The Encounter by Stephen Arterburn

I received this book from BookSneeze in exchange for my honest opinion. The Encounter by Stephen Arterburn is about a wealthy businessman named Jonathan Rush who travels back to his home town of Fairbanks Alaska to figure out why his mother abandoned him and left him at an orphanage when he was just four years old. During Jonathan's journey back home (at the encouragement of his pastor) we learn a lot about his character including how confused and resentful he is of his mother. He is haunted by the fact that his mother abandoned him, but he soon learns that things are never what they seem and how important forgiveness is. After many dead ends to finding his mother he reluctantly teams up with a press journalist who helps him out in a big way. This was an incredibly easy read that I finished in a couple sittings. It could have used a little more background and character development because I felt like the story moved a little too fast for my taste and I found myself wanting to know more information about the characters. The overall message was very inspiring and I would definitely recommend this book to a friend. I give this book 4 out of 5 stars.

Surprised By Oxford: A memoir by Carolyn Weber

Carolyn "Caro" Weber's memoir is truly an inspiring read. I'm not a big memoir reader, but boy am I glad I decided to read this book. I can easily relate to the author and her journey for faith. Caro arrives in Oxford on a scholarship, but leaves with much more than her educational experiences. While in Oxford she begins pondering God and faith and befriends a great man named TDH (aka Tall Dark & Handsome) who is a devout Christian and true gentleman. Caro and TDH have several intense conversations about faith and what being a Christian is all about. Caro begins her search for Christ and along the way deals with family and friends who don't quite understand her search and how important it is to her. This includes her mom, sister and fiance. The author does an excellent job describing Oxford and her educational experiences there. I thoroughly enjoyed the anecdotes of literature throughout the book and am glad that Caro shared her story with us. Easily one of the best memoirs I've ever read. This book was a quick read for me due to the fact that I had a hard time putting it down. I will definitely be recommending this book to my family and friends. I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255.

A Place Called Blessing

I received this book free from the publisher through Booksneeze.com book review blogger program. A Place Called Blessing by Dr. John Trent follows the life of a young boy named Josh who loses both parents in a drunk driving accident causing him and his two older brothers to become orphans. After a series of foster homes and being separated from his brothers they are all finally reunited at a new foster home where the foster mom and dad have agreed to take all three boys. The new foster home is every kid's dream, a house on a huge farm with a creek and neighbor kids to play with. Things were going great until one day Josh was playing in his secret play place under the house and accidentally started a fire with some matches. The house went up in flames and ended up killing one of the neighbor kids named Jody who was in Josh's room at the time of the fire. After the fire, the three brothers end up back in the orphanage where Josh's older brothers get adopted, but no one adopts Josh since he is the kid who started a fire that killed a little girl. When Josh turns 18 he is more than ready to get out of the orphanage and make a life for himself. Josh moves a few towns over, finds some work and gets invited to stay at a co-workers home where there is a room available to rent. Living with his co-worker Mike and Mike's mom Anna; Josh soon learns the true meaning of love, forgiveness and what having a family is like. This is a great story with a surprise twist ending; a very quick read that i finished in one sitting. I couldn't put it down because I just had to know what happened to Josh. If you are looking for an inspiring story with a great message then I definitely recommend this book!

Jesus, My Father, The CIA, and Me: A Memoir. . . of Sorts By: Ian Morgan Cron

Jesus, My Father, The CIA and Me: A Memoir...of Sorts by: Ian Morgan Cron
I received this book free from the publisher through Booksneeze.com book review bloggers program. As the title suggests, this book is a memoir...of sorts. The author tells his personal life story, mainly focusing on his estranged relationship with his alcoholic Father (who was also in the CIA) and his need to feel accepted by him. I was always hoping that by the end of the book his relationship with his Father would get better, but sadly it did not. I found the first couple chapters slightly on the slow side, but after that things really picked up and i did not want the stories to end! It was nice to read a memoir that felt really honest and relatable. The author takes us on a journey from his childhood all the way to adulthood touching on the issues of his experiences with his family, drugs, alcohol and his relationship with God. It was truly heartbreaking to read the stories about his relationship with his Father. I had a wonderful Father who loved me with all of his being. I could not imagine growing up with a dad like Ian's. I will admit that i got choked up at some parts of the book and needed to take a tissue break. That's how i know a book is great....if it can invoke an emotion like that out of me then I know I will definitely be recommending this book to my family and friends.