How will it end? White

White by Ted Dekker
Hardcover, 352 pages
Published: October 2004 by Westbow Press
ISBN13: 9780849917929
Read: June 2006
Goodreads, IndieBound, Amazon


When I read this book it was assumed it was the end. The series at the time was called The Circle Trilogy. Many questions were answered. Thomas Hunter had to make a tough decision in this world, however, it was made easier by what he had learned in the other world. 


You may recall in my review of Black that I had trouble getting into the story. Well, it was while reading White that I discovered just how exceptional the series is and had a new found appreciation for the beginning of the tale. So if you begin this series with Black and feel a little like giving up, please don't you are well rewarded in this ending book. 


I may have even shed a few tears while reading White. The description of the Great Romance and the love Elyon has for his children resonated with my soul. The boy, the lion, the warrior all is one and He comes to bring joy and life. With the threat in this world thwarted, Thomas is free to pursue his Lover in the other world.


Have you read this series? I would love to hear your opinion. In a couple of weeks I will be reviewing a  young adult series and hosting my 1st giveaway. If you want to get the details on it either follow the blog or my on Twitter @Girl_Who_Reads

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Perfect Start

Picture Perfect by emg78

Online Original Fiction
The Writer's Coffee Shop Library

About a year ago, I discovered a new opportunity for reading - online. Since starting to read these stories, I have fallen in love with this media. Why? Because I get interact with the writers through leaving reviews on their chapters and, in some cases, through private messages. A second reason is I get to encourage new writers in their craft. It is exciting to see them grow as they write more and incorporate the feedback they are receiving. A final reason I enjoy reading online so much is when there is down time at work or I am taking a brief lunch break at my desk I can quickly access a good story. And should the boss walk by, I can just as quickly click a different tab on my browser.

A few weeks ago, I started perusing the original fiction section of The Writer's Coffee Shop Library. I stumbled across Picture Perfect by emg78.  A dark story that so far is only one chapter, but I am hoping to see more from this story.

Something tragic has happened o the main character Emma. What could have happened that terrorized her so badly that the friendly wave from stranger on the neighboring dock sends her into a full scale panic attack? The only contact she has with the outside world is visits from her brother and occasional, but regular, phone calls with her mother.

Emma isn't the only one that has questions swirling around her. Andrew, the stranger on the dock, walks away from his successful life in a busy city to a rather secluded forest home in a small town. He is immediately intrigued by the fleeing woman he sees on the dock. After asking about her in town, he learns not all is right with her.

In the opening chapter, emg78 has set the perfect stage for a story full of twist and turns as the reader discovers the hidden pasts that have Andrew and Emma seeking seclusion in this isolated woods. I look forward to seeing the rest of the story unfold.

More from Dekker

Since I have been blogging about Ted Dekker's Circle series, I thought I would share with my readers a message posted on Ted Dekker's Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/#!/teddekker.  He is planning a companion to the series and he is requesting input from his readers. Check out his fan page and maybe your idea will make it into the book.

Can't Put It Down: Red by Ted Dekker

by Donna Huber

February 2006; Thorndike Press
audio, ebook, print (637 pages); suspense

The thrill, nor the confusion, lets up in the 2nd novel of The Circle Trilogy. Thomas Hunter uncovers life-threatening secrets and ever-lasting love. Somehow the two worlds are connected, if injured or killed in one world it means the end of you in the other.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site.

My adrenaline was pumping fast by the end of Black, or so I thought. But it was nothing compared to the rush I got from Red. After finishing Black, I couldn't wait to get my hands on the next one. Instead of waiting for my church's library to be open I rushed to the public library to pick up Red and couldn't put the book down. Whereas in the first one I wanted nothing more than for Thomas to stay in the other world, I found myself just as intrigued in what was happening in "our" world where bio-terrorist were plotting the release of a deadly virus.

I finished this novel in record time and I couldn't wait to pick up the next in the series with the hope that there would be explanation and closure with the final book in the trilogy. However, White was elusive as I had holds placed at my church's library, public library, and university library in hopes of getting my hands on a copy.

Are you a Ted Dekker fan? I think the Circle Trilogy is my favorite (which I will talk more about as I review White and the new book Green in the coming days). What is your favorite Dekker book?   

Buy Red at Amazon

Donna Huber is an avid reader and natural encourager. She is the founder of Girl Who Reads and the author of how-to marketing book Secrets to a Successful Blog Tour. 

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It's Just the Beginning...

Black by Ted Dekker
Paperback, 432 pages
Published February 2005 by  Westbow Press
ISBN13: 9781595540218
Read June 2006

I had grown tired of reading Christian Romance novels, but was still interested in reading stories with themes of hope, love, and redemption. It was browsing through the shelves at my church's library that I saw a book that had only one word for a title and no real image on the cover. I was curious. It was for a book entitled Red and after reading the summary I was intrigued. However, Red was the second novel in The Circle Triology. I had to wait until Black was returned in order to begin the tale that at times frustrated, confused, and captivated me.

What if you fell asleep in one world and awoke in another that was as real as the one you just left? How would you know which world is real? In this exciting beginning to a 3 book series Thomas Hunter embarks on a thrilling and at times dangerous adventure in 2 worlds.

I did not immediately fall in love with the series upon beginning Black. But the further I read into Black the more I was swept up into the story. I felt as frustrated as the main character, Thomas Hunter, in deciphering which world he truly inhabited and which was just a dream. Assuming the real world was the one much like the world I experience daily, I found myself much more interested in the "dream" world that Thomas found himself in when he fell asleep. In a world where good and evil is as clearly visible as one's skin. It wasn't until about halfway through the book that I was just as interested in what was happening the "real" world. As the two worlds impacted each other more and more, I was left reeling over the possibility that both worlds existed.

By the end of the story, I couldn't wait to get back to the library to check out Red. I had found a wonderful psychological thriller with Christian themes that kept me guessing with each page turn.

A Book Every Writer Should Have

Eats, Shoots & Leaves by Lynne Truss
Hardcover, 209 pages
Published April 2004 by Gotham
ISBN13: 9781592400874
Read April 2008

My major professor recommended I read this book when I began writing my dissertation. I stifled a groan and hoped the small smile on my face resembled a grin and not a grimace as I nodded my head in agreement. What was going through my mind was the nightmare recollection of reading Elements of Style for high school English class. 

In addition to this horrible memory, I also thought I was decent (better than most, dare I say) at grammar. I grew up doing the grammar and word quizzes in the Reader's Digest. I knew that I should use "couldn't care less" instead of "could care less" and that a semicolon separated two independent but related clauses. So why would I need to read a grammar book?  Needless to say, it took more than one prompting to actually check this book out of the library. But when I finally did, I was surprised to find, instead of the line after line of technical rules of how to properly punctuate and capitalize, funny anecdotal stories interspersed with easy to remember tenets of grammar.

Lynne Truss does a wonderful job of keeping the book light and entertaining while dispensing valuable information of the history and proper use of punctuation and grammar. Though Truss is British, she notes where American English rules differ from British English rules. I highly recommend Eats, Shoots & Leaves to any writer (and if you are a high school English teacher have your students read this one as they will get so much more out of it).