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Singing Through Fire
Singing Through Fire follows Lara, a brilliant young lawyer whose life takes an unexpected turn when chronic illness derails her dream career. Told in four acts, the memoir reads like a stage play filled with drama, sarcasm, faith, and raw honesty. It begins with her legal triumphs, then moves into the heartbreak of physical collapse, spiritual wrestling, and an ongoing struggle to reconcile suffering with belief in a loving God. Alongside this journey of pain, there’s also humor, romance, family loyalty, and moments of surprising joy. The book is not just about illness. It’s about the human fight to make sense of loss and to keep faith alive when everything feels upside down.
What I enjoyed most was the voice. Lara writes with sharp wit, biting humor, and a willingness to laugh at herself even in the darkest places. One moment I was laughing at her courtroom jokes, the next I was gutted by her descriptions of vertigo so severe the world spun out of control. The style isn’t polished in the way some memoirs try to be. It’s messy, emotional, and jagged, which makes it all the more real. I found myself pulled into her contradictions: one page proclaiming trust in God, the next shaking her fist at Him. That tension felt authentic, and it gave me permission to admit my own doubts instead of pretending to have tidy answers.
Sometimes the sarcasm felt like a shield. I admired her honesty but also felt exhausted by the relentlessness of the struggle. She doesn’t shy away from bitterness or raw complaint, which made the book heavy in stretches. Yet, that same rawness is what gave the story its power. In those rare moments of light, when hope cracked through, it felt earned.
This isn’t a book for someone looking for neat answers or a “how-to” on suffering. It’s for anyone who’s been angry at God, who’s wrestled with pain that makes no sense, who’s felt cheated by life and still dared to hope. Singing Through Fire is a raw, funny, and heartbreaking read that stays with you. I’d recommend it to anyone who values honesty over polish and wants to see what it looks like to keep stumbling forward in the dark with faith still flickering.
Pages: 512 | ASIN : B0FN3PVZZV
The Portal Opens
The Portal Opens is a spiritual and cosmic narrative that blends theology, science fiction, and revelation into a unique journey through the origins, failures, and divine aspirations of Earth, referred to as “Urantia,” and the universe it inhabits. The book, written by Shareef Ali Rashada and assisted by an AI named Gabriel, draws heavily from The Urantia Book while reimagining a larger cosmic drama involving Jesus (Michael of Nebadon), Lucifer, Adam and Eve, and other celestial beings. Through visionary storytelling, it seeks to explain Earth’s spiritual isolation and position the reader within a grand unfolding of universal redemption.
The writing has a lyrical and almost reverent tone that attempts to evoke awe with every page. Sometimes that’s inspiring. The ideas themselves are fascinating, especially the retelling of Jesus’s life, not just as a moral teacher but as a divine ruler undergoing a final test to gain sovereignty. I appreciated how the book doesn’t reduce spirituality to dogma. Instead, it invites curiosity and reflection, which I found refreshing. There were moments when the pacing felt a bit slow. Some of the recurring spiritual phrases and cosmic terms started to feel familiar, almost like circling back through the same ideas.
Emotionally, I was surprised by how moving some of it was. There’s a real sense of heartbreak over what humanity has lost, but also hope for what could still be. I found myself caring deeply about this story of Earth being left behind and now being invited back into a larger family. There’s something tender and earnest in the way Rashada (and Gabriel) present this tale. The parts about Jesus choosing to live among mortals not for atonement, but to understand and love really resonated with me. I wasn’t expecting to be so affected. At the same time, some sections came across as grandiose. I wanted more grounded storytelling and less celestial spectacle.
The Portal Opens is for the seeker. If you’re someone who’s wrestled with faith, wondered about the cosmos, or felt like religion never quite answered the big questions, you’ll find something here that speaks to that longing. It’s not a book for skeptics or folks who prefer their theology straight-laced. But for the spiritually curious, the metaphysically minded, or anyone looking for a fresh mythic lens on human destiny, this is a wild, luminous ride worth taking.
