Serial
By Jack Kilborn & Blake Crouch
Hachette Publishing Group
FREE! Book description:

Remember the twin golden rules of hitchhiking?

# 1: Don’t go hitchhiking, because the driver who picks you up could be certifiably crazy.

# 2: Don’t pick up hitchhikers, because the traveler you pick up could be raving nutcase.

So what if, on some dark, isolated road, Crazy #1 offered a ride to Nutcase #2?

When two of the most twisted minds in the world of horror fiction face off, the result is SERIAL, a terrifying tale of hitchhiking gone terribly wrong. Like a deeply twisted version of an “After School Special,” SERIAL is the single most persuasive public service announcement on the hazards of free car rides.

Beyond a thrilling piece of horrifying suspense, SERIAL is also a groundbreaking experiment in literary collaboration. Kilborn wrote the first part. Crouch wrote the second. And they wrote the third together over email in 100-word exchanges, not aware of each other’s opening section. All bets were off, and may the best psycho win.

Best yet, it available for immediate download…for FREE!

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READING ROOM REVIEW

No, you are not seeing thing…this ebook is absolutely FREE!  No strings attached. Hachette group has generously offered this book by Jack Kilborn & Blake Crouch as a free download.
 

Kilborn & Crouch are known for their exceptional work in the horror genre and have combined their efforts to create this terrifying tale relating the dangers of hitchhiking. It also contains Q&A with Kilborn and Crouch, author bibliographies, and excerpts from their most recent and forthcoming works: Kilborn’s Afraid and Crouch’s Abandon.

This book is not for the faint of heart, but if you enjoy horror novels, you will want to read this one.  It’s free, so what have you got to lose!

To access the free ebook Serial click here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jesus, Keep Me Near the Cross
By Nancy Guthrie
Crossway
Retail price $12.99
Amazon Price: $10.39

Book Description:

This collection of readings, drawn from the writings and sermons of 25 classic and contemporary theologians and Bible teachers, focuses on the wonder of Christ’s sacrifice.
In a culture where crosses have become little more than decorative accessories and jewelry, how easy it is for even the most well-intended Christian to rush from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday without thoughtfully contemplating the cross and all that it means. Yet we miss out on spiritual riches when we do.

So that we all may linger at the cross during the Lenten season—and stay near it the whole year through—editor Nancy Guthrie has compiled this special anthology. It draws from the works and sermons of classic theologians such as Luther, Edwards, Spurgeon, Ryle, and Augustine, and from leading contemporary communicators such as John Piper, R. C. Sproul, Francis Schaeffer, John MacArthur, Skip Ryan, and Joni Eareckson Tada to help readers enter into an experience of Christ’s passion and anchor their hope in the power of his resurrection.

Each essay in this collection holds to a high view of Scripture and expounds on a particular aspect of the Easter story using the appropriate Scripture passage from the ESV Bible. These readings are sure to prepare people’s hearts for a fresh experience of the cross each and every Easter season.

About the Author

NANCY GUTHRIE has a passion for sharing God’s Word through her growing national and international Bible-teaching ministry. She has worked in the Christian publishing industry for more than two decades and is the author of Holding On to Hope, The One-Year Book of Hope, Hoping for Something Better, and Crossway’s Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus.

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The Reading Room Review

I read Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus for Christmas and just loved it, so I decided to get a copy of Jesus, Keep Me Near the Cross for my readings for lent. I wasn’t disappointed. This book is a collection of essays from such heroes of the faith as Charles H. Spurgeon, Augustine, John Calvin as well of some of today’s contemporary Christian leaders like John Piper, Joni Eareckson Tada, and Timothy Keller. These Easter readings helped me to really think on the cross and resurrection and gave me a new appreciation of the sacrifice and gift Jesus gave to us at Easter.

I am going to read it aloud throughout the Lenten season as my family devotions. I highly recommend it.

~Reviewed by Tricia C.

My Little Read Book
By Rachel Kauder Nalebuff
Twelve
Retail Price: $14.99
Amazon Price: $10.19

Book Description

MY LITTLE RED BOOK is an anthology of stories about first periods, collected from women of all ages from around the world. The accounts range from light-hearted (the editor got hers while water skiing in a yellow bathing suit) to heart-stopping (a first period discovered just as one girl was about to be strip-searched by the Nazis). The contributors include well-known women writers (Meg Cabot, Erica Jong, Gloria Steinem, Cecily von Ziegesar), alongside today’s teens. And while the authors differ in race, faith, or cultural background, their stories share a common bond: they are all accessible, deeply honest, and highly informative. Whatever a girl experiences or expects, she’ll find stories that speak to her thoughts and feelings.

