Fiction Books

In the last few weeks, my Savior, my wife, my therapist, this book and the better angels of my own nature have all combined on me in a massive intervention that has saved my life and my marriage of 10 years.

This book explains what it means to be Christian, to accept the atonement of Jesus Christ, and to model oneself after him.
This is a very powerful book and opens our understanding of what it means to love, to forgive, to be forgiven, to become less selfish, and to bring peace, through story and parables.
It's true - and it is nearly impossible to put down!
A good book to read and to share with friends who do not know Christ.
This book explains why we believe in a way that is easy to grasp.

This is a profound book that has had a profound impact on my life. The treatment of the doctrines surrounding the Atonement of the Savior are made deeply personal for any reader and the bridge between "knowing" and "doing" is effectively constructed. All of this makes The Peacegiver a tremendously important work for anyone serious about discipleship.

Ferrell does an outstanding job on many levels in this book, yet all angles are about the Atonement of Christ and how to apply it in our lives. First of all, he engages in some very insightful and inspiring scriptural interpretation and gleans life-changing principles (truths about the Atonement) from some unexpected sources -- stories that are often overlooked. Second, he presents them in a framework that is personable to just about anyone and helps the reader to empathize with the characters and their predicament. And third, Ferrell challenges the reader to experience learning of the principles for himself or herself and thus to internalize these principles and become a better person through Christ. I could not recommend too many books more than this one.

The Peacegiver: How Christ Offers to Heal Hearts and Homes
This book was really great and is now one of my favorite books. It really made a difference in the way I saw my spouse, my children, my coworkers, and even the people that drive me nuts. It contains some of the most profound insight on the atonement of Christ that I have ever heard. The story used to convey the material is engaging and really helped me to remember the points he was making. Another book I would recommend that contains very similar points but from a non-religious viewpoint is Leadership and Self Deception: Getting Out of the Box. Both are very good for helping you to see people in ways that makes it easier to love and work with them.

I love this book ... It is a great love story and life story. I have read it 3 times and never tire of it. I love Gavin & Tessa - they endure the hard times and come out stronger people for it. Highly recommended.

This is one of the best books I have ever read. The time period in which it was written is fascinating, and DeBlasis does a wonderful job of bringing it to life. Gavin and Tessa have a truly legendary love story!

I first read this book years ago, and have re-read it many times. I could really relate to the locations, as I live in the San Joaquin Valley in CA close to the foothills. I could envision them in Monterey, San Francisco, etc. and traveling inward to the valley and foothills. It is a beautiful, moving and very real story. It would be nice if it was reprinted. My copy is getting tattered!

I found this book on my bookshelf years ago and when I started it I couldn't put it down. This is the best novel I have ever read. A lot of books don't follow the characters as far as this book does. Tess and Gavin do experience hardships, but it makes the book even richer. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT.

This book captures all that you would hope for in a romance novel. Tessa and Gavin have a love so powerful and strong, it bends but never breaks. You will not want to put it down, but you'll have to because it is a long book. But I assure you, worth every hour of reading. This book and her Tiger's Woman are right at the top of my all time favorites list. Have read them both many times.

I first read Pug Sheridan 18 months ago, since then I've purchased 6 copies to give as gift to friends, and have led discussions on Pug Sheridan for 2 book groups. The last time I read Pug Sheridan my husband and I were making a long drive and I read several passages to him, I find the wording to be beautiful and so did he. I'm a great admirer of Sandra Cline and am looking forward to her next book. I'm hopeful that our high school will include Pug Sheridan in their curriculum. There are dark passages but they are followed by support and survival.

Sandra Cline did an excellent job in writing this book. We read it for discussion in a book review club. This group is composed of senior citizens and several members were reared in the south. They verified the existance of viewpoints expressed by the characters. Sandra Cline visited our group when we discussed the book and it seems clear she did a lot of research before writing it. She also told us that a sequel is coming. I am sure it will be well received. While I regard it as a "chick book", I say, "So what." it was very enjoyable reading and held my interest throughout. The events experienced by the many characters were individually believable and described very well. I would recommend the book to anyone from high school age on.