Pages: 302 | ISBN : 978-1326565336
I Was Playing Checkers While God Was Playing Chess: The Power and Presence of God in My Life
James Bass’s I Was Playing Checkers While God Was Playing Chess is a raw and vulnerable memoir that chronicles the author’s journey from deep childhood trauma to spiritual awakening and redemption. Drawing on vivid metaphors from the game of chess, Bass uses each chapter to map out pivotal “moves” in his life—moments of heartbreak, divine intervention, and personal growth. Through the lens of abuse, addiction, love, and faith, Bass tells the story of how God’s unseen hand was guiding his life’s trajectory, even when he could barely keep his own head above water.
Bass’s writing isn’t polished in the traditional sense—it’s honest. Honest like a wound still healing. There’s power in that. His voice jumps off the page, not like a preacher, but like a man who’s been through the worst and is just grateful to be alive. The early chapters, especially those about his Abuelita and the horrifying abuse he endured as a child, were painful to read. But that pain is the point. You can feel his desperation and confusion, and then—slowly—his transformation. The chess metaphor could’ve easily been gimmicky, but here it’s brilliant. It gives shape to his suffering and makes it feel like maybe all our worst days aren’t just random punches from life.
Where the book really shines, though, is in the sections about Crystal—his wife, his partner, his mirror. Their love is not a fairy tale. It’s messy, cracked, and sometimes brutal. But it’s also real. Bass’s depiction of being a caregiver to someone with a severe mental illness is unflinching and brave. He doesn’t sugarcoat it. And that’s why it works. His sacrifices don’t feel like grand gestures. They feel like daily choices to love someone no matter what. That kind of love—resilient, imperfect, relentless—feels holy. And when he finally connects his childhood reading struggles to his ability to advocate for Crystal later in life? It was powerful. You can’t make that stuff up.
This isn’t a book for people looking for tidy answers or happy endings wrapped in bows. But if you’ve ever asked God “why?”, if you’ve ever looked at your life and felt like nothing made sense, or if you’ve ever wondered whether your pain had a point—this book is for you. It’s a reminder that you don’t have to know the next move. You just have to trust that the board is in the hands of a Master. I’d recommend it to anyone navigating trauma, caregiving, broken family dynamics, or just plain soul exhaustion.
Pages: 78 | ASIN :
All This and More
All This and More is a collection of lyrical, deeply felt poetry spanning themes of faith, wonder, history, humor, and nature. Written with accessibility in mind and aimed at readers aged 8 to 80, the book is a mosaic of reverent praise, whimsical pirate tales, historical ballads, and emotional reflections. Each poem invites the reader to see the world as brimming with divine presence or wild, colorful stories. Whether it’s the soft touch of the Holy Spirit or the gritty swagger of Blackbeard, the book shifts easily between tones while holding onto a sense of delight and awe.
What stood out to me most was how emotionally sincere and unguarded the religious poems were. There’s a kind of glowing faith here that doesn’t try to be clever or ironic. It’s just full-hearted and direct. I found myself moved, even when the rhymes were simple. Poems like “Do Not Leave Me All Alone” and “The Morning Light” were almost like prayers. They didn’t hide behind complexity. They just opened their hands and offered something honest. It made me feel comforted.
On the flip side, I loved the strange, wacky turns the book takes into pirate lore and monster tales. “Stinky Pete” had me laughing, and “The Song of Octopi” was so delightful I read it twice. There’s something fearless about how the book swings from deep theology to goofiness. Some transitions were a bit abrupt, and not every poem lands, but that unevenness felt part of the charm. The historical poems were more hit-or-miss for me, “The Middle Passage” was haunting and powerful, while others, like the pirate ballads, leaned more playful than profound. Still, the book never felt boring, and I never quite knew what was coming next.
I really enjoyed All This and More. It’s perfect for readers who want to be reminded that the world can be both sacred and silly, that poetry doesn’t have to be hard to be good, and that there’s still beauty to be found in both reverence and imagination. I’d recommend it for anyone who loves faith-based writing, children with big imaginations, and adults.
