Recent Reads - The Mysterious Case of the Missing Crime Writer

The Mysterious Case of the Missing Crime Writer by Ragnar Jónasson - When a bestselling crime author goes missing, the young detective Helgi is given the challenge of finding her or finding out what happened before the press and public realize there's a problem. Helgi hopes to prove his mettle with the case, and maybe his own love of crime and mystery fiction will help him make sense of the few clues available. He faces challenges in his personal life too, with his former girlfriend stalking and threatening his new love interest and his struggles to handle the situations. 

There's one flashback timeline in which the author, Elín Jónsdóttir, is being interviewed by an unknown person. We're given the transcript of this interview, and there's a sense that there must be clues for the reader that Helgi doesn't have access to, and it does add to the tension. The sections of transcript are interspersed throughout the story.

In another alternate timeline, the detective that Helgi replaced, Hulda, is doing follow-up work on a bank robbery and murder case. It was apparently the last case she was working on before she disappeared. Again, there's a sense to the reader that the cases or maybe even the disappearances must be related, but at the beginning it's not clear just how.

The tension builds throughout, as Elín's few close friends maintain hope that she is still alive and has just chosen to be incommunicado for reasons of her own. There are some clues that don't fit this solution, so Helgi keeps working at it, and the bits of interview transcript start to fall into place for the reader as well. There are some twists and turns in the solution.

There's some good payoff in how Hulda's investigation has a connection to Helgi's case, but those threads seem loosely woven together, and the way Hulda's timeline concludes makes me wonder if there is more to come in a sequel. Likewise with how the book ends on a cliffhanger, and such an abrupt one that I'm still not sure how I feel about it! I was actually startled that there was not another chapter and I really had reached the end of the book. I enjoyed the read, putting together the clues as best I could, and the rising suspense and subsequent satisfaction of the pieces coming together. However, that abrupt ending was very unsettling and left me puzzled and feeling like I'd missed something important.

This book is a sequel to Death At the Sanitorium: A Mystery, which I understand has a similar layout of Helgi following up on Hulda's previous investigation after her disappearance. I don't think it's necessary to read these in order, but given Hulda's disappearance and the drama in Helgi's personal life, I assume it would probably be very helpful to read in order. 

From the publisher:

The next thrilling golden-age-style mystery from the #1 Icelandic bestseller Ragnar Jónasson, author of Death at the Sanatorium and Reykjavik.

One winter evening, bestselling crime author Elín Jónsdóttir goes missing.

There are no clues to her disappearance and it is up to young detective Helgi to crack the case before its leaked to the press.

As Helgi interviews the people closest to her―a publisher, an accountant, a retired judge―he realizes that Elín's life wasn't what it seemed. In fact, her past is even stranger than the fiction she wrote.

As the case of the missing crime writer becomes more mysterious by the hour, Helgi must uncover the secrets of the writer's very unexpected life.

I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley and was under no obligation to post a review.

#NetGalley

By the same author: Reykjavik: A Crime Story (with Katrín Jakobsdóttir)

This is a book set in a country with an active volcano (#49) for The 52 Book Club's 2025 Reading Challenge.

#the52bookclub #the52bookclub2025

This post will be linked at the current BookWorms Monthly link-up hosted by At Home A Lot.

©2008-2025 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. This post was written by a human.  http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/ 

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Recent Reads - The Highland Heist

The Highland Heist by Pepper Basham - Frederick and Grace have had several exciting adventures on their honeymoon trip to Egypt and Italy, but before returning to England, Frederick surprises Grace with a visit to her family home in America. But the home has been sold and upon their arrival at her sister's house, there is another shock ― Lillias's husband has just been stabbed and she is the prime suspect and the household is in turmoil. Frederick and Grace try to take charge of the situation and find the real murderer. This is complicated by untrustworthy household staff, a phony police officer, and Lillias's uncooperative attitude.

