Review: Adoring Addie

The Cramer and Mosier families have held a Hatfield-and-McCoy-like grudge for as many years as anyone can remember, although the younger generations have no clue as to why the families dislike each other with such intensity.  Addie's parents assume she will marry the Bishop's son, but when Jonathan Mosier moves to Lancaster County, Addie and Jonathan form an instant connection.  Old tensions are renewed, and Addie's parents insist she marry Phillip Eicher.  Addie and Jonathan feel their only hope is to reconcile the two families, which means discovering the cause of the breach in the first place.

I don't believe I've read any other books by Leslie Gould; Adoring Addie is the second in 'The Courtships of Lancaster County' series, but you can easily read it as a stand-alone story.  Although it felt a bit slow in the beginning, once the story picked up, I zipped through it.  It was pretty much 'Romeo and Juliet' set in the Pennsylvania countryside with a happier ending than Shakespeare's original.  The author does a good job of bringing in a fair amount of other characters, probably to set up their stories for future books.  Adoring Addie was a light and entertaining read.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Bethany House Publishers as part of their Blogger Review Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Review: Organic Outreach for Families

Since getting married, and especially since becoming a mother, I have gobbled up many books on family.  My mother instilled a great value for family in me, and my husband's parents did the same for him.  We want our child(ren) to grow up and fondly remember family, but more than that, we want our family to be a genuine shaping influence for the Gospel in our child(ren) and those we know (or don't know personally but perhaps see our family in the neighborhood, at the grocery store, at the local zoo, etc). 

Organic Outreach for Families by Kevin and Sherry Harney offers great theological and practical wisdom is this area.  They specifically address talking to your children about Jesus, sharing grace with your extended family, opening the doors of your home and practicing hospitality, encouraging your children to share Jesus in their schools, jobs, and with friends, and in general sharing the light of God with your community.

I recommend this book; it's not only theologically sound, but extremely practical.  I know spirituality is not about a step-by-step process, but sometimes it's nice to have down-to-earth practical suggestions and ideas!  The authors share many of their own stories and how they responded in certain situations, as well as the results of their methods and actions.  They don't present themselves as perfect examples by any means, but rather they learn from their mistakes without ceasing to practice hospitality and preaching the Gospel to their community.

The book is very encouraging to me as a mother; I plan to keep this one on my shelf and come back to it frequently!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Review: A Clearing in the Wild

This book is so different than most of the historical fiction I've read lately, and it was beyond refreshing.  Written from a first person perspective, A Clearing in the Wild tells the story of Emma Wagner, her life in the town of Bethel, Missouri, and her journey west to the Oregon Territory.  The people of Bethel seek to live a simple and generous life of communal living, set apart from the rest of the world in the 1850s.  The author never describes them as Amish, but they are German descent (and indeed still speak German) and live like most people believe the Amish to live.

Emma is a headstrong young woman who speaks her mind in a time and place where women are not supposed to be independent thinkers.  When her husband is chosen to lead a team of scouts west to the Oregon Territory to find new land for the people of Bethel to move to, she clashes with Bethel's leader in attempt to kept her husband with her.  Instead, without her husband's knowledge or approval, she convinces the leader to allow her to go with the team of scouts.

Emma and her husband Christian travel many months through the plains and into the lush Oregon Territory, learning a great deal about themselves and each other along the way.  When the land to build the new colony for the people of Bethel is finally chosen, Emma has her doubts and the entire team struggles to prepare the land in time for the arrival of the rest of their people.  Through it all, Emma wrestles with their colony's beliefs about God, women and the role they are meant to play, family, and the essences of community.

As I mentioned before, this book is different that most of the historical fiction I've been reading lately; the focus is not so much on the love story of the main characters, but about their entire life story.  The text is well-written and the reader is immediately engaged to and connected with the characters.  I highly recommend A Clearing in the Wild!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Waterbrook Multnomah as part of their Blogging for Books program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Review: All in Good Time

All in Good Time follows Dessa Caldwell as she seeks to fulfill her dream of opening a safe house for former prostitutes in the city of Denver in the late 1800s.  But after she's collected as many charitable donations as possible to open Pierson House, she is still in need of a loan to finance the purchase of the house in Denver's Fourth Ward.  After being turned down by numerous banks, one of her last options is Hawkins National Bank, owned by the most successful man in town.  Henry Hawkins is the owner of the bank and though he seems a formidable man, he is determined to hide his past- specifically how his initial capital for his bank came to him. 