Pug Sheridan is a young girl in the south who deals with prejudice, ignorance and hatred of the very people she loves. Sandra Cline gives the reader a truthful picture of southern life in the early part of the century. She brings her characters to life and the reader grows to love them all, even the bad guys because we understand why they are as they are. On a larger scale it is a picture of how one person can change an entire community with love and acceptance. It's clear that Sandra Cline has a story to tell and it comes from her heart. This is one of the best books I've read in a long time. I wish it could be read by every high school student in America. Perhaps it could be used as a catalyst to change the way our young people view others. The paraphrased words that come to me are "Treat others the way you'd like to be treated."

I found this book a compelling and quick read, but found it surprisingly unsatisfying. The plot was very predictable and the characters too familiar. Although I did learn a lot about the KKK, the themes of racism in the South and tight-knit girl clubs were not new. For better reads of this genre, try The Persian Pickle Club by Sandra Dallas, The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd, or The Devine Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood by Rebecca Wells.

I have read this book twice, and I found it as intriguing both times. Sandra did a wonderful job on character building and was very descriptive throughout the whole book. If you want a good read that will also make you look at others in a much kinder way, this is the book to read.

I love Astrid Lindgren's book (but not a big fan of PP Longstocking). I used to read her book when I was a child in my native language. Too bad they don't translate some of my favorites, I don't even know what the translation is into English... Anyway, Ronia is a great book. I didn't read it until now, so I can tell you that adults will enjoy this book too.

Just like Pippi Longstocking or the Brothers Lionheart, this is an Astrid Lindgren classic that every child should read.

"A robber's daughter, joy and gladness!" shouted Matt the stormy night that his daughter, Ronia, was born. Ronia grew up in Matt's Fort with her parents and her father's band of robbers. When she was old enough her parents let her walk through the woods by herself. While she was exploring she met Birk, the son of her father's arch enemy, Borka. Birk along with his parents and their band of robbers move into a section of Matt's Forest which they called Borka's Keep. At first Ronia and Birk despised each other but, they soon became best friends. One day, Matt captured Birk and wanted to use him to get Borka off his land. Ronia was extremely upset. Matt was furious and said that he no longer had a child. Birk and Ronia ran away into the woods where they lived all spring and summer long. Awhile later, Ronia came across Matt, who begged her to come home. After a few difficult decisions and challenges, Borka and Matt joined forces and Ronia and Birk were allowed to see each other anytime without worrying about their fathers' feud. This book was a very good adventure story.

I liked that the author threw in some scenes that were a little suspenseful. Bumper, one of Matt's robbers, was shot in the neck with an arrow by one of Borka's men. He survived, thanks to the nursing skills of Ronia's mother. When Ronia found a spot to meet Birk under Matt's Fort she heard someone coming but, the person did not come all the way down to see Birk. There were several times throughout the book when Birk and Ronia were almost attacked by wild harpies and other creatures. While Ronia and Birk were trying to train and ride wild horses they lost control and the horses went galloping as fast as they could through the forest to get them off.

I also liked how the characters developed. When Ronia and Birk first met they did not like each other at all. They then became best friends and later became "brother and sister." Matt and Borka had been rivals for many years. In the end, they were friends and partners, like they were when they were very young. Even Birk's mother and Ronia's Mother were able to get along.

Some of the creatures of the forest had odd ways of saying things. When Ronia got her foot stuck in a rumphob's den one of them asked, "Un's stuck in t'roof, woffer did un do it?" The gray dwarfs exclaimed, "Gray dwarfs all, bite and strike!" They would say this every time they saw a human. While out in the woods Birk and Ronia were being chased by a whole flock of wild harpies. One of them screamed, "Ho, ho! Lovely little humans in the water! Now the blood will run, ho, ho!" These kinds of dialects gave the creatures more character and made the book fun to read.

The thing that I liked the most about the book was that the author put a lot of detail into the characters' emotions, especially Matt's. When Ronia was first born Matt carried her high and proud and showed her off to all of the robbers. He danced and cheered with lots of enthusiasm. After Bumper was wounded, Matt was walking up and down the hall grinding his teeth and cursing Borka under his breath. While Ronia was out living in the woods, he would lie in bed almost all day, staring at the ceiling. He barely ate and everyone in the fort was depressed and they never sang or danced. Ronia was screaming and hitting everyone within her reach when she saw that her father had captured Birk. This is an excellent book for anyone who likes stories of friendship and adventure.

By K. Lissner

I wanted to buy this book for my children to read, because it was my favorite story when I was little. The book arrived quickly, in perfect condition, and I couldn't be happier.

