribution in writing for teens. Read More About the Author.

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.