Hello, Hollywood

Hello Hollywood
By Janice Thompson
About the book:
Athena Pappas is the head writer on one of the most popular sitcoms in television history. But when Vegas comedian Stephen Cosse is brought in to beef up the show's suddenly sagging ratings, she starts to worry about her job. Sparks fly as the competition--and attraction--between the two writers heats up. Athena has never had a problem scripting the romances of her characters. So why is her own love life so hard to script?


With humor and a Hollywood-insider viewpoint, Hello, Hollywood! delivers lots of laughs as the characters discover that not being in control of the plot of their lives might just be the best thing that ever happened to them.


My thoughts:

“Hello, Hollywood” is the second installment in Janice Thompson’s “Backstage Pass” series ( see the first one here )and is a lighthearted escape into the life of a TV sitcom writer's life.

“Hello, Hollywood” has an upbeat setting, is quirky with great characters, and is a lot of fun. The first line on the back cover sums it up best “When it comes to love, one thing is for sure - it doesn’t follow a script.”

To top off a great story, the book guides readers through 12 steps to writing a good story plot, mentions of old TV shows, and a dog you can’t help but fall in love with!

Favorite Quote:

“There are moments in life you wish you could just dive under the covers and hide.”

“Available September 2011 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.”


Come back Friday for an interview with Janice Thompson
Rating: 4 carats

Visit Janice Thompson's website
 Buy the book

Double Take

Double Take

By Melody Carlson

About the book:

Have you ever wondered what would happen if you could switch your life with someone else for just one day? Readers will live the one-week experiences of a bored Amish girl and stressed out socialite when they decide to switch places in Double Take.

Spring break has arrived. It’s her senior year, and Madison VanBuren is fed up with her surroundings and the pressures of life. Stressed out over choosing an Ivy League school that will please her parents, their marital problems, and her boyfriend's pressure, Madison gets in her car and drives west.


Meanwhile, eighteen-year-old Anna Fisher wants to escape the so-called simple life--which for her consists of caring for younger siblings, sewing, cooking, and gardening--and she's well aware that her future will simply be more of the same with a man she doesn't love.


Madison and Anna stumble into each other in a small town. Realizing their looks are uncannily similar, they both think their lives are boring. Thinking the grass is greener on the other side, they make a decision that will transform them forever and switch lives for one week.


Readers will love this funny and provocative tale of switching places from bestselling author Melody Carlson. As they get a glimpse and understanding of these two very different worlds. They may find themselves happy to be just who they are, and where they are


My Thoughts:
  I was really excited to read this book; there is a lot of Amish fiction out there and a lot of contemporary fiction but none combining both settings.




Madison Van Buren is a wealthy teenager is New York City is on Spring Break and frustrated with her life. She longs for peace but doesn’t know how to find it.



Anna Fischer is a sweet Amish girl deciding whether she wants to fully commit herself to Amish ways.



In a chance meeting the girls realize they look enough a like to switch places and explore the other side of life. Seeing as they both want out of they have it’s a win-win, or is it?



Melody Carlson does a great job of showing the surprises of walking a mile in someone else’s shoes and what it can teach you. Some of my favorite scenes where when the girls were learned something about the other culture and how it made them view their own lives.



Favorite Quote:

“But Madison felt certain that God appreciated simplicity. Because that was where she found him and that was where she was determined to remain”

 
 
*Available June 2011 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.*
Rating: 4 carats

 
 
visit Melody Carlson's wesbite
Buy the book

Stars Collide

Stars Collide
By Janice Thompson

About the book:
In Stars Collide, Kat Jennings and Scott Murphy don't just play two people who are secretly in love on a television sitcom—they are also head over heels for each other in real life. When the lines between reality and TV land blur, they hope they can keep their relationship under wraps.


But when Kat's grandmother, an aging Hollywood starlet with a penchant for wearing elaborate evening gowns from Golden Age movies, mistakes their on-screen wedding proposal for the real deal, things begin to spiral out of their control. Will their secret be front-page news in the tabloids tomorrow? And can their budding romance survive the onslaught of paparazzi, wedding preparations, and misinformed in-laws?

From the sound stage to a Beverly Hills mansion to the gleaming Pacific Ocean, Stars Collide takes readers on a roller-coaster tour of Tinseltown, packing both comedic punch and tender emotion.




My Review:
This fun little book is presented on the set of a TV show and revolves around the real lives of the characters in the show.




I enjoyed the chapters being named after TV shows and the many references made to TV and movies. Throughout the book Kat's grandma would play a different character each day and Kat would ask "Who are we today Grandma?"



Stars Collide is filled with witty and quirky characters as well as a solid message. I’ll definitely tune in for the next book in the series



Favorite Line:

“It’s crazy how nearly every area of my life has changed in such a short amount of time,” I said. “When God moves…he moves fast.” “Tell me about it. Sometimes he blows in like a storm. Other times he waits offshore and you wonder if he’s ever going to show up.”


*Available January 2011 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group*

Rating: 5 carats

Visit Janice's wesbite
Buy the book

His Princess Girl Talk with God

His Princess Girl Talk with God
By Sheri Rose Shepherd

About the Book:
Like a loving father, God holds you in the palm of His hand. He loves you no matter what you wear, what you say, what you've done, or how you feel. And He wants you to live a wonderful life.




In His Princess Girl Talk with God, Sheri Rose Shepherd helps you experience God's unending love for you through forty devotions. Sheri remembers what it was like to be a teen girl, and she connects your experiences with God's love. Through these stories, love letters from God, Scriptures, and prayers, you'll feel just how much God treasures you--His Princess.



