Is he better off not knowing?

Best Forgotten by Paula Vince

This book arrived airmail from Australia!  I’ve never had mail from that far away before.   And what a great thing to show up.  Best Forgotten is the story of a young man who has amnesia after getting hit by a car.  Not remembering anybody or anything about his life, he tries to put the pieces back together and finds a very unflattering picture of the person he is supposed to be.   He cannot reconcile himself to the stories of his past with the person he is in the now. 

I really enjoyed reading this one.  I looked forward to each time I could take a few minutes to read it.  The story is engaging and you want to know what will happen to this guy.  Was he running from something?  Is he the bad guy?  Will he regain his memory?  Why does everybody hate this guy when he seems so nice now?  Although it didn’t really take long to figure out who the bad guys were it was still worth while reading to see what happens.

A caveat:  there are a couple of bad words used by a desperate bay guy towards the end, otherwise, a very good story.

Click the cover above for more infor about this book.

This book was provided free of charge by BookCrash in exchange for an honest review.

Are you bad to the bone? Let’s hope not.

Bad Girls of the Bible by Liz Curtis Higgs

This book was originally published in 1999 and is one of those that I have seen all these years but have skipped over.  Bad Girls is a great Bible study that delves into the Biblical episodes of ten different women and how they dealt with the situations they were in.  Was this women “bad to the bone” and completely turned away from God, or was she “bad for a moment” and came to repentance?  Each chapter looks into that question and gives us questions to think on and lessons we can learn from each of these women. 

This study is highly unique in that each chapter begins with a modernized, fictional account of the Biblical incident for each of these bad girls.  I am impressed how Ms. Higgs was able to spin a modern tale that helps us realize that we are not too far from what these women went through in their lives.  We have every opportunity to fall or turn from God as they did. 

After the “modern” story is done the real portion of Bible study begins.  The sections of Scripture are segmented with commentary and historical background in between.  If you have read any other books by Liz Curtis Higgs then you know she has a one-of-a-kind personality that shines through with her humor and scholarly attention to Biblical accuracy.  The reading is so easy that you forget you are in the middle of a deep Bible study.  Highly recommended.

Would you like to read the first chapter of the book?  Click here!

This book was provided free of charge from Blogging For Books is exchange for and honest opinion.

The Christmas Singing by Cindy Woodsmall

Another great read from author Cindy Woodsmall!

I love reading Christmas and winter themed books this time of year, even in sunny Florida.  It helps get me in that Christmas spirit.  Check out the latest by Cindy Woodsmall with a video trailer or better yet, the first chapter of the book...

The Christmas Singing Chapter One   http://scr.bi/uJkucX

Video  http://bit.ly/vvg9mc

Order The Christmas Singing from WaterBrook Multnomah or you can usually find it at your local Walmart.

Free copy of My First Hands On Bible!

I thought I would try to do a giveaway on the CoffeyReader Blog to see how it goes.  I am giving away one new copy of My First Hands On Bible for preschoolers just in time for Christmas.  This will be short and sweet--all entries must be in by 9pm EST on December 9th. 

What do you need to do to enter? Email your name and email address to littlecoffeybeans@yahoo.com.  While you are at Coffey Reader go ahead and follow me.  Hopefully this giveaway goes well and we can do another one!

Click here to read the official My First Hands On Bible description from Group Publishing.

Click here to read my review of this great Bible.

Grace and Hope, or Misery; the Choice is Ours

The Grace Effect by Larry Alex Taunton

 What would life be like without the influence of Christianity?  Would we know we were pitiful wretches living without even the hope of …hope.  Revisionist history aside, our country was founded on Christian principles.  Laws, created for the safety and betterment of society, were based basic Biblical ideas and are meant to serve all our citizens whether or not they claim faith in Christ.  But if the laws you live by have no real moral basis, then there is no hope of justice, equality, of a better life.

In The Grace Effect, author and apologist, Larry Alex Taunton tries to show how a society, once founded on Christian principles, erodes into hopelessness, selfishness, and almost animal survival when God is erased from existence. Through the long process of adoption of their 10 year-old daughter, Sasha, from an orphanage in the Ukraine, the Taunton’s have to work with the corrupt government system that processes these adoptions.  While the comparison is made about how life will be so much better for Sasha in the United States, which I don’t doubt is true, I do not think the author is trying to make this a “my country is better than your country” type of argument.  What I got out of the book was a warning that our own “Christian” country is in serious jeopardy of following in the footsteps of countries, such as Russia and Ukraine, in denying God and thereby destroying the hope of its citizens.

Please do not think this book is a downer.  It is a great book!  Mr. Taunton has written a nonfiction book that is compelling, easy, and quick to read.  He writes about the struggles and triumphs of his family adopting their daughter from another country, why they decided to do it.  It truly make you think about what we all could and should be doing to help the children, no matter where in the world they are.  “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this:  to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. “  James 1:27

This book was provided by BookSneeze free of charge for an honest review.

For full description and how to buy. click here:  The Grace Effect by Larry Alex Taunton