Celebrities For Jesus by Katelyn Beaty

 

Every once in awhile you find a book that gives you something to sit with, think on, and continue processing long after you've closed the last page. I think Beaty has provided just such a book with her new offering Celebrities for Jesus. 

The lure of harnessing celebrity for Jesus is certainly not a new approach. I appreciated Beaty's recognition of this by giving readers a quick, but well-laid out, introduction to evangelicalism long standing interwoven relationship between business, celebrity, and their approach to the gospel. I found the history from Moody through Graham fascinating and certainly not a hard leap to the parachurch moguls, megachurch personalities, and social media influencers that permeate church culture today.

From there, Beaty looses no time highlighting the dangers and pitfalls of celebrity intermixing with the gospel pulling out current examples from RZIM to Mars Hill, ministries that, by all accounts, had started with sincere intentions and hopeful footing before allowing themselves to be swept into the pitfalls of fame.

 I personally found these real life illustrations helpful and sobering (especially having read A Church Called Tov earlier this year, I found these two books to complement each other surprisingly well). Although it was disheartening that Beaty had so many real life examples to choose from, some that have even continued to be revealed since printing, it was eye opening to see just how easily a ministry can get swept away and how evangelicalism does seem to have some built in weaknesses to celebrity due to its early partnership with business practices.

I also appreciate how Beaty doesn't try to wrap up the issue into a tidy ending . While she does bring the book to its conclusion well (I enjoyed Beaty's writing style throughout the book), she also acknowledges there isn't a quick fix or formulaic solution. I appreciated Beaty's willingness to sit in the mess that is the balance between fame and celebrity, the lure of celebrity for the kingdom, and acknowledgment that there is no easy fix in a socially saturated culture that is always evolving.

4 out of 5 stars.

Book was provided courtesy of Graf-Martin Communications, Inc. and Baker Publishing Group.

Dangerous Beauty by Melissa Koslin

 

A Dangerous Beauty is a romantic suspense novel by Melissa Koslin. While I was intrigued by the concept I don't think I was the target audience for this particular story. 

I enjoyed the concepts Koslin brought to Liliana as a main character. She really had some rich development as she healed and discovered herself as an individual on the other side of trauma. Meric was also an interesting concept that feels very familiar in the romance genre of the strong, quiet male on the road to redeeming his origins.

The suspense storyline was also interesting to see unfold. I appreciated Koslin's skill at drawing out her plot, laying clues and twists to help build up the final reveal. My problem came down to the romance.

As much as I enjoyed Liliana and Meric as characters in their own right: the modern setting, the isolated nature of the characters due to the plot, and the speed and approach that the more traumatic elements were handled I just couldn't appreciate the romantic aspects of the novel. It read too much like a trauma bonding scenario for me to really root for the couple at the stage the story took place.

For readers ready to dive in it should be noted that due to the heavier topic matter there are some potentially triggering plotlines including: loss of loved ones to violence, violence against women, sexual assault, scene describing assault with intent to kill, human trafficking. 

3 out of 5 stars

Book was provided courtesy of Graf-Martin Communications, Inc. and Baker Publishing Group.

The Clutter Fix by Shannon Acheson

 

After a bit of a summer break it somehow feels right to jump back into reading and reviews with a book on decluttering and simplifying the day to day. 

For those of you who have poked around my corner of the internet for awhile, you may recognize Acheson's name, as I had the opportunity to review her last book Home Made Lovely, a how-to guide on finding your style and building a space that is welcoming and beautiful to those that live there. Now, Acheson's back helping readers organize their styles into functional and peaceful space.

There was a lot to like in here. At it's heart, this is a very practical book. Acheson really takes the time to break down each stage/room for decluttering to make the job more accessible regardless of how much clutter one is facing. I appreciated the variety of lists she includes both for keeping yourself on track an das a guideline to modify for your own needs.

Which was another thing  I appreciated. Acheson spends a lot of her introduction explaining how not all points in her book will apply to everyone, something I greatly appreciated. So many how-to/fix it books are so focused on promoting their method it can feel inaccessible for those who don't meet the target audience. Acheson, though, seems much more aware, even in comparison to her first book about the reality of different familial and living arrangements fully  encouraging her readers to take what fits their lives and leave what doesn't. In essence the book's first area of decluttering is it's own advice.

