Book Review: Critical Condition by Richard L. Mabry

I just love a good mystery!  This book, Critical Condition written by Richard Mabry, was a wonderful book to curl up on the couch with to relax and unwind from the day.  This author has written at least six other novels, and I would like to make the time to read those sometime soon, too!

In Critical Condition, the author introduces the main character, Shannon Frazier, who is a doctor that finds herself caught in the nightmare of a murder on her front lawn.  To add to the situation Shannon already finds herself in, she has to help her sister, Megan, who shows up at her doorstep needing a place to stay....yet again!  Shannon's boyfriend wants to become engaged, but he can't get past a wall that she keeps up between them when the topic of marriage comes up. 

Later on in the book, Shannon discovers that her dad has been diagnosed with leukemia.  Under all of these stress factors, who does Shannon turn to for help?  You'll have to pick up the book and find that out for yourself!  :)

I enjoyed reading this book, and I especially loved that fact that the author made it a Christian-based work of fiction.  Good, clean mysteries are so hard to come by in the world that we live in today.  I really appreciate that people take the time to write books that keep God at the center!  I plan to share this book with my mom and sisters before donating it to our church library. 

I was given a complimentary copy of this book by BookLook to read and review.  All opinions expressed are my own. 

Book Review: The Berenstain Bears "Keep the Faith" by Mike Berenstain



 

What child doesn't like a good book about the Berenstain Bears?!  This is another wonderful children's book about the Berenstain Bears that teaches children about why we believe in God and what faith means.  The Berenstain Bears "Keep the Faith" is written by Mike Berenstain. In this book, the bear cubs are playing with a friend and discover that he doesn't believe in God, just in science --- because those things can been seen, tested, and proven.

Brother and Sister bear go home and talk with their parents about why they believe in God, and Mama and Papa bear take them to see Preacher Brown at the Chapel in the Woods.  Preacher Brown welcomes their questions and explains to the bear cubs the meaning of faith with an illustration about Daniel in the lion's den.  The cubs leave knowing that their faith in God is very important to them!

I love reading the Berenstain Bear books with my children, and this one was even better because it spoke about our mighty God!  I used this book with my Sunday School class, and they loved it, too!  I plan to keep it in our classroom for all of the boys and girls to enjoy. 

Thank you to BookLook and Zonderkidz for a complimentary copy of this book to read and review!  All opinions expressed here are my own.  I recommend this book to you to read with your children or grandchildren, too!

Book Review: Peace on Earth: A Christmas Collection by Mary Engelbreit

 

 

Christmas.....  my most favorite time of the year!  I enjoyed being able to review this new book for children, Peace on Earth:  A Christmas Collection, by Mary Engelbreit.  It is now that we begin to make plans for the holidays, decorate our homes for Christmas, and gather with family and friends.  Reading this sweet collection of Christmas stories, poems, carols, and sayings helps keep my heart focused on the real meaning of Christmas..... Jesus! 

 

I love how Mary Engelbreit includes the real Christmas story from the Gospel of Luke.  She also included several of my favorite carols such as "Silent Night" and "The First Noel" as well as another favorite song, "The Friendly Beasts."  My children were mesmerized by each page and wanted to read the book again as soon as we finished it the first time!  As always, her illustrations cover each page and bring the songs and stories to life!  I think we have found a new book to add to our family holiday traditions!  This book would make a nice gift to share with someone this holiday season.

 

I am reviewing a copy of this book complimentary of BookSneeze.  All opinions expressed are my own.  I highly recommend this book for everyone both young and old!  We can all use a good reminder to keep Jesus as the "Reason for the Season," and this book will definitely help you do that!  :)

Book Review: Adventure Bible Storybook Deluxe Edition

What a fun way to get children interested in stories of the Bible!  I just received a copy of the Adventure Bible Storybook by Catherine DeVries.  My children were so excited as I opened the package and immediately wanted to sit down and hear the book!  I loved that it came with two CDs which contain the contents of the entire book so that they can listen to it whenever they want if someone is not available to read it when they want to hear it.  I have to say that when I asked them to stop for lunch, they didn't want to put the book down!

