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.

 

Getting Better by Will Carter

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

I have known three people with traumatic brain injuries in my life. All three were involved in terrible car accidents. My cousin was thrown from the car her boyfriend was driving and the car landed on her. She had to learn to walk and talk again.  A guy I dated in high school was hit when a drunk ran a stoplight on New Years Eve. The third was an sixth grader I taught.  He had been in an accident the year before. He wasn't wearing a seat belt. The accident threw him from the backseat, through the windshield onto the roadway. Every day I would meet him in the office.  He was embarrassed with having to use a walker. His grandfather asked if I would talk to him. He was endangering himself. So I showed up the next day with a walker. His eyes got real big. I told him we were in this together. I informed him that I was going to have to have both of my knees replaced and I was running a risk each day NOT using my walker. So I told him I need to learn to be brave like him and use my walker. We walked to class each day.  No I had not lied to him. I had fallen twice at school when the knees just gave out. I asked him about his therapy and encouraged him. I was to miss the last three weeks of school for my surgery. All of my students gave me hugs and gifts for the rehab facility I would go to. They gave me words of encouragement. This young man stepped up and said the following: "This is going to be the toughest thing you have ever done. It is going to hurt, but you work through the pain. Don't lie, if they ask you what your pain level is, tell them, they know how to help you better. Most important don't give up.  You can do this. It is a mental game you have to play until you believe it. Don't worry, I will be here to support you next year like year like you did me."  Both he and his grandfather came to visit me in rehab. So much love and support from a young kid who had to learn to read, write, walk and talk again. I was told before the accident he had an extremely high I.Q. and was in the gifted program. His story of recovery  is one of the reasons I wanted to read Will Carter's book.

This is Will Carter's story. His senior year in high school he was involved in an accident. With all of his sever injuries he was put into a coma to give his body a chance to heal. With such a traumatic brain injury he had to learn to walk and talk all over again. He tells you right from the beginning that these are his memories of that time and he can't be one hundred percent sure how accurate they are. This is a story of perseverance and becoming a new and best you.

The majority of this story takes place during Will's senior year. He talks about his different therapies. He talks about the challenges of going from a straight A student to someone who has trouble remembering what was said just a few minutes before.  The theme that ran throughout this book and is a part of the title is the theme of getting better, and what exactly that means.  At what point  do you realize and accept the definition of  getting better?  This is a very inspirational book and one I will proudly put on my shelves at school.