By Darkness Hid (Blood of Kings, book 1) Review

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(More customer reviews)The Story. Achan Cham wears the orange shirt that marks him as a stray, as does the brand he bears on his back. For as long as he can remember he's worked in Lord Nathak's kitchen under the watchful eye and heavy hand of the cook, but all that changes when Sir Gavin chooses to elevate the boy and make him his squire.
Vrell also wears the orange, but she does so of her own choosing and in the guise of a young boy because she has gone into hiding in order to avoid a marriage neither she nor her duchess mother wishes for her.
Through an unlikely turn of events, Achan's and Vrell's paths cross, and they become the targets of greedy, power-hungry men who wish to kidnap and exploit them.
Strengths. By Darkness Hid is a fresh old-style fantasy. The story is captivating and unpredictable, with numerous well-foreshadowed twists. The characters are likable. Their motivations are clear and believable which makes them all the more realistic. I especially thought Jill hit a homerun creating Vrell, a girl masquerading as a boy. The things Vrell did to protect herself, the conscious ways she tried to mimic male behavior and to check her own natural actions and reactions made the character quite engaging.
The fantasy world of Er'Rets comes to life, including the innovative concept of a land divided between light and darkness, literally.
Williamson's writing is strong. She paints scenes using vivid prose so that a reader is transported into the barn of Lord Nathak's manor or onto the trail through Nahar Forest. She provides lots of tension and suspense, so the story's pace is fairly fast. There is a good amount of internal as well as external conflict, which makes the story more intriguing.
Recommendation. I just may have a new favorite fantasy series. This is my kind of story. For those who are drawn to epic fantasy or classic fantasy, this is a must read. For everyone else, I highly recommend By Darkness Hid.

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And the Bride Wore White: Seven Secrets to Sexual Purity Review

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(More customer reviews)Every woman should read this book. Especially if you have daughters. No matter where you are in your life, as a young unmarried woman, a wife/mom, or even a grandmother Dannah's words will speak to your heart. I bought this book for my 16 yr old sister and found that even as a happily married wife and mom, I couldn't put it down. All my life I'd heard the "don't" message and although there are plenty of compelling reasons often mentioned (STD's unwanted pregnancy ect) the most compelling of all was missed. I found it in these pages. The most compelling reason to strive for purity is the reward. Purity is holding your hunger at bay, anticipating the incredible feast God has created in marital love. Purity is getting and staying focused on the goal- and like Dannah says it is a process. Why on earth would you choose cheetos when you have a banquet prepared and waiting! If you didn't know what the banquet was all about your hunger might get the best of you- For many of us it did. I cried when I finished this book thinking of how my life might have been different if only someone had given me this book when I was 16. But after the mourning came healing. Read this book. Give it to your daughters, your sisters, your granddaughters... God will bless you all.

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'As a mother of two teenage daughters, I cannot think of any book more beautifully inspiring than And the Bride Wore White. My daughters love Dannah's insights, humor and her call for a life without regrets...I am deeply grateful for the realistic role model she is for my daughters...she has changed their lives and in doing so she has changed mine.' Tammy Maltby, author and co-host of Emmy nominated Aspiring Women.Dannah Gresh's And the Bride Wore White exposes our culture's lies about sex, and prepares young women and girls for the world's pressures. In this special edition there will be dozens of stories/personal testimonies of hurt and healing...first time salvations...confessions to parents that lead to accountability...and lots of wedding proposals, of course.

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The Weight of Glory Review

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(More customer reviews)Lewis's shorter works were generally originally composed as speeches or as articles for periodicals. Various sets of them were collected and published in book form both during his life and after his death. Trying to determine what works are in what collections is difficult - most works appear in more than one collection, some works appear under more than one title, and some collections appear under more than one title.
To aid readers, in this review I've listed the works in this collection, with notes indicating other collections they have appeared in.
Table of Contents:
"The Weight of Glory" (1), (2), (3), (4)
"Learning in War-Time" (1), (4), (5)
"Why I am Not a Pacifist" (4), (6), (7)
"Transposition" (1), (2), (3), (4)
"Is Theology Poetry?" (2), (3), (4)
"The Inner Ring" (1), (2), (3), (4)
"Membership" (1), (4), (5)
"On Forgiveness" (4), (5)
"A Slip of the Tongue" (2), (3), (4)
Notes:
(1) The original, 1949 version of this work included only these works. The other works were added in the 1980 edition. Also, the 1949 version was published in the U. K. under the title "Transposition and Other Addresses".
(2) also published in "They Asked for a Paper"
(3) also published in "Screwtape Proposes a Toast and Other Pieces"
(4) also published in "Essay Collection and Other Short Pieces"
(5) also published in "Fern-Seed and Elephants and Other Essays"
(6) also published in "Timeless at Heart: Essays on Theology"
(7) also published in "Compelling Reason"
Recommendations:
If you are interested in Lewis's shorter works, my best advice is to get "Essay Collection and Other Short Pieces", which, as of the time of this writing, is available from Amazon UK but not Amazon US. That collection consists of about 130 short works by Lewis. The works in that collection are mostly, but not exclusively, Christian.
If your interest in Lewis's shorter works is restricted to those on Christianity, and your budget or enthusiasm does not run to "Essay Collection and Other Short Pieces", then my second-best advice is to get any or all of the following (they don't overlap significantly, and between them they include most of Lewis's shorter Christian writings):
"God in the Dock - Essays on Theology and Ethics"*
"The World's Last Night and Other Essays"
"Christian Reflections"
"The Weight of Glory and Other Addresses"
* Be careful - there is a UK Fontana paperback lurking about called "God in the Dock - Essays on Theology" that is substantially shorter than the "God in the Dock - Essays on Theology and Ethics" collection. A full version of "God in the Dock - Essays on Theology and Ethics" was published in the UK under the title "Undeceptions - Essays on Theology and Ethics".

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Selected from sermons delivered by C. S. Lewis during World War II, these nine addresses offer guidance and inspiration in a time of great doubt.These are ardent and lucid sermons that provide a compassionate vision of Christianity.

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