"Life: In Spite of Me" by Kristen Jane Anderson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Kristen Anderson wanted to die---but God had other plans. Recounting her miraculous survival of a suicide attempt in which a train severed her legs, Kristen shares how her newfound faith in God helped her overcome severe depression and shame, as well as the challenges of permanent physical disability. Discover how she found fulfillment serving God!

What a great story of hope! Reeling from the death of her beloved grandmother and three of her friends as well as another "friend" raping her, Kristen decided to end it all. God had other plans for her as is shown by the simple fact that as far as science is concerned, she should have died that night. What a blessing to read how God drew her to Him. I greatly appreciated the clear plan of salvation being given, instead of just saying she "found God" or "gave her life to Jesus". She didn't stop there, though, but continued to grow, acting on a clear desire to really KNOW God, not just know about Him. Kristen really wanted a close relationship with God, and acted on that desire giving her life to Him to do whatever He would ask her to do--even if it meant going outside of her comfort zone. This is a wonderful story of hope, forgiveness and a life lived to the fullest for God.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

http://www.reachingyouministries.com/

http://multnomahemails.com/wbmlt/pdf/...

http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/blog/2...

"Stories of Faith and Courage from the Civil War" by Terry Tully

My rating: 1 of 5 stars

This was my second "Battlefields and Blessings" book, and this one was even worse than the first one I read. God is not the author of confusion, but you have 3 different Bible versions being used, and some of the stories leave you scratching your head. For instance, the story or Jan 19th is about Ada Bacot and an entry in her journal about how much she loves the South--she wants to live and die there and could never live in the north. So where, exactly, is the "faith" and "courage"? They use that to say we christians should not get too attached to the things of the world, but it still feels out of place in the book. There were multiple "stories" that didn't seem to fit the "stories of faith and courage" title. Many of the verses at the end of that days devotion is no more than a phrase or small portion of the verse. Very disappointing.

I was given a digital copy of this book by AMG Publishers through NetGalley.com. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

"My Journe Beyond Being Catholic" by Connie Limmex

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

“Being part of the Catholic religion was a fundamental aspect of my identity for nearly fifty years. Never one to question what I had been taught, I clung to the comfort and security of being Catholic.

However, I can still remember the particular moment when it occurred to me that although I was a good person, went to church, and didn’t think I sinned much, I was not absolutely sure I was going to heaven. That realization was pivotal in my journey, as I began to allow the truth to take root which did not mesh well with my otherwise comfortable Catholic religion.”

This is an interesting story of how the author went from being Catholic to accepting Christ as her Savior and moving to an Evangelical Free Church. It was interesting reading about the steps, circumstances and people that started her on this journey and led her to the saving knowledge of Christ. I enjoyed reading about that journey, but there were some definite issues with the book. First of all, she needs a good editor. This is a really hard book to read as it jumps around in time a LOT! It was easy to get confused sometimes as to if this was when she was with her first husband or her second, was this before or after she left the catholic church, etc. She would usually end up clarifying it at some point, but it made it frustrating to read.

Connie clearly states on the back that she is not claiming being Catholic in and of itself is wrong and that she believes Catholic Christianity is possible. Now, I am NOT saying that all Catholics aren’t Christians, but the Catholic doctrine is directly against what the Bible teaches. I’m not going to go into that here as I’m not trying to stir up anything, but from someone who even talks about how that while they were in the Catholic church there was no joy, no peace, etc. it surprises me that she still seems to be trying to straddle that fence. Those two issues unfortunately dropped the book down to 2 stars.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Life Sentence Publishing, LLC through BookCrash.com to read and give an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

We Have a Winner!!!

Congratulations to Rebecca on winning the giveaway!!  Send me your mailing info and I'll get it in the mail as soon as possible.  Thanks to everyone who took the time to visit my blog and enter for the giveaway.  I really appreciate it.

Happy Reading!!

"Stories From Jonestown" by Leigh Fondakowski

My rating: 1 of 5 stars

I was very interested in reading this, but I ended up quitting the book not very far into it due to the language.

"Micah" by Dani Ramsey

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is probably the hardest book I've had to read and review. Micah was an amazing teen that faced the most malignant and fastest growing cancer that existed with peace that God was in control and He would get the glory no matter the outcome. He had a strength beyond his years--more strength than his parents even. This 15-year-old boy calmly held his mom while she fell apart after the terminal diagnosis, telling her it would be okay. Micah wrote after his the diagnosis, "We as human beings were created by God t worship and glorify Him. It is what we are designed to do. God also has had a plan for us since before we were born. Apparently one of His plans for my life is that I was to fight cancer. This is so that I can glorify and serve Him in some way. I do not know what this way is. What He is doing, I'm sure, my simple mind cannot fathom. God is all-knowing and I am not. That is the plain and simple truth. He is going to be GREATLY GLORIFIED through me fighting cancer. Not because I'm some great person, but because He is a great, mighty and totally awesome God." Wow!! If more of us could grab hold of this concept when we go through our trials and struggles, we'd be better off and God would get more glory!

