Book Review: Pastrix by Nadia Bolz-Weber

Posted on October 18, 2013 by Ellayne Shaw

Pastrix: The Cranky, Beautiful Faith of a Sinner & Saint by Nadia Bolz-Weber
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

“Smiley TV preachers might tell you that following Jesus is about being good so that God will bless you with cash and prizes, but really it’s much more gruesome and meaningful. It’s about spiritual physics. Something has to die for something new to live.”

And just like that, Nadia Bolz-Weber had my attention. I first heard of Bolz-Weber through a Presbyterian friend of mine, and she intrigued me with her tatted up arms and no-nonsense attitude. Going in to this book, that is pretty much all that I knew about her. I quickly discovered that we had nothing in common–she was a stereotypical black sheep and I was a goody two shoes–but I thought, “Well, I can still glean something from her story.” Boy did I ever! I never thought I could relate to another person so well.
Continue reading →

Book Review: Renting Lacy

Posted on June 15, 2013 by Ellayne Shaw

Renting Lacy by Linda Smith

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Having read Linda Smith’s other book (From Congress to the Brothel: a Journey of Hope, Healing, and Restoration) published through the nonprofit Shared Hope International, I knew I needed to read this book as well. Human trafficking of any kind is a heinous crime, so I knew that this was going to be a hard read as it deals in the realities of trafficking situations. Continue reading →

Book Review: The Year We Were Famous

Posted on June 11, 2013 by Ellayne Shaw

The Year We Were Famous by Carole Estby Dagg
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

In 1896, the Estbys’ homestead in Spokane, WA, is in threat of foreclosure. On a whim, Helga Estby makes a bet with a publisher in New York City that she and her daughter Clara will walk across the country in seven months’ time so that they can save their farm. Continue reading →