Rob Seabrook

Rob Seabrook

Author of Beneath the Tamarisk Tree

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Category: Recent Reads

Redeeming Dust – Jacq Marlow

Redeeming Dust is a retelling of the story of Christ’s ministry, told very much with a political slant, mixed up with the religious fanaticism…

Ezekiel’s Song – Naomi Craig

Ezekiel’s Song tells the story of the prophet Ezekiel, and his wife, as they walk a perilous path of faith, following God when those…

Write It On Their Hearts – Chris Swain

‘Being a parent is such an important job’ … sorry if it seems a bit pretentious to quote my own writing, but I wrote…

Courageous Inspirations – Doyvon Montgomery

Courageous Inspirations is a collection of teachings collated from Doyvon’s blog, that offer some short insights and solid teaching on how to lead a…

The Pilgrim – Joy Margetts

Having read The Healing a few months ago, to which this book is the prequel, The Pilgrim offers an opportunity to learn the full…

Nehemiah For You – Eric Mason

This is an excellent study of the book of Nehemiah. It begins with some helpful background as to how the book of Nehemiah fits…

The Gift of Sun Lee – Diane Bostick

This is a delightful story for children, about a little girl in post war China, a time when Christianity was still quite new into…

Becoming Queen Bathsheba – Amanda Bedzrah

This novel takes a key story from the Bible, so often discussed and presented from King David’s point of view, but told here from…

Don’t Fuss, Love God, Don’t Fuss – compiled by Ruth A Bamforth

Ruth has created such a lovely tribute to her father, The Revd Stuart Bamforth, compiling, editing and publishing this collection of teachings from his…

Revelation Explained – K.J. Soze

Despite the introduction recommending that the reader prepares by reading the first book, The Message For The Last Days, I decided to launch in…

The Great Gardener – Jo Claire

As someone who loves to relax by pottering in my garden, this book attracted me from the start. The author uses a lovely picture…

Fanny Crosby – Laura Caputo-Wickham

Fanny Crosby: The Girl Who Couldn’t See But Helped The World To Sing is a lovely children’s book, looking at the life of Fanny…

The Air We Breathe – Glen Scrivener

The Air We Breathe offers a point of view that I had not really encountered or considered before, but probably should have been aware…

Standing In The Storm – Matt McChlery

Matt has quite some story to tell, and he lays it out in this new book that is clearly written and easy to read…

Northern Soul : Football, Punk, Jesus – David O’Brien

It was the book title that grabbed me for this one. You just know it is going to be an unusual and fascinating story,…

Talking to Calippa Cumberland – Chick Yuill

An unusual story with an unusual title, following the main character’s life from a key moment in her childhood, which then provides an anchor…

The Camera Never Lies – David Rawlings

Truth can often be a rarity… real truth and honesty, especially in a family that is heading rapidly towards a cliff edge of being…

Encounters – Rachel Treweek

Encounters, by Rachel Treweek, the Bishop of Gloucester, captures thoughts on the centrality of relationship and community to the Christian faith, clearly a topic…

Refreshed – John Hindley

Refreshed is a book of devotions specifically to take away to read when you are on holiday. Most people take some holiday reading with…

Initiate : A Journey Begun – Neil Axtell

It has been a privilege to see a preview manuscript of this collection of poems, whilst it is going through the latter stages of…

Jesus : A Novel – Walter Wangerin

“Jesus” is a novel by the much acclaimed Christian writer, Walter Wangerin, who passed away last year, leaving behind a legacy of Christian writing…

The Awesome Super Fantastic Forever Party – Joni Eareckson Tada

What an amazing book! It is filled with beautiful, emotive language, often verging on the poetic, written to explain to children what the Bible…

His Grace Is Enough – Melissa Kruger

I do love a rhyming book like this, exposing children to the joys of language, as well as providing readers with some memorable verses….

