Mercy's Rain

Mercy's Rain

(free download on 3/9/15)

About the Book:

Mercy Roller knows her name is a lie: there has never been any mercy in her young life. Raised by a twisted and abusive father who called himself the Pastor, she was abandoned by the church community that should have stood together to protect her from his evil. Her mother, consumed by her own fear and hate, won't stand her ground to save Mercy either.

The Pastor has robbed Mercy of innocence and love, a husband and her child. Not a single person seems capable of standing up to the Pastor's unrestrained evil. So Mercy takes matters into her own hands.

Her heart was hardened to love long before she took on the role of judge, jury, and executioner of the Pastor. She just didn't realize the retribution she thought would save her, might turn her into the very thing she hated most.

Sent away by her angry and grieving mother, Mercy's path is unclear until she meets a young preacher headed to counsel a pregnant couple. Sure that her calling is to protect the family, Mercy is drawn into a different life on the other side of the mountain where she slowly discovers true righteousness has nothing evil about it--and that there might be room for her own stained and shattered soul to find shelter. . . and even love.

Mercy's Rain is a remarkable historical novel set in 19th century Appalachia that traces the thorny path from bitterness to forgiveness and reveals the victory and strength that comes from simple faith.

My Comments:

I loved this book.  For someone who likes happy stories with lots of sunshine, that's saying something, because this book is like the Smokey Mountains in which it is set--covered with a gray fog, but beautiful underneath that fog.  In the book, the fog is the guilt and the hurt in Mercy's heart, and of course the sunshine that breaks through the fog is the love of God, manifested through some special people. 

The book opens at a river baptism.  A sinner has repented and wants to be baptized.  The whole community is there.  The sinner and the pastor enter the river, where the pastor holds the sinner under until he drowns.  The pastor is bound, a rope is put around his neck and he is placed on the back of a horse.  It is not clear what was supposed to happen--whether there was to be a quick trial or or whether someone was to be chosen to carry out the hanging, but before what ever was to happen was able to happen, the pastor's daughter, Mercy, slaps the horses and the pastor is hung.  Mercy thought her mother would be grateful (we learn in the book why) but instead, her mother banishes her.  While Mercy is walking to the other side of the mountain, she meets a travelling preacher who is everything her father was not, and who was not anything her father was.  She agrees to accompany him to a home where a young couple is expecting a baby because she does not want him hurting the baby.  Throughout the course of the book we learn Mercy's story and watch her learn to trust God and man again and we watch her give the love she never realized was from God to others.  Mercy learns about Mercy and forgiveness and how forgiving others frees us.

Mercy's Rain is clearly a religious novel, but it is a well-written story with relateable characters.  It is reminder that those of us in the church are the reflections of God to which people look to discover Him, and that when we sin, those reflections become distorted.  Mercy's father was a grave sinner and caused Mercy to have a very distorted view of God.  Her new friends removed that distortion but Mercy still needed to look to God.  

If religious fiction bothers you, this isn't the book for you.  However, for those who enjoy Christian fiction or who can accept religious messages in books, this one is a real winner and I highly recommend it.  Grade:  A.  

I'd like to thank the folks at Kregal for providing a complimentary review copy.  

Candle Bedtime Bible: My Review

Candle Bedtime Bible

About the Book:

There’s always time for a story with the Candle Bedtime Bible! Coded for easy reference, forty favorite Bible stories are each timed to be told in three, five, or ten minutes. With plain language and gentle illustrations, this Bible is perfect for a peaceful story time.

My Comments:

This book has been in my nine year old's backpack since it arrived.  She has to have a book with her at school and she has chosen this one.  That says something.  

As noted on the cover, this book is designed with the idea of reading the Bible stories as bedtime stories.  The table of contents shows whether each story is a three minute story, a five minute story or a ten minute story,which would be very convenient if I was in the habit of reading bedtime stories.  (Don't fuss at me; by the time she's finished with her homework it's almost bedtime and she wants to play on the computer for the few minutes she has.)

Rather than simply re-telling Bible stories, this book tries to make them more story-like.  For example, in the story of the Good Samaritan (titled "The Stranger Who Helped") we learn that the robbers took everything, even his coat, and that all he could hear was the chirruping grasshoppers.  Then he heard flip-flop, the sound of the priest and then clomp, clomp, the sound of the Levite and then the clip clip of the Samaritan's donkey.  He thought to himself that he has always heard that Samaritans are mean and selfish and that he probably wouldn't even stop--and since we know the rest of the story I won't go into it here.  While the stories are embellished to make them more story-like, they do not include interpretations telling us what we are supposed to learn from them.  There are twenty-two Old Testament stories and Twenty New Testament stories.

