Book Review: "Under the Overpass" by Mike Yankoski

I recently received a complimentary copy of the book "Under the Overpass: A Journey of Faith on the Streets of America" by Mike Yankoski as part of the book review program through WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group. The opinions below are my honest opinion of the book.

Would you give up everything in your life just to experience how others live their lives? That is exactly what Mike Yankoski and his friend Sam decided to do when they gave up their upper-middle class life to live the lifestyle of the homeless. For five months they experienced the homeless life in six different major cities. They experienced hunger, depression, exhaustion, and many other issues along their journey. This book also contains a foreward by Francis Chan and an updated bonus chapter that the author wrote five years after his experience.

This story is truly inspiring and challenging. It made me focus on the people around me and those who I don't see just because they don't live like me. Jesus ministered to the lowly and poor and we are called to do the same. I would highly recommend this book as the story itself is very intriguing but the challenge is great. We need to look outside of our comfort zones and reach out to those less fortunate than us.

Book Review: "Hatteras Girl" by Alice J. Wisler

I recently received the book "Hatteras Girl" by Alice J. Wisler from Bethany House Publishers as a complimentary copy for their book review program. The opinions are my honest opinion of the book.

In this story by Alice J. Wisler, Jackie Donovan has two dreams in life. She wishes to reopen the old Bailey House, a bed and breakfast place, and also meet the man of her dreams. She lives with her best friend who has a young boy that Jackie often cares for while her friend is at work. Jackie is a writer for the local magazine of the North Carolina outer banks, "Lighthouse Views." She interviews local business owners and interviews Davis Erickson, a local realtor. She falls for his charming ways and good looks and discovers he is the grandson of the Baileys who ran the old bed and breakfast that she dreams of owning. Davis works out a "deal" with her to rent with the option to buy the place. Her long time friend, Buck, ends up telling her the truth about Davis and how he is a horrible landlord. She discovers that she is actually in love with Buck and he helps her to get the bed and breakfast on its feet while making sure Davis pays for it all.

This is a great story about love, hope, and faith. Jackie's friend suffers many trials throughout the book and it is a great example of what a strong friendship can do in helping others through hard times. I enjoyed this book and look forward to reading another of Alice J. Wisler's novels.

Book Review: "Then Sings My Soul" by Robert J. Morgan

I was recently sent a complimentary copy of the book "Then Sings My Soul: Special Edition" by Robert J. Morgan from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of the Booksneeze book review program. The opinions listed below are my honest opinion of the book.

In "Then Sings My Soul," Robert J. Morgan has compiled many favorite Christmas, Easter, and other famous hymns and the stories about how the writers of these wonderful songs came to write them. The book is beautifully done and each page has the actual song on one side and then the story of the writer's life and how they came to write the song. It is a wonderful inside look at many favorite songs sung in churches and around the world today. I found it inspiring to read the stories behind the songs I have sung for years. It makes the songs mean so much more when you hear the background of how the words and music came about. The words really come alive to you after hearing how these songs of praise to our Lord were written. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves music and wishes to know more about the hymns we sing. It is a wonderful teaching tool you could use in Sunday School or other areas as well. I will keep this book for years to come to share with others the meanings of all the wonderful songs we sing around the holidays and all year long.

Book Tour and Review: "Run to Overcome" by Meb Keflezighi

I recently received the book "Run to Overcome" by Meb Keflezighi with Dick Patrick as a complimentary copy from Tyndale House Publishers as part of their bookreview program. This book is the wonderful, true story of Meb Keflezighi who started as a young boy in the midst of a war between his country of Eritrea and Ethiopia. He lived in poverty, but his family raised them to believe and trust in God, to work very hard, and to never give up no matter what. Meb's father left for Italy in order to work to bring his family to join him later. This was a hard time for Meb's family and especially his mother. They were reunited in Italy and then through God ordained circumstances were finally able to come to the United States. Meb had never heard of running as a sport until he arrived in the USA. Not knowing any English he had to work very hard in school and eventually went to UCLA. He ran in high school and discovered his God given talent for running. He ran and won many races throughout his years in high school and college and then his career turned professional. He won the silver medal in Athens. One of his biggest accomplishments was winning the New York City Marathon in 2009. He continues running and has a wife and three little girls who support him.



The part of this book that I loved was just how Meb never gave up his faith and trust in God no matter what. He had injuries that prevented him from participating in the Beijing Olympics and had several close running friends that passed away. He never once gave up and he fought back to win the NYC marathon. My favorite part of Meb's story is that he encourages his readers and fans to persevere no matter what and give everything your best and then you will be "running to win." A wonderful story and I am now a Meb fan and hope to see how he will do in his next marathon run on November 7th in NYC.



If you are interested in learning more and possibly winning a copy of this book head on over to the Run to Overcome website where from November 1 through March 31 they are giving away one signed book per day. There will also be chances to win other prizes monthly. You can go there to learn more about Meb and his amazing journey of running and his faith through it all.

Meb Keflezighi

Book Review: "Really Woolly Bible Stories" By Bonnie Rickner Jensen

I recently received a complimentary copy of the book "Really Woolly Bible Stories" by Bonnie Rickner Jensen from Tommy Nelson Publishers as part of the Booksneeze book review program. The opinions listed below are my honest opinion of the book.

Upon arrival in the mail and opening the package with this adorable board book inside, both of my girls were in love. They love the Really Woolly movie series and also loved this book. This book goes through many Bible stories using rhyme and adorable pictures to teach children these important stories. I like how it also tells you under each illustration where to find the story in the Bible so if you have a younger child and an older child you can read this book to the younger and then go to the Bible for your older child. My girls are ages 4 and 2 and they both love this book. I would recommend it to everyone with young children looking for a great way to teach your child Bible stories. This would make a wonderful Christmas present for that special child in your life.

Book Review: "In Every Heartbeat" by Kim Vogel Sawyer

I recently received a free copy of the book "In Every Heartbeat" by Kim Vogel Sawyer from Bethany House Publishers as part of their book review program.

This story is about three friends who know each other from growing up in the same orphanage together. Libby Conley, Pete Leidig, and Bennett Martin are given the opportunity to go to college together. The story takes place when the world was on the brink of World War I. As their lives begin to take different paths at college their friendships are put to the test. Libby hopes to become a journalist; however, through certain circumstances and her new found faith in God she end up deciding that being famous may not be as important as writing the truth. Pete feels called to be a minister and through Libby's discovery of his family's secret he must seek the Lord for what to do. Bennett planned to pledge in a fraternity and wants to be popular, but after seeing his friends' faith, he begins to question what is important to him as well. Through all of this, Pete and Libby realize their love for one another.

This story was enjoyable to read and kept my interest. I found it neat to read about their college experiences trying to picture what college life was like back then. Overall, a wonderful story about faith and friendship that I would recommend to everyone.

DVD Review: "The Way Home"

I received the movie "The Way Home" from the Booksneeze book review program as a complimentary copy to review. The opinions listed below are honest and are mine. This movie is based on a true story which I personally love movies like that. It really makes the characters seem more real to me knowing someone really experienced the story. In "The Way Home," Dean Cain plays the role of Randy Simpkins who is always busy with his work. He struggles, like many parents do today, between juggling work and family. His wife, Christal, asks Randy to watch their son, Joe, for a few short minutes and in those minutes Joe disappears. Randy was distracted by work when Joe disappears; therefore, Randy feels very responsible and the rest of the story and movie is him in a desperate search for his son. On the way, he finds himself on a journey back to God and he realizes that nothing is more important than family. This is a wonderful Christian based film that I will share with my family for years to come.