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Book Review: Living Unoffended

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Living Unoffended
by Brant Hansen

My rating: 4 / 5
Genre: Christian living

Radio show host Brant Hansen counters the common opinion that Christians are entitled to “righteous anger,” while also making a case about how learning to let go of our “right” to be offended can change our lives.

I read Unoffendable by Brant Hansen 6 years ago and found that it had a lot to offer; it helped me examine a lot in my life, not only about anger and anxiety but also hypocrisy and self-righteousness. As Brant says in the intro to this book, “We need to keep talking about this stuff.” Brant does a good job here of laying out why righteous anger doesn’t really make sense and how anger and worry mean we’re not trusting God like we should. He uses scripture as well as examples from both Christian and secular writers and thinkers to back up his claims, and he does it all with his signature humor. Brant also offers some practical advice for learning to let go of offense, becoming more humble and Christ-like, and trusting God more fully.

The book is basically a series of short essays, and some of the content comes from at least 2 of Brant’s other books (Unoffendable and Life Is Hard. God Is Good. Let’s Dance.). I haven’t read the 2nd of those books yet, and fortunately I read the 1st long enough ago that it didn’t feel like a repeat to me. However, if you have read either or both of those books, you may not feel the need to read this one. Not that there isn’t anything new here, but I’m not sure how much is new. I do recommend this book, as well all of Brant Hansen’s books, really, for Christians and non-Christians alike.

Thank you to Netgalley and W Publishing for providing me a copy of this book to review.

Find out more about Living Unoffended or The Brant & Sherri Oddcast

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Book Review: Thornbird

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Thornbird
by E. Kennedy

My rating: 2 / 5
Genre: YA thriller, romance

Gabrielle Thorn’s father confessed to murdering 6 women, but for 10 years, he refused to reveal where their bodies were. As both the 10th anniversary of his conviction and the date set for his execution approach, Gabrielle returns to the town where the murders took place with a new name and new story. Now she’s Ryan Shipley and even the cousins she’s living with don’t know who she really is. Ryan just wants to live as normal a life as she can before she graduates and leaves town for good, but as the search for the victims’ bodies heats up, she starts to get texts from an unknown sender threatening to reveal her true identity.

I don’t think I’d call this book a thriller, and it’s not much of a mystery either. For one thing, the murders have been solved. The only mystery here is where the bodies are, and Ryan does not spend any remotely significant amount of time in the story trying to figure that out—in fact, she actively avoids it as much as possible. For me, there was some suspense in the book, but that was really mostly due to me thinking there was going to be more going on than met the eye. There really wasn’t. A lot of the book is spent with Ryan feeling guilty, nauseous, etc. over what her dad did, the lasting effect he still has on his victims’ families, and keeping her secret from people she’s getting close to. She constantly does things she thinks are a bad idea, mostly chalked up to hormones, and basically is just carried along by the actions of those around her.

Romance is here in full force, though, albeit a worldly, YA version of romance. Ryan is pursued by the football quarterback, which then turns into a predictable-yet-ridiculous love triangle. In fact, around the 75% mark, when a thriller should be heating up, instead the serial killer side of the story slows way down as the romance heats up, and for a few chapters it seems the only focus is the physical side of this new relationship (which, by the way, is the only side to the relationship). After that, there are some reveals, at least one that could probably be seen as a twist, but I still kept expecting something else exciting or unexpected to happen, but the story played out fairly blandly to the end. So much of what happens in the last several chapters is illogical or just really stupid decisions on Ryan’s part.

So, I don’t really recommend this book to anyone. Younger readers might not be as bothered by the plot holes, terrible characterization, or other things that made me roll my eyes. However, the graphic nature of at least one of the physical interactions between Ryan and her triangle guy is inappropriate for teens. And for once, after reading other reviews, I’m not the only one that felt that it went too far, even amongst reviewers that are less conservative than I am. So let that be a warning to anyone considering reading this, of any age, really.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Children’s Books for providing me a copy of this book to review.

