Top Ten Tuesday - Featuring Authors From The Gem State

 

Happy Tuesday, and welcome to another edition of Top Ten Tuesday sponsored by That Artsy Reader Girl. Today's topic is author's from your state. This is a really fun prompt. 

Angela Ruth Strong, who lives in Boise, Idaho.

Brandilyn Collins lives in Couer De Laine, Idaho.

Carrie Stuart Parks also lives in Northern Idaho.

If you aren't familiar with the ladies above, I'm sure you know who this guy is: Frank Peretti. He also lives in Northern Idaho. 

Heather Woodhaven lives, I believe in the Boise area.

Lisa Phillips lives in Boise, Idaho.

Nicole Deese lives in Post Falls, Idaho.

Peter Leavell lives in Boise, Idaho.

Robin Lee Hatcher lives in Boise, Idaho. 

Rachelle Nelson lives in Boise, Idaho.

I have so many authors from Idaho that I need to meet!!! I read Robin Lee Hatcher's A Vote of Confidence in 2009 when it was released. I've met Angela Ruth Strong, and she's a hoot! I think I'm going to need to add author meetings to my bucket list. 

What authors are in your state? Let me know in the comments.

Top Ten Tuesday - Inspirational Spooky Reads

Welcome to another edition of Top Ten Tuesday hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. Today's topic is a Halloween Freebie. Normally, when we think of spooky, creepy reads Stephen King comes to mind but there are actually some fabulous spooky, creepy reads in Inspirational fiction.

   
I read this book in 2009 and it continues to stick with me. Susan Meissner writes a historical time slip novel that is both present day and the 1600's. It gives a huge eye opener to the Salem Witch Trial period.

     

Ted Dekker is known for books that have a supernatural element to them but in this book he teams up with his daughter and the spooky level is heightened.

This book by Siri Mitchell isn't so much creepy and spooky as it is real. The scary part about this book is how well the truth is perceived as a lie and a lie is perceived as the truth. 

I haven't read this book yet, but I've been hearing loads about it and the different layers within the story. Especially, the old mansion that is in the story and dreams that become nightmares. 

Like Ted Dekker, Tosca Lee has a element of supernatural within the story and this book has it in spades. If you haven't read it you definitely need to!

I just got this book and the back cover copy is beyond freaky but one that is doable. I'm not one that likes to be scared out of my wits but I enjoy the thrill of being scared a little.

Mike Dellosso has studied Frank Peretti well because this book has the same feel as any of Peretti's books.

If you need a reason to know why prayer is the biggest weapon we as believer's have you must read this book!



















Not a spooky read in the least but a definite fun one!




















I adore this book! It was a gift to my children and I must of read it hundreds of times to them. The beauty of this book is that it shows God's love for us and the message of salvation.











Even though I haven't read two of the books listed these books are all inspirational and clean.

Now, it's your turn . . . what book's are your Halloween favorites? Tell me in the comments.

Memorable Monday # 7

Happy Monday! The point of Memorable Monday is to showcase a book that you read in the past and share why/how the book has stuck with you.

Since Halloween is Thursday I thought I'd feature This Present Darkness by Frank Peretti.

I read this book in the fall of 1990 with our Sunday School class. It was a completely different book than I anticipated reading. It deals with spiritual warfare and in such a real way that it has stayed with me all these years. As a believer I am clearly aware that both angels and demons exist. Christ talks about it several times in the gospels and satan is a fallen angel allowing his pride to get the better of him. Within the 376 pages of this book Frank Peretti creates a world where demons are attempting to take over this little town and the people of the town are not using the power that God gave them to defeat the evil. You see, God gave us this weapon called prayer and when we engage it the demons flee and the angels take over. It's literally a battle waged in the heavenly realm. It may sound really far fetched but believe me we have angels all around us doing or waiting to do battle on our behalf. 

Since reading this book I have never looked at prayer the same way again. I know that when I pray for someone I am unleashing God's mighty angel's onto the scene. I can still picture the angel on the top of a car in one of the scenes in this book. 

About the book:

"For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places."
Ephesians 6:12

Ashton is just a typical small town. But when a skeptical reporter and a prayerful, hardworking pastor begin to investigate mysterious events, they suddenly find themselves caught up in a hideous New Age plot to enslave the townspeople, and eventually the entire human race. The physical world meets the spiritual realm as the battle rages between forces of good and evil.

This Present Darkness is a gripping story that brings keen insight into spiritual warfare and the necessity of prayer. 

About Frank Peretti: 

With more than 12 million novels in print, Frank Peretti is nothing short of a publishing phenomenon and has been called “America’s hottest Christian novelist.”

Peretti is a natural storyteller who, as a youngster in Seattle, regularly gathered the neighborhood children for animated storytelling sessions. After graduating from high school, he began playing banjo with a local bluegrass group. He and his wife were married in 1972, and Peretti soon moved from touring with a pop band to launching a modest Christian music ministry. Peretti later spent time studying English, screen writing and film at UCLA and then assisted his father in pastoring a small Assembly of God church. In 1983, he gave up his pastoring position and began taking construction jobs to make ends meet. While working at a local ski factory, he began writing This Present Darkness, the book that would catapult him into the public eye. After numerous rejections from publishers and a slow start in sales, word-of-mouth enthusiasm finally lifted This Present Darkness onto a tidal wave of interest in spiritual warfare. The book appeared on Bookstore Journal’s bestseller list every month for more than eight years. Peretti’s two spiritual warfare novels, This Present Darkness (1998) and Piercing the Darkness (1989), captivated readers, together selling more than 3.5 million copies. The Oath was awarded the 1996 Gold Medallion Award for best fiction.

