The book is an entertaining read and Lisa Samson keeps an energetic pace throughout the novel. Readers are brought through the Jungle Room in Graceland and down to a tiny town in Texas that is bursting with new life as a high-budget horror flick comes to town. Scotty also discovers something foreign to her: friends her own age. She also finds Jesus within the pages of the book—it’s a natural event and doesn’t sound forced or preachy.

If you are looking for a great series for a teenage girl you know, introduce her to Scotty. She’ll be begging you for more.

Review by Caitlin Muir

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The Big Picture, by Jenny B. Jones, revolves around teenager Katie Parker. When Katie’s mom arrives at her foster home out of the blue on the same night that Katie’s sort-of boyfriend, Charlie, tells her he’s hanging out with his ex again, Katie’s once perfectly ordered life goes down the drain. To make matters worse, the mayor is determined to close the town’s beloved drive-in theatre to put in a strip mall. As the day to move back in with her mom looms nearer, Katie is caught up in getting Charlie back, but when she finally does move, her problems only get worse.

In this third installment of the Katie Parker series, Jenny B. Jones incorporates a wide variety of trials for Katie. Toward the beginning of the novel, Katie’s obsession with some of her problems drags on; however, as the book progresses and Katie is put to the test in ever more serious or humorous ways, the story becomes vastly more interesting. Although it starts slow, The Big Picture makes a great comeback, leaving the reader delighted with the novel.

Review by Jane Muir

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About The Bunko Babes: Becca Thornton loves her thirteen year old twins, her husband Thomas, and her lovely homebut she is frazzled, exhausted, and longing for some time with her girl friends. With the help of her three childhood friends, she starts a weekly Bunko group involving an eclectic group of women. Their original plan was for an evening of fun - indulging in their favorite foods while laughing and talking over a game of Bunko. Little did they know that they were embarking on a faith journey that would change their lives and perspectives forever. Throughout the course of the year, these eight unique women come to depend upon one another in ways that will surprise them all. Beneath the surface of their everyday lives each woman is dealing with her own personal issues. In the midst of ordinary routines, a weekly game night, laughter and tears, The Bunko Babes find strength and faith as they turn to each other in crisis with the bonds of friendship. A book that goes way beyond spa trips and beauty tips to deal with the real issues women face like infertility, loss, the heartache of infidelity, and temptation. Whether it is something as common as aging or as devastating as addiction, these “Bunko Babes” find new strength through faith and friendship as they turn to each other in times of crisis. In a society and time where role models are lacking, this is a book that teaches the value of women, mentoring women.

About Leah: a Christian, a wife, a mother, a born storyteller. The daughter of a minister/author, Leah wasn’t born with a silver spoon in her mouth. No instead, she was teethed on the Gospel. Living in the hill country of western Colorado until the age ten, she spent many a night listening to the early beginnings of her father’s writings. It was there that she learned the true beauty of the English language and the power of the pen. From Colorado, her family moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma and though the life of a preacher’s kid was challenging at times, Leah wore the mantel of “role model” well.

Leah had big dreams and a multitude of talents. In 1994, she found her soul mate, Douglas Baker, and they were married later that year. He, like Leah, was a dreamer and a huge supporter of her dreams. With his help, she went on to be crowned Mrs. Oklahoma 1995 and to record three demos and one entire album in Nashville, Tennessee before turning her sights entirely upon the joys of being a wife and perhaps a mother.

But life as a wife was difficult for such a spirited young woman and before long Leah was immersed in the world of politics. But the birth of two children in less than 18 months put her political aspirations on the back burner.

Never one to rest on her laurels, Leah began a real estate career when Alexandria was four and Deuce was two. After a promising start, she was stricken with an unexplainable illness. After months of testing it was discovered that she had Systemic Lupus, a chronic disease that affects the immune system. Before long, she was forced to stop working entirely. Trapped at home in a body that refused to cooperate, she turned to her forgotten love…writing.

It didn’t take much time to rekindle the flames and within three months her first novel was complete and she began work on “Bunko Babes”. Without a doubt, Leah has a promising career as a novelist ahead of her and we look forward with great anticipation to additional stories from this shooting STARR.

Leah Starr Baker: a Christian, a wife, a mother, a born storyteller. That one sentence encapsulates her entire life. For that is what she is and what she will always be.

A born storyteller, Leah has spent her life turning her own tragedies and triumphs into entertainment and encouragement for others. (from Harvest House)

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In His Brain, Her Brain, the Larimore’s combine the latest in brain research with their years of experience. Their experience comes not only from counseling others, but from their own marriage. The product is a book that truly aids men and women in understanding one another.

The book is broken down into four parts: The Science, The Differences, the Impact on Relationships and The Beauty of God’s Design. Each of the first five chapters covers a type of difference between a man’s brain and a woman’s brain. Chapter six helps us decode differences in male vs. female communication and chapters seven through eleven focus on the more intimate aspects of the male/female relationship. The book finishes by showing readers how our the purpose behind our bodies design and why it’s important to nurture our differences.

The Larimore’s share examples and anecdotes from their own lives to help the reader comprehend even the most complicated of topics. Readers will find themselves learning without even realizing it. One great example is found on page 63:

“Early in our marriage, I was convinced Barb could do magic - producing the items I was searching for apparently out of thin air - whether in the refrigerator, my desk, or my workbench. Shazam! Presto!

… With her better peripheral and color vision, she can see the entire contents of the refrigerator without moving her head. With my tunnel vision, I have to move my head or eyes up and down and all around to locate a missing object.”

