The final Reset by Mercy Jane Porquez Ballesteros

 

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Suspense

Source:  I won a copy from LibraryThing. The opinions expressed here are my own.

I love when the suspense in a book makes me read it cover to cover.  The mystery starts when  an old woman gives Samantha a clock necklace. To make sure we understand the foreboding, the author has set this event during a storm. She gives her a message with the necklace. What? You didn’t really think I was going to tell you did you?  Samantha is killed, but wakes up to find she has travelled back in time before the stabbing that killed her. Now she must try to figure out who stabbed her.  She can escape this event if someone else dies. I loved that the necklace didn’t begin ticking until she died. It also didn’t move forward, it moved backward as if it was winding down to her death. The pacing was great. The suspense was an “on the edge of your seat” type of suspense for me. The choices she has to make brings that  all important moral dilemma to the forefront.  I really enjoyed this book by an author I had not read before. It is definitely something I highly recommend reading.  I want to thank the author for the copy I won from LibraryThing.

Iris Blackwood and the Curse of Hemlock Island by Chad Prevost

 

Genre:  Middle Grade, Mystery, Adventure

Source: I won a copy from LibraryThing. The opinions expressed here are my own

There is nothing I like more than a great mystery/adventure  book.  This is one of those. You have a twelve year old girl detective named Iris as the main character.  This for me was a plus since I teach middle school students and always try to entice the students to read. This will appeal to many as it is a choose your adventure book.  I loved these growing up.  You, the reader, choose the decision the character will make. Each reading and each choice could have a different outcome.   I would read a book over and over to make sure I had the full experience. Okay, in all honesty it was because I could not stand only reading part of a book. As in the past, each read of this book was a different experience. There is so much to like and learn from this book. I think it would be awesome to have my own students create a story where each group planned the next and different step in the story to create a very short version of a choose your own adventure story.  I am definitely looking forward to reading more by this author. There are three books in this series. Do yourself a favor and check them out

Revelation Worship the Lamb by Sarah K. Howley

 

Genre:  Bible Study Guide, Christian

Source: I won a copy from LibraryThing. The opinions expressed here are my own

Revelation Worship the Lamb by Sarah K. Howley

The idea of a study guide that made the connections between Old Testament scripture and the New Testament Revelations never occurred to me until I won a copy of this book from LibraryThing.

This is different from a lot of study guides I have read in the past. The reading opens with introductory questions. The reader is then given the scripture reading. This is followed by questions about the reading. Next is a small writing activity, links to Old Testament scripture. Finally there is the application phase. It is the opportunity to apply the lessons to your life through questions. 

For me it sent me back to my teen years in a small church in Indiana. The average attendance was 32. My sisters and occasionally a cousin or two made up the 3-5 children in attendance. When the preaching was over my head, I would turn to Revelations and read. For me it always fascinated me because of the imagery. I didn’t understand much of it but it kept me fascinated for year. To come across this book later in my life made things come full circle.  I can’t wait to tell my friends about this must read study guide.