There are over 50 stories that are narrated with wonderful sound effects in the background.  The full-page illustrations are very captivating with beautiful colors and details. The first half of the book contains stories from the Old Testament, and the second half of the book has stories that can be found in the New Testament.  Underneath the title of each story, you can find a reference to exactly what book, chapter, and verses the stories are taken from in the Bible.  I like how each short story ends with an "Adventure Discovery", a true Biblical fact that would interest children, and a "Words to Treasure" section which contains a special verse to go along with the story.

I foresee us using this as our next bedtime devotional with the kids after we finish up the book we are currently using!  In the meantime, they will enjoy listening to the stories with the CDs.  The only negative thing that I can say about this book is that it is hard for younger children to follow along because the CD does not have a sound/chime to let the children know when it is time to turn the page.  If your child is not reading independently yet, then they will need assistance in knowing when it is time to go to the next page of the story.  Other than that, this storybook is wonderful!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from BookSneeze to read and review.  All opinions expressed are my own.  I would highly recommend this book for children and would also recommend using this for Children's Church or Sunday School classes for children up to age 12. 

Book Review: Women Living Well: Finding Your Joy in God, Your Man, Your Kids, and Your Home by Courtney Joseph

 

 

Wow!  This book has been placed in my life at just the perfect time.  I know....  It's a God-thing!  ;)   I stumbled upon Courtney's posts from the website www.womenlivingwell.org while playing on Pinterest after my knee surgery this past spring.  One thing led to another, and I found myself bookmarking her blog and reading it each week.  Her posts were so uplifting and really encouraged me to be a better wife and mom.  When I found out that she was publishing a book to come out on October 1, 2013, I couldn't wait to get a copy! 

 

Women Living Well is such an inspiration to women in different walks of life!  It is divided up into four main sections:  Your Walk With the King, Your Marriage, Your Parenting, and Your Homemaking.  I love how she reminds us that first and foremost, God should be our number one priority.  Courtney shows us ways that we can make time to talk with God amidst the daily "chores" of life.  We can pray for members of our family as we fold their clothes.  We can also pray over our home as we make the beds, clean the bathrooms, pick up the stray toys, etc.  Her ideas, which may seem so simple, are ones that we can really use daily in our homes, and I love that!

 

In the second section on marriage, I love how Courtney ends with a two-week marriage challenge on "Completing Him".  I plan to read this whole book over again and actually commit to doing the daily challenges, and I am excited to see what affects this will have on my man!  These challenges are as simple as praying for your husband to fixing his favorite meal.  Would anyone like to join me?  :)

 

The last half of the book is on motherhood and homemaking.  I so desire to make our home a "haven"!  One day at a time, I am trying to change our routines into ones that will provide rest and family time together, taking out the "clutter" that has found its way into our lives.

 

The ladies at our church are planning on starting a book study of Women Living Well in a couple of weeks.  Oh how I can't wait to dive into this wonderful treasure with other women!  I encourage you to do the same with a group of women in your area.  We can learn so much from others! 

 

I received a complimentary copy of this ebook from Courtney for my Kindle as well as a paperback copy from BookSneeze to read and review.  All opinions shared are my own.  I highly recommend this book to any woman, whether single or married.  You won't be sorry that you picked it up, and I guarantee that you will have a hard time putting it down!  :)   Enjoy your walk with the King!!!

