Top Ten - Author Love

 

Reading is my favorite past time...

A good book makes me relaxed and content for hours.

Jeremy says, "Give her a good book and she is happy." That is SO true.

Here are a few of the authors that I've been reading lately...

1. Jody Hedlund - I just loved her fictional book about the life of John Bunyan. Excited about reading The Doctor's Lady next!

2. Kaye Dacus - Her Ransome Trilogy was amazing... I really enjoyed all three!

3. Siri Mitchell - She has a very interesting writing style. Her books are intriguing and her characters are very real. I think this one is my favorite.

4. Lisa Tawn Bergren - I have always loved her books and her writing style. She has a new series called "River of Time" and I absolutely love the characters, the time period and the intensity of the stories. Let's just say she can't write book 4 fast enough. Keep writing, Lisa! Not to mention that Lisa is a fun Twitter friend!

5. Colleen Coble - I always enjoy her stories. They are fun to read and easy to get lost in. Her newest, Lonestar Angel, was wonderful.

6. Marylu Tyndall - Her pirate stories are so fun and so engaging and so full of life! She incorporates God's Word, his faithfulness, the power of prayer and so many other spiritual truths in her books! I love that! Each one is inspiring and makes me want to visit a pirate ship. Well, only if HER characters are on board! I recently finished Surrender the Heart and I can. not. wait. to read books 2 and 3.

7. Deanne Gist - If you haven't read her books, you must. I was in love with her books from the very first one I read.

8. Jenny B. Jones - I just read Save the Date and loved it! I loved this book so much that I read it in about 3 hours. And I was sad when it was done.

9. Maggie Brendan - If you like a good old west story, her books are perfect. Deeply Devoted was a wonderful read.

10. Beth Wiseman - She writes Amish novels and I love her ability to bring characters to life through these sweet Amish stories.

I have some other authors to share with you soon through a few book reviews.

What authors are you reading these days?

The Homeschool Village Review: Munford

Over the past several weeks, we have had the opportunity to review The Adventures of Munford: Munford Meets Robert Fulton.

I will say that from the beginning, my 8 year old has LOVED this book

She took it with her on vacation and to her friend's house so that they could read parts of it together.

She loves anything with great imagination and she was enthralled with the idea that Munford can travel all over the world and all through time as a water drop.

From the description on Amazon of Munford.

"Introducing Munford . . . the world's most daring water molecule! Although he's just two parts hydrogen and one part oxygen, Munford is all adventure. He can be rain, snow, sleet, or steam. He has traveled the world in search of excitement. He watched as the first pyramid was built in Egypt. He cheered at the first Olympic Games in Greece. He's explored with Marco Polo, sailed with Columbus, and painted with da Vinci... Fun and educational, Munford will inspire your children to learn... Though written on an elementary reading level, Munford is fun for all ages and makes an excellent supplement to your geography and history studies"

This homeschool mom wholeheartedly agrees!

And so does this homeschooled 8 year old.

One of her favorite things about this book, other than the adventure itself, was that the pictures are in color. Sometimes chapter books move to black and white pictures or even skip pictures altogether. This one was full of engaging, colorful, well-drawn illustrations.

I asked her to list some things that she loved about this book.

"EVERYTHING!" she said!

So, as all good teachers do, I pushed for a little more than just one word.

She listed these 4 things (as she wrote them):

1. He got stuck in funny places like in a birds belly or in somwons eye and in somwons nose, things like that.

2. He got to meet really cool peopole like Bengimin Franklin, tomas jefrison.

3. He goes cool places but I don't remember any. Oh, ya, here are some. Lancaster Pennsylvania, inside a firework gun, a storm cloud and france.

4. All the adventures like all the cool tiny places

(she can spell Pennsylvania but not someone? lol)

She is very excited to read more Adventures of Munford. She told me that the next one on her list is Munford Meets Lewis and Clark.

And, this is a series that I would have no problem collecting for my girls, knowing that they will be reading them for many years to come. Learning history, geography and life lessons from this lovable water drop!

Would you be interested in having these books for your kids?

The Homeschool Village is offering a giveaway of an entire set of books!

You can hop on over there now and enter their giveaway. I know your family will be blessed by these books.

Another great opportunity for all of you is that Geography Matters is offering our readers a Buy 3 Get 1 Free discount through the month of October using the Code 4MUNFORD43.

Make sure you take advantage of these amazing offers.

