Saturday, January 30, 2010
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by Suzanne Woods Fisher
I can’t even begin to say enough good things about this book. This is the first of Suzanne Woods Fisher’s books that I’ve ever read and I can definitely say that it won’t be the last. The Choice is set in an Amish community in Lancaster County, PA. The characters each add their own uniqueness to the stories that Suzanne unfolds for the reader. I found that I became Carrie as I read the book and so I laughed and cried right along with her. The emotions that the characters felt were well portrayed and any reader, whether they’ve gone through similar circumstances or not, can relate to what each character must be feeling at any given time.
This book was easy to read, and hard to put down. It has two parallel running story lines which break the book up a bit so that you don’t become bored with what any one set of characters is doing. In one story you are following Carrie’s life and in the parallel story you are following the life of Solomon. What two different lives they are and yet there is still a common connection of love between Carrie and Solomon.
Another great advantage to reading this book is to learn a bit more about the Amish lifestyle. There are a number of things that Suzanne writes about in this book that are new concepts to me. If you aren’t overly familiar with the Amish ways, then you’d probably enjoy this book just for its educational value. I definitely recommend this book.
Available now at your favourite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.
I can’t even begin to say enough good things about this book. This is the first of Suzanne Woods Fisher’s books that I’ve ever read and I can definitely say that it won’t be the last. The Choice is set in an Amish community in Lancaster County, PA. The characters each add their own uniqueness to the stories that Suzanne unfolds for the reader. I found that I became Carrie as I read the book and so I laughed and cried right along with her. The emotions that the characters felt were well portrayed and any reader, whether they’ve gone through similar circumstances or not, can relate to what each character must be feeling at any given time.
This book was easy to read, and hard to put down. It has two parallel running story lines which break the book up a bit so that you don’t become bored with what any one set of characters is doing. In one story you are following Carrie’s life and in the parallel story you are following the life of Solomon. What two different lives they are and yet there is still a common connection of love between Carrie and Solomon.
Another great advantage to reading this book is to learn a bit more about the Amish lifestyle. There are a number of things that Suzanne writes about in this book that are new concepts to me. If you aren’t overly familiar with the Amish ways, then you’d probably enjoy this book just for its educational value. I definitely recommend this book.
Available now at your favourite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
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by David B. Biebel, DMin; James E. Dill, MD; and Bobbie Dill, RN
I really enjoyed reading 50 Ways to Feel Great Today. The authors gave great ideas for simple and inexpensive things that you can do to improve your everyday life. I enjoyed how some of the ideas involved more than just the reader. There were suggestions such as “Kidnapping” someone or planning a treasure hunt. I loved that these ideas could involve others (i.e.: family and/or friends) and would also help reduce their stress levels as well.
There were some points throughout the book where I felt the ideas were geared more towards an older crowd than where I am personally, but each suggested idea would work for any age. In particular, the chapter titled “Use the Internet Creatively”, seemed to be written to explain the wonders of the web for an older generation. The things mentioned were such as Write a Blog, Join a Forum, Find and Share Humorous videos, and Skype someone. As someone who is only 28 these ideas seemed obvious. They are pretty much a part of everyday life and I got thinking about how stress relieving these things could actually be. Personally, there is a lot of drama on forums. I do, however, agree with the Skyping section as I use Skype with my kids all the time so that they can talk with their grandparents.
I am so glad that someone came up with this book and that the ideas are inexpensive. A lot of times with books like these they have suggestions that are a little too pricey (i.e.: take a family vacation, go on a romantic cruise with your spouse, etc.). It’s refreshing to have simple and free things to focus on to better enhance my life experience. I recommend this book to anyone struggling with stress or even to anyone struggling with day to day monotony. It’s a great read and a wonderful book to refer back to time and time again!