Some things in the book bothered me. I understood not doing chemo and radiation with this particular cancer, but some things were just odd. The thing that struck me the most was when writing of immediately after his death, his mother wrote, "We simply wanted to dispose of the body quietly witout any fanfare." Are you kidding me!! I understand wanting a quiet, family funeral, but "dispose of the body"?!? That statement was pretty disturbing to me. The book is worth the read just for Micah's testimony throught the 20 week ordeal.

I was sent a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through BookCrash. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

"Claiming Mariah" by Pam Hillman

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

In light of her father’s death, Mariah Malone sends a letter that will forever alter the lives of her family. When Slade Donovan, strong willed and eager for vengeance, shows up on her front porch, Mariah is not ready to hear his truths: her father’s farm, the only home she’s ever known, was bought with stolen gold. With Slade ready to collect his father’s rightful claim and force Mariah and her family out on the streets, Mariah must turn to God for guidance. Though Mr. Frederick Cooper, a local landowner, promises to answer her financial woes if she agrees to be his bride, Mariah finds herself drawn instead to the angry young man demanding her home.

With the ranch now under Slade’s careful eye, he will unearth more than he ever imagined as a devious plot of thievery, betrayal and murder threatens more than the well-being of the ranch, endangering the lives of those who hold it dear. With days dwindling until the rest of the Donovan clan arrive to the Lazy M ranch, Mariah and Slade must rise above the resentment of their fathers and see their true feelings before greed alters their futures forever.

A sweet story of doing the right thing no matter how hard it is. Greed, treachery, revenge, love and forgiveness are all themes in this well-written story. The characters drew me in and made me want to keep following their story. Mariah is a giving, loving, sweet girl in hard circumstances. Slade is a bitter, hurt man out to claim what rightfully?? belongs to his family, driven by the love for his mother and all the things she did without married to a drunk, and then widowed with young kids. He can't help but be drawn to Mariah however much he doesn't want to care. The treachery isn't over yet, though. Will they, and their budding love, survive? Excellent story.

A digital copy of this book was sent to me by Tyndale through NetGalley.com for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are mine.

"Lone Star Trail" by Darlene Franklin

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Jud Morgan's father died for Texas' freedom so when German immigrants try to colonize a New Germany in Texas, he takes a stand against them.

After Wande Fleischer's fiance abandons her, the young fraulein determines to make a new life for herself in Texas. As much as Jud dislikes the German invasion, he can't help admiring Wande. Will vengeance burn and destroy more than Wande's home, or will the rancher put aside his prejudice and forge a new future?

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Wande's story. When heartbreak comes once and again, instead of letting it make her bitter, she draws closer to the Lord and keeps a sweet spirit. In the face of Jud's prejudice, she still befriends him and his family (who aren't prejudiced, by the way) building close friendships between the families. This draws Jud to her as he fights to overcome his hatred of the Germans. A very sweet story, well told. I can't wait to read more about the Morgan family in the books to come!

I was sent this book by Moody Publishing to read and review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

http://www.moodypublishers.com/pub_productDetail.aspx?id=41823&pid=69693

"Fearless" by Eric Blehm

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I want to state up front that I did break my rule to read and review this book. I state under the header of my blog that I will not accept books with swearing in them. However, my husband (who is ex-Navy) read this before I did and based on his and my sister's recommendations I decided to go ahead with this book. The swearing is not extreme (though certainly way more than I like), and some of the worst words just have the first letter and a line to complete the word. That said, I'll move on to the actual review.

This is a very powerful book. Adam Brown was a man with many personal demons who overcame incredible odds to eventually become a member of the elite SEAL Team Six. This is a no-holds-barred, brutally honest story of his life--his failures and successes. There is plenty of swearing, drinking, drugs, etc so I would not recommend this book for kids (including teens) without the parents checking it out first. From a drug addict with multiple arrests to an Navy SEAL, Adam lived life full-out. He didn't know the meaning of the word quit. Towards the end of the book someone states that Adam "surrendered only once, and that was to Jesus Christ." ...well, except all the times he surrendered to the call of drugs. That part really broke my heart. This couple is supposed to be sold-out christians who know that even though he's now kicked the habit, he'll fight cravings for the drug all of his life. They know that if Adam drinks, his willpower drops and that's when he usually falls to the drug again, but instead of staying away from alcohol, he still goes to bars and partys and puts a one beer limit on himself--which he doesn't always stick to. It broke my heart that some of the awful times they went through could have possibly been averted from staying away from anything that might bring it on. Please don't think that I'm denigrating them or their story. I'm just being honest.

