The Baby Thief

The Baby Thief, by L.J. Sellers is an intriguing mystery about what lengths some women will go to have a baby and the lengths some will go to satisfy their greedy needs. Jenna McClure visits a clinic to pursue artificial insemination. The doctor, ironically, is looking for her perfect match so she can “steal” eggs to have her own baby. She finds the perfect match in Jenna. But that’s only where the story begins. The twists and turns of this novel are intriguing but sometimes a bit unbelievable. It will definitely keep you interested.

My biggest complaint with this book is that it needs a good editor. I hope L.J. Sellers continues to write but I hope she finds a publisher who will edit her books carefully.

Beyond Molasses Creek

Beyond Molasses Creek, by Nicole Seitz, is a story of a 60-something woman who returns to her childhood home after the death of her father. She is also returning to the first and foremost love of her life. Vesey Washington, a black man who lives across the river, was a childhood friend who turned into Ally’s true love. But it was the south in a time when black/white relationships were definitely frowned upon.

The book tells of Ally’s life as she runs away from the relationship. She becomes a flight attendant and travels the world. Eventually, she has an affair and a child out of wedlock. That child is kidnapped when Ally is “finding herself” in Nepal. The novel turns to Sunila and her life in Nepal. Yes, it’s predictable – she’s Ally’s daughter.

This is an emotional story about Vesey’s life in Molasses Creek, Ally’s life travelling the world and Sunila’s difficult life as a stone cutter and how all three of their lives intertwine in the end. The book is well written but sort of predictable. If you enjoy this type of story, you will surely like Beyond Molasses Creek.

Faith and the Mafia

This Thing of Ours: How Faith Save My Mafia Marriage, by Cammy Franzese caught my attention. Unlike similar books, it also kept my attention. Cammy was a dancer and had an opportunity to dance for a movie production. Along the way she met and fell in love with Michael Franzese. Being naïve and not picking up on hints from friends, she married Michael despite his past as a member of the mob. This book tells the story of Cammy’s life raising three of their four children mostly alone while Michael served time. Despite the hardship, she and her husband remained devoted to each other. Along the way, Michael found God and his new mission in life. Cammy, although raised by a Christian Mom, took her time in following Michael’s pursuit and testimonies. She eventually did, however, find a calling talking with other young women who were dealing with similar issues in their married lives.

This is a story of faith as both Cammy and Michael, along with their four children, go through the trials of prison life and the fairness and unfairness of arrests and red tape. Despite some very difficult times, the family that nearly collapsed from time to time, has come together and continues quite intact.

Cammy Franzese’s This Thing of Ours is a quick read. It’s entertaining, educational, inspiring, and, yes, I admit it – a real tear jerker.

Happy Holidays

Merry Christmas to you and your family. And may you have a healthy and happy 2012!

Nearing Home!

Billy Graham’s book Nearing Home: Life, Faith, and Finishing Well has a simple message. It’s a message we’ve all heard – accept Jesus Christ – yet it’s delivered in such a simple and non-preachy manner that we can read it without getting our backs up. You know what I mean because we’ve all been preached to. And that preaching doesn’t always win over our hearts. Billy Graham doesn’t do that in this book. He delivers his message in a gentle manner. He speaks honestly about aging and we all (some more than others) can relate to this. But his message comes through and yet we can read that Billy Graham is at peace in his life and in his future.

Nearing Home is an honest look at Billy’s end-of-life journey with his simple but definite suggestions for us all. No matter how you feel about the subject, this book is worth a read.

William G. Bentrim Does It Again!

The Wicked Good Stepmother, by William G. Bentrim, is a nice story that will help ease the fears many children face these days. With divorce common, many children are faced with the insecurities and fears that go along with a new stepmother or stepfather. This fear may be worse in the case of a parent’s death and a remarriage by the remaining parent. In this book, Bentrim shows how Bonnie and Bradley face their fears of a new stepmother. They know all the scary stories of wicked stepmothers but don’t know any about good ones. They definitely expect the worse when Dad returns from his deployment with a new wife.

The story allows Bonnie and Bradley to express their fears but also shows how their Dad demonstrates his love for each of them. And the new “wicked” stepmother handles the situation perfectly so that they can all face the unknown days ahead as a great new adventure.

If a child you know is dealing with similar fears, they may be comforted to see how Bonnie and Bradley can now face their future together with love and hope. This is also a good book for those who are not facing this situation so that they can better understand friends who may be going through a similar scary times.

Read The Wicked Good Stepmother to your child and help ease their fears. Well done, Mr. Bentrim!

American Politics and Global History

America The Last Best Hope Volume III, by William J. Bennett is a book describing America through its politics and world relationship during the past 30 years. It touches on the Presidents and their administrations from the end of the Cold War through a close inspection of the years since 1998 and our present-day difficulties in Iraq and Afghanistan. Surprisingly, it was an easy read despite the heaviness of the subject. It was totally unbiased, which is like a breath of fresh air these days. So many publications are extremely conservation or extremely liberal. I found Bennett’s unbiased handling of this history both fair and informative. If you’re interested in global events and the political world, Bennett’s America The Last Best Hope Volume III is a good, informative book to read.