I decided to read The Thief (Howard Books), by Stephanie Landsem, simply because it looked interesting enough. I never was one that loved speculative historical fiction. I dabbled in it a bit last year, so I decided to give it a go. The Thief follows a young Jewish spinster (Nissa), who becomes the best thief in Jerusalem in order to pay the rent and keep her blind brother (Cedron) fed. She crosses paths with a Roman centurion (Longinus) who coincidently is hunting "the thief." Her blind brother is healed by a certain teacher you may have heard of (Jesus), but instead of their lives becoming easier, they become a lot more complicated. Cedron and Longinus become drawn to this teacher, and Longinus and Nissa to each other. Nissa's web of lies becomes even more complicated, and her heart torn. They end up in the middle of Jesus's arrest, trial, and crucifixion and must decide for themselves what the Truth really is.
I DEVOURED this story. I'm falling in love with stories that teach you to read scripture differently. Not to just read the same words you've always read but to look at the story from every single angle. I think then you are able to more fully understand. It tears your heart up a little more, and that's okay. There's something about imagining what it would have been like to be there, to see Jesus's eyes, to witness such true love and compassion. It wrecks me.
I would definitely recommend this book, and I would actually read it again (which is rare for me, there are just too many new books to read!)
I HAD to pick up Never Have I Ever: My Life (So Far) Without a Date," (Grand Central Publishing) by Katie Heaney, because it had been out for only one day and I had already read about it countless times all over the internet. Katie Heaney is a 25 year old who has (kinda) not dated, but has surely never had a boyfriend. I was smiling the entire time I read this book. Her stories of "love," or at least the trials and hopes of trying to get there, start in kindergarten and work up to her current age. We are both Midwesterners, went to catholic grade school, had crushes on some of the same 90s heart throbs, and have never had a boyfriend. Although I do really like Apples to Apples, and have not done some of the things she has. Katie is over all pretty relatable; I found myself laughing, cringing, and wanting to cry. So relatable in fact that after reading about her younger hers, I myself had a weird middle school feeling, like it just totally brought me back. I found myself reading parts out loud because I just couldn't get over how true they were (and how funny)! I am baffled at how Heaney could write and publish this (I could never), but I am so glad she did! As you follow her adventures in crushing you will learn so much more about friendship. Some of these pages may be from her (Lisa Frank) diary, but more importantly it is a beautiful ode to her friendships.
I think the last two lines sum of the book best "Falling in love is totally unimaginable to me. I think maybe the best things often are."
I received this book for free via Goodreads First Reads. Had I not, I'm not sure I would have stuck with it. The storyline is interesting enough (at least the concept is). However, it was far too crude for my liking, especially in places that didn't lend to plot development. To be honest I was much more interested in the story once I finished and discovered it's based off true circumstances. The mystery behind that is quite interesting, and I'm not sure this novel played it proper homage. If the...moreI received Frog Music (Little, Brown and Company,) by Emma Donoghue, for free via Goodreads First Reads. Had I not, I'm not sure I would have stuck with it. The storyline is interesting enough (at least the concept is). However, it was far too crude for my liking, especially in places that didn't lend to plot development. To be honest I was much more interested in the story once I finished and discovered it's based off true circumstances. The mystery behind that is quite interesting, and I'm not sure this novel played it proper homage. If the main characters were my ancestors I'm not sure I would be pleased at the assumptions placed upon their characters. I would not necessarily recommend the novel, but would neither dissuade a reader from picking it up. Expected publication: April 1st 2014
In her new novel, Stranger
Things (Thomas Nelson Publishers), Erin Healy explores the Celtic concept
of thin places, the ever growing sex-trafficking trade in America, and the idea
of a person sacrificing their life for a complete stranger.High School teacher, Serena’s, world gets
turned upside down when a student accuses her of the unthinkable.She retreats to her very own sanctuary to
process, only to discover she is not the only one drawn to this secluded spot.She crosses paths with a sex-trafficker.Not only is her reputation at risk, but now
her life is as well and a complete stranger steps in and sacrifices his life to
save hers.This stranger, Christopher,
has a personal mission to save young girls from the underground world of
sex-trafficking.He started by rescuing
his sister, Amber, and from there started a non-profit along with two
friends.Christopher and his colleagues
suspect Serena to be not only connected, but heavily involved in John Roman's sex trade ring, the man who lured in Amber.Serena
continuously finds herself entangled in a web she did not know was there.As soon as she finds a truth she seemingly
uncovers more lies.Unsure who to turn
to she struggles to find a way to clear her name, then to clear it again, to
figure out why a complete stranger would die for her, and the meaning behind
the “visions” she sees when at the abandoned fire house where Christopher died.
