Book Review: The 13th Tribe (An Immortal Files Novel) by Robert Liparulo

When I first heard about The 13th Tribe by Robert Laparulo, I was very intrigued with the storyline.

The book is about a group of people during the time of Moses. They were part of the group that worshipped the Golden Calf and were then cursed and separated from the rest of Israel and were then informally called the Thirteenth Tribe.

The first chapters immediately captured my attention with all the action and hi-tech gadgets involved. Close to the middle of the book, it became inward looking as the reader gets a glimpse of every major character’s struggles and then the latter third of the book was all action.

What I liked about the book is that it is able to weave stories of the tribe members as well as those they came in contact with in a very fluid manner. I also like that the author writes in a way that it becomes very current. For example, instead of saying gaming console, the author directly writes Xbox. Instead of old fiction TV series, he writes The Highlander.

The one which I like most about the book is the very vivid images that any reader could visualize when it comes to the fighting scenes.

Since this is Christian fiction, any reader would expect references to God or Jesus. The author only wrote what was relevant and does not swamp the reader with overwhelming Biblical references. I truly liked how the author merged action with the internal spiritual and moral struggles every major character is going through.

Full of twists and turns, definitely movie material that any James Bond fan would like. Highly recommended for Sci-fi fans.

From the author:(via Amazon.com)

I've been writing since before I could drive. Short stories, investigative exposes, celebrity profiles, editorials, business columns, radio dramas, screenplays--you name it. For the last few years, I've focused on novels. I'm the author of the thrillers "Comes a Horseman," "Germ," "Deadfall," "Deadlock," "The 13th Tribe," and the young adult series Dreamhouse Kings--"House of Dark Shadows," "Watcher in the Woods," "Gatekeepers," "Timescape," "Whirlwind," and "Frenzy."

Several of my books have been sold or optioned by Hollywood producers. All of them are in various stages of production. I'm also working on an original screenplay with Andrew Davis (director of "The Fugitive" and "The Guardian). I wrote the screenplay for Ted Dekker's "Blessed Child." My short story "Kill Zone" appears in the James Patterson-edited anthology "Thriller," and my essay on Thomas Perry's "The Butcher's Boy" can… Read more

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Book Review: Life's Golden Ticket: An Inspirational Novel by Brendon Burchard

Life's Golden Ticket: An Inspirational Novel by Brendon Burchard, is one of the best books I had the opportunity to read and review. It is one of those rare titles that I have wanted to read in one sitting but was not able to because I had to go to sleep.

The story begins with a man who hears the news that his wife, missing for forty days, was found and is now in the ICU. Thus begins the adventure to the circus...

While reading the book, I could not help but compare it to the lessons that you learn in most self-help books. But then again, important lessons in life are worth retelling, if only for us to really get it.

I enjoyed reading the book as it offered a fresh backdrop to what seemed to be an overly crowded self-help book market. Labeling is as an inspirational novel though, is misleading.

Highly recommended for everyone who enjoy reading lessons packaged as fiction.

About the authors:(via Amazon.com)

Brendon Burchard was blessed to receive life's golden ticket -- a second chance -- ten years ago after surviving a car accident in a third-world country. Since then, he has dedicated his life to helping individuals, teams, and organizations create and master change. As a prominent life coach, leadership speaker, and change management consultant, his clients have included Fortune 500 companies, startups, nonprofits, universities, and thousands of individuals in seminars across the country. He is also a regular guest on national television and radio programs and an active volunteer for several nonprofit organizations. Brendon donates a portion of the proceeds from the sale of Life's Golden Ticket to Kiwanis International, Junior Achievement, and the YMCA. He lives in northern California but still calls Montana, where he grew up, home.

Prior to writing Life's Golden Ticket and launching his coaching and speaking career, Brendon was a change management consultant at Accenture, where his clients included JC Penney, eBay, Best Buy, Nordstrom, Levi's, Gateway, and Federal Mogul. His first book was The Student Leadership Guide. Brendon's signature events are Life's Golden Ticket seminars and his College Success Bootcamp. Learn more at www.LifesGoldenTicket.com

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Book Review: A Place Called Blessing: Where Hurting Ends and Love Begins by Dr. John Trent and Annette Smith

I decided to read A Place Called Blessing: Where Hurting Ends and Love Begins after I read The Blessing by John Trent and Gary Smalley. I was hoping that this would be a companion book or more like a fictionalization of the latter. I was in for a wonderful surprise!

The book is a wonderfully-written story of an orphan and his brothers and the journey that most orphan kids go through from one foster home to another and after they are 'released' when they have come of age.

I particularly like the plot overall and the honesty that is one every page. I have not only been reading a story about an orphaned boy and his journey into adulthood but it was as if I was looking at myself in a mirror with all the experiences I went through. Orphaned or not, every person has gone through experiences that would put us where the main character is and we make our own agreements with ourselves and begin looking at the world with colored lenses. 


The book is a short read and I am really glad to have read it.

I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a book with a strong spiritual message but does not read like a church material. Also recommended for those working or engaging with 'troubled' kids.

About the authors:
Dr. John Trent is president of StrongFamilies.com and founder of The Institute for the Blessing at Barclay College. John is a sought-after speaker and an award-winning author of more than twenty books, including six books for children. He has been a featured guest on numerous radio and television programs across the country and leads The Blessing Challenge, a joint partnership with Focus on the Family and StrongFamilies.com. John and his wife, Cindy, have been married for more than thirty years and have two grown daughters, Kari and Laura.


Annette Smith is a novelist, nurse, and a master storyteller. Her first book of short stories, The Whispers of Angels, sold more than 100,000 copies. Annette has written four additional volumes of original short stories, two parenting books, and five novels, all set in small towns. Her fourth novel, A Bigger Life, was named by Library Journal as one of the best novels of 2007 and was a finalist in the American Christian Fiction Book Awards.

A life-long Texan, Annette lives in Tyler, Texas with Randy, her husband of thirty-one years, and an affectionate, shaggy mutt named Wally. Annette has worked as a registered nurse in a variety of settings. Her current home-hospice position gives her a unique position in the lives of relative strangers, and she often finds herself bearing solitary witness to intimate, behind-the-scenes situations full of grace and meaning.

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Book Review: The Final Summit: A Quest to Find the One Principle That Will Save Humanity by Andy Andrews

I found the book the be a fun read at the early part and became a little bit too wordy for me in the middle part.

I enjoyed the various takes on the possible personality traits of the famous people in the book, especially that of Winston Churchill.

There were many parts of the book I truly enjoyed, such as those portions where the life stories of each Traveler was told..

A good read, but not one I would likely recommend to those not into this genre.

About the author:
Hailed by a New York Times reporter as "someone who has quietly become one of the most influential people in America," Andy Andrews is a best-selling novelist and in-demand speaker for the world's largest organizations. He has spoken at the request of four different United States presidents and at military bases worldwide. Zig Ziglar said, "Andy Andrews is the best speaker I have ever seen." Andy is the author of the New York Times bestsellers The Noticer and The Traveler's Gift. He lives in Orange Beach, Alabama, with his wife, Polly, and their two sons. 


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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”