Tuesday, August 30, 2016

Chase The Lion by Mark Batterson




   How big is your dream? Or another question is: how large is your courage?
   Books cross my desk from time to time that expand the region of concepts. This is one of them.
   The point is we need to consider our approach to life. Will we play it safe or venture out and stretch? Will we stop fearing failure and dream big dreams which may scare us?
   Our dreams should push our faith and provide an opportunity for God to show up and show His power.   Most of the time we just act as though all the Christian life is about if getting up each morning and on Sunday we go to service and sit and listen to the sermon.
   Batterson suggests it is best lived as a life of dreams.
   This is not a text book. Rather it is a dream casting. In the 218 pages plus notes we are urged to think big. A change of pace + change of place = change of perspective. The outcome isn’t the issue. It is the obeying that is important.
    This is the book for those who need the encouragement to try new things. It will give you the fuel for your tank and the assurance you need that someone has your back.
   This book was sent to me free from blogging for books.com(http://www.bloggingforbooks.com) for the purpose of a review. There was no requirement that I like it. But I do. You will like it also.

Tuesday, August 2, 2016

Two Cozies I Enjoyed

   Every once in a while a person needs to just read for the joy of reading--not having to read for a blog post
   You notice the different name on this posting? That is because I am going to step back from the web postings for Blogging for Books and the Book Look blogger for this one time-- there may be more in the future-- but for now it is not a web blog posting for either of the above two.
   This is rather a look at two cozies I have read that I feel you might enjoy.
    I check out books from my library also so I am always able to find a book to read.
    The first cozy I want to look at is by Sally Goldenbaum titled Murder at Lambswool Farm. It is part of the Seaside Knitters Mystery series. It has a large cast of characters since we are drawn into the village and the area of Sea Harbor, Massachusetts. The story is carried in the third person point of view.
      The murder doesn't happen until the second third of the book, but there is action to carry you up to and past the murder. It has been said by the people who lecture on the genre that the murder is the high point and everything else is downhill.
        Goldenbaum keeps the story moving.
         We have the suspects. And the corpse. Also the sleuth. Of course the law.
         It is a peaceful town we are introduced to. A stranger comes into town. His car is being repaired. But that is just a reason  for his staying even after the car is fixed.
         There is the doctor who is cares for the town folks. He is the one killed. Poisoned. Was it the meal he ate that night?  Who would want to poison him?
          Very little is mentioned about the knitters.
        The other cozy I wish to introduce to you is somewhat different. It is by Teresa LaRue and is called A Talent for Murder. . 
     It is a new series and therefore the first book in that series that will be known as A Flower Patch Mystery.
     It is unique in having a group of sleuths-- a threesome of daughter, mother, and niece. It is told in first person. The niece is the one who is the point of view. The detective is the love interest. It moves well. It will be a good series.
      The title comes from something the murderer says.
      I would recommend these for those readers out there who wish to read something that will exercise the mind, since reading is a form of exercise and mysteries are a type of game played between the reader and the writer.