The lines between chapters become unclear, not because the
story is so, but because the plot line is continuously moving at a fast pace.The pages turn without recognition of number,
the cover refusing to close.Unique to
this story is the concept of thin places; the Celtic idea of places where the spiritual and physical veil is so
thin one can see through it. They blur the line between fact and fiction, when
in truth there may be no line at all.That is something Serena, while not the lone character to experience
thin places, is trying to continuously figure out.
While the challenges these characters face are most likely
not completely universal, they pry eyes open to a monstrosity that most are
unaware exist so close to home.Sex-trafficking
tends to be thought of an oversea trade, but is the third highest growing
crime.The “stranger” concept however is
quite universal.The idea of a stranger
sacrificing their life is as old as time.This novel in itself not only has so many layers that it begs to be read
twice, but it is in itself a “thin place.”
Stranger Things is
to be released December 31, 2013 and can be preordered here.It is a story that challenges how deep a
strangers actions can change one life; how one action can effect a decision to
change the outcome of events.As Healy
says in Stranger Things, “If everyone
only cared about one other person, we’d all be okay.”
Learn more about Erin
Healy and connect with her on social media sites via the attached link.
*This book was provided for review by the author via NetGalley*
I'm so incredibly excited and honored to host the following Erin Healy interview on my blog! (The last three questions are mine, and I'm pretty much jumping up and down right now!) Psssst...you can read an excerpt of Stranger Things and throw your name in for a chance to win yourself a copy!
Erin Healy’s latest supernatural
thriller, Stranger
Things, comes to stores on
New Year’s Eve.
Library Journal says: “Serena Diaz’s teaching career
came to an abrupt end when a student falsely accused her of sexual misconduct.
Seeking solace in the woods, she discovers that a gang of sex traffickers has
taken over a vacant house. Serena is almost captured by one of the criminals
but is saved by an unknown man who has been shadowing her. He is shot, and
Serena escapes with her life. But she is drawn to know more about this stranger
who died for her. What follows is a suspenseful story of danger and pure evil.
Whom can Serena trust in a world that seems intent on serving its own
self-interests?VERDICTHealy (Afloat; coauthor with
Ted Dekker,BurnandKiss)
has written an edgy, fast-paced spiritual thriller that will please Dekker
fans.”
How
was your idea for Stranger Things
born?
Two years ago, during a Good Friday service, my
pastor (Kelly Williams of Vanguard Church, Colorado Springs) asked the congregation: “If
a complete stranger died while saving your life, wouldn’t you want to know everything
you could about that person? Wouldn’t you want your life to honor that person’s
death?” He challenged us to consider Jesus Christ in a new light—as a stranger,
as a savior we might not know as well as we think we do. This idea has roots in
Romans 5:8—“While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Before I ever had
the chance to know him, while he was a complete stranger to me, Christ died for me. The
Message translation says “when [I was] of no use whatever to him.” Why
would he do that? Have I investigated him thoroughly enough to connect my own
life with his purposes? This is all background, though. Stranger Things isn’t an overtly Christian tale as my previous
novels have been, but it’s a parable about these questions.
Stranger Things sounds
like a pretty dark read. Why did you choose to write about sex trafficking?
Human trafficking (of which sex
trafficking is a subcategory) is the world’s third-fastest growing illegal industry
behind drugs and weapons. It is the most horrifying kind of modern captivity I
can imagine, and my research proved that even my imagination fell short of
reality. I picked it because it’s a real contemporary crisis, but also because
it profoundly symbolizes the kind of bondage that Christ came to end (Isaiah
61:1-3). Freeing the captive, physically and spiritually, is a high calling for
followers of Jesus who want to express their gratitude for his sacrifice and
demonstrate his love through the continuation of his work.
