REVIEW: SINNER'S CREED ~ SCOTT STAPP

Growing up in the 80’s and 90's with two older brothers, it was impossible not to develop an appreciation for rock ‘n roll.  While I have dipped my toe in the pools of other genres from time to time, thankfully rock has always been my favourite.  I’ve always loved rock music.  I’ve always loved Jesus.  I’d never imagined the two could merge until one day back in 1999 when my brother Christian brought home the CD Human Clay, by a band called Creed.  He walked into my room, said “Listen to this”, and played me the song Higher.  The opening riff had my hooked already and by the time the drums kicked in I had a huge smile on my face.  I was in love with the song before Scott Stapp even started singing.  Then came the lyrics.  I looked at my brother and said “It sounds like he’s singing about Heaven”.  Chris replied “He is singing about Heaven”, and a whole new world was opened to me.  I had never heard music about God in the Rock genre before.  (I’m not saying it didn’t exist, I had just personally never heard it before).  At the age of 14, Creed introduced me to the new medium combining two great loves of my life, and changed the way I looked at music.  For that I will always be thankful, and for this reason Creed will always hold a special place in my heart.  To this day Higher is one of my all-time favourite songs. 

Never could I have imagined that behind the man responsible for some of my favourite song lyrics ever, was a world of hurt.  In Sinner’s Creed, Scott Stapp shares the story of his life.  A story filled with rejection, depression, betrayal and addiction – but also a story about the grace of God, the gift of redemption and the joys of unconditional love.

Sin is forever knocking, beating at the iron door.
Don't even open for an instant, sin always wants more - Scott Stapp

Sinner’s Creed is a memoir you truly have to read for yourself, so I won’t say too much in the way of spoilers.  Scott starts his tale as a young boy with an absentee father, soon introduced to the man who would become his stepfather.  The injustices committed against Scott by a man who should have protected him and shaped him, caused me so much anger.  It’s unthinkable how one man’s warped perception of God can damage others, especially children!  Some of the things he said about God…

Scott had many bad experiences with so-called believers throughout his life.  He was even unjustly punished for confessing a mistake he had made and for telling the truth.  It’s truly terrifying how Christians can be responsible for sending other Christians running from the church.  Having finally found a church where I feel welcome and at home, I have come to realise anew how important fellowship with other believers truly are.  It’s a miracle that despite some of the things other believers have said and done, that Scott never gave up on loving God even though he ran away from the church.  The loving God his grandfather told him about is the One he held onto and it saved his life – a great piece of advice for parents!  The foundation you lay for your child CAN be strong enough to withstand the storms of life.

Scott furthermore shares stories of how he got screwed over (to my mind, at least) by everyone from his family, friends, his band members, his managers… it was quite disheartening at times to realise how much he had to go through and how unappreciated all his efforts were.  Yet Scott never points fingers at others; he simply tells his story and shares how all of that led to feelings of abandonment and betrayal, which led to even bigger problems.  Furthermore, Scott doesn’t pretend to be a blameless victim – he comes clean about his own mistakes and takes responsibility for his actions.  The reader gets an inside look at the pressures of being the frontman of a successful rock band, and the pitfalls of fame and fortune.

What saddened me most is that Creed was labelled uncool because of the Christian imagery in their music.  To me, this was the very thing that made them cool!  

While Sinner’s Creed is a dark read at times, as it always does the light overpowers the dark.  Ultimately it portrays how turning to God can save your life, and your spirit. 

Product Information:

Title: Sinner's Creed

Author: Scott Stapp (with David Ritz)

Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers

Year: 2012

Pages: 336

ISBN-10: 1414364575

ISBN-13: 978-1414364575

ASIN: B007V69IHW 

REVIEW: HER PERFECT GAME ~ SHANNYN SCHROEDER

Charlie Castle is an expert archer and a fierce warrior - in her favorite video game, anyway. But college life was a program she couldn't quite master. To land a cybertech job without a degree, she's entering a "hackfest" over spring break, where she also hopes to meet the sweet gamer who's been flirting with her online. Instead, she runs into the man she had once thought was the love of her life; the man who walked away years ago, without saying goodbye.

