Monday, October 30, 2017

Small Book about a Big Problem (Review)



This review is for the book "A Small Book about a Big Problem" by Edward T. Welch. This book is about anger, patience, and peace. It is primarily about anger and how to tame your anger and have more self-control. Each chapter is a short, to-the-point snippet about anger. One chapter is about getting angry when we judge others. One is about how forgiving God is. One talks about how sometimes anger looks right to us. This book really made me think, because sometimes I get angry over the silliest things. This really made me take a look at myself and think how I can change, and there is a lot of great scripture throughout the book.

Thank you to Litfuse Publicity for a copy of the book.

A Forest, a Flood, and an Unlikely Star (Review)



This review is for the book "A Forest, a Flood, and an Unlikely Star" by J.A. Myhre. This is the third book I have read from her and I absolutely love all of them. In this book we meet 13-year old Kusiima. Kusiima and his sister and his grandmother live all alone and Kusiima takes every possible job in order to help feed his family. Unfortunately, at times, that means he has to get involved in things that are risky and not necessarily legal. When he goes on a journey in a forest, something goes wrong, and Kusiima is afraid for his life as well as being afraid of the evil things that are happening around him that he now knows about. His sister's life is at stake because of her poor health, so he is dealing with that as well. This adventure is one you won't soon forget!

Thank you to Litfuse Publicity for a copy of the book.

Daring to Hope (Review)



This review is for the book "Daring to Hope" by Katie Davis Majors. I love her story so I was really excited to read this book. Katie moved to Uganda, founded an organization and adopted several children all while she was barely an adult herself. In this book she shares many of the struggles she has been through. She has such a compassionate, servant's heart, but that means that she is in the position often to get her heart broken. For example, there is a family she takes in and the mother ends up dying. Katie's heart is broken for the loss of her friend and the fact that the children have to go somewhere else to live. Katie is honest about her struggles and fears and doubts and sadness, but she finds great comfort in her faith as well. I love her outlook and I really enjoyed reading about her story.

Thank you to Waterbrook Multonah for a copy of the book.

Friday, October 20, 2017

Too Far Down (Review)



This review is for the book "Too Far Down" by Mary Connealy. I have read a handful of her books and really enjoyed them all. I read the first book in this series, somehow missed the second book, and then read this - the third book. I am sure I would have liked the second book, but it wasn't necessary to read that before reading this one. This is part of her The Cimarron Legacy series. In this book, Cole Boden has returned to his family ranch because of his father's living will. He enjoys running the mines, but something is going on that is targeting his family and some of the miners. He has to solve the mystery of what is happening before his entire family gets attacked. Melanie Blake, a family friend, is also around and is determined to help the Bodens. Unfortunately for both Cole and Melanie, they find themselves falling for one another, even though they are an unlikely couple.

Great story with twists and turns and I really like the characters!

Thank you to Bethany House for a copy of the book.

Prayers for New Brides (Review)



This review is for the book "Prayers for New Brides" by Jennifer O. White. Although I am not a newlywed, I really enjoyed this book which made me think about the battle that we are in daily for our marriages. There are so many things to pray about in our marriages, such as knowing our enemy, trusting God to defend your marriage, seeing yourself and your spouse through God's eyes, and how to honor your spouse and your marriage, among many other things.

Every chapter is a short devotional and then she gives a lot of scripture you can read that goes along with the chapter, and a "call to action". This book is so good! Easy to read but there is a lot of wisdom in here that will go a long way in a marriage, whether an old or new marriage!

Thank you to Cross Focused Reviews for a copy of the book.

Descriptions and Prescriptions (Review)



This review is for the book "Descriptions and Prescriptions" by Michael R. Emlet. This book is a Biblical perspective on psychiatric diagnoses and medications. Emlet begins the book by talking about how most psychiatric problems get diagnosed, and how many times there are problems with those diagnoses. He talks about how our culture influences psychiatric issues, how many times the abnormal becomes the normal, and about redefining behavior. And he talks about what this means for us in ministry. He also delves into the different classes of psychoactive medications which was really interesting because I didn't know anything about these medications. The author talks about how effective these medications are, and how to be wise when taking them or referring someone to take them. He goes through the spiritual aspect of certain diagnoses as well. All in all a very interesting book by someone who obviously knows what they are talking about.

Thank you to Litfuse Publicity for a copy of this book.

Tuesday, October 10, 2017

The Pretender (Review)

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This review is for the book "The Pretender" by Ta'mara Hanscom. In this book, we meet Tillie Caselli and Noah Hansen. This book was set in the 1970's. Tillie is a 17-year old who goes away on her first overnight trip for an art show. She meets Noah Hansen there, who is the epitome of a "bad boy" and they seemingly fall in love at first sight. They make plans to meet (and even to marry), but before they can see each other again, Tillie is whisked away by her teacher during a snow storm. They have no way of getting in touch again, but they mourn for one another for a year. During that time, they really grow as individuals. Will they come back together eventually?

I really liked the premise of this story and the characters. What I didn't like is that the conversations between the characters felt stilted and unrealistic. I don't know anyone who actually talks like this, and it seemed a little cheesy. I was able to get over it and enjoy the book anyway. I'd be interested to read the other books in the series.

Thank you to Litfuse Publicity for a copy of the book.

Monday, October 2, 2017

A Woman Overwhelmed (Review)




This review is for the book "A Woman Overwhelmed" by Hayley DiMarco. I loved this book! I loved her style of writing. This book felt like we were sitting in my living room sharing a cup of coffee and just talking and commiserating, and encouraging one another. I felt like Hayley was reading my mind, especially on such topics as creating our own laws (telling myself what I need to do, not what I actually have to do), or not asking people for help, but rather, making a lot of noise in their general direction until they volunteer to help me. Hayley had me cracking up, nodding my head, and taking a hard look at myself! Great read, and I highly recommend it for all women!

Thank you to Litfuse Publicity for a copy of the book.