The Right Call by Kathy Herman

Kathy Herman is writing a series of books called the Sophie Trace Trilogy. 

In January, I reviewed the second book in this series, The Last Word.

So, when the opportunity came to review the third book in the trilogy, I jumped at it.  In this book, many of the same characters continue their growth.

Herman is an interesting writer.  She writes good suspense, her imagination is great, and she doesn’t play it safe.  However, some of her character formation is a bit contrived or perhaps preachy. 

Overall, I enjoyed this book.  I thought the imagination that Herman showed in building the plot was original.

There is one thing that I think that Herman does well – she thinks about the impact of life controlling issues, and shows them throughout her book – in the small and big ways.  She does a great way of showing how people are impacted by the decisions in their lives.

She also does a great job of keeping her readers on track with the details.  I really enjoyed the reteat that this series offered.  It was a real treat.

You can buy this book on Amazon.com.

Dancing with my Father by Sally Clarkson

Some books you just hate – not because they are bad, but because they stretch you.

The first chapter of Dancing with My Father is not that great.  In fact, if you are under 50, you probably want to start at the second chapter.  However, from that point on this book is deep and as good as any Swindoll or other devotional teaching book I have read. 

I have a favorite leadership scene in the bible.  It is of David, dancing half naked before all the people, as he leads the people in worshipping God and rejoicing as the Ark enters Jerusalem.  Ever since I the moment someone pointed that scene out to me in a leadership context, I have known the importance of dancing with vulnerability before God.

Sally Clarkson takes that same scene and focuses on it from a different perspective – she shows us what it takes to dance with that vulnerability and trust.  You will be definately be richer spiritually if you take the time, be willing to let God do His work in you, and work your way through this book.

You can buy this book from the publisher on their website.

They have also given me an extra copy to give away.  Be the first person to ask for it, and it is yours.

This book was provided for review by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group.

Mother-Daughter Duet by Cheri Fuller & Ali Plum

I first picked out this book to review because of my place in life.  I have a new adult daughter.  I wanted to get some new clues on how to navagate this part of my life.

Mother-Daughter Duet is written by Cheri Fuller and Ali Plum.  Cheri is the mom, and primary writer.  Ali offers a daughter’s perspective in each chapter.  It was great on giving me some things to think about. 

Here are the topics they cover: 

• validation
• respect
• communication
• bonding
• when they get married
• when they have kids
• what to do in a crisis
• taking care of yourself
• the power of forgiveness

If you need to review this topic, I think you will find this book helpful.  I didn’t really find the daughter’s parts helpful, but then, Ali is about half way between my daughter’s age and my own.  I did find Cheri’s writing style engaging and encouraging.  It was a bit of an introduction to each topic, like a coach sitting beside you on the couch and reminding you of the things you might want to watch out for at this new stage of life.

The publisher has given me an extra copy of this book to give away.  Be the first to ask for it, and it is yours.

You can buy it from Waterbrook Press on their website.

This book was provided for review by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group.