The Resurrection by Mike Duran

Ruby Case is a quiet, church-going mother whose world is turned upside down when she raises a young boy from the dead. People start coming from all over to see Ruby and she isn’t sure what to do about it. Reverend Ian Clark, Ruby’s pastor, is about to turn in his resignation when he hears about the resurrection. He now has a decision to make about what to do with this situation. The quiet town of Stonetree will never be the same… And this may be for the better.

While I did enjoy this debut novel by Mike Duran, I had a tough time getting into it. The characters are hard to relate to, and the dialogue often seems forced. It is a good story of redemption and hope, but it just wasn’t that great. Mike Duran is a good storyteller who just needs to work more on his novel writing.

The Strange Man by Greg Mitchell

The Strange Man is book one in The Coming Evil Trilogy by Greg Mitchell. The story takes place in a small quiet town where evil is approaching. Dras Weldon is a young man with no direction in his life. He is living life one day at a time. His brother Jeff is a pastor and cannot get Dras to find any meaning in life. After a storm, strange things start happening, and Dras comes face to face with evil. If he wants to survive, Dras will have to realize that the only way to defeat evil is with God.

I’ve read several Christian horror novels, and I have enjoyed them all. Unfortunately, they get many negative reviews from Christians who complain that there is not enough talk about Jesus. Well this is the book for them. This is a horror novel, but there is a great deal about Jesus and Scripture. I don’t feel that every book by a Christian author has to have someone convert to Christianity, but Greg Mitchell must know how the market works. I did enjoy this book and look forward to the next book to see what happens. I hope that Mitchell can work on his dialogue a bit, but overall it was an enjoyable read that most Christians will love. Recommended.

Pujols: More than the Game by Scott Lamb and Tim Ellsworth

This book chronicles the first half of Albert Pujols amazing career. Albert has been considered one of the all-time great baseball players and this book shows how great he has been year in and year out. But what this book does is show that Albert is more than just a baseball player. He is an ardent follower of Jesus Christ. In our society faith is mostly ignored, but it is hard to ignore a man of such great faith. Albert puts God first in his life with everything he does. He knows that there is much more to life than baseball.

As a Cardinals fan, I really enjoyed reading about Albert’s career, but I enjoyed reading about his life even more. He is not just another shallow celebrity; he is a man who gives back to society. He works with those with Down syndrome and makes trips to help in his native Dominican Republic. I can only hope that people read this book and follow in Albert’s footsteps. One problem with this book was the emphasis on stats which can be tough for non-baseball fans. Still, this is a very enjoyable read about one of the most remarkable men in our country.

A Rush of Wings by Kristen Heitzmann

Noelle St. Claire is running away from her life, and she ends up in small town in Colorado. Nested deep in the Rockies, Noelle feels like this is the place for her to be. The owner of the ranch she is staying at, Rick Morgan, likes Noelle, but isn’t sure about getting in a relationship. His brother Morgan tries to start a relationship with Noelle right away. Noelle doesn’t know what to think about these two brothers, but she is perfectly happy in her new environment. Unfortunately the past that Noelle is running away from catches up to her. She is going to need help to overcome these issues and have a happy future.

I don’t read many books by female authors, but I enjoyed this book a great deal. While I would consider this a romance novel, it is filled with suspense and action. I was unable to put the book down for the last 150 pages as I could feel the emotion of the main characters surge through my body. This is a story of pain, love, and hope for the future. This book also motivated me to look at my life, and see if I was living the way I should with God being my number one priority.

The Truth of the Matter by Andrew Klavan

In The Truth of the Matter, Charlie West is continuing his quest to figure out what happened in the past year of his life. He is seeking Waterman, hoping to find some answers. Luckily for Charlie, he does get answers, but he also is faced with many more dangers. Charlie has to once again fight for his freedom and regain the life he lost a year ago. Charlie faces familiar foes, but also makes some new friends. Through all this, Charlie keeps one phrase in mind: Never, never give up.

This is the third book in the young adult Homelander Series by Andrew Klavan. It picks up quite quickly from the previous book, and takes your interest right away. Charlie and the reader are both wondering one thing: What happened to Charlie in the past year? It’s nice to finally get some answers and figure out what exactly is going on. This is a quick, fast-paced book that left me eagerly waiting for the last installment in this fun series.

The Butterfly Effect by Andy Andrews

Does your life matter? Many people feel that they don't matter and the world would be fine without them. In this short book, Andrews shows that this is not true. He uses several different stories to show how individuals can affect millions of people by their actions. This book really motivated me to take my actions seriously because I could really help people. Very good book

The Falling Away by T.L. Hines

A member of the Crow tribe, Dylan Runs Ahead is running… away from his problems. He left the reservation after the disappearance of his sister and left the army after the death of a friend. Now he has nowhere to go. He has been called chosen but feels that he is only chosen for pain. A young woman named Quinn who is a member in a secret group hopes to guide Dylan to see what he is chosen for.

This is the fifth book by T.L. Hines and it is my favorite. He is known for supernatural stories with some bizarre aspects and has crafted another really enjoyable story. You know with Hines that his books will be different than any other author you will read. Dylan is a very interesting character who can’t see his purpose in life while Quinn has a very specific goal in life. This is a powerful story that really shows that we are all chosen by God.