Books, Movies, and Chinese Food

Summary from Christianbook.com: Secrets? Bryn O'Connor is good at keeping secrets. But when a car accident reveals her boyfriend's abusive behavior, the truth is unleashed. And it starts a tidal wave of trouble in Bryn's life: enemies who were once friends, a restraining order violation, and her world unraveled. If that weren't enough, her grandmother Mim arrives, attempting Mexican cuisine and insisting that Bryn try surfing. It's all too much! Even Bryn's habit of daydreaming won't offer an escape this time. But could a mysterious book she found hold the secret to riding a tsunami like her life? Nancy Rue's YA books are like a breath of fresh air in Christian young adult fiction. While there are several good CF YA authors already in place, her stories are not just fluff and romance. She takes serious subjects and puts it in a teen's perspective with situations and answering questions that no one else pays attention to. This book does not shy aw...

At age forty-two, Allison Chamberlain is still making a half-hearted attempt to figure out what she wants to be when she grows up. Although she has been a pew-sitting member of a church for seven years, “prophet” has never been on the short list of possible careers. Then one Sunday Allison senses a divine nudge to buy a Harley motorcycle and go wherever it takes her. Soon she is wondering if she is called to present the reality of Christ to one of society’s darkest corners—and challenge her own church to look beyond their fears. I know nothing about motorcycles. I have no desire to ride one at all. I have nothing against people who do ride motorcycles though. I enjoyed the movies Born to Be Wild and Wild Hogs. I just could never see myself buying one, much less riding one. Therefore this book was really interesting because Allison does exactly that. She buys and rides a Harley because she felt a nudge from God telling her to do so. The story started off a little slow for me. ...

Normal? While family dinners and vacations to touristy destinations are ordinary events for her "normal" friends, fifteen-year-old Jessie Hatcher's normal life means dealing with her ADHD and her mother's bipolar disorder. So why is Jessie shocked when the unexpected happens? Now her "normal" includes living in Florida with the father she always thought was dead and learning the secrets of sushi from a man who teaches by tormenting her. Life isn't any saner with her dad, but a cute guy and a mysterious book might just be the crazy Jessie needs. From the cover of this book, this looks like it will be your normal, fluffy, Chick-lit YA story. Well as the old saying goes, don't judge a book by it's cover. The cover may be light but the story is heavy and deep. As soon as you start reading, Jessie's situation hits you from the get go. She's only 15 but she's experienced a lifetime of hardships that some adults will never have to...

Ryan Alexander-Coe is a talented photojournalist who has been on assignment all over the world. But when her two sons choose to live with their father after her divorce, Ryan must give her career up for a small-town newspaper job in order to be near them. Life spirals out of control when her fifteen-year-old son is arrested. Desperation--both over the fact that she cannot believe her son committed this crime and that he refuses to talk to her--sends her anger level soaring . . . and eventually sends her storming into Dr. Sullivan Crisp's office in search of ways to cope with her anger. Sully is in town assisting at one of his clinics and continuing his search for Belinda Cox, the woman whose guilt-inducing counseling caused the death of his wife and daughter. When Sully's search ends in disaster, both he and Ryan will have to fully rely on God--rather than themselves--to survive these storms. This is the third book in the Sullivan Crisp series and the third book that again has ...

Do You Really Practice What You Preach? Lucia Coffey does not like herself. She's overweight, has a husband who's overcome a drug addiction and she's the sister of a famous televangelist who believes that belief in the healing power of God will solve everything. She's on task though to change her life to better herself. However that plan comes to a halt when a fiery accident badly injures her sister Sophia, and Lucia steps in to take care of her full time. Now is the time when Sophia is put to the test of her faith and the results are not what she had expected. Lucia is torn between being true to herself and helping out her sister. Enter psychologist Sullivan Crisp who arrives to help Lucia find out who she truly is and how she needs to reshape and heal her life. Like the first book in the Sullivan Crisp series, reading this book was not like reading your normal Christian fiction book. If you're expecting safe, happy endings, everyone gets along in your ficti...

In Your Face Fiction With one flash of a camera, Demi's private life becomes public news. She doesn't know it yet, but her healing has just begun . Christian college professor Demitria Costanas had vowed to end her affair with a colleague. But she gives into temptation one last time...and a lurking photographer captures her weakness for all to see. Quite literally, she's the woman caught in adultery. And almost everyone--herself included--has a stone to throw. Enter Sullivan Crisp, a decidedly unorthodox psychologist with his own baggage. He's well-known for his quirky sense of humor and incorporation of "game show" theology into his counseling sessions. And yet there's something more he offers...hope for a fresh start. Reluctantly the two of them begin an uplifting, uneven journey filled with healing and grace. By turns funny and touching, this story explores the ways humans hurt each other and deceive themselves. And it shows the endlessly creative means...