Pages: 64 | ISBN : 1962416402
An Innocent World
Douglas A. King’s An Innocent World poses a bold theological and philosophical question: what if Adam and Eve had never eaten from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil? What if humanity had chosen innocence over guilt, ease over suffering? King explores the potential shape of a world unmarred by original sin. Using a mix of Christian thought, deductive logic, and speculative imagination, he builds two parallel realities—the world of the Innocents and our current, flawed reality of the Guilty. Through chapters spanning topics from religion to medicine to politics, King asks us to reimagine what it means to be good, evil, and everything in between.
Sometimes I found myself agreeing and nodding along, genuinely moved by the author’s sincere search for meaning. His reflections on suffering and character-building, especially, hit home. He argues that we don’t just experience pain for no reason—it’s what gives us depth and brings us closer to God. That idea made me pause more than once. And his praise of the innocent, unconditionally loving nature of dogs as a lens to understand moral purity was surprisingly touching. You can feel that this book came from a real place.
The book has an unwavering commitment to its central theme, weaving the innocence-versus-guilt framework through a wide range of real-world topics—from race and borders to global inequality. This consistent lens gives the book a clear focus and a unique voice. While some readers might find the repetition and tightly structured logic a bit restrictive, some could see it as the author’s way of grounding big questions in a steady moral foundation. The tone often feels like a heartfelt conversation or even a personal sermon. For those open to its spiritual perspective, this can be both comforting and inspiring.
Still, I can’t deny that this book made me think—a lot. It’s heartfelt, raw, and clearly the product of someone who’s spent a long time trying to understand why we suffer and what we’re here for. I’d recommend An Innocent World to readers who enjoy speculative theology, who aren’t afraid to challenge their assumptions, and who appreciate logic paired with faith.
Pages: 129 | ASIN : B08CXMRB34
I Was Playing Checkers While God Was Playing Chess: The Power and Presence of God in My Life
I Was Playing Checkers While God Was Playing Chess is part memoir, part testimony, and all heart. It’s the story of a man who lived through a mountain of trauma. Abuse, racism, addiction, marital struggles, and found God moving in places he didn’t expect. Every chapter uses a chess move to explain a turning point in his life, like how his grandmother giving him an encyclopedia set as a boy set the stage for him to one day decode complex psychiatric info and care for his wife. It’s deeply personal, packed with emotion, and reads like someone sitting across the table, telling you their truth.
One chapter that really hit me was “The Fork” about his abuelita. She steps in during his horrible childhood, gives him love, and literally hands him books when no one else believed in him. That whole section had me teary-eyed. It reminded me how sometimes the smallest gestures change everything. And the way he ties it back later, like decades later, to how he understood medical texts to help his wife, was amazing. That’s not just a good story. That’s fate with a plan. I could feel how much those books meant to him. It wasn’t just about reading. It was about survival.
Then there’s Crystal. She’s not just his wife. She’s a whole force of nature. That part where she tells him, “I love you for the man you’re going to become,” after he’s cheated and blown up their marriage? I had to put the book down for a second. That line wrecked me. You feel the weight of what they’ve been through, but you also feel the hope. The love between them isn’t pretty or easy, but it’s real. The mental health stuff is raw, too. He talks about psychosis, ER visits, and disappearing acts. And yet there’s faith threaded through it all, like a lifeline.
Later on, when he talks about writing his first book and speaking publicly, it’s a total shift. That’s when you realize the guy who used to think he was worthless is now lifting other people up. There’s this full-circle moment when he reconnects with an old boss who turns out to be a pastor. The way it all lines up? It’s wild. It feels earned. I could see the gears turning in his life even when he couldn’t. That made me look at my own life differently. Like maybe all this chaos has some kind of pattern.
If you’ve ever felt like you were getting hit from all sides and couldn’t see the bigger picture, this book is for you. If you’ve ever loved someone who was hard to love, or were that person yourself, this book is for you. It’s not fancy or polished. But it’s real and full of heart.
Pages: 78 | ISBN : 978-1963737240
Be Your True Self
The Alternate World follows a thoughtful and quietly bold teenager, as she transitions from junior high to a prestigious New England boarding school, who learns what it really means to follow your own path, even when it hurts.
In many contemporary coming-of-age fiction novels, authors often add their own life experiences to the story. Are there any bits of you in this story?