Book Review: Homeschool Mom's Bible (NIV)

What an amazing inspiration for moms that are homeschooling their children! I have really enjoyed reading through the daily devotionals in this NIV Bible by Zondervan. Each devotional begins with a scripture, the devotion segment, and closes with a prayer relating to the topic of the day. So many of the devotions apply to any homeschooling parent and cover a wide variety of topics that they will face. As I already loved the NIV translation, these daily segments are a wonderful addition to this Bible. It is nice to have them all in the same book instead of having a separate devotional to keep up with. I also like that the bottom of each one tells you what page to turn to for the next day's devotion. These are all dated at the top, beginning with January 1st and ending with December 31st. I would highly recommend this Bible to any woman who is homeschooling her child/children. I received a complimentary copy of the NIV Homeschool Mom's Bible to read and review. All opinions expressed are my own. I plan to pass along the two copies that I received to two wonderful ladies who just started homeschooling their own children this year for the very first time. I hope that it gives them the daily encouragement that they need! :)

Book Review: Days Like These by Kristian & Rachel Anderson

This book was an eye-opener for what people with cancer have to go through while fighting the battle of this evil monster. In Days Like These, Kristian Anderson documents his journey of being terminally ill. His wife, Rachel, has also added parts to the book to go along with his blog posts. The reader will laugh and cry along with Kristian and his family as they share the struggles of what cancer does to an individual and family. Kristian described things that cancer patients have to go through that I never knew they had to endure. While these things were hard to read, I liked the way Kristian always kept God at the center of everything he did. He stayed true to his faith and let it shine through in his life. Many people have seen his You Tube video that went viral! It was made as a present for his wife's 35th birtday. The book contains several places where one can use a smartphone to scan links to watch video clips by Kristian. I would recommend this book to people who have loved ones fighting the battle of cancer. It will open your eyes and inspire you to see the good in times when it seems that just can't be possible. I received a complimentary copy of this book from BookSneeze to read and review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Book Review: KVJ Bride's Bible

I love size and look of this pocket KVJ Bride's Bible by Thomas Nelson!  It is the full, KJV of the Bible in an adorable, sleek, slimline style.  The cover is a simple white and silver lacey print with silver on the edges of the pages.  There is a white ribbon bookmark inside of the Bible that you can move around to mark your place. 

The words of Christ are in red, and there are summary headings for each story / new topic in the chapters.  The front of the Bible has special pages for the Bride to list members of the wedding party as well as pages for pictures and special moments.  The back of the Bible has a Concordance, followed by several pages of colored maps.

The only drawback to a Bible that is this small is the fact that the print is also tiny.  Don't get me wrong, you can still read it.  The print is just VERY small!  This Bible is the perfect size to carry in your purse, backpack, or car.  It would make a perfect and special gift for the new Bride-to-be.

I was given a copy of this Bible compliments of BookSneeze to read and review.  All opinions of this Bible are my own.  I plan to give this copy away to a special young lady that will soon be getting married at our church.  :)

Book Review: Downfall by Terri Blackstock

Downfall, the third and final book in the Intervention Series, was my favorite of the three!  Once I started reading it, I didn't want to put it down.  The book was full of suspense and twists all the way to the end!  The Covington family has been through a lot of pain and trials in this series, but I love the way Blackstock opens the eyes of the reader to the reality of what drugs can do to a person and their family.  She writes these books as a mom who has personally experienced these same trials and emotions with her own daughter who had drug addictions.

Emily Covington and her younger brother discover a homemade bomb under her car one morning as she is leaving for school.  That same morning, the wife of someone she knows is murdered.  As she pieces things together, Emily finds herself racing the clock to save the lives of others and trying to track down the killer.  Because of her past with drug abuse, Emily's family has trouble trusting that she hasn't relapsed and brought this upon herself.  I love that the book ends with a wedding and happiness for the Covington family!

I received a copy of this book from Zondervan to read and review.  All opinions of this book are my own.  I highly recommend that you read this book and the rest of the of the series, too!  :)

Book Review: Vicious Cycle by Terri Blackstock

Vicious Cycle will have your attention from the first page!  This is book number two in the Intervention series.  I love reading a book that is hard to put down, and this book is just that!  Blackstock writes this book from the perspective of Lance, the 15-year old brother of Emily from Intervention  (Book 1).

Lance tries to help a pregnant, teenage meth addict and finds himself in a situation he never dreamed he would be in.  He discovers a newborn baby in the back of his car and knows that it belongs to Jordyn.  We follow the family through the snares of drug addiction and the harsh realities of crimes that go on in today's society such as baby trafficking.