I've said before that when I review children's Bible stories look for certain stories.  I want to know if the book has the Annunciation (this did not), the Wedding at Cana (no), Peter's profession of faith and being given the keys to the kingdom (no) and the Last Supper and institution of the Eucharist (yes, but badly told).  I also want to know how gory the crucifixion is--and in this case it is not, the crosses are in the background, the foreground is looks like Mary, John and another woman crying.  However, nothing is said about Jesus giving John and Mary to each other.  

The Last Supper story is a little problematic.  "Jesus took some bread.  He thanked God for it, broke it and gave a piece to each of his friends.  After this Jesus said, 'Take this bread and eat it!  I am the bread.  I am giving myself for you all.'  ...."Drink some of this wine!  The wine is my life.  I offer my life for all.'"  I just don't consider that an accurate paraphrase of "This is my body" and I just checked four different non-Catholic Bibles; they all said "This is my Body".  While I consider this an important story and find this interpretation to be completely wrong, it isn't enough to make me make this book disappear.  However, it would probably be enough to keep me from buying it if I saw it in the store.  Otherwise, I did not see anything objectionable in the book, though I'll admit I haven't read the whole thing.  

I'd like to thank the publisher for making a review copy available.  Minus the Last Supper story, I'd give this book at B+; however that's a big one for me so I'm marking it down to a B- with a warning about the story, particularly for Catholic parents.  

Blog Tour: 99 Stories from the Bible

About the Book:

Following the narrative of the Bible, this collection of 99 stories starts with At the Beginning, and covers a wide variety of key events, including Samuel Listens, Esther, A Blind Man Sees, and Jesus Walks on the Lake, through to One Day Jesus Will Return. Each story is told over a double page spread with vibrant illustrations and some full page art.

My Comments:
I thought my nine year old might  enjoy this book but it was a little young for her her. Nevertheless it was beautifully illustrated and most of the stories are well-told.  As a Catholic reviewing  children's Bible story books I have several stories I look for/at.  This book has The Wedding at Cana,but while it mentions that Mary was there, no mention was made of her intercession.  Peter's profession of faith and being given the keys to the Kingdom isn't there.  The Last Supper is included but while the washing of the feet was described, as well as the conversation with Judas, and we are told that Jesus blessed the bread and wine and shared them with His friends, no mention is made of "This is my Body..."  While it mentions that Jesus' family and friends watched the crucifixion, no mention is made of John and Mary being given to each other.

I'll admit that another thing I look for in children's Bible stories is a lack of gore.  I know the crucifixion was awful; I just don't want to deal with nightmares.  In this book the crowd is looking into the distance at the crosses.  No blood is visible, and crowing with thorns and the scourging at the pillar aren't mentioned.

As the book basically just retells the stories, and doesn't add any commentary about what they are supposed to mean, I don't think a Catholic parent would find anything objectionable in it, the only problem is what isn't here.

I'd like to thank the publisher for providing a complimentary review copy.  Grade:  B.

Review: My Very First Easter Story

My Very First Easter Story Sticker Book (My Very First Sticker Books)

About the Book:

Alex Ayliffe's bright, colourful characters feature as stickers in this story and activity book. The book contains a retelling of the Easter story, with spaces left for children to fill with the appropriate sticker to complete the story. Accompanying the retelling are extra activities about what can be found on the page - counting, naming, identifying - for which extra stickers are supplied. The stickers come on a double page spread in the centre of the book, and are grouped and numbered according to activity to make it easy to select the right sticker to complete the task.

My Comments:

As I explained in an earlier post, my daughter has outgrown books like these.  Her latest read is a vampire story (reading level 2.5) but she did grab this for "Sharing" (show and tell), which her religion class does on Friday.  They have to bring religious things to share.

If you have a  young reader or a reluctant reader, or even a non-reader, this is a good introduction to the Biblical story of Easter.  The stickers give the kids a concrete way to interact with the story, which is bright, colorful and easy to read.  Grade:  B.

I'd like to thank the publisher for making a review copy available.  I was not obligated to write a positive review.