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July in Review

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I read 21 books last month, which is pretty much insane for me. Not only is that a high monthly number for me, I broke my previous record of pages read during one month with 766 more pages than my previous high, set in January of this year. My audiobook consumption is getting insane… (10 of these books were audiobooks). I’ve been doing a lot of re-reading via audiobooks lately, mostly to refresh my memory on books I read a while ago before my daughter and I record podcast episodes for those books. It’s really helpful to have so many books I don’t have to write new reviews for…I don’t know if I could have very easily written 21 reviews last month.

Here are the books I read in July:

Homicide at Blue Heron Lake by Susan Page Davis & Megan Elaine Davis (4 / 5)
Dead Men Don’t Play Fetch by David Rosenfelt (4.5 / 5)
Genius Camp by Chris Grabenstein (4 / 5)
Parks and Rec by Jennifer Keishin Armstrong (2 / 5)
Boy-Crazy Stacey by Ann M. Martin (2 / 5)
Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko (5 / 5)
Out of Darkness by Daniel J. Atkins (4 / 5)
The Prisoner of Cell 25 by Richard Paul Evans (4 / 5)
Newsboy by John James (5 / 5)
Flop Dead Gorgeous by David Rosenfelt (5 / 5)
Al Capone Shines My Shoes by Gennifer Choldenko (4 / 5)
Berserkers by M.A. Larson (4.5 / 5)
The Librarians and the Mother Goose Chase by Greg Cox (3.5 / 5)
The Indebted Earl by Erica Vetsch (4.5 / 5)
Greetings from Witness Protection! by Jake Burt (5 / 5)
A Fatal Encore by S.A. Reeves (3 / 5)
The Game Masters of Garden Place by Denis Markell (3.5 / 5)
The Institute by Stephen King (4.5 / 5)
Thinking Things Over by Charles Francis Guittard (3.5 / 5)
Evil Genius by Chris Grabenstein (4 / 5)
Library of Forbidden Books by Mario Escobar (2 / 5)

This list includes 5 ARCs and 8 re-reads. My favorite book from July was Flop Dead Gorgeous. I started 2 series, continued 3 series, and finished 2 series. My ever-changing short list of to-be-reads, as well as a flag for the book I’m currently reading and an ongoing list of those I’ve read and posted about can be found here.

I’m also keeping my Goodreads page updated with a more extensive list of to-be-reads. Despite my almost too-long TBR list, I’m always looking for more to add. Feel free to offer suggestions of your favorites or just recent reads you enjoyed.

Book Review: Library of Forbidden Books

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Library of Forbidden Books
by Mario Escobar

My rating: 2 / 5
Genre: Historical fiction

Helene Nathan is a librarian in Berlin, one of the first women to hold a management position in a major library in Berlin. As Hitler begins his rise to power in Germany, the Nazi party begins to confiscate books that are by authors they don’t like or that are seen as contrary to the German worldview. Helene and her fellow librarians will do what they can to protect as many forbidden books as possible, but it’s not easy to stay ahead of the Nazis.

One of my biggest issues with this book is that it tries to do too much and thus the main plotline suffers. Besides the premise above, Helene’s significant other, Derek, is the 2nd-in-command to Werner von Blomberg, who eventually becomes Minister of War. A lot of the book shares details about pre-war Germany, the Nazi party’s rise to power, and political and military machinations. Helene spends time in a women’s concentration camp, which is also a decent portion of the book. Spanning over 10 years, the narrative dips in to days or moments here and there and then speeds by other times. Though various different aspects of the book are interesting and informative, it wasn’t the kind of story I was expecting to read. I never felt all that connected to Helene, and in the end, I couldn’t help but wonder what the real purpose of the story is. Maybe it’s only meant to warn against the dangers of censorship, but it all felt fairly light, really.