We also are able to rejoice as Emily completes her year of drug rehab and gets to come home.  We see how hard it is for her to be released from her "safe place" and be back in society where drugs are so easy to come by.  Drug addiction truly is a vicious cycle.  It is only with God's help and putting 100% of our faith and trust in HIM that one can overcome the evils of today's world.   

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Zondervan.  All opinions expressed about Vicious Cycle are my own.  I hope that you enjoy reading this book as much as I did!  I highly recommend this book to you and look forward to reading book three in this series!  :)

Below is a video clip about Vicious Cycle:

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Book Review: Coming Home by Karen Kingsbury

This is yet another amazing story written by Karen Kingsbury!  I was able to finish this book in just a couple of days (which is a challenge with two little ones always wanting my attention!).  :)   All I can say is "Wow!".  God has truly gifted Karen Kingsbury with a talent for writing!  I want to warn you that you will need a whole box of tissues to get through this one!

In this story, John Baxter is about to celebrate his 70th birthday.  The children all plan to come home with their families to surprise and share this special day with their dad.  The day of the big celebration, as it looks like everything is falling into place, the unthinkable happens.  The lives of each family member are forever changed as they deal with the tragedy that unfolds before them. 

I wanted to be angry with Karen for causing this tragedy occur to the Baxter family and making the book become so sad, but this is an event that could happen to any of us at any given time.  It was truly a blessing to see how she let each of the characters react and lean on God thorough something so horrible.  It opened my eyes to what life really means, what is really important, and what a wonderful future that we have in store for us if we believe in Jesus Christ and have accepted him as our Saviour!  So, I want to thank Karen for writing something that must have been so hard.  Even as Christians, we are not exempt from pain and tragedy.  Praise the Lord that we have a better home waiting for us than what we have here on Earth!!!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Zondervan to read and review.  All opinions are my own.  I highly recommend this book to you!

Book Review: Intervention by Terri Blackstock

This book was an eye-opener to me about what life would be like having a child addicted to drugs.  So many families have to deal with this in today's society, and this book gives the reader a glimpse of what those families go through.  Told mainly from the mother's viewpoint, Barbara Covington has to make some hard choices when her eighteen-year old daughter is caught in the strongholds of addiction.  Emily is on her way to rehab with the interventionalist, when she disappears from the airport and the woman with her is found dead.  

We follow Barbara and her son, Lance, through the journey that they take trying to find and save Emily.  The detectives think that Emily is just another addict killing for another hit.  Her family thinks she is innocent.  Who murdered the interventionalist?  Where did Emily go?  Each page pulls you deeper into the mystery!  See the extremes that a mother will go to in order to save her child, all of the time keeping her faith in God.

Once I started reading this book, I didn't want to put it down!  I loved the suspense that Blackstock builds throughout the whole story.  It ends with a twist that I wasn't expecting!  I highly recommend this book and cannot wait to get my hands on the next one in this series!  Keep the wonderful, Christian fiction coming, Blackstock!  :)

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Zondervan to read and review.  All opinions are my own.

Book Review: Covenant Child by Terri Blackstock

I just recently finished reading Covenant Child by Terri Blackstock.  Being the first book I have read by this author,  I have to say that I really enjoyed her style of writing.  It was a nice change from the books that I have been reading.  I really enjoyed the fact that the whole theme of the book is like a parable from the Bible.  It did take me a little while to really get into this book, but it was a good read and I was glad that I finished it. 

This book opens introducing the reader to twin sisters who have been placed into the care of relatives that only wanted them for the inheritance money that would one day belong to the girls.  The children lost both  their mother and then father when they were only three years old.  Know as the "Billion Dollar Babies," the girls were taken from their stepmom after their father's death and placed in a home of poverty with relatives that could care less about their well-being.  The horrid details about how the girls had to fend for themselves to survive was sad and a real eye-opener to children who might really live that way. 

