​In her book The Hiding Place, Corrie Ten Boom tells the story of her life and how it led her to becoming part of the underground resistance to the Nazis in Holland in World War II, which eventually led to imprisonment at a concentration camp. She shares many stories that helped shape her life, including helping to care for her elderly aunts who lived her family, how she fell in love with a young man only to have her heart broken when he showed up with her fiancée, and even being Holland’s first licensed female watchmaker. All of this set the stage for when the Nazis invaded Holland and their family felt compelled to do something to help people who were in need. Corrie eventually turned their house/watch shop into the center of a ring for the underground resistance and a hiding place for Jews that had nowhere else to go. They even build a secret room into Corrie’s own bedroom. Corrie, her sister Bestie, and their father Casper continued their work until they, along with many members of their underground ring, were arrested. While many of the members were eventually released Corrie ultimately lost her father and her sister Bestie through their imprisonment and Corrie herself would endure one prison and two concentration camps over the span of 10 months. She served others even while she was in prison herself and quickly started to serve and help others not long after her release, helping many find healing and restoration. Through everything that Corrie went through, she was not afraid or ashamed of the God she loved so dearly, knowing that remaining in His will was the only true “hiding place.”

​This book is compelling and inspiring, as you will be moved the lives of Corrie, Bestie, Casper, and other members of their family. If you like the original film, enjoy World War II stories, or appreciate inspiring autobiographies, this is definitely a book worth reading. Get your copy today.

​When I saw an Operation Christmas Child display at a youth conference a few years ago, I was reminded of the time when I packed a shoebox with a Sunday School class as a kid. However, I hadn’t thought about the ministry in many years. The presentation at this conference peeked my interest, so I decided to look into their ministry more. This led to my journey of being a project leader and processing center volunteer. Even in the short time I’ve been involved in the work of this ministry, I have blessed by the ability to serve children around the world and provide them with an opportunity to hear the gospel, as well as the people that I have gotten to meet and work with through the work of Operation Christmas Child and Samaritan’s Purse. I even discovered while reading this book that there was a student who attended Ozark Christian College at the same time I did who was a shoebox recipient. I am so grateful to be a part of this ministry and for the opportunity to learn more about it through this book ~ Bethel

In his book Operation Christmas Child, Franklin Graham shares the story about how a simple idea of packing gifts into shoeboxes became a ministry that has given 100 million children a chance to hear the gospel in 20 years*. Through a collection of short stories, you learn more about the project’s humble beginnings, when Graham offered to help assemble shoebox gifts for children in the war-torn country of Bosnia for Christmas 1993. Forgetting until right before Thanksgiving, Graham and others scrambled to get some shoebox gifts together and through God’s help were able to get 12,000 shoeboxes in about two weeks with only two contributing churches. Those who had the opportunity to go distribute the boxes saw God’s hand of which child received which gifts and had many children and their families come to know Christ through these efforts. With the success of the first collection, Samaritan’s Purse formed Operation Christmas Child as a project under their ministry and started figuring out how collect more boxes. As Graham shares the stories of shoebox packers and shoebox recipients, employees and volunteers, distribution trips and adoptions, you will gain a glimpse into part of what God has done through this ministry and will probably be inspired to get involved if you aren’t already. This book is a must read for anyone who is involved with Operation Christmas Child or wants to learn more about the ministry. Get your copy today!**
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Learn more about the work of Operation Christmas Child by visiting: https://www.samaritanspurse.org/what-we-do/operation-christmas-child

​When I chose to write a research paper on the life and works of C.S. Lewis, I sought out the best resources that were available to learn about his life and his works. Through that research, I discovered that Lewis’ stepson had written a biography of his stepfather. While many biographies have been written about Lewis over the years, I knew that one written by someone who knew him personally would be one worth reading. Even now, this is one of my biographies of Lewis to reference. This is definitely one worth checking out. ~ Bethel

​In his book Jack’s Life, Douglas Gresham shares the story of the life of C.S. Lewis, his stepfather and mentor. You start with the story of a boy with an active imagination who would lost his faith after losing his mother at a young age. Then he grew up, fought in a war, took in a late friend’s mother, and eventually rediscovered his faith, going on to become one of the most renowned authors and theologians of his time. Gresham reveals this through the lens of his admiration for a man who endured similar struggles in his younger life and loved him through his own difficulties. His grasp of Lewis’ writings and how his life experiences influenced them is profound, as he does a great job of summarizing some of Lewis’s concepts through the book. Including a DVD with an interview with Gresham, this book is a must have resource for anyone wanting to learn more about the life of C.S. Lewis.

