This book is a great how-to for churches that would like to expand their congregations.  It shows examples of how other churches did it and how to avoid pitfalls.

While an interesting book, this book is targeting church leaders and those that help make decisions.  I must say that although church expansion has always happened, bringing it into the internet is a new venture.  While it has been successfully used by some churches (as you will read in the book), it is not something I would like to see happen with smaller churches.  Opening up a brick and mortar sister church is great, but bringing it into the internet seems a little odd to me.

Like the book said, not everyone can make it into a church, and putting the sermons online is a great way to make them accessible to all, but it seems like everything is about numbers.  The bigger and bigger churches get, the less personalization they are trying to achieve will get.  At some point it may get too big and the whole reason they expanded may backfire.

Hopefully church leaders reading this book will realize that although it has worked with some churches, it is not for everyone.  I wish the book focused a little more on the pitfalls on doing this and how to cut back if it backfires.

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I couldn’t stop laughing while reading this.  Even now, while thinking back to some of the stories, I have to chuckle.

Alex Carrick talks about everything from family, to recycling, to death.  He writes in a way that he would speak to you if you were in front of you.  There are 78 short stories in total and not one of them is disappointing.  He writes about topics that interest each and every one of us, and topics that we all talk about with our friends.  He somehow manages to find the right mix to add that extra twist and make the reader laugh out loud.

If you want a good laugh (and who doesn’t) you MUST pick this book up.  MUST.

Product Description

This book contains more than just stories about the family. Some entries are dappled impressions of modern life. Some are comedy bits, with the odd gem of a punch line. Others are lighter than air and rise up like whimsy. Others still have a slightly more serious intent, with surprising twists. These funny, short original stories first appeared on the website: www.alexcarrick.com. Mr. Carrick has been a leading economist in the North American construction industry for over 30 years. In early 2008, he was asked by his employer to put together an economics blog. He approached this with a good deal of trepidation, worrying about whether he would have enough material and if he could do it justice. He quickly found he enjoyed the experience. So much, in fact, that he began to branch out with humorous lifestyle blogs he was composing on the weekends and at night, just for fun. It is these entries he would like to share with you.

This book surprised me.  I knew the subject matter was touchy (young boy abused by priest) and was a little worried about how it would be handled.

Expertly. Ms. Bradford has managed to write a heavy subjected book in a way that we feel sadness, happiness and shock all at the right spots.  I like that she was able to pull back just when you thought your emotions were going to burst.

For a first novel Cindy Bradford has scored one out of the park.  Patrick (main character) becomes your friend.  You want to be right there next to him as he goes through the highs and lows of his life.  You want to laugh with him at times, and at other, you want to wrap your arms around him and never let go.

Once you pick up this book, you will want to cancel all your plans just to be able to finish it.

Product Description

Keeping Faith is a story of love found, lost, and found again, of betrayal, forgiveness, redemption and healing. Most of all it holds the bitter truth of how the selfish actions of individuals far transcend the moment. As a ten year old, Patrick O’Brien is abused by his priest. Ashamed and afraid no one will believe him, for years he carries the unspeakable act alone, allowing it to eat at the recesses of his heart, destroying relationships one by one. Finally he is confronted by the one person who is determined to get to the truth no matter what the cost. She has waited almost two decades to unravel his lies, to break down his barriers, and to find out why he was more interested in saving souls than claiming her. When she appears at his door he can no longer run; there’s no escaping the past, even if it destroys him.

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This was my first exposure to what is known as Arthurian literature, so I must admit I was a little nervous to dive into it.

I found myself enjoying it, not only was it a quick read, but found that although it has an exotic sounding genre, it’s somewhat generalized.  However, knowing this is a YA book, I must caution this may not be a good book to begin reading this genre with. I got the impression those with knowledge of Arthurian lit, were getting a lot more jokes and inside details than someone who is starting fresh.  That could be a minus for this book.

The writing was a bit heavy, and while it was a quick ready, it most certainly wasn’t an easy afternoon read.  Readers will most certainly have to work at this book in order to plow through the descriptions of characters and world.

While I do not know much about this genre, I certainly know about reading, and this was not one of the easiest ones to follow or enjoy.  I would classify this as niche read.  Those that are used to this genre, I am sure will eat it up, those just starting with it may find themselves putting it down, never to try the genre again.  I am going to give this book a middle grade as I am sure part of it is that I am not familiar with this genre.  However, I think no matter what the genre, YA readers should be able to pick up a book without having to do heavy research beforehand.

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STORYLINE:

This was a good one.  You had the elements of love, murder, the law, and a “cult-like” group.  While this sounds like a lot of different elements, Lee Byrd did a great job of tying it all together so nothing competed against each other.  The whole cult line works well, as most people are so fascinated/disturbed by the idea that it makes for a good page turner.

STORY CHARACTERS:

Love ‘em or hate ‘em, these characters will get you thinking.  The way they get sucked into the new therapy is exactly how real life people get trapped into them, so you really get a sense that you are reading something that could happen to people around you.  They are well written and you end up rooting for them or wanting to go into the book to slap them awake.

WRITING STYLE:

This was an easy, fast read.  While it is on the bigger side, you can easily get this done in two days.  There is never really a point where you can put the book down and forget about it, because the end of each chapter keeps making you want more.

EDITING STYLE:

Good job with this.   Nothing huge jumped off the pages.

OVERALL THOUGHTS:

I enjoyed this book and would like to read more from this author.

Product Description

Murders are rare in Vermont and almost unheard of in the sleepy Connecticut River town of Oak Pond. But in a single day, Oak Pond Chief of Police Jake Frazier has not one, but two murders to solve. Two woman therapists, both involved in bizarre New Age therapies, have been killed on the same day, though in different parts of town. Without the investigative tools available to large police departments, Frazier must rely on other sources and he enlists the help of ex-FBI profiler Ellen Coffey and forensic psychiatrist Hank Clark, to try and solve the crime. In addition to Vermont natives, the town is made up of wealthy transplants, trust fund babies, and educators who might pose a problem. The shock of the murders propels both factions toward a collision of lifestyles-traditional and progressive. Keeping the peace between the two hampers Frazier, Clark and Coffey’s investigation but also leads them to unearth an alarming world of alternative psychological practices. As Frazier struggles to understand what happened that April day in his pristine town, he will also come face to face with a deadly world of mind manipulation and emotional abuse, one that might just signal the end of his position as chief of police in Oak Pond.