Monday, April 18, 2011
Book Review: "The Final Summit" by Andy Andrews
Book Review: "Max On Life: Answers and Insights to Your Most Important Questions" by Max Lucado
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
A Rush of Wings by Kristen Heizmann
Noelle starts her new life being entertained, and wooed, by Rick's playboy brother, Morgan. She starts to paint again and even starts to sell some of her work. She also spends her time with the horses, riding the land, and really beginning to enjoy her new life. That is until her past begins to catch up with her. Who can she trust? Where should she go? All she wants is to be safe. How can she confront her past and save her life?
The author keeps you on pins and needles as she slowly gives you glimpses of Noelles past. While you might be able to piece parts of the story together and you think you have it all figured out, the author gives you another twist. Also, when you think you have discovered the truth about Noelle's past, you realize that Noelle is still putting together the pieces and you continue reading to see how she is going to figure things out. And the best part, with all the difficulties in Noelle's past, you watch as she begins to trust again. Not only in people, but in God.
My only warning is to make sure you have plenty to time to read this book in one sitting. It is so suspenful and good, you will not want to put it down!!
This book was sent to me by Bethany House Publishers as part of their book review program. I was sent a free copy of this book to review. I was not required to write a positive review and the opinions expressed are my own.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Hatteras Girl By Alice Wisler
The characters in this book became so real. They struggled with the same problems that many people struggle with. While Jackie has her heart set on owning the Bailey house, her family has other plans. They want her to get married. This leads to lots of blind dates for Jackie. Minnie lost her husband in a tragic boating accident and is left to raise their little boy, Zane, by himself. Minnie also had to put her mother in a nursing home. Her mother is confined to a wheel chair and can barely speak.
This leads to an interesting story of Jackie finally finding a way to accomplish her dreams (and maybe her family's too!). We also watch as Minnie grieves the loss of her husband, but slowly begins to heal. This is a very endearing story that makes you love the characters and has you cheering them on along the way.
This book was sent to me by Bethany House Publishers as part of their book review program. I was sent a free copy of this book to review. I was not required to write a positive review and the opinions expressed are my own.
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Where Hearts are Free by Golden Parsons
I love to read fiction books. It is more like light reading for me. It is enjoyable without having to process deep information, like nonfiction books usually require of me. I started reading "Where Hearts are Free" by Golden Parsons on a Saturday afternoon. Needless to say, I stayed up really late finishing the book. I just could not put it down. It is more of a suspenseful, romantic fiction book. It is a realy page turner. This is the third book in a series by this author. For me, what sets apart the good authors from the great authors is how they handle books in a series. Parsons wrote a great book that you can enjoy without having to read the other books in this series first in order to follow the story line. (And believe me, I have read my share of books, where I spent more time trying to figure out the characters because they were introduced in a previous book).
This book was sent to me by Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their book review program. I was sent a free copy of this book to review. I was not required to write a positive review and the opinions expressed are my own.
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Within My Heart by Tamera Alexander
Forgiveness, personal struggles, learning to trust, and second chances. There are a lot of different themes that are covered in Tamera Alexander's book "Within My Heart", but forgiveness and a second chance at life are central to the story line. This was a great story that kept you reading to find out what happened at the end.
This book is the last book in a series by Tamera Alexander. This was the first book of this author that I have read and it definitely will not be my last. I am usually hesitant to read a book in a series without having read the other books due to the possibility of not being able to follow the story. The author does an amazing job of introducing the characters so you really grasp the story line. You can easily read this book and enjoy it without having read the other books in the series.
Monday, October 11, 2010
The Lord's Prayer by R.T. Kendall
I did not grow up regularly saying the Lord's Prayer, but I was familar with the words. This book really brought a lot of insight into not only this specific prayer, but in how God wants us to pray. Jesus gave the disciples this prayer when they asked him to show them how to pray. It was "to show them how to speak and listen to the Father". While we can pray the Lord's Prayer verbatim, it is also a model or pattern prayer to use in our everday prayers. This book will really transform how you pray. Not just when you say the Lord's Prayer, but in how you pray everyday.
This book was sent to me by Bethany House Publishers as part of their book review program. I was sent a free copy of this book to review. I was not required to write a positive review and the opinions expressed are my own.
Saturday, September 25, 2010
"Captivating:Unveiling the Mystery of a Woman's Soul" by John and Stasi Eldredge