Book Review: Cherished

I just sat down tonight and opened this book. I had received a digital copy to review through Booksneeze and just now had a chance to read.

Kim Cash Tate is a new author to me so I had no idea what to expect from this book.

I didn't plan to read Cherished all the way through tonight nor did I plan to post a review about it so quickly.

But, my feelings are almost raw from how encouraging and uplifting this book is... it is incredibly moving to read a steady, deep theme of love, forgiveness, grace and mercy.

I was literally blown away by the redeeming power of our God.

Through the stories of two women, Heather and Kelli, I truly began to feel their pain and rejoice as God turns their mourning into joy.

From the back of the book...

"Kelli London once dreamed of being a songwriter. As crazy as it seemed, she hoped that God would use the lyrics that came to her while she slept. She dreamed about Brian too, that the love they shared would be a forever kind of love. But choices she'll forever regret upended her hope . . . and turned her dreams to dust. When those dreams come knocking once more, she's forced to deal with the pain of the past.


Heather Anderson's life has spun out of control—first, an affair with a married man, then a one-night stand with the drummer of a popular Christian band that left her devastated. Broken and alone, she cried out to the only One who can save her. And He did. But that's just the beginning, because now she must leave behind the only life she's ever known.


Two women with shame-filled pasts form an unlikely friendship. What does God's forgiveness look like for them? Will they ever believe that He loves them . . . and can still offer them a life where they are cherished?"

To see these women experience the forgiveness that only God can give is miraculous.

This miracle reminds us how amazing our God is and how freely He offers us His mercy and grace.

I almost wish Kim Cash Tate would have lengthened the book and taken more time with each character. I felt like I was living the story with them.

I even cried. more than once.

In fact, I still feel teary.

God is merciful. He is a God of grace. He forgives the unforgiveable and redeems the broken pieces of our lives.

We can not forget these truths about the God we serve.

I'm thankful for the reminder to give it all to Him, let Him work out the timing of our lives and trust Him to redeem lost and hurtful moments.

I was so taken with this story that I found the author on twitter and she had a link to the video trailer of this book.

I thought I'd share it with you...





Do you need to feel cherished by God today?

A Book for Me and A Book for Them

So, have I been reading during my busy month full of camps, bike trips, family vacations and church activities?

Of course, I have! You all know how much I love a good book.

Harvest House Publishers sent me a very good book to read on our adventures.

The One Who Waits for Me is a story about 3 women living in the time right after the Civil War. Beth, Joanie and Trella come from a horrible past and are trying to build new lives when they meet 3 men coming back from the war. Together, these six characters face challenges, struggles and problems that only God can help them walk through.

I really fell in love with these characters. So much so, that I wish there was a separate book for each of the them! Their stories are incredible and as God teaches them to embrace the plan He has for their lives, I was reminded again to trust God for the future.

Each time these women find themselves in trouble, God comes through in amazing ways. He never leaves them, never forsakes them and never fails to show them His love.

The 3 men returning from war have plans in place but as they allow God to direct their paths, they realize that God's plan is perfect even if it is different from what they originally thought.

I love books with a strong message of God's love and this book is one of them! From forgiveness, to trust, to faithfulness, to hope... Lori Copeland writes a story of love and compassion that is full of life lessons and faith building moments.

The characters are well-developed and easy to love, but again, I read this book wishing for more about them!

And, not only have I been reading, but my girls have been reading too!

Harvest House also sent my girls a book to read. Their book was called Good Manners for a Little Princess by Kelly Chapman.

I love allowing my girls to review books!

This book is about a group of young girls who need to learn about princess manners.

Although you may not believe it, my precious princesses often need a reminder about having good manners, treating others with kindness and acting in love towards their family and friends.

What a wonderful tool this book is to help parents teach girls these life principles!  The characters are fun to read about and very relatable to young girls.

From the book description:

Caroline and her friends are passionate about all things princess—except for the matters of manners. So when they are transported to Miss Lily’s Princess Prep School the fun ensues as they are taught Kingdom-worthy etiquette, including ways to:

• let kindness reign
• dine with divine dignity
• practice princess pleasantries
• be a gracious friend

The girls in the book go through some very silly mishaps and my girls enjoyed reading each chapter.

All three of them having been talking about this book ever since! In fact, they often quote different table rules and princess manners as they go about their days.

This book now has a permanent home in their room.

