I don’t review much children’s fiction here on the blog, but I absolutely cannot pass up the opportunity to talk about this gem, The Boy Who Fell from the Stars. Not only is it Christian fiction (hard to find for kids these days) it also falls into the science fiction genre… with just a dash of fantasy. I really wish this series (a three book set: And They Found Dragons) had been available when I was growing up– it would have checked every box for me. Spaceships? Yes. Young people tasked with saving humanity? Yes. Maybe throw some dragon slaying in there? Why not? Yes! Best of all, the author ..read more

Let’s hope that I don’t end up with a bill for damages to this library book… I may have realized too late that snow was melting through the scarf I had used as a safe spot to nestle my stack. Oops! Of course, if I absolutely must pay a damages bill now and again, I’d be pleased to be paying for a book like Stories That Bind Us. If the library decides to replace the copy, I can keep the one I paid for (and I would love to add another Susie Finkbeiner book to my collection). “Books are for the birds.” Susie Finkbeiner may sound familiar if you remember my review of her other title, All Manner o ..read more

Bread making. I’m not sure I could come up with something novel to say about the process– after all, people have been shaping loaves for centuries. My first thought was to share something poetic; I could wax on about the smell of yeast…the warmth of dough under my hands…the irresistible, velvety softness of flour. Christa Parrish, author of Stones for Bread, manages much better than I to write a love story to the staple of human history. Tucked here and there between the pages of her book are instructions to make your first sourdough starter and recipes for Dark Chocolate Pain au Levain and B ..read more

Inevitably, when I’m reading a descriptive piece of Christian fiction, I wonder what it would be like translated into film. Especially if the book has a cinematic “flavor” to it, just aching for an adaption on the big screen! Once before I had a great deal of fun putting together a dream cast for an imaginary movie based on the book Hidden Among the Stars. (Click here to read that post.) I thought I’d do that again, this time for a Lori Benton book I read recently called Burning Sky. As I go along, I’ll share my cast picks, musings about the novel, and maybe mention a few Christian films I’ve ..read more

When you were a kid, did your mom ever make you watch history documentaries? You know the ones; maybe they were about the Civil War, or the Aztecs, or uncovering the secrets of Ancient Egyptians (seems as if new mummies are discovered every day). There was a deep voiced narrator who had perfected the art of sounding ominous, and interviews with at least one old guy who appeared to spend too much time locked away in a dusty museum basement. But the best parts of the film were when they would use actors to reenact historical moments in the background. You could watch Pharaoh so-and-so yell at u ..read more

I was in the mood for something with a bit more “flair” and ended up grabbing Forbidden by Ted Dekker and Tosca Lee. If I can give Dekker credit for anything, it’s that he never seems to think “inside the box”… while I may fault him sometimes for execution, he has no lack of raw originality.  Forbidden, the first in a three book arc, is set in a dystopian future and blends futuristic advancements (e.g. DNA manipulation) with a way of life that in many aspects parallels the far past. (Sword fights! Horseback riding! Underground prisons that are basically dungeons!) The world of Forbidden ..read more

It’s 1861, and eighteen year old Cassie runs away from home to avoid the loathsome marriage her drunkard father has arranged for her against her will. With few options open to her and a fervent desire to hide somewhere her father cannot find her, she joins the Union Army—disguising herself as a man. At first an engrossing and action-packed story, Where Dandelions Bloom by Tara Johnson unfortunately seems to completely lose steam about half-way through, letting loose its grip on the suspense and character development it was building up to that point. Notably, Cassie’s secret identity is discove ..read more

“Where were you when I wrote the first words of this story? Tell me if you understand. Who marked out its chapters? Surely you know. Who stretched the story arc across it? On what were its structures set, or who laid the first cornerstone?” ~The Author, when Brew accuses him of being responsible for the painful death of his brother. What if you found out you were just a word in an author’s book? That this world was His creation and story, but that he had given you free will to decide what kind of character (word) you would be? What if the author penned himself into his own story and promised ..read more

Well, here I am, breaking all the long-established rules of good blogging yet again! Post regularly, they say. Stick to your niche, they say. Post on the same day of the week, they say. It’s been a while, this isn’t Christian Fiction, and it isn’t even Monday!– but I don’t care, because this book made me feel as if slipping back into my childhood imagination, optimism, and sense of “silliness” is about as easy and comfortable as slipping into my favorite sweater. The one that I make sure finds its way into the first load in the washer, so I can wear it again as soon as possible. Magic by the ..read more