Reviews by Violet Nesdoly
Read Violet Nesdoly's Blog Follow Violet Nesdoly on Twitter
Joni and Ken
On 5/14 Violet Nesdoly wrote: Joni & Ken is the story of the relationship of Joni Eareckson Tada, the famous author, quadriplegic, and champion of the disabled, and her husband of 30 years, Ken Tada. Based on primary documents (articles, messages, blogs, interview, emails, radio transcript, out-of-print books of Joni’s are all ... Joni & Ken (review)
20,000 Days and Counting
On 1/15 Violet Nesdoly wrote: Around the time Robert D. Smith had lived his 20,000th day, he took two of the next 20,000 (or however many he has left) to plan how he would spend the rest of his life. In his book 20,000 Days and Counting: The Crash Course for Mastering Your Life Right Now, he divulges what he did during his two-day ... Live with the end in mind
Song of the Brokenhearted
On 8/13 Violet Nesdoly wrote: Ava has come a long way from her hurtful childhood in Sheila Walsh and Cindy Coloma’s latest book Song of the Brokenhearted. Now the perfect image of someone who has it all together, Ava runs the Broken Hearts Ministry out of her Dallas church with compassion and smooth efficiency. But no sooner are ... God can turn old torments into a new start
Ascent from Darkness
On 7/26 Violet Nesdoly wrote: Michael Leehan’s decision to serve Satan one Saturday morning was the culmination of years of disappointment and turmoil. His painful, undisciplined childhood was followed by a youth dominated by pain-killers and alcohol. His marriage began happily but ended in divorce after nine years, leaving him ... Dark but worthwhile
Called to Controversy
On 7/9 Violet Nesdoly wrote: Called to Controversy: The Unlikely Story of Moishe Rosen and the Founding of Jews for Jesus by Ruth Rosen, daughter of the subject, gives us the life story of this extraordinary man from the viewpoint of his family and colleagues. The book is made up of 32 chapters that are divided into three sections. ... A daughter reflects on her father's life and impact
Simple Secrets to a Happy Life
On 6/2 Violet Nesdoly wrote: under the broad headings of The Basics, Developing Your Style, Achieving Balance, Living a Good Life, and Staying Connected. In addition to topics one would expect to see in this type of book (like "Let people know you care," "Write down the important things," and "Look for ways to help") are surprises ... Contentment lifestyle how-to
Swipe
On 4/24 Violet Nesdoly wrote: Evan Angler’s middle-grade novel Swipe takes place in the future when society has been through ecological upheaval, shortages, plague, and war. Leaders Lamson and Cylis have remedied all that with many innovations including the mark, a nano-dust arm tattoo every 13-year-old gets on his or her birthday. I ... Imaginative setting
Don't Check Your Brains at the Door
On 8/30 Violet Nesdoly wrote: Josh McDowell and Bob Hostetler have done a good job of taking the belief pulse of today’s teens. Don’t Check Your Brains at the Door is their book for this age group. It identifies and refutes 42 commonly held beliefs about Christianity in an attempt to “…discuss common myths, many of which ... Book review: <i>Don't Check Your Brains at the Door</i> by Josh McDowell and Bob Hostetler
Voices of the Faithful
On 2/3 Violet Nesdoly wrote: Daily meditations that take readers from China, to Africa, to the Caribbean, to Central Asia in just a week are what set apart this book of devotional readings. Popular speaker and writer Beth Moore ties the many Voices of the Faithful together in the book's introduction and short essays that explain ... Book Review: Voices of the Faithful
Embracing Your Second Calling
On 6/21 Violet Nesdoly wrote: From the moment I saw this book’s title and read a description of it, I knew it was one I had to read. Now that I have I can, without hesitation, recommend Embracing Your Second Calling: Find Passion and Purpose for the Rest of Your Life by Dale Hanson Bourke to any and every woman in the second half ... Welcome to the best of your life!