Available now at your favourite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.
by David B. Biebel, DMin; James E. Dill, MD; and Bobbie Dill, RN
I really enjoyed reading 50 Ways to Feel Great Today. The authors gave great ideas for simple and inexpensive things that you can do to improve your everyday life. I enjoyed how some of the ideas involved more than just the reader. There were suggestions such as “Kidnapping” someone or planning a treasure hunt. I loved that these ideas could involve others (i.e.: family and/or friends) and would also help reduce their stress levels as well.
There were some points throughout the book where I felt the ideas were geared more towards an older crowd than where I am personally, but each suggested idea would work for any age. In particular, the chapter titled “Use the Internet Creatively”, seemed to be written to explain the wonders of the web for an older generation. The things mentioned were such as Write a Blog, Join a Forum, Find and Share Humorous videos, and Skype someone. As someone who is only 28 these ideas seemed obvious. They are pretty much a part of everyday life and I got thinking about how stress relieving these things could actually be. Personally, there is a lot of drama on forums. I do, however, agree with the Skyping section as I use Skype with my kids all the time so that they can talk with their grandparents.
I am so glad that someone came up with this book and that the ideas are inexpensive. A lot of times with books like these they have suggestions that are a little too pricey (i.e.: take a family vacation, go on a romantic cruise with your spouse, etc.). It’s refreshing to have simple and free things to focus on to better enhance my life experience. I recommend this book to anyone struggling with stress or even to anyone struggling with day to day monotony. It’s a great read and a wonderful book to refer back to time and time again!
Available now at your favourite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.
Saturday, January 23, 2010
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by Dr. David Jeremiah
First I’d like to thank Thomas Nelson Publishers for providing this book for me to review. I would never have read or even heard about this book otherwise.
When dealing with all of the stressors in today’s society it’s easy to stray in your walk with God. This book gives great ways to remain confident and ties them into scripture in a meaningful way. The chapters include:
Stay Calm
Stay Compassionate
Stay Constructive
Stay Challenged
Stay Connected
Stay Centered
Stay Confident
Stay Consistent
Stay Committed
Stay Convinced
In each chapter the author talks about an area where many people find chaos and then proceeds to tell the reader how to go about surmounting each stress related area. There is humour sprinkled throughout some chapters and the stories/examples the author uses are engaging. I found this to be an easy read and very applicable to today’s high stress environment.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
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by Robin Parrish
First I’d like to thank Bethany House publishers for providing this book for me to review. I would never have read or even heard about this book otherwise.
Offworld falls into the genre of science fiction, which typically isn’t a genre that I fancy. This book, however, is extremely well written. A crew of astronauts that are on a mission to Mars return to Earth to find that every living thing has vanished! We follow the crew as they try to figure out what has happened. Each chapter has a new twist and I found this book hard to put down. As with many books, there were some predictable parts, but not so many that you know the ending before you get there. The imagery in the book is phenomenal. Robin Parrish describes the scenes in such a way that you feel as though you’re standing right there with the crew. I’d highly recommend this book to any sci-fi fan, but also to anyone looking to break into the sci-fi genre. Happy reading!
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
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by Jim Burns 
This is another of several books in the Pure Foundations series by Bethany House Publishers. These books are geared towards specific aged children with this particular book being for 6-9 yr. olds.
I really like the books descriptions of how “A husband and wife show their love for each other in many ways.” It doesn’t just start right out with sex; it talks about living together, encouraging each other, praying together. All of these are values we want to teach our children from a very early age.
This book addresses the fact that both boys and girls have private parts that are not to be touched except for by a Dr. during a check up or when you are young by a mom or dad helping to keep you clean. I like that the book does say that no matter who it is, touching of private parts in not acceptable and you should tell a trusted grown up right away. Unfortunately, in this day an age, anyone can be a sexual predator so this is an important lesson to teach kids.
I love that in the description of the birth it talks about both a doctor and a midwife as a person that helps deliver the baby as well as talking about baby getting nourishment from a mother’s breast as well as that sometimes a baby needs formula. I appreciate that the book has a picture of a breastfeeding baby as most books will show a baby being fed from a bottle.
