"The Rook" by Steven James

In the second release of the Patrick Bowers series, Steven James takes all of the plot devices that made "The Pawn" excellent and turns them up a notch. There are innumerable plot twists in this story, and each page just begs you to keep on reading without stopping (which is what I pretty much did ever since I started reading it two days ago...).
The author has INCREDIBLE skills when it comes to giving the reader just what they need to know, when they need to know it - and no more than that. All of the law enforcement and FBI procedures became part of the excitement instead of the dull "this-is-what-cops-do-whenever-_______________-happens". I absolutely love the way that Steven James weaves the story seamlessy between the first-person narrative of Patrick Bowers, and the third-person scenes with the other characters.
I'm not even going to try to explain the complicated plot of the book...you'll just have to read it. Now, for some level-headed pros/cons.

Pros:  In this book, Steven James introduced a clearer (but still thinly-veiled) Christian element into his writing. Tessa and Lien-hua express some conflicting spiritual ideas in one conversation, surrounding the idea of mankind being able to rise above the tendency to be evil. This concept is further explored with one character discussing the murder of Abel by Cain, and how God told Cain that sin desired to master him.
One character ponders "what if someone can lift us up?" By the end of the book, Another character decides that God (though unnamed) may be able to lift us up beyond our evil nature. Tessa also thinks back to her mother's strong Christian faith and to some conversations they had about spiritual things.
Secondly, I thought that the death scenes were a little less gruesome than the first book. Fewer people died in this book, I believe. Although I think that there is a boundary to what is appropriate when it comes to describing death and killing, in my opinion it is mostly a matter of taste. And Steven James stays well within my tastes in his writing.

Cons: Patrick does a poor job of parenting his step-daughter... She dances a fine line between rebellion and submission, but more often than not she would rather have her freedom. This topic is very broad in the book (since it was introduced in book 1), so I believe that it is just part of the ongoing story between Patrick and Tessa.
Patrick and Lien-hua share an intimate moment that I was afraid would become a little TOO intimate. But it didn't. Again, I think this relationship will be developed more as the series goes on, so we'll see....
On that note, Tessa almost gets sexually assaulted, but she gets away. The scene was not graphic, but it was intense.
I may have found one typo......the word was "files" when I am pretty sure it should have been "fires".....but maybe I'm wrong. (I'm usually not this picky....but I have to really stretch to find many cons in this book).

My conclusion is that "The Rook" was even better than "The Pawn," and I hope I will be able to say the same thing after I read "The Knight."
5 out of 5 stars!

"Passages Manuscript 2: Arin's Judgment" by Paul McCusker

"Arin's Judgment" is another fantastic book by Paul McCusker. This is the second in the "Passages" series, and I guarantee you that I will read all of them.
The story centers around a manuscript that was found by John Avery Whitaker of Odyssey. In the manuscript (which is the main portion of the book), we have the story of young Wade. He is transported from his home during the days following World War II to a different time and place.
The stories in the "Passages" series always parallel a Bible story, but with modern twists. The Biblical story re-portrayed in this book is the story of Noah and God's judgment on the sins of man in Genesis 6....only in this case, God doesn't destroy the earth with a flood, but with a.......... you didn't think I was gonna TELL you, did you? The counterpart to Noah is Arin, the books title character.
Young Wade faces some hard temptations, and we learn a great lesson about the grace of God. Even though Arin and his family are spared from God's wrath, they clearly know that they don't deserve to be spared. As Arin so eloquently points out to Wade near the end of the book, they are only spared because they trusted in the "Unseen One", their name for God.
I would caution that there are some gruesome moments of death and illness. The book is intended for 10 year olds and up. However, the story is a wonderful adventure!
Five out of five stars, with a smile!

"Breakthrough Prayer" by Jim Cymbala

I did not find this book to be exactly what I had expected. That is not to say that I didn't enjoy it; I did enjoy it thorougly. The content just did not match my expectations.
I devoured Jim Cymbala's books, "Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire", "Fresh Faith", and "Fresh Power". Those books are far superior to this one. This book caused me to trudge through a little bit.
Pastor Cymbala's theology is right on the money, but I felt that some of the points he made were weaker than they could have been. Some points were tremendously strong - even overpowering. That's good; it's the kind of theology we need from books and preaching these days. (Sometimes, it takes a smack upside my head to get the point across to me)
Basically, I felt that it was not a book exclusively on prayer. He had whole chapters devoted to other things, like joy. Had it been more focused, it would have made a greater impact on me.
I will say that the stories of the people Pastor Cymbala has met in his ministry is worth the price of the book. My heart is ALWAYS stirred to hear about God changing someone's life when all things seemed hopeless.
I would still give the book 3 out of 5 stars.

