Walking Lazarus

Since T.L. Hines gives away the subject of his book in the title, Walking Lazarus, it is no surprise that the main character, Jude, has died and come back to life. The twist is that it happened three times and seems to have an underlying purpose. Jude has changed his name, moved to a new town and become a recluse near an area where children are disappearing.

As Jude unravels the mystery of his own deaths and the evil lurking around his new hometown, he struggles to hide his identity while being accused of killing children. the book definitely has the one thing most appealing about a good supernatural suspense thriller ... things are not always as they appear while the reader is traveling through the pages of the unknown.

Going Rogue

Going Rogue is Sarah Palin's memoir. Although scrutinized and criticized to the nth degree, I enjoyed the book. I wasn't looking for the errors, exaggerations, and "gotcha" moments I'd heard so much about from mainstream media since the book was published. I was looking for the story of the ordinary woman who became the 2008 vice presidential candidate. The woman who believes in many of the same things I do.

I wasn't disappointed. I learned a lot about how the people and situations in her life led to that momentous event. I also learned a lot about Alaska, a state at the opposite end of the spectrum from my state of Florida. And, I enjoyed the stories and the photographs inviting me into her life.

The parts that talk about the campaign and the events since losing the election that have been so vehemently attacked in the media did not appear to be vindictive to this reader. They were written from her perspective so of course they are subjective to her perception of reality. Isn't that how we all see things? From our own reality.

Conservatives and even many independents will enjoy this look into Sarah Palin's life. Liberals will continue to be outraged.

Springtime and Wildflowers

Springtime and wildflowers - celebrating birth, renewal, life.

To casual observers, Florida seasons are essentially non-existent or limited to hot and warm, tourist and non-tourist, summer and not summer. To natives, the seasons are subtle, but distinctive.

In springtime, babies abound in open spaces of the interior pine flat lands. Calves and colts cling to their mothers while quail, scrub jays, and mockingbirds guard their nests. In the wetlands, baby alligators and snapping turtles take their first swim. Weeds drink April showers and dance in the breezes to transform into yellow, pink, and lavender kaleidoscopes. "Consider how the lilies grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these." Luke 12:27 (NIV)

This flurry of activity in nature sets the stage for Easter. New life is born and weeds are transformed. " ... I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." John 10:10 (NIV) Souls are reborn, lives transformed, new creatures in Christ. Easter - celebrating rebirth, renewal, life. He is risen!