Krista’s #CBR4 Reviews 9 – 13, too many authors to mention!

I just realized that although I’d reviewed books 9 – 13 on my review blog, I failed to post those reviews on here. Whoops! So now I’m updating this (with a backdate, hopefully, so it appears in between my other posts!) so you can read the rest of the reviews.

9. Shades of Blue, Karen Kingsbury
This book was what I call a fluffy read. It wasn’t bad or good, it just was. To be honest, most Christian fiction I read is pretty much similar in plot to the rest of the Christian fiction I read and this novel by Kingsbury is no different. It covers the usual topics: forgiveness, God’s grace, and the reassurance of eternity. The characters were mostly likeable, except Laura kind of got on my nerve when she was upset with Brad for going to see Emma, when I feel like it was pretty clear that he wasn’t going back to be with her.

10.7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess, Jen Hatmaker
All right, I am going to come out and say this. I LOVED THIS BOOK. A friend told me about it and I thought it sounded like a cool book, and when she came to visit in February she brought it with her and let me read it. Oh my gosh, it was more than a cool concept. It’s now on my “favorites” bookshelf over on Goodreads because homegirl strikes hearts with her faith and her preaching of the truth.

11. Redeeming Love, Francine Rivers

I know I said before in a different review that most Christian fiction has a huge cheeseball factor, and while this book had its moments of cheeseballness, it was actually a really good, insightful read. Drawn from the Biblical story of Hosea, this novel follows Michael Hosea’s journey to love a woman we know first as Sarah, and then as Angel, as God works to show His love to a woman whose life has been taken over by prostitution and cruel men. I thought this was a beautifully told story and sadly, it’s all too near and dear to my own heart.

12. Wednesday Were Pretty Normal, Michael Kelley
I’d like to think I’d be the most faithful servant of Jesus ever, but you never know until it’s you walking through that mire. Michael Kelley didn’t know until he knew. That’s the heart of this book. Once Kelley knew “the other side,” he didn’t quit being authentic. He didn’t only tell people he was great. He didn’t blindly follow Jesus without bringing his own pain and suffering to the cross. What he did was lay his soul bare in these pages and told readers, “I was here. It was hard. I struggled. But God’s truth is still the truth, even when Satan makes it feel like it’s all lies.” Better yet, Kelley doesn’t just say that. He shows readers, countless times in the scriptures, where what God promises He will stay with us.

13. The Night She Disappeared, April Henry
If there’s anything that I love, it’s a good mystery. The first “adult” books I read were Mary Higgins Clark’s mysteries, and I love that the writing world is now writing books targeted for the kind of teenager I was. It’s clear from April Henry’s The Night She Disappeared that this is a book of suspense and mystery. Mysterious title? Check. Mysterious cover art? Check.