I've just finished "The Heart Mender" A Story of Second Chances by Andy Andrews and what a treat it was! This is the first I've read anything by this author....but it certainly won't be the last. Andy Andrews is a New York Times best-selling author of "The Noticer" and "The Traveler's Gift".

As the story goes the author, while digging up wax myrtle trees on his Gulf front property, found a rusty metal box of medals and pictures from the WWII era with definite Nazi connections. Of course this sparked interest and with his curiosity leading him he starts to question some fascinating people in the region that he thinks might have some clue to the story behind the box.

The author introduces the reader to Helen Mason, a young attractive American war widow and Lt. Josef Landermann, a German soldier who she finds washed up on the gulf coast shore near her home. You will read how their lives intertwine and how they learn the great lessons of reconciliation and forgiveness.

Throughout the book there were times that I thought that this story had to be true....and at other times I wondered if it was purely fiction. To the very end of the book I am still wondering.....and hoping that it is true.

I highly recommend "The Heart Mender" by Andy Andrews.

When a Woman Trusts God by Sheila Walsh

I think that as women most of us want to trust God, but much of the time it is a very difficult thing to do. In this book Sheila shows you how several Biblical characters learned to trust God in the most difficult of circumstances.....and the circumstances some of them had to live by when they didn't trust Him. She also made it clear in the book that the choices they made, whether to trust God or to trust in themselves, affected not only themselves but affected many future generations. She also shares her own personal story of going from a well-known Christian TV personality to spending time in a psychiatric ward. That's where she truly learned to trust God. She learned that the safest place to be, even though it may not look safe, is wherever Jesus is. She found that sometimes you have to go through the dark places to find the light....

Through her own experiences and those of Abraham, Nicodemus, Samson, and other Biblical characters the Author shows you how to trust God with your fears, your dreams, and your journey. And it is never too late to start trusting God.

In the book the Author includes a Discussion Guide and a complete Study Session for each chapter.

“The Long Way Home” by Andrew Klavan is a fictional story about a young man who is on the run from both the Police and a terrorist group called the Homelanders. This is the second book in the series, but I was happy to find that you didn’t need to read the first book to enjoy the second. The book is directed toward teens, but as an adult I found it very enjoyable. It has a fast-moving plot and some exciting twists and turns. The author takes you on Charlie West’s fearful and action-packed journey to find who really killed his best friend…a crime that he has been wrongfully accused of. Charlie goes back to his hometown where he meets up with several of his closest friends who could be in danger when they try to help him find the real killer. He is shocked to find that the master-mind of the Homelanders group is someone he knows very well and tries to gather evidence against him. In the end he has to save his girlfriend from this killer, is wounded in the fight, and is once again on the run. It leaves you wanting to read Book #3! I recommend this book for teens or adults.

Saving Cicadas by Nicole Seitz

Saving Cicadas by Nicole Seitz is a delightful story about an unwed Mother of two daughters (one who is a special child with downs syndrome) who finds herself pregnant once again. She decides to take a trip to her past to see if she can find some answers to her current dilemma…...and on the trip she brings along her daughters and her Mom and Dad. The story is full of surprises….just when you think you know what’s going on, everything changes and it’s not the way you thought it was at all. The author keeps you interested and wanting to read more. Every few pages takes a new twist and you find yourself wanting to read just a little bit further to find out where the story is going next.

For a while I did wonder about some of the things the author brought into the story that are not necessarily Biblical, (especially about humans becoming angels after death) but by the end of the book you understand what the author was trying to accomplish with the subject.

The author writes about each of the characters in this story in such a way that you fall in love with each one of them and you find yourself wanting things to work out for the best for each of them. The story is fun and fast-paced and the ending is very surprising, heart-warming, and thought-provoking. I would definitely recommend that you read Saving Cicadas.

Dr David Jeremiah’s newest book “Living With Confidence in a Chaotic World” has a very timely message. All of us are touched in some way by the things that are happening in our world and he has words of encouragement for staying confident. Dr Jeremiah encourages the reader to remember that no matter what we are going through “we have a direct line to the One Who knows what happens on the next page….because He wrote the whole story!” That’s a tremendous encouragement in times like these. He quotes Colossians 3:3 …”and your life is hidden with Christ in God.” There is no more secure place to be!

Dr Jeremiah gives us 10 chapters that deal with things that we can do to live with confidence….Stay Calm, Stay Compassionate, Stay Constructive, Stay Challenged, Stay Connected, Stay Centered, Stay Confident, Say Consistent, Stay Committed, and Stay Convinced. He delves in to each of these areas with Biblical wisdom. In the Chapter “Stay Committed” he talks about keeping our focus on Jesus during troubling times. We need to focus on His connection to us, His control over everything that concerns us, His care for us, and His commitment to us.

So if you or a loved one are suffering through tough times and are wondering what to do, read this book and allow Dr. Jeremiah to lead you to God’s word for your answers.

Getting through the 392 pages of the book “Green” by Ted Dekker was a daunting task for me…..at times I felt like I was just reading words and not really “getting” what was going on, at times wondering why I was wasting my time reading this book when I could be reading something I would actually enjoy, and at times kind of enjoying it. The best part came at the very end….the final chapter……384 pages of repetitive writing, too many characters, and much too much mention of blood. The book is written allegorically and you can recognize the various Biblical characters in this book. This was the 4th book in a series, but is actually book zero…..it can be read as either the beginning or the end. The characters go back and forth between the present (which is really the future) and the past ( which is really the present)….or is it the other way around? If you think that sounds confusing….the book is even more so. In the end the good wins over the evil…..which is always a good thing, but I‘m just not sure we needed everything that came before that. I have read several other Ted Dekker books….he is an excellent writer, but a little far out there. So if you like a far-out, strange, thriller….this book is probably for you. But am I recommending it? I don’t think so…..

Just wondering if this will work......