For kids, Peretti wrote The Cooper Kids Adventure Series (Crossways and Tommy Nelson), which remains a best-selling series for children with sales exceeding 1 million copies. In August 2000, Peretti released the hilarious children’s audiocassette series titled Wild and Wacky Totally True Bible Stories, reprising his role as Mr. Henry, the offbeat substitute Sunday School teacher found in two Visual Bible for Kids videos.

Peretti released his first-ever non-fiction book, The Wounded Spirit in 2000, which quickly became a best-seller. The book addresses the pain of “wounded spirits” and was written as a result of painful childhood experiences.

Frank Peretti and his wife, Barbara Jean, live in the Western U.S. In spite of sudden fame and notoriety, Frank still lives a simple, well-rounded life that includes carpentry, banjo making, sculpturing, bicycling and hiking. He is also an avid pilot.

Visit his author's page at his publisher's HERE. 

Mr. Peretti seems to be one of the few people that is free from the chains of the internet because I was not able to find a website, Facebook, or Twitter. At least active ones. 


Now, it's your turn . . .

What book is most memorable to you? Let me know in the comments. 

I Seem To Be Missing . . .

Welcome to another edition of Top Ten Tuesday brought to you by That Artsy Reader Girl. Today's topic is book's I refuse to let anyone touch. I really don't have any that I don't want anyone to touch.

I decided to but a spin on this topic and do book's that I loaned and somehow they went missing.

I read The Darkness series by Frank Peretti way back in the 90's when I was going through a pretty rough time. They had a lot of highlights and notes. I loaned them and I never saw them again. so I ended up purchasing them again.




















I have no idea where these beauties disappeared to. My mom got them for me so it's definitely a more sentimental thing.
Most likely they disappeared during a Navy move.

I read these pretty much nightly as a child. My parents say they gave them to me, but I don't remember my girl's reading them when they were growing up. My guess is another faulty military move.

















What book's are you missing that are really special to you? Or what book's would you not let anyone touch?

Let me know in the comments.

Top Ten Tuesday - Longest Books

Welcome to another edition of Top Ten Tuesday. Today's topic is the longest books I've read. Weirdly most of the longest books I've read are written by secular authors at least books over a thousand pages.

I read this book as a very young wife and mom. I thought it would go on forever even though it's really not that long. Just 376 pages. 

When I read the circle series by Ted Dekker they were together in a complete series set, and at around about 400 pages a piece makes for 1200 page book.

This was probably the longest book Frank Peretti has written to date.

The picture is of knees . . .  Because I didn't read this in high school when I wanted to. I read it when Oprah chose it for her book club, this is the edition I read.

I think Tolstoy and King have the market on writing books that are forever long.

I read this in high school, it took me an entire summer and I couldn't wait to have it done!

















I do love a long book. It's like a very long vacation that you don't want to come home from.

Tell me the longest books you've read. Do we have any of the same ones?

Top Ten Tuesday Book's I Can't Believe I Read

This top ten topic is a different one. The Artsy Reader Girl's topic is: Books I Can't Believe I Read.
Before I started reviewing, I couldn't tell you the main genre of books I read. I was kind of all over the place. My twist: is how different books that were out of my go-to genre hooked me on different genres.




Before I dive into which books turned me to genres there are two book series' that I still can't believe I read...mainly because so many pastors had negative things to say about the Harry Potter and  Twilight series when they came out. I almost missed out on very imaginative books, because I thought I would be "sinning" if I read them. I was raising children when Harry Potter came out, and it was hated by our pastor, which gave me the opinion that no one has a right to tell anyone what to read or not read. As a reviewer, I can recommend or not recommend a book, but each reader needs to decide for him or herself what is okay for them.

Click the covers below to go to their Goodreads page.

I was in my mid-twenties when this book came out; our entire Sunday School class read it. This Present Darkness was way outside of my comfort zone, but I am so glad I read it. It gave me a new perspective on spiritual warfare and led me to read some other great books with the theme of spiritual warfare.

Before I started reviewing in 2007, I don't think I heard the words biblical fiction together as a genre. When I think of the Bible I think Old Testament which means boring. I was so wrong! Thanks to Jill Eileen Smith I now love biblical fiction, it is one of my favorite genres.

This may sound really strange, but I thought fairy tales were for kids. Melanie Dickerson proved that thought very wrong. We all want to wish upon a star, and have our prince charming rescue us.

Dreamspell introduced me to well written time travel. I tried reading others and just couldn't get into them. Dreamspell is so different and so good!

Dystopian isn't my go to genre but I love Sara Ella's novel Unblemished which led me to read The Evaporation of Sofi Snow.

Let me know in the comments what books you can't believe you've read, and if they enticed you to try a new genre.