In my opinion, this is one of Astrid Lindgren's best books, ever. It teaches you that you must love to be loved in return, and that love makes the world go around. I personally think that young Ronja here makes a great role-model for all young girls. ;)

As soon as I got Silent Battlefields, my teenage daughter took it from me. She is a history buff, and she thought this looked like a book she would enjoy. Actually, she loved it. The way the author brings together the son of holocaust survivors and the son of a former Hitler youth is well done, and really makes the reader think. Highly recommended.

Two unlikely friends realize that they have more in common with each other than most people would believe. Matthew Eisenstadt is the only son of two Holocaust survivors. His mother's parents had been murdered by the Nazis but her life had been spared by a young soldier who suddenly had second thoughts about what his role in the situation. His father had been the family's lone survivor of Treblinka.

Matthews's new friend, Thomas Kruger is the only son of a German couple. His mother had had Nazi sympathizer parents and his father had been one of Hitler's youth.

Both boys know almost nothing about their respective parents' life during the war. It is a subject that is just not broached. Yet both individuals feel that without knowing what really happened that they can't understand a piece of their own history, a piece of themselves.

Silent Battlefields craftfully illustrates both sides of survivor's guilt from the war. I was pleased that the different experiences actually had a great deal of similarities in the feelings and reactions after the fact. However, I really didn't like the direction that the book took in the last hundred pages or so. I felt that these events were out of sync with the rest of the story taking it in a whole different type of story.

Like all German teens when Hitler was in power, Selig Kruger was indoctrinated into the "Hitler Youth", a mandatory program to train and screen the country's next generation of German soldiers. While he enjoyed the comradeship and pagentry, he was disturbed by the blanket hatred of Jews and the violence directed toward them. On his first assignment in the German Army, he and two other soldiers were assigned to expose German families who were hiding Jews in their homes. In searching a home, he saw a terrified young Jewish girl hiding in a closet, but spared her life by keeping silent about her. Shortly thereafter, sickened by the reality of the violence he had been trained to inflict, he fled the scene, and had to kill the other two soldiers who would have shot him as a deserter.

Fast forward about 25 years, and Selig is a physician in a Philadelphia hospital, married to a German woman who knows his secret. Their son Thomas, whom they have not told about his father's past, strikes up a friendship with a young Jewish man, Matthew, whom he meets at a college discussion and reconcilation group about the Holocaust. Matthew invites Thomas home to have dinner with him and his parents, Nathan and Eva, who are both Holocaust survivors. Eva is stunned by a flash of recognition in meeting Thomas, who bears an erie resemblance to the German soldier who spared her life so many years before. The boys become very close, and Eva takes it upon herself to meet Selig. Their reconcilation is complicated by the appearance of a Nazi hunter, a former patient of psychologist Eva, who targets Selig due to his assumed atrocities committed while in the German army.

"Silent Battlefields" is a highly original, riveting, well-written and thought-provoking debut novel, one which not only raises significant issues about that period in history, but exposes how dangerous bigotry and blind hate can be in any context. I give it a full five stars out of five.

"Let he who is without sin, cast the first stone."

As it happens, Hugh Rosen, author of Silent Battlefields, A Novel, has written a wide-ranging novel that explores this ancient quotation from the New Testament, though it seems a contradiction. This book is set in our modern day and the protagonists are progeny of Germans and Jews who still suffer from the holocaust.

Rosen probably didn't set out to examine the concept from this quote; it turns out he did, though, and for the benefit of all who read it, I might add. For these readers are the lucky ones, the ones who will be exposed again--may in fact re-learn--the concept that as humans, we are all one.

What better time to come to a novel like this? Like Steven Spielberg did with Munich and George Clooney did with Good Night and Good Luck, Rosen has chosen to tackle a gigantic theme with a specific and heartfelt story. Would that his book finds the same kind of audience.

For, in this novel, there are no angels, no devils. Only hard-core people made of blood, bones and heart. Rosen updates the ancient themes of tolerance, acceptance and blame to a modern-day mystery with elements of horror that genre fans might find more edifying than their usual fare. By doing so, he makes subjects that some might avoid not only palatable but must-absolutely-must-reading.

