Trespassers Will Be Baptized by Elizabeth Emerson Hancock

I am reposting this review because I am going to get another copy to give away. Just post a comment to be entered. (If you have already commented, you don't have to do it again. You are already entered.) This second drawing will end on July 31st. Good luck.

Rating: 1.1.1

Recommended audience: Teen and up

Category: Memoir, Christian, Inspirational

Review: 4.5/5

It's finally here--the giveaway post for this gem of a book! I really enjoyed this "Unordained Memoir of a Preacher's Daughter". Hancock writes the stories of her childhood in a vivid, funny, and touching way. She tells what it was like growing up in Kentucky as the daughter of a Southern Baptist preacher. Her perspective on the world and her role in it as a PK (preacher's kid) made me laugh out loud at times and made me pause to think at other times. One of my favorite lines is in the first chapter when Hancock's father tells her, "The Southern Baptist philosophy rests largely on the principle that all God's glorious, perfect children are also dumb as dirt." That might make it sound like this book really bashes Southern Baptists, but it doesn't. It is just a look at life as a Southern Baptist through the eyes of a very bright, inquisitive child. I definitely recommend it.

Unveiled, Unshaken, Unafraid by Francine Rivers

Rating: 2.2.1 (PG - This rating does not necessarily apply to all three but a 2 is the highest degree of content for any of them.

Recommended audience: Teen to adult

Category: Christian, historical, inspirational

Unveiled -

This novella tells the story of Tamar. I didn't like this one as well as the others but it was still interesting. The culture was so different in the Old Testament and the laws and customs are so foreign to me. One of the best things about these little novellas is that it has made me stop and re-read these storis in the Bible and think about the real people who lived these lives. I'm not sure I agree with Rivers take on this one but it was very interesting.

Unshaken -

I liked this one. The story of Ruth is inspiring and this book helps put the culture of the time into better perspective. I learned more about what it is to be a gleaner and I also learned more about the different ethnicities of the time and the people's feelings regarding them. (Of course I do realize that the feelings part is speculation but I get the impression that Rivers did some good research on it, too.)

Unafraid -

I liked it but I've never been one to feel completely comfortable with Christ being portrayed in a book like this. On one hand it seems to be a little blasphemous to speculate on what He may have said that is not recorded in the scriptures but on the other hand it can help me feel a little closer to knowing Him as a person who lived and walked on the earth. I struggle with this issue. At least I can sense that Francine Rivers wrote this with the intent to show His pure love, mercy, forgiveness, and other wonderful qualities from the perspective of His mother. There is a lot of speculation here because there is so little told about Mary in the scriptures beyond the birth and a few things here and there. There were things I liked and disliked about the way she was portrayed. I'd be interested to hear what others think if you decide to read this book

Unashamed by Francine Rivers

Rating 1.1.1
Recommended audience: Teen to adult
Category: Historical, religious, inspirational
Review:

This is the second in the Lineage of Grace Series by Francine Rivers. The series consists of five novellas that tell the stories of five women in the lineage of Jesus Christ: Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheba, and Mary. Unashamed is Rahab's story. I must confess that I am not much of an Old Testament scholar so although the name Rahab did ring a small bell somewhere in the back of my mind, I did not remember this story. Rahab is a prostitute living in Jericho when the Israelites arrive in the Promised Land. She helps the spies that Joshua sends to Jericho and by so doing is saved from the destruction of Jericho. It is an inspiring story and reminded me again that we can change our lives for the better no matter how far we have fallen.

This is the first book in this series that I have read and there really is no need to go in order. Each story is completely indendent of the others. I listened to this as an audiobook and I thought it was a good recording. I will definitely read or listen to the other four books.

Gift from the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh

Rating: 1.1.1
Recommended audience: Women of all ages
Category: Inspirational, self-help


I haven't been able to read very much lately but I still want to post something so I am going to review some books that we've read for book club in the past. This is a beautiful book with lyrical prose and a heartfelt message. I think it is a must read for all women. Lindbergh wrote this little book as she was vacationing on a beach. As she found different shells along the shore, she compared each one to a different aspect of a woman's life. While I didn't agree with everything she said, I thought she had some wonderful insights and perspectives on women. This is a great book club book as it can generate many different topics of conversation.

The Wednesday Letters by Jason F. Wright

Rating: 1.1.1

Recommended audience: Teen to adult

Category: Inspirational romance

Here's another good, clean read from our friend Jason Wright, author of Christmas Jars. This book is sweet, with fun and funny characters that make you wish you could know them. The story is a little far-fetched at times (the Elvis story?...come on!) but sometimes that's what fiction is all about I guess. The story is about the letters that a husband wrote to his wife every Wednesday through-out their marriage. At the beginning of the book the elderly couple both die on the same night of separate causes. When their three grown children come home for the funeral they discover these letters and learn many things about their parents that they didn't know. This is a light, fun and quick read, nothing earth-shattering but good.

The Gift by Richard Paul Evans

Rating: 1.1.1

Recommended audience: Teen to adult

Category: Inspirational

The Gift tells the story of a boy who has the power to heal people and the effect this has on the people around him. I listened to this book on CD and found it hard to turn it off. It is a compelling story and the characters are likable and seem fairly real. I didn't love it though and I think it's because I just don't care for this genre of books. I had the same problem with Christmas Jars. I think I just prefer the messages of a book to be more subtle. I know many people have adored this book and all the others by Richard Paul Evans. I do think it is well written and the characters are well developed so if you like inspirational books you should definitely pick this one up. There are some very thought provoking ideas.

Christmas Jars by Jason F. Wright

Rating: 1.1.1

Recommended audience: Pre-teen and up

Category: Inspirational, Holiday

This is a cute book. It made me cry and cry again. When I was done reading it I thought it was a good, inspiring book. Now given time to reflect on it, I still think it's an inpiring book but I'm kind of mad at the author. It's probably like almost all Christmas books but I haven't read very many so I'm feeling annoyed now that the book seems so contrived to make people cry. I probably just have a bad attitude and am feeling a little hum-buggy this Christmas. I would still recommend this book. It's a quick read and definitely will put you in the Christmas spirit.