One In Thine Hand

One in Thine Hand: A Novel Set in Modern Israel by Gerald N. Lund

This one was republished in the past couple of years and lent to me by a family member. I think it was originally published in the 1970's but don't quote me.

I learned a lot in this book about Israel, Jews, Christians, Muslims and the fight for the Holy Land. All stuff I didn't know anything about. Can you tell I know very little about the Middle East?

I know you're thinking, Ugh, a history lesson book, but it's totally not like that. You follow well defined and deep characters on a journey through breaking down stereotypes and learning to listen with your heart. It's a story about faith and love and yes, you'll learn some important facts along the way about why there is so much hatred between the people that live there.

An eye opening read. I'm glad I read it. If you get invested in the characters like I did, be prepared to shed a tear or two and keep the Kleenex standing by for the ending.

Here's the blurb and link to Amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004YDHWXW/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_2?pf_rd_p=1535523722&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B003HFIPT8&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=0192DF5PZDH0CZJPQAE0

Brad Kennison is a returned missionary and a Vietnam vet looking for direction in his life. He makes a journey to Israel in the summer of 1973, at the height of the uneasy days leading up to the Yom Kippur War. Accompanying him through the Holy Land is Miri Shadmi, a fiery Israeli committed to the political survival of her state and scornful of Americans - like Brad.

With Miri as his reluctant guide, Brad feels the spiritual impact of the Garden of Gethsemane, relives the tragedies of the Holocaust at Yad Vashem, and visits Israel's monument to freedom, Masada. Along the way, the two battle about politics and religion and brave a run-in with Arab terrorists at a remote kibbutz. Rivalry soon gives way to romance, and both are forced to examine their commitment to faith, family and country.

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What historical book opened your eyes to another part of the world/culture?

Epic

Doesn't live up to it's name. If you name a film something that big, it should be awesome.

This one doesn't quite make it.

The storyline is predictable. Forest creatures battling to save or kill the world. Human girl gets thrown into the mix. yada yada yada.

The animation is AWESOME! Those people had so much fun creating the world and characters. Perhaps they should've channeled some of that creativity into the story.

Good voices. Nothing offensive.

Worth a view? Yes. Grab it on Redbox or Netflix

Worth a buy? Probably not unless you're kids beg on their knees. Mine didn't. That's $20 bucks saved.

Did you think Epic was epic fail or epic awesome?

Waiting Fate

Waiting Fate by W.B. Kinnette

This is a good romantic suspense read but not a great read. You can see the end from the beginning and I'm not convinced the very long prologue was necessary. Most of what's important to the storyline could've been told by the characters throughout the book.

There are several loose ends. Why did Ivy think everyone hated her in high school when the guys all think she's the best girl next door ever? Why did she rush into a marriage when she didn't love the guy all because she wanted a big white wedding, esp. when Ms. Kinnette makes it clear she's a smart cookie that was going places?

I like the interaction between Archer and Ivy, but I'm surprised so many of these people stayed in their same hometown after going to college or working and are living at home with their parents. Maybe it's a Utah thing I just don't understand. And why doesn't she come clean with her friends about the real reason for her divorce?

Why doesn't Ivy tell her parents and family everything about Vick her abusive husband? If it's a shame/pride thing, then that needs to be stronger. Because the way her family is painted they seem to be a real loving group so why the secrecy? And as a mom trying to protect her baby girl shouldn't her family know so they can help protect her from Vick. Because we all know people, esp. desperate people, break restraining orders. And if Ivy's so smart, why doesn't she take back up when she meets Vick?

Too many questions, not so many answers.

Don't misunderstand, I did enjoy the read and wanted to know how things got resolved, although like I said, you can see the end from the beginning.  So, I give it 3 stars and an pat on the back to Ms. Kinnette for effort. My sincere apologies to Ms. Kinnette is she finds parts of my review too harsh.

http://www.amazon.com/Waiting-Fate-ebook/dp/B00CY4A5IM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1372938087&sr=8-1&keywords=waiting+fate

Sometimes Fate hides in plain sight while you stumble through darkness.

Ivy escapes from an abusive husband, finding peace with her daughter in her childhood home. She’s determined to keep her past a secret to protect those she loves.

Archer has been in love with the same girl since seventh grade. When Ivy comes back into his life—bruised, broken, and haunted by secrets—he knows he can’t lose her again.

But Ivy made a promise to her daughter. No one would hurt them again. She’s afraid to trust, afraid to be wrong again, and afraid that the one man she’s loved forever will break her heart.