The vast time frame of the story and the fact that Helene Nathan is based on a real person, the book does read like nonfiction, or at least a fictionalized version of a real story. But though of course real details about German before and during WWII were used in the book, very little of the story is real. Every side character that isn’t someone in the Nazi Party is fiction, and Helene’s life beyond her job as librarian and a stint in a Jewish bookstore is made up, including her time in a concentration camp and the hiding of forbidden books. I’m not saying I’m against any of this fictionalization, even with a real person as a starting point, but it brings me back to my issue with there being too much going on in the book. Maybe Escobar felt it would be too convenient if Helene was never arrested or simply wanted to show a concentration camp for part of his story. Maybe there just wasn’t enough for a whole book without the inclusion of these extra things, and it’s true that even feeling bloated, the book isn’t really all that long. I’m not sure there’s much in this book that I haven’t read in other books, fiction or non. Due to the publishing company being Thomas Nelson, I kept hoping for something to come out of Derek starting to have talks with a Christian pastor. But in the end, we’re left with more hopelessness than anything uplifting. The wins, at least to me, outweigh the losses. And sure, I guess that’s realistic, but since Escobar isn’t intending to stay true to a real-life narrative, I would have preferred an ending where the library isn’t the only winner.

Ultimately, this book missed the mark for me, but if you’re interested in the premise, don’t let my preferences dissuade you. Check out positive reviews at the link below and decide for yourself.

Thank you to Netgalley and Thomas Nelson for providing me a copy of this book to review.

Find out more about Library of Forbidden Books

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If you’ve read this book, or read it in the future, feel free to let me know what you think!

Book Review: Berserkers

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Berserkers
by M.A. Larson

My rating: 4.5 / 5
Genre: Middle grade adventure

Danny Hall has lived all of his 12 years in Norse Ridge, Minnesota, a small town with a lot of quirks and quirky people. When his favorite teacher disappears and Danny and his friends find evidence that he may have gone to look for treasure in a nearby cave system, it will take a lot of courage (and the right supplies) for Danny and friends to go into the caves themselves to try to find the treasure before the bad guys do.

This book is a lot of fun in a lot of different ways! First off though, if you’re not a fan of metafiction, you might want to steer clear of this book; the author breaks the fourth wall quite a few times to talk to the reader. I usually enjoy that kind of thing, as long as it’s done well, and that is the case here. There is a lot of humor overall in the book, even beyond the meta. There is also a lot of excitement and adventure, helped along by very short chapters. In fact, the author even uses chapter breaks in humorous ways, including one moment that made me laugh out loud.

We have a group of four friends here—Danny, Dolly, Mulch, and Amazon Shawn. The story and dialog all moves pretty quickly, yet I felt that each of these four kids are fairly well-developed, especially for a middle grade book. They’re all given a least a little more background than a shallow starting point, and they’re not your typical stereotypes either. Other than maybe Danny himself, who I can’t recall much about other than that he’s the one who pushes for the adventure and he doesn’t like change. Danny may have been the main character, but I think Amazon Shawn got more “screen time,” to be honest. The friendships between these four kids and the way they interact with each other is really the heart of the book.

I do have to say that I struggled to follow some of the descriptions in the book, especially some areas in the cave. And the climax was the worst place for this, so obviously that detracted a bit from my enjoyment there. And for others who are like me—Christians who take the Bible literally—the book contains a large amount of references to the earth being billions of years old; it’s something to be aware of and at least discuss with kids that might read this book. Also one very minor passing mention of an adult character that is gay. These things didn’t affect my rating, but in a book for kids/pre-teens, I know there are others who would like to know.

This story reminded me so much of books I’ve read by Chris Grabenstein, especially The Smartest Kid in the Universe. I truly enjoyed the adventure, wit, and style here. And it could be a great way to introduce young readers to metafiction that’s done well and used to humorous advantage. I recommend this to readers 10 and up, including adults that like a good middle grade adventure now and then.

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group for providing me a copy of this book to review.

