I had never read any of Kristin Hannah’s books before, and a friend gave this book to me as a going away gift when she moved. I found Winter Garden, overall, to be a very compelling story. Winter Garden is the story of three women and their relationship to each other in the modern day. Anya, the mother, made a promise to her dying husband that she would finish the fairy tale she began many years ago for her daughters. As she tells the story, her life and the lives of her daughters are changed forever. I found myself trying to hurry through the main parts of the “current day” drama of the outer story to get back to the “past” drama of the inner story, it was so enthralling and fascinating.
The first third or so of the book was a bit hard to get through; the story just didn’t hold my attention the way I like a novel to. I pressed on instead of setting aside the book and I was rewarded with a very rich middle and even richer ending indeed. I smiled, I cried, I tried to imagine myself in the characters’ place and wondering if I would have made the same decisions or done the same things if I were in that situation. I found the ending to be a bit unbelievable, but I feel that the author was striving for a happy ending to the story, which has some very tragic elements and themes. After I finished the book, I was inspired to do my own research into the time period that the story was written in. I love books that inspire me to go beyond and learn more. If you can make it through the first third of the book, you are in for a real treat by a solid author who can really weave a story together using imagination mixed with historical facts.
I would recommend this book to anyone over the age of 15 or 16. I think some of the elements of the story might be a bit much for a younger reader, although the younger reader certainly isn’t the intended audience. The book will make you cry, so if you’re not up for a good tear-jerker, you might want to wait a bit. It is definitely a very good book. As an added bonus, the author included recipes that are included in the stories.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free. 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 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html
We have all read in the Bible that we are to keep the Sabbath holy. However, in today’s busy and often consumer driven world, it is hard to practice that commandment. At least for me it is. What is acceptable to do on the Sabbath (can we buy gas or eat at a restaurant?), what is not acceptable? I decided to pick up Dan B. Allender’s Sabbath in The Ancient Practices Series to learn a little bit more.
Sabbath took a very spiritually philosophic view of the practice of the Sabbath. Allender didn’t say what specifically we should or shouldn’t do, as long as we were celebrating the holiness of the day that the Lord gave us to celebrate in Him. Allender talks about the Sabbath as being a day the Lord gave us to marvel in His gift of Creation to us, to play, to glory in Him, and that it is a holy time. Allender suggested that going to church shouldn’t be our only celebration of worship on the Sabbath, but that we should use the Sabbath to fellowship, to learn, to be creative, to play with the Lord. His expansion of all of these points and more was very philosophical, although he did give practical examples: such as holding a feast or a exquisitely prepared meal that is much higher in quality (and perhaps price to the point of sacrifice) from what you might normally serve during the week.
I did enjoy the book, although I often felt as if I was reading philosophy rooted in Christian spirituality than anything else. The author did make me think about how I celebrate the Sabbath, which usually entails a lack of housework and not much else, and how I would like to celebrate the Holy Day that the Lord gave us. The idea of rest in my mind was broadened to mean more than just the literal sense of the word – that rest can be taken in doing something that we enjoy, that gives rest to our mind or soothes our soul. I would recommend this book for someone who wants to think outside the box about what the Sabbath means and how we can enjoy and celebrate the Sabbath.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the 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.”
I really do love history, and always have. I think that the love of history that I have was instilled in me from a young age by my Dad, who also loves history, but also by where I grew up (mostly), in Fredericksburg, Virginia. You cannot escape history in Virginia unless you are totally isolated in yourself. It's everywhere. It did help that we lived in Historic Fredericksburg, down the street from Kenmore, the mansion that George Washington's sister lived in, and across the street from Mary Washington Monument, where George Washington's mother, Mary Ball (whom our street was named after) is buried, along with other family members in a tiny cemetery at the top of a hill. It also helps that I have several famous historical figures in my family tree such as Patrick Henry (fifth great grandfather -direct descendant), Gen JEB Stuart (a x-th great uncle) and families members who fought in the Civil War - including one who is Pickett's Charge at Gettysburg and another who was captured at the Battle of Missionary Ridge, Tennessee and was taken to Rock Island Prison Camp, IL and walked home (to Virginia) after the war.
So it was not unusual for me to be perusing the history section of Borders Books one day and pick up Michael Weeks "The Complete Civil War Road Trip Guide". I was browsing through it, but then I had to leave, so I decided to buy it because I wanted to read more. It was definitely worth it, in my opinion!
Michael Weeks wrote a road trip guide that takes you (if you so choose to travel all ten of his routes) to over 400 Civil War sites across the US. As a road trip guide, he covers different sections of the country and gives a brief overview of famous figures involved in the battle (usually generals), a brief overview of the battle itself and then he has site details about where you can visit the battlefields and other sites. He includes web address and sometimes tid-bits of information that the traveler might find helpful.
There are a few things that make this road trip guide really good. It is definitely a complete guide - he covers not only the major "Class A" battlefields, but also some of the smaller, lesser-known sites. He personally visited every site that he wrote about - and he has pictures. If you're going to visit somewhere, it helps that you're using a guide written by someone who has recently been there. And he covers the highlights of the history - just to give you an idea of what was going on. He also writes as if he is talking directly to you, which is really nice. It gives the guide a personal appeal.
That being said, I would not use this book as a "history" book - it does not cover enough information, although it does include quite a bit, to become a buff about the Civil War. The author admits to this though in the introduction, and he refers to other reading if you are interested in learning more about the Civil War in detail. I really liked that about him.The other thing I didn't particularly like was that the book doesn't cover the battles in chronological order, it jumps around quite a bit throughout the war. But again, it's not a history book, it a road trip book and battles happened at the same places sometimes numerous times during the war. So you can't have it both ways in this case. The books covers the war geographically, not chronologically, so be prepared for that if you're going to pick it up.
