Judgment Day: A Novel Review

Judgment Day: A Novel

Author: Wanda L. Dyson

I recently read a fiction book by an upcoming author and thought it would be neat to read another Christian fiction story since most of my reads are non-fiction. This time it is Judgment Day by Wanda L. Dyson. This is a story of intrigue, murder, relationships and a little redemption.

What I really liked about this book is that I didn’t want to put it down. Judgment Day is a cover-to-cover read. The chapters are fast-paced, engaging the reader in every scene and leaving him sitting on the edge of his seat wondering what will happen next. The characters are relatable. You feel you know them and yearn for their success or failure. I could go into detail, but spoilers are no fun! Dyson takes a frightening crime as the cornerstone for building a series of events that leave us both cheering and infuriated as the story unfolds. Some overly coincidental moments can be overlooked in order for the weaving to be complete. This book would make a great beach read. In fact, I’m passing it on to my mother-in-law to enjoy on her next beach trip.

What I didn’t find appealing were the Christian aspects of Judgment Day. Not because they were there, but because they seemed forced. The short comments alluding to faith or Christianity just didn’t fit in with the rest of the story. One could easily remove all references and the story would remain completely intact. I see no reason to force something like that – either it’s an integral part of the story or it isn’t. But, it shouldn’t be awkward.

However, these forced moments didn’t take away from the pleasure of the read. I would recommend the story if you like crime novels or mystery. There is plenty of both. I look forward to reading some of Dyson’s other novels.

***I was given this book free of charge through Blogging for Books in exchange for my honest review.

Monday Memoir Sneak Peek - Week 16

We just got to spend four glorious (actually monotonous) days iced in. Actually, my oldest son did since he’s in public school. They closed schools for four days with a two hour delay this morning. Frustrating for those of us from out west and used to dealing with snow.

I’m glad the thaw is well underway, and we will have no cabin fever for the weekend.

Here’s a sneak peek at Memoir Monday – come on by, grab the questions, answer and then link back up on Monday.

What types of inclement weather did you have to deal with as a child? Have you ever been through a monster blizzard, hurricane, tornado? How did your family handle it?

What states have you lived in? If you could relocate to anywhere in the U.S., where would it be? Why?

Five Question Friday

Join me in a little Five Question Friday? When you are done visit the My Little Life blog to see what others had to say.

1. What movie could you watch over and over again and not get tired of?

That’s a hard question to answer since I don’t really like movies or TV. I can watch A Christmas Carol every year and not grow tired of it. Does that count? I’ve seen Jurassic Park several times. I remember how astounding those dinosaurs were in the theater when it came out. It’s no masterpiece, but is fun to watch.

2. What's your biggest pet peeve right now?

Since my public school teenager just spent four days lounging around the house, I’d have to say the Southern fear of bad weather. Two days made sense, the third day seemed overly cautious, but day four was just crazy.

Starting February, my pet peeve will be people who still have their Christmas lights up. I swear one year I’ll start a non-profit dedicated to going around and extricating Christmas decor from the outside of people’s homes.

3. If you had to describe your best friend in five words or less, what would you say?

Godly, intelligent, determined, maternal, fun

4. If you did not have to worry about money or go to school what would you do for a living?

Travel. I’d love to be one of those people who test drives vacations and then writes about them. I’d go anywhere and everywhere.

5. What is your one "splurge" item, that you will always buy, no matter the cost?

No matter what the cost? Hmmm… I can’t think of anything… Wait! Diet Coke! Must have diet, and it must be Coca Cola brand. I’ll hunt high and low for a bargain on Diet Coke, but when push comes to shove (or the caffeine headache kicks in), I’ll spend the money to bring it home. Ahhhh… Pure refreshment! I’m pretty sure it’d be one of my “If I were stranded on an Island” must haves. I’d find a way to keep it cold, or drink it warm if I had to. In fact, I’d probably take it intravenously were it offered… Wait… Too much info. Yes, I have a VICE. I know; I need to work on that.