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Book Review: Out of Darkness

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Out of Darkness
The Lightseeker Series #1
by Daniel J. Atkins

My rating: 4 / 5
Genre: Middle grade Christian fantasy

When your entire civilization is underground, sources of light are important. Many of the inhabitants of the underground world are stone hunters, digging for increasingly more rare glowstones, which provide a safer, more efficient means of light than fire does. Fin and Sky, both 12-year-old stone hunters, begin to hear more and more about forgotten, forbidden mysteries and are compelled to seek the answers and the light. This leads them on a wild and dangerous adventure as they unravel the truth that some people want to stay hidden.

I think Fin is meant to be the main character in this book, but Sky really drives the plot. She’s the one who first has a reason to go on this adventure, and though Fin is not exactly dragged along reluctantly, his motivations aren’t as clear. Fin, though, is the one who is more dynamic in this book, growing up a bit throughout the journey. I really like the Christian allegory that’s present in this book; it’s not exactly subtle, but it’s also not over-the-top or preachy. I found myself looking forward to the next way that the “All Mighty” would clearly work in the story. In a book like this meant for older kids and young teens, a clear hand of guidance is a good way to introduce them to the very real, but not always so easily discerned, providence that God can provide in real life. I feel the need to mention that Fin and Sky do defy adults and authorities a bit, since I know parents can be bothered by that, especially if there are no consequences, but my hope is that as Fin and Sky come to learn more about the All Mighty and the light they’re seeking, maybe their actions will be less questionable. And this can be something for parents to discuss with younger readers.

The author’s writing style is…”unusual” is the best way I can think to describe it. He tends to pause the story to share background info with the reader in a very conversational tone. I never had an issue with this, but I wonder if some others might. (I don’t think the target audience would be bothered by it at all.) At least one of these interjections even provides a little humor. There are a few things that did bother me a little, though, like the confusion I had about the fact that the powers that be claim that people have just always lived underground, yet comparisons are often made to “normal” life (like underground goats have larger eyes than normal goats, and it’s mentioned at least once that undergrounders have adapted to living underground). For people who don’t really know their history or origins, it’s strange that they seem to know plenty about how life above ground might be different. I also wish that the author had interjected one less giant snake encounter, maybe including a different peril; it was just a little repetitive after a bit. That being said, the world that the author has set up is rich and intriguing and makes me want to know more about what happens to Fin and Sky.

When I read a self-published book, it is my intention not to let things that a professional editor would help with affect my view too much. I’m not saying that there is no burden of responsibility here, but it’s harder for self-published authors. So while it did not affect my rating, I will at least mention that there are several issues throughout the text—mostly comma errors and formatting issues that I couldn’t help but be distracted by. (This might be as much because I’m self-published myself and have spent a lot of time looking for and correcting formatting issues in my own books before publishing them, so most others may not notice those at all.)

This was an overall fun read. I really think that things that made me stop and scratch my head would not be noticed at all by younger readers. It’s easy for me to recommend this for kids around age 10 and up, anyone that enjoys an adventure with a positive message or fantasy with a Christian worldview. I could also easily see it being a book that parents read with/to kids even younger than that.

I received a copy of this book for free from the author in exchange for an honest review.

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Book Review: Dead Men Don’t Play Fetch

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Dead Men Don’t Play Fetch
Andy Carpenter #33
by David Rosenfelt
read by Grover Gardner

My rating: 4.5 / 5
Genre: Mystery

Though Andy Carpenter dreams of one day removing the “semi” from his semi-retirement from his defense attorney career, he’s not as reluctant as usual to take on a new client when the favor is asked by a man that runs a rehab center and is viewed by all who know him as a lifesaver.

Rosenfelt hasn’t lost his touch 33 books into the series, as Andy is in prime sarcastic, mocking form in this story, and I loved every moment of it. Most of Andy’s team is as enjoyable as I’ve come to expect, though some are absent/extra quiet in this particular book. Since the team is a large part of what makes this series so fun, I’m starting to realize that Andy’s current 2nd-chair lawyer, Eddie Dowd, has almost no purpose. Andy’s always had an underling lawyer on this team who always had his own quirks, and when Hike left and Eddie joined up, I think that spot on the team mostly died. Not a big deal, just an observation I made.