Battlefields is a first novel from a newly minted MFA graduate. With small improvements in craft, Hugh Rosen will be one of our greats and, it is fervently hoped, one of our nation's most read. Hear, hear Rosen! Here's to a bestselling future!
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Carolyn Howard-Johnson is the author of the award-winning books This is the Place and Harkening. Leora Krygier, author of the acclaimed When She Sleeps, says "these books paint us a picture of Utah, love, family and intolerance in beautiful strokes." The reviewer is also the author of THE FRUGAL BOOK PROMOTER: HOW TO DO WHAT YOUR PUBLISHER WON'T, USA Book News' pick for "Best Professional Book 2004, and a book of nostalgic, personal poetry, Tracings from Finishing Line Press. Her FRUGAL EDITOR: PUT YOU BEST BOOK FORWARD TO AVOID HUMILIATION AND ENSURE SUCCESS will be issued in spring of 2007.

Imposing cover graphics at once drew me to this novel, the story of Selig Kruger, one of Hitler's Youth, and Eva, the girl he saved. But this poignant tale captures more than just the scars and hopes of these two people, more than principle and duplicity; it weaves around their relationships and those of their offspring, each individual invariably affected by a gruesome past.

Silent Battlefields awakens a difficult history, from the Nazi youth to the Holocaust survivor, from the hapless victim to the deranged vigilante who seeks his own justice, and how all these lives interconnect to make the past, the present and the future. Each account is written judiciously, perceptively, sometimes with a daintiness that encapsulates emotion. Sometimes that fragility crumbles to jolt one into a raw harshness, the kind that invades spaces not ready to be filled. Doors open that would rather remain shut. Refined masks are suddenly uncloaked in elaborate, disturbing accounts: boy soldiers on grave missions; men defined by the numbers they killed; others shaped by the degree of suffering endured. Dialogue flows easy, at times somewhat philosophical.

A part of me wanted to gobble each haunting truth, each staggering concept, yet another piece of me felt drawn into a place I did not wish to explore, the findings too unsettling to visit. Parallels, contrasts - Hugh Rosen draws them well. As an author, he has a commanding flow that understands how to keep a story alive and curiosity aflame. Silent Battlefields, an iUniverse Editor's Choice, carries deep insight into the complexities of fear, relationships and conflicts. It peels like an onion into the innermost layers of each sentiment to cloister them in a work of fiction that redefines history.

What a powerful read!
Eugen M. Bacon,
Amazon Shorts Author, The Hybrid

What a wonderful story Ohlsen has written. I heard of this book in an audio tape of a talk given by Paula D'Arcy, called Spirituality for the Second Half of Life. Ohlsen stubbornly pursues the Poor Clares in Wisconsin, a Franciscan order of nuns whose ranks were becoming depleted. The congregation of the downtown church was also diminishing quickly. Ohlsen writes about the church and the poor Clares journalistically and restoration of individuals to both the nuns' ranks and the church's fold begin. Parallel to this exploration of the lives of these interesting women, is Ohlsen's articulation of her own spiritual search...fascinating and comforting all at the same time. A must read.

I can see how this book might apeal to some, but I found it far from a "spiritual classic." While touching in many ways, the author kept throughout a sort of superior tone that began to grate, as if she was amused at everything she saw and heard. I think she was trying to be witty, but it often came off, at least to me, as a little snotty. But the book has its moments.

Kristin Ohlson stumbled onto the Poor Clares at just the right moment. It was Christmas morning and she was feeling bereft. A former Catholic who no longer believed in God, she impulsively decided to attend Mass at a church where she could hear the Poor Clares singing. Thus begins this intriguing saga of a search for faith and a newspaper story.

I would call this Divine Providence. Others might call it serendipity. Ohlson needed inspiration, and the Poor Clares needed the attention her journalistic interest would generate. True to the mentality of those who place their trust in God alone, the Poor Clares did not seek her help. It took her months to get the Clares to respond to her requests for an interview, and as she waited, she became involved in the ailing parish community attached to the convent.

Ohlson is an engaging narrator -- open, warm, and honest. She brings her full journalistic skills to this story. Despite my sadness at seeing the diminishment of vocations to contemplative living, I found her presentation of the life of a once flourishing community totally engrossing. Though I cannot claim, as another reviewer has that this is the current "Seven Story Mountain," I will say that I am very glad that I bought and read the book.

I just read Stalking the Divine and loved it.

Full disclosure: I met Kristin Ohlson at a writer's conference and spent some time chatting with her. If I hadn't liked the book, I wouldn't have written a review at all. But, I can hear her voice as I read. I've read other writers whom I've met in person, and they don't always sound like themselves.

