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Jennmarie68 has commented on (215) products.

Veil of Roses by Laura Fitzgerald

Jennmarie68, October 30, 2012

This was a pretty good book. The story was intriguing and I wanted Tami to get her permanent new life in America. The characters were colorful - Tami meets so many people with such different personalities it was interesting on a human condition level to see them interact. And even though Tami is a bit on the "wild" side for an Iranian girl - she has no idea what to expect from her new life in America. Her "wild" side is nothing in comparison to what her American friends do on a daily basis.

As a main character Tami was great. She was trying to learn how to fit-in in a culture that she'd only dreamed about becoming a part of. Even though she desperately tries to shed her Iranian lifestyle, there are parts of it that she struggles with. Even when she starts to open up to a new idea her sister - who tries to keep her "pure" pushes her back to some of the things she wants to break out of. Her only hope is to find a man who will marry her quickly. But that becomes a struggle in itself - she's too Iranian for some and too American for others. Her whole trip to America is a struggle for her to find her identity and where she fits in to her new life. The supporting characters made Tami's story that much better. But all the different influences pull Tami along in a way that leaves her confused and frustrated. But she does make some great friends and gets herself into a few funny situations. Well, funny from the outside, at the time Tami was mortified by some of the things she experiences.

While this is a story about finding love, and marriage (not necessarily in the same person) I think it is more of a look into American culture and how overwhelming it can be for someone who's not used to the freedom America offers. Tami's first interaction on her own in a store is just one example of how different things can be. When she accepts a free sample and then the cops just happen to show up at the store she's at, she panics... It was amusing but it also made me feel kind of sad that Tami was made to feel like she was doing something wrong by doing something so common. Then when her friend from her ESL class Eva takes her on a shopping trip the differences between cultures is even more apparent. Eva isn't American, but she's adapted to the lifestyle extremely well, and while good she has good intentions she ends up putting Tami in quite a few uncomfortable situations.

This was a well written book. I enjoyed the story and I also enjoyed being able to see the American culture from the eyes of someone who's trying to find where she belongs in our culture.

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Veil of Roses by Laura Fitzgerald

Jennmarie68, October 30, 2012

This was a pretty good book. The story was intriguing and I wanted Tami to get her permanent new life in America. The characters were colorful - Tami meets so many people with such different personalities it was interesting on a human condition level to see them interact. And even though Tami is a bit on the "wild" side for an Iranian girl - she has no idea what to expect from her new life in America. Her "wild" side is nothing in comparison to what her American friends do on a daily basis.

As a main character Tami was great. She was trying to learn how to fit-in in a culture that she'd only dreamed about becoming a part of. Even though she desperately tries to shed her Iranian lifestyle, there are parts of it that she struggles with. Even when she starts to open up to a new idea her sister - who tries to keep her "pure" pushes her back to some of the things she wants to break out of. Her only hope is to find a man who will marry her quickly. But that becomes a struggle in itself - she's too Iranian for some and too American for others. Her whole trip to America is a struggle for her to find her identity and where she fits in to her new life. The supporting characters made Tami's story that much better. But all the different influences pull Tami along in a way that leaves her confused and frustrated. But she does make some great friends and gets herself into a few funny situations. Well, funny from the outside, at the time Tami was mortified by some of the things she experiences.

While this is a story about finding love, and marriage (not necessarily in the same person) I think it is more of a look into American culture and how overwhelming it can be for someone who's not used to the freedom America offers. Tami's first interaction on her own in a store is just one example of how different things can be. When she accepts a free sample and then the cops just happen to show up at the store she's at, she panics... It was amusing but it also made me feel kind of sad that Tami was made to feel like she was doing something wrong by doing something so common. Then when her friend from her ESL class Eva takes her on a shopping trip the differences between cultures is even more apparent. Eva isn't American, but she's adapted to the lifestyle extremely well, and while good she has good intentions she ends up putting Tami in quite a few uncomfortable situations.

This was a well written book. I enjoyed the story and I also enjoyed being able to see the American culture from the eyes of someone who's trying to find where she belongs in our culture.

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Not This Time (Crossroads Crisis Center) by Vicki Hinze

Jennmarie68, July 9, 2012

I loved this book. There was so much going on that the story just flew by. There was drama, suspense, mystery, romance, it had so much too it.