Overall, I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is interested in visiting any number of Civil War sites. It is a lengthy book, 449 pages plus indexes, but it is very easy to read and I was able to read through it very quickly. I also learned a lot about the Civil War, especially about battles that took place outside of Virginia (and there were a lot!). For example, I didn't know that there was battle at Glorietta Pass in NM that has been designated a Class A battle site! I'm definitely going to be heading up there for a visit!
Disclosure of Material Connection: 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 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
As soon as I saw the title of this book, This Is Your Brain In Love by Dr. Earl Henslin, I was intrigued. Having always been interested in psychology and matters of the brain and how the brain affects our daily lives, I couldn’t wait to dive right into this book. This Is Your Brain In Love goes into five areas of the brain that can affect our marriages, and lives, if they are not working right. Including stories from real people (names changed of course), images of brain scans of the part of the brain in question compared with normal brain scans and antidotes to increase that part of the brains productivity, Dr Henslin brings all these pieces together to show how a problem in one part of the brain can affect the way we love and receive love. Furthermore, all of this to say that the two people in every marriage should “bring their best brain to the table” to increase the level of love in their marriage and become “master-level lovers”.
The five areas of the brain that Dr. Henslin talks about are the Prefontal Cortex (or the Scattered Lover), the Cingulate Gyrus (the Overfocused Lover), the Deep Limbic System (the Blue Mood Lover), the Temporal Lobes (the Agitated Lover) and the Basal Ganglia (the Anxious Lover). Did you know that an injury the Temporal Lobes (such a fall on the playground as a child) can turn you into an angry, agitated person which in turn can make you an angry, agitated lover? This and so much more is covered in this book.
I would recommend this book to any couple that is married or considering marriage. Sometimes the problems that we bring to our marriage may be caused by a chemical problem in the brain that we have no control over. Dr. Henslin’s book goes over ways to balance out that problem, and it doesn’t always have to include medication – he includes herbal supplements, brain activities and sometimes physical activities to help a person overcome a problem so that they can “bring their best brain to the table” and be the best partner for their spouse.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com <http://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 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
What can I say about Voices of the Faithful with Beth Moore and others except wow! This yearly devotional was an idea that Beth Moore had after hearing so many stories from missionary friends. She, with Kim P. Davis, compiled a year’s worth of stories from the mission field around the world, along with specific prayers. The stories, or devotions, are organized by specific aspects of the Christian Life or the Lord by month. For example, April is stories relating to God’s grace, October is stories relating to Spiritual Warfare. Each story is short, just one page long, and there is one story for every day of the year.
I knew when I went to open this book to start reading that I would be blown away by what I was about to read. And I was not disappointed. Some stories made me laugh, some made me cry, some made me stop and put the book down and just ponder the awesomeness of God and His incredible faithfulness, even in the most impossible situations. Time and time again I would think about who was writing these stories (many are unnamed) and realized that they are real people, like you and me, who are just out there living their life. Except, as Beth Moore writes in her introduction, they gave everything for Christ. That alone makes this book inspiring and encouraging that if you are a believer of Christ, than you can live like that. You too can live by faith and give everything you have and everything you do for Christ.
I wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone. I especially recommend it to those believers who might be questioning where they are at in their faith or what they are doing. It will lift your spirit and encourage you to press on in the faith.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the 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.”
Even though A Year With God: Daily Readings and Reflections on God’s Own Words by R.P. Nettelhorst is an Old Testament yearly devotional, I took it with me on my vacation to Florida and read passage after passage with my husband as we enjoyed a getaway together.
I really enjoyed how Nettelhorst wove together daily Scripture passages with history, insight, questions and tidbits of trivia from a variety of sources, including quotes from persons such as Abraham Lincoln. I find this devotional to be easy to read while at the same time making you think. Nettelhorst also used different versions of the Bible throughout the devotional, which was very refreshing. I find that reading a different version than the one used in daily quiet time can sometimes give new insights and a fresh breath into a well-known passage of Scripture. Another neat feature of this devotional is that it is divided up into sections such as “hope and fear” and “perseverance and quitting ” as opposed to day by day (i.e. Jan 1, etc). A person who might be going through a particular season in life could turn to a needed section and read through the daily readings, which are one page in length, and receive encouragement for their situation.
I would recommend this book to others, especially those interested in the Old Testament and its’ rich tapestry of history.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com <http://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 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
What happens when you budget and you give and you’re still out of money at the end of the month? Maybe you have a Counterfeit Conviction about your finances.
Your Money God’s Way by Amie Streater is a really excellent, eye opening Biblical approach to why people do the things they do with their finances. It is a book on finances, but not the kind of book I was initially expecting (something like a financial plan). The book was, in some ways, even better – it uncovered counterfeit convictions (half-truths or sometimes just plain lies we tell ourselves) about our finances and why we do what we do. Streater battled these counterfeit convictions with Timeless Truths: principles from the Bible applied to the situation, backed up by Scripture.
An added bonus for me was that a lot of the Timeless Truths can be applied to other areas of your life – say self esteem issues. Of course we are talking about Biblical principles here and the Bible applies to every area of your life, including finances. I was challenged by the book and as soon as I finished it I went over to my computer to review our budget and get to work on our finances. I will definitely be applying some of the Timeless Truths to my own life as I work to get rid of my own Counterfeit Convictions.
I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com <http://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 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
