Book Review: "Another Dawn" by Kathryn Cushman

I recently received a copy of the book "Another Dawn" by Kathryn Cushman from Bethany House Publishers as part of their book review team. The opinions below are my honest opinion of the book.
In this wonderful story, Grace Graham lives in California with her son, Dylan. She has run from everything and everyone in her life any time things start to get complicated. After the death of her mother, she even left her family including her sister, Jana, and her father whom she blames for the death of her mother. She has also left friendships and romantic relationships in the past anytime things get tough. Now Jana is asking her to come home to Shoal Creek, Tennessee to help care for their father and give her one more chance. She does return but we see that it may not have been for all the right reasons. When costly decisions that occurred in her past come to haunt her in Tennessee it puts her son and the other children in town at risk. This is a story of having the strength to stand and stay strong and face "Another Dawn" even when things in life are tough and complicated. A wonderfully written and challenging story that I would recommend to anyone.

Book Review: "Courting Miss Amsel" by Kim Vogel Sawyer

I recently received a complimentary copy of the book "Courting Miss Amsel" by Kim Vogel Sawyer from Bethany House Publishers as part of their book review team. The opinions listed below are my honest opinion.

"Courting Miss Amsel" is the story of a courageous young teacher who comes to teach at Walnut Hill. Edythe Amsel is a very independent woman and very headstrong in her beliefs. She shakes the little town of Walnut Hill with what they think are her crazy and uncommon teaching methods. Joel Townsend is raising his nephews since their parents' death and he is quite excited to hear that the new teacher is a woman. He feels the boys need a woman's influence in their life. Throughout time he begins to fall for this beautiful, young teacher; however, when she takes her students to hear a lady speak on the women's suffrage amendment, he wonders if he can trust her with his heart. This is a wonderful story on trust, standing up for what you believe in, and courage. I have read Kim Vogel Sawyer's books in the past and I love them all. This one is no exception and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a great story to read.

Book Review: "Fresh-Brewed Life" by Nicole Johnson

I recently received a complimentary copy of the book "Fresh-Brewed Life: A stirring invitation to wake up your soul" by Nicole Johnson from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of the Booksneeze book review team.

This book by Nicole Johnson was first published ten years ago and over 100,000 women have read it to help learn how to waken their souls. "Fresh-Brewed Life" is a wonderful book on how to wake up to a richer more meaningful life by drawing us into a closer relationship with God. She asks such questions as, "Are your responsibilities and commitments robbing your life of joy?" and " Are you sleepwalking through your days?" In this revised and expanded edition, there are many more journal ideas and extra chapters. I love how she states that "like lingering over a cup of coffee" the process of waking up our souls is to be savored. I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone looking to live your life awake with joy instead of asleep in our daily tasks.

Book Review: "Don't Check Your Brains at the Door" by Josh McDowell and Bob Hostetler

I recently received a complimentary copy of the book "Don't Check Your Brains at the Door" by Josh McDowell and Bob Hostetler from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of the Booksneeze book review program. The opinions listed below are my honest opinion of the book.

In this wonderful book from Josh McDowell and Bob Hostetler, they write about how you can know what you believe about your faith and also to know why it is true. It is written mainly for teens in today's society; however, I enjoyed this book in reminding myself why I believe certain things. The authors take an approach of exposing certain myths that teens may believe or hear about their faith. They back up how the myths are not true with Scriptures from God's Word. They use humor as well to relate to today's teens which is wonderful. I also love that at the end of the chapters it causes you to dig deeper by looking up Scriptures to look farther into the lesson they have taught. I mainly requested this book to review because we are the teen leaders at our church and I thought it would be a good resource to have. I am also going to keep it for when my children are older and have questions about their faith or when their peers may challenge their faith.

Book Review: "The Blessing" by John Trent, Ph.D. and Gary Smalley

I recently received a complimentary copy of the book "The Blessing: Giving the Gift of Unconditional Love and Acceptance" by John Trent, Ph.D. and Gary Smalley from Thomas Nelson Publishing as part of the Booksneeze book review team. The opinions listed below are my honest opinion of the book.

All children long for the feeling of approval and unconditional love from their parents. In this book, this is what John Trent, Ph.D. and Gary Smalley call the gift of "the blessing." This book as won many awards including the ECPA Medallion of Excellence Christian Book Award. More than one million copies have been sold. This book is a wonderful book to keep in any parents' library to remind them of how important it is to give their children this gift. Trent and Smalley lists five essential elements to the blessing: meaningful touch, a spoken message, attaching high value, picturing a special future, and an active commitment. This book gives parents great advice on how to prepare children not only for their future relationships, but also their relationship with God. This updated edition also gives exercises, questions, and links for online resources for parents. I would recommend this book to every parent.

Book Review: "Bad Girls of the Bible" by Liz Curtis Higgs

I recently received a complimentary copy of the book "Bad Girls of the Bible and What we can Learn from Them" by Liz Curtis Higgs from Water Brook Multnomah as part of their book review program. The opinions listed below are my honest opinion of the book.

In the book, "Bad Girls of the Bible and what we can learn from them," Liz Curtis Higgs takes women on a Bible study of ten women of the Bible. She writes in a way that women can relate to these women of the Bible days. She explains how Eve had food issues, Lot's wife could not let go of her past, and many other stories of how we can relate to these women in our lives today. She also tells of the Sinful Woman and Rahab and how they left their histories behind to prove that these so called "bad girls" could have a wonderful and hopeful future. This book is divided into ten chapters and includes questions at the end of each chapter and also includes a study guide at the end. This would make a wonderful ten week session Bible study for a women's small group study. I feel that this book is well written and really shows how the women in the Bible struggled with many of the same things women today struggle with and how we have hope in Jesus and can learn from their mistakes so we don't fall into the same sins.

Book Review: "Love: Written in Stone" by Philip Carlson, MD

I recently received a complimentary copy of the book "love: Written in Stone: Finding God's Grace in the Boundaries He Sets" by Philip Carlson, MD from Bethany House Publishers as part of their book review program. The opinions below are my honest opinion of the book.

This book is written by a physician in Pasadena who is also the senior pastor of a church. The book talks about different subjects in life from nutrition and family relationships to the environment. He answers the basic question of whether or not God wants us to be happy and live the good life. Some people look at the Bible and see nothing but rules and legalism, but Philip uses scripture to back up why our God does want us to live a happy and fulfilled life. He gives a basic outline for following God's guidelines to bring about wellness in our lives. I enjoyed the book considering it was written by a doctor who is taught to look at scientific research as evidence for believing something. I like how he uses scripture to back up what he is saying. It isn't just another self help book, but one based on God's Word.