by Jason Joyner | Feb 15, 2008 | Blog, CFBA, fiction, reading, reviews
I’m excited this week to discuss the new book My Name Is Russell Fink by Michael Snyder for the CFBA book tour.
I spent time from 2005 – 2006 hanging out at faith*in*fiction, a blog and forum established by Bethany House editor Dave Long. There was great discussion on the issues affecting Christian fiction. One of the clever folks that were there was Mr. Mike Snyder. We heard a little of the development of his book at that time. I’m glad to say that the fruition of his initial effort is well-worth the read.
The book follows the titular Russell Fink through some mis adventures as we see life through his eyes. He is dealing with a job he detests, a severe bout of hypochondria (stemming from his twin dying of cancer as a child and his fear of sneaky cancer cells), a clingy fiancee, and his televangelist father trying to overcome past scandal. Along the way he finds a way to move out of his parents’ house, investigates the apparent murder of his beloved dog Sonny, and meets an old flame who stirs some passion into this drifter.
The strength of this book is the writing. As I mentioned the clever folks from f*i*f before, Snyder was one of the tops in that category. His writing sparkles with wit and whimsy. You never know where he is going to turn next, from whiskey-soaked dog biscuits to microwaving oranges and breaking into zoos (see, you’ll just have to read it to figure out what all that means). At first Russell is a hard character to like, since he is so passive and basically irresponsible in all of his conflicts. However, as he slowly grows into accepting some responsibility and starts to make a change in his life, you start pulling for him. All the time, the writing keeps you on your toes and with a grin on your face.
The plot suffers a little confusion at the end, and I couldn’t always follow where certain threads came or went, or if all of the major plot points were resolved. There is one point I want to write the author to ask him about, it was such a dangling string. Still, I can recommend this book because, even if isn’t fully sure of where it is going, the journey there is a lot of fun by the enjoyable writing. I look forward to seeing where Michael Snyder goes from here, having his first book under his collar…I mean belt.
by Jason Joyner | Feb 7, 2008 | Blog, CFBA, fiction, reviews, scrapbooking
This book was right up my wife’s alley, as she loves to scrapbook. (I say she loves to buy scrapbooking stuff and look at it without using it, but this usually gets me in some sort of trouble…) Anyway, here is my special guest review from my beautiful bride Beccy!
Sisters, Ink is the start of a series about 4 adopted daughters who still get together to scrapbook as a way to connect their busy lives. This is the first in the series, and it follows Tandy, living a busy high-placed life of an attorney in a big city, while her family lives in a small town in Tennessee. Her life consists of a dog and many hours of work.
She hasn’t been “home” for 3 years. When she arrives it brings back the joy of being home again: scrapbooking with her sisters, being with her dad, and reacquainting herself with her high school boyfriend.
As her two week visit changes life, she has to decide whether to go back to the big city or find her niche in a sleepy town.
This book had strong characters. The four sisters are distinct, and it was great to see the way this worked out. Even though they were all different, they still bonded as a family. The plot had a great romantic story along with the various family dynamics. I enjoyed the book from the viewpoint of a scrapbook fan, and I understood the lingo and the desire to get together socially and scrap. A weakness of the book was the beginning – it was very flowery with its description and ended up being distracting with its wordiness. Still, I enjoyed the book a lot, and would recommend it to my friends whether they scrapbook or not.
by Jason Joyner | Feb 7, 2008 | Blog, CFBA, fiction, reviews, scrapbooking
This book was right up my wife’s alley, as she loves to scrapbook. (I say she loves to buy scrapbooking stuff and look at it without using it, but this usually gets me in some sort of trouble…) Anyway, here is my special guest review from my beautiful bride Beccy!
Sisters, Ink is the start of a series about 4 adopted daughters who still get together to scrapbook as a way to connect their busy lives. This is the first in the series, and it follows Tandy, living a busy high-placed life of an attorney in a big city, while her family lives in a small town in Tennessee. Her life consists of a dog and many hours of work.
She hasn’t been “home” for 3 years. When she arrives it brings back the joy of being home again: scrapbooking with her sisters, being with her dad, and reacquainting herself with her high school boyfriend.
