Sunday, January 22, 2012

Almost Halfway!

Well, I can hardly believe it, but it is finally ALMOST here....the halfway point of the school year! OMG! Finally! This has been the longest, most painful in some ways, school year, and we are almost to day 90. Keep praying....let's hope the second half goes quickly!
But, I can't complain too much...they are kinda cute right?!?!

Thursday, January 19, 2012

Very Engaging!

Indelible

Indelible

By Kristen Heitzmann


Indelible by Kristen Heitzmann was awesome! I am so glad I got to read this book. I skimmed some reviews before requesting to read it myself and was not disappointed by what people had to say. The plot for this book was very different than any I have ever read and really kept my focus and attention.

Natalie is the main character and has an Eidetic memory, where she keeps seeing something as though it is still there. Her way of coping with this is to sculpt the images she sees into clay. Once she sculpts the images, they go away and she is able to “see” again. She believes this gift to be from God, a way of seeing things as he does. The images she sees have an indelible (making marks that can’t be removed-had to look that one up!) imprint until it is transferred to the clay. Trevor, the other main characters is a well-known Olympic skier, who no longer skis due to an accident. He has a gift as well. Helping people.

The strange part about this book is that before the end of each chapter, there is a separate “writing” from what appears to be a “demon”. This person is confused and lost and is looking for “help” in the only way he knows how. These sections before the end of each chapter were written with a different “language” from the rest of the book and therefore, a little confusing to follow.

Overall, I loved this book and would recommend it to anyway. I can’t wait to read the other book available by Kristen Heitzmann.

I received a copy of this book from Waterbrook Multnomah’s Blogging for Books program.

Monday, January 16, 2012

Interesting to say the least...


Beyond Molasses Creek

Beyond Molasses Creek

By: Nicole Seitz


Beyond Molasses Creek by Nicole Seitz was interesting to say the least. One look at the cover made me think this book was going to be about a younger woman, however, once I started, almost the entire book was about a woman who was 60 years old. This was not a typical book for me to read. There were several times when Ally flashes back to her childhood to give background to the story. These were interesting, but did not always seem to fit the story. There was also a random connection to a woman in Nepal who was running away from her life there carrying a “Book of the Gods” as she called it. The chapters that were written of her in Nepal seemed completely random until I got about half way, and then it all started to come together.

I do recommend this book with the following message: It is difficult to get into, however, once you begin to put the pieces together you will be encouraged to finish it and will in fact enjoy it. Just know that I wanted to stop reading several times until I reached that halfway point and things began to make sense.

I received a copy of this book from Booksneeze which no way influenced my thoughts.

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Love and Respect--Much Needed!

The Love and Respect Experience: A Husband-Friendly Devotional That Wives Truly Love
Love and Respect Experience
By Dr. Emerson Eggerichs

I have been looking for ways to find hope in different areas of my life recently. Nothing that I share to discuss as it could fill an entire page. Needless to say, I have been drawn to devotionals that show me just how much God loves ME. In The Love and Respect Experience: A Husband-Friendly Devotional that Wives Love, by Dr. Emerson Eggerichs, I found that God loves me in the most profound ways, and I felt love that I needed. I also saw a lot of things that I need to work on as a woman, a person, and a wife.

Eggerichs uses very brief passages and stories to share his message. It is a 52 chapter devotional intended to be read by both husbands and wives. It is intended to be thought about and talked about as a couple when the time permits. My husband is not into devotionals, at least as far as I can tell he is not. So I have spent the time reading this and marking it up with things that I found very eye-catching and opening. I intend to share these “chapters and highlights” with my husband when he is willing and has time. I think that if I can share short pieces with him he will be more in tune to read more of it.

I believe husbands and wives will benefit from this as there is also a section for discussion questions and other appendices that focus on the insights that Eggerichs shares.

This is a must read for all couples, husbands alone, or wives alone.

Thank you Booksneeze for the opportunity to review this book!

Monday, January 2, 2012

First Date


First Date

By: Krista McGee


I enjoyed reading First Date by Krista McGee. However, I was skeptical after reading a few other reviews for the book. Honestly, I enjoy a simple romantic story. There were a few parts that I thought were very corny. But overall, the story was a quick read and an enjoyable one.

Addy is in high school, and the president’s son Jonathon Jackson is looking for a prom date for his senior prom. So, they set up a show (similar to The Bachelor) in order for Jonathon to find a prom date. He is actually doing this so that his father gets a little more publicity for his presidential ratings. Addy has absolutely no desire to be on the reality tv show, but her school was chosen to send one girl and her school also is looking for publicity as their numbers are low. Therefore, Addy is chosen, due to her strong faith in God and the fact that she is not “over the top” like all the other girls. The book portrayed a reality tv show well, basically it felt like I was reading about The Bachelor in a book form. As I said it was enjoyable and a quick read.

I believe this book could be delegated as a “children’s fiction” book for teenagers. I think that many teenagers would find parts of it relatable, and they would enjoy the storyline. It is loosely based off the book of Esther from the Bible, however, I didn’t really see too many similarities.

I received this book free from Booksneeze in exchange for my honest opinion of this book.

Saturday, December 24, 2011

Just What You Need



The Perfect Love
By Ruth Meyers

The Perfect Love By Ruth Meyers is everything I had hoped it would be! Honestly, a lot has been going on in my life that has made me doubt a lot of things. I knew that when I read the description for this book that I had to read it. I had to find some kind of perfect love because of so many questions and hurts and heartaches I am experiencing right now.

God’s love is perfect. It is perfect because He is perfect. Ruth Meyers does an amazing job incorporating scripture into every aspect of God’s perfect love. She uses many different translations which I find to be amazing. I had so many things underlined and bookmarked that I know I will be reading this again and again, not only when I am experiencing times of doubt or loneliness, but also when I am experiencing times of joy. God’s love abounds in all things and in all ways. This book was exactly what I needed for this time in my life. Perhaps you are not in this place; a place of loneliness or doubt. Even so, this book can be exactly what you need no matter your feelings and place in life.

I received this book free from Waterbrook Multnomah's Blogging for Books program in exchange for my honest opinon of this book.

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Bittersweet Surrender




Bittersweet Surrender
By: Diann Hunt

Bittersweet Surrender by Diann Hunt was heartwarming and a little heart wrenching at times, as I could relate to some of the characters, and not in the best ways either. Carly is the owner of a chocolate spa and while you are reading this book, all you want to do is eat chocolate and go to the spa! However, while this sounds amazing, she has had some difficult circumstances in her life. She suffered from breast cancer and her husband left her while she was battling the cancer. She is overweight and has a difficult time looking at herself in the mirror because all she sees is someone not fit to be loved due to the cancer. She works with her best friend Scott who is managing her finances and taking care of her taxes. He was married to Carly’s best friend that died in an auto accident. Carly and Scott as you can imagine have a great relationship as friends and tend to miss all of the signs that the are meant to be together.
This book has interesting twists that you don’t see coming, which adds just a little added suspense to the romance side of things. As always I enjoy a good romance novel and especially when the author uses scripture and prayer to guide the characters lives, I always find that to be engaging for me. There were several references to prayer and scripture that I was able to take away and store in my mind for later, while reading this book.
Diann Hunt also included a reference to the town Smitten, from the novel that she wrote with three other authors I previously read, Smitten. She writes with such ease that you wouldn’t even know she was referencing another book if you hadn’t already read it. I enjoy reading stories from Diann Hunt, and look forward to another!
I received a copy of Bittersweet Surrender from Booksneeze, and received no compensation for my thoughts.