The Prayer Box

In The Prayer Box, Lisa Wingate tells the story of a storm-tossed girl who runs away to a storm-tossed community hoping for a way to heal. I loved lots of things about this book. 

First, it takes place in North Carolina, home for me. And it’s the outer banks, which I’ve always wanted to visit, but still haven’t made that trip. 

Second, I love the symbolism woven throughout. 

Third, the concept of prayer boxes is a beautiful thing. One character keeps a box full of written prayers for every year of her life after meeting Christ. 

Fourth, the story of an elderly woman teaches much to the younger woman. I love it when generations mix for the benefit of all.

Fifth, people help people. In today’s crazy-busy world, we’ve lost the art of seeing people and moving to meet their needs. This week, I’ve experienced this first-hand as I recovered from surgery. People I never expected to give me a second thought have offered help and prayers and concern for me and not only is this encouraging, but it can be life-changing. The Prayer Box artfully displays this phenomena through engaging characters who make me want to “see” others more and better and then reach out with a helping hand. 

What if we all did this today? Let’s do! And pick up a copy of Lisa Wingate's The Prayer Box while you're at it. Better yet, share a copy with someone else! You can find it here. To learn more about Lisa, visit her website.

When was the last time somebody offered you a helping hand at a serious point of need? When was the last time you did this for somebody else?

Toro! An Allie Parsons Novel

Along the road from stripper to medical resident, Allie Parsons has worked hard to put a life of bad choices behind her. But when she begins her training in the medical examiner’s office, the nightmare of her past comes roaring back to life, jeopardizing her job, her relationship with her teenaged daughter, and her very life.

The novel reads like the back story for one of Charlie’s Angels. You mix in a dollop of CSI and spin that into an emotional whirlwind, and you have Allie Parsons. A real page turner, each chapter pulls the reader toward another impossible situation.

Allie is a doctor, a mother, and sole survivor of a serial killing spree. She’s got guts, a big heart, and an uncompromising spirit. This thriller is rich because of the complex characters and their relate-ability. Schwalbe knows how to draw a scene to maximize emotional stakes. And then he throws a bit of comic relief into the perfect spots.

Toro! is an emotionally charged story about a woman who owns her mistakes, but presses forward to live better, despite overwhelming odds. I hope you’ll give this one a try - it’s hot off the presses! (Amazon link)

Frank C. Schwalbe is a writer and anesthesiologist, who holds a liberal arts degree from North Carolina’s Davidson College and medical degree from the University of Florida. The dedicated and driven health care professionals, who surround him in the hospital’s daily grind, inspired him to write his new medical mystery, Toro!. Originally from Jacksonville, Florida, Schwalbe currently resides in Concord, North Carolina.

TV medical dramas are always popular. Toro! delivers absolute satisfaction in this genre. Why are we (as readers and viewers) so addicted to this type of story? What is your favorite medical drama? 

Leave us a comment for a chance to win this week's prize.

This Week's Giveaway is:

Two churches have been burned in a small Texas town. Father Frank DeLuca, pastor of Prince of Peace Church, hears that another church will be burned. But, he hears this in the confessional and church law forbids him from telling anyone, even the police.

He doesn’t know which church, when, or by whom. Still, he can’t sit idly by. He begins to investigate possible suspects. There’s the mysterious newcomer involved in the local drug scene, the man who burns a paper cross and says the churches deserve to burn, the school drop-out who mixes alcohol and drugs, plus other suspects. As Father Frank digs deeper, he is threatened and attacked.

Countering this are a young widow whose mission is to make others shine, and a youth choir determined to help those whose churches have been destroyed by the arsonist. 

Can Father Frank prevent another church from being torched? Can he even manage to stay alive?

Now available in paperback, Kindle edition, and in audio. The audio version is narrated by five-time Emmy Award Winner Jonathan Mumm.

Amazon  

Audio Version   

This giveaway runs through April 19th. Comment on any post between now and then to enter, and remember, the more comments you make, the more entries you earn! 

    Winners will be announced in the Weekly Wind-up.

The Language of Sparrows

The Language of Sparrows

Rachel Phifer crafts a beautiful story about broken people and what happens when they find each other in the midst of various crises. April is raising a teenaged daughter on her own as she mourns the loss of a life she expected. Sierra is obsessed with languages, but refuses to communicate the important things with her mom. Luca, a single elderly gentleman, becomes the unlikeliest of friends, despite the deep wounds he carries from his time in a Romanian gulag. His son Nick, a teacher, encourages Sierra at school, and warily agrees to allow her to study with his father.

These fascinating characters intersect with each other and form an ad hoc family of sorts. When Sierra and Nick separately learn the truth about their fathers, worlds are turned upside down, and brokenness seems to move beyond repair.

I think it’s the brokenness of each character that makes them so relatable. We are all broken in one way or another. We need people in our lives to help us mend. And at times, I think we all feel completely alone in our pain, helpless to heal. So this story looks at brokenness and the different ways we (as humans) seek healing.

I love several details in the story, including the fact that the single mom and daughter live in a neighborhood that is not overly safe. This makes it real for me. Also, the fact that the teenager is highly intelligent, especially when it comes to learning languages. Since her mother is not skilled at languages, her daughter’s obsession almost hinders the communication between them, since she is literally reading and writing in different languages. Most parents of teenagers feel like they speak a different language, so the irony is lovely.

Please check this story out. It’s truly enjoyable and the characters linger in the best of ways. You can get to know Rachel Phifer on facebook or her website.

Do you speak more than one language fluently? Do you feel like your kids speak a different language altogether, even though you were the one to teach them how to speak?

Please leave a comment to register for this week’s prize. 
Review by Jennifer Fromke