Review and Giveaway: 'Night of the Living Dead Christian' by Matt Mikalatos

I'm sure all of my readers would love to own a copy of Night of the Living Dead Christian by Matt Mikalatos, and one lucky reader will own it if they are chosen in the giveaway.  But, I will get to the giveaway details after the review.

Matt Mikalatos is also the author of Imaginary Jesus, which won rave reviews from professional critics and everyday readers alike.  Although I haven't read Imaginary Jesus, I was excited to be able to have the opportunity to review - and give a copy away thanks to Tyndale House Publishers - Night of the Living Dead Christian (NOTLDC). 

NOTLDC is the story of an average neighborhood that is being overrun by zombies, werewolves, and vampires.  The main character, Matt, is introduced when he is out taking his nightly walk as Chief Officer of the Neighborhood Watch program.  He meets a mad scientist (er, eccentric genius) named Dr. Culbetron and his robot HIBBS 3000 just as they are about to test a new invention.  When it is tested, hundreds of zombies show up, determined to get at Matt and Dr. Culbetron.  The story continues as Matt, the doctor, and the robot encounter a vampire Matt went to high school with and a werewolf who lives down the street.  It becomes the mission of all five to cure the werewolf and the vampire of their monster tendencies without becoming zombies in the process.

Watch a video of author Matt Mikalatos discussing Night of the Living Dead Christian!
This is a hilarious story that had me laughing out loud several times at the characters' antics.  When the werewolf is introduced, the reader learns his name is Luther Martin.  His father is a Lutheran pastor and is almost fanatical about the influence reformer Martin Luther had on the modern church.  As a result, the poor werewolf's name is Luther Ann Martin. 

The funniest character, however, is Matt.  His delusions of self-grandeur aside, he is quite witty and incredibly perceptive.  In a review for Imaginary Jesus, the DC Christian Fiction Examiner had this to say about author Matt Mikalatos:

If Mikalatos’s wry wit doesn’t pull you into the book within a couple pages, his action-packed chase of imaginary Jesus will soon have you flipping pages. But be warned. Beneath the excitement of the adventurous chase and the humor of his comic wit, Mikalatos packs some heavy, biblical punches 

This reader whole-heartedly agrees that the author has created a novel that is just as compelling with NOTLDC.  While laughing at the situations the characters find themselves in, the reader is confronted with their own beliefs about what real Christianity looks like.  Is it blind devotion to a particular religious leader that only allows followers to use one translation of the Bible, certain songs at worship, and certain styles of dress?  Those are zombies.  What about those that feel they are never really forgiven and their sinful man must be 'killed' again and again, having a stake driven through their heart on an almost daily basis?  Vampires!  And what about those that just can't seem to control their animalistic tendencies to hurt and tear apart those they love?  The ones that try to fix themselves through therapies, church attendance, and any other means possible?  Werewolves!

In the end, all the characters make some kind of change and the truth of Christianity and Christ's love is revealed.  Mikalatos has been called the 21st century's C.S. Lewis because he exposes the hypocrisy of the modern church.  His style has been called a cross between Monty Python and C.S. Lewis.  Whatever words are used to describe author Matt Mikalatos, one thing is certain.  He has a long writing career ahead of him and this reader wants to devour everything he writes.

NOW TO THE GIVEAWAY!

• Tyndale House Publishers has provided me with a free copy of Night of the Living Dead Christian.

• The publishers of this book have also given me a certificate good for ONE FREE COPY of Night of the Living Dead Christian by Matt Mikalatos to be won by a lucky reader of Tally's Place.

Here are the MANY ways you can enter this giveaway. 

1. Leave a comment on this post. Just say, 'Hey, I want to win this book' or 'Enter me!' Just make sure I have a way to contact you should I choose you. (Email or a link to your blog is perfect.)
2. Blog about this giveaway! Leave the link to your blog in the comments section.
3. Tweet about this giveaway and leave me the link that shows you did.
4. Follow me on Twitter and leave a comment that tells me so.
5. Visit my San Francisco Christian Fiction Examiner column, leave a comment on one of the articles, then leave a comment HERE telling me which article you commented on.
6. Stumble one of my Christian Fiction Examiner articles and let me know which one.  
7. Follow Tally's Place and leave a comment telling me you are a new follower. If you already follow, tell me that too!

That is seven (7) ways to enter and seven (7) chances if you do them all!

Rules and Stuff

1. The contest will close on Friday, December 23 at 8 a.m.  The winner will be announced no later than Saturday, December 24, at 1 p.m.
2. If you enter this contest and I have no way to contact you, I will choose another winner. I must be able to reach you by email in order to obtain your physical mailing address so I can mail the certificate to you.
3. The winner will be chosen by a random number generator. I will mail the certificate within ONE WEEK of choosing a winner.
4. The certificate will be sent by CERTIFIED MAIL with a RETURN RECEIPT. This helps both the winner and me track the certificate to its destination. It helps me know it was received since a signature is required for delivery.

Devotional for kids from MasterBooks: 'God's Amazing Creatures and Me'

If you are looking for a devotional book for kids to use in Sunday School, children's church, or even with your own children, MasterBooks has a wonderful book geared to boys and girls ages 6 through 10.

Book Info

Title: God's Amazing Creatures and Me    

Author: Helen Haidle

Illustrator: Paul Haidle
ISBN: 9780890512944

List Price: $8.99

Using the characteristics of 43 animals, the author writes about these animals in an interesting way and uses them to teach kids Biblical values.  Each devotion includes fascinating information and facts about an animal, a short Bible story, a memory verse, and questions for children to ponder and answer. 

