Book Review: Belong To Me by Marisa de los Santos

Here is another book by my latest favorite author, Marisa de los Santos.  "Belong To Me" continues our look into the life of Corneliea Brown, while introducing us to some wonderful new characters.  This story stands alone from "Love Walked In" but I feel that by reading "Love Walked In" first greatly increases the enjoyment of the novel.

Ms. De los Santos gives us a wonderful look at the relationships between women. I think that the main theme of the book is showing us the difference in superficial connections to others and real emotional connections.  Through her characters she allows us to see how being true to yourself will enrich your life.

I really liked the character, Piper.  She is, in my mind, a queen-bee, Stepford wife, head cheerleader type person at the beginning of the book.  She is just an awful person.  The kind you love to hate because she is so hateful.  As Piper deals with her best friends terminal cancer battle, we watch her change into a "real" person.  To see her realise her mistakes and learn to be genuine, you just fall in love with her.  It makes you feel like you can change those thing you don't like about yourself, if she can overcome being a total jerk. LOL!

There are a couple of other main characters that I won't go into here.  I'll just leave it at they are just as full and well developed as Cornelia and Piper.  You will really enjoy getting to know them.

I would definitely recommend reading this one!

Book Review: The Scroll by Grant R. Jeffrey & Alton L. Gansky

This is one fun archaeological thriller.  Oh yeah, it's a Christian Fiction book, too.  Don't you just love it when you read a Christian Fiction book and it doesn't scream "CHRISTIAN" the whole time you are reading it?  I hope I'm not the only one that feels that way.  Sometimes I just find that they try to hard to be "good" in the writing of the story.  I figure if it's a good enough story they don't have to hit me over the head with the message of Christianity.  This book seems to have found that line.

This is the story of Dr. David Chambers, a leading biblical archaeologist.  He has spent his career finding archaeological proof of things depicted in the Bible.  At the start of the story he has fallen away from his faith in God.  He wants to leave the world of the Bible and explore different cultures.  This is much to the dismay of his professional colleagues.

David is talked back into "one last dig" in the Middle East by an old friend and mentor.  He tempts him by implying they have and idea of where to find the riches mentioned in the Copper Scroll.  If they do find these riches, then history will be altered forever.  Will this change be good or bad?  It all depends on ones beliefs.

When sabotage at the site begins at the sites, the actions really gets going.  This book contains all the key elements needed for an action packed thriller.  It has love, murder, secrets, history, & betrayal.  Who could ask for more?

I don't want to give away much of the story.  It's just to much fun to "watch" it unfold while you read it.  If you like historical fiction and mystery's, this book is a great choice.  I loved the settings, the characters, and the plot.  This is one to read!

Please Rank My Review!!  Thanks!


I was given this book by WaterBrook-Multnomah Publishing for review.  The opinions expressed are my own

Book Review: Rumors of God: Experience the Kind of Faith You've Only Heard About by Darren Whitehead & Jon Tyson

What to say about "Rumors of God?"  For some reason this book just didn't capture my attention the way that others of the same genre have in the past.  I'm not sure if it was me or the book to be honest about it.  Maybe it is because I have read so many other books of this type.  It just seemed to be saying the same thing.  I didn't find any "new" nugget of insight contained within the pages.

Mr. Whitehead and Mr. Tyson each take turns writing chapters in the book.  They were faithful to let the reader know which of the two was writing at any given time.  I'm not sure that it really mattered though in the overall scheme of the book.  Each told stories, from their church family experiences, on how God wants to and is willing to work in our lives if we give him the chance.  They tackle the ideals of Abundant Life, Generosity, Grace, and Freedom just to name a few.

I know that my review seems very negative and I wish is didn't seem that way.  This book contains very good information and teaches some wonderful Christian practices.  If you are looking for a book to renew your drive to know God, this book will fit your need.  On the other hand, if you have already read several books on that topic, this one will say much the same thing.

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.”

Book Review: "Love Walked In" by Marisa De Los Santos

I just finished reading this wonderful book.  It is written in such a way that the characters just come alive on the page.  I had a hard time putting this book down last night and going to bed.  I woke up eager to start back up again.

There are two main characters in this story Cornelia Brown and Clare Hobbs.  Cornelia is the type of character that I wanted to become when I was younger.  She is full of dreams, hopes, and movie quotes.  She is also very real in the fact that she knows that "real lives" aren't like those on the movie screen.  That doesn't stop her from stepping into a life that feels very movie like to her.
 
