Book Review: Confident Faith by Mark Mittelberg

Tyndale House Publishers provided me with a complimentary copy of this book for an honest review.

About the Book

Don't let doubt or objections intimidate you! In this book, Mark Mittelberg will help you to be more confident in your faith and help you to share what you learn with your skeptical friends and/or questioning family members. In the beginning of the book is a questionnaire for you to do called FAITH PATH QUESTIONNAIRE. You answer the questions and it helps you to understand how you came to your beliefs and what the pros and cons are with your path. Then, you'll get to the part of the book called TWENTY ARROWS OF TRUTH, which shows reasons from science, logic, archaeology, experience, and facts related to the Bible that will help you trust Christianity. After that section, you'll come to the part called TEN BARRIERS TO BELIEF, which helps to overcome obstacles that keep you from a confident faith.


My Thoughts

I was far from having a confident faith. I've questioned my belief in God a few times and I've asked myself why I believe in Christianity. I've stopped believing at one point in my life and decided that there was no God, he wasn't real. I'm glad I read this book. It really addressed all the questions and concerns that I had about my faith. I love the fact that the author listed some books at the end to further the reading of building a confidence in your faith. He also cites where he's received the information he talks about in the book. The questionnaire in the beginning is really interesting and it helped me to understand how I approached my faith and I was able to understand how to be more confident in my faith by the end because of this. This book was really eye-opening to me and helped me to really see what I was doing wrong that kept me from being confident in Christianity. It's inspired me to be an even better Christian and it's made me a more confident Christian as well. I would recommend this book to anyone who's seeking the truth about Christianity and for anyone who has doubts and questions about their beliefs.

Overall, I gave this book 5 out of 5 stars.


You can purchase this book by clicking the links below.

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Book Review: Pretty Little Liars #1 by Sara Shepard

About The Book


Three years ago, Alison disappeared after a slumber party, not to be seen since. Her friends at the elite Pennsylvania school mourned her, but they also breathed secret sighs of relief. Each of them guarded a secret that only Alison had known. Now they have other dirty little secrets, secrets that could sink them in their gossip-hungry world. When each of them begins receiving anonymous emails and text messages, panic sets in. Are they being betrayed by someone in their circle? Worse yet: Is Alison back?


My Thoughts


I didn't used to be into this murder mystery/crime story genre, but after I watched a bit of the Pretty Little Liars show and found out that it was based on a series of novels, I just had to check out the books! I'm in love with the books as well as the show! The author does a great job with introducing each character and you can differentiate between the characters really well. They each have their own thing going on and they have their own distinct personalities. The only real thing they seem to have in common is that they were friends with Alison DiLaurentis. It's very suspenseful and I just had to keep turning the pages to see what havoc A would cause next. The characters are so life-like that I wonder what it would be like to be friends with these girls.... it would probably be terrifying if I started to receive weird texts from an anonymous person though. The story flows along smoothly and I can keep up with what's going on with all these characters. I will say that the show is a bit different from these books because some of the traits that are found in the books about Aria Montgomery, Hannah Marin, Spencer  Hastings, and Emily Fields are different in the show. I don't believe that this causes any problems with the story in either medium though. I'm sure anyone who enjoys the books will enjoy the TV show and vice versa.  I recommend this book to anyone who loves mystery/crime novels and to anyone who likes reading books about teenage girls.


Overall, I gave this book a 4 out of 5 stars.


You can purchase this book by clicking the links below.



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Book Review: The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

About The Book

Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel's story is about to be completely rewritten.