Amidst all this drama, a solicitor arrives to inform the sisters that their late mother left them an inheritance in Scotland, and they need to claim it together. He has been delayed in finding them, and now time is of the essence if they are to claim the property before it is sold. Lillias grasps at this hope of salvaging her finances, but her name must be cleared before they can depart, so Frederick and Grace race to find out who killed Tony and keep themselves alive. It seems that someone wants to keep them from ever reaching Scotland and finding the original copy of the will!

When Lillias recklessly leaves for Scotland by herself, the pressure is really on Frederick and Grace to get there as quickly as possible not only to find the will but to rescue Lillias from the villain they realize is following her. More surprises await them all as they confront a ruthless killer and hunt for a will in a castle rumored to be haunted.

Coincidences and danger seem to follow Grace everywhere she goes, but her sense of adventure and love of books keeps her optimistic and high-spirited. As a character, she has matured over the series, but still seems very young, showing a childlike quality that borders on naivete at times, but her cheerful boldness and determination make her a very appealing and likeable character. She and Frederick are still in the early days of their marriage and both often reflect on the good fortune of their relationship and the devotion is accompanied by some starry-eyed newlywed behavior as well.

The adventures, coincidences, and character quirks are just exaggerated enough to provide drama and humor, although stretching credulity a bit. Grace's love of story and penchant for viewing everything through the lens of books she has read brings a lighthearted quality to the suspenseful situations, and one can't help but cheer for the fairytale happy endings along with her.

From the publisher:

Grace Storms a Scottish Castle to Save her Sister

Lord Astley surprises his wife with a trip to America to see her family before they end their honeymoon adventures. But just as they arrive, they find Grace's sister, Lillias, is the prime suspect in her husband's murder. To add to the confusion a solicitor arrives to tell the sisters they are needed in Scotland immediately to claim their mother's inheritance.

The clock is ticking to clear Lillias of suspicion, but someone is determined to keep the sisters from reaching the Scottish Highlands. When Lillias disappears, Freddie and Grace race to Scotland, sure the answers will be found in a long-forgotten castle.

With a ghost from Frederick's past leaving threatening clues along the way, the mysterious Mr. Kane waiting in the wings to grab the inheritance for himself, and an apparition haunting the infamous castle, Lord and Lady Astley must capture the castle, save Lillias, and not die in the process.

The Highland Heist is a Freddie and Grace Mystery, sequel to The Mistletoe Countess, The Cairo Curse, and The Juliet Code.

 

I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley and was under no obligation to post a review.

#TheHighlandHeist #NetGalley

By the same author: The Juliet Code, The Cairo Curse, The Heart of the Mountains, Hope Between the Pages; The Red Ribbon; My Heart Belongs in the Blue Ridge: Laurel's Dream

This is a book featuring a character with red hair (#2) for The 52 Book Club's 2025 Reading Challenge.

#the52bookclub #the52bookclub2025

This post will be linked at the current BookWorms Monthly link-up hosted by At Home A Lot, and at  the Historical Fiction Reading Challenge 2025 hosted by The Intrepid Reader and Baker.

#histficreadingchallenge

©2008-2025 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. This post was written by a human.  http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/ 

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The Crumbs off Heaven's Table - Pre-Order Now!

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This is one of the books I'm reading to start the new year, and it's a wonderful choice! I'm so proud to be part of the launch team for this novel that launches on January 16th, and have the chance to read it before that big day! It's available for pre-order now though, so you can be ready to start reading.

The Crumbs Off Heaven's Table by D.M. Griffin - I love historical fiction, and historical novels based on Biblical stories are especially interesting to me. This one explores the brief account in the Gospels of Jesus responding to a Gentile woman's request for healing for her demon-possessed daughter. If you've read this little vignette in the book of Mark, maybe you found Jesus' initial answer puzzling because it seems almost like he isn't sympathetic to this Greek woman's pleas on her child's behalf. But of course Jesus does heal the daughter, and commends the woman for her great faith. Perhaps you've wondered, as many have, who this woman was, how she heard about Jesus, and how she had come to such a conviction that Jesus could do the miracle she asked of him. I've also wondered what happened to the woman and her daughter after this healing. They must have had an amazing story to tell! This novel imagines the background and details and provides compelling possibilities by creating a cast of complex and interesting supporting characters.

