Book Review: Love No Matter What

I chose to review Love No Matter What: When Your Kids Make Decisions You Don’t Agree With
because I am a mom of teens. Simple as that. Ok, not so simple… one of my teens is 18 and I spent the 6 months before she reached the age of adulthood wondering if I had done a “good job”.  The more I thought about it, the more I remembered that no matter what I did or didn’t do, my daughter would have to make her own choices…just like I did at that age. So, when I saw this book in my list of choices to review a few months after my daughter’s birthday, I thought it would be a good one to read to see if my opinions were the same as the authors.

The topics covered in the book range from the types of decisions our children make that we don’t agree with, common mistakes parents make (and yes, I was guilty of a few of these!), how to really be “cool” parents, who to share your parental struggles with, and more. The topics were good and gave a lot of insight BUT sometimes it was confusing to read about the particular families involved.  The author would name mom, dad and child and tell about their struggle in one chapter and then bring them back up again a few chapters later…it made my mind jumbled!  Maybe if she had included a chart with each family and their main struggle or even just said “Jessica’s parents handled this problem this way…” I might have been able to handle it better.

I did like the fact that she included her adult daughter’s perspective on some of the issues.  The author is clear that she was not the perfect mom.  She had some struggles with her daughter Katie and in this book, they discuss some of those and how they worked through them or are still working on.

As for those opinions…were they similar to mine?  Yes, mostly.  There were a couple of things that I don’t totally agree with but that is ok.  It may be because I have not faced some of the issues mentioned and so my opinion is irrelevant.  You always hear people say “if that were my kid, I would…”  well, you really don’t know WHAT you would do in that situation and neither do I.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through theBookSneeze®.combook 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.”

This post contains affiliate links.

Book Review: Faith Leaps

     I “met” Alyssa online a couple of years ago and have followed her ever since for a few reasons. One is because her website has a lot of purple (which I read in the book is her favorite color! Woo-Hoo!) but mostly because everything she does is what I want to do…I want to be Alyssa when I grow up!  HA HA.  No seriously, she truly inspires me to go for what God has called me to do and especially so in this book.

     She takes you step by step on how to take something you are passionate about and use it to make a profit.  As I read it, it was like she was telling me “Christie, you know all of this…now do it!”  I have been too scared to step out and go for what God has called me to do.  Yes, I have made baby steps but have jumped back into the boat numerous times because I was unsure…I didn’t trust my ability and I definitely didn’t want to get wet!  Well, I am not going to allow my lack of certainty keep me from doing what I know I am supposed to be doing.

 

 

     God’s timing is always perfect and I truly believe that He allowed me to review this book so He could show me what I can do. These dreams He has placed in my heart have been dormant for too long and it is high time to get them out and get going. One chapter in particular, I will be using to make a checklist (yes, I do love my checklists) of ideas to help me get to where I am supposed to be.

     The book officially launches TODAY and in celebration, Alyssa is hosting a launch party on Facebook and a fantastic special PLUS bonuses on her website if you order TODAY!

     If you are serious about taking a Faith Leap and doing something that God has called you to do, then I advise you to read this book.

 

Book Review: Stumbling on Open Ground

 

 

I chose to review Ken Mansfield’s Stumbling on Open Ground: Love, God, Cancer, and Rock ‘n’ Roll because of the topic…Cancer.  I thought it would help me to as co-chair for the Relay for Life of Tipton County better understand some of the things the survivors I work with go through.

Ken was the American producer for the Beatles so most of the the “Rock ‘n’ Roll” facts he mentions in the book are before my time so I didn’t recognize a lot of the names but it was neat to get a glimpse of the behind the scenes stuff that happen in the music business.

The author’s wife, Connie, actually opened up each chapter with her thoughts and then he would give his.  It was interesting to see how each situation was looked at differently by the individuals.  Even though only one of them was going through cancer treatment, they were both affected but in different ways and it was heart breaking to read how it did.

