Review: Rooms by James L. Rubart

Title: Rooms
Author: James L. Rubart
Publisher: B&H Publishing
Pages: 400

Overview from the publisher website:

"On a rainy spring day in Seattle, young software tycoon Micah Taylor receives a cryptic, twenty-five-year-old letter from a great uncle he never knew. It claims a home awaits him on the Oregon coast that will turn his world inside out. Suspecting a prank, Micah arrives at Cannon Beach to discover a stunning brand new nine-thousand square foot house. And after meeting Sarah Sabin at a nearby ice cream shop, he has two reasons to visit the beach every weekend.

When bizarre things start happening in the rooms of the home, Micah suspects they have some connection to his enigmatic new friend, Rick, the town mechanic. But Rick will only say the house is spiritual. This unnerves Micah because his faith slipped away like the tide years ago, and he wants to keep it that way. But as he slowly discovers, the home isn’t just spiritual, it’s a physical manifestation of his soul, which God uses to heal Micah’s darkest wounds and lead him into an astonishing new destiny."

My thoughts: This book kept me thoroughly entertained, but more importantly I was challenged. I was continually asking myself "what would I do in this situation?" As a Christian, this book was an encouragement with the large amount of scripture that was used to tie the novel together and offer support. I enjoyed the supernatural components of the story and the writing style was down to earth and clear.

I would describe this book as a combination of the movie Back to the Future with some sprinkles of Lost the TV show and The Shack (so I have heard - I have never read the later).

If you are looking for a book that will challenge the way you live your life and a read that will encourage you to seek Christ, then this book is for you.

5/5 Stars

I have received this review copy from B&H Publishing through Librarything.com book giveaway.

Review: The Revolutionary Paul Revere

Title: The Revolutionary Paul Revere
Author: Joel J. Miller
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Pages: 224

"Listen my children and you shall hear of the midnight ride of Paul Revere..."

And so begin the lines of the famous poem of Paul Revere's midnight ride, and that is about all I have remembered about Paul Revere since junior high.

The Revolutionary Paul Revere was a great recap and biography of; who Paul Revere was, how he influenced the beginnings of our nation, and how many different talents he had.

I am not usually a biography reader, but this book was interesting enough that I read it in just a few sittings. Many biographies will go on for 3+ chapters discussing the main characters family, which I can find boring at times. This book touched on his family and then got off to a fast start with Paul's life in the New World.

The book details Paul's involvement with the Masons and other political groups in Boston. There was only a small amount of information on Paul's midnight ride, but just enough to satisfy my interest. The Revolutionary War takes center stage in several chapters and I found the war commentary detailed and exciting.

Paul's gift as an artist/engraver/craftsman are intertwined quite nicely into this story. The number of prints, pictures, and metal working he created is fascinating.

I would recommend this book to anyone that would like a refresher on the history of Paul Revere. This book was not an exhaustive biography, but just a perfect size and amount of information for me.

4/5 Stars

I received a review copy from Thomas Nelson as part of their blog partnership.