From the publisher: 

A life targeted by the forces of evil since the beginning but protected within the fold of a love she was afraid to embrace and couldn't fully understand. Not as a Gentile at least. Separated from her parents, Serene became a servant who learned not to expect much out of life. Constant fear kept her in hiding, satisfied with the little provisions that her master allowed.

Yet she couldn't hide from love forever. When a certain man from Rome came into her life, Serene's heart began to open in love. Divine intervention mingled with circumstance until Serene was introduced not only to the love between a man and woman, but the love between her and her Creator.

With this powerful love also came an enemy. Would Serene's fragile faith and low self-esteem be able to battle the forces that were beyond herself? Would desperation drive her to seek the One who could truly send the demon possessing her daughter back to the Abyss? How would one encounter with the Son of God test her faith and reveal her true identity as a daughter of the King?

You can pre-order from Amazon now, and the book will be available January 16th. 

You can also visit the author's website to find out more: Devoted Steps

©2008-2024 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/ 

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Recent Reads - Composition as Conversation

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Composition As Conversation by Heather M. Hoover - Although this concise guide to writing well is not a traditional textbook, it does offer valuable advice to students and instructors alike on how to improve the craft. Based on her experience as a college writing instructor, Hoover approaches composition as an ongoing conversation between the writer and readers. She begins with a question asked of her students about what makes a person an excellent conversationalist, and then applies seven of the top characteristics to the discipline of writing. This paradigm shift can invite and inspire writers to be more respectful and willing to continue learning about their subjects.

The suggestions and instructions are geared for college level students and classrooms, but I think the ideas could be adapted and incorporated into high school classrooms as well. In fact, high school students would benefit from learning how to be attentive and open-minded as they are developing their writing skills in preparation for college research. 

In my opinion, this book is best suited as a resource for writing instructors who wish to make their classroom more interesting and engaging, and inspire quality conversations and writing from their students. There is no lesson plan or syllabus, but many ideas for engaging students in ongoing discussions that will help them learn to listen and read attentively, and put their research and thoughts into more meaningful and relatable written conversations. There is an appendix of samples and templates for revision guides and peer reviews and the like that would be very helpful to many instructors. Certainly more advanced writers, especially at the college level, will find the book very helpful as well.

In keeping with her theme, Hoover's writing is conversational in tone and inspired me to ponder the ideas more deeply and consider how the suggestions could be useful in my high school level class for homeschool students. I was intrigued enough to purchase a paperback of the book when I was only about halfway through the digital ARC I received, so that I could easily highlight and annotate the instruction ideas I most wanted to incorporate into my classroom. 

From the publisher:

Teaching writing is not for the faint of heart, but it can be a tremendous gift to teachers and students. Students often approach writing courses with trepidation because they think of writing as a mystical and opaque process. Teachers often approach these same courses with dread because of the enormous workload and the often-unpolished skills of new writers. This approachable composition textbook for beginning writers contends that writing can be a better experience for everyone when taught as an empathetic and respectful conversation. In a time in which discourse is not always civil and language is not always tended carefully, a conversation-based wrirting approach emphasizes intention and care.

Written by a teacher with more than fifteen years of experience in the college writing classroom, Composition as Conversation explores what happens when the art of conversation meets the art of writing. Heather Hoover shows how seven virtues―including curiosity, attentiveness, relatability, open-mindedness, and generosity―inform the writing process and can help students become more effective writers. She invites writers of all skill levels to make meaningful contributions with their writing.

This short, accessible, and instructive book offers a reflective method for college-level writing and will also work well in classical school, high school, and homeschool context. It demystifies the writing process and helps students understand why their writing matters. It will energize teachers of writing as they encourage their students to become careful readers and observers, intentional listeners, and empathetic arguers. The book also provides helpful sample assignments.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Baker Academic through NetGalley and was under no obligation to post a review.

