The Complete Book of Zingers by Croft M. Pentz, 1990

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Volumes in the “Complete Book of” series are an excellent resource for any home library or for pastors and lay leaders to use for sermon preparation, small group, and Sunday school.

The Complete Book of Zingers is a collection of amusing one-sentence sermons, proverbs, adages, illustrations, dictums, and truisms.

(384 pages)

I think the title is pretty misleading, because the word "zingers" implies that it's a compilation of zippy put-downs. That's why I got it, honestly: I wanted to read a bunch of hilarious insults that I'd never actually use in real life. What this book, though, is actually 5,000 "cute" quotes for pastors to use in their sermons. That might still be fun, if they were really all snappy, but flipping through the book I can see that quite a few of them are not even that catchy.

I haven't read the book cover to cover, of course, since there are literally 5,000+ pithy quotes in it. I did read snippets from a variety of sections, though, so I'm basing my review on that. It's sorted like an encyclopedia, alphabetical by topic (from "Ambition" to "Zeal"). Here are some of the ones I especially liked:

Even the turtle would get nowhere if he didn't stick out his neck.

Failure is one thing that can be achieved without effort.

Ideas are like children–your own are wonderful.

A lot of them, though, are a little too "preachy" for my taste–and some are downright moralizing. Then there's a subset of one-liners, especially in the "Marriage" section, which I just find flat-out wrong. A few of those:

A man needs a woman to take care of him so she can make him strong enough for her to lean on. 

Marriage is like two people riding a horse–one must ride behind.

The ship of matrimony will move more smoothly if the wife stays away from the sails. 

Don't get me wrong, the author included quite a few sweet/funny lines about marriage as well, but there were enough of these rather sexist comments to annoy me. I don't plan on letting any future husband of mine lead the way in our family, nor do I plan on letting him be the sole breadwinner; I think every single line in this book relied on at least one of those two assumptions about the way married relationships work.

Anyway, if you're looking for a book of cute, pithy remarks to throw into your conversations, then maybe this could be something to look into. I can't say I highly recommend it, but then again maybe you'll see something in it what I don't.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book through the Tyndale Rewards program (click here to check it out, and by using my link to make an account you'll get 25 credits (enough to order a book) just to start and I'll get 10!).

Hundred Percent by Karen Romano Young, 2016

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The last year of elementary school is big for every kid. Christine Gouda faces change at every turn, starting with her own nickname—Tink—which just doesn't fit anymore. Christine navigates a year's cringingly painful trials in normalcy—uncomfortable Halloween costumes, premature sleepover parties, crushed crushes, and changing friendships. Throughout all this, Tink learns, what you call yourself, and how you do it, has a lot to do with who you are.

(256 pages)

I don't read a lot of these "middle school drama" type books because, to be perfectly honest, I often find them to be annoying and unrealistic. What real thirteen-year-olds spend their entire lives revolving around puberty, boys, and changing friendships? Neither I nor my friends were ever like that, but we did run into those sorts of kids once in a while. I didn't really get them then, and I still don't completely get that mindset.

Anyway, though Hundred Percent was actually a pretty good book, my biggest issue with it was that the kids were way too "mature" (as the adults at school put it) for their age. They throw around words like "slutty" and "sexy," make jokes about "balls," and are always listening to "Rolling Stones" songs with very suggestive lyrics. And they're not even in middle school–they're in sixth grade! Eleven-year-olds are way too young to be thinking about any of those things.

If you forget the fact that Tink and her friends are so young, though, the story itself is a good one. I enjoyed watching her grow over the course of the novel as she struggled to define who she was. I can't say I'm a huge fan of her on-again-off-again childhood best friend Tracie, who tries way too hard to fit in with the cool kids (the "circle"), but one of the great things about the way the book is written is that by the end of the story I do understand and empathize with her decisions. There are several other side characters in Tink's class who are interesting, though probably more than were absolutely necessary–I started getting them muddled after a while. My favorite of these other characters was probably Bushwack, the nice, funny, and very uncool boy Tink likes a little more than Tracie thinks she should.

