Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers: TLC Book Tours presents... PLAYING WITH FIRE by Billy Hallowell

Hi there!

Welcome back to Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers.

Today, we welcome TLC Book Tours for a stop along their current tour featuring a work of nonfiction perfect for the reading season. How so? Well, it deals with our fascination with "the dark side", and all those things that go BUMP in the night...the irony of the fact that I'm typing this while watching Twilight: Breaking Dawn, Part 2 in the background, is not lost on me either. Grant it, they are sparkly vampires, but let's not get into THAT discussion right now. Anyway...today's title in the spotlight is on deck, so let's get intellectually dangerous and peek between the pages of today's book of choice and blog tour guest...

Playing with Fire:

A Modern Investigation into Demons, Exorcism, and Ghosts

Billy Hallowell

9780785234500

Emanate Books

About the book...

What is our fascination with the other side?

Join investigative reporter Billy Hallowell as he delves into the strange phenomena of supernatural activity. Themes of demonic possession have overtaken Hollywood, with countless films and TV shows delving into the age-old struggle against evil. Why?

Yet, with so much focus on the topic there seems to be very little public knowledge and discussion about the real-life nature and reality of demons.

In many foreign countries, however, supernatural activity is often recorded and discussed

Government officials watch a nine-year-old boy walk up a wall

A sheriff hears a demonic voice over his radio

Doctors witness a child exhibit extra-human strength

It’s no surprise international media took note. Quite often, though, many people remain silent about their experiences or resort to quietly whispering about what they’ve seen, heard, or felt for fear of being labeled insane or crazy.

The truth is, even pastors, priests, and clergy who have observed firsthand accounts of possession and deliverance can succumb to the strange and terrifying effects of intense spiritual warfare.

For people of faith, Playing with Fire will address these core questions:

Are demons active today?

If they do, indeed, exist, what are they? Are they fallen angels? Nephilim?

Can demons inhabit human beings?

If they exist, what can be done to stop them?

Playing with Fire will explore the theological underpinnings surrounding demonic forces. Relying on firsthand accounts, newspaper reports, and Christian experts, Billy Hallowell will take readers through the various views and perspectives surrounding supernatural activity.

Thomas Nelson | Amazon | Books-A-Million | Barnes & Noble

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Do you believe?

If you take a moment, it's actually a hard question to answer, no matter where your religious faith lies. I mean, most have experienced that mysterious breeze when no source can be found. Many have felt that phantom touch, turned, and found no one there. Quite a few have even had moments themselves where they feel they have communicated with someone or something otherworldly or previously of our own...and some are rather well documented. These are the matters that this book delves into, in an everyday aspect, but with secular roots.

I can't say it was exactly what I thought it would be, as I suppose my own curiosity with those otherly things was peaked by the initial tease from this book, but it was an interesting read nonetheless. It shed light on some of those more well known cases, shared the behind-the-cloisters viewpoint of those that have had dealings with same said events, and took a closer look at the impact of these darker matters on our lives in general today.

So if you're looking to be spooked, don't...it's not about that. This is about where things got their starts, how we've handled it throughout recent years, and a potential way to move forward with our curious thoughts in tact, while saving adequate space in our souls for our true saviors.

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About the author...

Billy Hallowell has been working in journalism and media for more than two decades. His writings, interviews, and social commentary have appeared in Deseret News, TheBlaze, Human Events, Mediaite and FoxNews.com, among other outlets. He has served as the faith and culture editor of TheBlaze, senior editor of Faithwire, and he has written four books. Hallowell has a BA in journalism and broadcasting from the College of Mount Saint Vincent in Riverdale, New York, and an MS in social research from Hunter College in Manhattan, New York.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

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Special thanks to Lisa at TLC Book Tours and the Thomas Nelson team for the copy for review. (THANKS!) For more information on this title, the author, the publisher, this tour, or those on the horizon, feel free to click through the links provided above. This title is available now via Emanate Books, an imprint of Thomas Nelson, so click on over to your favorite online retailer or order for curbside pickup from your local brick and mortar to snag your copy today! Be sure to CHECK OUT THE REST OF THE TOUR making its way through Instagram and the blogosphere for more bookish fun!

Instagram tour:

Monday, September 21st: @jessicamap

Tuesday, September 22nd: @sweetbookobsession

Wednesday, September 23rd: @bookpairings

Thursday, September 24th: @_ebl_inc_

Friday, September 25th: @spookypumpkinqueen

Saturday, September 26th: @thecityofdarkclockwork

Sunday, September 27th: @fearyourex

Monday, September 28th: @ve_xo

Wednesday, September 30th: @one.chapteratatime

Thursday, October 1st: @katieneedsabiggerbookshelf

Friday, October 2nd: @thebookend.diner