Found Not Lost

In celebration of the movie release of New Moon, the sequel to the Twilight saga by Stephanie Meyer, I offer you the Faith and Fangs blog tour.

For concerned parents who worry that their kids may be obsessing a little too much about vampires, they will find Touched by a Vampire: Discovering Hidden Messages in the Twilight Saga by Beth Felker Jones and Thirsty by Tracey Bateman, an excellent Christian alternative to the mainstream vampire novels.

I am a parent and I am vampire obsessed. In fact, I am going to watch New Moon with my daughters and their friends tomorrow. The proliferation of the vampire genre doesn’t really bother me but I can see how it can be a concern for some people especially the ones who are religious. Me, I worry more about how to burn fat than how to keep myself from burning in hell. However, I found these books to be very informative and a refreshing change to the genre.

I received copies of these books from Multnomah Books, a division of Random House.

Title: Touched by a Vampire
Author: Beth Felker Jones
Format: Trade Paperback
Categories: Religion - Christian Life
On Sale: Oct 6, 2009
ISBN: 9781601422781

Summary:
EXAMINING TWILIGHT THROUGH A BIBLICAL LENS

People around the world are asking the same question, enraptured with Edward and Bella’s forbidden romance in the Twilight Saga, a four-book serial phenomenon written by Stephenie Meyer. The bestsellers tell the story of a regular girl’s relationship with a vampire who has chosen to follow his “good” side. But the Saga isn’t just another fantasy–it’s teaching girls about love, sex, and purpose. With 48 million copies in print and a succession of upcoming blockbuster films, now is the time to ask the important question: Can vampires teach us about God’s plan for love?

Touched by a Vampire is the first book to investigate the themes of the Twilight Saga from a Biblical perspective. Some Christian readers have praised moral principles illustrated in the story, such as premarital sexual abstinence, which align with Meyer’s Mormon beliefs. But ultimately, Beth Felker Jones examines whether the story’s redemptive qualities outshine its darkness.

Cautionary, thoughtful, and challenging, Touched by a Vampire is written for Twilight fans, parents, teachers, and pop culture enthusiasts. It includes an overview of the series for those unfamiliar with the storyline and a discussion guide for small groups.

Title: Thirsty
Author: Tracey Bateman
Format: Trade Paperback
Categories: Fiction - Christian - Suspense
On Sale: Oct 6, 2009
ISBN: 9780307457158

Summary:
There’s no place like home, they say.
“Hello, I’m Nina Parker…and I’m an alcoholic.”
For Nina, it’s not the weighty admission but the first steps toward recovery that prove most difficult. She must face her ex-husband, Hunt, with little hope of making amends, and try to rebuild a relationship with her angry teenage daughter, Meagan. Hardest of all, she is forced to return to Abbey Hills, Missouri, the hometown she abruptly abandoned nearly two decades earlier–and her unexpected arrival in the sleepy Ozark town catches the attention of someone–or something–igniting a two-hundred-fifty-year-old desire that rages like a wildfire.

Unaware of the darkness stalking her, Nina is confronted with a series of events that threaten to unhinge her sobriety. Her daughter wants to spend time with the parents Nina left behind. A terrifying event that has haunted Nina for almost twenty years begins to surface. And an alluring neighbor initiates an unusual friendship with Nina, but is Markus truly a kindred spirit or a man guarding dangerous secrets?

As everything she loves hangs in the balance, will Nina’s feeble grasp on her demons be broken, leaving her powerless against the thirst? The battle between redemption and obsession unfold to its startling, unforgettable end.

Tags: book reviews, Christian, Random House