Walk Like You Have Somewhere to Go
On 5/2 Violet Nesdoly wrote: Lucille O’Neal shows us that champions can have the humblest beginnings. In Walk Like You Have Somewhere to Go: From Mental Welfare to Mental Health, this mother of NBA champion Shaquille O’Neal tells her inspiring story. From her earliest memories of the stern discipline of her grandparents and ... Book review: <i>Walk Like You Have Somewhere to Go: From Mental Welfare to Mental Health</i>by Lucille O'Neal
Buried Alive
On 3/25 Violet Nesdoly wrote: There are some books which you almost dread starting because you know really bad things are going to happen in them. Buried Alive is such a book. In it Roy Hallums (with Audrey Hudson) tells the story of his 2004 kidnapping by a group of Iraqi insurgents from an office in Baghdad, the 311 days of his ... Story of 311 days in hell - told with grace and insight
The White Horse King
On 1/19 Violet Nesdoly wrote: In The White Horse King: The Life of Alfred the Great, author Benjamin Merkle opens the curtain on a time in the Middle Ages when Anglo-Saxon warriors fought Viking invaders with iron spears and defended themselves with wooden shields. This colorful biography focuses on one of the few medieval rulers ... Medieval Inspiration
The Power of Respect
On 11/28 Violet Nesdoly wrote: Few of us need to be convinced of the value of respect – at least insofar as we want others to show it to us. In The Power of Respect, Deborah Norville explores how respect impacts all of life's relationships from how we view ourselves, to how we interact with family members and friends, to how we ... Book review: <i>The Power of Respect</i> by Deborah Norville
Kabul 24
On 10/6 Violet Nesdoly wrote: Authors Henry O. Arnold and Ben Pearson crawl behind the eyes and into the minds and hearts of the eight European, American, and Australian missionaries the Taliban held captive in Kabul for 105 days in 2001. The result is Kabul24, a story to which readers are willing hostages for the entire suspense-filled ... This book will hold YOU hostage
Everyday Greatness
On 9/10 Violet Nesdoly wrote: Sixty-three of the best stories from the Reader’s Digest archives, organized into chapters which address twenty-one essential components of character – that’s what you have in Everyday Greatness. What was the point of resurrecting and reprinting these stories? For David K. Hatch, who pulled the ... Everyday Greatness by Steven R. Covey
Nelson's Illustrated Guide to Religions
On 7/17 Violet Nesdoly wrote: Title: Nelson's Illustrated Guide to Religions: A Comprehensive Introduction to the Religions of the WorldAuthor: James A. BeverleyPublisher: Thomas Nelson Publishers; SuperSaver Edition edition (Feb 3 2009), Hardcover, 644 pages.ISBN-10: 0785244913ISBN-13: 978-0785244912(Click on cover icon for this ... Book Review: Nelson's Illustrated Guide to Religions: A Comprehensive Introduction to the Religions of the World by James A. Beverley
Face of Betrayal
On 5/7 Violet Nesdoly wrote: Title: Face of Betrayal Author: Lis Wiehl with April Henry Publisher: Thomas Nelson Publishers-Fiction (April 7 2009), Hardcover, 320 p.ISBN-10: 1595547053ISBN-13: 978-1595547057When Katie Converse, a 17-year-old Washington page home for a Portland Christmas, goes out on December 13th to walk the dog ... book review: Face of Betrayal - A Triple Threat Novel by Lis Wiehl with April Henry
The Noticer
On 4/27 Violet Nesdoly wrote: Title: The NoticerAuthor: Andy AndrewsPublisher: Thomas Nelson, hardcover, 176 pagesISBN-10: 0785229213ISBN-13: 978-0785229216“I had been crying, and he heard me, I guess. My cries were not the muffled sobs of loneliness or the whimpering of discomfort – though certainly I was lonely and uncomfortable ... Book Review: The Noticer by Andy Andrews
The Hole in Our Gospel
On 4/17 Violet Nesdoly wrote: Title: The Hole In Our GospelAuthor: Richard StearnsPublisher: Thomas Nelson, March 10, 2009, Hardcover, 320 pagesISBN-10: 0785229183ISBN-13: 978-0785229186You know how sometimes vanilla people can go all salsa on us? They’re bland and ordinary until they experience a pivotal event like a spouse being ... book review: The Hole In Our Gospel by Richard Stearns
Skeeter and the Mystery of the Lost Mosquito Treasure (DVD)
On 3/16 Violet Nesdoly wrote: Title: Skeeter and the Mystery of the Lost Mosquito Treasure(One of the Max Lucado Hermie and Friends DVD Series)Publisher: Thomas NelsonRunning time: 60 minutes including bonus featuresASIN: B001RPYU12When Skeeter the mosquito hears that the great Sir Sinclair M. Skeeto is coming to town, he’s less ... DVD Review: Skeeter and the Mystery of the Lost Mosquito Treasure
Holding Fast
On 2/18 Violet Nesdoly wrote: Title: Holding Fast - The Untold Story of the Mount Hood TragedyAuthor: Karen JamesPublisher: Thomas Nelson, 2008, Hardcover, 256 pagesISBN-10: 1595551751ISBN-13: 978-1595551757As Kelly James lay alone in a snow cave nearly eleven thousand feet high on Mount Hood, he wondered, “Where the h— is Brian? ... book review: Holding Fast - The Untold Story of the Mount Hood Tragedy by Karen James