Some of the topics that come up are pretty serious ones. Tracie's mom has always been single, and there are whispers that Tink doesn't really understand calling her "a slut." The man she's dating is a twice-married guy with two kids, and Tracie spends quite a bit of the book romantically pursuing his son who's two years older than she is. There's a new boy at school who holds Tink's hand and tells her that he thinks she'd look attractive without any clothes on. Ick. The way all of these issues are handled is very tasteful, but I definitely wouldn't hand Hundred Percent over to an actual sixth-grader.

Honestly, I'm not really sure who the target audience for this book is. If you think it looks interesting, then you should check it out. Let me know if you do!

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this novel through the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program.

American Patriots by Rick Santorum, 2012

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The United States of America was founded and established by ordinary citizens just like you and me. In their struggle for independence, these heroic men and women willingly shed their blood, sweat, and tears--often sacrificing their own lives and fortunes in order to hand down the precious legacy of freedom we all enjoy today. Now is the time for a new generation of American patriots to rise up and join in the fight. Now is the time for every American to return to the virtues, values, and ideals that formed our foundation of freedom, and enable America to remain a great nation, a powerful democracy, and a beacon of hope for the world.

American Patriots highlights the heroic men and women who valiantly fought to secure our God-given rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness--not only for themselves and their children, but for countless future generations. Their stories are a true reminder of the extraordinary faith, courage, and determination that set this country on the path to greatness centuries ago, and an inspiration for future generations of great American patriots.

(148 pages)

This may not put me in the best light here, but when I chose to receive a copy of American Patriots I honestly didn't know that Rick Santorum was a politician. His name on the cover looked vaguely familiar, so I assumed he was some historian or author I'd read something from a long time ago. When I actually cracked the cover open and read the author description, I realized my mistake. He's a pretty conservative Republican, right? I honestly haven't read up on him at all, but after reading this book I'm pretty sure that must be the case.

Basically, he takes everything and makes it about religion. And I guess that's not entirely unreasonable, since people were so focused on faith back then and several of the patriots he described were literally pastors, but when he started explaining how "the pursuit of happiness" from the Declaration really meant "the pursuit of virtue," he lost me. I'm a Christian, sure, but I don't believe in twisting history to make it fit your personal outlook. Then again, I don't worship either the Declaration or the Constitution (and there's no way I think all those slave-owning men really meant for the rights given to "all men" to go to minorities and women!), so I'm probably not Santorum's target audience. Every time he mentioned how modern-day America is "under attack" from liberals who want to destroy the principles established by the Founding Fathers, I could barely suppress an eye roll. I'm not exactly stirred to action by that sort of rhetoric; I'm mainly just annoyed by the constant finger-pointing and devil-calling that goes on in modern politics.

Anyway, that aside, I did enjoy reading about all these little-known people from history. I think the only historical figures I recognized in the entire book were Phillis Wheatley and Nathan Hale; the rest of them were completely new to me. My favorite was probably Haym Salomon, the Polish-born Jew who single-handedly kept the revolution financially stable through the war and into its first years as a nation. He seemed like a great guy! Each little chapter focuses on a different historical character (or sometimes a couple characters who have attributes in common). There's a little description of their backstory, key details about their dramatic contributions to the revolution, and then a summary of what happened to them later in life.

Also, just a note: out of twenty-five people mentioned in the book, only six of them are women–and only one of them get a chapter to themselves. Four of them (Emily Geiger, Elizabeth Maxwell Steele, Phillis Wheatley, and Elizabeth Lewis) were lumped into a single chapter. I know that the world was a much more man-dominated place in the 18th century, so it might have been impossible to get enough details to flesh out a lot of character sketches of women patriots, but I for one would have  liked to see a little more emphasis given to the women from history.