This book also addresses adoption and how it fits into God’s plan. Overall this book is a great resource for parents trying to teach their children about sex in a healthy way.
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by Jim Burns 
This is one of several books in the Pure Foundations series by Bethany House Publishers. This particular book is geared towards children age 3-5. The purpose of the Pure Foundations series is to teach children about sex in a healthy home environment. This can deter a child from only having a media eye’s unhealthy view of sex and sexuality in general. It also incorporates how God made each child special and this can also lead to a healthy self-image.
I really enjoyed the interactivity of this book. As the book describes how God has created everyone special, it also asks the child questions such as “What color are your eyes?” and “What are you good at doing?” The book really facilitates conversation between the reader and the child.
This book also brought up conversation between my husband and I. Since our little girl is only 18 months at the moment we were able to discuss the use of certain terminology. The book is very medical in nature in that it uses the words penis and testicles as well as vagina and womb. This got us to thinking about whether or not these are words we want our daughter taking off with her to school. Is it appropriate for a 3-5 year old to use those terms or would we like to use something different? However, the book isn’t 100% consistent in its “grown up” talk as it then goes on later to talk about mommies fixing “owies”.
I really like that the book talks about both doctors and midwifes delivering a baby as well as those families that are blessed with adopted children.
The book concludes with a short prayer of thanks and a scripture passage. Overall the book really is great for gradually introducing a child to the differences between boys and girls as well as for introducing the concepts of “making love” and the development of a baby.
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by Dawn Hall 
Who doesn’t need a cookbook that has recipes that can be ready in 30 minutes or less? In this day an age, anything that can be done well in less time is a bonus. This cookbook is laid out very well. The chapters target specific parts of a meal (i.e.: Appetizer, Salad, Soup/Chowder, Main Meals, Side Dishes, etc.). Each chapter has its own mini index at the beginning of it breaking down the meals based on the time they take to make. This is great if you are looking for super quick meals on the busier nights of the week.
The recipes are broken down with separate instructions for preparation of the meal and the actual cooking of the meal. Also, the recipes tell you the important nutritional info including calories, total fat, cholesterol, fiber, etc.
My favorite part of this recipe book is that it also has suggestions for what to pair up with certain main dishes to make a total meal. I always struggle with this part of meal planning so it makes planning well balanced meals MUCH simpler.
Another great feature of the recipes is that they have both a supplies list and a grocery list. Also, it categorizes the ingredients that should be in your pantry to make it easier to do that quick check for those items before heading out for your groceries.
My favorite recipes are in the breakfast/brunch, breads and biscuits, desserts, and beverages sections. I didn’t find many recipes that appealed to my tastes in the other sections, which was a little disconcerting. However, every person enjoys different flavors and it could be your gold mine!
Who doesn’t need a cookbook that has recipes that can be ready in 30 minutes or less? In this day an age, anything that can be done well in less time is a bonus. This cookbook is laid out very well. The chapters target specific parts of a meal (i.e.: Appetizer, Salad, Soup/Chowder, Main Meals, Side Dishes, etc.). Each chapter has its own mini index at the beginning of it breaking down the meals based on the time they take to make. This is great if you are looking for super quick meals on the busier nights of the week.
The recipes are broken down with separate instructions for preparation of the meal and the actual cooking of the meal. Also, the recipes tell you the important nutritional info including calories, total fat, cholesterol, fiber, etc.
My favorite part of this recipe book is that it also has suggestions for what to pair up with certain main dishes to make a total meal. I always struggle with this part of meal planning so it makes planning well balanced meals MUCH simpler.
Another great feature of the recipes is that they have both a supplies list and a grocery list. Also, it categorizes the ingredients that should be in your pantry to make it easier to do that quick check for those items before heading out for your groceries.
My favorite recipes are in the breakfast/brunch, breads and biscuits, desserts, and beverages sections. I didn’t find many recipes that appealed to my tastes in the other sections, which was a little disconcerting. However, every person enjoys different flavors and it could be your gold mine!
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