This has been a book I had been wanting to read for years. I had heard good reviews from John Eldridge's book "Wild at Heart" and was looking forward to this book. I started reading this book a couple of months ago, and it took me a while to work my way through it. Each chapter was slow to read. This is not a book that can be easily read in a weekend. It took me a couple of months to get through this book. Overall, this book was ok. The book is inteded to look at a woman's heart and soul and tried to address some of the issues that women deal with. Most women have a lot of baggage that we carry around due to our life experiences. I would even dare say that many women have been hurt to a point that they think that can not be used for God. This book tries to show women how the past hurts effect us and how we really are beautiful and loved by God.
There were are few issues that I had with this book. There is an overuse of movie quotes. To make a point or to help the reader have a better picture of what the authors are trying to say, they use a scene from a well known movie. This really loses its effect on the book. Some of these scenes are from movies that do not reflect Christian values. I think the authors should have used either women from the Bible or real life stories. This might have helped illustrate their point better. Also, they seem to take random scriptures out of context.
I'm sure this book will be very helpful for some women. Personally, I think this book has a lot of flaws and it really effects the readability of this book. I was really disappointed with this book and will probably not read any other books by the authors.
This book was sent to me by Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their book review program. I was sent a free copy of this book to review. I was not required to write a positive review and the opinions expressed are my own.
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
The Butterfly Effect by Andy Andrews
"The Butterfly Effect" tells real life stories that changed the course of history. It shows how the decisions we make really do matter. My favorite quote from the book really hits home. "Every single thing you do matters. You have been created as one of a kind. You have been created in order to make a difference. You have within you the power to change the world."
"The Butterfly Effect" is available today, Wednesday, September 7! This is the perfect book to give as gifts and perfect to leave on your coffee table. This book could change your life and ultimately change the world.
This book was sent to me by Thomas Nelson Publisher as part of their book review program. I was sent a free copy of this book to review. I was not required to write a positive review and the opinions expressed are my own.
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Love Is A Flame Compiled by James Stuart Bell
This is a great book of stories of the real struggles that real couples face. At the end of each story, the author ends with a few words of his own. I really think that this is a great book for all married couples to read and probably to read on a regular basis. There is so much wisdom that can be gained from hearing of other's struggles and how they overcame. Most importantly, I think this book will really give encouragement and hope to marriages that are currently struggling and possibly thinking of the "D" word.
This book was sent to me by Bethany House Publishers as part of their book review program. I was sent a free copy of this book to review. I was not required to write a positive review and the opinions expressed are my own.
No More Christian Nice Girl by Paul Coughlin & Jennifer Degler
"No More Christian Nice Girl: When Just Being Nice-Instead of Good- Hurts You, Your Family, and Your Friends" bu Paul Coughlin & Jennifer D. Degler, Ph.D.
Christian women can really get in a habit of being too nice. I think there is a stigma that we have to be all and do all for others or else we are just not being a good Christian. We get in a rut of feeling obligated to say "yes" to anyone that needs help and serve on every committee at church. What happens is we get over worked and over stressed. This ends up hurting not only ourselves, but our family and close relationships.
There is a way out of the "People Pleasing" rut. This book offers some good and practical advice to first see why we Christian women feel these obligations to "be nice" and then offers some good suggestions. I really like that they tell stories of a Christian Nice Girl and a Christian Good Girl. This really helps the reader to see themselves in the Christian Nice Girl's pleasing habits and learn to make changes. This book does a great job of really showing how setting boundaries and our expectations of ourselves can help us really live out our Christian faith and still be a great witness for Christ.
I think this is a good starter book for women who are pleasers. I would suggest that if you want further reading on this topic to consider reading Kevin Leman's book "Women Who Try To Hard" and Cloud and Townsend's book "Boundaries". These books really focus on how to set boundaries (and why they are necessary) and to learn to be a positive pleaser.
This book was sent to me by Bethany House Publishers as part of their book review program. I was sent a free copy to review. I was not required to write a positive review and the opinion expressed is my own.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
She Walks In Beauty by Siri Mitchell
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Somewhere to Belong by Judith Miller
This book was sent to me by Bethany House Publishers as part of their book review program. I was sent a free copy of this book to review.
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Sixteen Brides by Stephanie Grace Wilson