The book starts off a litte slow, but certainly doesn't stay that way. No book about this guy could stay slow and boring! He never did anything halfway, but barreled ahead at full speed no matter what the danger was, and it definitely took a toll on his body with multiple injuries, any one of which would have given him a medical discharge no questions asked. Adam, however, refused to quit. He overcame injuries that NO ONE would have thought he could overcome and even stay in the military, but he went on and AFTER these injuries passed the brutal tests to be a part of DEVGRU (SEAL Team Six). An inspiring story that I recommend only with the reservations on language.

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

http://fearlessnavyseal.com/
http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/blog/2012/04/03/sneak-peek-fearless-by-eric-blehm/

"Battlefields and Blessings: Stories of Faith and Courage from the Revolutionary War" by Jane Hampton Cook

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Maybe I'm just spoiled by some of the better devotionals I've read, but this seemed very "light" in that category. A story, a one or two sentence "prayer" and a verse (or sometimes just a fraction of a verse!) for each day. If we ate food like that, we'd starve, and if that is the extent of your "devotions", you'll starve spiritually. The stories were great, and I thoroughly enjoyed them. The verses I had a problem with. The whole point of this book seems to be to teach the reader spiritual things through the lives of our forefathers. When a verse is quoted within the story, the KJV is used, but the verse at the end of each "devotion" is NIV. So, while you're telling me that their lives and experiences are good enough to help my daily life and walk with the Lord, you're also telling me that their Bible wasn't good enough for me today? Sorry, but I took issue with that. The good, christian history is the only thing that pushed this to 3 stars.

I was given this to read and review by AMG Publishers through NetGalley.com. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Flu :-(

Sorry I haven't posted any reviews for a bit.  I've been down with the flu for over a week.  I'm just now feeling like I'm on the mend.  I'm back to reading and hope to get some reviews posted soon!  Don't forget to enter for the giveaway!!  Only three days left to enter!

Happy Reading!

"Better to be Broken" by Rick Huntress.

Better to Be Broken by Rick Huntress
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was immediately intrigued by this book, and couldn't wait to read it. At only 122 pgs, it didn't take long, but what a ride! While in the Air Force Reserves, Rick Huntress is training to load cargo on the back of a C-130 when the hydraulics and failed dropping the 2 ton cargo door on his head resulting in a head injury as well as shattering three thoracic vertebrae and severing his spine leaving him paralyzed from the mid-chest down. This is a wonderful, brutally honest book that I would recommend to anyone. Rick does not spare himself one bit in the writing of this book, but takes the opportunity to show you what he was, and then what he became through Christ's intervention and the results of a terrible accident. He went from a prideful, arrogant, do-whatever-it-takes-to-get-where/what-I-want kind of person to an open, loving, kind, giving man ready to serve his family, friends, the man on the street and ultimately, God. Rather than letting his "disability" get him down, he now uses it as a tool to minister to others. He shares how God worked in his life and how the Word of God became precious to him once more. It was such a blessing to find all the verses were from the King James Bible!!

I gave this book 4 stars instead of 5 due to the length. At times I felt rushed through the story and that it could have been fleshed out more.

I received this book from Sable Creek Press through BookCrash.com for my honest opinion. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

"Vanished" by Irene Hannon

Vanished by Irene Hannon
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I couldn't wait to read this book! What a fascinating premise--a woman hits someone on a stormy night when they run out in front of her, but they disappear and no one believes her. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I liked Moira and Cal, the two main characters, and the story being centered around PI's instead of your normal law enforcement. This isn't really a "whodunit", as it's pretty obvious early on who the "bad guy" is, but that works with this book. What did not work as well for me is that the main characters are supposed to be christians, yet she wears her mini skirts to show off her great legs and he blatantly enjoys the view. What happened to christians being christians and trying to remain pure? I've noticed this trend in all of Irene Hannon's books I've read, and it really bothers me. In all of them, the woman is showing off her body in some way and the guy is enjoying it. Obviously, not everyone will agree with me, but it's about turned me off Irene's books. The other problem I had is that the ending of her books are all starting to look somewhat the same. The girl is obviously at least potentially in danger, the guy "has" to go out of town/state/country for a couple of days, and she does something stupid while he's gone, gets caught and he has to get back in town just in time to save the day. Ummm, I think it's time for a new device for that snappy ending. This is getting REALLY repetitive!