Thanks to Harvest House Publishers for providing these wonderful books for review.

The Homeschool Village Review: Seeds Family Worship

I have been asked to review for The Homeschool Village! I was very excited when they asked me because I know their bloggers review some great products. I love great products! And, as a homeschool mom starting our third year in the fall, I know how important quality homeschooling materials are for our kids.

If you are visiting our blog from The Homeschool Village, it is nice to meet you! I hope you enjoy your visit to The Goodwin Family. Feel free to check out my Meet Me page to read more about our family. Thanks for stopping by!

I loved this first item that The HSV asked me to review. I love it because it is for ALL families, not just homeschooling families. All parents can use this wonderful tool in their homes to help their children grow in God.

This product is from Seeds Family Worship, a company that puts scripture to music for families to use in their worship time together! What an amazing thing!

There website says, "Planting the seeds of God's Word in the hearts of families."

An incredible mission and responsibility for us as parents.

I was convicted about this myself back in April at my first homeschool convention. I went to a breakout session centered on the importance of scripture memorization in the hearts of our kids. I feel like a do a pretty good job of that on a basic level but boy was I challenged to go even further with my girls and push them to really learn God's Word. Even more than that, to be memorizing scripture for myself and not just for them!

The Seeds Family Worship CDs can be a great tool as we move toward the goal of more scripture memorization.

The CD that I was sent was called "Seeds of Character"

I was very impressed with the music quality and the tunes of each song. They were easy to listen to and easy to sing to... my girls were singing the first time through!

Elayna sat in the back of our van with her Bible open. She was trying to look up the verses to each song.

The case was so helpful because it lists not only the song titles but the Bible references as well!

She LOVED that!

I have to say that the only draw back of this CD for our family was the Bible version that Seeds Family Worship uses in their songs.

The CD uses ESV and we have our girls memorize NIV because they are in a Bible Quiz program at church and have monthly quiz meets and other awards they are working towards. It is very important that they memorize Bible quotes in the NIV because they have to know them word for word. No mistakes. I don't want to confuse them by introducing a new version.

For your family, this might not be an issue at all!! Seeds Family Worship is well worth the investment if you aren't specific about the version.

We have really enjoyed listening to this CD and Elayna had a great time reading God's Word along with the songs.

Here is a little more information about this CD from the Seeds Family Worship website.

"God has given us His Word to help us build our character, or what we do and how we act when no one is watching. He has also given us the promise that He is who He says He is...that God-confidence. We cannot have His character with knowing and growing in Him. The Scriptures on "Seeds of Character" help us all learn and grow in His Word to discover how to live our lives with godly character."

Recommended for all ages.

1. More Than Conquerors (Romans 8:37)
2. The Wages and The Gift (Romans 3:23; 6:23)
3. The Life (John 14:6, I John 5:11-12)
4. The Fruit (Galatians 5:16; 22)
5. Delight (Psalm 1)
6. Teach Them (Deuteronomy 6:4-7)
7. The Perfect Example (John 13:12-17)
8. Children and Fathers (Ephesians 6:1-4)
9. Put On Love (Colossians 3:12; 14a)
10. The Character Song (Romans 5:1-5)
11. Give Thanks (Psalm 105:1-5)
12. The Only Way (The New Testament Song)

Another great thing you need to know is that Seeds Family Worship is offering a generous discount for The Homeschool Village readers!! 

Purchasers will receive 20% off their purchase of CDs at the web store(www.seedsmusicstore.com) for the next 6 months!! 

Take advantage of that special discount and pick up a birthday present or early Christmas present. You or your friends and family will be blessed for sure!

Review Disclaimer: Please note that I have been provided a complimentary copy of this resource by The Homeschool Village specifically for review purposes.

Thank you Seeds Family Worship and The Homeschool Village!

Some New Reviews!

When I was at the Homeschooling Convention at the beginning of April, I met Abby and she tweets and works for Harvest House Publishers.

I was having fun tweeting with Abby before we had even met, knowing we were both in the same place at the same time but not sure if we'd get to meet in person.

When we did meet, it was at the Harvest House booth. She was so sweet and I'm glad we got to say hello!

Then, I was captivated at this booth and wanted to sit down and read a book.

Seriously, my feet were tired from walking around the convention!

Way too many good books in one place for this book lover.

I enjoyed browsing around the books they had on display and I decided to look into being a book reviewer for Harvest House.