What does all this have to do with the “thin places” that you’re always
talking about?
The traditional (Celtic) definition of
a thin place is a physical location in the world where the division between
physical and spiritual realities falls away, a place where we can see the
greater truth of our existence. In my stories I use the term “thin place” to
define moments when a person experiences a sharpened spiritual awareness about
what’s really going on in his or her life. Stranger
Things is the first novel in which
I’ve combined both ideas. The thin place is a physical location, a burned-out
house in a sparse terrain, where Serena discovers her purpose. “There are
places in the world where you will encounter things so real that you will be
surprised others don’t have an identical experience,” Serena’s father tells
her. “But then you will realize that the clarity given to you is a gift from
God. Perhaps this gift is just for you, maybe also it will touch the lives of
others.”
Did anything surprise you while writing the novel?
I started with intentions to write
about an Asian-based trafficking ring, but in the course of my research was
distressed to learn just how close to home the problem lies. Though it’s
impossible to get a precise count of how many people are victims of sex
trafficking in the US, most estimates fall between 100,000 and 300,000 (mostly
women and children). Since I learned this my own awareness has expanded, and
I’m happy to see just how many efforts are already underway—not only in the
US—to end this atrocity. The
Polaris Project is a great
place to begin learning about global human trafficking.
What do you hope readers will take away from Stranger Things?
I hope the novel is layered enough to
meet each reader individually. Maybe some will be challenged to investigate
Jesus Christ further. Maybe some will use their new awareness of trafficking to
do something about it. (I’ve joined the prayer team of a local home for girls
rescued from sexual slavery.) To date my favorite response to the book was from
the person who found herself looking in a new way at the strangers who
surrounded her. She felt unexpectedly protective and concerned, on heightened
alert to ways in which she might be able to help them. In other words, ways in
which she might be able to do what Christ did for her. So many opportunities! If
we all moved through the world with eyes like that, what might change for the
better? I love to think of all the possibilities.
What is the most memorable "thin place" you have experienced?
The most memorable--maybe because it was the most sensory--was a small town in England that has an ancient history of druid activity. Today the town plays up this element for the tourists, but I was there as a student. It was only for a lunch stop. My class was passing through en route to another city. I remember the afternoon being foggy and damp, which is usually "comfort weather" for me, but not this day. There was a chill to the place that made me uneasy and even frightened, stranger still in the middle of the day. I ate quickly and returned straight to the bus with a couple of other students who felt the same way. We waited for others to return from a short hike, feeling an urgent need to leave. Nothing significant "happened" that day, but I've never experienced the same sensations of inner discomfort anywhere else, not even in other similar towns
What is the most difficult part of being both an editor and an author?
Learning how to be a book author was like being in therapy to build up half my brain. For me, editing is a pretty left-brained activity, and writing is right-brained. (It seems I'm going to have to come up with a different metaphor. Apparently all this left-right-brained stuff is a myth after all.) Still, I think I went into authorship looking a little bit like a circus freak show, half strong man (editor), half stick insect (author). Today my brain is a little more balanced, and I think of my two functions being complimentary. Writing makes me a better editor, and editing makes me a better writer. Other than that the most difficult part is finding time to do both as much as I really want to!
What story that you have published was the most difficult for you to let go and let others into? Why?
I've never thought about this before. Each story is difficult to let go of for different reasons. I wrote Never Let You Go about specific people I know and was worried they'd see themselves in it (they didn't). The antagonist of The Baker's Wife is a horrible Christian man, and I thought my portrayal of him might offend (if he did, no one told me). House of Mercy is my favorite story to date--it's my most personal story about the spiritual question that is hardest for me to answer. I didn't want to be so transparent. Also, there's more of the story to tell, and I don't know when I'll have the chance. I worried people wouldn't "get it." Some didn't. But many did, and that's very rewarding. So I guess that fear is what makes a thing hard to let go of, which is funny, because in my experience God always turns out to be greater than the fear.
