Getaway With God (Review)

This review is for the book "Getaway With God" by Letitia Suk. This book was so good! I have not read any other book like this - and that's saying a lot! In this book, Letitia Suk approaches the subject of getting away from it all and taking a personal retreat to focus on you and your relationship with God. As a stay-at-home mom, I feel like this is something that most moms could use, but we often can't find the time or money to do something like this. Letitia talks about those things and she is really encouraging in the different types of retreats that she suggests.

At one time, she was able to do a 5-day retreat, and she was willing to share her outline and schedule of those five days in this book. She even laid out sample schedules for other retreats, such as just one day or just overnight. She laid out why a retreat is so important for us, and she shared her own experiences.

I loved this book. Although I have had similar experiences going on retreats with friends or family, I have never done a retreat by myself, and I can see how enriching it would be. I think this is a book that all ladies should read and try to incorporate into their lives somehow!

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

12 Blessings (Review)

This review is for the book "Receiving the 12 Blessings of Israel" by Paul Thangiah. In this book, Thangiah goes through each blessing that Jacob gave to his 12 sons and he parallels them with the blessings that Moses gave the 12 tribes. He then shows how we can apply that to our lives today. Thangiah is a pastor in India and throughout the book he describes many miracles, blessings, and answered prayers that have come his way. It was really inspirational to read some of the things that had happened to him because of his faithfulness.

I really enjoyed this book and learning more about these blessings and the scriptural parallels. I would definitely recommend this book.

Thank you to Chosen Publishers for a copy of the book.

Miscarried Joy (Review)

This review is for the book "Miscarried Joy" by Tanika Fitzgerald. This book is an absolutely beautiful tale of Tanika's journey of losing three babies due to miscarriage. In her mind, marriage came first, then healthy babies, and the thought of losing a baby didn't really enter her mind - same as most of us ladies. Unfortunately, that isn't how things have gone for her so far. But she has this incredible hope in God and how he is going to fulfill her and her husband, no matter what.

In this book, Tanika is really open about her own struggles and triumphs, but she also brings up stories of biblical women who struggled with infertility or another type of pain. Women like Hannah, Elizabeth, and Naomi, among others, who got through their pain and saw that God had a greater purpose for them.

As I read this book, I had so many women cross my mind who I know would benefit by reading this book. I'm passing it on to one of them, whose hurt is most recent. If you know someone who needs this book, I definitely recommend it as a healing tool.

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

Of Stillness and Storm (Review)

This review is for the book "Of Stillness and Storm" by Michele Phoenix. In this book, Lauren and her husband Sam's story is told. We find that when they first meet, the attraction is there, but Sam is concerned that they are not on the same level spiritually. Lauren assures him that she is just as serious about her faith as he is. After marriage and a child, Sam feels the call from God to go to Nepal to serve as a missionary. Unfortunately, Lauren and their son do not feel the same call. In the end, they go to Nepal, and it doesn't take long for a huge wedge to be thrown into their relationships. Sam is gone for weeks at a time, and Lauren and their son Ryan have this sense of abandonment.

When Lauren's friend urges her to join Facebook in an attempt to connect with the outside world, she suddenly finds a person from her past wanting to communicate with her. From the very beginning, readers will get the vibe that she's going down a dangerous path by communicating with him. In the end, the whole family has a lot of choices to make in regards to their faith and family.

This book was so sad to me. It was really troubling to see this family being twisted and pulled based on the calling that the father felt he had. It was sad to see Lauren feel like she had to lean on a friend she hadn't spoken to in 20 years rather than her husband. It was torture to see the loneliness and hopelessness in the son that no one else seemed to notice. I think the book was really well written, and it was probably quite realistic, and maybe that's what bothered me so much about it.

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

You're Saying It Wrong (Review)

This review is for the book "You're Saying It Wrong" by Ross Petras and Kathryn Petras. When I saw this book I just knew I had to get it. This book is a guide to pronouncing the top 150 most commonly mispronounced words. It even gives a background on the words. I am such a word geek, so this book is one that I am keeping for myself but also buying for my word geek friends for Christmas!

The book is alphabetical and contains words that I didn't even know I was mispronouncing, such as "bruschetta" and "spit and image" (I always say "spitting image")!! As you can see, it also includes phrases. The book even contains some names, such as "Thames" and "Beijing". Also, sprinkled throughout the pages are lists such as British names, names of authors, and names of wines.

