Escape From East Berlin by Andy Marino

 

Genre:  Middle Grade, Historical Fiction

Source: I own a copy

The story is told from two different time periods. The first part of the story is set in Berlin three months after the Berlin Wall has gone up. We meet two young men who are planning to swim the river to the west side to meet up with two girls. Unfortunately someone has informed on them and they are shot at. One is killed the other imprisoned.  Two months later we meet the dead boy’s sister Marta. She hates those who shot her brother. It has pretty much destroyed her family. She knows they are constantly watched by the Stasi. When she overhears her cousin planning to escape to the West side things are set in motion.

The second story is set in 1989. We meet Kurt Muller. His brother is a border guard and his grandfather is a high ranking official in the Stasi.  Kurt’s parents were arrested and the grandfather arranged for them to be sent to the West.  Both of their stories are held together with the grandfather in common. 

This story shows just a small part of what it was like to live on the East side of the Berlin Wall and want the freedom of the West.  The book is full of fear, hope and dreams. There was a lot of research done in this book. At the end the author gives us the names of books he used to research for the writing of this book. Several of them I have already read.  This is a quick read, but one you will want to slow down as you read.

Haunted Houses Creak by M.H. Altis

 

Genre: Adult, Horror
Source: I won a copy from LibraryThing Early Reviewers. The opinions expressed here are my own.

You want to read something creepy?  This is the book for you. “Phantoms of Eternity: Haunted House” has the creep factor that tells you the following: when someone suggests you go into a house they say is haunted because people have disappeared, your answer is NO. I was so glad I read this book during the daytime and was glad that I was not in the house alone. This story definitely creeped me out. That means this is a book I definitely recommend.

“The Weeds was another story I enjoyed. I could identify with swimming  in an area where there was massive amounts of seaweed or in a river where there were weeds at the edge.  It is always a creepy feeling. The what-ifs that come to mind as you step in seaweed or weeds of any kind at the edge of the water.

I am not going to go through all of these stories. I believe there is something here that will resonate with everyone if you truly enjoy horror stories. With that said, I highly recommend this book to all horror fans out there.

Finding God in Anime #3 - Moriah Jane and Laura A. Grace

Genre: Christian, Devotions

Source: I received an ARC. The opinions expressed here are my own.

These Devotionals  are just as good as the first two volumes. I am so impressed that God has used people who love anime to reach out to others through these devotionals.  God can and does use us and anything he desires to get his message out.

Let me tell you a few things I love about this new volume. In  A Willing Change of Heart by Miya Sae she speaks about trying to force someone to change as opposed to leading them and letting them make the change on their own. It has to be their own free will or it is just lip service. I know what it is like when you think you are leading someone to God and they tell you they accept him because they feel that is the only way they can get something they want. If there is no fruit you truly won’t know if you will see them until you get to heaven.

Noor: Stupendously Simple by Hannah Mae reminds us that no work we do for Christ is useless. God uses all of us where we are needed. Purposeful Rest by Kathleen Bird  shows us the importance of quiet time.  My husbands number one complaint is that I am always on the go. Sometimes it is to the point that I tell myself I will read my Bible when I finish just this one thing because it has to be ready for work.  Then I finish and realize I have to leave for work and didn’t spend time resting with God.  Then I wonder where my strength, physical, mental and spiritual went. This is such an important lesson to learn

How Do You Live  by S.E.M. Ishida caught my eye from the very beginning when mentioning the cliché, “He’ so heavenly minded that he’s no earthly good.”  Sometimes we are so set on making sure that we do everything the way WE think God wants it done we forget about what he actually did for us.  This is actually a turn off to those we are trying to reach.

These devotions use Anime to show the themes of forgiveness, second chances. These devotions are messages of hope and shining our light even during the darkest times. These are messages of hope in a time when our world seems determined to stamp out hope.  I highly recommend these devotionals.