#CompositionasConversation  #NetGalley

This is a book under 200 pages (#6) for The 52 Book Club's 2023 Reading Challenge

#the52bookclub #the52bookclub2023

©2008-2023 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/ 

 We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Review: Route 60 - The Biblical Highway #Route60MIN

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I had the privilege of seeing the advance release of this fascinating documentary and want to encourage you to see it in theaters if you can. It will be in theaters September 18th and 19th only, so grab your tickets today! If you're interested in Biblical or ancient history, I think you'll really enjoy it. It would be a great addition to history, geography, world religions, or Bible studies for homeschooling families; and for anyone looking for background to understanding the geography where the Bible stories took place and the foundations of the nation of Israel, and how it's all intertwined.

Route 60 is a documentary about Israel's famous highway, one that passes through sites of great historical significance, places where the patriarchs, kings and prophets, disciples, and Jesus himself walked.

Synopsis: 

Carving through the heart of the Promised Land is the biblical spine of Israel, sometimes referred to as the Path of the Patriarchs and officially designated as Route 60. A highway of deep historical significance while often the scene of unrest and violence, this 146-mile road of asphalt and concrete begins in Nazareth, Israel's largest Arab city, and ends in Beersheba, one of Israel's high-tech centers. Running north to south, Route 60 connects ancient Israel with modern Israel, Jews and Christians with Muslims, and Israelis with Palestinians.

This trek is far more than a two-lane highway; it is a historic, sacred link to the roots of Judaism and Christianity and the stories of the Old and New Testaments. Follow world-changing diplomats David Friedman and Mike Pompeo as they venture down this sacred road, treading the very ground Abraham, Jacob, King David, and Jesus once walked. Discover the history, witness the healing, and realize the hope along Route 60, the Biblical Highway.

What others are saying:

"Visually stunning and compelling storytelling." ~Mike Huckabee

"ROUTE 60 combines the truth of the Bible with undeniable archaeological proof, and like our tour guides, Pompeo and Friedman, that's a powerful combination!" ~Erick Stakelbeck

My thoughts: The scenery and the views of historical sites was enough to draw me immediately, and the added graphics to help visualize the passages of Scripture referenced and the historical Biblical events were so appealing as well. But what I most enjoyed was the simple but compelling way Friedman and Pompeo related how the sites they visited were significant throughout the story of the Bible. Some of these sites, like Shechem and Bethel, are places where more than one greatly important event took place. I've watched many documentaries and video studies of sites in the Holy Land, yet some of the sites in ROUTE 60 were new to me, or I learned new context and significance to these places. Friedman is an Orthodox Jew and Pompeo is a Christian, and both have long and significant experience as American diplomats, so it was also fascinating to hear them talk about more recent history involving the nation of Israel such as the Abraham Accords and the relocation of the American Embassy to Jerusalem in light of Biblical history. Both men also told stories of the impact the truth of the Bible has had on how they view the world and the roles they've played, and about their personal faith as well.

Visit the movie's website Route 60 Movie to find out more.

Buy tickets at: Route 60 Movie

Hashtags: #Route60MIN #MomentumInfluencerNetwork

Disclosure: Many thanks to TBN for providing a sample of the product for this review. Opinions are 100% my own.

 ©2008-2023 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/ 

 We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Book Review Bulletin - September 2023

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Welcome to the Book Review Bulletin link-up! The purpose is to share our individual book reviews and to visit and comment on those review posts. Sometimes it seems that we book bloggers do a lot of sharing and commenting on our reading lists and teasers and book-related posts, but not nearly as much attention is given to the actual reviews. 

The Bulletin is a monthly link-up for review posts. Share the individual posts of book reviews on your blog that you'd like to highlight, and make sure to visit, leave comments, and perhaps share some of the other reviews linked up. 

The Bulletin opens on the first day of each month and closes on the last day of the month. You can grab the button below for your blog if you'd like. After leaving your link, please visit one or two (or more!) of the other links and leave a comment.

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Reminder: Please include a MATURE tag on any links to reviews with books or covers above a PG rating. This will give readers that prefer clean read a heads-up before they click your link. Thank you for respecting this request!