All in Good Time was a nice quick read.  I liked that the author definitely brought attention to the issue of prostitution in the post-war post-gold rush era in Colorado, as well as the racial tensions between Whites and Chinese.  The characters were all developed well, and it was nice that no one was 'perfect' and each character had something in their past which affected them in major ways.  Although there were some 'park your brain' moments, I thoroughly enjoyed the story.  The book is part of the Guilded Legacy series so I'm hoping for some more good stories about social and economic justice in the West.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Tyndale House Publishers as part of their book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Review: Shattered

"When her prodigal brother's return to Yancey, Alaska, is shattered by his arrest for murder, Piper McKenna is determined to protect him..."

For some reason, I don't read and review a lot of mystery or crime drama, but this book from Bethany House caught my eye.  I'm not going to lie when I tell you I read it in three days...which isn't bad considering my five-month old isn't too keen on letting me sit down with a book for any period of time.

Shattered is the second in the Alaskan Courage series by Dani Pettrey; I hadn't read the first book, but enough back story was provided so that I wasn't confused throughout this one.  There are a few times when the reader wonders if something alluded to was explained in the first book, but it's not distracting enough to where you must read the first book in order to fully understand the story of Shattered.

The book focuses on a family of siblings that have lost their parents (think Party of Five, but with a rugged outdoors twist); when the youngest brother returns for a ski competition and is arrested for murder, the other siblings are determined to prove his innocence, with or without the help of their lifelong friend Landon, who just happens to be the Deputy of Yancey.  Shattered will leave you guessing until the very end- this one is definitely a page-turner!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Bethany House Publishers as part of their Blogger Review Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Review: Pocket Your Dollars

With our recent transition to one income and an additional family member, I have been looking for more ways to save money.  When Bethany House offered Pocket Your Dollars as a review book, I decided to give it a shot, even though I've read just about every money-saving book and blog out there.

For the most part, there wasn't anything new in the book.  However, I did like the fact that the author tried to focus more of the root of the problem: our attitudes toward money.  She discusses five different attitude changes needed to help us pay down debt and avoid financial stress.  Along the way, she shares her own personal story of how she and her husband paid off over $50,000 in 2.5 years.  She concludes the book with some practical tips- all of which I was already aware, except one.  Buy your gas on Tuesdays, people.  Apparently, that's generally when gas prices are at their lowest of the week.  Who knew?

While the book didn't offer much new advice or many new ideas on saving money, it was still good for me to be reminded that money (or lack, thereof) is not the root of the problem, but rather my attitudes that affect my actions.

Check out the website www.pocketyourdollars.com for more...but if anyone else has any other ideas on saving money, I'm all ears!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Bethany House Publishers as part of their Blogger Review Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Review: Outrageous Courage

Outrageous Courage tells snippets of the life of Tracy Evans, a former runaway turned physician's assistant and missionary.  She had treated rebel guerrillas while captive on an Asian island, sipped tea in a Mozambican hut while bullets were being fired throughout the village, and cared for over 900 HIV-positive orphans in Mozambique.

I had never heard of Tracy Evans before picking up this book, but she seems to be somewhat of a modern Amy Carmichael.  The stories she shared in this book are nothing short of incredible...and while cynicism sometimes found its way into my head and heart while reading this book, I was always convicted of it.  We serve a great God so why would we not expect him to do great and miraculous things? 

This book encouraged me and reminded me that the Lord can and will do great things, and he will often choose his humble servants as the way through which he will accomplish such things.  I only hope that in many years I can recount such stories of faith and obedience.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Chosen Books, a dividion of Baker Publishing, as part of their Blogging for Books program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Review: Plain Wisdom

Whoops.  Somehow I missed reviewing Plain Wisdom from Waterbrook Press.  I think I got this book...uh...a while ago.  But pregnancy brain and new motherhood brain struck again.  I finally finished this book, and am so glad I did!

Plain Wisdom is the work of Cindy Woodsmall, the best-selling novelist known for her stories of the Amish, and her true friend Miriam Flaud, a member of the Old Order Amish.  Through this book, they recount how their friendship developed and deepened, sharing stories of laughter and tears and nuggets of practical wisdom throughout.  The book is great for a new mom like me because the chapters are super short but very rich; I felt like a read something whole-heartedly in between trying to quiet my baby girl into her nap. 

Even though the text itself is great, I think my favorite part by far was the recipes Miriam included.  Oh my goodness, just reading the text of the recipes made me hungry!  I cannot wait to try out some of these recipes- they actually don't look too intimidating!

I highly recommend Plain Wisdom- it provides a nice change of pace from Woodsmall's usual books, and it is extrememly practical!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Waterbrook Multnomah as part of their Blogging for Books program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Review: All for a Song

Dorothy Lynn Dunbar comes from a small town, and it seems her path in life is already laid out: she is engaged to the pastor who took over her father's pulpit and has a solid place in her church and community.  But when she visits her sister in the big city of St. Louis, Dorothy Lynn begins to wonder what her life could be like if she moved away from her hometown of Heron's Nest.  By chance she hears a woman evangelist speaking one night and is offered the chance to travel with her team and sing on stage.  Dorothy Lynn loves to write music and sing, but she never dreamed of performing for anyone.  But when the chance to help find her brother in California opens up, she packs up and joins the evangelist's group.  She promises her fiance she will return, but when she finds herself in California, will things change?