For example, the lionfish is included in the devotion titled Deadly Beauty.  This beautiful, yet dangerous sea creature reminds us that even though the forbidden fruit in the garden of Eden looked delicious and appetizing, it was forbidden for a reason.  Anyone who even touched it would surely die.  Other animals found in this children's devotion book include the caterpillar, the goat, the Northern Goshawk, the gibbon, and the turtle.

Such Biblical and moral values taught include honesty, perseverance, and faith.  The resurrection of God's believers and His daily protection are also explored in language that children can understand without being oversimplified. 

The last devotion in the book doesn't use an animal as its object lesson at all; is uses a bean seed.  Just like the bean plant grows lusher, taller, and stronger the further its roots grow into the nourishing soil, so do children and adults when the make studying God's Word and Biblical principles a daily habit.

"As you... have received Christ Jesus, the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith."

Colossians 2:6-7

This book can be purchased online from the publisher, Amazon, and Powell's.  It may also be found at your neighborhood independent bookseller.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.  I received no compensation for my review.

I Just Finished Reading...

...Slaves in the Family by Edward Ball.  This was the first book written by Ball, who is descended from one of the earliest settlers of South Carolina; Elias "Red Cap" Ball.  By doing exhaustive research into oral family history, meticulous plantation records, and even an advertisement in local newspapers, Ball was able to tell a narrative of family history that keeps one captivated.  His writing style flowed easily and the story was told with all the twists and turns of a mystery/action/romance novel.

Ball was able to connect with descendants of former slaves that had lived on the Ball plantations from the early 1600's up until the middle of the 20th century.  These weren't just people who had relatives on the Ball lands.  These were blood relatives, in many cases, to Edward Ball himself.  In reading this family history, I also gained a better understanding of American history.  The history of native people on the soil that would become the United States, the history of the slave trade to Charleston, South Carolina, the history of the participation of slaves in the Revolutionary War, and the history of the Civil War all became clearer to me as I read this book. 

This is the only book written by Edward Ball that I have read so far, however I am interested in reading some of his other books as well.  I'd really like to read his book, The Genetic Strand: Exploring a Family History Through DNA, which takes a closer, more scientific look into the lives of his ancestors that were introduced in Slaves. 

Another of his titles was co-authored with Edwina Harleston Whitlock, a relative of Ball's and an ancestor to the relationship of one of Edward Ball's uncles and his black slave.  This was a relationship that lasted many years and produced several children. This family history is looked at more closely in The Sweet Hell Inside: The Rise of an Elite Black Family in the Segregated South.  The are characters that are introduced in Slaves in the Family.

Since almost all of my ancestors immigrated here from Europe after the Civil War, I don't think there are any slaves in my family, not directly any way.  But who knows, I'm sure there are a few skeletons in the closet I haven't discovered yet.  How about you?  Do you have slaves in your family?

My Thomas Paul Matryoska Tote

 Thomas Paul

I was recently given the opportunity by CSN.com to choose something from their over 200 stores online.  The only thing required of me was to write a review of the product I chose.  I chose a tote bag designed by Thomas Paul.  To be more specific, I chose the Thomas Paul Matryoska Tote in red.  The bag recently arrived, so here is my review.

The colors on the bag are outstanding and the graphics is absolutely adorable.  It's a little hard to tell in this picture, but the pink part of the matroyska's dress is a little woodland scene with deer.  It reminds me of Jan Brett illustrations.  The handle is sturdy and the zipper is a good quality zipper.  The tote is also nice and roomy, measuring 14" x 16".  It's made from canvas so I can throw it in the wash if I need to.  I haven't done that yet.  The only thing I would say that is negative is that the canvas is not very thick.  Yes, that makes the bag lightweight, but I'm not sure how it will stand up to wear and tear.  The cost for this tote from csn.com is $36 which includes shipping.  That's a good price, I suppose, for a designer tote.  However, I'm a cheapskate and I would never have bought something for that price, no matter who the designer.  I did appreciate being contacted by CSN stores and love my tote bag.

And in case you don't know what a matryoska is, according to wikipedia.com, it's a Russian nested doll or a babushka doll.

I Just Finished Reading...

 

I received this book free of charge from Tyndale Publishers as part of the Tyndale Blog Network.  Unless otherwise stated, the opinions given here are 100% mine.

This book is written by a husband and wife, Hayley and Michael DiMarco, that have written dozens of books on love and relationships. They started the company Hungry Planet, an organization that strives to reach the world with books and other media that is truthful.

According to the DiMarco's the definition of "cupidity" is "where love and stupid meet." The book covers many aspects of love, from meeting to marrying and long after the honeymoon. Things men and women say and do in the name of love is often pure cupidity.

At the beginning of the book there is a Cupidity Quiz to help you determine where you fall on the stupidity in love scale. I didn't do too bad. I have some areas that I need to think about and work on, but overall, I'm not doing too bad. (Thank goodness! It's nice to know I've learned something in my 42 years.) The book is then divided up into 5 sections: Emotional Acts of Cupidity, Mental Acts of Cupidity, Physical Acts of Cupidity, Social Acts of Cupidity, and Spiritual Acts of Cupidity.

While I definitely enjoyed the fact that the authors are Christians and used scriptures throughout to help make their points, at times I felt like I was reading a book written by teenagers. The text was often cutesy and shallow. I did enjoy some of the little side notes such as the ways a man feels loved and the way a woman feels loved, or the five signs you've gotten too comfortable in your relationship.

I would probably purchase this book for young adults, single and married, as the book addresses both of those issues. I think it is written for a younger reader than a 42 year old mom of 6. I would consider it a light read and worthy of taking a few notes, especially if you want to improve your romantic life.


And don't forget...ONLY 4 MORE DAYS TO ENTER MY GIVEAWAY!