Clare is an eleven year old girl that is wise beyond her years.  She is a child that evokes feelings of awe and pride in the reader.  I just felt that she was right up there with the children's book heroines that she adored.  Clare was also very "real" in her emotions.  There were times you just wanted to find her and hug her.

The was Marisa De Los Santos first novel.  She has since released two more novels.  Her second continues the story of Cornelia Brown.  I just can't wait to go find that book and find out what happens next in the story.

Book Review: "Dinner with a Perfect Stranger" by David Gregory

I just loved the idea for this story.  A typical workaholic man gets an invitation to dine with Jesus.  The possibilities seem amazing.  What would you ask him?  What would he look like?  How would he act toward him?

The entire book is set over the course of Nick Cominsky's dinner with Jesus.  Nick doesn't pull any punches with Jesus.  Since he thinks that this dinner is a hoax, he works hard to try and trip up Jesus.  While he is grilling Jesus, Nick starts to believe that he is the real deal.  He starts to really hear what Jesus has to say and over the course of one dinner, Nick's life is changed forever.

The book was very fun to read.  It is a short book so it doesn't take very long to finish.  I think I read it in a couple of hours.  Although it is short, I thought it had some really good insights.  I wouldn't say that there was anything that was life changing for me but it was all good.  It might pack more of a punch for someone that was "on the fence" of Christianity.

I think that I would recommend this book to someone wanting an uplifting read but doesn't have much time.  I would have preferred that the story be more in depth.  It left me wanting more.  I guess if you have to say something bad about a book, that is a pretty good one.


Disclaimer: I was given this book to review by WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing

Review: Ike’s Chili at 5941 E. Admiral Pl Tulsa, OK 74115

I had the opportunity to each lunch at Ike’s Chili this past Tuesday, 7-26-11.  This was the first time I had been to this restaurant.  My father had always raved about how wonderful the food was there.  As a matter of fact, he says it’s the best chili he has eaten.  Needless to say, he had built it up pretty good for me.

We arrived at Ike’s at around 12:45pm.  My first impression was that I probably wouldn’t have stopped here if I hadn’t been strongly encouraged by my father’s praise.  The restaurant is a tiny shop in a run down strip center.  The parking was tight and crowded.  To be honest, it looked a little scary.

When we went into the restaurant, all except two tables were filled.  It is a very small place.  I was surprised by the number of men in suits eating there.  You could tell that word on this place was out in the corporate world.  We found a table and grabbed the paper menu’s that were already at the table.  I was glad that the menu’s were clean.  I kind of wondered if they would have chili spots all over them since they were just paper. 

Our waitress stopped right away and was super friendly.  After she took our drink order, we asked her opinion about serving size.  We were trying to see if a “regular” or “special” were the right size for a average serving.  She said that the regular was pretty small and that she would go with the special.  Her advice was spot on!  The special size of the “Three Way” was perfect.

As stated above, I ordered the Three Way, which is spaghetti, chili, & beans.  They offer the choice to add onions, peppers, & cheese if you want.  I choose to add some cheese to mine. It arrived VERY quick. The cheese came on the side so I could add as much or as little as I wanted to my lunch.  The food was delicious.  The temperature was hot but not so hot that you couldn’t dive right into eating.

When it was time to leave, the waitress had left the ticket on our table after serving our food, we walked to the counter to pay.  The gentleman that rang us up was very friendly.  He took our compliments in stride.  We told him that we were from out of town and stopped there because of the high praise from others.  He joked with us that they are looking to open franchises in other towns.  It was friendly banter but a smooth way to let us know of the opportunity. 

I will definitely go back to Ike’s when I’m in Tulsa.  It had great food and great service.  I hope that they make a go of franchising the business but I doubt that a new place could hold the charm of the original.

I'm so excited!!

I'm so excited!  I've been selected to attend the Women of Faith conference this fall in OKC for free.  I applied through Booksneeze.com, which is one of the sites that sends me books to review.  I'll be posting facebook updates during the sessions and blogging about what I learn/see.  That is what I have to do to earn my tickets.  Not a bad deal, if I do say so myself.

This is the first time I've ever been selected to blog about something this big.  Here is a preview video about what the weekend will include.

If anyone is interested in going, please give me a call.  Perhaps we can ride together.  At the very least, we can talk about what and who we are excited about seeing there.  I'm really psyched to see Lisa Whelchel, homeschool mom & former "Facts of Life" actress, and Andy Andrews, author of "The Final Summit." 
Have any of you out there ever been to one of these before?  Let me know what you think.