I contacted them and here I am now doing my first review post for Harvest House!

I must admit, that when Harvest House sent me the link to available books, I was overwhelmed. They have some amazing books and I had NO idea what to choose!!

The book lover in me so badly wanted a new Christian fiction book. They had some authors I'd never read before and I wanted to review one!

The teacher in me wanted something from their Bible Studies or Christian Living books.

Grrr... what to do!

So, I begged, prodded and pleaded with Harvest House to send me more than one...

*wink*

well, maybe I didn't do that, I simply asked and they said, "Yes!"

I loved both the selections they sent me.

The first book was "When All My Dreams Come True" by Janelle Mowery.

This was a new author for me and I'm so glad I chose her book! It was a wonderful read with well-developed characters and an encouraging story line.

"Bobbie McIntyre dreams of running a ranch of her own. Raised without a mother and having spent most of her time around men, she knows more about wrangling than acting like a lady. The friendship of her new employer awakens a desire to learn more about presenting her feminine side, but ranch life keeps getting in the way.

Ranch owner Jace Kincaid figures the Lord is testing his faith when a female wrangler shows up looking for work. Bobbie has an uncanny way of getting under his skin, though, and he’s surprised when she finds a home next to his heart. But when his cattle begin to go missing and his wranglers are in danger from some low-down cattle thief, can Jace trust God, even if it may mean giving up on his dreams?" - from the back of the book

A description from the Harvest House website says, "An adventurous novel of faith, hope, and love in the Wild West."

And, I would agree! Both Jace and Bobbie encourage us to trust God no matter what the circumstances and to have faith even in the face of great adversity. This is book 1 of the series and I can't wait to read book 2!

The next thing I chose from Harvest House was the new Bible Study from Lysa TerKeurst. She has a book out called "What Happens When Women Say Yes to God". Well, I LOVED Made to Crave and was thrilled to see not only a new book by Lysa, but also an Interactive Workbook and a 6 part DVD series!

I received the DVD series and the workbook in the mail to review.

This is a wonderful series speaking exactly to where women are today. We do need to be willing to say Yes to God!

One of my favorite phrases from this study is, "When the Messiah touches our mess, it becomes our message to the world."

We all have a story, a mess that God has or can touch and He wants us to say YES, to allow Him to use those things in our lives for His glory.

Such a powerful word from Lysa!

The description of the workbook says, "Excellent for individuals or groups, this workbook companion to the DVD helps women discover and delight in God’s joy and purpose for their lives." It does that through personal questions, activities and discussions. There are a few lessons in the workbook to go with each session which allows you to dig deeper into what Lysa taught during the week's DVD session.

I am excited to use this material in my women's Sunday School class and give them the opportunity to go through this study again with me!

A big thanks to Harvest House for sending me these great items to review. Make sure you head over to their website and check out the great resources they have available!

Book Reviews

I recently received two books from Bring It On! Communications to review.

The first was a childrens book called "The Rose Princess and the Special Gift" by Mike de Vetter.

Elayna read this book and loved it! She enjoyed the pictures...

And she said that her favorite part was when the Princess gave with Kindness.

The Princess had been given some gifts by her father and she chose to share those gifts with others who needed help.

When I asked Elayna what she learned from this book, she said, "I learned to be kind and to give to others."

I'm sure that this is a book my girls will read again and again!

The second book that I received to review is a marriage book.

I always love reading marriage books! Marriage is such an important area of our lives and we can always grow as we walk through life with our spouse!

This book, "Beating the Marriage Odds", catches your attention just by reading the back cover.

It uses the example of a lemon car. If you were buying a car and the dealer told you that it had a 50% chance of being a lemon, would you buy it anyway?

Well, those are the statistics that newly married couples are walking into when they say "I do."

"The statistics are staggering. One out of every two marriages today will fail. What is the cause of such staggering statistics? What, if anything, can be done to keep couples together? This book offers concrete principles for building and sustaining a sound marriage. It outlines the most common causes of marriage failure and offers sound principles to avoid or correct such problems. Those who are considering marriage as well as those who have been married for years will benefit from real life examples and principles that they can apply to their own marriages."

I loved how the author walks you through the meaning of the traditional marriage vow and then directly shows how that is a vow made before your spouse and before God.

"For this promise to have effect, the couple must revere God." pg. 12

As we grow closer to God, we will grow closer to our spouse. What an amazing truth!