I was given an e-copy of this book by Revell through NetGalley.com for my honest review. All views and opinions are my own.

"Shattered" by Dani Pettrey

Shattered by Dani Pettrey
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book is definitely better than the first one. I enjoyed Piper's character in "Submerged", so I really wanted to try this book. It's still irritating to read a book about a place you know about and find the writer got it all wrong (seriously, 10-15 minutes on Google alone would have really helped both books!!). That being said, I really enjoyed the book. They story line was good with enough twists and turns to keep it interesting. Piper could be annoying at times with her "I'm going to do what I want to do and there's nothing you can do to stop me" attitude. A little more common sense would go a long way with her. I'd be interested in the Gage/Darcy and Jake/Kayden story lines--I can see a couple more books in this series coming! Probably not a book I'd necessarily add to my library, but it made for a pretty enjoyable couple of hours.

Book Giveaway!

Don't forget to sign up for the giveaway!  One copy of "Sisterchicks in Gondolas" by Robin Jones Gunn to one lucky winner!!

Attention Winners of the the Cabin Fever Reading Giveaway!!

Chris G., Heather L. and Jasmine A. won the rafflecopter giveaway on my sister's blog.  She emailed all the winners, but still hasn't heard from two of them.  Please contact her by Monday the 7th with your mailing information.  If we've not heard from you by then we will seek alternate winner(s).  Enjoy your books!!

"Goodbye to Yesterday" by Wanda E. Brunstetter

Goodbye to Yesterday by Wanda E. Brunstetter
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

What?!? I won an ARC of this book--well, what I thought was a book. Can't figure out exactly what is going on here. Is this a tease for a new book coming out, or is this the first "book" of a series....??? I can't believe this is for sale on Amazon.com for $4.97 for pb and $5.59 for kindle. 121 pgs, but SMALL pages with large typeface. The story as far as it got is fine--I probably would enjoy the ENTIRE story--but I felt cheated. I would have been seriously annoyed had I paid the price for what I thought was a book and got this dinky little thing. I gave it two stars only because I was enjoying the story. Very disappointed.

My blog is in The Book Club Network Magazine!

I was so suprised (pleasantly so!) to see my blog listed in the January issue The Book Club Network Magazine http://www.bookfunmagazine.com/i/101204 !!  I didn't see the invitation until I thought it was too late, but went ahead and sent it anyway.  What a blessing to be put in!  Page 92, third from the top is my link.  Thanks to everyone over there for all their hard work they put in the magazine and for this opportunity to get a little advertising.

Happy Reading!!

My First Giveaway!!

Welcome to my first giveaway!!  To help this new blog continue to grow, and to help (and thank) my sister who got me started, I'm doing a rafflecopter to give away a great book--"Sisterchicks in Gondolas" by Robin Jones Gunn. 

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and want to pass it on for someone else to enjoy.  Easy entry with the rafflecopter above.  The giveaway starts 1/4/13 at 12:00am and ends 1/25/13 at 12am.  Don't miss it!

Happy Reading!!

And the winners are....

Congratulations to Chris G., Heather L. and Jasmine A.!!!  Winners of the Cabin Fever Reading book giveaway!  Stick around, because I'll be starting my first ever giveaway soon!

"Made in Heaven" by Ray Comfort & Jeffrey Seto

Made in Heaven: The Indiscriminate Stealing of God's Amazing Design by Ray Comfort
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I was so excited to get this book to review!! I had really been wanting to read it, and it didn't disappoint. From looking at the cover, I wondered if it might be targeted at kids, but it isn't. It There is plenty of technical and scientific jargon to keep the more scholarly interested, but not so much it leaves the rest of us scratching our heads. I like the fact that it's typically only a couple of pages for each example with plenty of photos, diagrams, etc. A fascinating look at technological advances made because someone looked at something God created and were inspired. 32 examples of man "stealing" God's designs. Very interesting read that I thoroughly recommend!

I received this book from New Leaf Publishing Group to review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

May we strive to serve the Lord better this year than the last, each day drawing closer to Him!  I'm not much on making resolutions as I know I'm not very good at keeping them, but I do have a desire to grow closer to my Lord this year.  2013 is a blank book.  Let's be careful what we write in it!

Happy Reading!!