What Happened After Mr Jones Died – Paul Wreyford

Recently, I have read a lot of books about heaven, having researched and written about it in Beneath The Tamarisk Tree. But this is…

Hearing God in Poetry – Richard Harries

It should be no surprise that poetry is an ideal artform through which to worship God. Large parts of the Bible are written in…

The Dark Star – H R Hess

Fantasy novels may not be my usual reading, but I really enjoyed escaping into this new world, engaging with the young heroine and hero….

The Five People You Meet in Heaven – Mitch Albom

What a great story. When arriving in heaven, the main character, Eddie, gets to meet five key people whose lives he touched on his…

Ramah – Rob Munday

Biblical fiction, as a genre, creates stories around what we do know of the Bible, filling in gaps, not as an alternative to scripture…

The Trials of Isabella M Smugge – Ruth Leigh

It was so nice to be back in Isabella’s company for another season of relaxation and enjoyment. This is the second book offering us…

Abused . Addicted . Free – Trudy Makepeace

Abused . Addicted . Free by Trudy Makepeace, is such a powerful autobiography. It is far from appropriate to write a “book review” as…

Believing is Seeing – Michael Guillen

I read Believing is Seeing by Michael Guillen, as background research for another project that I am working on, and I am so glad…

The Diary of Isabella M Smugge – Ruth Leigh

I have seen great things about the recently launched second book in this series (The Trials of Isabella M Smugge), and am very keen…

The Christing – Paul White

The Christing, by Paul White, was a great find. Paul comes across as being informed and authoritative, wise in fact, but never academic or…

The Gardener’s Daughter – K A Hitchins

The Gardener’s Daughter, by K A Hitchins, is a story of a young girl, on a roller-coaster of a journey searching for her true…

Amazing – Simon Ponsonby

I have never been a big fan of poetry. I studied it a long time ago at school but was never very inspired by…

The Robe – Lloyd C Douglas

I felt like it was time to revisit a classic, by having another read of The Robe by Lloyd C Douglas. It stands the…

The Stranger in the Lifeboat – Mitch Albom

This one took me by surprise. The story dives straight in, leaving reader intrigued and focused on the events unfolding. It is well written,…

The Edge of Belonging – Amanda Cox

This is a debut novel from Amada Cox and credit to her for stepping out and applying her superb storytelling abilities to this story….

The Road to the Father’s House – Alistair Forman

We read different books in different ways. A novel we may want to binge read, becoming immersed in the story, obsessed with the characters…

Secrets She Kept – Cathy Gohlke

I do love it when reading one book leads so naturally on to another, when it opens up your eyes to a story, a…

The Red Tent – Anita Diamant

Reading part one of this book, my instinct was that I shouldn’t be. I felt uncomfortable. I had the feeling of being an intruder…

Phoebe : A Story – Paula Gooder

This book ended very suddenly for me. I got to the end, thinking I still had about a third of the book to go,…

Safely Home – Randy Alcorn

I was at a breakfast meeting recently and the chap I was talking to was just in the throes of changing jobs. His deep…

The Healing – Joy Margetts

The Healing is a lovely story, a medieval road trip, which like all road trip stories is a journey of discovery, or in this…

Lead – Karl Martin

This article was first featured by the publisher, Muddy Pearl, on their web site, back in December 2020, a time when the world of…

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Recent Reads

  • God’s Big Promises – Carl Laferton
  • The Dead Don’t Dance – Charles Martin
  • The Artist’s Page – Debra Rufini
  • The Extraordinary Deaths of Mrs Kip – Sara Brunsvold
  • Nourishing Narratives – Jennifer L. Holberg
  • Eye Can Write – Jonathan Bryan
  • Nobody’s Child – John Robinson
  • The First Phone Call from Heaven – Mitch Albom
  • Wake up to Wonder – Karen Wright Marsh
  • The Persistent Road – Tim Bishop

rob_seabrook

Author of Beneath the Tamarisk Tree, a fictional take on the miraculous story of the Penitent Thief. Christian book reviews.

rob_seabrook
BOOK REVIEW - God’s Big Promises by Carl Laferto BOOK REVIEW - God’s Big Promises by Carl Laferton

Ideal for younger children, this book takes 92 stories from the Bible and presents them in an enjoyable, fun way, easily understandable, sensitively presented (some of the stories in the Bible can be a challenge to explain to younger children) with carefully considered vocabulary.