Each chapter has a great topic, real-life examples and scripture to help guide you and your spouse.

This is a great book for all married couples.

Book Reviews!

I am way behind in my book reading!

The pile sitting next to me is quite huge and I LOVE it.

Some books are for fun, some are for study, some are for teaching and some are for review... I am amazed at how some of the themes and lessons blend and really speak to me about some of the same topics.

The farther into the spring and summer we get, the more busy we become. And reading often takes a back seat.

But, today was a rainy, stormy day... just perfect for breaking out the books!

I reviewed Reggie and Mine is the Night over at My Awake Journey today. Both wonderful books! A biography and a historical fiction book... LOVE!

I have been looking at two other books from Bring It On! Communications.

The first one is Soul Truth by Wendy Pilla-Delcourt. The back of the book says, "Family life, work, activities, and social pressures consume each day. With the rapid increase in the pace of our lives, our inner desires and passions are often distracted. It is easy to forget that there is more to life than mere responsibility and performance. Sharing the very stories that have shaped her life, Wendy Pilla-Delcourt encourages you to share your life in a new way and to celebrate the gift you are to this world. The ageless, child-like spirit in all of us can capture the realms of possibility to live out the meaningful life that burns inside our very souls. With all of us called to one glorious hope for the future, we must remember that innate curiosity, that passion to pioneer the world, and the fearlessness to take a chance on something we believe in."

This book goes perfectly with what I'm teaching in our ladies Sunday School class right now from the book Soul Print by Mark Batterson. I love how Wendy brings the thought of allowing God to use past experiences to shape and guide our future to life by telling us her own personal stories and how they have impacted her into adulthood. I really enjoyed reading her input and then asking myself the questions she gave at the end of each chapter.

The second book that I read  was Godly Personalities by Roger Deemer.

This book is about finding our personality tendencies and why that is important. The description of this book says, "Personalities provides hope in facing common temptations, avoiding deception, patiently persevering through life's challenges, and living in peace with all people. Understanding personalities is a key to living a godly life!"

Although I got confused sometimes at where I really fell in these many personality profiles, I did enjoy reading about the differences and seeing the realities of why I do the things I do! I would like to read this one again and focus more on discovering my personality type according to this study.

So, that is a little bit about what I've been reading... what have YOU been reading lately?

Morning Manna

That is the title of one of the books I was recently sent to review.

I love it.

It is simple, full of deep daily study and a great reading plan.

I love the title. God's Word should be our morning manna. It is spirit food for our day that only God can provide.

Oh, we can try to fill that spiritual longing with other things but only God's Word will truly feed us and make us healthy in Him.

I was so excited to start this devotional/Bible study because I just recieved an Archeological Bible for a present and these two books go hand in hand. I have really enjoyed digging into my daily devotions each day!

You could use Morning Manna for your personal study or a Bible study or Sunday School class. Each day's lesson is full of scripture and wonderful truths about the daily reading.

I look forward to using this book often!

I was also sent The Missionary to review. I have to admit that I chose this book with my husband in mind. Anything that says, "unimaginable nightmare of espionage ending in a desperate, life-or-death gamble to flee the country" screams a book my husband would love. He hasn't read it yet, but I know he will.

I saw him eyeing it while I was reading. Well, I kind of taunted him and said something like, "You are going to love this book."

I, on the other hand, usually enjoy more of a heart-warming and inspiring story. Something with a little romance mixed in. This book was more on-the-edge suspense than I'm normally up for but the writing was well done and the characters well developed. It really is a great story and is one that will make you think about what you would do. Truly a "roller-coaster read that will keep your adrenaline rushing!"

Yeah... that sounds like my husband, doesn't it?

Thanks to Bring It On! Communications for sending me these books to review!

Mommy Gives 2 Thumbs Up!

When the weather outside is frightful...

What are little girls to do?

Play and make big, fun, girly messes!

What's a Mommy to do?

Try some creative ideas and work homeschool into our snowy, windy days.

Thankfully, we went to the library on Monday to get a few things for this wild blizzard of snow and ice.

We found a Fancy Nancy book about poetry. I read it outloud to Annalise and then Elayna read it to herself. After reading this very fun book, we were ready to write some poems!

What is this Mommy's review of their poems?

2 Thumbs up!

Elayna's is about ice...

And, Annalise's is about ballet. (She had a little Mommy help but not much!)

