Tanara McCauley

Culturally Imagined Stories

Category: Book Reviews

  • Seven Books in Seven Weeks Drawing Results

    Thanks to all of you who followed along and participated in my Seven Books in Seven Weeks reading marathon! I had a great time and read some great books because of your recommendations. I also enjoyed your comments and some of the emotional turmoil we shared. All that was missing was the ability to share…

  • Week 7 Book 7: A Review of Truth Stained Lies by Terri Blackstock

    Ever since the murder of her police officer fiancée, and the perp’s bogus acquittal, Cathy Cramer has been using her law background and a high-profile blog to help keep other murderers from getting away with their crimes. But prosecuting defendants in the court of public opinion wins her more than national recognition and a faithful…

  • Week 6 Book 6: A Review of Taliesin by Stephen R. Lawhead

    It was the age of Atlantis, when nine kings ruled in peace and prosperity and the lives of their people were saturated with extravagance. It was also an age marked for destruction–a fate to dwarf the devastation caused by the outbreak of war after two millenia of peace. In Taliesin, Stephen R. Lawhead slashes through…

  • Week 2 Book 2: A Review of Not a Fan by Kyle Idleman

    Got your church T-shirt? Your “Jesus is my co-pilot” bumper sticker? What about your WWJD bracelet? Bible? Check! Some verses memorized? Check! Personalized tithe envelopes? You know this maaan! Okay, okay. Now what about Jesus? You’ve got all the paraphernalia–the outward stuff that clothes you with the Christian image–but do you really have Jesus? Are you a fan, or are you a…

  • Week 1 Book 1: A Review of The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh

     Throughout history flowers have been known for their beauty and fragrant scents. While commonly given as expressions of love and well wishes, their meanings became even more specific during the Victorian era. Dictionaries of the flower-to-emotion relationships were penned with care, but over time the language created for romantic expression faded to obscurity. In Vanessa Diffenbaugh’s The Language of Flowers,…

  • Seven Books in Seven Weeks: The List

    I’ve finally compiled a list for my Seven Books in Seven Weeks marathon. Thanks to everyone who posted or emailed your suggestions. It took a while to filter through and decide which seven books would occupy hours of my time over the next seven weeks, but now that the list is done I’m ready to hit…

  • Seven Books in Seven Weeks

    I’m constantly reading. Sometimes, if I’m lucky, I’ll find a book impossible to put down and conquer it in a day. Other times I’ll find one that’s good but I can put it down, so with the day-to-day of family and other responsibilities it’ll take me a little longer to get through it. And last,…

  • A Book Review of Shattered by Dani Pettrey

    It isn’t everyday that Piper McKenna gets to see her youngest brother Reef. So when he shows up unexpected after several years absence, Piper’s initial reaction is one of joy. Then Reef returns the same night covered in the blood of someone newly murdered. Certain her brother is incapable of violence, Piper is willing to…

  • Book Review of Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Renni Browne & David King

    I loved, loved, loved this book! And at the risk of breaking the “once is usually enough” rule I’ll say it again, I loved this book! Writing, like any other art form, might be born a talent; but it will soon die without some level of technique. In Self-Editing for Fiction Writers, Browne & King…

  • Book Review of The Breakthrough by Jerry B. Jenkins

    Newly promoted Chief Boone Drake has endured more than his share of hardship. After losing his first family in a fire, being shot in the line of duty, and uncovering the betrayal of a fellow officer, The Breakthrough by Jerry B. Jenkins finds Boone in yet another high stakes predicament involving his new family. His…