by admin | Oct 15, 2007 | Books, Nonfiction
When my children were young teens, I listened to and enjoyed Amy Grant’s music along with them. As they grew older, their musical tastes changed to harder Christian rock and Amy’s recordings stopped coming into our home. When I was given the opportunity to read and review Amy’s new book, I thought it would be a way to discover what had been happening with her during the years.
I’m not sure what I expected when I began the book – probably the usual autobiography with all the achievements, glories and possibly even scandals. I was pleasantly surprised to find Mosaic to be more of a journaling of Amy’s thoughts and perceptions about people and events in her life, many of which might be considered insignificant at casual glance. Yet Amy relates these events in a way that exhibits her depth and maturity of thought and her true humanity. Her observations inspired me to look into my own view of my life. When I read this book, I saw a woman I could relate to, not a celebrity who has set herself on a pedestal.
Lyrics of many of Amy’s songs are interspersed throughout the book, lending additional insight to her reflections.
I would recommend Mosaic to anyone even if they have never been an Amy Grant fan. What she has to say is worthwhile and will probably open your mind and heart to new ways of looking at life.
Summary and Author Bio
Grammy Award–winning artist Amy Grant has lived in the spotlight since bursting onto the Christian music scene as a teenager thirty years ago. In that time her work, marriage, and spiritual life have been subject to varying degrees of adulation and criticism.
Now, in her first autobiographical book, Grant bares her heart and soul, giving readers an intimate glimpse into her everyday life and the lessons she’s learning along the way. From lighthearted reminiscences of her Tennessee childhood to painfully honest reflections on the journey of faith, her vivid writing draws readers into her world while simultaneously creating space for them to rethink their own perspectives on life.
With honesty and depth, Grant offers poignant and often startling insights on motherhood, marriage, friendship, faith, loss, forgiveness, and redemption. Never-before-shared stories about her husband, country music star Vince Gill, provide a look into her life as a celebrity, while intimate portraits of her mother and musings on the past reveal the various pieces of a life blessed with jagged edges as well as vivid colors. Readers will find their preconceived notions of this music icon stripped away as they settle in for a warmly satisfying conversation with a gracious and wise friend.
Amy Grant is the best-selling Christian music artist of all time and the first to garner the number one spot on Billboard’s chart. Since beginning her career at age 17, she has earned six Grammy Awards and twenty-five Dove Awards, and last year she received her own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Grant’s numerous television appearances include Oprah; Good Morning, America; and Late Night with David Letterman. In 2007 she’ll tour nationwide, performing with local symphonies in Atlanta, Minneapolis, Kansas City, and elsewhere.
To purchase a copy of Mosaic, CLICK HERE.
by admin | Oct 10, 2007 | Books, Giveaways, Suspense
I have one new unread copy of Nobody by Creston Mapes to give away. I will draw one name from those who leave comments between now and October 15, 2007. Even if you are not the winner, I hope that you will read Nobody anyway. You won’t be sorry!
by admin | Oct 10, 2007 | Books, Suspense
This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
NOBODY
(Multnomah Fiction September 11, 2007)
by
Creston Mapes
As a newcomer to the CFBA, Nobody is the first book I have had the opportunity to read and review for the blog tour. I thoroughly enjoyed the book. It has a fast moving plot that pulled me into it and kept me guessing as to the outcome. It kept me up past my bedtime because I couldn’t wait to find out what would happen next.
Creston Mapes writes with a skill that keeps the reader interested and involved with his characters, particularly Hudson Ambrose and Holly Queens. The plot was well conceived with unexpected twists and turns. A compelling mystery/suspense, Nobody explores the consequences of choices made and the impact of faith or the lack thereof. The reader is challenged to examine her own heart in light of the spiritual truths revealed by the characters’ struggles and growth.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Creston Mapes is a talented storyteller whose first two novels, Dark Star and Full Tilt, made him a finalist in the American Christian Fiction Writers Book of the Year awards and the Inspirational Readers Choice awards. Creston has written for major corporations, colleges, and ministries, including Coca-Cola, TNT Sports, Oracle, Focus on the Family, and In Touch Ministries. Committed to his craft and his family, Creston makes his home in Georgia with his wife, Patty, and their four children.
He’s been married for twenty-one years to the girl he first loved way back in fourth grade. They have three lovely girls and a boy in a very close-knit family, spending a lot of time together – watching old classic movies, going on outings, and taking in various school and community events and activities. Creston loves to go for morning walks with his dog, read, paint watercolors, meet friends for coffee and Bible study, watch hockey, take his wife on dates, and spend time in God’s Word.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Not everything that happens in Vegas has to stay in Vegas!
They said, “He’s a nobody.”
They were dead wrong.
When reporter Hudson Ambrose hears an early morning call on his police scanner about an injured person at a bus stop on Las Vegas Boulevard, he rushes to the scene to get the scoop.
His world is blown off its axis when he discovers a murdered homeless man with a bankbook in his pocket showing a balance of almost one million dollars. Should he wait for the police, knowing the case will get lost in reams of red tape, or swipe the bankbook and take the investigation–and perhaps a chunk of the money–into his own hands?
With sirens bearing down on the scene, Hudson makes an impulse decision that whisks him on a frantic search for answers, not only about the mysterious dead man, but about the lost soul lurking within himself.
Uncovering bizarre links between a plane crash, a Las Vegas pit boss, a dirty cop, and a widowed Atlanta business mogul, Hudson is forced to find out: who was Chester Holte, what was he doing on the streets, and why are his homeless friends convinced he was an angel in disguise?
“Nobody was absolutely riveting from the opening scene to the final page. With compelling characters, a plot that surprised me at every turn, and a subtle, yet profound message that moved me to tears, this book goes straight to the top of my highly recommended list.”
– Deborah Raney, author of Remember to Forget and Within This Circle
“A taut, entertaining novel of mystery, intrigue, and spiritual truth. Creston Mapes delivers a winner in Nobody.”
– James Scott Bell, bestselling author of No Legal Grounds and Try Dying
“Nobody had me fascinated from the first paragraph and kept the surprises coming to the very end. Somehow, as the pages flew by, it also managed to convey a beautiful picture of faith the size of a mustard seed. From now on I’ll read anything by Creston Mapes the instant it hits the shelves.”
– Athol Dickson, Christy Award—winning author of River Rising and The Cure
Get a copy of Nobody for yourself.
by admin | Oct 9, 2007 | Uncategorized
The Breast Cancer site is having trouble getting enough people to click on their site daily to meet their quota of donating at least one free mammogram a day to an underprivileged woman. It takes less than a minute to go to their site and click on “donating a mammogram” for free (pink window in the middle).
This doesn’t cost you a thing. Their corporate sponsors/advertisers use the number of daily visits to donate mammogram in exchange for advertising.
Here’s the web site! Pass it along to people you know.
http://www.thebreastcancersite.com/
