Crazy Joy - Mary Kate Backstrom review

Crazy Joy by Mary Katherine Backstrom is a Christian Living book published by Worthy, a division of Hachette Book Group. Ms. Backstrom is best known to many for her videos and candid writing on family, faith, and mental illness. The intention of this book is to persuade the reader to embark on a journey to a life of Crazy Joy.

Crazy Joy is organized into twelve, easy-to-read chapters with each chapter ending Tour Guide Takeaways. I loved many of the quotes at the beginning of and scattered throughout each chapter. My favorite was "The beauty of joy isn't found in a garden. It doesn't grow in neat little rows. It's found in the crevices, the cracks, and the chaos." - Mary Katherine Backstrom.

The book is filled with many stories of her personal life, and several of the anecdotes are amusing and relatable. However, it's also obvious that she's much younger than me... and my children (all in their 40s). Backstrom uses many cultural references that are meaningless to me, but I did not take the time to research them. Even movies from the 80s that "Everyone" has seen are ones I never finished watching. ("Labyrinth" is the exception. I loved that movie.) Because of the cultural differences that are time-related and having a different mindset than mine, I simply did not connect with her writing.

I didn't dislike the book, but it wasn't a page-turner that I devoured. I am more likely to suggest it to someone in their 20s or 30s, especially if they relate more to personal experience with a touch of faith included.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the marketing agency. My comments are an independent and honest review. They also kindly sent an extra copy for a giveaway. Enter by commenting #CrazyJoy under a post. Deadline October 16, 2002.

HolyHotMess.com/Crazy-Joy/

The Sanctuary by Ted Dekker

Vigilante priest, Danny Hansen is now serving a fifty year prison term in California for the murder of two abusive men. Filled with remorse, Danny is determined to live out his days by a code of non-violence and maneuvers deftly within a ruthless prison system. But when Renee Gilmore, the woman he loves, receives a box containing a bloody finger and draconian demands from a mysterious enemy on the outside, Danny must find a way to escape. (press release)

The Sanctuary is the second book in a series by Ted Dekker and continues with the characters of Danny Hansen and Renee Gilmore who were also the central characters for The Priest's Graveyard. I don't know if I could have gotten more out of this book if I had read the previous one, but The Sanctuary  never did fully engage my attention. It may have been the horrific action that took place that caused me to put an emotional wall up, but Mr. Dekker is very descriptive. It made it easy to visualize some of the actions taking place, and much of it was unpleasant. To be fair, though, a prison is not a happy place. I also guessed the antagonist's identity very early in the story, so there weren't really any surprises. However, I have read other of Dekker's books that held my attention, and I have no doubt that many of his fans will enjoy reading this one also.

I received an ARC (Advance Reading Copy) of this book from the publishers through Net Gallery. I was not required to give a positive review and all opinions are my own.