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 Review of Book: How to Get Your Husband to Listen to You - Understanding How Men Communicate
Author: Nancy Cobb & Connie GrigsbyBuy the BookYou talk for thirty minutes, telling him every detail of your day.
He has three great ideas for how to fix your problems.
“Why can’t you just listen to me?” you ask. You pull back, he gives up, and your marriage suffers.
The problem? He’s a man. And you expect a girlfriend.
You could play the blame game. Or dish out the cold treatment. Or find a better way.…
Many women feel their husbands don’t listen the way they “should.” How to Get Your Husband to Listen to You is not about how to change a man’s God-given way of thinking but about how to initiate healthy communication and enjoy the blessing of a husband who wants to listen.
Discover specific ways to:
•Help your husband value what you say and how you say it
•Understand what your husband really wants (and it might not be what you think!)
•Rebuild love and respect in your marriage
•Become a wife whose husband wants her insights
•Strengthen communication in marriage through your communication with God
•Give your husband the desire to listen to your needs, your words, and your heart ***
When I was first offered this book for review, I had to have a good laugh at the title. I honestly thought that it was going to be an anti-masculine, pro-feminist book that tells women how to get what they want out of their husband by using manipulation (in my opinion, witchcraft). I was VERY surprised by this book. The authors, Cobb and Grigsby, lay out in no nonsense terms the differences in communication styles between men and women. The advice is so basic, yet is something that has yet to be understood by most women. The chapters are filled with heart-warming (or in some cases, heart-breaking) real-life instances to serve as examples. Nancy Cobbs and Connie Grigsby are truly writing out the Titus 2:3-5 version of role models for younger (or any) women. And for that, I am extremely appreciative. I give Nancy Cobbs & Connie Grigsby's How to Get Your Husband to Listen to You: Understanding How Men Communicate two thumbs up!
With the diverse range of books that I will be reviewing on this blog, I find it hard to accurately give a numbered rating as each book has different aspects in what I'm looking for while reading. So, from now on I will be giving one of four options:
- Two thumbs up - Highly recommended by me to all readers.
- One thumb up - Recommended by me, above average book.
- One thumb down - Below average book, not recommended by me.
- Two thumbs down - Most definitely NOT recommended by me.
I do keep my reviews objective. If there are personal reasons for me not recommending a book, I will explain in the review, otherwise the review should be taken as is.
 Review of Book: Stuck in the Middle
Author: Virginia SmithVisit PageBuy the BookJoan Sanderson’s life is stuck.
Her older sister, Allie, is starting a family, and her younger sister, Tori, has a budding career. Meanwhile, Joan is stuck at home with Mom and her aging grandmother. Not exactly a recipe for excitement—or romance.
When a hunky young doctor moves in next door, Joan sets out to catch his eye. But it won’t be easy. Pretty Tori flirts relentlessly and Joan is sure that she can’t compete. But with a little help from God, Allie, and an enormous mutt with bad manners, Joan begins to find her way out of this rut and into the life she’s been hiding from. ***
I skimmed this book, basically. I found that a lot of the book seemed to be just filler. I liked the characters and thought that it had a lot of potential given more of a storyline. The plot seemed very short and easily taken care of which I didn't like in the least. Half of the book seemed to be only about the main character trying desperately to gain the affection of the handsome doctor, and there seemed to be very little about striving to make her life worth while, which is what I thought the book was about. I will not be reading #2 in the series. Out of 10, I give Virginia Smith's Stuck in the Middle, a 4!
 Review of Book: Night
Author: Elie WieselVisit PageBuy the BookIn Nobel laureate Elie Wiesel's memoir Night, a scholarly, pious teenager is wracked with guilt at having survived the horror of the Holocaust and the genocidal campaign that consumed his family. His memories of the nightmare world of the death camps present him with an intolerable question: how can the God he once so fervently believed in have allowed these monstrous events to occur? There are no easy answers in this harrowing book, which probes life's essential riddles with the lucid anguish only great literature achieves. It marks the crucial first step in Wiesel's lifelong project to bear witness for those who died. ***
This book gave me chills. All I can say about it is... Wow. I recommend this book to anyone and everyone. It depicts the world that we are, again, about to enter. Since there aren't enough words to accurately define how I felt about this book, I'll let past reviews speak of Night for me. This book deserves a ten. If I could, I'd offer it an infinity. ***
What Others Said About the Book
"...a slim volume of terrifying power [and] a remarkable closeup of one boy's tragedy..." - Gertrude Samuels, The New York Times Book Review
"...There is a unique quality in the experiences of a child in hell... His book deserves to be read by everyone who is deeply concerned about the future of civilization." - Saturday Review
"There is no superfluous flesh on this gaunt and powerful narrative... It is a profound spiritual document, an affirmation by negation." - The New York Herald Tribune Books
"A striking narrative... read it if you dare." - Jubilee: a magazine of the Church
"Wiesel reminds us of the spiritual suffering and sacrifice no man can measure... but to the believer, to the Christian, he penetrates with special force." - James Finn, Commonweal
 Review of Movie: 2012: Doomsday
Directer: Nick EverhartIMDB InformationBuy the DVDThe end is nigh in this apocalyptic disaster film that mixes Christian values, Mayan mythology, and scientific theories about polar shifts. When four strangers journey into Mexico in 2012, they are drawn into ancient mysteries that foretell the coming of the End Times. ***
I cannot believe that I wasted so much time watching such a stupid movie. No, wait, I cannot believe that anyone would fork over enough money to actually produce such a stupid movie. Based on a mix of Mayan mythology and Christian scripture, 2012: Doomsday follows 5 unrelated parties who's lives are about to become entwined in destiny at the end of the world as we know it. The first thing that comes to mind when I think about how horrible this movie is how absolutely amateurish the acting is. One feels like they're watching a high school drama unfold on stage in a gymnasium when watching these actors attempt to portray themselves as the characters. It compares easily with other Christian flicks such as Gone, but even Gone managed to get a 3.5 out of 10 rating from the IMDB. Next comes the special effects created by TinyJuggernaut. I found the choice of a special effects team with such a name to be humorous since, in the online games that I play, juggernaut qualities are only used by those who are new to, or exceptionally unskilled at, the game. Sadly, this rings true as well for those at TinyJuggernaut. I was unimpressed. I was equally unimpressed with the writing of this film. The dialogue was the same again and again: There's something going on! But I'm here for a reason! I must do this incredibly unreasonable task because it's in my gut to do it! The characters and their relationships with one another are unrealistic and forced. At the end of the movie, I didn't have even one thread of emotion tying me to even one of the characters. The part that astonished me most was the fact that the writers had PURPOSELY mixed pagan mythology with Christianity. Oh yeah, it makes complete sense that the Mayan culture would be HALF right in their prophecies and the Christian prophets would have the other half that would bring the two prophecies together in one big pagan/Christian love-fest. It makes no sense whatsoever, nor is it probable. Even the process to which the main cast of characters find themselves devoting their lives to Christ is unrealistic. If you want to save yourself from wasting time, do NOT watch this movie because that's all that it is. If you really want a good, Christian, end-times flick, go watch Six: The Mark Unleashed. It's a much better choice. Out of 10, I give Nick Everhart's 2012: Doomsday, a 1!
