A Slow Burn Book Review

A Slow Burn Book Two
Mary DeMuth
Zondervan
Copyright © by Mary E. DeMuth

This is the second in a trilogy about 13 - year old Daisy, who was murdered in the first book, Daisy Chain.
This book takes you through angry, un-swept, tear wet pathways of redemption.
Forgiveness and life change are definite themes throughout the book.

Emory, Daisy’s mother is the main focus and a much greater understanding of who she is gets explained. For me, she went from a distant neighbor to more of a woman needing a friend stronger than her sins.
She battles drug addiction, guilt and her fair share of anger and she also relives a lot of memories of growing up.
Hixon, a favorite of mine from the start really shines in this book. The way he loves, his devotion to God even when no one was looking and the fruit of the Lord’s Spirit in his life was wonderful.
Many others are seen more clearly this time around and Jed Pepper’s mother Ouisie shows more power than the first time around. Speaking of Jed, I welcomed him with “open arms” when he shows up.

One thing I noticed in all of those who made up this story is how not one of them are all good guys or all bad guys. They all do good and bad . . . just like those of us who walk outside the pages of a book.

The book is fiction but there is truth found nestled in places. Like a place where Hixon reflects on a time God gave him words for a troubled teen he took in and loved.

“He’s an orphan.
He is wounded. All he knows is self- protection. All he knows how to do is push back. He cannot trust on his own. Your love must come longer and stronger than his resistance.”

Dealing with hurting souls myself (haven't we all experienced hurt within?) and being connected with others who do the same makes counsel like this stand out. Shine through.

My favorite part of the book is when Ouisie comes over to help Emory clean. There was something comforting about the scrubbing, creating order and making the rented house more a home. It touched me to picture two women with their own burdens and breakings, working together.

I will be glad to finally have things revealed in the last book and look forward to reading it and finding out who the main characters will be!

Sandy W. www.asandypathbookreviews.com

I must be doing the link for amazon.com wrong. I have tried a few ways but it doesn't show up when I publish this post.
Hopefully, hand typing it in will work:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0310278376/ref=cm_cr_mts_prod_img

My actual first book review!

Sorry. I thought the Daisy Chain review was my first review (and it is of that kind) but I did see this on amazon.com and realized I wrote it first. Just letting you know!


Wrapping It Up is on my top shelf of favorite cookbooks and has been since I got it several months ago.

The questions I had on making my own wraps were answered in the book from start to finish!
I read this entire book before picking up another and found it helpful in so many ways!

Just to name a few:

* Wrapper Ingredients shares the whats and whys of the easy to understand basics you'll need to start. There is more than a page of add in ideas and tips!

* Vital tips to wrap making are neatly bulleted and instructions for making them by hand and by mixer are included. This was important for me because I'm feeding anywhere from our family (easy to make up something by hand) all the way to 10 other families (definitely could use the mixing help) and both ways are easily explained.

* The information on what to do after the dough has been made is clear, easy to read, and easy to follow with book in hand. So much so, I'm using this book to teach my 13 year old daughter and both daughters-in-love how to make flour tortillas and/or other wraps themselves! It is only a couple of pages back and front but that is all it takes.

The ideas of ways to use the wraps you make sound so delcious ... you can't wait to try them. I have a goal to try EVER

Daisy Chain/My FIRST Review!

First “Published” Book Review!

Daisy Chain (Defiance Texas Trilogy)

A Novel

By Mary E. Demuth

Publisher: Zondervan

The title: Daisy Chain spoke to me of childhood, innocence, and a chain of events. This carried through in many ways throughout the whole book.

The book is fiction but reading it, you could imagine many real life versions in some of the scenarios and relationships.

The story line is about a teenage boy who finds himself in a storm of guilt when his young friend, Daisy disappears. Truths about what goes on behind the “clean cut doors” of Jed’s home life come out and his hope to make things better is hard for him to hold onto.

An abusive father in full time ministry, a mother who writes loving notes on flower petals, a quiet, scared sister and an adoring dog make up his family.
There are characters:

The mother of the missing girl, a man who wants to walk like Jesus, and woman with a beautiful and time sensitive dream and more.

The search for the missing girl drags those who know her through a range of questions and in spite of the anger, fear, and fight of it . . . relationships are formed.

The flow of this book carries the reader through what hidden secrets can look like for the victims and takes one all the way to redemption. Intense emotions are provoked from the circumstances, issues, and appalling situations but they are written in such a connected way that you don’t get overwhelmed.

I found myself imagining being in the midst of some of the relationships and really wanting these characters to be real.

The author writes in a casual and small town style to fit the “back drop” of the book and it often plays like a movie while being read.

Community, families, and friendships paint their own mural in words and keep the disturbing realities from crushing all hope.

There are dark and raging sections and they urge us to anger because most know how horridly real they can be.

The generations of my family had dark secrets.
I have learned that we aren’t the only ones . . . most families have them somewhere.
A teenage girl recently revealed to me and some others of a secret life going on and it has been sad. People don’t always change just because they should. They don’t always snap out of one behavior and into another.
Daisy Chain shows some of that truth and shows a strength to carry on anyway.

This book has disturbing elements but forgiveness and healing are poured through and hearts are drawn together.

I didn’t like all of what took place as I read and a lot of it made me angry and frustrated . . . but I believe the readers are supposed to feel these things. It is a reality in ministry families as well as those outside of the church. We should be bothered and not stagnant. We should be moved.

I was.

I am waiting for the next book in the Defiance Texas Trilogy and can’t wait to read it!

Ready to Review!

I created this blog specifically for reviewing books and I am very excited to get started!

The first book I got to review I have finished so I will post the review to that here and somewhere else. Maybe at amazon. I have waited a bit bec I wanted to find the review guidelines I had before our computer went bezerk.

SO... I will try my hand at something I have wanted to do for awhile and just haven't.

Until then... my first review will by Mary Demuth's, Daisy Chain.