The book includes many of the Old Testament favourites, as well as about half the book covering the New Testament. It links the two in a creative way, highlighting those stories that include a promise from God (especially in the OT), matching them to a later story that shows God delivering to that promise (often in the NT). This could really help to deepen a child’s understanding of the way the Bible narrative works over its thousands of years, and how Jesus delivers many of the promises of God.

The stories are true to the Bible, conveying the core messages of each story. They will lead to plenty of questions and opportunity for further explanation between child and reader, or further thought if the child is reading alone. I can see this one working so well as a daily bedtime read.

It is packed with illustrations from Jennifer Davison which add hugely to each story, colourful and engaging, with one on every page.

God’s Big Promises by Carl Laferton, is available here.

I received an advance complimentary copy of this book from @thegoodbookcompanyuk but was under no pressure to provide a favourable review.

See more reviews of Christian books at www.robseabrook.com (link in Bio).

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BOOK REVIEW - The Dead Don’t Dance by Charles Ma BOOK REVIEW - The Dead Don’t Dance by Charles Martin

I only got halfway through this novel before I placed an order for the sequel. Charles Martin writes so well and I knew it was a story I needed to read to completion. Although it does work fine as a standalone read, and what a great read it is.

The Christian content is a lighter touch than some Christian novels, in that it is not front and centre. But it is certainly an underlying theme and is handled in a true-to-life way. It is inevitable that faith can be a huge struggle when we are facing some of the torments that life can throw at us.

Having said that, this is a story of a man battling through an horrendous personal tragedy, hitting some desperate lows, but finding a way through it to a point where he can see his life progressing. Hope wins through, with God’s hand clearly guiding the characters through their situations.

And Charles Martin does create some intriguing characters, many of whom are people you would like to have around you, or you would like to emulate. They help to restore your faith that there really are some great people around.

Now on to the sequel...

See more reviews of Christian books at www.robseabrook.com (link in Bio).

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BOOK REVIEW - The Extraordinary Deaths of Mrs Kip BOOK REVIEW - The Extraordinary Deaths of Mrs Kip by @sara_brunsvold 

Facing death can present Christians with difficulties. It is an inevitability, as it is for everyone, accompanied by grief, pain and loss. But if we have certainty of where we are going then it is also encased with hope and promise.

This novel faces the issue of death head on, with the opening chapters describing our Mrs Kip settling in to face her final days in a hospice.

Her deep compassion, forged from a life of experiences, good and bad, leads her to help others who are facing death. She has faced many deaths, many of them painful and inexplicably unfair, each one asking questions that have few answers.

Her strong faith now carries her through, her life experiences leading her to a place where she only has one objective ... to be salt and light to the people she meets. For her death to be a conduit to bring life for others.

She is a charming, endearing character, making it a pleasure for the reader to share in the revealing of her life story - one that intertwines with that of a young journalist, who needs a good story to fuel her career break, but who also needs to see God's love in action in extraordinary ways.

It is well written, so in parallel we see the present, how lives interact, as well as glimpses of the backstory that build a wide frame around the current picture. And we witness the lovely relationship develop between the young and old women. How Clara Kip's deep faith transcends and transforms the young journalist, forming a strong bond between them.

What is clear is the challenge of facing death with dignity, to have a good end... or even better than that, one that through it brings life and hope. Life from death, which after all is the Gospel message. If there ever is such a thing as a good death, then this book gives plenty of clues as to what it may look like...

Read the full review at www.robseabrook.com (link in Bio).