This review will be a little unlike the others seeing as I was able to attend one of the tour stops. I'll talk about that first and then my review of the book will follow. Now, the tour stop was a little different from the rest being that there was no church to house the full event so it was just a signing and a mini talk with Ted standing on a chair
Something that really resonated with me was (and I maybe paraphrasing a little but I'm pretty sure I'm pretty close)
"When we forget about what others can do for us we are able to truly appreciate them as the wonderful gifts they are."-Ted Dekker
That is SO how God loves us! Not for what we can do for Him; we can do NOTHING for Him, but just because we are us and we are precious. How beautiful if that was the Love we showed one another, seeking nothing, just pure.
The other thing that stood out was a direct quote from John 5:22
"the Father judges no one."
And then Ted said "Did you know that?" You know what, I didn't! I have continuously breezed right over that. God the FATHER judges NO ONE! So why are we so hard on one another? Why are we so hard on ourselves? Why do the temporary things take such a priority?
So then we take a quick trip to the yogurt place a couple doors down to use the restroom. Those girls were SUPER nice! And chatted about Dekker, Duck Dynasty, and Veggie Tales with the couple in front of us. When we got close the staff wanted quick pics with Ted and I took the opportunity to ask for a pic with Kevin Kaiser (Ted's manager), because it's tradition and I'm really truly that much of a book nerd. He seemed pretty excited that someone wanted their picture with him and knew who he was. Then, as last time, he told us how his wife is from Green Bay (my sister was wearing a GB cap) and how his daughter is a huge cheese head! Go Pack Go! He also thought we were friends with the couple in front of us.
Then it was Ted time and he is my absolute favorite author. To have had this opportunity once was crazy enough, to have it twice is just beyond. I told him this (Outlaw) had become my favorite of his books. And his response was "Really? How old are you?" (Pretty random, but so needed as so from God!) I responded and it was clear that's not the best topic with me. He asked me if people think I'm younger than I am. And I responded that yes, it happens ALL the time. And he said "That bothers you?" "It does." And he said "Don't do that to yourself, you are making yourself suffer. God gave you a beautiful costume and you should embrace it." I could have cried, right to my heart and something that's been driving me nuts lately. He gave me a hug and told me again that I am beautiful and to embrace it.
Everything I had understood from this story and found beautiful I didn't take to heart, not until tonight when I was pierced with it. Why would I be so bothered by how God made me? Why was I finding it so difficult to separate not only my costume but what others perceived it as from who I really am? I could not be more grateful for those words Ted spoke to me tonight.
He also noticed that my little sister looks older than me and that's probably where it stems from. He told us and the people behind us about a Ted talks video he had watched that day about monkey's that relates to the sibling situation.
Book Review
Outlaw, by Ted Dekker, is probably the book I've been most excited to read in some time! I am a huge Dekker fan and I knew that this book was based off of the jungles that he grew up in as a kid. That made it especially interesting wondering where the truth and imaginations began and ended as I read. I can tell you this is also my favorite book of his that I've read in some time. The writing style is SO completely different than anything else he's written. (In my opinion).
This is the story of Julian Carter. The lack of love that she faces as a child, as a wife, and her clawing at a hope in religion. When she has a son, Stephen, through a marriage of convenience she starts having a persisting dream about a jungle and a beautiful song. The dream does not leave her and when her husband dies she longs to chase it.
Being a missionary is not something that is not recommended for a single woman and a toddler, but she sets off on a journey of her own to see if her dream is something that is reasonable, if it is not just something in her head. She is lost at sea and taken slave by a savage tribe. She fights for her life, and against the "life" she has known to the one she is now forced to lead. The only way out of the jungle is in fact death, which many times is the foreseeable outcome.
You will be astounded by who in fact was born to change the world. The lines between worlds are both black and gray. You will question how you view the world, how you view yourself, and your costume. The novel has almost two tones, being the first half deals mostly with Julian and the second with Stephen. The stories are real, the are about us, no matter what world we are living it. It is all just one isn't it? Love will never look the same. I am Outlaw. Are you?
I had tears on the edge of my eyes the WHOLE time. There is SO much, SO much to learn from this story. The story itself is page-turning and raw.
Want to win Ted Dekker's new book "Outlaw" that was just released yesterday? Click the link to throw your name in? http://apps.shelf-awareness.com/signup/98/75400
