Book picks similar to
Carmen by John Benton


fiction
non-fiction
young-adult
christian-fiction

Mary Magdalene: A Woman Who Loved ( Trilogy, #1)


Steve Copland - 2011
    In an attempt to reconstruct her life, this book demonstrates her struggle as she confronts the patriarchal traditions embedded in first century culture, the hypocritical practice of condemning only one gender in adultery, her transformation as she finds grace, freedom and real love in her encounter with Christ, and her being chosen as ‘the apostle to the apostles’. This novel takes the reader into the first century. It delves into the personal lives of lepers, cripples and the sight impaired; it goes on a journey from the battlefields of ancient Germania to Jerusalem with two Roman soldiers who end up initiated into the cult of Mithraism; it explores the fears, prejudices and arrogance of the religious rulers of Israel, and the ambitions of Judas Iscariot; it portrays the everyday struggles of first century people in an occupied land; it looks behind the scenes at a woman who is seduced into committing adultery and used to test Jesus, and brings them all together beneath the cross of Jesus Christ.Mary Magdalene also answers a question which is so important to the church today: ‘Why would Christ choose this woman to be the first witness of the resurrection in a culture that considered a woman’s testimony all but useless?’ The answer lies in the parable Jesus told to Simon when a sinful woman was kissing His feet. The depth of her love was measured by her gratitude. In her incredible humility, she entered her enemy’s home and in front of hundreds who despised her, she sought be made clean, to receive forgiveness and to know holy love. This book seeks to entertain, enlighten and encourage Christians of all denominations, and to call them to the kind of love that Mary had for Christ. It is powerfully emotional, deeply theological, and highly entertaining.

Fair Game


Elizabeth White - 2007
    ana Cutrere's homecoming to Vancleave, Mississippi, is anything but dull. Before she's even reached town, the beautiful young widow has a run-in with a stray cow, loses her son in the woods, rescues an injured fawn, and comes face-to-face with Grant Gonzales, her high school crush.Grant recently returned to town himself amid hushed controversy. His only plan: leave the corporate world behind and open a hunting reserve. Seeing Jana again ignites old memories . . . and a painful past.Tensions boil over when he learns exactly why she returned. Jana plans to convince her grandfather to develop a wildlife rescue center---dead center on the prime hunting property he promised to sell to Grant! Jana is determined to make a new start for herself and her two children---and willing to fight for it. With deadlines drawing near for the sale of the property and no decision from her grandfather, can Jana trust God with her and Grant's future, or will explosive emotions and diametrically opposing views tear them apart?

Esther: Royal Beauty


Angela Elwell Hunt - 2014
    . . and bind her husband's heart...An ambitious tyrant threatens genocide against the Jews in ancient Persia, so an inexperienced beautiful young queen must take a stand for her people. When Xerxes, king of Persia, issues a call for beautiful young women, Hadassah, a Jewish orphan living in Susa, is forcibly taken to the palace of the pagan ruler. After months of preparation, the girl known to the Persians as Esther wins the king's heart and a queen's crown. But because her situation is uncertain, she keeps her ethnic identity a secret until she learns that an evil and ambitious man has won the king's permission to exterminate all Jews--young and old, powerful and helpless. Purposely violating an ancient Persian law, she risks her life in order to save her people...and bind her husband's heart. Esther marks bestselling author Angela Hunt's return to biblical fiction. In each novel she explores an example of a Hebrew Old Testament tob woman: a woman whose physical beauty influences those around her--and can change the course of history.

Amazing Love: True Stories of the Power of Forgiveness


Corrie ten Boom - 1953
    Her story has been told in the movie The Hiding Place, and in this wonderful book she shares with us many more amazing encounters with people in camps and jails, with students and actresses, and with the sophisticated and the illiterate. We meet on these pages not Corrie, but Corrie's Christ.

Pocahontas: True Princess: A Young Girl's Breathtaking Story and Her Amazing Journey to Faith in God


Mari Hanes - 1995
    Based on careful and thorough research of the full record of her life, this book tells the story of Pocahontas and the adventures that led to her heavently father.

Secrets of My Hollywood Life


Jen Calonita - 2007
    So she decides to spend two months undercover as an ordinary high school student. But could it be that real life high school is just as harsh as cutthroat Hollywood??Don't miss the first book in the Secrets of My Hollywood Life series from Jen Calonita, author of the Fairy Tale Reform School series.

