Amy’s question for the week at Faith ‘n Fiction Saturdays is lengthy and thought provoking. Click here to read all of the responses.

The past couple of days there has been a big flare-up in the broader book blogging community regarding review policies and a blogger’s obligation to an author once they’ve received a review copy. For those of you who belong to the blogging alliance FIRST, we’ve also discussed this issue a little bit.

I decided to make today’s question about this, because I think this is an even tougher situation for Christian reviewers who review Christian books. So here goes…do you receive review copies of Christian books? If so, do you review them honestly? How do you handle it when you don’t like a book but are obligated to provide a review? Who do you see your first commitment being to in book reviewing (besides God)? Yourself? The author? Your readers? Does your review change based on the spiritual content of the book or is it solely based on technical or artistic merit? Have you ever had a negative experience with an author after giving them a negative review? (please don’t name names)

Most of the books that I review are Christian titles that I’ve received complimentary copies of. My main concern is expressing my thoughts on each title honestly. I am responsible before God to lead an upright and truthful life. I also try to share with my readers the points I would appreciate knowing before investing their time and money reading a book.

As a result I don’t hesitate to write negative reviews, though I certainly prefer writing recommendation reviews not every book warrants one. I’m an opinionated woman, but I try to write tactful reviews in all circumstances. I won’t rip an author to shreds, but I will express concerns with writing style, character development and yes - spiritual content.

To date all of the authors I’ve heard from have expressed appreciation for the reviews, even when they have been mixed or less than favourable.  Because I look for both strengths and weaknesses in each title I review I rarely give an entirely negative one.

This time Kim from My Book Reviews and More nabbed me :).

And because I had so much fun with the first tag, I’m going to list another 7 random bookish things about me, but I’m not going to tag anyone else - if you want to play along leave me a link to your post so I can come and see YOUR random bookish facts! I’m sure many of you share these facts in common with me.

Here goes:

1. I read aloud to my children almost every night.

2. I read fiction MUCH faster than I do non-fiction, but I keep my non-fiction titles far longer than fiction, and tend to reread it at a higher percentage.

3. I’ve never read a Stephen King novel before, nor do I intend to ;).

4. I don’t generally read romance novels, whether Christian or Harlequin. I think I have read 1 Christian romance this year and it was only due to it’s unusual premise.

5. I was one of those children who read encyclopedia’s for fun, yup, that was me ;).

6. My favourite book as a tween, teen and young adult was Fire and Hemlock by Dianna Wynne Jones.

7. I have a doozy of a time reading any amount of text on the computer. Two pages is okay, but a novel - forget it!

So, don’t be shy! Send me your link and let me know your 7 random bookish facts :).

Well folks, I’ve been tagged by Marvin over at Free Spirit AND Sunny at That Book Addiction.  I don’t think I can come up with 14 things or people, so here goes with 7!

So, being a bit short on blogging time, I’m not going to tag anyone else, pick it up and run with it if you want to play and leave me a comment so I can read your answers!

Well, here are the rules:

1. Link to the person who tagged you, and post the rules on your blog
2. Share 7 random and/or weird facts about yourself
3. Tag 7 random people at the end of your post, and include links to their blogs
4. Let each person know that they’ve been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog!

Okay…random bookish facts about myself, it’s morphed into booky things on some blogs and remains random on others.

1.  When I was a teenager I could read 3 - 4 books in one day.  Those days are long gone.  LOOONG gone, but sometimes I can manage 1 if I push.

2. When I was a child I loved to play ‘librarian’.  Sigh, seriously the perfect dream job - working in a library.

3. As a result of my librarian dreams I volunteered with the elementary school library club.  Shelving books for fun, wahoo!

4. I’m now working on building my own personal library.  Hmm, okay there seems to be a theme here than is less than random, better head for another subject.

5. It’s been coming to my attention that I’d like to write a book someday, but it will involve research so it’s on the back burner simmering for now.