But, Kristin is as delightful, unassuming and smart on the page as she is in person. Reading this is akin to a conversation -- you'll find yourself responding with nods of your head, furrowings of your brows, chuckles of recognition. It's that good, and she's that real.

I, too, was brought up in the Catholic fatih, and became an atheist. I'm still an atheist after reading this book :) Kristin so effectively communicates her own wonder, doubts, and drive to discover that I was completely captivated.

The history and reality of the Poor Clares is also a story well worth one's time to read.

This is a lovely book regardless of your faith.

You might also call this book 'self-absorbed journalist works out truce with the Second Person of the Trinity.'

I bought 'Stalking the Divine' after reading the glowing reviews on Amazon and elsewhere. What closed the sale was one reviewer's description of it as a latter-day 'Seven Storey Mountain.'

Yet for every expression of admiration for the Poor Clares, Ms. Ohlson is compelled to share, say, the icky feeling she gets when she utters the word 'Jesus.'

On page five, Ohlson describes stumbling into a Catholic church in Cleveland after a lengthy absence and being horrified to hear a priest wag his finger about the evils of abortion. This reviewer has been a Catholic for thirty seven years, yet not once have I heard a priest address this subject outside the petitions at Mass. A lapsed Catholic wanders into an anonymous church and hears a pro-life homily? Call me skeptical.

When I was a stand-offish boy greeting my visting aunts at Christmastime, they'd tell me to 'quit arm-hugging' and to give them something real, heartfelt. Ohlson's book is a 272-page Catholic arm-hug.

After my enjoyable reading experience with Pamela Clare's Ride the Fire, I was told that I simply must read Surrender. Whew man, am I glad I listened to everyone!

Although forced to serve the British during the French and Indian War, Iain MacKinnon does his job well. He and his band of Rangers have had much success but when Iain spies the courage of one beauty about to be ravaged by the Abenaki Indians, he defies his superiors and leaves to rescue her.

Annie Burns Campbell has known betrayal and forced submission as well, having been sold into indentureship by a ruthless uncle and sent far from her home in Scotland to the Americas. But when Iain saves her and takes her along with him she keeps it all inside in the hope that freedom will soon be hers.

Circumstances have a way of changing our heart's desire and Annie decides to risk it all to remain with the one man who has stirred a passion in her she has never known before- only to find that her past is about to catch up with her.

Clare has a feel for what historical romance readers want. Passionate love, strong noble men, vulnerable woman with backbone and yes, steamy sex! And to put it over the top for us- she placed her characters in the same setting as my most romantic movie of all time- The Last of the Mohicans starring Daniel Day Lewis.

Clare's historical's should not be missed!

This is the first book I have read by this author and, boy, can she write. The story is great and the characters are well developed. When I first began reading, I thought this my not be the type of book I'd like, but that changed quickly. The writing is just so good - grammar, diction... and I just really enjoyed the story.

It's refreshing to read historicals with good detail, but this author went too heavily into the violence of the time. I want to read about ROMANCE when I pick up a romance, not grisly scenes of the heroine being branded with a hot iron, the heroine being beaten, or the hero being flogged. The sex is quite explicit, but this in no way makes up for the extreme graphic violence. I can only give this book two stars, and doubt I'll re-read it. Good colonial adventure, bad romance.

and don't know why. It was in my cart forever, then I decided to get it! This book was awesome, I'm currently getting the rest of her historical romances. Hopefully she will continue to write them, Pamela Clare has a true gift for writing. Her descriptions and characters make you feel part of the story.

As usual Ms Clare has done it again.. her Western Historical romances - a la Last of the Mohicans - leave you breathless and this one is no exception. From the moment the books starts you are hooked. Annie, is the daughter of a Scottish Laird - hence she is part of the aristocracy gets approached by her debauched uncle who has seduced, raped her mother and now wants her - He asks her to choose - him or prison and indenture in the colonies... then he brands her a thief and ships her off to America. The frontier is rough and dangerous and no place for a sweet, pampered , Scottish lass... She is barely surviving the rigors and abuse of the family that has bought her indenture. When that family is slaughtered by an Abenaki war party, she flees into the forest - not counting on surviving her escape when she realizes that she has been saved by a Scottish "braw" man - who appears to be a trapper of some kind.