For someone who is going through the scary journey of cancer, this book might be just what they need to read.  It is honest and points out that God is bigger than Cancer, no matter what the outcome.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through theBookSneeze®.combook 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.”

This post contains affiliate links.

Book Review: Hope Springs

I received a copy of Hope Springs by Kim Cash Tate to review in June and I don’t know why but I didn’t get a chance to read it until this week.  I have to tell you, the timing was perfect not only because the story starts off on December 23rd, the same day I started reading it, but also because some of the issues the characters dealt with are things I have been personally struggling with lately.   God knew that it wouldn’t have affected me this way in June so He allowed it to be put aside until it was time.

The story illustrates the beauty of how God works in the lives of His people.  It is set in a small town that has two main places of worship, a church for the black families, and one for the white families. They are friends but don’t ever “join together” except for funerals until one of the ladies starts a Bible study at a local diner and women from both churches start attending.  They call their group “Soul Sisters”, which I loved because that is the name God gave me for our Women’s Sunday School class for the exact same reason that the author gave for the reason the group chose the name, because we are all sisters in Christ and are connected by our souls.

There are so many characters and relationships that it often get confusing as to who goes with who and where they fit in but thankfully, the author included a family tree at the front so I could flip to it and check.  In the end, this is a very important key to the story line so don’t neglect using it.

I love to read Christian fiction but in my opinion, many are overly sappy and often leave me feeling like I want to gag on the super sweetness and “perfect lives” of the characters but not this one. It was REAL. It would be a good book for a group of women to read and discuss together. I will definitely be recommending it to my friends.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through theBookSneeze®.combook 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.”

This post contains affiliate links.

Book Review: Need You Now by Beth Wiseman

From the first sentence, I was drawn in by the way the author, Beth Wiseman, writes.  She keeps your attention and makes you long for more. I wanted to know what was going to happen to the characters next so I could not put this book down!

The main story is about a family who recently transplanted to a small town to try to escape some of problems their teen son was having in the big city but lo and behold, there are still situations that cause chaos.

One of the things that really opened my eyes was when they had to deal with the issue of one of their children “cutting.”  I work with youth and had heard of cutting before but never really understood why kids do it or how they can stop.  Reading about it in this book made me cry and really have sympathy for these young people who are dealing with this and a heart to help them get through it.

There are many emotional issues happening in this family and I think the author very gracefully approached them.  I really put myself into the character of the mom and felt what I think she would have been feeling. Beth Wiseman is a very talented author and I look forward to reading more of her work.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.combook 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.”

Book Review: Stained Glass Hearts by Patsy Clairmont

 Patsy Clairmont shares her broken pieces of life with the readers and uses them to show that Christ can take all of those shattered dreams and make a beautiful work of art, like stained glass.

At the end of each chapter, she has an “Art Gallery” where she points the reader to visual, musical, and scriptural art that ties in with the topic of the chapter.

I personally had a hard time following along sometimes because she jumped around quite a bit but when I started reading it and imagining she was sitting with me talking to me one on one, I “got it” so I advise you to grab a cup of coffee and read a chapter and then take a break to digest what you read before heading on to the next topic.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.combook 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.”

Book Review: Rosebud Blooming by Nancy Maggio

Rosebud Blooming by Nancy Maggio portrays the trials faced by the author and how she was able to how she was able to pull through with God’s help. She begins each chapter with a poem that introduces the problem that she faced. The stories of these difficult times are not chronological but she ties them together to show how certain choices that she and people in her life made affected the various situations.

We all face difficulties but not all of us experience some of the traumatic things that Nancy tells us about in this detailed book about her life. This book is one you can read in an afternoon so prepare a bubble bath, light some candles, make a cup of tea and relax as you read about a simple lady sharing how God helped her make it through some dark days.  She doesn’t sugar coat it.  She bares it all…literally at one point! No matter what you have been through in your life, Nancy’s poems, stories and analogy of a rosebud opening up to full bloom will encourage you to press on.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.combook 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.”