My Review:

His Princess Girl Talk with God



This is a 40 day devotional aimed at teenage-aged girls to help them see themselves as God sees them. Each devotional is two pages long starting with a Bible verse followed with a short story from Sheri Rose Shepherd’s life as a teenager and how she learned to see her worth in God. On the next page there is a short letter from “Your Father in Heaven” about how He created you and sees you as beautiful and a perfect part of His plan.



I really liked this book. I think this book is very relevant and speaks to more than just teenage girls. The message that we are daughters of the King and treasures to Him is something we all could spend a little more pondering.



Favorite Line:

“My English teacher did not teach me what I call God’s Grammar Lesson: Don’t put a period where He has a comma because He has a plan for every life He creates.”



Visit Shari's website
Buy the book

Rating: 5 carats

"Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.

Available at your favourite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group".

The Faith Dare

The Faith Dare
By Debbie Alsdorf

About the Book:
Debbie Alsdorf wants women to experience the radically transforming difference that 30 days can make in their lives. It’s what she calls the Faith Dare, in which she challenges women to develop the habit of focusing on God and living out their faith in every situation for 30 days.




Alsdorf, a popular author, speaker and ministry leader, equips women to undertake this 30-day challenge in her new book, The Faith Dare. To cultivate a lifestyle of daily, passionate faith, she helps readers learn, day by day, to develop habits that will help them connect intimately to God.



Every day, readers will be challenged to go deeper. Examples of the daily dares include:



o Dare to live in the miracle of who you are.

o Dare to believe in God’s power in all circumstances.

o Dare to surrender to the process of change.

o Dare to speak praise, sing praise, and live with confidence in God.



Readers will also learn practical ways of applying God’s Word to their own lives, whether it’s in their personal relationship with God, learning to surrender to self, or living out God’s love to others.

With a personalized study guide, including daily readings, affirmations and challenges, Alsdorf’s 30-day challenge helps readers learn to live out their faith like never before and discover the incredible difference 30 days can make.

My Review:

In the first chapter of The Faith Dare Debbie writes, “The goal of this book is to look at life the way the Bible shows us.” Part one of the book explains what faith is, the common places we put our faith and questions to identify where our faith is. She then talks how God uses trials to test and strengthen our faith explaining placing our faith in the right person, God; we can learn to have peace through trials.



Part Two is the Thirty Day Faith Dare Challenge. Each day has a new challenge beginning with a short devotional writing and prayer/praise passage. Debbie then writes a Biblical truth pertaining to faith and goes on to explain what the Bible passage means. After that Debbie list a few dares to try throughout the day ranging from questions to ask yourself to activities like taking a walk specially paying attention to the scenery and wildlife around you. Wrapping up the day is a section to journal three things how the day’s truth spoke to you, what God is asking you to do, and what your challenge is to do. Debbie then closes with a prayer and a new belief to apply throughout the day.



Just reading the introductory chapters I was hooked and really anticipating the 30-day dare. Debbie writes what faith is, how our faith is tried, and common struggles we all have with faith. Yet she doesn’t just tell you, she gives you specific examples to explore where your faith is at. Debbie also breaks down what Bible verses mean and makes them easy to understand and apply. Often times she’ll quote the same verse then list different translations of the verse. I don’t think I’ve ever seen that in a book before.



Taking the time to do the dare and truly absorb what Debbie talks about has the ability to really teach and strengthen your faith. The only downfall I really see is that there is a lot of content focused on each day. When you have a busy life you may be tempted to speed through it. I think it would be best broken down maybe into weeks or smaller parts over a longer period. Debbie does state in the opening chapter that if feel you need to take more time on one challenge than spend as much time as you need on it. Grab a copy if you dare!



Favorite Line:

“You and I cannot generate faith for very long through human determination. Determination does not equal faith. Determination is a by-product of faith; it doesn’t cause faith. God gave us His words and promises to use as gifts. Take them and let them make a difference in your life.”



Rating: gem parcel


Learn about Debbie's Ministry HERE
Buy the book HERE
Rating: a whole gem parcel!

Perfectly Dateless

                                          

                                               

Perfectly Dateless
By Kristin Billerbeck

About the Book:
The countdown to prom has begun. Daisy Crispin has 196 days to find the right date for the prom. There's only one problem--her parents won't let her date or even talk to a guy on the phone. Oh, and she's totally invisible at school, wears lame homemade clothes, and possesses no social skills. Okay, so maybe there's more than one problem.

My Review:

I really liked this book. I tend to like all things Kristin Billerbeck, from her books to her blog and her weekly Bachelor recaps. In Perfectly Dateless Kristin masterfully crafts an awkward perfectionist teenager, Daisy Crispin, striving to both please her parents and be popular (or at least not invisible).



Daisy has always dreamed of going to the prom. At the beginning of her senior year, Daisy sets out to get a date with the guy she has had a crush on since Kindergarten, convince her parents it is not a sin to date, and find a way to get people at her upscale Christian school to notice her.



Perfectly Dateless is a light, fast, and fun read weaving the world of teen pop culture into what it means to follow God. Kristin did a great job of showing Daisy’s awkwardness and struggles to let go of her perfectionist ways. Along the way Daisy learned things aren’t always what they seem on the outside and sometimes what we think we want isn’t always what is best.



Kristin wrote this book as a young adult but I think anyone could pick it up and enjoy it, especially if you’ve liked the wit and style of her Ashley Stockingdale series.



Favorite Line:

“My image of perfection clouded God’s vision, and I learned a hard lesson.”

I received this book free for review from Revell Book Publishers.
 
Visit Kristin's Website
Follow Kristin's journey through pink, pop culture, and the pursuit of truth
Buy the book

Rating: 5 carats