My main gripe with the book, which is not uncommon for me as I listen to this series, is that I lost track of who some of the characters were. When the main culprit was revealed, my mind was completely blank on who that even was for a while, which is obviously not a moment you want that to happen. I don’t know if it would have been better if I’d been reading, rather than listening (and if so, that probably just means that my mind wandered, as it sometimes does when I’m listening to audiobooks, at just the right moments for this person to leave that blank spot). Still, the book was a lot of fun to listen to, and Grover Gardner continues to portray Andy perfectly. If it’s not clear, I recommend this book (especially the audio) for fans of mystery, crime fiction, and courtroom dramas, as well as the books that precede it in the series.

Thank you to Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Macmillan Audio for providing me a copy of this book to review.
Publication date: July 7, 2026

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June in Review

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I read 16 books last month, which, frankly, is insane for June for me, especially this June. Our church’s Vacation Bible School, for which I’m a co-director, is in June, and that’s always a super busy time, not just that week but leading up to it. Plus my family went on a camping trip for a weekend, and though I read a little, it wasn’t much. Even with my recent uptick in audiobook listening time, I’m really surprised by this amount. It was my 2nd-highest monthly book count for the year, and near my all-time record for page count.

Another interesting thing about my June reading is that more of the books were re-reads than I’ve ever done in a month. That was incredibly helpful in keeping me from getting way behind on my review writing, which I definitely would have done, though that’s not the reason I chose so many re-reads. It was various different reasons that all conglomerated in one convenient month.

Here are the books I read in June:

Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton (5 / 5)
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling (4 / 5)
The Man on the Bench by Hy Conrad (3 / 5)
The Rags of Time by Peter Grainger (3.5 / 5)
The Secret Winners Club by Donna Galanti (2.5 / 5)
The Raven by Mike Nappa (5 / 5)
Daican’s Heir by Jaye L. Knight (4 / 5)
Beatrice and the Basilisk by Bruce McCandless III (3.5 / 5)
A Lady’s Guide to Marvels and Misadventure by Angela Bell (5 / 5)
The Oath by Frank E. Peretti (5 / 5)
Mandie and the Medicine Man by Lois Gladys Leppard (3.5 / 5)
Night Terror by Vincent Ralph (2 / 5)
The Librarians and The Lost Lamp by Greg Cox (4 / 5)
The Hot Marble by Rosemary B. Althoff (2 / 5)
The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan (4.5 / 5)
Murdle, Jr.: Sleuths on the Loose by G.T. Karber & Chris Grabenstein (4 / 5)

This list includes 2 ARCs and 8 re-reads. My favorite book from June was The Oath (yes, it was a re-read, but since it was my first time listening to the audiobook of my long-time favorite book, I’m counting it). I started 2 series, continued 4 series, and finished 1 series. My ever-changing short list of to-be-reads, as well as a flag for the book I’m currently reading and an ongoing list of those I’ve read and posted about can be found here.

I’m also keeping my Goodreads page updated with a more extensive list of to-be-reads. Despite my almost too-long TBR list, I’m always looking for more to add. Feel free to offer suggestions of your favorites or just recent reads you enjoyed.

Book Review: The Secret Winners Club

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The Secret Winners Club
by Donna Galanti

My rating: 2.5 / 5
Genre: Middle grade fiction

Sunny, Trev, and Vee are best friends who all have autoimmune diseases that cause visual effects such as hair loss and make them the targets of ridicule amongst some of their peers. Each of them has some kind of goal that they’re striving for, so Sunny comes up with the idea that they will band together to do whatever it takes to reach those goals.

Before I get into my review of the actual story, I feel it important to put a warning up front for anyone who is a Christian, conservative, or would otherwise be concerned about certain aspects being represented so strongly in a book aimed at young teens. Trev, the male character in the book, is gay and multiple romance storylines revolve around this (I generally feel that this level of romance is unnecessary in a book where the main characters are only 13 anyway). It actually goes beyond that, too, as Trev dabbles in transcendental meditation, which heightens my concern for teens reading the book. So please keep that in mind if you are considering this book for a teen or younger, especially, and at the very least consider reading the book along with your child and discussing these elements.