I  also appreciated Acheson's inclusion of different organizing types and how that can affect both your decluttering phase and maintenance phases. Our home holds four people, we probably fit into 3 of the 4 organization models she outlines in chapter 5. As someone already familiar with decluttering this chapter really opened my eyes to some of the areas where our family struggles and has already helped up make some real progress.

Overall, I appreciated this book for it's honesty. Acheson presents tips and tricks that are modifiable for any organizational type or personality who wish to have some more tools for taming their space. 

4 out of 5 stars.

Book was provided courtesy of Graf-Martin Communications, Inc. and Baker Publishing Group.

My Body is not a Prayer Request by Amy Kenny

 

If I could only recommend one book this year, this would be the one. With a mixture of honesty, humour, and self awareness Kenny lays out an important mixture of disabled history, theology, and autobiography to lay out some of the realities of disability within the church.

Considering the text is less than 200 pages, Kenny packs a lot of content in providing a great overview into the issues surrounding disability justice, accessibility, and thriving.

I appreciated how Kenny took the time to look into historical issues like the church's poor relationship with ADA, to how that culture is continuing to affect disabled individuals today.

As a disabled person, many of the historical and cultural elements were familiar to me.  It really is so valuable though to have a resource that is engaging and easy to recommend to others who are looking to broaden their awareness on disability issues. 

I was also encouraged and amazed at Kenny's work presenting teachings on how disability is positively presented in scripture and the value the disabled church brings to the full body of Christ. I cannot remember another place despite attending a religious college and being part of a faith community where disability was so embraced and celebrated as part of the gospel story as I saw Kenny lay it out here.

There are two elements I could see some readers taking issue with and I feel they're worth addressing. First, there are many sections of the book which feels more autobiographical than readers may be expecting.  I found this extremely helpful to highlight just how different each disabled experience is. Kenny is the expert in their own life and so that is the foundation that anchors her experience. I appreciated how Kenny both speaks to fundamental truths of disability as well as acknowledges the limits of her own perspective.

The second thing some readers may find surprising are the times that the tone of the book becomes more pointed/aggressive. At first, it caught me off guard too until I released that, as a disabled person myself, I wasn't used to seeing disabled people unashamedly taking up space and calling out where the North American church has failed their disabled members and neighbours.

As a disabled person, to see the challenges of the disabled church acknowledged and our strengths celebrated was meaningful in a way that is hard to put into words.

4.5 out of 5 stars

Book was provided courtesy of Graf-Martin Communications, Inc. and Baker Publishing Group.

Where the Road Bends by Rachel Fordham

 

Rachel Fordham has returned with a new tale of second chances and starting over. 

Where the Road Bends features a young struggling farmer Norah King, on the cusp of her wedding in 1880s Iowa to save her farm and Quincey Barnes a former fighter trying to find a better way of living.

As usual, Fordham has presented a story with wonderful protagonists filled with enough charming characteristics to draw readers to their side and just enough rough around the edge to make them relatable. 

I have to say though, Mrs. Dover is probably my favourite character in the book, she really was brilliantly written as a way of connecting the misfit crew of the Mission Hotel. Her warmth and wisdom helped her steal every scene she entered and oh how I'd love to read more of her story.

It is fair to note that this novel does include themes of violence towards women as well as the physical, emotional, and mental recovery from those events. While Fordham doesn't get graphic in her descriptions, her ability to pour emotion into her characters could make these themes triggering for some readers.

That said, Fordham really took time to craft Norah's journey through trauma and recovery with respect. I also felt that Fordham's willingness to incorporate Norah's recovery: her fear responses to trauma triggers, the physicality of her recovery, and the emotional fallout, allowed the redemptive and restorative nature of the story to come more clearly into focus. 

I've come to appreciate how Fordham gives her characters room to breathe, grow, and make mistakes. There's no rushing to gloss over or fix the loss, grief, or trauma in this book (with one exception I'll mention shortly). I've come to appreciate how Fordham lets her characters have room to speak as it adds to their charm.

My only negative take away from the story was the more fantastical elements of the ending. 