The Door Within


Wayne Thomas Batson - 2005
    Enter The Door Within.Aidan Thomas is miserable. Within two weeks, Aidan’s life is completely uprooted as his parents move the family across the country to care for his ailing grandfather. The quiet but imaginative Aidan is struggling with attending a new school and fitting in with a new group of friends. But when he begins having nightmares and eerie events occur around his neighborhood, Aidan finds himself drawn to his grandfather's basement—where he discovers three ancient scrolls and a mysterious invitation to another world.No longer confined to the realm of his own imagination, Aidan embarks on an adventure where he discovers a long-fought war between good and evil. With the fate of two worlds hanging in the balance, Aidan faces Paragory, the eternal enemy with unfathomable power. Will Aidan be willing to risk everything and trust the unseen hand of the one true King?

Light Filters In: Poems


Caroline Kaufman - 2018
    She writes about giving up too much of yourself to someone else, not fitting in, endlessly Googling “how to be happy,” and ultimately figuring out who you are.This hardcover collection features completely new material plus some fan favorites from Caroline's account. Filled with haunting, spare pieces of original art, Light Filters In will thrill existing fans and newcomers alike.it’s okay if some thingsare always out of reach.if you could carry all the starsin the palm of your hand,they wouldn’t behalf as breathtaking

A Severed Wasp


Madeleine L'Engle - 1982
    Now in her seventies, she encounters an old friend from her Greenwich Village days who, it turns out, is the former Bishop of New York. He asks Katherine to give a benefit concert at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. This leads to new demands on her resources--human, artistic, psychological, and spiritual--that are entirely unexpected.

Chain of Mercy


Brenda S. Anderson - 2014
     Richard flees to Minneapolis where he repairs ancient boilers instead of solving corporate problems, and he's determined to live the solitary life he now deserves. But Executive Sheila Peterson has other plans for the handsome custodian. Richard appears to be the perfect match for the no-strings-attached romance she's after, but she soon discovers that he's hiding more than the designer clothes in his closet.

The Dark Beneath


Alan Gibbons - 2003
    But her world is turned upside down by three refugees, all hiding from life. Anthony is fourteen, already an outcast, bullied and shunned by his peers. Farid is an asylum seeker from Afghanistan, who has traveled across continents seeking peace. And Gordon Craig is a bitter, lonely old man. She knows all of them, but she doesn't know how dangerous they are. Being part of their lives could cost Imogen her own. Supercharged with tension and drama, this novel explores what happens when the fabric of normality is ripped apart, exposing the terrifying dark beneath.

Indian Captive: The Story of Mary Jemison


Lois Lenski - 1941
    Meticulously researched and illustrated with many detailed drawings, this novel offers an exceptionally vivid and personal portrait of Native American life and customs.

The Real Me


Natalie Grant - 2005
    Housewives and corporate executives. Young professionals and those who are retired. No matter their professions or responsibilities, women of all ages and all walks of life often struggle with an all-consuming issue-self-image. We as Americans are continually obsessed with the grass-is-greener, anything-else-is-better-than-what -we-have philosophy. And that is never truer for women than when it comes to our bodies and our self-images. The media and the world around us tell us that we should be perfect in every way. But this kind of scrutiny and obsession with perfection leaves women feeling unloved, unattractive, frustrated, and even depressed.In The Real Me, contemporary Christian singer and songwriter Natalie Grant is on a mission to especially help young women deal with this struggle and to find acceptance in how God created them. And this struggle is something that Natalie understands fully-she gives the reader an inside look at her own struggle with image issues that led her on the path to bulimia. In acknowledging her pain and sharing her struggle, she offers practical help and hope to women of all ages.

All Creatures Great and Small / All Things Bright and Beautiful


James Herriot - 1972
     Within a year, the book had become recognized as a masterpiece. It went on to sell millions of copies and began the marvelous series of books, beloved of readers all over the world, which have so far sold over 20 million copies in English alone. Here, for the first time, the first two books in this series are being published together.These pages, now as then, are full of humor, warmth, pathos, drama, and James Herriot's unique and richly justified love of life. His journeys across the Yorkshire dales, his encounters with humans and dogs, cows and kittens, are illuminating by his infinite fascination and affection, and rendered with all the infectious joy of a born storyteller.Whether struggling mightily to position a calf for birthing, or comforting a lonely old man whose beloved dog and only companion has died, Herriot's heartwarming and often hilarious stories perfectly depict the wonderful relationship between man and animal. His wonderful stories make us laugh and cry, as we marvel at the everyday miracles he creates.

Fifty Shades of They: Insights That Bring Life to Your Relationships


Ed B. Young - 2015
    Show me your friends and I will show you your future. There is immeasurable growth and success to be found when you’re surrounded with the right “they”.Do you have the right they in your life? Fifty Shades of They gives you fifty simple, yet profound insights that will help any relationship thrive, from friendships to business partnerships to marriages. Based on biblical standards and the teaching of Ed Young, this book is written for anyone who is looking to give new life to their relationships.