Tuesday

The Panther - Book Review


My brother-in-law got me hooked on Nelson DeMille books.






Thankfully he had read a few of them before he started me on them so he gave them to me in order (at least the John Corey ones) and being the methodical person that I am that is exactly how I like to read a series.

Then we got my husband on to them and at the moment he is still reading "The Panther" on his kindle and I have just finished so thought I would tell you about it here.


The Panther


Description


It's one of the most dangerous and volatile countries in the world: Yemen. A Middle Eastern hotbed of corruption and insurgency and the perfect training ground for Islamic terrorists.
When FBI agents John Corey and Kate Mayfield are assigned to overseas posts in Sana'a, Yemen's capital city, they are tasked with hunting down the high-ranking Al Qaeda operative responsible for the USS Cole bombing. This man, known as The Panther, is wanted for terrorist acts and multiple murders and the US government is determined to bring him down, no matter the cost.
As latecomers to a deadly game, John and Kate don't know the rules, the players or the score. What they do know is that there is more to their assignment than meets the eye - and that the hunters are about to become the hunted.




My Thoughts



Firstly  -  it is full of one liners.

I missed those in "The Lion" and my brother-in-law & I decided the reason was that John Corey's wife was not in as much of that book as she had been in others so there wasn't the same opportunity for DeMille to write them.

Not only is Kate in the whole book this time but there are some other characters constantly there too and then they are also the objects of Corey's witty remarks.


Secondly  -  Nelson DeMille makes a story about the middle east actually interesting.

I have read some books set in that part of the world before in bookclubs and have never found them to be the type to entice me to read more but this was different. 








Thirdly  -  it is not as gory as "The Lion" which made it a nicer read for me.

I had been rather disappointed in "The Lion" which I found a bit boring, long and incorporating too much personal violence, but all I can say is that Nelson DeMille is back on form with this latest John Corey book "The Panther" - thank goodness.



DeMille's book is well researched and is written with a lot of detail but not too much to end up being boring.







As with his other John Corey books it is witty and full of action so a good choice of book for the man in your life but also a book us ladies can enjoy if we like mysteries and detectives.

So I really enjoyed it and I have a sneaking suspicion that there may be a new character reappearing in a future book, and yes there has to be another John Corey book.  There just has to be.

If you would like to know more about this book then click on the title or picture above.



Book Review - The Panther by Nelson DeMille


Here is a link to a list of Nelson DeMille's novels on Amazon

Books by Nelson DeMille


If thinking of reading this book in the future why not pin this pic to go back to later.






Here are some more Book Reviews at Sandra's Ark 



Wednesday

I am Petite! Who Cares? - A Dose of Encouragement


Yes. I am Petite!


That does not mean I take size 10 (UK) or below and it maddens me when people use petite in this way.


I am petite because I am smaller than 5' 3".








In fact I am not quite 5' 1"



I do need clothes that are the right length and in the right proportion but it can be very hard to find these even in the small sizes but much harder in sizes over 12. Then we also have to put up with a more old-fashioned look for the petites in those sizes.


When we lived in America I found a lovely shop called "Petite Sophisticate" and I just adored the clothes from there. But there was another problem and that is: Why should we have to pay more money for items that actually have less material in them than "normal" items?








My husband is almost 6' tall so there is a bit of a difference between the two of us. Even so when we had our first son I prayed that he would not be short like me but taller like his dad. 2 years later we had another son and I prayed that he would be tall as well. 3 years after that we had our daughter and I prayed that she would not take after me.



God answered my prayers and our oldest boy is almost as tall as his dad, the second boy is taller than his dad at around 6' 3" (sometimes we joke that I prayed too hard for him) and our daughter is about 5 inches taller than me. My sister used to joke that I needed a stepladder to kiss Fred (my husband) but that's not really a joke when it comes to Daniel (son no.2) and he normally ends up with a kiss on the neck instead of on the cheek.






So I was back to the petite clothing problem when my son Daniel was getting married and I needed an outfit.



I really needed a petite outfit.



Another thing that often goes hand in hand with someone being petite is the attitude of others towards them.


We get lots of remarks about our height.


"Gosh you are small!"

I know I am, do they think they are the first to have noticed?


"You'd better stand in front for the photo or you won't be seen."

I know I have to stand in front, do they think this has never happened to me before?


I normally look at my husband Fred in one of these "height challenged" moments and he smiles just the right way to show he has noticed and he knows how I feel. If he's near enough there will be the squeeze of my hand or a wee stroke on my neck.
Fred can do something just between us that makes me feel cared for in situations where others don't take time to think how I might feel.



Often people don't stop to think how we feel.




So looking for a special outfit is not an excitement for me but can be a dread because of the lack of choice and the way I may be treated.


I know I can't dwell on the fact that others aren't thoughtful or considerate all the time and I know that there are probably times when I don't stop and think to be as considerate as I possibly can.


There is only one person who cares about us all enough to know how we feel and what we need and that is the God.


When I see my husband being so thoughtful and understanding of what hurts me then I see something of the example of Christ and this is the way it is in a marriage. The husband is to love his wife just as Christ loves the church and this means being protected, provided for and cared for giving us security in our relationship.


So obviously when we see a good example of this in a marriage it helps us to remember the security we have in Christ even when we tend to temporarily forget His promises.








Of course this is another good reason to read some of the Word of God each day to be constantly reminded of how much Christ cares for us, enough to die in our place when we did not deserve His love.


Doesn't that make us feel cared for, loved and protected?


Doesn't that make us want to be part of His family?


Doesn't that lift us when others put us down?


Doesn't that bring us joy?




People don't stop to think how we feel. Who Cares?



Saw this riddle for the word PETITE
and I just wish it were true 

but it makes me smile anyway.






Well what about that outfit I had to get for Daniel's Wedding?

You can read all about that at What Will I Wear?

and

Here are some other  Doses of Encouragement