 Review of book: Adam
By Author: Ted DekkerVisit PageBuy the Book New York Times best-selling author Ted Dekker unleashes his most riveting novel yet . . . an elusive serial killer whose victims die of unknown causes and the psychologist obsessed with catching him.
FBI behavioral psychologist Daniel Clark has been made famous by his arguments that religion is one of society's greatest antagonists. What Daniel doesn't know is that his obsessive pursuit of a serial killer known only as "Eve" will end in his own death at Eve's hand. Twenty minutes later Daniel is resuscitated, only to be haunted by those twenty missing minutes of life.
It soon becomes painfully clear that the only way to stop Eve is to recover those missing minutes by dying . . . again. What isn't nearly as clear is just how many times he will have to die to discover the truth, not only about Eve, but about himself. Daniel will have to face haunting realities about demon possession in the modern world-and reevaluate his prejudice against religion-to stop Eve. ***
I thought for sure that I'd done a review of one of Dekker's books before. I had purchased (two years ago) the Red/White/Black trilogy in audio and really didn't like it. Then, this fall, I picked up Obsession at the library and thought, Why not give him another shot? After the trilogy incident, one of my friends had suggested I read Obsession as an alternative in Dekker's writing. I ended up really enjoying it. Anyway, that's aside from the point today. Adam is Dekker's up-and-coming release (set for April 1st, 2008) and I was glad to be able to be a part of the tour. The story-line of the book is basic. There's a serial killer on the loose and a certain FBI agent will stop at nothing (even death can't stop him in this one) to catch him. When I first got into the book, I realized that he was telling us exactly who the serial killer was before the climax and I really didn't appreciate that. I wanted to be surprised when I found out who the killer was. The book was written in third person with chapters every so often of an "article" about the serial killer and his history. Despite the fact that I was disappointed in knowing who the killer was, the "article" chapters (which served as an almost-narrative) really laid out a wonderful character development. As the book continues along, you receive new information which explains the motives behind the serial killer and they're not what you'd expect. I was disappointed in the lack of character development (at least in my opinion) of the other characters in the novel, but then, the story really isn't about them. What you get a main dish of serial killer with sides of FBI agent, a partner, and an ex-wife, floating in a sea of butter. It was a good read, but it wasn't anything fantastic. Out of 10, I give Ted Dekker's Adam, a 7.5!
Author: Michael SnyderVisit PageBuy the BookRussell Fink is twenty-six years old and determined to salvage a job he hates so he can finally move out of his parents house for good. He's convinced he gave his twin sister cancer when they were nine years old. And his crazy fiancée refuses to accept the fact that their engagement really is over.
Then Sonny, his allegedly clairvoyant basset hound, is found murdered.
The ensuing amateur investigation forces Russell to confront several things at once-the enormity of his family's dysfunction, the guy stalking his family, and his long-buried feelings for a most peculiar love interest.
At its heart, My Name Is Russell Fink is a comedy, with sharp dialogue, characters steeped in authenticity, romance, suspense, and fresh humor. With a postmodern style similar to Nick Hornby and Douglas Coupland, the author explores reconciliation, forgiveness, and faith in the midst of tragedy. No amount of neurosis or dysfunction can derail God's redemptive purposes. ***
Well, I just spent the last 11 hours in and out of this novel. And WHAT A NOVEL! This was probably one of the most different novels I've ever read. It was a long novel, not so much in length, but in the amount of information to take in. The plot line was mixed and twisted, and in some places really made me question whether to continue, but I was already hooked, so I had to keep going, only to be pleasantly surprised at how the author managed to work everything out so nicely all the way through. I don't think I've ever come across characters quite like those in My Name Is Russell Fink. They're interesting and quirky and oh-so-lovable (except Peter, I couldn't stand Peter). I loved the humor. It's great when a novel can make me laugh out loud to the point where my husband questions me with one of his 'looks'. There were a few parts that got long, but I don't recall skimming even once, which tells me that they were interesting enough to keep my full attention. If you're tired of the same-old tired out plot lines, I think you'll really get a kick out of this one. Out of 10, I give Michael Snyder's My Name Is Russell Fink, a 9!
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