He is Iain MacKinnon - the leader or a band of Rangers. Him and his two younger brothers have been forced into a kind of indenture by a ruthless British Colonel - hang for treason - falsely accused or become leaders of the Rangers to help the Crown during the Indian wars. These band of Rangers are proud, strong and faithful following Iain to the death.

Pamela Clare's style of writing is so beautiful and historically descriptive. You are actually transported to that early era in our Country's History - were the land was raw and the only thing keeping you alive amidst the elements was the ability that is displayed by Iain and his men amidst the harshness and brutality of the day. The ensuing love affair that occurs between Annie and Iain is marvelous - he has actually disobeyed a direct order by not getting involved with the locals and saving her life.

The storyline and the characters are beautifully portrayed - the villains are very evil and the heroes are just to die for... the love scenes are hot and the book will keep you up till the wee hours of the night. Cant wait for the ensuing stories of Iain's 2 brothers - which I am sure will be just as breathtaking - if you want a book with a difference and want to get away from all the million Regency Romances currently out there - rush out and get this book - you will not be disappointed.. ENJOY!

this is my favorite book of the trilogy and it seems to be the only one from the trilogy that i have re-read many times. the story is so emotional and beautifully written. this is one of her trilogies that should still be in print. i think it is her best work.

A wonderful and touching romance set in post civil war Texas.

Dallas's leg is broken, so he sends his brother Houston to pick up his mail order bride and bring her back to his cattle ranch. Houston, a civil war veteran, is badly physically scarred. He's missing one eye and is disfigured on one side of his face. He meets Amelia at the train station and the two set out on their three week journey back to the ranch. Of course, she see's past his deformities and they fall in love, but she signed a marriage contract to Houston's brother. Houston believes that its best not to tell her he loves her and to have her marry his brother because she'll have a better life that way.

There are so many touching and wonderful scenes in this book that you'll cry. Your heart will ache for poor Houston. If you like the tortured-hero types, this one is for you. I personally don't care for the civil war era, but is was handled very well here without being overly historical.

Truly a beautiful love story. Makes you believe that love really does conquer all. :)

I think I may have found a new favorite author. Texas Destiny was wonderful & the next 2 books in this series look very promising. This series is about 3 brothers named Dallas, Houston & Austin.

In this book you will follow Houston who is sent to collect his brother Dallas's mail order bride, Amelia. Houston & Amelia immediately have a strong connection that quickly turns to feelings of love. This book had so much action & suspense that I didn't want to close it for a second. You will fall in love with Dallas & Austin just as easily as you do Houston.

This book was a wonderful start to what I believe will be my favorite series. Highly recommended.

Ok, the only other western I've ever enjoyed was "Nobody's Darling" by Teresa Medeiros - but even if you aren't a Western-romance fan or a Medeiros fan - you will LOVE Lorraine Heath's "Texas Destiny".

Amelia is a leaving the civil war-wrecked city of Atlanta when she responds to an Ad to marry a rich rancher in Texas. Houston is the brother of that man and he has to pick Amelia up at the train station and travel for about a month to bring her home. And the adventure and romance begins..... Houston was badly disfigured and is blind in his left eye from the civil war and Amelia is traumatized from losing her family. They both feel guilty falling in love since she is "promised" to Dallas (the older brother) but it's their destiny!! :)

I don't want to spoil anything here - but this is so sweet and so moving and it's so well written that it's not a "nasty" love story but certain plot elements are so emotional and tense enough to leave your heart racing! I loved it! and I savored every page and read it one day. (keep tissues handy!) it's ends so sweetly and now I can't wait to buy the next two stories in the series! fantastic!

from the library b/c I would have missed out on a great book. Houston puts up walls to keep people away b/c he is disfigured, but Amelia is able to get pass the walls and see the great man behind them. I like the fact that this book focuses on these two characters and the act of them getting to know each other and falling in love. The author makes sure they have time together to get to know each other and that doesn't change when they get to Houston's brother's house and have to act as if they never fell in love. I also like the fact that the love scene didn't come until the end. The whole novel builds up to this point and no one will be disappointed. If you're the kind of person who likes a whole lot of action in their novels, this book isn't for you. If you like romances where the romance takes center stage along with the characters, this is for you.