The characters were pretty good. Sara reminded me of myself a bit. She was so loyal to her friend Beth that she would have done anything to protect her. She didn't have the best idea, but she was doing what she thought she had to do to keep those around her safe. I wish she reminded me of myself because she was rich - but we can all dream right? Beth was also loyal, but seemed to have a much stronger support group around her. She was able to deal with things, but also checked with her friends to get their advice on what she should do. The two seemed to have the kind of friendship that everyone wants. Even with Beth's doubts about Sara's husband Beth is able to keep their friendship strong without pushing Sara away by voicing her displeasure with Sara's husband. I don't know that I would have been able to keep my mouth shut that long, but somehow Beth does it. She lets her need to be Sara's friend over ride her despise for Robert.

The story is the second in a series, and I didn't get to read the first one. However, this was so well written that all of the back story was filled in and I didn't feel like the author was just throwing information at me. Everything had a reason, and as the need for a particular fact arose Hinze wove it into the story beautifully. I still would like to read the fist one, but I don't feel like I was "missing" anything from the first book.

It's a pretty quick read. The mystery of Nina and who in the small circle of characters is part of Nina was exciting to try and figure out. Just when you think you've got it all figured out there's another clue that kind of throws everything off. It doesn't take a complete turn, but it give the story a bit of a jog. Just enough to keep it exciting without being frustrating! There's a few things that I didn't see coming but they were by no means so far out of the park that they didn't fit the story. I was masterfully put together!

My favorite thing about this book is that although there was quite a bit going on it wasn't a confusing story. I didn't have to re-read any of it and it didn't take much to keep myself on track. I was able to keep up with everything - which can sometimes be a problem in a book that has so much going on!

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The Sara Chronicles: Book Three-The Return by L. Hughes

Jennmarie68, July 1, 2012

This book picks up shortly after book two. Sara's in a "coma" until they can figure out how to wake her without harming her and trying to release Braccus' hold on her spirit. Her friends have continued to grow up and strengthen their abilities all the while their friend sleeps without knowledge that the world around her has gone on without her.

As Sara is in her sleep-like state we're taken into her mind to see where she has been spending her time. The world created for her by her friends is beautiful and full of mystery but Braccus is still in her mind and as she explores this world Braccus' control makes it a bit scary too. It's a true representation that good and evil are all around us. Even in the most beautiful places there is still evil lurking waiting for the moment to strike.

Sara becomes a bit unpredictable in this book. As the story progresses she's doing things that she normally wouldn't do and having feelings that are irregular for her. Most of this stems from the fact that she's been gone for so long that even though she's changed physically her mind is still where it was when she was put into her slumber. The way Sara deals with all these changes is pretty normal. I can't imagine the emotions that I would experience upon waking up after so long. I think Sara handles herself quite well given all the changes that have occurred with her friends and her world.

This book was written very well. The world created by Hughes both in Sara's mind and the world she returns to are beautiful. The ugliness of Braccus' creatures is described so well that the contrast between the beauty of the world around them is quite vivid. I had a much better picture of this world and all its faucets reading this book than I did with book two. While it's still the same story, the same characters, and the same locations I had a much better connection with this book than with the last one. It's as if the story progressed the ideas Hughes wanted to share were much more concise. I didn't feel as if I was missing anything. And the dialogue was much better with this book.

I'm very drawn into this series now. The characters, new and old, have a place in my life now and I can't wait to see how their journey ends. What I like most about these books is that they've both ended with some finality, but yet there's so much left unanswered that I can't wait to get my hands on the next one to see where the story is going to go.

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Night of the Living Dead Christian: One Man S Ferociously Funny Quest to Discover What It Means to Be Truly Transformed by Matt Mikalatos

Jennmarie68, June 28, 2012

This book was pretty good. My favorite thing about it was how humorous it was. There were so many great puns, one-liners, and just general humor that even if the story had been bad it would have still been entertaining. And the fact that the story was good made the humor an even bigger plus!

The story deals with monsters - zombies, werewolves, vampires, the whole kit and kaboodle. Which may not seem "right" in christian fiction, but it worked so well. As the story progresses we meet so many great characters. Each one is a bit quirky and even more unique than the last. There are monsters who don't want to be monsters, people trying to kill monsters, people who are unaware of the monsters, and people who are just trying to stay out of the way of the monsters.

What I got from this story is that no one is perfect. We all have faults, but God loves us anyway. Even trying to live a good life we're going to falter, and that's ok. As long as we understand our relationship with God we will still live in his graces.

Overall a pretty good book. Very entertaining and a good message!

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