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Recent Reads - Reykjavik: A Crime Story

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Reykjavík: A Crime Story by Ragnar Jónasson and Katrín Jakobsdóttir - In 1956, a teenage girl disappeared from a small island just off the coast of Reykjavik, and the mystery remained unsolved. Detective Kristjan pursued the very few clues he had, but found no answers and had to leave the case open. He never forgot about Lara's disappearance though, and kept hoping she was alive. The opening chapter in Part One takes place just after Lara disappeared, the second chapter is ten years later, with Kristjan reflecting on the case after a newspaper runs a story on it. The third chapter is twenty years later, in 1976, with another news story focusing on the old mystery and Kristjan still wondering whether he'd done all he could. Then the story jumps ahead to 1986, and an enterprising young journalist named Valur who is working on yet another anniversary story on Lara's disappearance. He follows every lead and tries to interview the people connected to the case in any way, and makes enough progress that he believes he may be able to solve the mystery. He even receives a couple of mysterious and anonymous tips that seem very valuable, and indicate that someone does know what happened. Valur is determined and hopeful, but is taken aback when the newspaper editor starts advertising that the case will be solved in an upcoming edition of the paper, to coincide with Reykjavik's anniversary celebrations. Something seems off . . . and then an accident takes Valur's life . . . or was it an accident?

Valur's sister Sunna had been his confidant, and he had loaned her his notebook before his death, hoping for her insight on the leads he'd gathered. Sunna realizes that Valur must have been close to the truth, and that he may have been murdered because of it. She decides she will finish the story for the paper herself and sets out to talk to everyone mentioned in his notes. With help from Valur's girlfriend, Sunna untangles the threads of the mysterious messages he'd received and eventually discovers what happened to Lara and why the crime had gone undetected for thirty years.

This is the first Nordic Noir title I've read, and I wasn't sure what to expect. Still, I was pleasantly surprised that although the overall atmosphere of the story evokes sadness and regret, it was not dark or deeply disturbing. The pace is relatively slow, with characters thinking, reflecting, remembering, and talking through the clues and possibilities rather than actively chasing them down. The mystery is a perplexing one, and very well thought out, so as Valur and then Sunna start peeling back the layers, the reader is able to piece things together along with them until the final resolution, which holds a bit of a twist. I liked the character arc for Sunna as well, as she moved into the lead character role and found purpose and meaning after her own tragedy.

From the publisher:

With over three million copies sold worldwide, Ragnar Jónasson, along with Katrín Jakobsdóttir, brings us a gripping and chilling new thriller, Reykjavík.

What happened to Lára?

Iceland, 1956. Fourteen-year-old Lára decides to spend the summer working for a couple on the small island of Videy, just off the coast of Reykjavík. In early August, the girl disappears without a trace. Time passes, and the mystery becomes Iceland's most infamous unsolved case. What happened to the young girl? Is she still alive? Did she leave the island, or did something happen to her there?

Thirty years later, as the city of Reykjavík celebrates its 200th anniversary, journalist Valur Robertsson begins his own investigation into Lára's case. But as he draws closer to discovering the secret, and with the eyes of Reykjavík upon him, it soon becomes clear that Lára's disappearance is a mystery that someone will stop at nothing to keep unsolved . . .

I received a digital ARC of this book from NetGalley for the purpose of this review.

This is a book that I've been avoiding for the Summer Reading Challenge.

This is Nordic Noir (#24) for The 52 Book Club's 2023 Reading Challenge

#the52bookclub #the52bookclub2023

©2008-2023 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/ 

 We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Book Review Bulletin - August 2023

This post contains affiliate links - using affiliate links from Just A Second helps supply books and coffee. 

Welcome to the Book Review Bulletin link-up! The purpose is to share our individual book reviews and to visit and comment on those review posts. Sometimes it seems that we book bloggers do a lot of sharing and commenting on our reading lists and teasers and book-related posts, but not nearly as much attention is given to the actual reviews. 