After Mommy reviewed their poems, the girls had some books to review!

Annalise read Pookster and the Unloose Tooth by Rhonda Funk.

Which was made all the more fun because this newly 6 year old has her very first 2 loose teeth this week!

Elayna read Pookster and the Practically Perfect Pickle by Rhonda Funk.

They both LOVED these books! They were easy to read and Abby loved listening to the accompaniment CDs. The colors were bright and the pictures big and fun to look at. They learned about having kind words and being someone who shares with others. Two Thumbs Up from these two girls!

Mommy also had a book to review. I have been reading The Real Prince Charming by Michelle Raftery. I enjoyed this book and as a mom to 3 girls, I know it will be a great resource over the years! The topics are perfect and each chapter is full of godly information. The back of the book says, "They (girls) long for a fairytale ending and cling to unrealistic expectations, past hurts, and guilt, turning the most toward romantic pursuits. However, the secret to finding The Real Prince Charming is becoming the woman that God has called you to be and learning that He longs to have an intimate relationship with you." I couldn't agree more! It also asks, "Why would you settle for less when you could have God's best?" What an important truth for young girls growing up in our world today!

Thanks to Arielle at Bring It On! Communications for providing these great books for our review!

Now, it is time to clean up, clean up... hopefully everyone will do their share!

10 Things this Monday

1. I just read "A Billion Reasons Why" and LOVED it. Uhm. I read it in about 3 hours. That's how much. A story about a girl who is finding what God has for her, learning to trust Him, letting go of hurt, forgiving, being willing to face the past with God's grace... add in some romance and you have one amazing book that kept this girl turning the pages. Quickly turning the pages. Thanks, Booksneeze!
2. I have some Andes Peppermint Chocolates leftover from Christmas. They are constantly calling my name.
3. Annalise and Abigial insist on wearing sun dresses while we are home. Their summer clothes are still getting good use around this house.
4. I'm still waiting for that one big Snowstorm to hit us... and then it can be spring. I can't wait for sun dresses and flip flops OUTSIDE the house.
5. And, no, 2-3 inches at a time is NOT a big snowstorm in my book. The Michigan girl in me wants like 12 inches of snow at one time.
6. Dreaming... I know.
7. We gave Elayna Abby's room and she has grown up so much with just that one transition. What is it about her own room that has caused the big girl in her to really come out?
8. I'm loving my fridge newly decked out in all the great Christmas card pictures we received.
9. I have some IRL friends starting blogs and I'm so excited about that.
10. And, for my number 10 completely miscellaneous thing, this morning I reached for the chocolate syrup (our morning chocolate milk tradition) and Abby said, "How did you reach dat, Mommy?" Well, Mommy has longer arms than you. "Yeah... it's like you are STRETCHY Mommy!" Oh. How nice. Thanks, Abs.

 

More on what I'm reading...

Bring It On! communications recently sent me two more books to review.

I selected these books because they were real life stories. They were difficult stories and I knew I would learn something as I read about what God had brought them through.

The first book I read was "Cut in Half" by Ana Le Roux.

"Ana le Roux was an average thirty something mother who served God, her husband and her two children, the youngest barely three-weeks-old. But on January 5, 2003 one instant sealed her fate in an unimaginable chain of events. Le Roux was involved in a violent head on collision after she instinctively and selflessly sacrificed her life in an attempt to save the lives of her children. The impact occurred with such force that the seat belt fastened around her waste literally cut her in half! After a seemingly endless dialogue with God, she struggled indecisively to make the choice to live or to die. So, she did the only thing left to do; she relinquished her freedom of choice to God Almighty." - from Deep River Books website

I read this book in one afternoon. I was impressed with this woman's story and her faith as she walked through pain and heartache. I also loved how she set up the chapters in her book. Each chapter begins with scripture and ends with questions and things to think about. I may not have experienced what she has been through but I was able to apply many things from her story to my life.

The second book that I read was "Disrupting Grace: A story of relinquishment and healing" by Kristen Richburg.