Regarding the story itself, the premise felt weak to me from the start. Our introductions to each 3 of the main characters is seeing them in their respective activity, already desiring to be the best, which in each case specifically means beating out the person who is currently considered the best. In 2 of the 3 cases, that person seems to also be the respective character’s biggest bully. Then Sunny comes up with the idea for all 3 of them to band together and try to be the best at…the activities they were already trying to be the best at and to beat…the people they were already trying to beat. But it’s different now because 1) they will do whatever it takes, 2) they will support each other, which it seems like they should have already been doing as best friends, and 3) they won’t tell anyone that they’re now trying extra hard to be the best. Why? I don’t really know.

What this really ends up meaning, though, is that they use the people that are kind enough to help them, keep secrets from parents, and decide to be bullies back to the people who had been bullies to them. They sort of learn lessons in all of this, but it all feels pretty weak to me. Then there’s another character throughout this book that I never fully understood the purpose of, other than to eventually be a sort of conscience for the main three. And a big disaster happens that also feels a little out of nowhere and lacks the punch I think it was intended for. Based on how the characters act and talk at times, I had to remind myself that they’re only 13.

I really like the idea of a book showcasing autoimmune disorders that can make kids feel “other” (or really anything that makes a kid look/act/talk different and thus leads those around them to treat them badly). I know a young girl with alopecia that has caused her hair to fall out in patches, as opposed to Sunny’s complete baldness, and I know she’s faced mockery from others her age and even, I believe, from some adults. It’s absolutely terrible, there’s no reason for it, and I really wish more people could understand the harm that bullying in general does to anyone, especially adolescents. This book could be a conversation starter for kids or young teens, though again, I don’t know that Sunny, Trev, and Vee are the best role models, even after they learn some lessons. Maybe because those lessons felt a bit too easy to me.

I received a copy of this book for free from the author in exchange for an honest review.

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If you’ve read this book, or read it in the future, feel free to let me know what you think!

May in Review

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I read 15 books last month, which has become about an average number for me since I started listening to audiobooks more. On the other hand, that number includes a few more really short books than normal, so maybe it should have been higher. Going into June, our church’s Vacation Bible School, for which I am director, is in a few weeks. My reading always takes a hit around this time.

Here are the books I read in May:

The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson (3 / 5)
Illusion by Frank E. Peretti (5 / 5)
Shepherds & Kings by Christina Minoli (4 / 5)
In This Bright Future by Peter Grainger (4.5 / 5)
The Smartest Kid in the Universe by Chris Grabenstein (4 / 5)
Second Time Around by Nancy Moser (4 / 5)
Santa’s Little Yelpers by David Rosenfelt (5 / 5)
Mandie and the Trunk’s Secret by Lois Gladys Leppard
A Most Peculiar Providence by Angela Elwell Hunt (2.5 / 5)
Toofer & The Giblet by Paulette LeBlanc (4.5 / 5)
The Librarian of Boone’s Hollow by Kim Vogel Sawyer (5 / 5)
The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken (4 / 5)
The First Measure by Keith Gregor (2 / 5)
Winter by Marissa Meyer (4 / 5)
Lily Tripp: Diary of an Accidental Time Traveler by Amelia Tait (4 / 5)

This list includes 3 ARC and 4 re-reads. My favorite book from May (that wasn’t a re-read) was In This Bright Future. I started 2 series, continued 3 series, and finished 2 series. My ever-changing short list of to-be-reads, as well as a flag for the book I’m currently reading and an ongoing list of those I’ve read and posted about can be found here.

I’m also keeping my Goodreads page updated with a more extensive list of to-be-reads. Despite my almost too-long TBR list, I’m always looking for more to add. Feel free to offer suggestions of your favorites or just recent reads you enjoyed.