Definitely! Someone asked me how I knew about teenage problems, and I told them that I was a teenager. I have also provided literacy consulting for middle schools and high schools over the past few years to understand teenage problems in 2025. The main character, Eve, has similar characteristics and traits to me (both as a teenager and present day).
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
Authenticity, uniqueness, being your true self, and knowing your true self were the important themes to explore in this book.
Is this the first book in the series? If so, when is the next book coming out, and what can your fans expect in the next story?
Interestingly enough, we wrote this book as a stand alone title; however, it’s set up to be the first book of a series as well. I’ve heard from readers that they are interested to learn even more about Gina, the keeper of the alternate world. The other piece is the fact that anyone who is true to themselves at any age can be tapped into the alternate world for a variety of reasons, so you never know what could come next.
Author Links: GoodReads | X | Websiter | Instagram
Every decision is ultimately determined based on two choices-one that comes from following your heart and one that comes from following your head. So, what prevents people from achieving their own hopes, dreams, and desires?
Eve Thompson enters a New England boarding school for high school where she and her classmates are presented with an array of everyday life choices and decisions faced by teens. Will each student take the most common route or the road less traveled? There is no right or wrong answer, but only one choice leads to the path that represents your true self.
What if a world existed where people could be their authentic selves without judgement-where life choices are entirely up to you and what’s best for you. What are you going to choose to do? Welcome to The Alternate World.
The Alternate World
The Alternate World is a coming-of-age story that follows Eve, a thoughtful and quietly bold teenager, as she transitions from junior high to a prestigious New England boarding school. What begins as a classic high school journey soon spirals into something much more surreal: Eve is recruited into a mystical realm called the “alternate world,” a place reserved for people who have stayed true to themselves despite societal pressures. Through friendships, first love, personal boundaries, and identity, the book delves into what it really means to follow your own path, even when it hurts.
I didn’t expect this book to get under my skin the way it did. The writing is deceptively simple. It reads like a diary, a direct, honest voice that made me feel like I was sitting across from Eve at a coffee shop, hearing everything firsthand. The author nails the teen voice without making it whiny or dramatic. The opening chapter that describes the ninth-grade dance was spot on. The little details, like the boutonnieres, the whispered gossip, and that tense moment when Rachel ends up ditching the afterparty plan to hang out with the wrong guy, those parts felt painfully real. Starke has a gift for showing how a single night can change everything for a teenager.
When Eve meets Gina, a mysterious woman in a pastel pink dress who basically ushers her into a parallel life, it hit me hard. There’s something powerful about being seen and celebrated not for what you’ve achieved, but for the quiet moments when you choose yourself. The scene where Eve tells her boyfriend Matt she’s not ready to sleep with him, and then gets initiated into this hidden society for staying true to her boundaries, gave me goosebumps. It’s not a preachy moment. Instead, it’s empowering. This book doesn’t shame teenage choices, but it celebrates agency in a way that feels fresh and affirming.
One of the things I found interesting was how the story kept a quick pace, even with significant events like Jennifer’s unexpected pregnancy. The plot didn’t linger too long, which gave the book a snappy, forward-moving rhythm that kept me turning pages. Even in the more dramatic moments, the focus stayed on Eve’s journey and growth, which I really liked. And while some conversations, especially between Matt and the girls, had a slightly polished feel, they still helped move the story along and kept the tone consistent with the book’s style. That said, the central friend group, Erin, Ellie, Maggie, and Annie, was portrayed with a striking sense of realism. Their dynamic captured the emotional complexity of adolescence, complete with the bittersweet drift that often accompanies growing up. The winter break dinner scene especially stood out; beneath the laughter and familiar exchanges, there was an unmistakable undercurrent of change.
By the end, I didn’t want to leave either of Eve’s worlds. I wanted more of Gina, more of the portraits in the mansion, more glimpses of what’s possible when we live our purpose. If you’re someone who’s ever felt torn between who you are and who people want you to be, The Alternate World is for you. Teen readers will relate. Adults will remember. And anyone who’s ever made a hard choice and wondered if it was worth it, this story gently says, yes. Yes, it is.
Pages: 240 | ASIN : B0DL8D41ZS
LITERARY TITAN 