Books, Movies, and Chinese Food

A strange and wondrous friendship ignites the fire of love in May Seymour's life. Lovely and winsome May Seymour graduated from college with the world at her feet… and no idea what to do with it. A spontaneous mission trip to Africa brought a great surprise—love—and a strong sense of purpose. But in loving others there, she encountered a severe tragedy that left her deeply wounded. She comes to heal at the farm of Claudius Borne—a sweet, kind old man who understands plants and animals far better than people. And his farm becomes May’s home. There on the farm, May renews a friendship with an old college flame named Eli whose path has taken unexpected turns too. As May tries to convince Eli to grab hold of life once again, he begins to pull May from her sheltered existence. Like old Claudius’s farm in spring, May begins to blossom back into life. But no resurrection ever comes without sacrifice—and this sacrifice will forever transform May. Lisa Samson is one of those ...

Charley’s off to Scotland with her new beau, and Scotty and her dad travel to Maine in search of Scotty’s mom. That’s not all they’re looking for though. There are still a lot of unanswered questions about faith. Scotty’s faced with her bitterness toward Karissa and what it means to live a “Jesusy extraordinary” life. Shouldn’t forgiveness play a role in that? And when Scotty and her dad land on her mother’s last known trail, will their questions finally be answered? Ever since I finished the third book in this series, I couldn't wait to get to this book. I moved up this book to the top of my TBR pile forgoing all other books just so I could read more about Scotty and the rest of the gang in her adventures. This book takes us away from the Hollywood scene and focuses instead on Scotty and Karissa's relationship. Both characters do a lot of growing up in this book from their experiences at the children's home. It's quite interesting at the different ends of the spectrum ...

Scotty and Charley find romance in the Highlands when a couple of cute guys in kilts look their way. How will Seth and Jeremy react when they realize the ladies who were interested in them have captured the hearts of a young bagpiper and a Scottish actor? Meanwhile, as Scotty and her dad look for answers to their questions about faith, they also look for Scotty’s mom. The search takes them deep into mob territory, where someone will go to any length to keep the past a secret. Will Scotty lose everything that’s become important to her? I really adore this series. Scotty is one of the most refreshing and likable YA characters I have ever read. She's just so incredibly mature and responsible for her age yet still can be giddy and excited when she needs to be. Actually she totally could be the spokesperson for the term Young Adult because that's actually what she is. This book takes Scotty, Charlie and her new found dad into Virginia as they are on location for a new mov...

Scotty and Charley are headed for Marshall, Texas, with Biker Guy once more close on their trail. As Scotty tries to come to terms with the reality of her parents’ deaths, she grows friendly with the locals. That makes staying hidden challenging. But there’s got to be more to life than fear, and through new friendships, Scotty learns that this prayer thing might work after all. Will prayer be enough when the situation is life and death? What happens when Biker Guy finally catches up to her? I am going to have to say that this book is part of the probably the best YA series that I have read this year. The Hollywood Nobody series is a fresh step in the right direction for how Christian YA fiction should go into. It's funny, hip, able to talk about faith without being preachy and the author really knows how to speak like a teen and able to write in a way that relates to them. As I said in the first book, what I really enjoyed about this story is how Scotty will talk about real life ac...

Fifteen-year-old Scotty Dawn has spent her young life on the road, traveling to movie sets with her single mom, Charley, a food designer. Yet even though Scotty is wise beyond her years, she still struggles to find her identity. Complicating matters is a mother who offers no guidance and a father she's never met. Now Scotty is determined to discover what she wants from life. She's even documenting the journey on her "Hollywood Nobody" blog. But as Scotty begins to find dark answers to tough questions, will her story have a happy ending? Lately, I seem to picking up YA book after YA book about teens in Hollywood. They've been ranging from teen actors to behind the scenes looks but each has given a unique perspective into what it's really like in the movie industry. Some have been more realistic than others but overall I've found them to be really fun to live vicariously through these characters. What makes this book stand out from the others is that even th...

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing Embrace Me (Thomas Nelson March 4, 2008) by Lisa Samson ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Lisa Samson is a Christy Award-winning author of 19 books, including the Women of the Faith Novel of the Year, Quaker Summer . Lisa has been hailed by Publishers Weekly as "a talented novelist who isn't afraid to take risks." In Embrace Me , the latest novel by acclaimed author Lisa Samson, readers are privy to the realization that regardless of outward appearances…hideous, attractive, or even ordinary…persons are all looking for the same things: love, forgiveness, and redemption. This story explores a world that is neither comfortable nor safe, a world that people like Valentine know all too well. Masterfully crafted by Samson and populated by her most compelling cast of characters yet. It is a tale of forgiveness that extends into all spheres of life: forgiving others, forgiving oneself, forgiving the past. She lives in Lexinton , Ken...

Word Imagery at its best Heather Curridge is living the life she's always dreamed of and that everyone envies. She's married a doctor, has a wonderful son, good friends, a big house, and enough money to splurge on whatever she wants. However buying tennis courts and swimming pools isn't all it's cracked up to be. Soon Heather finds herself feeling unsatisfied with her life. Her son's encounters with a bully dredges up old memories from her past. It takes a jaywalking kangaroo, a car full of cake and two Quaker ladies to help Heather realize what are the most important things in her life. First off I loved the Beatles references in this book. The book was divided into three parts, each named after a Beatles song. Heather's story was very intriguing. Her past with Gary and Mary kept getting hinted at throughout the book, giving you only slight glimpses into the past. This either will keep you wanting to read to find out more, or frustrates you because Hea...