Sixteen women head to Plum Grove, Nebraska with hopes of free land and a fresh start. What they find out is they have been tricked and are actually to be brides for the local bachelors. Six of the women decide to show the con-artist that they are self-sufficient and refuse to be claimed by a man. These women begin the journey of a lifetime. This was a wonderful story of hope, forgiveness, love, and new beginnings. The author does a great job of intertwinning the story and lives of the six main characters. You begin to truly admire each of the women as the band together to create a new life for themselves. While homesteading is hard work, they come up with a creative plan to buy four plots of land to homestead and put one house that sits on a corner of each plot. This way they share the work and bounty and create a new life. This was a great book with a great storyline.
This book was sent to me by Bethany House Publishers as part of their book review program. I was sent a free copy of this book to review.
Monday, July 5, 2010
Hearts Awakening by Delia Parr

Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Hunter's Moon by Don Hoesel

Thursday, April 1, 2010
Never Say Never by Lisa Wingate
Sixty-nine year old Donetta Bradford is ready for the trip of her life. She and her two best friends, Imajene and Lucy were going on a cruise. This was the most excitement they've ever had in their lives. Or so they thought. Hurricaine Glorietta was headed for the Mexican coastline until it quickly changes course headed directly for where Donetta and the girls are headed to meet their cruise ship. This gets them caught in the evacuation traffic and begins their unexpected, but thrilling adventure. They meet twenty-seven year old Kai Miller when they fill up for gas who later on rescues them when their van runs out of gas. This is the beginning of a suspenseful and entertaining story.
This book was a very entertaining read. Once I got into the story, I did not want to put the book down. It was also interesting in the fact that the story is told by Donetta and Kai. Each chapter switches back and forth between the two main characters. This took a little getting used to, but really allowed more character development for Donetta and Kai. They both had a lot of background information that really effects who they are now as a person and it was interesting to get a full picture of who they are.
This book was sent to me by Bethany House Publishers as part of their book review blogger program. I received a free copy of this book to review.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Book Review: Sense and Sensiblity by Jane Austen (Insight Editions)

I love Jane Austen stories. I have watched all the movies, but I've never read any of her books! So, I was excited to get to read Sense and Sensibility. This book is part of Bethany House's Insight Editions. These editions include extra tid-bits of information in the margins. These notes included historical and cultural details and facts about Jane Austen's life. While I enjoyed reading the story, I really enjoyed all these extra notes.
Sense and Sensibility revolves around the main characters, Elinor and Marianne Dashwood. When their father dies, the family estate passes on to the half-brother John. This leaves the the Dashwood sisters, their mom and younger sister will little money and no home. They move to a new cottage on a distant relatives property. The story revolves around the two sisters, with opposite personalities, struggle to find love.
This book was sent to me by Bethany House Publishers as part of their book review blogger program. I received a free copy of this book to review.
Book Review: The Clouds Roll Away by Sibella Giorello

The Clouds Roll Away by Sibella Giorello is the second book in her Raleigh Harmon Series. I have not read the other books in this series, but the author did a good job of including some background information so a new reader would not be lost.
This book is about an FBI Agent, Raleigh Harmon, who is transferred back to her hometown to investigate a hate crime. Raleigh is like everyone of us. She is struggling with some real life issues. She has a difficult boss, a fickle boyfriend, and a complicated relationship with her mother. As she is investigating the crime, she discovers much more about the victims and a lot about herself. This book is full of suspense and is a real page turner once you get into the story.
It was a little difficult at first to get into the book and the plot. At times I felt that I was missing information, but it was due to not having read the previous book. The author did do a good job of filling in these gaps and once I got into the middle of the plot, I really enjoyed the book.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Book Review: The Silent Governess by Julie Klassen
The main character, Olivia Keene, runs away from home fearing that she has committed a terrible crime. As she is fleeing, she comes upon a large estate where a celebration is going on. As she is looking in on the celebration, the overhears a secret. This secret begins an interesting twist in her life. She is forced to become employed on the staff of Lord Bradley's estate and keep the secret she overheard. This also helps her keep her own secret. She eventually becomes the governess to the children. This book has so many twists and secrets that you will not want to put it down. The ending was definitely a surprise. I don't want to spoil the ending or give you any hints. You'll need to read the book for yourself. I know you will find it as interesting as I did. A bonus with the book is discussion questions which would be great for book clubs.
This book was sent to me by Bethany House Publishers as part of their book review blogger program. I received a free copy of this book to review.