My Thoughts

This is the first and only book that I've read by John Green. Some people might be astounded by that fact, and I can now see why. The Fault in Our Stars is beautifully written and I've fallen in love with Hazel and Gus. I even like Gus's friend Isaac. These characters are teenagers afflicted with a horrible thing called cancer, but they don't let that stop them from living or loving. They enjoy their lives even though they know that their days are numbered... because they know their days are numbered. I think that's what I like most about this book. The characters just keep living the best way they can and that's all you can ask of anyone. It was refreshing to read a book about people with cancer that isn't all about the fact that they have cancer. I do understand why a few people have said that they didn't really like the characters of this book. They said that Hazel and Gus were too pretentious and didn't act like any teenager they knew. I disagree with that assessment. Hazel and Gus are lovers of words. They love to read books and it would make sense that they'd love to use the words that they've learned from books. They aren't like other teenagers because they're more interested in books written by older people with more sophisticated vocabulary than most teenagers possess. I believe that Hazel and Gus would love reading the books that a lot of teenagers hate to read these days such as classics by Charles Dickens and Jane Austen. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves YA romance novels and to anyone who is a lover of words.



Overall, I gave this book a 5 out of 5 stars. 

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Book Review : The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan (The Forest of Hands and Teeth, #1)

About The Book

Mary lives in a world ravaged by the Return. A world that is inhabited by flesh-hungry undead that she and the people of her village call Unconsecrated. Mary's village is governed by the Sisterhood and what the Sisterhood says, goes. She knows that she must stay away from the fence that guards them from the Unconsecrated and she knows that Guardians will protect the village by watching these fences day and night. The Unconsecrated are relentless in their quest to satiate their hunger for human flesh. But something begins to happen to Mary after a traumatic event involving her mother, she begins to see that the Sisterhood and the Guardians are keeping secrets from their people and when the fence that protects them is breached, chaos ensues all around. Mary must choose to leave her village or to be eaten by the Unconsecrated. She must choose between the one she loves and her betrothed. She must face the Forest of Hands and Teeth. Is there life outside of all this death?


My Thoughts

I'm a huge fan of zombies and I watch The Walking Dead every Sunday night, but I must admit that this book made me have nightmares when that show did not. This book has made me terrified that one day I'll wake up and find that my world has been taken over by these undead beings and that I'll have to figure out a way to survive and to protect my loved ones. There were parts of this book that made me cry and parts that made me laugh as well. I was expecting this novel to have characters in it that were stronger than the average person, physically and could take down these Unconsecrated with no problem, but these characters are like every-day people. They could easily be me with their fears, uncertainties, sadness, and dreams. Mary is like any other girl and I can relate to her. She did say that everyone in the village were trained to fight against the Unconsecrated, but they've lived in the village for so long with the fence around them, that they really weren't as prepared as they probably should have been because the village was quickly overtaken by the Unconsecrated.

I was in suspense in many parts of this book, almost too afraid to keep reading because I was so terrified of what would happen to these characters next. Yet, this is definitely one of those books that I just couldn't put down, at least not for very long, because I just HAD to know what would happen. I definitely can not wait to read the next books in this series... I will most definitely be checking them out from the library very soon!


Overall, I gave this book a 5 out of 5 stars. 

You can purchase this book by clicking the links below.



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Book Review: Shadowland (The Mediator #1) by Meg Cabot

About the Book:

Suze is a mediator which means that she can see and communicate with the dead. Some may think of it as a gift, but to her it's more like a curse. She doesn't like the fact that these dead people aggravate her  until she solves the problems that are keeping them from going on to the other side. When she moves to sunny California to find a ghost living in her bedroom and he doesn't seem to want her to solve his problems, she's a little stumped. She even finds herself being a tad bit attracted to him, but she hates to admit that.

Just when she thinks that she'll have it easier in California, she arrives at her new school. A different, much more violent ghost of a recently deceased teenage girl occupies the school and she is blood thirsty. Suze can't allow such an evil spirit occupy the school so she must figure out a way to get the ghost to leave for good and hopefully not become one of the dead she's become used to seeing.


My Thoughts:

This book was an enjoyable read. I really like the fact that Suze is a female character that can take care of herself. She doesn't have to rely on someone else to rescue her, but she can get herself into more trouble than she bargained for and may need a little help along the way. She's a very confident young woman in what she can do as a mediator. The only thing I didn't like was the fact that she is attracted to the (living) boy that is liked by most girls and he really seemed to be an air head. Sometimes, it makes sense for a character to like that kind of a person, but I didn't think it suited Suze to fall for a guy like him. It's also interesting that Suze can communicate with spirits but she still isn't so sure that God exists. Suze is really the only character that I feel like I got to know very well in this book. Jesse, the ghost who lives in Suze's bedroom, is probably a close second. I love the fact that this is a series of books, so I hope the other characters in the book will become more dynamic and seem more like actual people as the series goes on. I would recommend this book to fans of Meg Cabot and anyone who has an interest in the paranormal and people who can speak with ghosts.