The Bulletin is a monthly link-up for review posts. Share the individual posts of book reviews on your blog that you'd like to highlight, and make sure to visit, leave comments, and perhaps share some of the other reviews linked up. 

The Bulletin opens on the first day of each month and closes on the last day of the month. You can grab the button below for your blog if you'd like. After leaving your link, please visit one or two (or more!) of the other links and leave a comment.

Any questions? Suggestions? Please let me know!

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Reminder: Please include a MATURE tag on any links to reviews with books or covers above a PG rating. This will give readers that prefer clean read a heads-up before they click your link. Thank you for respecting this request!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

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©2008-2023 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/ 

 We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

The Journey: A Music Special From Andrea Bocelli (Review and Giveaway) #TheJourneyTBNMIN

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The Journey: A Music Special from Andrea Bocelli - Coming to theaters April 2-9, 2023 (Dates extended!)

See THE JOURNEY in theaters starting April 2nd! Buy tickets at: TheJourney.movie

"We journeyed by horse for over 300 kilometers along a path that was not always easy to travel, but absolutely beautiful, made of meadows and forests; sacred places filled with lasting testimonies of faith, full of art of incredible beauty, and views in front of which one can't but ponder about creation and the miraculous work of our Heavenly Father." ~Andrea Bocelli, talking about his movie, THE JOURNEY, in theaters beginning Palm Sunday, April 2.

What is Andrea Bocelli's hope for you when you see THE JOURNEY? "My wish is that the movie can offer an invitation to fully live and recognize our daily miracles."

Synopsis: Combining world-class musical performances with intimate conversations across the awe-inspiring Italian countryside, THE JOURNEY: A Music Special from Andrea Bocelli is an exploration of moments that define us, songs that inspire us, and relationships that connect us to what matters most in life.

From TBN comes THE JOURNEY, a sacred pilgrimage of hope, beauty, and song featuring Andrea Bocelli and other great artists. In addition to Bocelli, THE JOURNEY features Michael W. Smith, Tori Kelly, Tauren Wells, TAYA, and many others in amazing musical performances across majestic locations. You'll be swept away by the beauty of THE JOURNEY. Experience the awe of the music, the Italian landscape, meaningful conversations, and the reality of hope, faith, and love. Get your tickets at TheJourney.movie.  

This special theatrical event opens on Palm Sunday and continues through Holy Week: April 2nd through April 9th.

My thoughts:  I love Andrea Bocelli's voice and couldn't pass up the opportunity to hear him along with other wonderful musicians like Tori Kelly and Michael W. Smith. To also get a glimpse of some of the beautiful buildings and landscapes along Italy's Via Francigena and be introduced to musical artists I wasn't familiar with made it even more special. 

Andrea and his wife Veronica begin their journey along this ancient road of pilgrimage in Rome, and as they travel, they talk with each other and with some of the guest artists about their own personal journeys of faith. Childhood memories and experiences that shaped them, and how God worked to give them hope and purpose, and what they want to share with the world through their music. Bocelli's children, Matteo and Virginia, make appearances as well, and both of those segments are very moving. Bocelli singing his own "Ave Maria" while joined by his daughter is breathtaking.

There are mini-concerts throughout the movie's journey, with Tori Kelly, Tauren Wells, TAYA, Michael W. Smith, and Clara Barbier Serrano performing on their own and with Bocelli. Two instrumental groups that I hadn't heard before joined in as accompanists and performers. 2CELLOS is a Croatian cello duo, and 40 Fingers is an Italian guitar quartet. It was intriguing to see a young lady conducting the orchestra. Her name is Beatrice Venezi, and she is one of the few female conductors on the international stage. British soloist Katherine Jenkins joined Bocelli at the end of the journey performing a couple of beautiful songs. 

The music ranges from Schubert's "Ave Maria" to a version of Bernstein's "Hallelujah", and each artist brings their own style and composition to share as well. I especially loved the set with Katherine Jenkins near the end, and the very moving closing song that featured all of the artists singing "Amazing Grace".

See The Journey in theaters April 2nd through April 9th!