RelaxZen Shots Review and GIVEAWAY

RelaxZen Shots
http://www.relaxzenshots.com/

Ages: Adult

Being a busy mother of four who home schools, works from home and blogs, I was excited by the opportunity to try RelaxZen Day/Night shots. According to the web site, RelaxZen Day “works with your body to de-stress your mind, increase your focus and balance your mood.” While RelaxZen night, “help(s) you get the best night's sleep you have ever had.”

I can certainly use more focus and calm in my day and quality sleep in my nights, so I gave them a try.

RelaxZen Night was very effective in helping me relax. If you’re like me, when the head hits the pillow for rest, the brain starts running. I have trouble settling in and slowing my brain down so that I can sleep. I don’t want a sleeping aid because I wake up in the morning groggy and dragging my feet. That is no fun! After trying RelaxZen, I found it just helped me to relax. The next morning I awoke not feeling any after effects. This is huge! Something to help me sleep without ruining the next day.

The RelaxZen Day got the perfect test drive: the first week back to school (both homeschool and my online classes) after the holiday. It is typically hard for both me and the kids to focus the first day back, which leads to me not being entirely calm. I did feel calmer. Part of this might be psychosomatic, I knew I took something to be calmer so my brain decided I WAS calmer. Either way, it was good to get through the day without any hair pulled out, nobody was grounded, and my online classes got off to a good start.

Finally, what I liked about RelaxZen was that it didn’t taste bad. I will NOT take liquid medicine – something about that taste is a total turnoff for me. I’d rather suffer and drive to the store to buy pills than have to swallow liquid medicine. I was leery of the shots because of this. I would typically steer way clear of liquid. However, I was committed, so – bottoms up! They taste good! Like a fruity drink, not medicine-like at all. Big plus!

Overall, as you can read, I had a very positive experience. RelaxZen offers a whole line of shots – Day/Night, Flight Day/Night for travel (I’ll be trying this one), and Sport.

These shots can be found at several of the local pharmacy chains as well as other stores. The website will help you to locate them. Thank you to RelaxZen for the opportunity to try your shots.

You can get 10% off plus free shipping from Thirstmonger.com with the code SMILE.

RelaxZen's new Facebook page can be found here: http://Facebook.com/RelaxZenLife.

GIVEAWAY

NOW – if you’re interested, RelaxZen has generously given me three sample boxes to give away to my readers. If you could use a little more calm in your day and sleep in your night, do one or more of the following:

1. Leave a comment on my blog

2. Leave a comment on Facebook

3. Blog about this giveaway (leave me a link in the comments)

4. Follow my blog then leave a comment

You can have up to four entries. I’ll pick three entries at random to receive a sample.

Submit your entry by January 17th. I’ll notify the winners on the 18th to get shipping information.

Good luck!

***  This is a Mama Buzz review. The product was provided by: RelaxZen for this review.
**** As with any health product, be sure to consult a physician before using.

Fasting - Review

Fasting

Author: Scot McKnight

Fasting is a ritual that I just don’t hear much about. I have friends who fast, but I can honestly say it hasn’t come up in any church I’ve been in. Interesting that this age’s old practice has been eliminated by many in this century.


The author of Fasting, Scot McKnight, points out readily that the Western world has seen a decline and an increased confusion about when and why to fast.

McKnight, throughout the book, places emphasis on the WHY of fasting. His illustration is an A – B – C approach. A is the why, B is the Fasting and C is the desired result. He contends that many fast with an end result in mind. His goal is to change that mindset to fasting being the result of a “grievous sacred moment” rather than fasting being a device used towards an end goal. As he rightly points out, God cannot be manipulated. Just as prayer shows our reliance on and desire to draw nearer to God, so does fasting. In either case, God can say no.

McKnight walks us through the many reasons to fast: body talk, body turning, body plea, body discipline, body calendar, body poverty, body contact and body hope. Throughout each, he continually emphasizes the A – B – C approach.

I enjoyed the read of this book, even though it was confusing at times. McKnight’s own admission that he has not focused on fasting both aided and detracted from the read. It aided in the sense that he could understand some of the reasons why it is not followed today. The detraction comes in the feeling that he may not be authoritative enough on the topic to be a good read for a person investigating fasting. While he uses considerable resources and scripture, it did feel like his preaching of the formula was a little excessive. As a person who has never tried fasting, I was looking for reasons to start. I found myself wondering what qualifies as a grievous sacred moment enough to prompt me to fast. Perhaps because I have never felt a desire to fast, I cannot recognize that “moment”?

