Shattered by Dr. David Jeremiah and Sam O’Neal

 

Title:  Shattered

Author:  Dr. David Jeremiah and Sam O’Neal

Narrated by:  Roger Wayne

Publisher: Thomas Nelson

Length: Approximately 10 hours and 58 minutes

Source: Purchased from Audible.com with a physical book review copy from @drdavidjeremiah @thomasnelsonfiction @TLCBookTours.  Thank-you!

What is the last action-adventure book that you’ve read or one that you would recommend?

Shattered starts right where book one, Vanished, ended and tells the story of what happens for the first three year after the rapture. The story continues to follow Dr. John Haggerty as he seeks vengeance for the loss of his wife and daughter.  It also follows Abigail who recognizes her own failures and has turned to Christianity. She is gathering the Christian believers still left that are now turning to God.  As the Antichrist takes over, will Abigail and John be able to stay true to God?

My thoughts on this novel:

·       This book was an action-packed thriller.

·       The book contained a lot of Biblical prophecy and interpretation of the prophecies.

·       It has a different take on the rapture and prophesies than the popular Left Behind series and is worth reading to see this different story.

·       This is Book #2 is the Vanished series.  I enjoyed Book #1, Vanished.  You should read this series in order to know what is going on.

·       It was interesting to ponder in this book after the rapture when so many have disappeared, how will the world react?

·       It was an interesting look into misinformation and how evil can use misinformation to tell people that it was not the rapture.  People are already conditioned to listen to false information and believe it.  It’s a sad, but true commentary on our current state of affairs in the world and how it can be used for evil.

·       It was an intense story and not a happy one.

·       It was an exciting audiobook to listen to.  I liked the narrator’s voice.

·       This book ends on a cliffhanger.

Overall, Shattered by Dr. David Jeremiah and Sam O’Neal was an exciting end of the world thriller.

 

Lily and the Octopus by Steven Rowley

 

Title:  Lily and the Octopus

Author:  Steven Rowley

Narrated by:  Michae Urie

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio

Length: Approximately 8 hours and 4 minutes

Source: Checked out in Libby from the Kewaunee Public Library.  Thank-you!

What is the last book that you read that left you with conflicted feelings?

Ted Flask has a special dog, a dachshund name Lily.  She has reached the end of her life and is struggling with a brain tumor.  This is the story of how Ted struggles with his life, the love for his dog, and the end of her life.

My thoughts on this book:

·       I read this book in June for the Page-turners’ Book Club at the Kewaunee Public Library.  This book received a mix reaction from the club.

·       It was a unique book with the storytelling.  Basically, a man is trying to deal with the struggles of his life and his dog dying of cancer.  The octopus is Lily’s brain cancer.  Ted gives voice to the tumor, his dog, and has imaginary adventures.  It is hard to explain.

·       This book was a rough one for me.  My cat had just died the month before and I had just lived this experience with my own beloved cat.  It’s hard being an adult and having to see your beloved pets at the end of their lives.  There are hard decisions to make.  The book did shine at this point and really described how you feel at the very end of your beloved pet’s life.

·       At book club we thought this book should be classified as a mix of autobiographical fiction and magical realism.

·       The audiobook had a fantastic narrator who was the best part of the book.  I loved all of the voices he used and his great enthusiasm reading the story.

Overall, Lily and the Octopus by Steven Rowley had some strong points such a great audiobook narrator, and capturing the emotions of a beloved pet’s death, but I had a hard time reading this one.

With Enduring Tides by Jane Kirkpatrick

 

Title:  With Enduring Tides

Author:  Jane Kirkpatrick

Narrated by:  Christina Moore

Publisher: Recorded Books

Length: Approximately 8 hours and 21 minutes

Source: Purchased from Audible.com with a physical book review copy from  @jane.kirkpatrick.3 @revellfiction @greatreadsbookpromo.  Thank-you!

What is your favorite book that features friendship?

With Enduring Tides by Jane Kirkpatrick is a character driven story featuring many different complicated characters with interesting stories that is set in a beautiful location on the Oregon Coast.  It is based on real-life historical figures.  The story is mainly focused on Mary Gerritse, a woman trying to keep her family together while also searching for her own identity.  She delivers mail on horseback and has let her oldest daughter, Belle, stay with her grandparents.  When death and disaster hits the family, how will they make it through?

My thoughts on this novel:

·       There was an entire community of complicated characters that supported Mary and her family that had their own interesting stories.  I loved the friendships between these characters.

·       Who are you when you find out your parents lied to you your entire life?

·       Who stands by you when hard times hit?

·       This was a great story of women living on the frontier and how they make it work through a variety of tragedies.

·       Trigger warning:  R%^e.

·       The story was set in a beautiful location on the Oregon coast.

·       This is the second in the series, The Women of Cannon Beach, but it works as a standalone.

·       This book is set in the early 1900s.

·       It is based on real life historical figures that have been meticulously researched.  Mary Gerritse was a real-life woman who did deliver mail on horseback.

·       I like how the story showed both the highs and the lows of living on the frontier.

·       It includes indigenous people who lived in the area when the settlers arrived.

·       I read the first half of the physical book and listened to the second half on audiobook.  I enjoyed reading it both ways. 

Overall, With Enduring Tides by Jane Kirkpatrick is an interesting historical fiction novel with great complicated characters, interesting stories, and a beautiful Oregon coast setting.  With the 250^th anniversary of the United States around the corner, this is a perfect read to celebrate our history!