Wednesday, June 13, 2012

"Healing is a Choice" Book Review

Another book review, yay! This one is called "Healing is a Choice" by Stephen Arterburn. It is for people who are struggling to find healing and the ability to move on from something difficult. This book was much different than I had anticipated, but nonetheless it had some good ideas. He ended each chaper which a statement about what healing looks like that was a good wrap-up sentence of the chapter. However, he included a lot of stories and anecdotes about his struggle from healing from his divorce, which is fine but I am a single college aged woman so just did not have a lot to relate to with that. But if you feel yourself stuck in the healing process, this is definitely a book to grab!
(Disclaimer: I was provided a free copy of the book through Booksneeze but was not required nor encouraged to write a positive review.)

Monday, March 12, 2012

The Wedding Dress

I read the book "The Wedding Dress" by Rachel Hauck. It takes you through the story of Charlotte, a wedding dress boutique owner who is an pro at all things wedding but has problems in her own love life. After being compelled to buy an old, sealed trunk, she finds an incredible wedding dress and dives into discovering more about its past owners and the stories it has seen. However, she ends up learning a lot more about herself than she had bargained on. I read this book in less than 24 hours. I loved the storyline, probably because I love romantic stories, antiques and historical fiction. The writing was pretty good, although at times the characters did not seem consistent or very developed. It weaves back and forth between stories, mainly Charlotte's from the present, and Emily's from 1912, which made it all the more interesting. I would definitely recommend this book. It is light hearted, interesting, and definitely gives you surprises along the way. Good read!

Disclaimer: I was provided a free copy of the book and was not persuaded to write a good review.

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Book review: "I am Second"

I read the book "I am Second" by Dave Sterrett and Doug Bender. It is a collection of stories of people, both famous and ordinary, telling their testimonies and how they came to realize that they hold second place in this life. It is a book reminiscent of Chicken Soup for the Soul, but one with a more organized and particular theme.  I really enjoyed this book, especially as it had at least one story that the reader could personally relate to. It's also always encouraging to read about people's struggles in life and how God has come through for them and made them stronger in their faith because of it. It is definitely a book I would recommend to read, but not one I would probably read again. It is a great reminder of where we stand and who should be in control of our life.

Disclaimer: I got this book free from Booksneeze and was not made to write a positive review.

Thursday, December 8, 2011

"Softly and Tenderly" by Sara Evans

Another book review! Here it goes. :)

I read the book “Softly and Tenderly” by Sara Evans, which I received as a free e-book from Booksneeze. There is a prequel to the book which I haven’t read, but I was able to read this book without being confused. It is about a woman named Jade who learns a shocking secret about her husband that causes her to doubt where their relationship is headed. Her husband’s parents are going through similar relationship issues, and Jade and her mother-in-law, June, connect over it. I wasn’t sure what to expect in the book, but overall I would give it a 6 out of 10 stars. It had a good but not overly exciting plot, but sometimes the writing seemed to jump all over the place. The characters weren’t super developed and sometimes their interchanges seemed strange and unlike them.  However, it was an entertaining novel and it would probably be more interesting if I had read the first book. So if you’re looking for an easy read with some twists and romance, this may be for you!

Sunday, October 23, 2011

"Heaven is for Real"

Another Booksneeze review, yay! Seriously, this website is great. What other site gives you great books for free just for reviewing them?! I just finished "Heaven is For Real" by Todd Burpo, so here is my review for that!

I've been wanting to read this book for a while, so I was excited when I finally got to. As most people know, it is about a young boy who goes to heaven while experiencing some health problems, and his experiences while there. It was a little dry in areas, but it was really interesting to see how the story unfolds. The parents don't hear him talking about it until a few months after all of the problems, and the way he describes everything is incredible. It is with childlike simplicity and wonder: how it should be when talking about Jesus. I definitely recommend it, easy and interesting read!

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I'm hoping I'll have more time to read soon. This is the first book I've read in a while. One of my favorite parts was when Colton (the little boy who went to heaven) continued saying how much Jesus loves us all the time-so much so that his dad had to ask him to stop talking about it all of the time! How amazing would life be if we would just constantly boast about Jesus and what He has done for us? Even something so simple as "Jesus loves you" seems to be hard to grasp. This is a BIG thing. The God of the universe, who formed you, designed you, and DIED for you, loves you. A mere human being. Someone who messes up constantly. It is truly amazing. Let us never forget this! Blessings :)

Saturday, August 6, 2011

Book Review #1

The book, “A Place Called Blessing,” is about a young man named Josh with a tough childhood behind him who “stumbles” upon a second chance to really live his life despite its difficulties. He slowly learns to rid himself of the lies that he has believed about himself and the world around him. I haven’t read the book, “The Blessing,” by the same author, so I’m not sure how closely this one relates to it. I really enjoyed “A Place Called Blessing”, and the writing really caused you to empathize with Josh, especially considering how hard of a worker and determined he is. However, as it is a Christian book, I thought it a little strange that Christ and the church and Christianity were hardly mentioned. I’m guessing if a person has read “The Blessing” the point of this story would be more obvious, though. There were a couple twists, but for the main part it was a simple, good-natured story and I would definitely recommend it to any Christian fiction lover. The fact that it was short was also appealing (as my list of books-to-read seems to be growing exponentially).  It is a keeper in my library and would be a good book club read as well.

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Thursday, June 16, 2011

Booksneeze Reviewer!

Yay first post! So I'm not really sure why I made a blog in the first place, but then I heard about this thing called Booksneeze! It's a site that gives books away in return for writing a review on the book on a few different sites. As I love reading and writing, why wouldn't I take advantage of this? Check back in soon (hopefully) for a review on a book!

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