Serials and Scenarios ~ Saturdays with Stella

I've had this little gem of a book for awhile and I've finally gotten to it. How appropriate that I'm reading it during our adventures in dog training.

My review:

Saturdays with Stella is one of the sweetest books I've read this year.

I have an attachment to animals. So, if you aren't a big fan of four-legged friends you probably won't be interested and you are excused from the rest of this review.

If you are a fan, well, then, get yourself a copy and prepare to be enchanted as you join Allison Pittman and her shaky, insecure Stella as they are schooled in the art of obedience. Stella and Allison find something that looks a lot like peace and a deeper understanding of the beauty of faith. The reader is treated to very visual (sometimes this is not the most positive thing) and auditory treats as we get to participate in intermediate dog obedience classes. You'll meet Rex, and Prima and Donna. Cheeto, the toy, makes several important cameo appearances in a handful of scenes as well.

I don't know how you could read this charming narrative and not cheer for Stella as she discovers her purpose. Nor for Allison as her faith is increased with the understanding of how truly loving God is. Pittman doles out generous doses of wisdom for the Christian walk like treats to her beloved Stella.

Pittman writes with poignancy and humor, some of her descriptions painted delightful, laugh-out loud scenes, others left me misty-eyed. Herriot and Keller fans may discover that Stella belongs in their library. Pittman even provides practical dog-training advice, too.

Animal lovers and those who are looking for a unique view of the Christian walk, or folks looking for a light or simple small group topical Bible study should dig deeper into Saturdays with Stella. Within Stella's chapters are some buried treasures. Pet enthusiasts on your gift list would likely love this little treat.

Super Cinema Saturday ~ Marley & Me

Just goes to show you....on Sunday I swore to a whole room full of people that I'd never watch Marley and Me.

Why? Multiple reasons. A) I can not handle pets in jeopardy scenes. I won't watch Old Yeller, I cried over the promo clip for 8 Below. My mom always thought Lassie was my favorite show, but I always watched with my little heart in my throat and sweat glistening my brow. B) I'm sentimental and a sucker for anything that is designed to play my heartstrings. I've cried at Hallmark and coffee commercials along with a thousand movies. It's so bad that my family watches me for entertainment during sad scenes.

Marley and Me were never meant to be. But on Monday, a friend invited a few of us over for her birthday. Her movie of choice? Yeah. You guessed it.

I sobbed. Not even going to try to downplay the sad. My eyes were swollen for at least an hour after the movie ended. I didn't just cry at the end, I was leaking from the mid-point. I'm not even a natural dog person. That said, I like Marley and Me. I liked it because it didn't rely on just cheap "cute" pet shots to win over the viewers, instead it was a nicely fleshed out character piece. The Grogans struggled with life in quite a few scenes and I was there with them. I didn't grow as attached to Marley as I might have, and this is a good thing, any more attached and it would have been too, too sad, because the filming covered about a dozen years in highlights.

Some of the scenes were hysterical. Some also hit a little close to home. Alan Arkin cracks me up. I love his delivery. Only one caution...I watched this film with an eleven year-old and cringed a few times. The language is mild, but there is some. The situations are PG-to PG-13, but there are a few uncomfortable moments, especially with a child in the room. So, parents, don't assume this is G-rated Disney family friendly. If you are concerned, check it out first.

Serials and Scenarios ~ Boneman's Daughters ~ Dekker

About the Book:

Would you kill an innocent man to save your daughter?

They call him BoneMan, a serial killer who’s abducted six young women. He’s the perfect father looking for the perfect daughter, and when his victims fail to meet his lofty expectations, he kills them by breaking their bones and leaving them to die.

Intelligence officer Ryan Evans, on the other hand, has lost all hope of ever being the perfect father. His daughter and wife have written him out of their lives.

Everything changes when BoneMan takes Ryan’s estranged daughter, Bethany, as his seventh victim. Ryan goes after BoneMan on his own.

But the FBI sees it differently. New evidence points to the suspicion that Ryan is BoneMan. Now the hunter is the hunted, and in the end, only one father will stand.

If you would like to read the first chapter of Boneman's Daughters, go HERE



My Review:

A serial killer who could be a few different men is dormant for two long years. It may be because the man who's been convicted has been placed behind bars, or maybe because he is yet uncaptured and fighting terrorism in a desert across the world. Or maybe the man is waiting and stalking his next victim.

Bizarre twists and turns keep the reader wondering, doubting and riveted. Plenty of horror and bursts of adrenaline will keep any Honken Chicken Club members buried under blankets for weeks, and may tilt even the most stoic of readers off-center. Heed the warning if you are squeamish.

Very classic Dekker. Good vs. evil where good is broken and imperfect and evil is broken and unredeemable. A spiritual allegory plays out clearly, especially in the last seven or eight chapters. The characters are an interesting blend of stereotype with unexpected elements that make them feel real. Though the FBI is involved this is a very tense suspense more so than a police procedural. If you are a Dekker fan, you won't find threads connecting Boneman to other stories unless I missed something. PG-13 overall, including a smattering of curse words, R in intensity and subject matter.

Scribbles and Scrambles ~ I Love This

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lp0IWv8QZY

Youtube won't allow me to embed this clip so just click on it. Consider it a click toward celebrating the unexpected, the courageous, the every-day-is-a-new-opportunity to dream and reach and hope.