#bookstagram #bookreview #bookblogger #christianbookstagram #instareads #christianbooks #christian #christianbooksstore #christianfiction #recentreads #christianbookclubs @revellfiction
BOOK REVIEW - Nourishing Narratives by @jenniferlh BOOK REVIEW - Nourishing Narratives by @jenniferlholberg 

This is a well-written collection of thoughts on why words, language and stories are so central to our own narrative.

I believe that creativity is a reflection of God. It is His very nature to be creative, infinitely creative. His imagination is unlimited, displayed in the endless creativity we see around us, as well as the way He has created each of us to be unique. Billions of souls, all made in His image but all unique. What depth of imagination that takes. So to me it makes sense that our imaginations are a gift from Him, which, if well directed, can be used as an act of worship to bring the glory back to Him.

After all, storytelling was a tool that Jesus often used to communicate His message, each time bringing the focus back to the Kingdom of God. For millennia, people have used storytelling to communicate important truths ... stories grab our attention, spark our imaginations, engage us in the narrative and help us to associate with the message.

Hence why I resonate with the subtitle of this book, “The power of story to shape our faith”.

Professor Jennifer Holberg draws on her extensive knowledge of literature, writing and teaching, taking content from the likes of Dante, Gerard Manley Hopkins, Flannery O'Connor and Marilynne Robinson, drawing out many truths of how important story-telling is to our lives and our faith.

See more reviews of Christian books at www.robseabrook.com (link in Bio).

I received a complimentary copy of this book from @ivpbooks via @netgalley but was under no pressure to provide a favourable review.

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BOOK REVIEW - Eye Can Write by Jonathan Bryan Eve BOOK REVIEW - Eye Can Write by Jonathan Bryan

Every so often a book comes along that is truly astonishing. This is one of them.

The introduction, written by Jonathan's mum, shows the medical problems that challenged Jonathan's early years, many times coming close to dying. His mum and dad faced them with a strong faith, a dose of humour and an unending love, that carries them all through. There is an intense determination inherent in the whole family. Reading the introduction it is also clear where Jonathan got his flair for writing from.

The fact that a 12 year old boy has written a book would astound many. That he has broken through the cerebral palsy, found his own methods of communicating and writing, that he has not been held back by the challenges to create such an eloquently written account, all make it even more impressive. It is profoundly humbling.

Jonathan has the skill of astute observation, he writes with humour and poignancy. And what an imagination! It makes me wonder if there is some great fiction formulating in his mind that we may get to read one day.

At the heart of his story, central to his very essence, is his faith. Poetically described, the precious proximity of Jesus is a clear strength, one that is inspirational to him but also to the reader.

When his story goes on to describe a time when he glimpsed into heaven, into Jesus's garden, it highlights the power of faith and hope.

His strong imagination and gift for using words, especially through poetry, clearly give him a release, a freedom that he cannot experience physically.

Central to his life is also his family, such a close unit. His Haikus, one for each family member, made me cry, each skilfully crafted and clearly written from the heart.

Jonathan is an astonishing, heartwarming, inspiring character. Thank you for writing this book.

#bookstagram #bookreview #bookblogger #christianbookstagram #instareads #christianbooks #christian #christianbooksstore #recentreads #christianbookclubs @lagombooks @eyecanwrite 

See more reviews of Christian books at www.robseabrook.com (link in Bio)
BOOK REVIEW - Nobody’s Child by John Robinson T BOOK REVIEW - Nobody’s Child by John Robinson

This is a truly amazing and inspirational story.

John's childhood experiences of deep rejection, that framed his early years and led him down a path of trauma fuelled self-destruction, are horrifying to read. This was then compounded when he suffered neglect at the hands of the foster care system – a system that of course should have been protecting and nurturing, but completely failed him. As a foster carer, I found this so hard to read and felt I just wanted to apologise to John.

Even though it happened 40 to 50 years ago, and I like to believe that safeguards are in place now to ensure this sort of abuse could not happen, the lack of care is truly astonishing and disgraceful. And sadly it left a trail of trauma that many may not have escaped from in the way that John has.