While the writing of All for a Song was good and the plot interesting, there were a few parts about the storyline that the author simply glossed over.  Dorothy Lynn's confusing and ambiguous relationship with one of the male characters is never really fully developed or explained, and at the end of the book, the reader is wondering just what actually happened between the two.  The writing method shifts between present day and the Roaring Twenties, where the bulk of the book takes place.  I liked this method of delivering the story, but at the end the book somehow felt rather incomplete, like I was waiting for one final thought to tie up all the loose ends. 

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Tyndale House Publishers as part of their book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Review: The Tutor's Daughter

Yay for more historical fiction from Bethany House!  When I requested The Tutor's Daughter, I did not realize it was the same author of The Girl in the Gatehouse, which I reviewed a while back and thoroughly enjoyed.  Julie Klaussen is a self-proclaimed Jane Eyre and Jane Austen nut, so I was especially excited to read her newest book.

Emma Smallwood grew up in her father's boarding school for young men, but when the opportunity arises for Mr. Smallwood and Emma to travel to Cornwall and serve as private tutors for the Weston family, they pack up, let their house, and embark on their new adventure.  Twenty-one year old Emma is eager to reunite with Phillip, one of the Weston brothers who graduated her father's school some three years before, but she is equally leery of running into his older brother Henry, who teased her mercilessly and played several pranks of her during his time at the Smallwood Academy.

The Smallwoods arrive at the Weston estate, and much to Emma's excitement, learns that her friend Phillip has taken a respite from his studies at Oxford.  She enjoys conversations with her old friend as she and her father settle into their roles as tutors for the two younger Weston boys when strange things begin to happen.  Emma awakens in the middle of the night to feel as though someone is in her room.  She hears music playing from the pianoforte at night, but finds no one at the keys.  Mysterious notes and messages are slipped underneath her door.  Emma's suspicions begin to escalate, and real danger becomes eminent.  Who can she turn to during this confusing time?

I enjoyed this story almost as much as The Girl in the Gatehouse and thought Klaussen wove an excellent tale.  Unlike most historical fiction novels, this one actually kept me guessing about certain story lines for more than the first few pages.  In fact, I didn't figure out the mystery on my own, but rather finally understood it as Klaussen continued her plot development; it was a nice surprise not to be able to completely guess the outcome of the book in the first several chapters!  I would recommend this book if you are looking for an enjoyable read.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Bethany House Publishers as part of their Blogger Review Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Who Do You Think You Are?

I fully admit that I requested to review Mark Driscoll's new book Who Do You Think You Are? at the prompting of my husband...but I am so glad I read this book.  Driscoll works through Ephesians and helps to give specific words to our identity in Christ (I am: in Christ, blessed, saved, adopted, etc).  The writing is excellent, and he uses a host of stories from his own personal life and history as some great illustrations.

I'm not going to lie- the book had me in tears at certain spots...maybe it's just because of the stage of life in which I currently find myself, but this book was a breath of fresh air for me spiritually.  One day, I was having a particularly hard time with our almost-four month old.  She had been fussy for several days, wasn't sleeping well, and just wasn't her usual happy, smiley, and chatty self.  No matter what I did, I found myself holding a screaming baby trying to calm her using whatever new-mommy skills I had (which, admittedly, aren't many).  She finally fell asleep at one point when I was rocking her, and too scared to set her down for fear she would wake up screaming, I picked up this book and continued to rock her.  I was reading the chapter titled 'I am Heard' and came to this passage:

Jesus loves you.  How do you feel when you read that?  Do you doubt it because you're suffering?  Do you disbelieve it because there's great sin in your life?  Do you disregard it because it seems trite, overly simple, and not something you have truly plumbed to its depths?  Do you dismiss it because you're so busy with life and its cares that you don't have time to dwell on deep truths?
 

I was in tears at this point because for the past several days, that was exactly how I felt.  I wasn't suffering like many people have suffered and continue to suffer, but I was struggling with my daughter's perpetual state of fussiness...and yes, sometimes when people tell me that Jesus loves me, I do find it rather trite.  But not this time.  This time those three simple words reached deep into my heart and comforted me during my difficult season of motherhood.  I looked at my beautiful sleeping daughter through my tears and knew that I love her and that I will always love her...but I also knew that Jesus Christ loves her far more than my husband or I ever could.  And I remembered that he has the same love for me.  Sometimes, it just takes a little reminding.

I highly recommend this book!  I am planning on rereading it in the new several months.  I think it would also make a great group study through Ephesians!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”