Scribble and Scrambles ~ Survival Report ~ Obedience Class Week 2

One day after watching Marley and Me, Lily, Lola, 22 and I headed out for week two of basic obedience classes.

The whole Marley and Me thing is a whole extra story and I'll be posting my review on Saturday. But there is one big connection between Lola/Lily/Me and Marley....that would be the doggie behavior issues.

Lily and Lola are uncomfortably close to Marley, the big screen "Worst Dog in the World."

Maybe it's because there are two of them to his one. Maybe, they share his zest for life or the knack for physical comedy.

Who knows. I do know that, for some crazy reason, they behaved in class last night. The trainer passed out "Good, girls!" and "Excellent!" as often as I passed out slimy bits of dog treats. She even gave us some advanced training because our group (Lily, Lola and Sawyer plus their handlers) is so far ahead of the game. What? Seriously?

Of course, this happened after a very, very tense walk designed to knock the vim and vinegar out of them so they'd behave at class.

We are considering taking a camera next week. Don't know if we can pull off any successful shots, but if we do, you'll know where to find them. I'll even post the ones wherein they pounce on the teacher and tip her over and/or knock over a display. I'll have to work on my video skills since it's possible 22 may do some skiing, too, especially if I'm the team photographer and she's doing double-handling. Maybe we should rethink pictures.

Serials and Scenarios ~ Deadlock ~ Robert Liparulo

Robert Liparulo is cranking out the books. And he's doing a great job keeping his i's dotted and t's crossed. His latest is a follow-up to Deadfall. See my review of Liparulo's other books and his interviews here. Visit Liparulo's website, Deadlock's first chapter and the rest of the details through the book cover.







Book Details:

John Hutchinson thinks it's no coincidence that Brendan Page runs this modern Praetorian Guard, and that the billionaire military industrialist must have had something to do with the atrocities his son Declan committed in Canada. The Canadian and U.S. Justice departments disagree, but Hutch has been digging for dirt ever since.

Brendan Page has some dirty not-so-little secrets. he's built an empire on supplying futuristic weapons and highly trained soldiers to the world's most powerful armies. But he's saved his most destructive weapons for himself.

When Hutch discovers the secret of Page's success, Page decides to teach him a lesson. But the operation goes terribly wrong, and Hutch's son is kidnapped. While a lone man stands little chance against the best black op soldiers ever issued M-16s, Hutch manages to survive longer than Page anticipated. As far as Hutch is concerned, high-tech helmets, machine guns, and hand grenades are nothing compared to a man determined to save his son. It's a lesson he sets out to teach Page-and one that he can only hope works as well in the real world as it does in his heart.

If you would like to read the first chapter of Deadlock, go HERE.


My Review:

Deadlock follows John Hutchinson (Hutch) and his family as he puts his life back together after his harrowing nightmare as detailed in Deadfall. Dillon and Laura have come to Denver for a visit. Life is calm, a little boring, even, except for Hutch's growing obsession with Brendan Page, the billionaire father of Declan. Declan, the young man who nearly killed Hutch, Laura and Dillon and did kill several people near and dear to them paid the ultimate price, but, it seems Brendan Page's money is keeping him safely out of the reach of the law and free to dabble in war games.

After a warning that ends up turning deadly and into a kidnapping, war breaks out between Page and his sophisticated killing forces and Hutch and a rag-tag band of kids and a woman.

Deadlock is a page-turning story that had me rooting for Hutch, not just to take care of the bad guys, but to discover the children who love and need his time and attention. Other than some intense scenes complete with gore, I found Deadlock to be a very good and satisfying novel. The characters are solid and likable, the action is twist and turn complex, the writing continues to satisfy even though Liparulo has several irons in the fire. Action and adventure lovers, gamers, guys, suspense hounds and character collectors might want to look a little deeper.

Serials and Scenarios ~ Henry and Melvin Blackaby's Experiencing the Spirit

Book Description:

Experiencing the Spirit

God’s Holy Spirit is ready to answer that for us in an awesome way, as Henry Blackaby and his son Mel Blackaby make clear in Experiencing the Spirit. You’ll see how the proof of the Spirit’s presence is our awareness of God’s personal assignments for us, plus our supernatural enablement to carry out those assignments. You’ll find essential clarification on the difference between natural talents and spiritual gifts. You’ll explore the dynamics of being filled with the Spirit.

Authors Bio:

Dr. Henry Blackaby has devoted his life to the ministry. A multi-faceted talent, he has served as a music director, senior pastor, college president, missionary, and later as an executive in the Southern Baptist Convention. Blackaby is the author of more than a dozen books with more than one million copies sold, including the best-selling Experiencing God. As the President of Blackaby Ministries, he is a vibrant speaker and the father of Dr. Melvin Blackaby. Melvin serves as the Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church of Jonesboro in Georgia, where he lives with his wife, Gina, and their three children.


My Review:

I was surprised how much information I found in this little book. The Blackabys cover the basics of the working of the Holy Spirit in the life of a Christ follower. They also share different insights, personal experiences and scripture that illuminates different layers and aspects of the Christian faith. I appreciate the insights they shared especially about the role of the Holy Spirit as a sanctifier and the gifts that He gives.

This would be an excellent book for small group studies. Several discussion questions are provided for each chapter. Young believers would benefit as well as more mature Christians. Anyone struggling with their faith and wondering where God is might want to consider getting hold of a copy.