As her two week visit changes life, she has to decide whether to go back to the big city or find her niche in a sleepy town.
This book had strong characters. The four sisters are distinct, and it was great to see the way this worked out. Even though they were all different, they still bonded as a family. The plot had a great romantic story along with the various family dynamics. I enjoyed the book from the viewpoint of a scrapbook fan, and I understood the lingo and the desire to get together socially and scrap. A weakness of the book was the beginning – it was very flowery with its description and ended up being distracting with its wordiness. Still, I enjoyed the book a lot, and would recommend it to my friends whether they scrapbook or not.
by Jason Joyner | Nov 30, 2007 | Auralia's Colors, Blog, CFBA, fiction, reading, reviews, speculative fiction
This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing Auralia’s Colors (WaterBrook Press September 4, 2007) by Jeffrey Overstreet.I am almost done with this book. I will have more to say about it for a later blog tour since I’m not quite to the end yet. What I do want to point out is that this book is the most unique piece of fiction that I have read in my 1 1/2 years of actively reading/reviewing novels.
The description of this book before I received it was that it was a beautifully done literary work, with language that paints a vibrant a picture as Auralia’s Colors do in the story. Jeffrey takes time painting with words a very vivid description, full of metaphor and using the power of language in a formidable, haunting tale. In the recent Novel Journey interview with Dean Koontz, the famous author described the importance of using rich figures of speech in such a way – I would suggest that this book is what he had in mind when he talked about it.
The book takes a little more effort to read – it is suspenseful, but not in a way that zings the reader along. It takes a little more effort to mine the riches here. Sometimes the book suffers in the way it changes point of view characters in chapters – I got a little lost at times with the overall “where is this going?” Still, I am highly enjoying this story, and am looking forward to completing this particular thread.ABOUT THE BOOK:
As a baby, she was found in a footprint.
As a girl, she was raised by thieves in a wilderness where savages lurk.
As a young woman, she will risk her life to save the world with the only secret she knows.
When thieves find an abandoned child lying in a monster’s footprint, they have no idea that their wilderness discovery will change the course of history.
Cloaked in mystery, Auralia grows up among criminals outside the walls of House Abascar, where vicious beastmen lurk in shadow. There, she discovers an unsettling–and forbidden–talent for crafting colors that enchant all who behold them, including Abascar’s hard-hearted king, an exiled wizard, and a prince who keeps dangerous secrets.
Auralia’s gift opens doors from the palace to the dungeons, setting the stage for violent and miraculous change in the great houses of the Expanse.
Auralia’s Colors weaves literary fantasy together with poetic prose, a suspenseful plot, adrenaline-rush action, and unpredictable characters sure to enthrall ambitious imaginations.
Visit the Website especially created for the book, Auralia’s Colors. On the site, you can read the first chapter and listen to Jeffrey’s introduction of the book, plus a lot more!
by Jason Joyner | Nov 30, 2007 | Auralia's Colors, Blog, CFBA, fiction, reading, reviews, speculative fiction
This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing Auralia’s Colors (WaterBrook Press September 4, 2007) by Jeffrey Overstreet.I am almost done with this book. I will have more to say about it for a later blog tour since I’m not quite to the end yet. What I do want to point out is that this book is the most unique piece of fiction that I have read in my 1 1/2 years of actively reading/reviewing novels.
The description of this book before I received it was that it was a beautifully done literary work, with language that paints a vibrant a picture as Auralia’s Colors do in the story. Jeffrey takes time painting with words a very vivid description, full of metaphor and using the power of language in a formidable, haunting tale. In the recent Novel Journey interview with Dean Koontz, the famous author described the importance of using rich figures of speech in such a way – I would suggest that this book is what he had in mind when he talked about it.
The book takes a little more effort to read – it is suspenseful, but not in a way that zings the reader along. It takes a little more effort to mine the riches here. Sometimes the book suffers in the way it changes point of view characters in chapters – I got a little lost at times with the overall “where is this going?” Still, I am highly enjoying this story, and am looking forward to completing this particular thread.ABOUT THE BOOK:
As a baby, she was found in a footprint.
As a girl, she was raised by thieves in a wilderness where savages lurk.
