Divingdeeper

The Bride Collector

2010-02-19T11:57:00.000-08:00

Quinton Gauld is a very special man. In fact, he is God's very favorite. Because he knows this, he has been given a very special mission, to return 7 of God's favorite brides to him, by killing them. You see, Quinton has realized that everyone on earth, every single person, is God's absolute favorite. He loves no one more than he does you, or me, or Quinton, or the brides that are being returned to God. Quinton honestly believes he is doing Gods will in killing these "Brides" of Gods, sending them away from this world, to be with their groom forever.

Because of the manner of Quinton's killings, the FBI has labeled him "The Bride Collector". Led by investigator Brad Raines, and his partner Nikki, the Bride Collectors body count slowly starts to climb, heading towards the final, and God's most perfect, and absolute favorite Bride, and its up to Brad and Nikki to figure out who the victim will be. Before they are able to, tragedy strikes, hitting much closer to home, than anyone could have imagined.

During the course of the investigation, Brad stumbled upon a group of mentally ill, but extraordinarily gifted, patients at a private psychiatric institute. Reeling from this new twist in the investigation, it seems as though these 4 unusual people may be Brads only hope in cracking the case, and saving the last few brides. Among these four quirky but lovable people is Paradise, a young women who appears to have an extrasensory gift to view the final few moments of a dead persons life when she comes in contact with a dead body. With the clock clicking down, and the Bride Collector moving on to his last, most perfect bride, Brad realizes he has made a horrible mistake, and must try to fix it in a conclusion that will leave you breathless.

I was a little hesitant going into "The Bride Collector". Afraid that it would be a formula book, similar to Bonemans Daughter, I was a little reluctant to read it, afraid I would be disappointed. Boy was I pleasantly surprised. The Bride Collector has mounted to the top of my favorite books list, and is, in my opinion, Teds greatest stand alone fiction in a while. This is truly a story that grabs a hold of your emotions and refuses to let go, even long after you've turned that last page. This is one of the first books where I can honestly say I have literally sat and waited to turn the next page, fearful of what was going to happen to these characters I had grown to love. With yet another bad guy that you can't help but find fascinating, an incredibly realistic protagonist, and four perky, hilarious, and absolutely lovable schizophrenics, the cast that tells this story, are some of Teds best written characters.

An incredible rush to read, with fascinating characters, and a pace that will have you holding your breath right to the finish. The Bride Collector is sure to top the charts, and leave fans fulfilled. I have no reservations at all in recommending this book to anybody. With a great underlining message, that is relevant, but not in your face, this book will make you stop and think at times, and probably leave many people an emotional mess. Beautifully written, I for one am excited to see other fans reactions to this amazing story once it is released. Be sure to pre-order your copy, released on April 13th at Christianbooks.com for only $14.99!!

And be sure to check out tomorrows review here

As Always, Dive Deep!
Nate

Burried Alive

2010-02-11T07:53:00.000-08:00

In November 2004 Roy Hallums was working late at his office in Iraq at the Saudi Arabian Trading and Construction Company, supposedly well-protected by armed security guards, when four kidnappers broke in and hauled him away at gunpoint. The next ten months were the darkest of his life. Hallums spent most of his time in a concrete pit beneath a farmhouse, constantly bound and blindfolded. A small pipe in the ceiling provided the room’s only oxygen – and its only link to the outside world. Hallums banked on one group in particular not forgetting his existence—the US military. And sure enough, on September 7, 2006, they successfully rescued him. This is the edge-of-your-seat story of a trip through hell for Hallums, the daring rescue mission, and faith that brought him through the experience.

