Crater (A Helium-3 Novel) by Homer Hickam

Crater is about a boy by that name that lives in a colony on the moon. Obviously it is about much more than that. He's an orphan raised by his best friend's mom, who happily works mining on the moon. Conveniently, Crater is just the kind of person the General is looking for to complete a vitally important mission. The mission takes him across the moon, where he comes into his own while meeting interesting characters on his adventures.

The idea for the book was intriguing to me and I think that Mr. Hickam pulled it off. I was interested in the book to the very end. The treasure was a bit of a let down, but the ramifications of it keep the story going. I enjoyed the different characters that Crater meets and thought that they complimented the story well. There were some predictable plot points, but they didn't take away from my enjoyment of the book. It will be interesting to see what comes in future books, with the foundation that was laid in this book. I look forward to more installments in the series to see what Crater and his friends will get themselves into next time.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255 : "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Exploring the Unexplained: A Practical Guide to the Peculiar People, Places, and Things in the Bible by Trent Butler

I wanted to get this book because I had some questions that I was hoping this book would explain as the preview indicated.  “Exploring the Unexplained: A Practical Guide to the Peculiar People, Places, and Things in the Bible answers all your questions about unusual, hard-to-explain, and difficult-to-understand stories in the Bible.”  When I got the book, I was disappointed because it had an A-Z listing of things in the Bible, a brief description and then a Bible verse to go along with it.  I had already read the Bible verses relating to the topic I was interested in, so this was no help.  I think this book is a limited Concordance at best.  It does list a lot of obscure people and places in the Bible and shows you where to find them, but I was hoping for something that dug a little deeper and pulled in research from elsewhere to explain what the Bible says on certain topics.

Although I was disappointed with it for my purposes, I think the book would be good for Bible trivia games as outlined in the intro to the book.  It just wasn’t what it was marketed to be, a book to explain peculiar things in the Bible.  It just gave a brief description and showed you where to find it.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

All Pro Dad: Seven Essentials to be a Hero to Your Kids by Mark Merrill

Following some of the pattern of the website’s daily emails, it provides guidance and tips for fathers followed by a “Huddle Up” with questions that you can ask your children.  It focuses on the 7 “M’s” to execute the fundamentals of Love and Leadership.  The chapters go over each of the seven: Makeup, Mind-set, Motive, Method, Model, Message, and Master. 

I think that this book goes over some of the basic ideas of most parenting books.  To be an effective parent, you need to focus on your relationship with God first and then your relationship with your family, and putting those before yourself.  I like the way that each chapter focuses on a different idea.  It seemed to flow well and kept the book moving to the end.  He mixed in his own experiences with the advice of some famous fathers, which most of those fit in well.  I thought the book got better as it went and I enjoyed the last few chapters the most.  One of the most important reminders, I think, is that our children are always watching us, so while what we tell them can be important, being an example worthy of following is more important.  

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Behemoth by Jonathan C. Leicht

Behemoth is about two groups that are searching for what they believe to be current day dinosaur, battling with groups who don’t believe in their quest and want to keep it under wraps if they are successful.  It follows the two groups through the jungles of Africa, hot on the tail of the secretive creatures.  Many legends are told of the creatures by the natives, but are not taken seriously by the Western world, until these two groups go out hunting.

The book has a good story and some of the action is exciting.  It does go into “lecture mode” at several points in the book, which seemed like forced dialogue.  The problem seemed to be that the characters were never fully fleshed out.  One of the adventurers talks about his mentor who was a staunch evolutionist that changed to become a creationist.  It is not explained how this happened, and that mentor was one of the main explorers in the other group.  I felt like there might be some interesting stories to be told about them, but was left in the dark.  I felt like they told more of a back story about the missionary, which was great, but she wasn’t a main character.  I think I knew the most about her.  I think that the book had a good story line, but could have had more character development and it would have made the story more enjoyable.  I think this book would be good for middle school or high schoolers.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Redemption - by Bryan Clay with Joel Kirkpatrick

The decathlon is one of the most demanding events in track and field, and Bryan Clay is the reigning Olympic Gold Medalist.  This book is the story of his journey from a troubled youth in Hawaii, to dominating the Olympic Games in Beijing.  There were a lot of bumps along the way, but with his faith in God and surrounding himself with his family and trusted mentors, he succeeded in attaining gold.

