Book Review: "The Shepherd's Song" by Betsy Duffey and Laurie Myers

Photo credit: NetGalley

Sister's Betsy Duffy and Laurie Myers novel The Shepherd's Song (Howard Books) follows a piece of paper with Psalm 23 written on it in a journey around the world.  Each time it is passed along, whether intentional or not, a different line impacts another character's story.  The journey of this piece of paper begins when Kate McConnell wrote and prayed over each verse for her son.  She finds herself in a serious car accident and wonders if she's done anything significant with her life.  Little does she know what impact her little gestures make.  The bible verse makes itself to 12 different people around the world; from America, to Turkey, to Rome and so one.  Eventually this piece of paper makes it's way back to Kate's son.

Each section is a little too quick, and leaves a longer to find out more about the character.  However, each story needed to be short in respect to the novel's entirety. Respectively so, all is revealed in the end.  Because of the verses and stories being sectioned out, this one is a quick read.

This novel is a great reminder of how much little genuine acts mean; like looking someone in the eye or writing them an encouraging note.  God uses our small acts for His great plan, and it's okay that we don't necessarily always know how much what we do really means.

The Shepherd's Song, released March 11, 2014, is a fast paced read with a solid reminder of how much the small things in our lives mean.  While the small stories are a bit rushed it all comes together in the end, so hold tight.

This book was provided for review by NetGallry.

Book Review: "The Tyrant's Daughter" by J.C. Carleson

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I was offered the opportunity to read an advanced digital copy of The Tyrant's Daughter (Random House Children's), by J.C. Carleson, which when the story looks interesting is honestly a hard offer to turn down. This story is that of a middle eastern, royal, teenager girl that was forced to leave her war torn country for America.  Although she speaks perfect English she has to learn to translate something even more difficult, an entirely knew way of life and culture, particularly high school.  The most interesting aspect of this book, in my opinion, is how the cultures are viewed differently in each place...meaning lead character Laila views her formal life differently in America than she did back home.  Interesting as well to see how American culture looks different through the eyes of a foreigner.  The events that drove Laila to America may hit close to home, as they are happenings that you may often read about in the news.  This makes the novel extremely relevant.  I would recommend for HIGH SCHOOL aged teenagers to read it.  Some content may be too mature for young teenage readers.  Due to the cultural nature of this book it would be highly educational to read.  It's a quick, interesting read that will take you suspensefully from cover to cover. I would also recommend this to teenagers who may not like to read, the sections are broken down into small parts, so it would not be overwhelming for them.  Overall I really enjoyed learning about a different culture through American comparisons. 

Published: February 11, 2014

This book was provided for review by NetGalley