That was the description provided by Thomas Nelson, needless to say it piqued my curiosity. I'm normally not big on "True Story" books, but there have been several that have captured my attention, specifically ones with more suspense and danger involved. Alright, I'm a guy, I can't help it, that stuff thrills and intrigues me ;) . There are certain elements to stories like this that intrigue me, the behind the scenes look at how military and government operations proceed to rescue a hostage, the network of the terrorist cells, and the psychological and spiritual impact this kind of trauma has on the victim, in this case, retired Navy Veteran Roy Hallums. This captivating book did not disappoint. With enough detail to keep me interested throughout most of the story, and enlightening looks at how Hallums was able to survive emotionally, spiritually, and physically, this book was written very captivatingly. There were only a few points where the story seemed to stall, but I only had to remind myself this was a true story, and I was intrigued again. To anyone who has an interest in terror in the middle east, or perhaps hostage situations in general, I'm sure you would enjoy this book.

Unfortunately Bookschristian.com does not currently have this book available, but if they do make it so, I will be sure to add a link for you to purchase it.

As Always, Dive Deep!
Nate

The Long Way Home

2010-02-09T16:26:00.000-08:00

Imagine for a minute, that you are just a rather ordinary 17 year old boy. You go to school, take karate classes ( In which you happen to be a black belt), worry about homework, go to church, and worry about impressing the girl of your dreams. Well, such is the life of Charlie West, your average all American teenage boy. Now lets keep on imagining. After your typical day of school, getting your dream girls phone number, taking karate lessons, and getting in an argument with your ex-best friend, you go to bed to start the all over the next day. Only, when you wake up, everything is not so normal.

Charlie wakes up the next morning to find himself strapped to a chair, alone in a dark room. His body is covered in cuts, bruises, and burn marks, and he has no idea why. The only thing he knows, is he went to bed the night before, an ordinary 17 year old. Then he hears voices outside the door, the two words he can make out through the mumbling? "Kill him."

Now thats in the first book, "The Last Thing I Remember". Charlie hasn't just missed one night though, he has forgotten a whole year. He manages to escape from the group that is holding him and learns they are part of a terrorist group he somehow became involved with over the course of the year he has forgotten. On top of that, not only are terrorists trying to kill him, he is also wanted by the police, for murdering his ex-best friend. Oh, and he now has a girlfriend, whom he can't remember falling in love with.

Sound complicated enough? Well, thats just the first book. As amazing as the first book was, The Long Way Home, is even better. I have to say, I wasn't sure how interested I would be in this book since it was classified as a young adults novel, although I should know better by now. Boy was I in for a pleasant surprise. With thrills abounding, a surprisingly sweet romance, and an ending that left me holding my breath, and rooting through each page, Long Way Home left me speechless. November cannot come soon enough for me to see what happens in the latest installment of the Homelanders series, and I will definatly be looking for more books by Andrew Klavan to add to my Library soon.

If you wish to purchase The Long Way Home for yourself, click HERE.
To purchase the first book, Last Thing I Remember, click HERE.

Thanks again, and as always, Dive Deep!
Nate

New stuff!

2010-02-03T09:04:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone, sorry its been so long, things have been kinda crazy lately, what with school, work, and other things going on. I do have some fun news though! One, I received an offer from BooksChristian.com to partner with them. You now find advertisements as well as links to all the books I review, and others that I'll recommend from time to time, if you follow these links and make a purchase, you'll be helping me make a small commission! From what I've seen they usually have really good prices, and on their prebuys they usually have a cool offer along with it, so be sure to check them out!

Also, I have finished reading the Bride Collector by Ted Dekker, and the review for that will be coming on the 19th! I'll be posting links to other blogs reviewing it too, so you can kinda get a head start on that, that starts on the 12th. I'll just say right now, this is probably my favorite stand alone novel from Ted since Blink. Yup, pretty Awesome.

And lastly, hopefully tomorrow I will be posting my next book review for the Second book in the Highlanders series, so get ready for that!

As always,
Dive Deep!

New Zealand + Australia = Now available!

2010-01-13T22:06:00.000-08:00

So I decided to just go ahead and unlock access to my blog for my trip to New Zealand and Australia while I'm working on it. I started it two years ago, got through one day there, and never finished it. But recently I had so much fun reading through my journal again I decided to pick the project back up, throw in some pictures ( Ah the memories! ) and get this show rolling again, my goal is one a day until this thing is finished, so you all need to hold me to that! Enjoy!

