Fiction Friday #4 - Playing Catch Up

I haven't posted a Fiction Friday in FOREVER!!! I do sincerely apologize, but November and December were a bit crazy for me! Besides the holidays, I decided to move to Indiana!However, I was keeping track of all the books I read for my list of 2013. So I figured I would take this Friday to catch myself up before I jump into all the books I plan to tackle in 2014!!First up is Breach of Trust by DiAnn Mills. Breach of Trust is about Paige Rogers a former CIA operative who has been laying low in a small town for seven years since an operation went wrong and left almost her entire team dead. The man she believes is responsible for their deaths is running for Governor and demands her silence about the past. One thing about this book that I found particularly interesting or different than many other in the same genre is that you know who the "bad guy" is from the beginning. Granted, he has other people working for him and spying for him, but there is no point in the story where you want to trust him as a character. Now, normally that would make me hate a story, but DiAnn Mills wrote it in such a way that I still had no clue what to expect of the end--I love when that happens!Still Growing by Kirk Cameron is not a work of fiction, but it is still a very intriguing read! As you may have guessed based on the title, Still Growing is an autobiographical look at Kirk Cameron's life growing up in the spotlight as one of the most famous teen TV stars of the 80s. This has me convinced that Kirk Cameron would be a cool person to befriend! Not only do you get an inside look at life on a TV set, but you also get to hear how God worked in his life before and after he got saved. Today, he is now very well known for being an out-spoken Christian who works primarily on faith-based films. In Still Growing, he shares the journey that led him to where he is today and he talks about how he is still changing and growing in his career, faith, and family!This last semester, my small group read through Not a Fan by Kyle Idleman (also non-fiction). In his book, Kyle asks you to have a DTR (define the relationship) conversation with Jesus. He forces you to take a serious look at how you approach your relationship with Christ. Are you a fan of who Jesus is but hesitant to allow him to change your life? Or are you a follower--a person fully devoted to living life on God's terms, no matter the cost? I'll be honest. Due to my use of Twitter, Facebook, and other social media sites, I tend to think of the term 'follower' in the same way I think of 'fan'. So I had to put some effort into seeing them in the different ways he describes them. Not a Fan is a pretty simple read but also points out many truths about who Jesus is and how we should be interacting with Him. Plus, Kyle Idleman includes plenty of funny antidotes to keep you paying attention!River’s Song, River’s Call, and River’s End by Melody Carlson are the three books that make up the 'Inn at Shining Waters' series. I've always been a fan of Melody Carlson books--she has written a LOT of teen fiction books, which I devoured when I was in middle school and high school! However, this series was quite a bit different than any of her other books that I've read. Primarily, it's a lot more serious and it's not set in modern-day like most of her other fiction. It's about Anna Larson, a part-Indian, war widow in the 1950s, who returns to her childhood home after her parents' deaths in search of some purpose for her life. The trilogy walks through many years of her life and her daughter's life of figuring out who they are and where God is calling them. While the story is interesting, it does drag on a bit at times. They weren't my favorite books I read last year, but they are enjoyable.Don’t Look Back by Lynette Eason is the second book in her 'Women of Justice' series. I read the first book a year or so ago and always wanted to read the second and third books, so I asked for them for Christmas! I dove right into this story about forensic anthropologist Jamie Cash and I was completely hooked! It's a good thing I started it on a boring day during my Christmas break because I'm not sure I could have fallen asleep without finishing it! As she is digging into a new case, Jamie begins to see signs that the man who kidnapped and tortured her 12 years prior has returned and is coming for her. In her 'Women of Justice' books, Eason uses a unique method of allowing the reader to not only see the mystery from the investigative side, but also inserts bits from the killer's point of view. It brings a whole different tone and emotion to the story because you get to hear what he's planning before it happens, which just adds to the intensity of the book! In addition to being a gripping mystery, this story demonstrates how long-lasting the effects of terrible experiences can be and how powerful God is despite the circumstances of life. Overall, I would say this is one of the best books I read last year! I definitely recommend it, although I suggest not reading it at night!