6. I make piles of books, umm, everywhere.

7. In high school I took the bus 1.5 hours to school one way.  I spent a lot of time reading.  And I laughed out loud while reading with no regard for strange looks from others.

Sooo, if you want this meme, pick it up and go go go!

As a child I was a prolific reader, a tendency that hasn’t changed to this day.  As a homeschooler I expect that my own children will be bibliophiles as well, with the potential to read 2-3 short paperbacks each day.  With this assumption in mind, and the limited resources available through the local library system I set about establishing our families personal library shortly after our first daughter was born.  After 5 years of purchases and bargain hunting it has become apparent that finding books at a reasonable price is an extraordinarily time consuming proposition.

Going to garage sales, library book sales, thrift shops, using book trading websites and perusing online advertisements for used books and keeping eyes peeled for online discounts is nearly a full time occupation in itself it can seem at times!  It’s only recently that I discovered a website that simplifies the entire process, and I’m excited!

Homeschool Library Builder is owned by two homeschooling mothers each the mother of four children ranging from 8 to 20 years old.  Together they have assembled an extensive collection of new and used discounted books of interest to homeschoolers.

You MUST look through their site!  The prices are excellent, and the books are so well categorized.  If you are working with a specific curriculum such as Ambleside Online, Five In a Row, Sonlight, Tapestry of Grace and others, you can select your curriculum and your year/volume to bring up the titles recommended for your course of study that they have in stock!  What a time saver, it just amazes me.  Other categorizations are available such as the book topic, age range and country/region.  If you know the title of the book you are looking for, you can use their handy search function to quickly see if it is in stock.  If it isn’t already included in the large selection of titles on hand, you can take advantage of their Book Search program.  If you are looking for a specific title let them know, they’ll keep their eyes open for you and seek to obtain it.

However, Homeschool Library Builder offers more than a wonderful bookstore that you can’t resist purchasing through.  They offer a free monthly newsletter in which helpful homeschooling sites are recommended, families can promote their homemade products for free, and the monthly specials and sales are shared.  This month, if you order from November 2 - 6th (time’s running short!) you receive FREE SHIPPING on your entire order.

The owners are also dedicated to helping others through their Helping Hand program.  Currently they have a special category of books called OPERATION HURRICANE.  Any titles purchased from this category go towards hurricane relief efforts and are matched dollar for dollar by the owners.  You get a book while helping others!

If you sign up as a member on their site (completely free of charge) you also qualify for referral benefits and book points.  Each time you refer a user to their service or purchase books you earn points that can be redeemed for, you guessed it, more books in the future!  Psst….if you sign up, tell them Jennifer Bogart sent you ;).

So, if you are a thrifty book buyer, you’ll want to bookmark Homeschool Library Builder and head their first for your book purchasing needs.

This Saturday Amy’s question is:

Whether or not you celebrate Halloween, there’s something about the shorter days and chilly air that makes one want to curl up with a scary book. The horror market for Christian fiction is growing in creativity and testing all sorts of boundaries. The suspense market is also very rich with many talented authors. So my question(s) for you is…what’s the best Christian fiction horror or suspense novel that you’ve read? What book would you recommend to someone who wanted to try out these genres? What’s a book in these genres you want to read but haven’t yet?

Well, our family definitely doesn’t participate in Halloween any more, but I have read a few Christian suspense novels this year.  I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve never been a big reader of the suspense and horror genres before or after coming to Christ, but I do a bit of dabbling just to educate myself as a reviewer - some titles I have genuinely enjoyed.

My favourite so far has been Forsaken by James David Jordan.  I just reviewed this new title a week or so ago, you can read the review here.  I have actually lent it out to my mother, because she enjoyes some secular suspense titles.  I think it’s an excellent introduction to the genre.

I haven’t read any Christian horror, but I’m curious to read Shade by John B. Olson, which is considered dark fantasy. Isolation by Travis Trasher also looks interesting but I was afraid I might hate it, so I didn’t ask for it for review - now I’m regretting that decision.

