What am I reading?
You are Invited to Susan Carlisle’s Open House!!! Lots of great prizes!!!
August 29, 2011I’m Skydiving!
September 9, 2011I was browsing through Amazon’s free Kindle books a few months ago and found a story called, Sushi, Motorcycles and One Strange Book by Nancy N. Rue. I had no idea what it was about but thought the title sounded pretty cool. I could not have been more pleased with this story.
Jessie Hatcher is not your normal fifteen year old girl. Not only does she have to deal with a bi-polar mother who has her “in bed days” and “out of bed days,” but she also has to deal with being ADHD. When the father she thought had died when she was a baby suddenly shows up wanting to meet her and then her mother attempts suicide, Jessie suddenly finds herself in a strange new world. All of a sudden she’s living with her father, fighting with a spoiled step sister and trying to figure out the intentions of a new guy she meets along the way. But all Jessie wants is to go back to her old life, one way or another.
As she struggles to find her footing and to find a way back home, Jessie soon finds comfort in a book she found at the airport. When the stories in the book seem to parallel the craziness in her own life, Jessie can’t help but wonder what is really going on. As she is pulled deeper into the stories of Yeshua, she soon finds the peace and acceptance she never dreamed was an option. But when her original plans of returning to her old life starts to come together, she has to decide which life she really wants to live.
I loved this story and the way the Nancy Rue intertwines scripture from the bible. I didn’t feel the stories were preachy or that she was trying to cram a lesson down your throat. Instead, I thought the book was fun, easy to read, and left me rooting for Jessie to make the right decision. I LOVED how the author incorporated both the motorcycle and sushi references and how each plays as large a role as the strange book. I highly recommend this story to both teens and adults.
Of course at the end of the book was the first chapter for the next book in the series. I immediately went hunting for Nancy Rue’s Boyfriends, Burritos and an Ocean of Trouble. AWESOME! This book was a LOT deeper in that it dealt with physical abuse.
When fifteen year old Bryn is brought into the emergency room after a car accident, she knows that she won’t be able to hide the bruises. Bruises inflicted by her popular boyfriend, Preston. When her father finds out about the abuse, he insists on pressing charges. This results in a roller coaster ride of threats, shame and Preston trying to pin the abuse on her father.
When Bryn picks up a random book in the hospital waiting room to hide behind when Preston is taken away in handcuffs, she has no idea that she’s holding the answer to her prayers. With her grandmother doing her best to help her find the courage she needs to get through this ordeal, Bryn battles to understand how she could have allowed this to happen. As she heals, she finds new friends, a stronger understanding of right and wrong, and slowly allows herself to fall in love again. As each new turn in the road brings with it new obstacles, the book helps Bryn prepare herself to take face these obstacles head on. But in the end, will everything she’s gone through be enough to save Preston’s latest victim?
Again, I LOVED this book. Nancy Rue handled this subject with the best of care and kept everything from being preachy both religious wise and with the issue of abuse. I was left guessing as to the outcome right up until the very end, but Ms. Rue did an amazing job of wrapping it all up. I loved how the author incorporated everything in the title.
I’ve since added the next book, Tournaments, Coca and One Wrong Move to my wish list and can’t wait to see where the book ends up next.
That’s me. So, what have you been reading this past week?
2 Comments
Great reviews, Tami! These books sound wonderful. As always, I find myself wondering how you find time to do so much reading. I just finished “Spell Checked” by Christine Powell -an unusual foray into paranormal romance for me – and “Miss Julia Speaks Her Mind” by Ann B. Ross – hilarious and highly recommended!
Hey Pam! I really need to slow down on the reading and start doing the writing thing. 🙂
My trouble is that I keep finding some amazing books that I can’t pass up.
I’ll definitely check out the books you suggested. They both sound really good.
Thanks a ton for stopping by!
Tami