Book Review + Giveaway – Own It and Grace Unplugged

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Note to self: Don’t offer to do a book review in the middle of buying your first home!

Although time was limited this past month, I still felt privileged that Fly By Promotions gave me the opportunity to do 2 book reviews; with the incentive of being able to gift these 2 books to one blessed individual.

Own It

The first book I read through was Own it by Michael and Hayley Dimarco. I loved it! The book was engaging from cover to cover. It laid out many of the common hindrances that we (as Christians) face when trying to truly take ownership of our faith, and embrace the precious gift of our salvation. These hindrances include faking, borrowing, picking and choosing and many more false facades we can portray with our faith. I tend to be a conscientious reader. All too often I find myself questioning the Biblical accuracy of books, but not this one. I was pleasantly surprised by its authentic truths. I even learned about personal struggles with owning my faith. I also appreciated that the authors included personal testimonies of their journey throughout the book. This authenticity helped me connect with the writers, and be open to accepting their words. The only thing I’d critique are some quotes that appeared in the book that were subjective, but stated more as fact than opinion; with bold implications. I thought they should have been either omitted or expounded upon.

Grace Unplugged

I must admit, for whatever reason, I have a hard time enjoying fiction. So please take that into consideration when reading my review.

Grace Unplugged was a quick read with a good message of reconciliation, and the journey one takes to discover God. Unfortunately like many of us, the central character had to learn the hard way that God’s way is the best way. Yet even when we try to run away from God He will be ready with open arms to forgive us when we turn to Him. Although there was a good core message, the story line was predictable. It lacked twists and turns to truly captivate me. On occasion I felt as though I was reading the same dialogue I had just read in the previous chapter. Given the book’s length (approximately 300 pages) there was wiggle room to omit some of the repetition.

The Giveaway

If you are interested in winning these books, please leave a comment below telling me your favorite Bible verse. The two books up for grabs are Own It by Michael and Hayley Dimarco and Grace Unplugged by Melody Carlson. One name will be drawn at random next Friday October 4, 2013.

Buy

If you don’t win this giveaway you can still purchase either book. Here are the details…

Grace Unplugged
Written by: Melody Carlson
Publisher: B&H Books
Paperback: 304 pages
Release Date: September 1, 2013
Price: $15.99

Own It
Written by: Hayley and Michael DiMarco
Publisher: B&H Publishing
Paperback: 192 pages
Release Date: September 1, 2013
Price: $14.99

Movie Premiere

Also, something else to get excited about is a new Christian movie is coming out, “Grace Unplugged” on October 4, 2013. I know I personally love to hear about family friendly flicks. It may be worth a watch. Here are the details on that…

B&H Publishing

Disclosure of Material connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. 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.