Basically, I enjoyed learning some more about important characters from history (even if I'm a little hesitant to apply the word "hero" to all of them). If you don't mind the messages Santorum is trying to mix in with his history lesson, then you might love this handy little anthology. Otherwise, though, it's probably best to steer clear.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book through the Tyndale Rewards program (click here to check it out, and by using my link to make an account you'll get 25 credits (enough to order a book) just to start and I'll get 10!).

Crossing the Thinnest Line by Lauren Leader-Chivée, 2016

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FROM THE VERY FOUNDING OF OUR NATION, diversity has been one of our greatest strengths but also the greatest source of conflict. In less than a generation, America will become "minority-majority," and the world economy, already interconnected, will be even more globalized. The stakes for how we handle this evolution couldn't be higher. Will diversity be a source of growth, prosperity, and progress-or perpetual division and strife?

America has the potential to realize huge gains economically and socially by more fully capitalizing on diversity, but significant challenges remain and it's a problem that all Americans should be focused on solving. Despite tremendous progress, women and minorities still face barriers to accessing the full promise of the American dream. It doesn't have to be this way. Many of the solutions are right in front of us, and many exceptional, committed Americans are doing their part to make a difference.

In the twenty-first century, nations will prosper only insofar as they embrace and celebrate the individuals, organizations, and collective efforts to advance every kind of diversity. Lauren Leader-Chivée believes America must lead the way. In CROSSING THE THINNEST LINE, she explores the state of our diverse union and shares important stories of progress and potential, highlighting those who are crossing dividing lines of race, gender, culture, and political party to build a more united and prosperous nation. Her revelations will transform the discussion and set the agenda for America's progress on these critical issues. A work of originality and ambition, CROSSING THE THINNEST LINE changes our understanding of diversity and offers lessons to change our lives and our country.

(336 pages)

Okay, first, I have to admit that I didn't read this whole thing. About halfway through I got so sick of it that I started skimming. The author claims to be striving for adversity, and she does concede that Republicans are probably people too right near the very end of the book, but most of the 300+ pages consist of her presenting one passionate argument after another for why America should follow every single left-leaning Democrat policy ever.

From the bitter way I say that, you might think that I'm a Republican. I'm not. I think of myself as being in the middle of the road, conservative about some things but liberal about others. I am not inherently opposed to diversity in any way, and in fact I do think we need more diversity in this nation. That's why I chose to review Crossing the Thinnest Line in the first place! I just got annoyed by the author's tone: she spends the entire time talking about how awesome and amazing her beliefs are, and uses the words "Republican" and "conservative" like they're slightly insulting. She interprets every single possible thing that happens to a person of color as being about race (even when they don't seem remotely related to me), and refuses to consider the fact that people who disagree with her are just as entitled to their opinions as she is to hers.

Anyway, I jotted down a few quotes that particularly struck me. Here are the ones that stuck out the most, in no particular order:

• This might be controversial because of the media, but I had to include it: Freddie Gray. The author says that his death was purely because of race, despite the fact that Baltimore is extremely diverse and several of the policemen charged with his murder were black. As someone who lived in Baltimore for five years (including when all of that happened), I am so sick of the way people turn Freddie Gray's death into something it isn't. Police brutality is an issue here, yes. Racism? I seriously doubt it.
  
• She writes "In 2013, when Republicans forced a shutdown of the US government in a standoff over the budget . . . " Right. Because a standoff between two political parties is totally only one of those parties' fault. I don't even remember the details of their conflicts, but I doubt the Democrats were innocent victims.
  
• This is probably my favorite: "By some estimates, given the changing demographics of the nation, even a candidate who won 60 percent of the white male vote could not win the presidency without meaningful support from women and minorities. It's a reality that may ensure a democratic president for a generation–unless the Republican Party changes course and returns to the politically sound and morally decent tradition of inclusion that George W. Bush exemplified." Whew! First, it's kind of hilarious to think about how wrong Leader-Chivée is right here (even though Donald Trump becoming president isn't something I normally find very funny). Second, "returns to the . . . morally decent tradition of inclusion" sounds a lot to me like Leader-Chivée is calling current Republicans immoral and indecent. Yeah, very open-minded of her.

