Yada Yada

Yada Yada Prayer Group by Neta Jackson
Review by Lisa Norsworthy


I get absolutely giddy when I find a series I want to read! It means, for at least a few weeks, I don’t have to search for a book or, worse yet, start a book that I end up leaving because I can’t get interested. So, because I know many readers feel the same, I asked John if I could review a few of my favorite series.

The Yada Yada Prayer Group Series by Neta Jackson has seven books so it will keep you busy for awhile. Jodi Baxter, a 40-something school teacher, has just moved to urban Chicago from the suburbs. Her husband, Denny, has gone into the city for years helping with an urban ministry, but has decided that the Lord wants the family to live in the community where he ministers which proves to be quite an adjustment. Jodi goes to a women’s retreat where prayer groups are formed randomly. In her prayer group, she meets women of every age and ethnicity. They decide to keep the prayer group going by meeting bi-weekly at each other’s homes and so the Yada Yada Prayer Group is formed.

While this book is a first-person account of Jodi’s life, the reader gets to know the tribulations and joys of all the women in the group. Jackson does such a great job with character development, I caught myself wondering what happened to Jodi a couple of times as though she were a real person! All of these women are born-again Christians but they come from different denominations and have different styles of worship, and I enjoyed reading about these differences.

If you like books that are full of action and intrigue, the pace may be too slow for you. This is definitely a series for readers who like books about people and relationships. If that is you, you have a good series to read at the beach this summer!

Review: Someone to Blame

SOMEONE TO BLAME

by C. S. Lakin

TAGS: Family Drama, Murder Mystery

Rich and vibrant characterizations are the hallmark of this novel. C. S. Lakin skillfully intertwines her main characters and their relationships with the novel’s secondary characters, never forsaking the importance of keeping the reader’s focus on the story line’s movement. Nor does Lakin beat the reader over the head with her underlying message of faith.

Readers quickly connect with each of the characters because of Lakin’s ability to immediately make each of the people populating her novel real and compelling. The novel is strong on family and interpersonal relationships—and the dynamics involved when people turn away from God and look for answers elsewhere. 

Lakin creates suspense in her novel by using the tried and true technique of building her characters and pulling in the reader, before revealing the issues at the center of the novel’s plot. And at the center of the plot are the novel’s primary characters—Irene and Matt, and their daughter, Casey. The family is struggling with the deaths of Daniel and Jesse, Casey’s older brothers. The family dysfunction created as a result is woven into the novel’s plot and serves as a linchpin for much of the action and suspense.

While with some novels, readers find difficulty in making the connection between the story and its title, with this novel “someone to blame” is clearly what each and every character is looking to find. Someone to blame is a primary motivator for both the main and secondary characters, and the novel’s action elements. The consequences of wrongfully assigning blame is a key theme in the novel’s plot, as towns people finds it easy to accuse a young man, Billy Thurber, of all sorts of malfeasance, including murder.

Readers who enjoy unraveling the threads of interpersonal relationships and analyzing cause and effect as they read will discover some gems within this novel. I would not describe “Someone to Blame” as a page-turner that will keep you up all night, but I did find it compelling and well worth the time to read. Lakin sneaks up on you, and leaves you thinking and reflecting on the book well after the last sentence is read.

Reviewer: Janice E. Daku

A SECOND PERSPECTIVE

Someone to Blame has a diverse and interesting ensemble of characters; the core characters being Matt, Irene & Casey Moore and the drifter Billy Thurber.

The book begins with the Moores moving to a new town to make a fresh start after an unspeakable tragedy in their family. The author gradually reveals the details of his tragedy through the points of view of the family members who are in total despair.

At about the same time they move to this new town, a drifter appears who begins having run-ins with locals who take an immediate dislike to his rude, defiant behavior. When many random crimes begin to happen in the town, everyone begins to blame Billy. Irene Moore is the only one who tries to reach out to him, and through a series of exciting twists and turns, both the Moores and Billy Thurber find healing.

C.S. Lakin said in an interview that she likes strong character development and a charcter-driven story. I, too, love character-driven stories, but I also find that oftentimes they lack an exciting plot. This author masterfully developed interesting characters and the interactions between them, and also constructed a fast-paced plot that kept me riveted. I love this type of story where people are trying to deal with hard trials in their lives and how God shows Himself strong in those times. 

Reviewer: Lisa Norsworthy

Check it out on Amazon here: Someone to Blame: A Novel

C.S.Lakin: I come from a family of successful writers, i.e.: they have actually made a living writing books and television scripts. I have finally landed my first fiction contract, after winning the Zondervan First Novel contest at Mount Hermon in April 2009. But as a friend once said, "God doesn't call us to be successful; He calls us to be faithful." My prayer is to keep focused on God--it's all about Him, not me, and my dream is to reach people with hope and that means to extol my faithful and loving God to my readers.