Last Christian, suspense novel giveaway

I read an exciting novel, set in A.D. 2088, and titled "The Last Christian", written by David Gregory. The author wrote a best selling novel "Dinner With a Perfect Stranger".

The United States, in this work of fiction, has abandoned the Christian religion, and the world is on the brink of disaster. A scientist has decided to kill a billion people to push the survivors in to adopting his invention. The heroine is Abby Caldwell, who was raised by her parents in a remote village in the South Pacific. Abby is a devoted Christian who travels to the United States and experiences culture shock.

This book was provided for review by Waterbrook Multnomah Publishing Group, and I am giving my copy to one person who leaves a comment here. I pick the winner using random.org

Abby inadvertently breaks the Tolerance Act of 2036, when she spoke critically about other religions on a news show, and she faces being arrested for that. This act reminds me of recent actual laws which ban hate speech, both in the USA and in Australia.

Sometimes fiction, even science fiction, is eerily predictive of what could happen.

http://www.randomhouse.com/gm/results.pperl?x=0&y=0&title_subtitle_auth_isbn=last+christian 
So if you are interested leave a comment here for a chance to win a copy of this novel. 
Someone will win, and that winner could be you :)

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Funny Friday, Mercy Me

I love this book cover and hope it makes you smile too.
I have wanted to read this book, Mercy Me, and feel very wealthy, since I ordered a copy and it is on its way here.
Reviewers say it is funny, and you know we can all use more laughs.
I don't even have the book yet, but had to share the cute cover photo, and I will post a review when I have read it. Apparently the author, Margaret A. Graham, pokes fun at church ladies in a good natured way while she also shows that when you need help, call a church lady!
If you have read it, let us know if you like it in a comment, pretty please.

Faith and Fangs, Touched by a Vampire, book giveaway

I am happy to give away a copy of "Touched By A Vampire", by Beth Felker Jones, to one person who leaves a comment here by November 23, 2009.
The subtitle is "Discovering the Hidden Messages in the Twilight Saga". which is that bestselling series of books by the new household name, Stephanie Meyer.
Touched by a Vampire is the first book to investigate the themes of the Twilight Saga from a Biblical perspective. Some Christian readers have praised moral principles illustrated in the story, such as premarital sexual abstinence, which align with Meyer’s Mormon beliefs. But ultimately, Beth Felker Jones examines whether the story’s redemptive qualities outshine its darkness.

Cautionary, thoughtful, and challenging, Touched by a Vampire is written for Twilight fans, parents, teachers, and pop culture enthusiasts. It includes an overview of the series for those unfamiliar with the storyline and a discussion guide for small groups. I think that "Touched by a Vampire" is a valuable resource for parents who want to guide their young readers, and find some meaning in the saga. Beth Felker Jones is assistant professor of theology at Wheaton College, so her credentials are impressive.
She offers many thought provoking questions related to the books in the series, including "Does your family try to put on a perfect face to the world?" and "How can ordinary, weak people reflect God's goodness to the world?"
A chapter titled "The superhero and the girl next door" examines gender roles in Twilight. Jones notes that there are two sides to Bella, she is both strong and weak and Jones writes that readers identify with Bella because she is an everygirl.
I haven't read the Twilight books, I admit it!
Thank you to the publisher for supplying my review and giveaway copy.

Bon Appetit novel by Sandra Byrd free copy

I will send a copy of Bon Appetit by Sandra Byrd to a randomly selected person who leaves a comment on my blog from Oct. 20 to Oct. 24.

This novel is a light and engaging confection about Lexi and her adventures in her new home in a small village outside of Paris, where she is enrolled in a pastry school, which is run by a severe pastry chef who is not fond of Americans.
Lexi is twenty something, and made a dramatic move away from her parents and her ex-boyfriend Dan in Seattle, to a sojourn at the cooking school.

There are tantalizingly delicious recipes included here, descriptions of delectable pastries, and Bible verses, as Lexi studies the Scripture of Jean, which is French for John. She chalks up on an extra menu board the verses from Jean that her church is studying. Lexi is beguiled by a delightful child named Celine and Celine’s widowed father Philippe adds a bit of spice to Lexi’s life.

For tension in her life, Lexi encounters “faux amis” or false friends, who may be sabotaging her in the pastry school. “Faux amis” also refers to words that sound alike in French and English, as Lexi learns to her embarassment when she tells a chef that Americans add preservatives to pastries. The English word “preservative” and the French “preservatif” have shockingly different meanings.
As you read, you will wonder if Lexi will end up with Dan or with Philippe, if she will pass the pastry program which is very difficult, and where she will live in future: in France or in Seattle.

I imagine that the previous novel “Let Them Eat Cake” and a sequel in this French Twist series to be published in 2009, are certain to be as much fun to read as “Bon Appetit.”