Written in a conversational style, His Brain Her Brain is easy to both read and understand. The Larimore’s have done a fantastic job of making a somewhat complex topic into a lighthearted book that the reader will find hard to put down.

Review By:
Jill Hart

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Change and Cherish Historical Series:

1. A Clearing in the Wild
2. A Tendering in the Storm
3. A Mending at the Edge

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Here’s a list of the nominees:

CHRISTY AWARD NOMINEES 2008

CONTEMPORARY (Stand Alone)

Chasing Fireflies by Charles Martin (Thomas Nelson)

In High Places by Tom Morrisey (Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group)

Quaker Summer by Lisa Samson (Thomas Nelson)

CONTEMPORARY (Series, Sequels and Novellas)

Home to Holly Springs by Jan Karon (Viking Penguin)

A Time to Mend by Sally John and Gary Smalley (Thomas Nelson)

What Lies Within by Karen Ball (WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group)

HISTORICAL

Lady of Milkweed Manor by Julie Klassen (Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group)

A Proper Pursuit by Lynn Austin (Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group)

Tendering in the Storm by Jane Kirkpatrick (WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group)

LITS (tie)

Doesn’t She Look Natural by Angela Hunt (Tyndale House Publishers)

Hallie’s Heart by Shelly Beach (Kregel Publications)

Let Them Eat Cake by Sandra Byrd (WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group)

Trophy Wives Club by Kristin Billerbeck (Avon Inspire, a division of HarperCollins Publishers)

ROMANCE

Lightning and Lace by DiAnn Mills (Barbour Publishing)

Remember to Forget by Deborah Raney (Howard Books, a division of Simon and Schuster)

Remembered by Tamera Alexander (Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group)

SUSPENSE

The Cure by Athol Dickson (Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group)

My Hands Came Away Red by Lisa McKay (Moody Publishers)

The Pawn by Steven James (Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group)

VISIONARY

Auralia’s Colors by Jeffrey Overstreet (WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group)

The Restorer by Sharon Hinck (NavPress Publishing Group)

Scarlet by Stephen R. Lawhead (Thomas Nelson)

FIRST NOVEL

Auralia’s Colors by Jeffrey Overstreet (WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group)

Demon: A Memoir by Tosca Lee (NavPress Publishing Group)

The Stones Cry Out by Sibella Giorello (Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group)

YOUNG ADULT

Hollywood Nobody by Lisa Samson (NavPress Publishing Group)

In Between by Jenny B. Jones (NavPress Publishing Group)

Maggie Come Lately by Michelle Buckman (NavPress Publishing Group)

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About two years ago, God laid on her heart the horror of the human trafficking problem, and after reading a magazine article by Sara Groves, she began to research IJM (International Justice Mission) with a desire to help. Coincidentally, she was also writing a book at that time, a suspense/ romance novel set in Taiwan about a woman whose sister is trafficked. The heroine goes undercover to try and free her.

The book, Wiser than Serpents, comes out with Steeple Hill this month, and in the front, the author’s note section, she wrote about IJM, with information about how to get involved.

She will also be donating 15% of the proceeds of this book to IJM.

Read the first chapter here!

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1. Kids read any 8 books.

2. Kids use the Summer Reading Journal to tell us their favorite part of each book. A parent/guardian signs it when it’s complete.

3. Children bring their completed journal to a Barnes & Noble store between May 29th & September 2nd, 2008.

4. B&N will give them a coupon for a FREE book! They choose from a list of exceptional paperback titles.*

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Make sure you have a few, uninterrupted hours available when you read Melanie Wells’s My Soul To Keep, because you certainly will not want to put it down.

At 35, Dylan Foster is in the prime of academia but she lives alone, and has very few friends. She’s is a Psych Professor at a Methodist University and her specialty will come in handy as you explore her tale. You will immediately be taken in by her story and the nightmares that surround her. The few close friends she does have are not spared from her perpetual bad luck. She is incredibly real and so is her life. You will relate, even in ways you wish you didn’t. She’s the best friend you just want to wrap your arms around and support. You will meet her deepest enemy, Peter Terry and will find yourself hating him even more than she does.

This book and I were very close companions. Melanie Wells has a way of creating characters who are so real, you grow to care about. She has you in circles sharing Dylan’s despair and elation. The attention she gives spiritual matters and happenings is like that of Frank Peretti. To say I loved it wouldn’t even touch the tip. I absolutely loved this book, beyond normal book-love standards. I want to send a copy to every single woman I am close to.

Reviewed by: Mandy Hutchinson

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Curl up on a comfy couch, with a refreshing drink in hand, and be ready to share a few laughs with Erynn Mangum’s MissMatch.

MissMatch is the first of Mangum’s Lauren Holbrook novel series. At 23, loving her job as a photographer and living with her widowed father, Lauren is perfectly content being single. Emboldened with the success of introducing her sister to the man who would become her new husband, Lauren puts her energies into matchmaking her friends. She recruits Hannah, the new receptionist at work to be her accomplice. Lauren’s best friend Brandon and even her single pastor Nick are not safe from Lauren’s schemes. As Lauren manipulates the situations to make her friends fall in love with each other, unexpected complications results. Lauren learns lessons about the sovereignty of God and is challenged to rethink about her own life as a single.

The wit and charm of the characters in MissMatch are endearing and you’ll be drawn you to them. With strong family and spiritual values portrayed appropriately, I would not hesitate recommending it to teenagers. The book is light-hearted and wholesome. With the story moving along quickly, you will be kept glued to its pages. I am looking forward to reading another in the Lauren Holbrook series.

Reviewed by: Katy Lee visit her website Adventures in Parenting.

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