"Dreamhouse Kings Series Book 1: House of Dark Shadows" by Robert Liparulo

Do you know that feeling you get when you are reading a scary part in a book, and you get kinda nervous? Almost like the bad thing is going to happen to YOU instead of the characters in the story? I had that feeling a lot in this book. It is a perfectly executed tale where the sense of imminent danger almost never goes away. The moments of intense action are blended with a sense of humor that is very realistic. (After all, many of our actions or emotions or thoughts in tense situations WOULD be funny if we were merely reading them instead of experiencing them!)
The story surrounds a family of five: mom, dad, two sons, and a daughter. The depth of the characters is surprising for a moderate-length juvenile fiction. There are many complex emotions explored in the book, particularly surrounding the eldest child, Xander. In fact, the book is quite well suited for the more "mature" reader as well as the young person.
As you can tell by the title, the house is the reason for most of the suspense in the story. The King family has just moved into their new home...but it is not a normal house. This house has sounds that come from nowhere, and secret doors that can transport a person to distant lands (and times). The house also seems to be occupied by a mysterious hulking shadow of a man, who comes and goes like a ghost. I won't give away any more of the story - you'll just have to read it.
The concept of "portals" that transport people from normal places to fantastic ones may not seem to be extremely unique to some; every young boy's imagination has at one time or another wished that such a portal would be opened to him and whisk him away to great adventures. But it is precisely this emotion from my childhood that made the story so intriguing to me! (Why couldn't MY childhood home have magic portals?)
There are very few negative elements to the story. A small amount of violence takes place, along with a few bloody descriptions, but they are by no means excessive. The suspense and violence may cause some parents to hesitate, but I believe any twelve year old would be mature enough to read the story.
A few times throughout the book, the author made references to some old movies that I have never seen. I don't know anything about the movies, so I didn't understand the references. To me they may have not been necessary in the story, but they didn't really hurt anything either.
The only other observation I will make is that it is not really a story about Christians - and undoubtedly many people will criticize the author for writing a "Christian" book without anything Christian in it. Very little "Christian" terminology makes its way into the book, so don't expect to see characters praying together or preaching on street corners. My personal opinion, though, is that we don't read fiction stories and expect to get deep theological and Biblical insight out of them. We should read the Bible for spiritual illumination, not a man-made tale.
On its own merits, therefore, "House of Dark Shadows" is a wonderful book! The story is masterfully written, and I will finish reading the series as soon as I purchase the other books!

"Brothers, We are not Professionals" by John Piper

I'm very glad John Piper wrote this book. This is probably one of those ministry-related works that I will re-read often. The author tackled some issues that desperately needed a strong defense from a conservative theological standpoint.
The best way to describe the book is that it is a collection of roughly thirty short articles, each focusing on a different area. The title of each chapter is addressed to fellowservants in the ministry, like the very title of the book.
The topics covered are very broad - everything from baptism to abortion. Piper is a skillful wordsmith, and his arguments are very sound both Biblically and logically. One of my favorite chapters was "Brothers, Sever the Root of Racism." This is a passionate issue for me, and I believe that his chapter should be read from every pulpit - including my own church - at least once a year. Racism is killing our churches and reflecting poorly on the body of Christ and Christian unity.
Another great chapter was on loving our wives. So many pastors and ministers have wives who seem to sit in the shadows of the man's "ministry." Pastors, of all people, should have Christ-honoring relationships with their wives... My former and current pastors both stressed to me the importance of ministering to my wife before ministering to others, and I have tried hard to do so.
But perhaps the greatest chapter - and most convicting - was the chapter on God's glory... How could I have missed the fact that the thing God loves most of all is not people, but His own glory? This was an earth-shattering lesson for me to learn, and I was greatly convicted.
If you are a pastor or minister, you would be greatly blessed, encouraged, and challenged by this great book. It is (so far) the only book by John Piper I have read, but it will not be the last. Highly HIGHLY recommended!