A Minute of Vision for Men - Roger Patterson

365 motivational moments to kick start your day. This book is a daily devotional, short stories to be read one a day for men. Each day's devotional is "drawn from sports headlines, moments with wife and kids, and from scripture."
There is also a verse for each day. The avid reader will probably wind up reading 2 or 3 each day, just because each page is so short.
One small complaint is the small physical size of the book. The print size is very small and may be hard to read for those of us with poor eyesight. Some people that are not that much into sports stories may be hard to relate to some of the examples. But, it is good to have a book that reminds us of following God, and if it accomplishes that, then it is good. Described on the back cover as "short, sweet and to the point" and "A strong tool to lead any man into spiritual growth in just one minute a day." Hopefully, we will all spend more than just one minute a day for spiritual growth.
The author states in the last pages," My hope is that after spending a minute a day this book over the past year, you would discover that the Lord. through His Word, is able to give you an inheritance that does not fade."
I can recommend this book for men that would like a daily reminder of God working in their lives.
Published by Tyndale Publishing.

Finding God in the Waves - Mike McHargue

How I lost my faith and found it again through science. I really wanted to like this book, and had high hopes for it. I tried to get past the introduction by Rob Bell, someone who I disagree with on so many levels. Mike is known as science Mike and the Liturgist podcasts and writes for Relevant magazine. Also has a website findinggodinthewaves.com. The author describes a conference with Rob Bell and it seems that he had a part in Mike's conversion. Also through his parent's divorce and friend's conversation he came back to the faith that he had as a youth. The problem that I have is this is what liberal Christianity has come to in America today.
He denies the inerrancy of scripture and believes that stories like the flood of Noah's time was not a literal flood. 
On page 233 he describes "When I let go of the Bible as an inerrant document and embraced it as a multi-party discussion about God, all of a sudden, I began to see a book I could appreciate on it's own terms."
This is a dangerous statement to make and sounds like a watered down Christianity.
He described his church as "multiracial, multicultural, and affirming of people of every race, gender, and sexual orientation."
He describes his church as "the pastor and most of the staff were women."
It is hard for me to understand how someone can place their trust in a document that a person does not accept as inerrant and unchangeable. 
Many will accept this book as a good example of someone coming to faith, but it is hard for me to understand what the author calls Christianity.
Overall, I can not recommend this book because of my disagreements with the author. 
I have been provided with a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for this review.

Tune In - Mark Lewisohn

The Beatles : All these years. Tune In takes the Beatles from before their childhoods right up to 1962.
Includes extensive family history of each of the four, At over 900 pages, the book covers a lot of ground, and this is labeled Volume 1. Section for each year from 1958-1962. Even the most die hard Beatles fan will probably learn something from reading this book. A lot of quotes from each of the four are included, which adds credibility and authenticity. The years are divided into monthly and even weekly sections. There are 80 pages of notes, quoting each source from author's interviews to published sources. Unique to most books, there is an appeal from Mark Lewisohn stating,"If you were a firsthand witness to any part of the Beatles years-up to say, 1980-or know someone who was, I'd like to hear about it." Great vintage photographs, I'm sure some have never been seen before by most fans, are worth the price. Seeing and reading about how the Beatles started out is an interesting read to anyone wanting to know how it all started. There have been many books written about the Beatles, but I do think that this one has set the bar pretty high for including many details.
I have been provided a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for a review.

Crossing the Waters - Leslie Leyland Fileds

Following Jesus through the storms, the fish, the doubt, and the seas.  The author takes us into a world that most of us know just about nothing about. She has been a commercial fisher woman for four decades, and works with her husband and six children in a salmon-fishing operation on their own island off the coast of Kodiak Island, Alaska. It may sound glamorous to some, but she describes the hard work, dangers and uncertainty that they face every day. Relating her vocation with Jesus's call to his disciples to be "fishers of men" this book is full of analogies to fishing. The author has written ten other books and is a speaker and a popular radio guest. This book comes with recommendations from Jim Daly from Focus on the Family and Mark Galli, Editor of Christianity Today.
Some may find it hard to relate to the stories that she tells on her fishing journeys, but we can all relate to how Jesus can bring us through any storm.
I have received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for a review.

People of the Second Chance - Mike Foster

A guide to bringing life saving love to the world. The author's official title is chief chance officer at People of the Second Chance. His personal story is one of a boating accident in which he had injured someone and it has haunted him but did not need to define him. All through out the book are stories of people who received second, third and fourth chances through God's forgiveness and grace.
Website is secondchance.org, for free resources and e-courses. I enjoyed this book and found it encouraging. For anyone who is in need of a second chance, or knows someone who does, this would be a good book to recommend. And really, doesn't that include everybody?
I have received a complimentary book in exchange for this review.