I absolutely love this book. Any writers, readers, and word lovers out there NEED this book in their lives! I highly recommend it!

Thank you to the publisher for a copy of the book.

Pray A to Z (Review)

This review is for the book "Pray A to Z" by Amelia Rhodes. This book is such a great premise. It is a practical guide to praying for your community. Each letter of the alphabet has five topics associated with it - such as bullying, infertility, and trafficking which are things we either struggle with or our community or nation is struggling with, or topics such as graciousness, light, and redeemer, which are attributes of God that we need to be thankful for and reminded of.

Each topic is short and to the point. There is a scripture associated with each topic, a short paragraph on what specifically could be prayed for regarding that topic, and then a sample prayer for each topic. It's really incredible how specific this prayer guide is. I have never seen another one that included topics such as eating disorders or people who lack medical care.I absolutely loved it because it brought up so many things that I forget to pray for so many times.

I definitely recommend this book. It would make a great Christmas present for the prayer warrior in your life!

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

Pursuing Gold (Review)

This review is for the book "Pursuing Gold" by Cynthia Simmons. This is a novel of the Civil War era, and if you enjoy historical fiction, you will definitely like this novel which is full of suspense, mystery and romance. Although it is suspenseful it isn't gruesome or anything that will make you cringe.

In this book, Peter Chandler has inherited the leadership of a bank. His partner's daughter, Mary Beth, who is an old family friend, is taking over some duties as well since her father is in poor health. Unfortunately, right now is not a good time for the banking business because the Civil War is raging around Chattanooga. There is a lot of political pressure, and then Mary Beth discovers counterfeit money which puts the bank in grave danger of closing. While the two journey together to stop the counterfeiter, save the bank, find investments in Gold, and come to terms with their parents' death and failing health, they also learn to lean on one another and are able to find love.

I found this book very enjoyable and I would definitely recommend it.

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

The Remnant (Review)

This review is for the book "The Remnant" by Monte Wolverton. This book is a post-Apocalypse novel. The Apolcalypse happened in 2069 but Jesus didn't show up. Instead, war, natural disasters, and pandemics destroyed most of the earth's population. There is a government controlling everything now from Tunisia. Workers in a camp decide to embark on a dangerous journey to escape and see if they can find "true" Christians. They don't know what is out there, outside of the camp, but they are willing to take their chances. They go on a dangerous adventure, coming across many different groups of Christians who seem to be self-serving, misinterpreting scripture, and sometimes just seem to be operating on plain lunacy. Throughout it all the group gains some spiritual fortitude and begins to figure out what exactly they believe.

I will say this wasn't the most riveting book I have ever read. I just couldn't get into it. I think the premise of the book is good, but I never connected with the characters and there were several parts I ended up just skimming.

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

Photographs from the Edge (Review)

This review is for the book "Photographs from the Edge" by Art Wolfe. I am not a photographer (except of my children) but I definitely have an appreciation for photography. This book is a collection of Art Wolfe's photography, and Rob Sheppard has compiled it all, while getting the background story on these fascinating pictures. The book begins with pictures from the 1980's and continues into the modern photographs he has taken. The photographs are of things and situations unlike any that a typical person has ever seen in person. From the Milky Way in Madagascar to hyenas in Botswana, these pictures will astound you and make you realize how huge and magnificent our world is! Wolfe has amazing stories to tell over his decades of experience and any photographer or lover of nature, adventure and photography will enjoy this book.

Thank you to the publisher for a copy of the book.

Trust My Heart (Review)

This review is for the book "Trust My Heart" by Carol J. Post. In this book, we meet Jami Carlisle, a reporter who lives in small town Murphy, North Carolina. One day, Grant McAllister arrives in town. Grant is from a big city, he's a high-power lawyer, and he is only in town to sell some property he has inherited from grandparents he never even knew. He doesn't trust women and he doesn't trust reporters, so Jami has to do a lot of work to befriend him. She wants the background story of his family, but the more she gets to know him, she starts to really like him.

Grant and Jami go on a journey of distrust and learning more about themselves. Both of them have some baggage, and they have to come to terms with it before they can really trust each other and grow into a relationship.

I loved this book. It's an easy, feel-good read. I love books about small town romance and I really liked the characters in this novel!

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