Overal, I gave this book a 3 out of 5 stars.

You can purchase this book by clicking the links below.

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Book Review: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling

About the Book:

It's Harry's second year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and the Dursleys have been so horrible to Harry that all he can think about is getting back to Hogwarts and to his best friends Ron and Hermione. Just as the time starts getting closer, he receives an ominous warning from a house elf named Dobby. Dobby tells Harry Potter that if he returns to school that something disastrous would happen.

Harry ignores Dobby's warnings and manages to get to Hogwarts only to find that the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Gilderoy Lockhart, is a complete snob; Ron Weasley's little sister Ginny has a crush on him, and he discoveres a spirit that haunts the girl's bathroom named Moaning Myrtle.

These are minor compared to the someone or something that starts terrorizing the school by petrifying some of the occupants of Hogwarts Castle. Could this someone be Malfoy, a boy who seems rather evil and a rival of Harry's; could it be Hagrid with his love of the most beastly beasts in the magical world, or could it be Harry Potter himself?


My Thoughts:

I'm a big fan of Harry Potter, but I have a confession... I haven't read all the books. So,  I decided to start reading them and seeing if they change my view from the movies. The movie based on this book follows along so well with the book with just a few minor details changed around a bit and they're not even noticeable really. I enjoyed reading about Gilderoy Lockhart even though I really wouldn't like to meet him in person. He's really full of himself and thinks he knows everything there is to know about magic.... the actor in the movie portrayed Lockhart really well. You get to know more about Ron and his family. Ron's family seems to be the kind of family I would like to know and be friends with, unlike Harry's aunt, uncle, and cousin. I enjoyed every part of this book and I wouldn't mind reading this book over and over again. If you're like me and have just mainly watched the movies, then I highly suggest that you read the books as well.

Overall, I gave this book a 5 out of 5 stars.

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Book Review: Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

About the Book: 

Tally is about to turn 16, but surprisingly, she's not excited about getting a driver's license. She's excited to finally be turning pretty. In Tally's world, turning 16 means that you get an operation to become stunningly beautiful. You're no longer an ugly outcast. In this world, being pretty means that your only job is to party and have a great time. Until Tally meets another girl who shares the same birthday as her, she thought that everyone couldn't wait until they became pretty.

Shay doesn't think that she wants to become pretty and she tells Tally her plans of running away and when Shay does run away, Tally gets to see a different side of the pretty world and it isn't very good. That's when Tally is given a choice by the authorities: Find Shay and return her, or never turn pretty... ever.


My Thoughts:

Uglies is such an amazing read. I love any kind of dystopian type story and the world of uglies and pretties is so very interesting. It kind of reminds me about today's society and everyone wishing that they looked like a certain supermodel or actress/actor. The difference between now and in this dystopian future is that there's an even more sinister thing about being pretty. It's not as amazing as most might think. In my opinion, being a pretty seems to be rather boring with the endless parties, getting drunk, and your worst problem would be on trying to figure out what to wear to said parties. Sure, everyone wants to be told that they are beautiful and they want to be admired for it, but I'm sure most people would get tired of that kind of thing easily. Also, with what being pretty means in this world, I would rather pass and continue my life as an ugly. 

I felt like I really got to know these characters and despite the setting being in the far future, I felt like I could relate to them based on their premise of everyone wanting to be pretty and not wanting to be ugly. I believe that everyone wants to feel like they fit in with the 'it' crowd at some point in their lives and this is a great book at showing you that it's not always the best place to be. 

I really enjoyed reading this novel and I can't wait to see what happens in the next!

Overall, I gave this book 5 out of 5 stars.

You can purchase Uglies by Scott Westerfeld by clicking the links below.

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