The Essay "The Inner Ring" moved my youngest daughter from the margins of middle school to its social center. Six years ago when she was in the sixth grade, we talked several times about a group of three girls that were the most popular in her school. Because she was so curious about the subject, I read her "The Inner Ring." She loved it. She asked many good questions, related the essay to her situation, and to her friends. By the middle of her seventh grade year, the group had expanded to six and because four of the six members of the group had siblings in the high school, the "six pack" was the subject of high school gossip in addition to being the coolest clique in the middle school. My wife believes that in reading "The Inner Ring" to mathematically minded Lisa, I gave her the rules she needed to become a permanent member of a group who all were starters on at least one sports team and continued to be close friends in high school.

This book is actually a collection of essays. Lewis addresses various things such as, the glory of man as being a reflection of the glory of God, why he is not a pacifist (where he gives some pretty strong moral, biblical, and sensible arguments), speaking in tongues and various spiritual gifts (moreso on their implication, not on the technicality of each or what exactly each gift is), what he calls "is theology poetry" (or in other words, do we believe in theology just because the idea of a cosmic drama appeals to us), the affects of peer pressure and the gradual degradation of one's inner principles and also its positive affects when one surrounds him/herself with Christians, and forgiveness.

Overall a very enlightening read, in which many issues that are not commonly talked about are given attention. Not very long either, but packed full of insight.

I agree that this collection is often overlooked when considering the best works of CS Lewis. Among the essays, my personal favorites are Weight of Glory and Transposition. I highly recommend this book.

This is one of my favorite books by C. S. Lewis. The essays are all valuable in many ways; they all touch upon not just theology, but politics, science, life in general. Lewis packs down into uncomplicated prose some of the most profound thoughts I've ever considered in "Transposition" and "Is Theology Poetry?", and they have to be read several times to be understood. In some ways, all the essays are interlinked; it makes sense to read it--the first time--from start to finish. Those who have read only MERE CHRISTIANITY and SCREWTAPE will find here more personal, complex, and unsimplified Lewis.

There is a jacket blurb on The Weight of Glory from John Updike, who comments on both the comfort and pleasure afforded by Lewis. Neither should be underestimated. This is great devotional writing but it is also great writing, writing that is typified by Lewis' ability to deal with the weightiest of matters with a light touch.

It is a truism that our faith is reinforced whenever we see it embraced by great minds. Samuel Johnson believed that and it is interesting that Lewis often turns to Johnson for such reinforcement, as we turn to Lewis--one of the indisputably great intellectuals of the twentieth century. Part of that greatness comes from the stark clarity with which Lewis sees important matters. That makes his work accessible; it does not make it simplistic.

All of the lay sermons in this volume are trenchant, though 'The Weight of Glory' and 'Learning in War-Time' are exceptional. I especially like 'Is Theology Poetry?' and 'Membership' and find 'Why I Am Not a Pacifist' of particular interest and importance these days.

This is a book to be read, embraced, and shared.

My favorite teacher at my son's daycare was leaving - going to a new job. I found this book to be a perfect gift for her. I thought it could also represent the balloons as a metaphor for someone going away. Excellent story with beautiful illustrations.

As an elementary school counselor I used this book to help students cope with grief and loss.

I wish there was a way to promote her books more. I bought one of Jamie's earlier books for a little boy a couple years ago. Recently, I was very surprised when his Mother said that it was the only book he enjoyed reading and wanted "Where Do Balloons Go?" for a birthday presnt. This little boy doesn't read very much but spends a lot of time in front of the television or computer, so it was very uplifting to know he realized there is more to life than visuals.

Our grandson has this book & loves it so much that we purchased another as a gift for our nephew.

I think every young child whose ever accidentally released a balloon into the wild blue yonder has wondered what happens to them...and this book gives kids some whimsical ideas about the secret life of balloons that should ease their minds about what happens...I suppose this is a better way for kids to think about it than just popping somewhere up there and plummeting to the ground. The words are written in silly rhymes and the illustrations are lush and whimsical...just plain silly and loads of fun for young readers. Younger kids (2-4) will like having the opportunity to explore each page and older kids (5-8) will enjoy reading all the additional text loaded onto each page (balloons writing post cards, signs for various things, ect...) that should help keep their interest when the simple rhyme is, well, too simple for them to enjoy. Each page feels rather like an explosion of art and whimsy...it is that chaotic splendor that kids can't help but love!! Where to Balloons Go? doesn't provide any scientific explanation...but it's not meant to, it's just plain fun!! Kids and adults alike will have fun reading this and diving right into the incredible illustrations...if you've got a kid 4-8, this is a must read!!