It was pointed out to me that the blog is hidden! :D So, just go down to the bottom of the page, click on my profile, and there it is! Enjoy!

Coming Soon!

2010-01-12T14:09:00.000-08:00

Sooo Theres your first book review, soon to be followed by several more! What do we have waiting in the wings? Well.... Two more reviews for Thomas Nelson, which is now called "BookSneeze", a clever name when ya think about it. One is called "Burried Alive", and the other is "The Long Way Home", the second book in the Homelander series by Andrew Klaven. Also, something I find exciting, I will be reviewing an ARC of Ted Dekkers newest book, "The Bride Collector" for Hatchett, so keep a look out for those! One last thing, I'm getting ready to have my "Electronic Journal" for my people to people trip finished, so I'll be adding that soon too, should be fun! I know this is a short post, but there are several things in the works, so hang tight!

as always,
Dive Deep!
Nate

The Gospel: According to LOST

2010-01-08T11:36:00.000-08:00

4, 8, 15, 16, 23, 42. To millions of TV watchers all over the world, these numbers can instill great excitement, curiosity, and hatred, all at the same time. Excitement because this seemingly random string of numbers belongs to one of the most intriguing television shows currently airing. Curiosity because what seems like random numbers, apparently are not so random, and help lend to the chaos that is LOST. Hatred because those 6 numbers are still one of the several unsolved mysteries that makes LOST so endearing and frustrating to those who tune their TV sets in every week, waiting to see if the answers to the questions that are scrambling around in their brains will finally be answered.

That love/hate relationship is what has viewers glued to the TV sets for an hour every week, and has millions on Internet forums immediately after the show, throwing around ideas, theories, and spoilers. Its a pretty safe assumption to say that LOST is a leader in paving the way for current and future TV series. With its mind numbing plot twists, in-depth characters, and subtle theological references, its no wonder that LOST has such a huge fan base. Amidst all of the suspense, betrayals, monsters, and time travelling, there are many deep and insightful lessons that can be gleaned from the chaos.

In his book, "The Gospel According to LOST", Chris Seay attempts to uncover these insights, and show how we can use them to understand ourselves, others, and maybe even apply it to our christian lives. In his book, Chris takes an in depth look at each of the characters and the role they play on the island. With the theme of "Patron Saints" he takes a peek into each "Losties" life, and breaks it down, showing their faults, their successes, and the guidance their issues can offer to us. When I first saw the title of the book, I was pretty sceptical. At first assuming it would be yet another book, trying to make a buck by reading to deeply into a popular television show. "The Gospel According to LOST" actually turned out to be a pleasant surprise! With clever wit, and a fun to read writing style, Chris takes you deep into life on the island, offering new insight, and revealing things that that the casual observer would normally pass right on over.

One of the biggest things that I have enjoyed about the show, and Chris highlights in his book, is how pronounced the character development is in LOST. In the very first season, we are introduced to the castaways, and then throughout the rest of the seasons we watch as they grow and mature. The people that started out as a conman, murderer, druggie, mass murderer, Iraqi soldier, and a Korean mobster, each mature and learn to depend on each other, often risking their own lives to save their fellow Losties. Despite what we learn about what these people were in their lives before the fateful plane crash, each week the characters and viewers alike find that they are drawn to these castoffs from society, and slowly falling in love with the people they are becoming, and forgetting about what they did in their old lives. Seay shows how this is a big part of being a christian, and how Christ has shown his love for us. I think this quote he uses expresses the idea beautifully, "Christianity( That is, the devotion to following the ways of Jesus ) is about love, forgiveness, and reconciliation. Religion is about celebrating the knowledge that you are right, reveling in self-satisfaction, enjoying your superiority, and looking down on the unenlightened". The Losties are a prime example of how we shouldn't care about peoples pasts. We should love them the same way Christ has loved and forgiven us.

