Search

Search only in certain items:

Where in the world have I been? Under a rock? I feel like I have missed out on all Tammy L. Gray’s other books! This was my first time reading one of her books and I thoroughly enjoyed her straightforward writing style. This book is probably the first in a series if I had a guess, and I am very happy with that prospect.

Tammy L. Gray writes this story from a first-person perspective and it was fascinating. I loved the raw emotions, and actions of the characters; they felt real and not cushioned by the reader’s expectations. January is a very well-developed character whom I could totally relate too (I mean honestly, how many of us have not dressed up for someone we hoped to impress and had less than satisfactory results?). But January takes it all in stride and turns her misfortunes around without even realizing that she is doing it. I also really enjoyed the slow build romance in this story, it was not the focus, but it was a great side-benefit.

The setting of this book was in Texas, which was awesome, as I know many of the places that were mentioned in this book. It was just the right amount of small-town charm mixed with the feeling of being apart of something bigger. I enjoyed the offhanded humor and the amazing message of accepting people as they are and letting the Lord work. Truly a great portrayal of the gospel.

I give this book 5 out of 5 stars for the great story-line, the real and edgy characters, and for the underlying themes throughout the whole book! I highly recommend picking this book up to read.

*I volunteered to read this book in return for my honest feedback. The thoughts and opinions expressed within are my own.
  
Abattoir Blues/Lyre of Orpheus by Nick Cave / Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
Abattoir Blues/Lyre of Orpheus by Nick Cave / Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
2004 | Alternative
(0 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"I think one of the main reasons I picked Abattoir Blues and Lyre Of Orpheus was because, as a double album, you get more bang for your buck. Abattoir Blues has a more gospel feel to it, background vocals and big crescendos. Lyre Of Orpheus was generally a quieter record except for the title track, which is one of my favourites. I love the lyrics to that song. One awesome thing about Nick Cave is the darkness and the humour in his stuff. On Abattoir Blues, I love 'There She Goes, My Beautiful World', 'Hiding All Away' and 'Nature Boy'. Just good tunes man. At this point you can hear the Warren Ellis influence. I've always been a Nick Cave fan, since The Birthday Party. My roommate at the time, Charles Peterson [Sub Pop photographer], had a copy of Prayers On Fire and I've been listening to and following Nick Cave ever since then. First time I got to see him he didn't play Seattle, so me and my friends drove three hours north to Vancouver and that was on the First Born Is Dead tour. My favourite ever Nick Cave lyric was going way back to 'Deep In The Woods' [from Mutiny/The Bad Seed] - where it ends with the line, "Tonight we sleep in separate ditches"; that always cracks me up. 20,000 Days On Earth was the best music documentary I've ever seen. It didn't follow the normal " and then he did this and then he did that" of those Behind The Music narratives, it was a surreal and cool peak in to Cave's world. Something I learned about him that I didn't know already is that he likes to eat pizza in front of the TV!"

Source
  
Moments We Forget (Thatcher Sisters, #2)
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
illian Thatcher has spent most of her life playing the family peacemaker, caught in the middle between her driven, talented older sister and her younger, spotlight-stealing twin sisters. Then on the night of her engagement party, a cancer diagnosis threatens to once again steal her chance to shine. Now, Jillian’s on the road to recovery after finally finishing chemo and radiation, but residual effects of the treatment keep her from reclaiming her life as she’d hoped. And just when her dreams might be falling into place, a life-altering revelation from her husband sends her reeling again. Will Jillian ever achieve her own dreams, or will she always be “just Jillian,” the less-than Thatcher sister? Can she count on her sisters as she tries to step into a stronger place, or are they stuck in their childhood roles forever?



My Thoughts: This is a compelling story about three sisters who all have the difficulties that they are overcoming. Each one is on a journey that brings them back together again. This is a story that the readers can get lost in, that can connect and relate to in each of their own lives. The characters are real, with down to earth troubles that can happen at any time in our lives. This is a story about coming together, letting the past go, looking forward to the future and of course, there is an element of forgiveness.


I do like that the gospel is given in this novel, the fact that we do need God in our lives is foremost to living a life worth living. To those who don't know Christ, they can become lost or bitter during some of the circumstances that these sisters faced.


The writer has written a novel that is easy to read, the storyline flows well and she brings the reader into the story that makes it personal to the reader.


I truly enjoyed this novel and look forward to reading more from Beth K. Vogt.
  
    Chopper Prophets

    Chopper Prophets

    (0 Ratings) Rate It

    Podcast

    It was the fall of 2012. My wife and I were on a ride down to Encinitas, Ca. with some close...

Night of the Living Dead (1968)
Night of the Living Dead (1968)
1968 | Horror

"Night of the Living Dead was one I saw with my dad. I was 18 years old. It scared the s— out of me. I think my dad and I had to sleep together that night. [laughs] I said, “No, that’s it. I don’t care how big I am!” And what I loved about it, too, was how [George] Romero could just take this film, and do it clearly on a budget, and yet make it work, have this sort of tongue-in-cheek humor with it. So part of what, I think, attracted me to the films I mentioned was not just the films themselves, but how they were made, what they meant politically, on all levels. I’m attracted to all those films that, in a way, engaged us across cultures. So, you look at Night of the Living Dead and you put these people in the 1960s in this pressure cooker, and one of them is the black guy, one of them is the white guy, one of them is the chick, and the brother and sister, and you see what happens. The unspoken subtext of it was huge. It was huge, it was revolutionary. Mutiny on the Bounty was the same thing. And even in films like Redemption Road, where I’ll take the black guy, and he’s the one who’s into country and western, and the white guy, he’s the one who’s into blues, and both of them, along the way, are going to encounter music that informs their personal narrative, and it also informs the musicality of the film. So, along the way they pick up some blues, some gospel, some jazz, and that feeds into the song they play at the end of the movie, the sort of redemptive song. So I think those movies actually speak to what I’m attracted to in film. I just like something that, on some level, even if it’s a horror film, is interesting and redemptive and makes you think."

Source