Purchase tickets at: TheJourney.movie

As part of this promotion, Momentum is generously allowing me to host this giveaway of a $10 Amazon gift card. Please note: This giveaway is open to US only, opens on April 2nd and closes on April 9th. The same giveaway form appears here and on A Fresh Cup of Coffee and Homeschool Coffee Break.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Hashtags: #TheJourneyTBNMIN #MomentumInfluencerNetwork

Disclosure: Many thanks to TBN for providing a sample of the product for this review. Opinions are 100% my own.

©2008-2023 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/ 

 We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

His Only Son - Movie Review and Giveaway #HisOnlySonMIN

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His Only Son, a new movie from  Angel Studios (makers of The Chosen) is coming to theaters starting March 31, 2023. This powerful movie explores the Biblical story of Abraham and his son Isaac. The story in Genesis tells about God speaking to Abraham and promising to make him the father of nations and bless him, and after many years of waiting, Abraham and his wife Sarah finally have a son of their own. But God then calls on Abraham to sacrifice this promised and beloved son. 

Make plans today to see HIS ONLY SON in theaters March 31st! Buy tickets at: HisOnlySonMovie.com.

"After being called on by the Lord, Abraham's faith is tested on his three day journey to sacrifice his son."

Synopsis:  His Only Son recounts one of the most controversial moments in the Old Testament―when Abraham was commanded by God to sacrifice his son Isaac on the mountain of Moriah. While traveling to the place of the sacrifice, alongside Isaac and two servants, Abraham is flooded with vivid memories from the years he and Sarah spent longing for the son they were promised―the son he must now lay upon the altar.

My thoughts:  Although the movie essentially begins at the point where God calls Abraham and tells him to give Isaac as a sacrifice, it also lays all the background in a series of memories and flashbacks, so viewers are introduced to Abraham and Sarah in their younger years when God first spoke to Abraham about moving to a new land that God would show him. More memories add to the story of their years of longing for a child and Sarah wondering how God would keep his promises to her husband when she still couldn't get pregnant. Sarah's struggle to understand Abraham's faith in a God that she didn't know and her growing bitterness when she is well past her childbearing years and the promised child still hasn't come is portrayed poignantly.

Isaac's birth to a couple so old brings new life to Sarah and Abraham, and Sarah finds great joy in her son. So how do you think she reacted when Abraham insisted that Isaac was to go along on this journey through the wilderness to sacrifice to God? Don't you think she'd be worried about her elderly husband on this trip as well? What did the servants who accompanied Abraham and Isaac think about the whole situation? What about Isaac himself? I thought the movie did an excellent job of portraying some of the likely actions and reactions, and invited viewers along on the emotional journey as well.

I loved how Isaac's personality was shown, as a kind and generous young man, willing to go out of his way to rescue lost sheep and ready to give up his freedom to save a captive. But what would he do when told that he was to be the sacrifice?

The imagery and language also drew all the appropriate parallels between Abraham's call to give up his only son, and God's plan to sacrifice his only son two thousand years later. The connection to the death and resurrection of Jesus is clear and compelling, so it's just perfect that this movie will be in theaters just before the Easter season. 

After my husband and I watched the movie, he remarked that he had expected it to be an Easter movie, a movie about Jesus Christ dying in our place. And in a sense, it is. It points the way to Jesus the Messiah, to his death and resurrection, and helps us understand the greatness of that sacrifice and that gift to us. I hope you'll go see the movie, and I pray you'll be blessed by it.

Find out more at the previously livestreamed announcement video on YouTube.

Follow His Only Son on Instagram and on Facebook.

See His Only Son in theaters starting March 31st!

Purchase tickets at: HisOnlySonMovie.com.  

As part of this promotion, Momentum is generously allowing me to host this giveaway of a $10 Amazon gift card. Please note: This giveaway is open to US only, opens on March 24th and closes on March 31st. The same giveaway form appears here and on A Fresh Cup of Coffee.

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Disclosure: Many thanks to Angel Studios for providing a sample of the product for this review. Opinions are 100% my own.

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