The Slave Across the Street by Theresa Flores

The Slave Across the Street by Theresa Flores is the first account of a girl who is living in suburban America and how she is drawn into human trafficing.


Theresa is a girl from a well to do family that has to move frequently because of her father's job. She moves into a suburb of Detroit when she is fifteen. This school and suburb was different as alot of the people was from middle east countries. She found herself drawn to one of the Caldean boys although her mother forbids her to see him (this usually just makes a teen want something more)and she has a long distance boyfriend. She makes a decision one day to go with this boy to his house which leads to a rape and eventually leads to blackmail and the victimization of this girl for over two years. She only escaped when her family moved.

I found it very dishearting that people that were suppose to be there to protect the children knew something was going on and chose to turn their heads and ignore the situation.

I found the the last couple of chapters very informative as I have a daughter who is 14 now and I am very much aware of the worries of a parent at this time of life.

I found the reader very good although I did find it hard to hear her sometimes when she would lower her voice in a whisper for dramatic reasons. At these times I found myself straining to hear her but this was only when I was listening in my car.

Abandonded for God: Oswald Chambers

This was a very good biography of a man that I really hadn't thought much of other than the fact that he wrote My utmost for His highest.  I didn't know that he was involved with the YMCA and that he helped with their outreach in Africa during the first World War.  I also diddn't know that his devoted Wife Biddy took extensive notes during his talks, lessons, classes and sermans and she is the one that was behind getting the devotional published as she complied it all together after his death and got it published. 

Holly and Homicide by Leslie Caine

When Sullivan and Gilbert Designs are contracted to do the interior design of the they b&b in Snowcap village they get more than they bargained for.  The Village doesn't want the ne owners turning their sleepy village into a yuppie destination and the building inspector is trying to make it impossible to open.  When the building inspector is found dead and later an old boyfriend of Gilbert is also found dead both Sullivan and Gilbert are suspects in the murder.
This book kept me guessing to the end about who did it but i was not left with a satisfied feeeling about the ending.  I will prbably not be reading anymore in this series.

How to reach your Full Potential for God by Charles Stanley

This book is just what it says it is, a book on how to reach your full potential for your walk with God.  Charles Stanley says that he got the idea for the book one night when he woke up and felt that God was telling him to write this book.
Although I have heard all that Stanley said in his book before he presented in a way that made me stop and reexamine my life and what I was doing with it.
The chapter that really hit me the most was chapter 3 in which he gives seven hurdles that you need to overcome to reach your full potential.  I realized after reading this chapter that I need to overcome several hurdles that have been slowing my growth and potential.
Other chapters in the book cover what Stanley calls essentials.  These are such things as Clean Heart, clean Mind and one things that I think most people struggle with a balanced schedule.
I would recommend this book to anyone that is looking for things that may be in the way for you reaching your full potential.
I read this book for the Thomas Nelson Blogger Review program.   

I, Alex Cross by James Patterson

Alex Cross is back trying to solve a crime but this time is involves who killed his niece.  His investigating leads him to the seamy underside of Washington Politics and the most powerful people in the country.  This book has graphic violence and language and I was put off a bit by this.  I had a hard time relating to the characters and really didn't find myself invested in the book.  Not the best Alex Cross book.

Sarah's Song and Hannah's hope by Karen Kingsbury

I finished the final two books in the Red Gloves collection.  They were both okay but they liked the drama that I have come to know and appreciate from karne Kingsbury books.  Now I know that you can't pack alot fo drama in a novella but still I reaally like her full length books much better. 
For what they were these books were a quick read and just right for the Chrismas Season. 
Sarah's Song is about a lady who is in a nursing home and will prabably be celebrating her last Christmas and about an aide who is disallusioned with her marriage and has told her husband that she is leaving after Christmas.  Sarah has a ritual that she has 12 ornaments that represent part of her life and she wrote a song that goes along with the ritual.  You will have to read the book to find out what happens next.
Hannah's Hope is about a girl named Hannah whose mother tells her that the man she has thought is her father is really a stepfather.  The mother does this just to keep Hannah occupied over Christmas break as the parents are ambassadors and won't have time to come home.  Hannah's real father is in the army and is in Iraq on a special mission which he takes because he has given up hopw every finding his daughter.  Read it to find out what happens. 

The White Horse King:The Life of Alfred the Great by Benjamin Merkle

I read this as a part of Thomas Nelson blogger review program.  I had never heard of Alfed but I have recently become interested in England and it's kings so I thought I would give it a try.  I found the sidebars that were put into the texts instead of using footnotes as very distracting and it did take away from my enjoyment of the book.  I would recommend this book however if you are interested in England and it's kings.
I have always been fascinated by the Vikings and I was interested to read about what Alfred did when attacked by the Vikings. I was interested in learning more about different customs they had and practiced.

I thought this was a very intesting book and I learned quite a bit.  

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

I belong to Audible.com and listen to quite few audio books so was very excited when as a Christmas gift to their subscribers they offered a free version of A Christmas Carol read by Tim Curry.  I am sorry to say that I was a bit disappointed.  I guess I expected Tim Curry to be a bit more extravagant with his voices.  The book was read very well, don't get me wrong but I guess I was expecting more.  I did enjoy the story as I enjoy it every year at this time of the year.  Scrooge is the perfect example of how anybody can change.     

It's been alittle while since I reviewed here and I have read several

I have recently read two of Karn Kingsbury's Red Glove collection.  I read Gideon's Gift which was about a little girl named Gideon (I have never heard of a girl named Gideon before) who has cancer and what she does for a homeless man at Christmas times.  The second book I read was Maggie's Miracle which is about a woman named Megan who has given up on love and a man name Casey who is still getting over his wife's death.  These stories are quick little books that are perfect for this time of year as they are set during the Christmas time.  I kinda knew what was going to happen in both of the books but it was enjoyable to read them.  I came away feeling goos which is what I wanted out of them.

Piercing the Darkness by Frank Peretti audiobook.  I listened to an abridged version of this and I really do prefer the unabrideged version.  I guess the abridged version wouldn't be bad if you didn't already know the story but as this is a book that I have read several times I could tell that parts were missing.  It is a good story none the less.  It is the continuation of the book This Present Darkness.  In this story the forces of good and evil are at it again but over a small Christian School.  This edition was read by Frank Perretti the author.  I recommend this series if you like suspense but read or listen to the unabridged versions.

Cooking Up Murder by Miranda Bliss e-reader.  I read this on my ereader at work before I went to bed. It was okay but not sure if I will continue with the series.  A recently divorced women and her friend sign up to take a cooking class only to have someone die in the parking lot after class one night.  Was it a heart attack or murder?  And if it was murder who would want the man dead?  It did keep me guessing but really I didn't come to carre for any of the characters that much so by the end of the book I really didn't care.

The Murder of King Tut by James Patterson and Martin Dugard audio.  I really enjoyed this book as it was written like a novel but packed alot of history into the story.  It went back and forth between when Tut was alive and when he was discovered.        

Key Lime Murder by Joanne Fluke

This was another enjoyable mystery featuring Hannah Swensen and her ffamily and friends in Lake Eden.  This time it is set around the cLake Eden fair.  Michelle, Hannah's Sister, is entered in the beauty contest, her mother's group has a dunking booth and Hannah is judging the baking entries.  One of her fellow judges winds up found dead on the fair grounds.  Was  it a contestant?  And what's wrong with Moishe hannah's cat?  You will have to read to find out.