Friday, November 23, 2012

Twice A Bride

This book Twice A Bride is centered mostly around widow, Willow Peterson. After experiencing loss with the death of her husband and then the death of her beloved Father, she didn't know if she would ever find happiness in her life again.

Willow discovered that she not only could find enjoyment in life again, but that her heart would be ready to love again. She found more than a job when she applied to the position of Photograph Painter.

I found this book to be very well written. Mona Hodgson is a good and pure author. If you like old fashioned romances set in the old times, you will enjoy this book.

I received this book from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group and was in no way paid for this review.

Read Chapter One here... http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/blog/2012/03/02/sneak-peek-twice-a-bride-by-mona-hodgson/

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

To Love and Cherish

In this book, you meet the main characters Melinda and Evan. Melinda is working as a Lady's maid in Cleveland, while Evan is an employee on Bridal Veil island. Evan has professed his love for Melinda however, has not proposed to her. Melinda does not understand the delay.

After a big storm hits the island, Melinda impulsively leaves her place of employment and travels to Evan. She is sure that he will marry her as soon as she arrives. Again, she does not understand the delay.

I was not very impressed with To Love and Cherish authored by Tracie Peterson and Judith Miller. I found the book to be a little too "flowery" and not enough substance. There is 31 chapters and this book didn't grab me until Chapter 26. That's not my type of book.

I received this book complimentary from Bethany House in exchange for this review. These opinions are my own and I was not paid to submit this review.

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

The Reason

I thoroughly enjoyed The Reason written by William Sirls. This book was very unlike any other fiction book I have read. It gave me a lot of food for thought and has me pondering the happenings in the book.

A carpenter, named Kenneth, comes in the lives of people who live in Detroit. These lives were never the same after their encounters with Kenneth. There was happy times and sad times in this book. The constant message remained throughout the entire book "Only Believe". You will read about a minister that learns to believe. You will read about a mother who learns to "Only Believe." You will read about a woman who has lived a very loose life who learns to "Only Believe". You will read about a doctor who learns to "Only Believe". What a fantastic message!

This book was provided to me at no charge to me by Booksneeze and was not required to write a positive review.

Sunday, October 7, 2012

Cleaning House: A Mom's 12-Month Experiment To Rid Her Home of Youth Entitlement

Cleaning House: A Mom's 12-Month Experiment To Rid Her Home of Youth Entitlement by Kay Wills Wyma is a MUST read for all parents. WOW!

I have been concerned about the attitudes of our offspring the last few days. I have come to realize that it is not just a problem in my home, but it has become a North-American epidemic. Nothing gets me as riled as when my children portray their entitlement issues.

Kay Wills Wyma bravely began an experiment in her home. Each month, she would have the children tackle a new "chore" that became a way of life. It started with simply making beds. It then moved on through targeting areas of being able to cook, do laundry and service to others. Kay found that her children were capable of so much more than they were doing.

I have always been known to say..."People treat you the way you teach them to." I believe this holds true with our own children also. I tweaked a few of Kay's ideas to fit our home. There has been significant results. I have a jar set aside for each of my children with their name on it. Every Sunday, I insert 7 $1.00 bills into it. If they accomplish each chore on their chore chart on that day of the week, they keep their dollar for that day. If they don't, the dollar goes into Mom's jar. Sunday is Pay Day! We open the jars and I give each child their earned money. Then, they must calculate 10% of their pay. They give 10% to church and 10% goes into their savings jar. It has helped so much with the many requests made of my husband and I by our children. They know that they can save their money to make purchases. It's amazing how less urgent they "need" something when it comes out of their own pocket.

I urge every parent to read this book with an open mind and heart. You can do as I did and use some of Kay's ideas in a way that will fit your home and family.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.


Read the first chapter here:
http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/blog/2012/03/01/sneak-peek-cleaning-house-by-kay-wills-wyma/

Monday, August 13, 2012

House of Mercy

House of Mercy written by Erin Healy finds Beth in a very dark spot of her life. She makes a decision that causes a ripple effect in her life. She finds that she has a special gift from God. She is shown this gift by unordinary events. Beth comes to realize that she must trust Christ. I found this book very hard to delve into. It wasn't until that I was over halfway through the book that it became interesting to me. If it wasn't a book that I had to read, I probably would have given up reading it. However with that being said, I can say that in the end, I did enjoy this book. It caused me to think personally about how God can use non-traditional methods to get through to us. He cares that much about us! I received this book from complimentary from Book Sneeze. I was not paid for this review.

Thursday, July 26, 2012

To Heaven And Back

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Heaven has always been a topic that has intrigued me greatly. Mary C. Neal, MD shares her personal experience of her encounter with the heavenly realm. She was in an almost fatal kayaking accident. God had different plans for her life and it wasn't her time to go. This book really prompted me to consider how glorious Heaven is going to be. There will be no sorrow! Mary C. Neal MD admits that there is no words in the human language to truly describe what she experienced and felt. I found myself anxious because I really want to know what Heaven is like! However, I understand that there is no words available to describe something so glorious. I would highly recommend this book to someone who has lost a loved one and is struggling with the concept of Heaven. I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

Thursday, July 5, 2012

Beyond Molasses Creek

I began to believe that I would be disappointed by Beyond Molasses Creek when I first began reading it. It was tough for me to get connected to the characters at first. However, by Chapter 5, I was hooked. The characters began to feel real to me. What I liked best about this book was the element of surprise. It's hard to find a book that is not predictable. Nicole Seitz sprang some surprises on her readers. Ally has had a lot of ups and downs in her life. I thought she was a bit self-centered. Vesey was a good display of what a good Christian man and friend should be. I found myself wishing to read a sequel. I received this book from Booksneeze complimentary. I have not been paid for this review.

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Every Woman's Battle

This was a very good and informative book. Shannon Ethridge did a fantastic job of illustrating the way to be a pure, Godly wife. I like how she wrote this book in a way that women who are not yet married can read it and apply the principles in their life. She shares how a woman can remain pure not only in deed, but thoughts also. She has shared willingly with her readers lessons that she learned the hard way in her own life. It is so refreshing to see a book that is very to the point and straightforward. It doesn't sugarcoat anything. It clearly depicts right and wrong. I plan on sharing this book with other women. I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review. http://www.shannonethridge.com/ http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/catalog.php?isbn=9780307457981 http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/author-spotlight.php?authorid=43196

Monday, January 23, 2012

Not By Might

I found it very hard to get into this book. The writing was a bit to "flowery" for my taste. I did start to get into the book and enjoy it more about half way through. There was some excitement added that drew me into the plot more. One thing that I did enjoy though is the author's use of Scripture. Al Lacy quotes many Scriptures throughout this book and the characters pray very often. I found this to be very encouraging a good reminder to pray more in my own life. I would be interested in reading other books in this series. I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Heaven Is For Real

I started to read this book with a lot of apprehension. I didn't have doubts that a small child could experience a heavenly experience, but I was skeptical that he would be able to articulate that experience.

It took me about half way through the book to lay my opinion aside and truly open my mind that this was a true experience. Upon completion of the book, my heart believes that little Colton did in fact have this experience and through the years was able to share about it.

The Scriptures talk about having a child-like faith. As adults, we complicate our faith and God. We put God in a box. Colton experienced Jesus and our Heavenly home that we long for in a special way. After reading this book, my heart is encouraged to be pure before our Savior so that I too, will be able to experience the wonder of Heaven.

I was given a complimentary copy of Heaven Is For Real by BookSneeze (Thomas Nelson) and was not paid with monetary value.