To read my review of Gresham's personal biography, click here

​I’ve been a fan of C.S. Lewis since I read The Chronicles of Narnia when I was in junior high. But I was surprised when an older friend from my church gave me a copy of Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis and Lenten Lands by Douglas Gresham. Prior to receiving this book, all I knew about Gresham was that he was C.S. Lewis’ stepson and that he was the executive producer of Narnia films by Walden Media. When I can to write a paper on C.S. Lewis my senior year, I drove into Gresham’s story and was intrigued. So grateful to have received a copy of this book. Whether you are familiar with the life and works of Lewis or not, you will enjoy this autobiography ~ Bethel

​In his autobiography, Douglas Gresham recounts the story of his childhood and how he eventually became the stepson of beloved author, C.S. Lewis. Facing anything but a carefree childhood, you follow his story from New York to Australia to England. It will draw you into the story of his life, even before it intersected with Lewis. But once they came to England, his life became extraordinary for him and his brother. You see an honest side to the difficult parts of his past. Between having a renowned stepfather, his mother dying from cancer, and eventually his stepfather pass away. Through it all, you not only discover the story of young man (at least the time he wrote the book) who learned how to overcome the difficulties he faced, but you also get an up close and personal look at C.S. Lewis, especially at the joys of his marriage and his struggles after his wife’s death as he faced the challenge of caring for two orphaned boys. If you are interested in learning more about the life of C.S. Lewis, this is definitely a book worth checking out.

​To read my review of Gresham's biography of his stepfather C.S. Lewis, click here

​In his first book, Happy, Happy, Happy, Phil Robertson of the popular reality show Duck Dynasty shares the good, the bad, and the ugly of the journey that led him to become known as the Duck Commander. He describes his humble beginnings living in a log cabin house, where he learned to work hard and live simply off of the land. He eventually met Kay Carroway and fell in love, getting married when he was 16 and she was 15, having their first son before she graduated high school. Not long after, even as their family was growing, Phil fell into a period of living wild and recklessly, struggling with drinking, drugs, and lawlessness that was common in the cultural revolution of the 60s. It was a difficult, dark, and uncertain time for their whole family, especially his wife and their three sons. It wasn’t until he ran all of them out of the house that he realized that needed help and was finally open to hearing the gospel. He was baptized shortly after and his life and family were never the same. He eventually went on to revolutionize the hunting industry with his duck calls and founded Duck Commander, which eventually became a multi-million dollar company. However, he never forgot his roots and chose to do his best to live simply while also growing in his faith and loving his family. All of this story is shared in the context of a lot of practical wisdom, honest opinions, and solid gospel truth. You will hopefully be moved, inspired, and a little amused by Phil’s story. Get a copy or plan to go see the movie The Blind, in theaters on September 28, 2023 (check out the movie trailer below).

​This review is special because it happens to be the 100th book I’ve reviewed on this blog (There have been a few unofficial reviews I did of supplemental material to other books that would put me over 100 earlier this year, but I am counting mostly full reviews that explore the content and give my recommendation of a book). It’s hard to me to believe that I have reached this milestone. When I started this blog in late 2014, I didn’t really have much direction for it until I was accepted onto a social media book team for the first time and eventually started reviewing books. Within a few years, that became the exclusive focus of this blog. This blog has been a fascinating journey, leading me to meet many great people on their pages (and in some cases real life), learn so many valuable life lessons, and support some great authors in the process. I also had no idea when I started how writing these reviews would become training ground for my eventual work as a self-published author, teaching me about the publishing industry, review site systems, and book marketing strategies. I am so grateful for this continuing journey and everyone who had supported it along the way, especially the authors who have inspired me.