Well, great, there goes my resolve to never discuss politics on here. Blast this book for being way more political than I thought it would be! Anyway, I suppose what really grated on my nerves was that in a book all about encouraging diversity, the author constantly just focused on using her platform to push her own political agenda at the expense of all others. We need ethnic and religious diversity, sure. But we also need ideological diversity, we need people who think about the world in different ways. We need to be able to recognize that some people have morals that are different from our own, and to respect that. I don't think Leader-Chivée has much respect for anyone who isn't a flaming Democrat, which is a pity. I hope that her experience near the end of the book meeting George W. Bush (and realizing he isn't as horrible a human being as she'd thought) might help her reach across the aisle and find respect for conservative Americans.

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

In the Shadow of Denali by Tracie Peterson and Kimberly Woodhouse, 2017

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Cassidy Ivanoff and her father John, a wilderness guide, work at a prestigious new hotel outside Mt. McKinley. John's new apprentice, Allan Brennan, finds a friend in Cassidy, but the real reason he's here--to learn the truth about his father's death--is far more dangerous than he knows.

(320 pages)

I hadn't read a "chick flick" book in a long while, so I thought I'd shake things up a bit. I always like books about mountain climbing, and I've never read a book set in Alaska before, so In the Shadow of Denali had all the makings of a unique and grabbing read for me.

And for the most part, it was that. The characters were slightly flat, it's true, and the romance was truely cringe-worthy (and the villain ridiculously stereotypical), but those things honestly didn't bother me as much as they probably should have. The fact is that I really loved Cassidy, who was a good mixture of sweet optimism and realistic emotions. I didn't like the men quite as much (they were all a little too perfect for my taste), but reading about Cassidy's time in the kitchen, all the foods she makes and her growing friendship with the head cook Mrs. Johnson, was what kept me stuck to the story. Mrs. Johnson is probably my favorite character, actually. I can't say much about her backstory, but I really loved watching her gruff outer shell peel away over time!

It does have to be said, though, that the discussions of both romance and religion are almost uniformly hard to read throughout the book. The characters are so obnoxiously slap-you-in-the-face Christian (and so obsessed with making sure everyone thinks exactly the way they do) that it got a little old for me–even though I actually am Christian! It's not like they act like God makes life one big rose-fest, because all of the main characters grapple with some pretty scary/hard things throughout the book, but something about the discussions of faith just felt cheesy and unrealistic to me. There's also a fair bit of instalove, which anyone who has read this blog for long knows is a big pet peeve of mine. Cassidy and Allan barely know each other at all when they start having feelings for each other that they'd never had for anyone else in their entire lives. Despite the fact that they only spend minimal amounts of time with each other and don't really seem to have anything in common, we're supposed to believe they're perfect for each other. Meh. I'd rather have seen Cassidy wind up with Thomas, the seventeen-year-old kitchen boy who has a crush on her–I honestly liked him better than I did Allan, and the age difference could have easily become negligible if the authors had made Cassidy just a year or two younger!

Anyway, you wouldn't guess it from all the negativity in this review but I really did spend a few happy hours reading In the Shadow of Denali. Now that I'm writing out my thoughts I'm realizing just how many little things bugged me about the book, but when I was actually reading it I was sucked in nonetheless. I love Cassidy, Mrs. Johnson, and Thomas, and I have pretty neutral (though certainly not negative) feelings toward Allan and Cassidy's father John. I liked the basic premise of the story and the conflicts that came up, and I loved getting a look at what life was like in Alaska during the 1920s. We even get to read about President and Mrs. Harding staying at the hotel on their 1923 trip to Alaska right before the president's sudden death! I'd never even heard of President Harding, let alone known that he traveled to Alaska.

Basically, I can't recommend In the Shadow of Denali as fine literature. If you're looking for some clean, fluffy (and slightly preachy) entertainment set in a rural Alaska setting, though, then this might just be the book for you. If you do give it a try, comment below to let us know how you like it!

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this novel from the publisher in exchange for my review.