Ultimately, MY LITTLE READ BOOK is more than a collection of stories. It is a call for a change in attitude, for a new way of seeing periods. In a time when the taboo around menstruation seems to be one of the few left standing, it makes a difficult subject easier to talk about, and helps girls feel proud instead of embarrassed or ashamed. By revealing what it feels like to undergo this experience first hand, and giving women the chance to explain their feelings in their own words, it aims to provide support, entertainment, and a starting point for discussion for mothers and daughters everywhere. It is a book every girl should have. Period.

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The Reading Room Review

I wish I had a book like this when I was a teenager! It’s such a brilliant idea, I can’t believe nobody has put together stories like these before. For most girls, getting your period is something you talk about in private, if at all. It’s embarrassing. It’s scary. It’s funny. You wonder if you’re “normal.” Did you get it too early? Too late? In the wrong place at the wrong time?

But now, with these hilarious and moving true stories, women of all ages can relate to the mix of gross-out, pride, and confusion of that very first period, something almost every woman remembers in vivid detail but doesn’t often discuss.

The editor is a teenager herself, and what makes this even more unique is that she’s collected stories from celebrities to your average girl, and from people who are now grandmothers to those who just purchased their first tampon.

I highly recommend these wonderful stories for everything from book clubs to school discussion groups to, of course, slumber parties. A must-read for mothers and daughters alike.

~Reviewed by Loren G.

I participated in an interview with Kathleen Kent, author of The Heretic’s Daughter.
Listen to it by clicking here.  It was a very interesitng interview which included questions
on the research involved in writing this book as well as ideas for her next books!

Twist of Faith
By Anne Beiler
Thomas Nelson
Retail price $22.99
Our Price:   $18.39
Amazon price: $13.39
CBD price: $16.99Book description:

Anne Smucker Beiler was born in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, where she attended a two-room Amish school. Bred into the fabric of her close-knit family and into her soul were the elements of sincere Christian faith, an excellent work ethic, and an eye for good business opportunity. Anne’s journey is a remarkable story of failure and success. She persevered through a series of difficult personal struggles-including the tragic death of her second child, being betrayed by someone she trusted implicitly, and a terrible six-year depression-to become the leading female franchise owner in the United States. Anne is one of the few women who have founded national companies in America. What makes her story most extraordinary is her determination to help others by telling her full story-the good, the bad and the ugly.

READING ROOM REVIEW

 This book is written by the founder of Anne Beiler, founder of Auntie Ann Pretzels.  It is a biography of sorts as well as an inspirational story of how she came to found Auntie Ann’s and the amazing ride God took her on as part of that business venture.It appears that Anne was determined to bare her soul in this book as she shared the good, the bad, and the ugly in her life. I give her credit for being so open and transparent.The kinds of things she endured and lived through and allowed God to deliver her from are intense.  She was raised in a Mennonite Amish community and just has an extremely unique and touching story. It teaches love, faith, courage, forgiveness, shame, pain, and so much more. This book will inspire you to chase your dreams no matter what kind of odds are against you.

I literally read the book in an afternoon, I found it so interesting.  I think you will too.

 

 

 

 

Anne Smucker Beiler was born in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, where she attended a two-room Amish school. Bred into the fabric of her close-knit family and into her soul were the elements of sincere Christian faith, an excellent work ethic, and an eye for good business opportunity. Anne’s journey is a remarkable story of failure and success. She persevered through a series of difficult personal struggles-including the tragic death of her second child, being betrayed by someone she trusted implicitly, and a terrible six-year depression-to become the leading female franchise owner in the United States. Anne is one of the few women who have founded national companies in America. What makes her story most extraordinary is her determination to help others by telling her full story-the good, the bad and the ugly.

READING ROOM REVIEW

 This book is written by the founder of Anne Beiler, founder of Auntie Ann Pretzels.  It is a biography of sorts as well as an inspirational story of how she came to found Auntie Ann’s and the amazing ride God took her on as part of that business venture.It appears that Anne was determined to bare her soul in this book as she shared the good, the bad, and the ugly in her life. I give her credit for being so open and transparent.The kinds of things she endured and lived through and allowed God to deliver her from are intense.  She was raised in a Mennonite Amish community and just has an extremely unique and touching story. It teaches love, faith, courage, forgiveness, shame, pain, and so much more. This book will inspire you to chase your dreams no matter what kind of odds are against you.