I’m excited to see the recommendations of everyone else at the Saturday Christian Carnival, stop in and have a read!

From November 3rd - 8th, Bookroom Reviews is hosting an excellent week of book giveaway goodness!  Yes, I’ll be participating, so check back here for giveaway fun times!

Even better than the upcoming Bloggy Giveaway Carnival October 27th - 31st, though I’m participating in that as well :).  The Bloggy Giveaway Carnival is actually where I first learned about book blogging, I am eternally grateful!

Oh, the funness!  Oh, the free books! OHOHOH!  I’m sure you share my sentiments ;).

Welcome to the first edition of the Christian Book Carnival!  We have a few entries this week, and I hope to see more participation in the future!  Please share about the carnival with your readers, and make sure to submit for next Wednesday :).  You can either use the submission form, or email me - jennifer at quiverfullfamily dot com.  You can read more about the details here.  Reviews in any genre of Christian literature is accepted, as long as it’s more than a few brief sentences, blog tour posts that include a review are welcome!  I’m also looking for future hosts so please email me if you are interested!

For this past week we have the following reviews to share!

FICTION

Melissa at Bibliophile’s Retreat shares her review of The Blessed by Lisa T. Bergren, the third in a series.

Deena at A Peek at My Bookshelf shares her review of The Shape of Mercy by Susan Meissner.

NON-FICTION

Ruth at This That and the Other Thing shares her review of Knowing Right from Wrong by Thomas D. Williams.

And my review (Jennifer) here at Quiverfull Family is for Generation Hex - Understanding the Subtle Dangers of Wicca by Dillon Burroughs and Marla Alupoaicei.

Enjoy reading the reviews this week, and remember to submit before next Tuesday at 9 p.m. for the second edition!

My Friend Amy, who brought us Book Blogger Appreciation Week has a new carnival in the works, the Saturday Carnival of Christian Fiction.

Each week she will post a blogging prompt, which participating bloggers will answer on their own blogs.  Then they head back to the original post and sign Mister Linky!  This way we can all come to know each other more closely.

The question for this week:

Why do you read and review Christian fiction? Do you exclusively read Christian fiction or do you also read general market books?

My answer:

I have always been a bookworm. Since learning to read I have consumed books at a rapid pace, not including a period of new motherhood after my first child was born, a high needs baby girl.

After coming to Christ two years ago I discovered the world of Christian fiction which I entered cautiously, just dipping my toe in. Now I’ve discovered a wide range of titles in Christian fiction that often lead me to self examination and growth in my walk with Christ. I most enjoy CF titles that encourage growth, rather than those that are merely entertaining (though I do enjoy a few of those as well!)

I didn’t realize that there was such a strong demand for online book reviews until this year, or i would have been reviewing long before this! I love reading and writing. Writing book reviews is a quick, instant gratification way to write for me. One hour and I have a finished piece, it’s short and easy to organize my thoughts (much more so than a lengthy work). So I love all of the aspects of reviewing Christian fiction.

I also review Christian non-fiction, some general market non-fiction titles, and the very rare general market fiction. I love reviewing children’s books and will read and review both general market and Christian titles. I nearly always read these aloud to my own children to elicit their thoughts and input.

So, there you have it! Don’t forget to check out the Saturday Carnival of Christian Fiction for more thoughts from other book bloggers in response to this question.

For Katrina’s Pick Any Book Under $25 contest!  Make sure you stop by and enter before Sunday.  The contest is open internationally, and I’m surprised more people don’t enter!  This time around I’m entering for a copy of The Message, I’ve never read it, and I’m curious about the buzz surrounding it.

Have you read The Message?  What did you think?  Which book are you entering for?

Take the Quiz here!

Well, who could be disappointed with a result like that?  Tell me, which Jane Austen character are you?