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.