Crescent by Homer Hickam

A trained killer is captured by Crater Trueblood, the hero of Crater, who now does a lot less mining and lot more fighting.  The adventure starts when Crater sees past what she has been trained to do and realizes she is a person like anyone else.  Characters from the last book make appearances and join with Crater to battle mercenaries across the moon and have to rely on each other and Crater’s ingenuity to survive.  It mixes in a little history of the moon, and even some aliens to make a good sci-fi story.

It was an enjoyable book that had some good action scenes, but when the book was finished, it seemed unclear really what all the fighting was about.  There were hired mercenaries trained to kill that wanted to kidnap Maria, but for what purpose?  Ransom?  If money is the endgame, why pay an army to go after her.  It didn’t make sense.  There were good action scenes, but it really wasn’t clear why all that action was taking place.  Some of it was the result of Crater leaving Moontown with Crescent, but the rest of the fighting seemed to take place for no good reason.  It was good, but could have been better if there were some greater purpose.  Maybe the third book will bring it all together.

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.”

Intentional Walk by Rob Rains

Intentional Walk is about the daily struggles that baseball presents and how members of the St. Louis Cardinals use their faith to deal with them.  The book looks at several team members and gives a brief history of their career and their faith.  It also has a section that looks at the 2012 playoff chase and the Cardinals playoff run, ultimately resulting in the loss to the Giants.  A recurring theme is that baseball is really a game filled with ups and downs, like the Cardinals winning the 2011 World Series, and then falling short the next year.  As humans we all fall short and need to rely on God to bring us through, and it’s the same in baseball as it is in life.

I really enjoyed this book as it gave a glimpse into the clubhouse of the Cardinals and the personalities that it includes.  I was surprised at the stories of faith and the humble attitudes that you normally don’t get from athletes.  Each chapter was a mini-biography about the player and their faith.  It was both a baseball book and a book about life and how trusting in God through the good times and the bad will get you through.  I would recommend this book to any baseball fan, as it was an interesting look into one clubhouse and how their faith led them.

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.”