Monday, August 30, 2010
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by Sandy Coughlin
Read the Back:
Real Entertaining for Real People
True hospitality is not about being perfect, cooking a fancy meal, or spending a lot of money. Rather, it’s about an open door and an open heart. Popular blogger Sandy Coughlin offers a simple but savvy approach to help women break free of the anxieties that keep them from opening their homes. Emphasizing the forgotten goal of entertaining – connecting deeply with others – she shows how women can use the gifts and talents God gave them to reach out in love.
My Thoughts:
I have never been one to open my doors up and let others in. I always had one excuse or another. We’ve all done it. My house is too small, I can’t cook, I don’t know how to hold a conversation, etc. Sandy has many solutions for women everywhere. This book encourages women to let go of perfection (one of the main deterrents of hosting) and to embrace the opportunities to connect with others. She reminds readers about God’s grace and his love for us and how we can use hosting parties or dinners as a means to pass that along to others.
Sandy offers suggestions for hosting parties on a budget and offers up many great recipes that are tried and true from herself and her friends. Some of the recipes include a Dill Bread, Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream, and Easy Cinnamon Bites with Maple Drizzle (YUM!). There are suggestions for what to stock in your pantry as well as what dishes would be handy to have on hand when you begin hosting more regularly.
Also, ever had an idea for a type of party, but you weren’t quite sure how to pull it off? Well, Sandy has 11 different types of parties that she suggests and each can be tweaked to fit your personal needs. One of my favourite parts of this book (next to the myriad of recipes sprinkled throughout) is the section on conversation. I have a very difficult time not having the same conversations with the same people every time we get together. Sandy gives several suggestions on ways to approach starting conversations and they aren’t as intimidating as one might think.
I feel that this would make an excellent gift for a new bride, but this book would work for any age woman in any stage of their life.
This review was made possible because I received a copy of this book from Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc. Available now at your favourite bookseller from Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group.
by Sandy Coughlin
Read the Back:
Real Entertaining for Real People
True hospitality is not about being perfect, cooking a fancy meal, or spending a lot of money. Rather, it’s about an open door and an open heart. Popular blogger Sandy Coughlin offers a simple but savvy approach to help women break free of the anxieties that keep them from opening their homes. Emphasizing the forgotten goal of entertaining – connecting deeply with others – she shows how women can use the gifts and talents God gave them to reach out in love.
My Thoughts:
I have never been one to open my doors up and let others in. I always had one excuse or another. We’ve all done it. My house is too small, I can’t cook, I don’t know how to hold a conversation, etc. Sandy has many solutions for women everywhere. This book encourages women to let go of perfection (one of the main deterrents of hosting) and to embrace the opportunities to connect with others. She reminds readers about God’s grace and his love for us and how we can use hosting parties or dinners as a means to pass that along to others.
Sandy offers suggestions for hosting parties on a budget and offers up many great recipes that are tried and true from herself and her friends. Some of the recipes include a Dill Bread, Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream, and Easy Cinnamon Bites with Maple Drizzle (YUM!). There are suggestions for what to stock in your pantry as well as what dishes would be handy to have on hand when you begin hosting more regularly.
Also, ever had an idea for a type of party, but you weren’t quite sure how to pull it off? Well, Sandy has 11 different types of parties that she suggests and each can be tweaked to fit your personal needs. One of my favourite parts of this book (next to the myriad of recipes sprinkled throughout) is the section on conversation. I have a very difficult time not having the same conversations with the same people every time we get together. Sandy gives several suggestions on ways to approach starting conversations and they aren’t as intimidating as one might think.
I feel that this would make an excellent gift for a new bride, but this book would work for any age woman in any stage of their life.
This review was made possible because I received a copy of this book from Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc. Available now at your favourite bookseller from Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group.
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by Gary E. Parker
Read the Back:
THE INNOCENT DON’T RUN – UNLESS THEIR LIVES DEPEND ON IT.
When international playboy Rick Carson stumbles onto a murder in his Montana home, he knows his life will never be the same. But he certainly doesn’t expect to be the prime suspect. And he doesn’t expect to find himself in the middle of a 1700-year-old conspiracy with tentacles reaching into the very highest levels of the government.
Park ranger Shannon Bridge is the first responding law enforcement agent on the scene. She seems legitimate, but is there more to her than meets the eye? Why is she willing to help Rick elude the law?
With unanswered questions and the law closing in, Shannon and Rick must find some way to exonerate him – and expose the truth before it’s too late. In a place where no one is who they say they are and danger lurks around every corner, can they even trust each other?
My Thoughts:
This was a very engaging book. I found myself immediately transported into the story. The characters are well developed and relatable. I really enjoyed the plot twists that the author puts throughout the book. These help to keep the book interesting and the reader engaged in the storyline. Parker writes in such a way as to lead the reader to “solve” the plot twists before the characters, but not in the usually predictable way. There are subtle hints throughout the story that allow the reader to draw their own conclusions.
Another thing that I enjoyed about this book is how the layout is. There are parallel plot lines running which makes the book read more quickly. This style of writing helps keep me interested as I have a short attention span when it comes to reading and plot development. It’s kind of like reading two books at once!
The only thing that I didn’t really like about this book was the love interest parts. They felt a bit “hokey” and/or fake to me and that kind of drew away from the suspense of the main story line. There were actually a couple of times I groaned out loud because of the cheesiness of certain lines of dialogue. Overall this is a great murder mystery story with a wee bit of history thrown in. Definitely an enjoyable book and worth the read.
This review was made possible because I received this book courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc. Available now at your favourite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.
by Gary E. Parker
Read the Back:
THE INNOCENT DON’T RUN – UNLESS THEIR LIVES DEPEND ON IT.
When international playboy Rick Carson stumbles onto a murder in his Montana home, he knows his life will never be the same. But he certainly doesn’t expect to be the prime suspect. And he doesn’t expect to find himself in the middle of a 1700-year-old conspiracy with tentacles reaching into the very highest levels of the government.
Park ranger Shannon Bridge is the first responding law enforcement agent on the scene. She seems legitimate, but is there more to her than meets the eye? Why is she willing to help Rick elude the law?
With unanswered questions and the law closing in, Shannon and Rick must find some way to exonerate him – and expose the truth before it’s too late. In a place where no one is who they say they are and danger lurks around every corner, can they even trust each other?
My Thoughts:
This was a very engaging book. I found myself immediately transported into the story. The characters are well developed and relatable. I really enjoyed the plot twists that the author puts throughout the book. These help to keep the book interesting and the reader engaged in the storyline. Parker writes in such a way as to lead the reader to “solve” the plot twists before the characters, but not in the usually predictable way. There are subtle hints throughout the story that allow the reader to draw their own conclusions.
Another thing that I enjoyed about this book is how the layout is. There are parallel plot lines running which makes the book read more quickly. This style of writing helps keep me interested as I have a short attention span when it comes to reading and plot development. It’s kind of like reading two books at once!
The only thing that I didn’t really like about this book was the love interest parts. They felt a bit “hokey” and/or fake to me and that kind of drew away from the suspense of the main story line. There were actually a couple of times I groaned out loud because of the cheesiness of certain lines of dialogue. Overall this is a great murder mystery story with a wee bit of history thrown in. Definitely an enjoyable book and worth the read.
This review was made possible because I received this book courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc. Available now at your favourite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.
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