Not knowing much about the decathlon, other than the Dan and Dave commercials, this book was an education in what all goes into the sport, and to professional track and field.  It takes a lot of determination and skill in multiple events.  He showed how by doing his best and putting his faith in God, he can accomplish things that he never thought were possible.  It would be interesting to learn more about his foundation and what he is doing with that, as it was only touched on in the epilogue.  Maybe he’ll write a follow up after London 2012.  It will be interesting to see if he can become the first decathlete to medal in three Olympic Games.  I would recommend this book to anyone, but think it might be best for those that have an interest in track and field.  It does focus a great deal on what he went through during training and events.  I found it interesting, but those that don’t care for track and field may not.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Simply Grilling by Jennifer Chandler

With the early Spring, this book comes out right on time to get outside and fire up the grill with some new grilling ideas.  The book is filled with grilling tip and recipes for meats, veggies, salads and sides.  It also has a section on desert ideas, with many of them also using the grill. 

I enjoyed the many different recipes in this book and look forward to getting outside and trying them out.  It had some traditional meat recipes, but also included some interesting marinades to spice up the traditional steak or burgers.  I’m hoping to grill more vegetables this year and this book gave me some good ideas on sweet potatoes, corn and asparagus.  The book gave good ideas for indoor grilling as well, and included a list of the equipment that you’ll need to get that great grill flavor.  It had a good mix of different types of foods to give everyone something to look forward to grilling.  This book will make a good companion to your grilling adventures.  I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys grilling and is looking for a few more recipes to try out his summer.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

The 13th Tribe by Robert Liparulo

This is an alternate view on the story of the golden calf and the lives of those that were punished because of it.  It’s take is that not only were they not allowed to enter the Promised Land, but they become immortal and are forced to spend their lives on Earth.  That is just the back-story to The 13^th Tribe.  It starts from there and brings it to modern times where Jagger, an ex-Army Ranger working security, is thrust into the mix on Mt. Sinai.  The Tribe is working on a plot to wreak havoc on a major city in their attempt to earn God’s favor.  Jagger and a mysterious helper are on their tails and will stop at nothing to prevent the disaster.

I was unsure whether or not I would enjoy this book.  I think that the story is a little “out there,” but that’s okay.  I think that it does focus on critical matters, like faith and works.  It uses the story to reinforce the fact that we are saved through grace by faith and that it isn’t about the works that we do.  I think a few examples of this would be Beth and Owen.  Beth tries to remind the Tribe of this.  Owen, while doing good works around the world, does it out of love and not with a thought that it will bring him salvation. 

I think the story had a lot of build up, and then ended fairly abruptly.  There were minor characters that were brought in at the end that I think could have been left out, but it didn’t take away from the story.  I enjoyed the book and think it would benefit from more in a series to give a little more background on each character.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

What a Son Needs from His Dad: How a Man Prepares His Sons for Life by Michael A. O'Donnell.

I think the goal of every parent is to give their kids the tools they need so that they can be normal people.  This book focuses on the relationship of a father to his son(s).  Each chapter goes into details on the subjects of working hard, having fun, friends, developing a relationship with Christ, being a good citizen and sexuality/marriage.  The author used passages from scripture and from other books to offer good ideas and stories to enhance his points in each chapter.

I think the thing that I realized most about this book, and from watching our kids, is that being a good example has got to be the most important part.  You can tell them all kinds of things that they should do, or ways that they should act, but if you don't back that up yourself, it's somewhat pointless.  That's kind of an eye opener and should be a constant reminder. 

For a parenting book, I enjoyed it.  It wasn’t a book that you burned through the pages because you couldn’t wait to get to the end, but I suppose that wasn’t the point.  It was meant to be a book to read and consider.  I would say that it was a success in that regard. 

I received this book from Bethany House as a part of their book review program.