As a young woman, she will risk her life to save the world with the only secret she knows.
When thieves find an abandoned child lying in a monster’s footprint, they have no idea that their wilderness discovery will change the course of history.
Cloaked in mystery, Auralia grows up among criminals outside the walls of House Abascar, where vicious beastmen lurk in shadow. There, she discovers an unsettling–and forbidden–talent for crafting colors that enchant all who behold them, including Abascar’s hard-hearted king, an exiled wizard, and a prince who keeps dangerous secrets.
Auralia’s gift opens doors from the palace to the dungeons, setting the stage for violent and miraculous change in the great houses of the Expanse.
Auralia’s Colors weaves literary fantasy together with poetic prose, a suspenseful plot, adrenaline-rush action, and unpredictable characters sure to enthrall ambitious imaginations.
Visit the Website especially created for the book, Auralia’s Colors. On the site, you can read the first chapter and listen to Jeffrey’s introduction of the book, plus a lot more!
by Jason Joyner | Nov 16, 2007 | Blog, CFBA, fiction, reviews
This week’s CFBA Tour features the book Try Dying by James Scott Bell. It is the first book of his that I’ve read. I’ve always heard glowing things about his writing. He is also a regular contributor to Writer’s Digest magazine, so my impression was that he must know his craft.
And how.
Try Dying is a great tale of suspense. Bell’s past experience as a lawyer gives this legal thriller the type of authenticity that immerses the reader in the story. The opening chapter fully captures your attention, and the plot rarely gives you time to put the book down for mildly important things, such as sleep, work, and eating.
The story is told in first person view, from the perspective of Ty Buchanan, an up-and-coming lawyer in Los Angeles. The tragic loss of his fiancee in a freak accident sets his world on its edge. Then a startling revelation from a stranger loitering at the graveside service puts his life in a tailspin that will envelope the high-profile case he’s working on, a prominent service organization, and the gang scene in Southern California.
The characterization of Buchanan and the people he encounters are tremendous. The motivations and actions make sense and drive the thrilling tale along. There are surprises along the way that have you second-guessing the plot and where it seems to be going the whole time.
This book has moved Bell into an author that I definitely want to check out more. So far Try Dying has moved into position as one of my favorite books of the year.
See Bell’s bio and teaser below for more information. Also, Brandilyn Collins had an interview with him recently on her blog, so be sure to check it out.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
James Scott Bell is a former trial lawyer who now writes full time. He is also the fiction columnist for Writers Digest magazine and adjunct professor of writing at Pepperdine University.
His book on writing, Plot and Structure is one of the most popular writing books available today. The national bestselling author of several novels of suspense, he grew up and still lives in Los Angeles, where he is at work on his next Buchanan thriller.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
On a wet Tuesday morning in December, Ernesto Bonilla, twenty-eight, shot his twenty-three-year-old wife, Alejandra, in the backyard of their West 45th Street home in South Los Angeles. As Alejandra lay bleeding to death, Ernesto drove their Ford Explorer to the westbound Century Freeway connector where it crossed over the Harbor Freeway and pulled to a stop on the shoulder.
Bonilla stepped around the back of the SUV, ignoring the rain and the afternoon drivers on their way to LAX and the west side, placed the barrel of his .38 caliber pistol into his mouth, and fired.
His body fell over the shoulder and plunged one hundred feet, hitting the roof of a Toyota Camry heading northbound on the harbor Freeway. The impact crushed the roof of the Camry. The driver, Jacqueline Dwyer, twenty-seven, an elementary schoolteacher from Reseda, died at the scene.
This would have been simply another dark and strange coincidence, the sort of thing that shows up for a two-minute report on the local news–with live remote from the scene–and maybe gets a follow-up the next day. Eventually the story would go away, fading from the city’s collective memory.
But this story did not go away. Not for me. Because Jacqueline Dwyer was the woman I was going to marry.
In Try Dying, this fast-paced thriller, lawyer Ty Buchanan must enter a world of evil to uncover the cause of his fiancee’s death–even if he has to kill for the truth.
“Bell is one of the best writers out there…he creates characters readers care about…a story worth telling.”
~Library Review~