I was interested to read that Christians fasted regularly on Wednesday and Friday in ancient times. I found myself desiring to attempt this connection with God and looking to Lent as a time to put my thoughts into action. Not wanting to seek a result, but rather a connection, Lent seems an appropriate time to remember Jesus’ sacrifice for us and fast to honor that.

*** I was sent a copy of this book by BookSneeze free of charge for my honest review.

Virtual Nerd Review

Virtual Nerd

http://www.virtualnerd.com/

Ages:  Middle/High School

Price: $49 per month (3, 6, 12 month packages available at a discount)

Virtual Nerd is an online tutorial system for math and science. From the website, “Virtual Nerd gives students a new option to turn to when they need help. For a fraction of the cost of private tutoring, students gain access to hundreds of interactive step-by-step video tutorials that match up with the practice problems in their textbook.”

Currently, Virtual Nerd offers tutorials in Math (Pre-algebra, Algebra 1 & 2) and Science (Intro to Physics). They anticipate adding extended Physics, Chemistry, Pre-calculus and Calculus.

My son and I were both very impressed with the quality of the tutorial videos. The instructors and the visual layout make the learning experience excellent. Each instructor does a great job of connecting with the audience and clearly describing the principle being illustrated.

The videos are short allowing one concept to be clearly discussed. I chose to go through the Physics videos because it has been a long time since I have taken physics. I wish I had Virtual Nerd back when I was in high school. The way the concepts are delivered and the mapping to learn the next step or next concept is clear and easy to understand.

My son watched the Algebra videos. He liked how simple it was to select the topic he wanted to learn about. He also commented on how clearly the topic was discussed so that he could understand and then practice the concepts in his math text.

The one drawback to the program at this point is price - $49.00 per month. I thought this was high given there are no worksheets, assessments, or ways to seek additional assistance if the concept is still unclear.

*** However – the site notes that “Early in the 2010-2011 school year, we will be launching an innovative tool to allow students to work on practice problems, take quizzes and get feedback. Two-way connections between our tutorials and our practice problems will allow students to progressively test, reinforce and troubleshoot their learning process in ways never before possible.”

I would gladly reevaluate when this is implemented and feel that these additional tools would make the price worthwhile.

To see additional reviews by the Homeschool Crew click here.

****  I was given access to Virtual Nerd free of charge in exchange for my honest review.

Monday Memoir - Week 15

In theory, we’re supposed to be in for another snow storm today. Since I'm writing this the day before, I’ll have to update on the outcome. Here in the South, we have gone entire winters without so much as a flake of snow. This year, we have the first Christmas snow since the 1940’s. We’ll see if we are getting our second hit already.

Here are the two questions for this week.  Grab them, post them, then come on back and link up. 

1. Did you go to college? If so, how did you decide where to go? If not, why did you decide to go a different route?

2. How important was education in your home growing up?

1. Did you go to college? If so, how did you decide where to go? If not, why did you decide to go a different route?


Yes, I went to college. The first college I attended was Colorado State University. I went there because it was in the town I lived in, and I had always envisioned going there. In fact, it’s the only place I applied.

After attending for a year, I transferred to Colorado State University, Pueblo. My parents got divorced the year I started college. I decided to move here because it was where my dad was an administrator. I earned my BA in English.

It wasn’t until 2005 that I decided to go back to school to get my Master’s degree. This time, with four children and a job, I decided to earn it online through Eastern Carolina University. My MA in English was earned in 2007.


2.  How important was education in your home growing up?

This is a good question. My father always worked on university campuses while we were growing up. I wouldn’t say there was a big emphasis per say on education at home, but, since we grew up around education, it was a given.

I always expected to go to college. My parents didn’t push me one way or the other. However, I’ve always been OCD, so grades were something that compelled me. Both my sister and I did well in school, earned our bachelor’s degrees, went back later and earned our Master’s degrees, and we are now educators. I guess it’s in our blood.