Jonah Best has never gotten over Charlie, whose kisses were always as deliciously creative as her coding. But now that they're face to face again, he doesn't know how to admit that her online admirer is really him - or how to convince her that he's offering her a job for her incredible skills, not her sex appeal. Can Jonah cut through their communication glitches and persuade Charlie that the next level up for them should be forever?

Kensington Books has graciously provided me with a complimentary copy of this book, via Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.  Thank you!

Her perfect game is the second book in Shannyn Schroeder’s Hot & Nerdy series, and can be read as a standalone novel.

The story focuses on Jonah and Charlie, former lovers facing a second chance at happily ever after.  Their love story started years ago when Charlie’s college room-mate had committed suicide after an old boyfriend released very private materials of her over the internet.  Charlie became determined to prevent such an atrocity from ever happening again and befriended Jonah, who taught her everything she needed to know about hacking.  Charlie became obsessive in her efforts to prowl cyberspace looking for transgressors.  Helplessly watching the girl he loved lose herself, Jonah could no longer stand by and watch Charlie engage in the self-destructive behaviour that had started to take over her life, and walked away from the girl he loved.  Now, years later, he realises the error of his ways and wants a second shot at love.  Charlie is her old self again, the girl he fell in love with, and she’s an even better hacker than he remembers. 

Jonah’s abandonment gave Charlie the wake-up call she needed to get her life back on track.  While she managed to get over her heartbreak, she never forgot the only man she truly loved.  When she unexpectedly meets up with Jonah at a hackfest, Charlie can’t deny the pull she feels towards him, but something is holding her back - Charlie has started to fall for her online friend, "Win".  Can she choose between the man she loved who had broken her heart and her trust, and the safe, reliable friend who had helped her heal her heart? 

I had a hard time really getting into this story for two reasons.  Firstly, I never felt connected to the characters; I never really got immersed in the story to the extent that I was heavily invested in the outcome.  While I respect Charlie as a hacker and gamer, I never came to like her.  I do appreciate, however, that Charlie is not your typical heroine.  She has attitude, she’s nerdy and unapologetic for it.  As for Jonah, I had a hard time dealing with his reason for leaving Charlie the way that he did.  He claims he loved her too much to watch her self-destruct.  For some reason this felt like an easy out to me.  Perhaps because the author didn’t really establish exactly what Charlie had done that was so terrible.  Personally I just didn’t get the impression that she was that far gone.  Either way, to my mind you don’t abandon someone you love when they lose their way – you help them find their way back.  The fact that Jonah left without first breaking up with her, without even saying goodbye? I had a hard time respecting him after that.  Sure he was remorseful and sweet, but I never came to believe Jonah was sincere in his reasoning. 

Secondly, the whole hacking aspect wasn’t really explained in a way that I could understand.  It just didn’t translate well.  I never knew if the characters were playing some kind of game and were using their skills to create cheats, or whether they were working in Matrix like code.  I had absolutely no idea what was going on, on the computer screens.  Having said that, I do appreciate the fact that the author wrote a book about a girl gamer/hacker, and that she was good enough to give the guys a run for their money.  I also enjoyed the convention setting.  The author took me to Comic-Con, if you will, and those scenes were quite enjoyable.  While I may not have bonded with the characters in the way that I wanted, I do think that the author did a good job of portraying the chemistry between Jonah and Charlie.  It was obvious they were still very much infatuated with each other despite their separation, and their connection was tangible.  However, I do feel that Charlie fell back into Jonah’s arms way too easily and way too quickly – he should have had to work for it just a little given the way he had abandoned her.

Product Information:

Title: Her perfect game

Author: Shannyn Schroeder

Publisher: Kensington Books

Year: 2014

Pages: 112

ASIN: B00KM906W2

ISBN-10:1601833342

ISBN-13: 9781601833341