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.
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Here are two more books in this Fall Reads Book Tour. I had hoped to be finished reading these two by now, but you know how it goes sometimes, so I ended up making a separate review post for What Matters Most which I’ve finished reading and this post is just to tell you about two more books that I will be reading and maybe you’d like to read along with me. I will update this post with My Thoughts as I finish reading the books.

Book: Leaving Carolina
Author: Tamara Leigh
Release Date: Sep 15, 2009
ISBN: 9781601421661

Summary:

Piper Wick left her hometown of Pickwick, North Carolina, twelve years ago, shook the dust off her feet, ditched her drawl and her family name, and made a new life for herself as a high-powered public relations consultant in LA. She’s even “engaged to be engaged” to the picture-perfect U.S. Congressman Grant Spangler.

Now all of Piper’s hard-won happiness is threatened by a reclusive uncle’s bout of conscience. In the wake of a health scare, Uncle Obadiah Pickwick has decided to change his will, leaving money to make amends for four generations’ worth of family misdeeds. But that will reveal all the Pickwicks’ secrets, including Piper’s.

Though Piper arrives in Pickwick primed for battle, she is unprepared for Uncle Obe’s rugged, blue-eyed gardener. So just who is Axel Smith? Why does he think making amends is more than just making restitution? And why, oh why, can’t she stay on task? With the Lord’s help, Piper is about to discover that although good PR might smooth things over, only the truth will set her free.

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This book is part of three Fun Fall Reads sponsored by Random House Books so stay tuned for two more reviews: Leaving Carolina by Tamara Leigh and Limelight by Melody Carlson

Title: What Matters Most
Author: Melody Carlson
Release Date: Sep 15, 2009
ISBN: 9781601421197

Summary:

Maya’s Green Tip for the Day: Recycled fashion is one of the most fun ways to go green. A pair of jeans could be transformed into a denim skirt. A sweater into a vest. A bunch of old ties into a dress. A blanket into a poncho. Accessorize it in new way–with beads, buttons, appliqués, buckles, stencils, or ribbons…your imagination is only the limit. (65 words)

Sixteen-year-old Maya Stark has a lot to sort through. She could graduate from high school early if she wants to. She’s considering it, especially when popular cheerleader Vanessa Hartman decides to make her life miserable–and Maya’s ex-boyfriend Dominic gets the wrong idea about everything.

To complicate matters even more, Maya’s mother will be released from prison soon, and she’ll want Maya to live with her again. That’s a disaster waiting to happen. And when Maya plays her dad’s old acoustic guitar in front of an audience, she discovers talents and opportunities she never expected. Faced with new options, Maya must choose between a “normal” life and a glamorous one. Ultimately, she has to figure out what matters most.

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My apologies for being a bit late posting the books for this blog tour. This blog tour was sponsored by WaterBrook Press, a division of Random House, who provided the review copies of these books.

If you like action, suspense and intrigue, then these books will fit the bill nicely. If there is someone on your holiday gift list who likes mystery and suspense novels, they will appreciate reading these two books for sure.
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Title: Kiss Me Again
Author: Barbara Wilson

Release Date: September 15, 2009
ISBN: 978-1-60142-158-6 (1-60142-158-3)
Pages: 224

Summary
Many married women genuinely want to feel more desire toward their husbands. But while sex before marriage was hard to resist, now resisting seems like all they do. In her new book, Barbara Wilson shows how couples can suffer for years from the “invisible bonds” of previous relationships without even knowing it. Hidden emotions of distrust, shame, and resentment can sabotage even the most loving marriage.

In Kiss Me Again, Wilson:

With assessment tools, write-in exercises, and gentle guidance, Kiss Me Again offers a biblical plan for rekindling the closeness and passion women long for in marriage. Because no past is beyond the reach of God’s healing touch.
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Title: The Sound of Sleigh Bells
Author: Cindy Woodsmall
Release Date: October 6, 2009
ISBN: 978-0-307-44653-4 (0-307-44653-0)
Pages: 208
Blog Tour Dates:October 12-16

Summary:
Beth Hertzler works alongside her beloved Aunt Lizzy in their dry goods store, and serving as contact sorts between Amish craftsmen and Englischers who want to sell the Plain people’s wares. But remorse and loneliness still echo in her heart everyday as she still wears the dark garb, indicating mourning of her fiancé. When she discovers a large, intricately carved scene of Amish children playing in the snow, something deep inside Beth’s soul responds and she wants to help the unknown artist find homes for his work–including Lizzy’s dry goods store. But she doesn’t know if her bishop will approve of the gorgeous carving or deem it idolatry.

Lizzy sees the changes in her niece when Beth shows her the woodworking, and after Lizzy hunts down Jonah, the artist, she is all the more determined that Beth meets this man with the hands that create healing art. But it’s not that simple–will Lizzy’s elaborate plan to reintroduce her niece to love work? Will Jonah be able to offer Beth the sleigh ride she’s always dreamed of and a second chance at real love–or just more heartbreak?

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