The book was very predictable as to how it would end, but I would still recommend you reading this one!  I received a complimentary copy of this book from BookSneeze and Thomas Nelson to read and review.  All opinions are my own.  Since finishing this book, I have also read another one by Blackstock which I could harldy put down!  :) 

Book Review: Loving by Karen Kingsbury

It's finally here!!!  Loving, the fourth and final book in the Bailey Flanigan series, arrived in stores on March 27, 2012.  What a wonderful journey we have been able to travel with Bailey!  In this book, she has some big decisions to make but is finally beginning to see answers to her many prayers unfold. 

A move to L.A. and a move to Bloomington.....   Bailey begins her career as a director over the Christian Kid's Theater.  We watch as her love story unfolds, and she is finally at peace with the choice of her future husband.  I love the fact that she was able to find closure and peace with her decisions.  What a sweet love story and one in which she kept God in the center of at all times!  I don't want to say too much to spoil it for you before you read it, but I highly recommend this book to you!  :)

I received a complimentary copy of Loving to read and review from Zondervan.  All opinions expressed here are my own.  I hope that you enjoy this book as much as I did!  Karen Kingsbury is a truly gifted writer and her love for the Lord comes out in each and every book that is published!

Click here for a preview to Loving.

Book Review: Longing by: Karen Kingsbury

What a wonderful addition to the Bailey Flanigan series!   Longing is the third book in a four-part series.  I have enjoyed following Bailey as she fulfills her dreams of working on Broadway and sharing her faith with her coworkers!  As she works through her feelings for her first love, Cody, and her current boyfriend, Brandon Paul, we are able to see how she looks to God and trusts that he knows what is best for her in this stage of life.  

I know that many people really wanted her to be with Cody in the end, but I love how her mother has instilled in her that she need not to settle for just anyone, and that the right guy will "pursue her like a dying man in the desert looking for water!"  This book has several twists that you won't expect after reading the first two books in the series.  I loved it!  :)

Bailey's dreams on Broadway come to an end, and she is at peace with that.  Will she follow Brandon to L.A. or stay in Bloomington to be with Cody?  I won't reveal any more so that you will read the book for yourself to see what happens!  I can't wait to get the fourth and final book, Loving, which was released on March 27, 2012!  

Karen Kingsbury has such a gift with words, and I have been truly blessed by each one of her books that I have read!  This complimentary copy was given to me by Zondervan to read and review.  All opinions of this book are my own.  I hope that you enjoy it as much as I did!  :)

Click here for a preview of the book...

                                                                                      

Book Review: Smitten by Colleen Coble

If you are looking for a good, clean romance novel, then Smitten is the book for you!  This book was written by four different authors:  Colleen Coble, Kristein Billerbeck, Diann Hunt, and Denise Hunter.   Dividing the book up into four interwoven short-stories, each author focuses on one of the four main characters in the story and tells their section from that point of view.

In the book, the four main characters are best friends.  Natalie, Julia, Shelby, and Reese are four women who embark on a journey to save their small town of Smitten, Vermont.  When the mill, the main industry in the town, shuts down, these four women bond together to try to turn it into the a tourist attraction and the "romance capital of the world."  They each have their own ideas to make it work from a spa and romantic cabins to sweet shops and music being played in the streets of this quaint little town.

I thought this book was a little bit hard to get into at first.  It was very predictable throughout the whole story plot.  I did like that it was clean and fun Christian fiction, though!  I had read books by Kristin Billerbeck and love her as an author, so I was excited to read another one by her.  Although this wasn't a book that I "just couldn't put down", I would recommend it as a good read.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from BookSneeze and Thomas Nelson to read and review.  All opinions of this book are my own.

Book Review: Unlocked by Karen Kingsbury

Another "wow" book from Karen Kingsbury is here!  The book Unlocked opens up the reader's eyes to the world of autism.  In this story, we are introduced to Tracy Harris and her son, Holden.  He is a high school student who has to deal with being bullied and shunned by his peers because of his differences.  One day, a cheerleader and theater student named Ella sees Holden and the rest of the story unfolds as their friendship grows.