In John's case, by the amazing grace of God, he was rescued. It is an amazing story of salvation, a life back on track, called and dedicated to serving and supporting young people who find themselves in similar circumstances. The culmination of this part of the story was God's hand in leading John to manage the Eden bus ministry at the Message Trust in Manchester.

It is worth noting that this book was published 20 years ago and the vision and works of the Message Trust look to be still going very strong – do look them up at www.message.org.uk.

I see there is a follow up book to this one, called Somebody’s Child, sharing some of the stories of John's adventures in partnership with God… it’s on my To Be Read list now.

Read more reviews of Christian books at www.robseabrook.com (link in Bio).

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BOOK REVIEW - The First Phone Call from Heaven by BOOK REVIEW - The First Phone Call from Heaven by @mitchalbom 

What a fascinating concept … this story is of a few residents of a small, uninspiring and unsuspecting town, begin to receive regular brief phone calls from people who have died. They claim to be in heaven, reaching out to their loved ones.

As the story unfolds almost all the responses, from all the characters, seem to be misguided ... from those who want to capitalise on it, to those who don't believe it, to those who are so desperate to receive their own calls. As you would expect, the town goes crazy.

Interestingly hardly anyone seems to be saying "so this means that heaven is real, so I need to repent and believe". No one seems to respond how you would hope you would respond if you were in that situation. Even the church pastors are confused and ill-equipped to deal with the situation, all of which make it actually quite a believable scenario!

Having researched and written about heaven in my novel, Beneath the Tamarisk Tree, I did find it fascinating. One concept that is introduced here really resonated with one of my own themes, that of how heaven is where we receive healing from a lifetime on earth and all that it has thrown at us.

The story trots along at a good pace, with the reader being pushed from side to side, from belief to doubt, back and forth until it reaches a crescendo of hysteria. It sensibly leaves the reader to decide what they believe ... clever storytelling.

Ultimately this is a story about one man's search for truth in the midst of chaos and trauma, and another man's desperate measures to put things right.

It is a cleverly written observation exposing behaviours and beliefs, set at a fast pace, engaging and fun. And you just can't help asking yourself ... "how would I react if this happened to me?"

See more reviews of Christian books at www.robseabrook.com (link in Bio).

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BOOK REVIEW - Wake up to Wonder by @karenwrightmar BOOK REVIEW - Wake up to Wonder by @karenwrightmarsh 

An unusual devotional, taking an aspect of influence from significant people of faith through history, theologians and thinkers, and applying modern day examples of how their advice, wisdom and disciplines can be applied. Karen then adds plenty of practical suggestions on how we may be able to apply the practices ourselves.

Each "invitation", not chapters, offers plenty of food for thought and contemplation. The topics are taken from the teachings of some very interesting people, many of whom I had not heard of before but will now certainly look up their writings.

In fact, I took this book to read with me on a weekend retreat at a Benedictine monastery, which turned out to be inspired. It was wonderful, offering up all sorts of creative ways to apply faith to my thoughts. During a time of contemplation, the studies in this book gave me a diverse range of topics to ponder, often offering me an area to focus on. I was also mighty encouraged to find a chapter on St Benedict and his teachings.

This may well be an extreme approach, so equally helpful would be to read one section each day, or each week, in the normal way for a devotional, and then apply it. It only needs for some of what it says to stick, to encourage you to be more intentional in thoughts and actions, more healthy, physically, emotionally and spiritually and initiate the process of making a bigger difference to the world.

It is a lovely collection of wisdoms to ponder each day. Our digital, social media savvy world might be tempted to re-label them as "life hacks" and broadcast them with a clever but disposable meme. But this would be crude and so much less than these writings deserve. True wisdom is precious. These deserve to be deeply pondered, to speak some permanent truths into our lives. The invitations are there, generously given and free to accept.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher, via @netgalley but was under no pressure to provide a favourable review.

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