I could go on for a long time about the different things Chris' book has shown me, things I never noticed about the show until I read about it. Despite how much I enjoyed the show before, I am now even more excited for the new and final season to start next month. You can be sure I'll be paying more attention to the little things that occur. Chris catches details that a lot of people miss, and explains the deeper meaning in them. Not in a way that looks like hes reading into things, just to fill pages in his book, but the details he notes are actually interesting, and really make you think and consider the show in a whole new way. I would definitely recommend this book to all fans of the TV show, and even to those who have not gotten into the show yet. Considering how much more interested in the show, I'm sure to non-watchers, this book will make them want to start watching to see what they are missing.

As always, Dive Deep!

Nate

You can purchase this book at ChristianBooks.com Thanks so much!

What a start....

2010-01-04T18:08:00.000-08:00

Well I sure did a good job keeping this up to date didn't I? I'm going to blame it on the busy holidays though ;) I hope you all had a fantastic last couple weeks celebrating Christmas and New Years, eating all kinds of crazy delicious foods, singing Christmas songs, spending copious amounts of time with friends and family, and counting down those last few minutes to the time when your New Years resolutions go in to affect.

I, for one, had one of the best last couple of weeks I can remember in a long time. Christmas was pleasantly relaxing, one of the perks of not having younger siblings :). As for New Years, this was the first time in 4 years I haven't had to work on New Years Eve OR New Years. So I actually went out and celebrated with friends. I also met a friend who is now very special to me, and I can't imagine not having this person in my life now. All in all, this turned out to be the best end of the year of my life.

Enough about that though, on to the purpose of this post. My apologies. I can't believe I went this long with a blog! Horrible of me I know, but you'll just have to forgive me. I do have several posts in the works, to include: A full account of my time in Basic training for the USAF, a book review of " The Gospel According to Lost" by Chris Seay, a few other book reviews, my current plans for my future now that the Air Force is out, and several other things that I'm sure you all will find utterly fascinating. I'm also working on completing my blog about my trip to New Zealand and Australia that I took in the summer of 07'. I'm not sure how interesting you all will find that, but its been a lot of fun for me to relive.

So there you have it, the first post of the year, and my promise that this will become a regular thing. My intentions are to post at least every other day, so we'll see how that goes!

Dive Deep

Beginings

2009-12-19T18:01:00.000-08:00

Well, here I am. I've thought about starting a blog for a really long time now. I have even half-way attempted it once, that didn't even survive long enough to see its very first post. Several people I know have blogs, and they all seem to have different reasons for it. Some review things, books, music, movies. Others talk about their day to day life, what God is showing them as they move through their day to day, talking about their travels around the world, or sharing their photography. So every one of them seemed to have a purpose to their writings. Me? Not so much. I wasn't sure what in the world I would talk about when I started a blog, so I just let it go for a long time.

Then I started thinking about what a blog actually is. A weB LOG. Simply put, an online journal of sorts, where the author bares his writings to the entire Internet population. I realized that there didn't necessarily NEED to be a subject per say, it could be whatever I wanted, whatever I was feeling at the time. I could write about a little bit of everything. So, to you, the reader that has managed to stumble upon this blog ( With an awesome, deep sounding title I must say, which I stole from one of my favorite authors whom, I have no doubt, will be brought up numerous times in the future) expecting perhaps to read about a certain subject every time you log on, you are out of luck! You will experience whatever is going on in my mind at the time, which will probably be pretty scary most of the time. I will be reviewing a lot of books, perhaps some music as well. I will discuss my travel experiences, just because I love traveling so much. I have a separate blog I have been working on for awhile now, detailing a trip to New Zealand and Australia a few years ago, which will hopefully be up soon. Other days I may feel just like rambling, similar to what I am doing now, when I have something interesting to talk about, a cool picture to share, or maybe just an opinion to express.

You don't have to read it, but as I discovered, it is MY blog =D My place to vent, discover, share, and grow. A place to put out for review or critique, my opinions and life. Maybe perhaps to spark a discussion amongst you readers. Feel free to leave comments! If my musings have caused you to stop and think for yourself, crack a smile, or who knows, maybe even perhaps shed a tear, I consider that an awesome thing, and a big accomplishment. So that my friends, is the beginning.

Dive deep,