When Holden was three, he went from being a playful, talkative child into a withdrawn and quiet little boy.  He would no longer look his mother (or anyone else) in the eye anymore and would not speak.  It is hard to imagine how a mother might feel when her child will no longer even let her touch him or hold his hand.  This story takes you through the challenges and struggles of both mother and son who are living with a new world of autism in their midst.  It was through the gift of music that Ella, Holden's childhood friend, is able to reach him.  Unlocked is really able to let the reader see what people and families with autism have to deal with on a daily basis.  Karen Kingsbury makes it feel so real and has blessed so many addresssing the "harder" issues through her books.  I love how she uses her God-given talent to share with us on these different topics.  I highly recommend that you read this book and receive a blessing, too!  :)

I received this complimentary book from Zondervan to read and review.  All opinions of this book are my own.

Book Review: Heaven is For Real For Kids By Colton, Todd, & Sonja Burpo

"Heaven is for real, and you're going to like it!"  ~Colton Burpo

Wow!  I enjoyed reading Heaven is For Real For Kids as much as my children loved listening to it!  This book was told by Colton Burpo to his parents, Todd and Sonja Burpo, who wrote down Colton's own words about his experiences in heaven.   This is a simplified version of the book Heaven is For Real and written in a child's voice about the experience of his time in Heaven.  It has been beautifully illustrated under Colton's direction so that it would reflect what he saw during his amazing trip there.

I love how it is written with the simple words of a child!  It makes it so easy for kids (and adults, too!) to understand!  Each page includes a corner with a scripture reference that correlates with the main idea that Colton is sharing to show that what he is stating is backed up by the Bible and not just fictional.  Some of the quotes from Colton that I want to share are:
"Jesus really, really loves children!"
"Heaven is more amazing than you can imagine."
"Everyone is happy there!"
"You get to meet a lot of people in heaven." (Colton met John the Baptist, King David, his great-grandpa Pop, his big sister, and many more!)
"You will never get bored in heaven!"
"All the same types of animals that are on earth are in Heaven, but in Heaven they all get along."
"In Heaven, you will live forever with God!" (His favorite place in Heaven is near God's throne!)
"The most important thing Jesus told me was how to get to Heaven.  He said to believe in Him and follow Him.  That makes God very happy."

The book closes with two pages of questions/answers that kids might ask about this book and then a short prayer.  It also has pictures of Colton, his family, and a picture of Jesus painted by an eight-year-old child named Akaine that when shown to Colton, he declared, "That one's right."

I highly recommend that you read this book to your children and also take the time to read Heaven is For Real for yourself!  I was given a complimentary copy of this book to read and review from BookSneeze and Thomas Nelson.  All opionions shared are my own.  I hope that you enjoy it as much as my family!

Book Review: 100 Read & Sing Devotions by Stephen Elkins

What a wonderful way to train your child to have a daily devotion time!  This new book, 100 Read & Sing Devotions, created by Stephen Elkins is a great resource to use with any small child.  It comes with two CD's inside so that you and your child can listen to one song each day that goes along with the devotion.  This book was perfect for my children because they LOVE music anyway!  Tying the song to a little Bible story/devotion, scripture, and a prayer makes the perfect way to teach your children about Jesus and his great love for us!

Each daily devotion begins by listening and singing a song.  Then, there is a short story/application to the message of the song which is followed by a Bible verse.  The daily verses are very short, and it is a good way to help your child learn to memorize scripture and "hide God's Word in their heart."  Each lesson is concluded with a prayer.  Each daily devotion also has beautiful illustrations to go along with the message.  My children are excited to use this book each day, and they will remind me if I forget to do it with them!  What I love the most is how much they have retained!  I will be busy doing something around the house and hear their sweet little voices singing some of the songs they have learned from this book! 

I received a complimentary copy of this book from BookSneeze and Thomas Nelson to read and review.  All opinions expressed are my own.  If you need a present for a child or are looking for a way to begin devotions with your child, I highly recommend this interactive book!