True Faith and Allegiance by Alberto Gonzales

This is an autobiography of the first Hispanic Attorney General of The United States.

It is a thick book full of personal stories that you would expect in a political player surrounded by one of the most horrific events in this country.

Gonzales takes you back to his roots and how he joined the ranks of the Texas lawyers - up to Texas Supreme Court. But the real purpose of reading this book is for insight into his time with the Bush administration, right?

I liked reading his perspective on events and his explanation for why he made the decisions and recommendations that he did.

He added just the right amount of detail to what his work was like and how it affected his personal/home life.

Whether you agreed with him or not, this is a great book to read if you're looking for insight. I didn't think it read too partisan (other than his support of his friend President Bush).

He made some very controversial calls and what appeared to be politically motivated decisions during his tenure. So this book helps provide his side of the story and it should be read by anyone interested in how the political realm of D.C. operates.

This book was provided for review, at no cost, by Thomas Nelson Publishing.

Finding the Lost Images of God by Timothy Laniak

I enjoyed previous books in this series.

They are tall, sturdy, fully colored, easy to read books. And that might be part of the issue I had with this book.

The authors provide insight into ancient culture's understanding of God and how they imagined through symbol/art/etc...

My thought was they could go so much deeper and farther with their study. This is very much a brief - quite brief - introduction to the idea of how God was imagined in the ancient cultures of the world.

The pictures are top notch. The writing is on the level that anyone could pick up and read with ease. It's a great starting point for people interested in the topic.

Now let's find more meatier books on the subject.

This book was provided for review, at no cost, by Zondervan Publishing.

Skin by Ted Dekker

There's a freak storm right from the get-go.

The characters find themselves in a bizarre town that seems to "shift" on and off.

This book was originally published after Ted's other Circle Series tie-in called, House and you can find the similarities right off the bat.

The villain, Red, has the typical Ted quirk in that he likes to eat mustard. The characters trapped in this crazy shifting town read like Ted's characters and, for fans, it isn't a bad thing.

Colt, Jerry Pinkus, Wendy, Carey, and Nicole. Will you love them or hate them? Of course, the question everyone will ask from the beginning is: Which one is the bad guy/girl? It's a Ted Dekker book and if you've read Thr3e, you ask this question in every Ted book. It's like a Scooby Doo episode, within the first three minutes, you've seen the crook.

Honestly, this is one of the books I return to over and over. I can't really explain it. If it's the hardback cover art or the tie-ins (there's a scene connecting to his young adult series too) or if I simply am looking for deeper meanings from the story. I can't tell you.

But this book has interesting ideas about identity and self-worth. Who determines that? Where do you get your information about who you are? Is it self-taught, dictated by someone else? Do you have any control over it?

Then the ending. The ENDING! This is one of those either you absolutely love the ending or you vehemently hate the ending. I have yet to meet someone who thought the ending was, "eh s'alright". It will evoke a definite emotional reaction.

This book was provided for review, at no cost, by Center Street Publishing.