Don't get me wrong, it was wonderfully written, hits a strong emotional chord, and falls in line with what most readers will probably find themselves hoping for. Maybe it's the cynic in me of late, but the ending feels a little too Hallmark with the town's final stand against Norah's past.

4 out of 5 stars.

Book was provided courtesy of Graf-Martin Communications, Inc. and Baker Publishing Group.

Slow Growth Equals Strong Roots by Mary Marantz

 

There are a lot of books out there about feeling not enough, about feeling burnt out, stressed out, and always needing to perform. Yet the truth in Marantz's word, the compassion and strength of her voice that can only be shaped through experience, and the kind grace in her message all make Slow Growth equals Strong Roots worthy of a second look.

Although this isn't Marantz's first book it was my first introduction to her work. I found her writing to be personable, earnest, and down to earth. At one point Marantz writes about how oversaturated the market feels on every topic and yet there is still room for a voice to share their message and their dreams with truth. While there wasn't a lot of new material in this book, Marantz has a way of owning her experiences, her highs and lows, with a humility and companiable way that her message stands out for the crowd. 

The book itself is quite giftable I mean I'm a sucker for a shiny cover and a sewn in bookmark. But I also appreciated the artistry in the book's compilation. The use of Marantz's photography further weaving in her story. The contrast and comparison they added to support the words helped make this book very visually appealing.

The message was laid out quite well and I was surprised to see that Marantz has accompanying material online like a quiz to see which characters represented in the book "The Woman Who Is Always Performing, The High Wire Tightrope Walker, The Contortionist, The Masquerader, and The Illusionist" may fit your experience best. I personally found the different personas a helpful take as well as Marantz's explanation that she had struggled with each one at different stages or in different experiences. 

I will definitely be recommending this to some of the people in my circle as a summer read.

4 out of 5 stars

Book was provided courtesy of Graf-Martin Communications, Inc. and Baker Publishing Group.

When the Day Comes by Gabrielle Meyer

 

Libby is trapped in a world on the brink of WWI attempting to fend off her mother's attempt to use her as a social pawn and dreaming of delving into things that matter, until she goes to sleep and wakes up in Colonial Williamsburg running her late father's print shop as the colonies and England move closer to war.

Honestly, this is one of the most unique premises I've encountered in awhile.
One consciousness, two bodies, two time periods, two entirely separate lives. 
Each day is lived as any other until midnight strikes, the traveler sleeps and wakes in their alternate life loosing no time in one while living the other. This cycle then continues until their 21st birthday when they must choose one life leaving the other and all it holds behind forever.

In a lot of ways this felt like two historical novels in one. I really enjoyed how Meyer was able to capture the details and rhythms of both colonial America and early 20th century America. More importantly, I was captured by Libby and how thoroughly Meyer captured her heart and duty in both lives and the tension she held as her birthday approached.
Meyer's ability to capture Libby's growth and grieving really anchored the story as well as highlighting the premises uniqueness attributes. Libby's reality of saying goodbye to a life that would think her dead and gone while she stayed anchored in the other added different layers to her relationships that really gave the plot an extra layer of interest. 

I appreciated the implied lore of time travelling running through family lines as well with Libby's Williamsburg mother also being a traveler, mentoring Libby in how to navigate the unique challenges of the life they'd been given. 
I also found it interesting that, given how unique the time travelling premise was, the travelers we meet throughout the book are all people of faith despite their situation. I'm not exactly sure what genre this type of time travelling falls under (it doesn't quite feel sci-fi, yet it's so grounded in historical fantasy doesn't feel accurate either.) but it was encouraging to have a faith based story that wasn't afraid to incorporate more fantastical elements.

The only downsides were in it's conclusion. Considering how well written and engaging each timeline was, everything felt almost too neatly wrapped up with Libby, Reggie, and Henry in the end. I mean I know this is historical fiction/ time travel book and stretches beyond the fantastic but for so many paths to converge into a perfect path just seemed a little too shiny as much as I wanted happiness for Libby.

As a fan of historical fiction, this was like getting two engaging stories in one and despite my mixed feelings over the conclusion I would easily read another one of Meyer's characters journey through time

4 out of 5 stars

Book was provided courtesy of Graf-Martin Communications, Inc. and Baker Publishing Group.