Stress Test by Richard L. Mabry, M.D.

Dr. Matt Newman seems to have it all with a promising career change on the horizon, a relationship that seems to be really going somewhere and a life that many would be envious of. But one night, everything changes when he becomes the victim of an assault with the intent to leave him dead. Instead, he finds himself caught up in a mess that continues to put him at the center of suspicion as things continue to spiral out of control. Armed only with the truth and a feisty lawyer that has her own issues with doctors and relationships, Matt attempts to put everything back into place and regain control of his life.

From the very beginning, I felt like everything was happening so fast. I knew what was going on, but it was tough to try and understand why. Throughout the book, little pieces begin to come together that left me intrigued and a little caught off guard by the end of the book. This is in no way a bad thing. Instead, it was nice to constantly be working to understand where the story was heading and watch as Matt makes some real changes in his life.

I was concerned about the author being a doctor. To be honest, I was waiting for lots of medical jargon that was going to go way over my head. Instead of bringing out a lot of explanations of medical conditions, the author brings a unique perspective to what it is like to be a doctor, working day in and day out to help save lives. He touches on some of the different types of employment and how they impact a person, as well as his or her loved ones.

The message was clear: No matter what happens, God is in control, even when we can’t see behind the scenes. To me, this is the type of novel that would appeal to just about anyone. While it is important to pay attention to keep up with the story, it is not a difficult read. Both men and women will find the plot, as well as the twists and turns interesting.

Thomas Nelson publishing provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. 

Truth Stained Lies by Terri Blackstock

Nothing is quite as it seems in Terri Blackstock’s Truth Stained Lies. Cathy Cramer makes a living pointing out her opinion on high profile crimes, often revealing information that makes the defendant look all the more guilty. But when things take a turn and her brother ends up on the other side of the law, everything changes. Now, she is working quickly to find the truth while another life hangs in the balance.

While it took a while to get into the book and become interested in the characters, once I understood where things were going, I was hooked. Blackstock works hard to weave together several different situations to make for a web that readers will enjoy unraveling. I love the idea of sister working together despite their different lives and responsibilities to help their brother.

There are just enough characters to keep track of and of course, become attached to. Smaller situations are going on in addition to the criminal case that each person is involved in. I will be the first to say that I would love to continue the story of the sisters, Cathy, Juliet and Holly, as well as their private detective friend Michael.

The themes of the book include the struggle with trusting in God when the surrounding circumstances continue to decline, something that most people can relate to. This is not a story of a family with perfect faith. Instead, it is a story of trusting and believing despite all of the challenges.

This is a book for anyone looking for an easy read that is engaging with just the right level of complexity. Blackstock has written several other books and I plan to check out at least one or two and give you my take on those as well.

Thomas Nelson Publishing provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

The Sky Beneath My Feet by Lisa Samson

Everyone faces those moments when the world feels like it has been turned upside down. For Beth, things really take a turn towards interesting when her husband, Rick decides to take up residence in the shed located in the backyard. While some start to look at him as a saint, she must face the challenges that come with continuing to raise two boys and struggling to make sure that somewhere along the way, she didn’t lose herself and her identity.  

If nothing else, the idea of a woman struggling with her husband moving out to the shed intrigued me. But after reading the book, I must admit that it was so much more than I expected. I could not help but laugh out loud at some of Beth’s internal dialogue and even though my husband isn’t the Men’s Pastor at church and we don’t have teenagers, I could sympathize with her struggles. She is a likeable and relatable character that keeps the story moving at the perfect pace.

The book was in no way predictable and doesn’t end up in a cliché. When I turned the last page, I was left feeling more inspired than anything else. Stuff happens and each person needs to decide how he or she will deal with it. This is definitely one that I would recommend to anyone looking for an easy, yet interesting read.

Booksneeze presented me with a complementary copy of this book for my review.

The Book of Man: Readings on the Path to Manhood by William J. Bennett

Is it possible to put together a collection of stories, poems, speeches and experiences that all provide insight into what it means to be a man? William Bennett has gathered information from a variety of different sources to shed some light of a topic that seems to be losing ground in today’s current social climate.

The book is divided up into readings that focus on the different aspects of man and how he interacts with the world around him. It starts out with an emphasis on man and war and moves on to topics like work, play, society, and women and children. Some of the names mentioned will probably surprise you by Bennett stresses the fact in the introduction that the men represented in no way represent the perfect man and fall short in some areas however they do strive towards the goal of manhood in some way, shape or form.

For me, the book took on a personal meaning as to me, I have two great examples of what it means to be a man in my own family, my husband and my dad. Both received copies of this book for Christmas with a special note from me inside. In addition to these two men, every day I see my seven year-old son get one step closer to his own manhood. My goal in purchasing the book for our family was to create time for my son and husband to read this together and talk about what it means to them.

I loved The Book of Man and the collection of items found inside. Don’t become overwhelmed with the sheer size of the volume. This is not something that you want to sit down and read cover to cover. Look at this book as a resource that you can come back to again and again to gain encouragement and hope that the definition of what it means to be a man is not dwindling, as society may like us to believe. Instead, the traditions and character that has been laid out in the past is continuing to thrive, one man at a time.

While this book was provided to me by Thomas Nelson Publishing, I ended up going out and purchasing a few copies for our family as well as others. It was the perfect Christmas gift!

Here's more information about the book for those interested in taking a closer look:

New York Times best-selling author William J. Bennett uses stories, essays, historical vignettes, and contemporary profiles to explore and explain what it means to be a man. Fashioning men has never been easy, but today it seems particularly tough. Boys need heroes to embody the everlasting qualities of manhood: honor, duty, valor, and integrity. Without such role models, boys will naturally choose perpetual childhood over the rigors of becoming a man—as many women, teachers, coaches, employers, and adults in authority can quickly attest. Have we forgotten how to raise men, how to lead our boys into manhood? In The Book of Man, Bennett charts a clearer course, offering a positive, encouraging, uplifting, realizable idea of manhood, redolent of history and human nature, and practical for contemporary life. Like his classic, The Book of Virtues, Bennett uses profiles, stories, letters, poems, and myths to bring his subject to life, defining what a man should be, how he should live, and to what he should aspire in several key areas of life.

Bold as Love: What Can Happen When We See People the Way God Does by Bob Roberts, Jr.

I can’t lie. I’m kind of a skeptic at heart. When I see a book that talks about bringing people from different beliefs together, I automatically make some assumptions. However, I was surprised to find that Bob Roberts Jr.’s book, Bold as Love  was anything but a map with multiple routes all leading to heaven. Instead, the book presented a sincere account of one man’s attempt to make changes in his community and throughout the world.

I was impressed with the honesty that the author offered as he described the way that he viewed some of the other members of various religions around him before he started to make changes. He openly admits some of the struggles that his church faced as well as some of the fears that come with stepping out of one’s comfort zone and looking to take a new and different path.

The perspective presented was one that I believe a lot of Christians should consider and take to heart. It cannot hurt to love those around us as God does. It cannot hurt to look at people through God’s eyes as opposed to our own. Despite how uncomfortable it might seem at first, there are rewards to be reaped as the action begins to take off.

The book itself is an easy read; filled with simple prose and sprinkled with stories about the author’s life experiences that show just how far he was willing to go to stand behind what he was trying to achieve. In the end, he didn’t just transform his community or even his fellow church members. He changed himself.

If you are looking for a challenge and want to make a positive impact on your community, strengthen your own beliefs, and take God’s love of others to the next level, this text provides you with a starting point.

This book was given to me by Handlebar Marketing in exchange for my honest review.