Fate might take it’s time, but it won’t wait forever.

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Me & Orson Welles

Okay, you need to be a die hard Zac Efron fan to sit down and watch this one, because it is slow. It's all about character, character development and Orson Welles.

It also helps to be a Claire Daines fan.

Young love, back stabbing, lies, learning the ways of the world and theater. That is this film.

Although, I can't say anything against the acting. I think perhaps it's the execution of the concept that is the issue.

One view is enough for me. I'm not even sure given what I've just said I'd recommend you watch it. Is it the worst movie I've seen, no. Best, not even close. Waste of 90 minutes of my life, quite possibly.

PG-13. Language and immodesty as I recall. Not to mention some questionable moral decisions.

What ranks on your waste of time movie list?

A Change of Plans

Donna K. Weaver's debut novel, A Change of Plans, is no amateur novel. 

It's really really good clean romance writing and I am hungry for her next one! (No pressure Ms. Weaver!)

Can love be found on a cruise when romantic dreams have been crushed? Can love blossom in false reality? What about when pirates intervene and survival becomes your only priority? How strong can love be?

The book grabbed me from the first page and didn't let me go until I finished it. It only took a few days. Thankfully two of those included uninterrupted reading time on planes. The story haunted me. I got emotionally tangled up with the heroine, hero and all the characters. I didn't cry, but sometimes I wanted to, and I didn't scream with frustration as I sympathized with the characters in their impossible situations, but I wanted to.

That's part of what makes this writing so good. Emotionally connected to the characters. Love the settings. Constantly putting Lyn and Braedon together and then ripping them apart again. Putting them in impossible situations and then extracting them in a believable way. It's a master class in romantic writing.

Totally jealous. Maybe we can convince her to teach a class at Midwest Storymakers next year. (hint hint)

In short: a worthy romance read. Don't miss it.

What's your best romance read so far this summer?

Here's the blurb and where to get it:

When twenty-five-year-old Lyn sets off on her cruise vacation, all she wants is to forget that her dead fiancé was a cheating scumbag. What she plans is a diversion uncomplicated by romance. What she gets is Braedon, an intriguing young surgeon. He's everything her fiancé wasn't, and against the backdrop of the ship's make-believe world, her emotions come alive.
Unaware of the sensitive waters he navigates, Braedon moves to take their relationship beyond friendship-on the very anniversary Lyn came on the cruise to forget. Lyn's painful memories are too powerful, and she runs off in a panic. But it's hard to get away from someone when you're stuck on the same ship. Things are bad enough when the pair finds themselves on one of the cruise's snorkeling excursions. Then paradise turns to piracy when their party is kidnapped, and Lyn's fear of a fairy tale turns grim.

http://www.amazon.com/Change-Plans-Donna-K-Weaver/dp/193685077X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1372905908&sr=8-1&keywords=a+change+of+plans+donna+k.+weaver

Closet Writer or Loud and Proud?

Whichever you are or aspire to be, make your way to the LDStorymakers Midwest Conference in Kansas City this Sept!

Check out the info here: 

http://storymakersconference.myshopify.com/

I'll be there and I hope to see you there too!

Warm Bodies

I'm not a zombie lover. Nothing about that genre seems all that appealing. Dead people killing live people to make more dead people and then what happens when all the living people are dead? Do they eat each other until all the dead are dead? Then the planet is devoid of all living and dead human life. Not sure how you work out a storyline with that.

So, it's ironic, that when the trailers for this movie came out, a small part of me sneaked up and said, "I want to see that."

What?

It looked like a potentially humorous zombie movie. Can such a thing be?

I finally caught a chance to watch it on video with two recent high school grads on vacation. Watching it with them cracked me up, because they 'watched' it while being on their phones the whole time. Can't this generation just put down the phone for two hours and enjoy a film they've already told me they like?

My thoughts:

Humorous, but not quite as funny as I'd hoped.

A clean storyline, but when you steal from Shakespeare you really can't go too wrong. I think it would be hilarious to read the screenplay for this one.

Zombie A: grunts
Zombie B: a shorter grunt
Zombie C: long groan
shuffle, shuffle

It's really amazing how much a zombie can convey to you when they have to keep the same expression all the time. I give full props to the main character, R, for keeping in zombie form (even while running) through out the film, even as he progresses and becomes more 'alive'. Really cool ideas of how a zombie functions.

Worth a view? Yes.

Need to own it? No.

There are a few words your kids shouldn't hear or say. No nudity or sex. I guess it was PG-13 for the language and violence.

What are your thoughts on zombies?