I literally read the book in an afternoon, I found it so interesting.  I think you will too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I got together with a few other bloggers recenlty for an interesting interview with William P. Young, author of the New York Times Bestseller, The Shack.  Just to whet your appetite, you may find it interesting to know that Young did not originally write the book for publication, but for his children as a gift. After printing off a few copies for his family and friends, The Shack seemed to take on a life of its own as opportunities presented themselves for more extensive publishing.

You can listen to the entire interview here.

About the Book:  Mackenzie Allen Philips’ youngest daughter, Missy, has been abducted during a family vacation and evidence that she may have been brutally murdered is found in an abandoned shack deep in the Oregon wilderness. Four years later in the midst of his Great Sadness, Mack receives a suspicious note, apparently from God, inviting him back to that shack for a weekend.Against his better judgment he arrives as the shack on a wintry afternoon and walk back into his darkest nightmare. What he finds there will change Mack’s world forever.

In a world where religion seems to grow increasingly irrelevant The Shack wrestles with the timeless question, Where is God in a world so filled with unspeakable pain? The answers Mack gets will astound you and perhaps transform you as much as it did him. You’ll want everyone you know to read this book.

Also, take time to check out the other great blogs that were a part of this interview!

Camy Tang: http://www.camys-loft.blogspot.com/

Cara Putman: http://carasmusings.blogspot.com/

Christy Lockstein: http://christysbookblog.blogspot.com

Gretchen Geyer: http://dreamwriter07.blogspot.com/

Jill Hart: www.CWAHM.com

Joe Wikert: http://jwikert.typepad.com/

Leslie Sowell: http://footprintsinthesand.us/blog
Natalie Nyquist: www.ylcf.org

Nicole Petrino-Salter: http://hopeofglory.typepad.com/into_the_fire/

Patrick Sullivan, Jr.: http://editweapon.com/

Peggy Phifer: http://www.sipsncupscafe.com

Shawnee Goodnight: www.readinginappalchia.blogspot.com/

Tammy Marcelain: http://tammymarcelain.blogspot.com/

Ted Reyes: www.poptimesagazine.com

 
Tired of Trying to Measure Up
By Jeff VanVonderen
Bethany House
Retail price $13.99
Our Price: $10.39
Amazon price: $11.19
CBD price: $9.99

  Book description: Are you always trying hard, but feel like it’s never good enough?

The Rumpoles and The Barleys
by Karen Hunt
Harvest House
Retail price $12.99
Our Price: $10.39
Amazon Price:  $11.04
 CBD price: $9.99

Book description: The Rumpole family live in the attic of the old Rumpole Mansion. Two of the young ones are Eustace and Prunella, and they are very much like brothers and sisters everywhere. One day, they misbehave, and the naughty pair is sent to their room for misbehaving. When they sneak out of the window and land in a wagon full of …well, you’ll just have to read the rest of the tale! Children will love the winsome, imaginative illustrations as they learn a valuable lesson in thankfulness. Recommended for ages 4 to 8.

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THE READING ROOM REVIEW

This is an adorable children’s storybook with a great lesson for the kids to learn on thankfulness.  The book is not just beautifully illustrated, but the story grabs children’s attention and keeps it.

I took this book to a street evangelism event and read it to a group of children and their parents and it was a big hit.  Both the children and adults stayed interested until I was finished and many came up to get a closer look at the pictures.

The Rumpoles and The Barleys was a hit with both children and adults.

Welcome to The Reading Room Blog, which is brought to you by www.bookbargainsandpreviews.com.

I love to read and I want to share that love of reading with others. There are so many books out there, it is sometimes hard to choose which books would best interest us.  It really helps me when I find a review that tells me, in a short blurb, whether the reviewer likes the book or not, without giving away the entire plot of the story.  Since I find that helpful, that is the way I try to write my reviews…short and sweet!

I will be reviewing books from several categories in the blog, but all will be family-friendly, and usually written from a Christian world-view, though that might not always be the case.  If I find a book worth reading, yet it has a few areas that aren’t family friendly, I may blog about it, pointing out the warning spots.

I would like this blog to interactive, so if you have read a book that I review, feel free to share your own thoughts.  Since there are many spammers out there, I will have to moderate the posts before they go on the site.
 
I look forward to getting to know you all better through The Reading Room as we share our love for the written word!