"We have two children. We used to have three. Our third child didn’t grow up and leave home, she didn’t die. We relinquished her. Aren’t adoption stories supposed to have happy endings? While there are many adoption stories that do have happy endings, this is not one of them. And we’ve come to learn we are not alone. More and more families are finding themselves in situations similar to ours, feeling like there is no way out. This book is my story of adopting a child who was unable to attach. It is a chronicle of investment and sacrifice in our daughter, the pain and loss we experienced, the grief of darkened hopes and loss of a dream. It is also a story of grace and healing, of relinquishment and new beginnings." - Deep River Books website


I was very curious about this book. We are hearing more and more about adoption these days which is a very good thing! We are a family that intends to adopt at some point in our lives. We have family members who have adopted. So, what kind of story leads to the end of an unhappy adoption?

I think I felt every feeling reading this book. I felt the agony of this family as they tried for 5 years to meet the needs of a precious little girl. I felt their agony when they realized that this little girl may thrive better somewhere else. This is a heart-breaking story of God's grace. A story of how faithfully He meets us when we are at the end of ourself.

Both of these books were hard to read and very emotional. Both ended in difficult ways. But both give glory to God for His hand at work in their situations. Both books remind us that He is at work in the good times and the bad times.

Books! Books! Books!

I have a huge pile of books sitting next to me.

Books to read... books to review.

I love it. I love books.

I just shipped (via my brother-in-law) 5 boxes and 2 bags of books off to my older sister's house so she and my younger sister could enjoy them.

I don't have room for all my books any more in my house.

Tragic.

But, new books are coming and I do enjoy borrowing books from our library.

After saying goodbye to my other books, what new ones are piling high on the floor next to my chair?

Well...

I just got The G Free Diet by Elisabeth Hasselbeck in the mail and I can't wait to read about her story of being gluten free. For a this girl who has a very small kitchen and not much of a desire to cook or bake, eating gluten free is a huge challenge and not at all fun. I'm hoping Elisabeth will have some basic pointers for me!

I just reviewed Voices of the Faithful by Beth Moore for booksneeze. Amazing. A devotional with a direct focus on missions and what people are doing around the world. I loved it. Book 2 is on its way already for me to review... yeah!

I got an email from Arielle at Bring It On Communications asking if I would review some of their available books. I was so excited to see a few titles catch my eye and know that I would get to read them!

I LOVE Sheri Rose Shepherd and my girls and I have truly enjoyed reading her devotional for girls together. (thanks, Stacey!) Bring It On Communications had another of Sheri Rose Shepherd's books for review and I knew I had to choose it!

Fit for my King is a devotional style, 1 month book with recipes, scripture, prayers, and challenges for us as women. Sheri shares her story through heartwarming stories and deep treasures of truth. I've read through many of the daily readings and I'm challenged to take a month and live out the 30-day journey she writes about in this book! The recipes are simple and use everyday healthy ingredients. Many of them gluten free! I will be using some of them for sure.

I specifically like how Sheri talks about reasons we eat, discouragment or guilt or depression. She shows us through her personal journey and through God's Word how we can allow God to heal those hurt areas of our lives and ask Him to help us be fit for Him mentally, spiritually and physically. "It's time to become the best version of you! God loves you and will be with you every step of the way!"

I also chose Surviving One Bad Year by Nancie Carmichael. I was really excited about this book because the year 2010 has been one of struggle and difficulty for me. Many changes in my health, eating habits and even in how I think about health and food have left me clinging to God and asking Him for strength.

As I've read this book, I have found encouragement, help and inspiration. The back of the book says, "When difficult times come - and they come to us all - it helps to know that you are not alone, that you will survive, and that there will be an end to your crisis." The pages of this book are filled with encouraging Bible verses and inspirational quotes along with practical help and biblical teachings. I am thankful for this book and I am going to read it a second time, maybe even a third time.

It's just been that kind of year... God is so faithful to send encouragement when we need it!

Another book in my pile is from Blogging for Books/Waterbrook Press. I have the Love and War Devotional for Couples by John and Staci Eldredge. Oh, I love books by this couple! This is an "8-Week Adventure that will help you find the marriage you have always dreamed of." Each of the 8 weeks has 5 small devotions. The devotions end with a prayer, a verse and, on the 5th day, an exercise of some kind. Something that you can do on your own with your spouse to help you learn from that day's devotion. Things like making a list of how you and your spouse are different or taking the time to consider how the words of love your spouse speaks are sometimes hard to believe. This books helps us all on the daily walk of learning to love our spouse. I'm impressed with the simplicity of this small book yet how powerfully it discusses the deeper issues in marriage.

That is just a sample of the books holding my attention at the moment.

There are more. Waiting for me.

I love it.

What are you reading these days?