Book Reviews

Book Review

2012-01-29T09:24:00.001-08:00

The Encounter
By Steve Arterburn

This novel is just the right length that I could read it even though I didn’t feel I had a lot of time available. I downloaded it last night around midnight, stayed up a few hours reading it and then finished it this morning before getting up to get ready for church. It was a beautiful story, where desperate people did desperate things…YEARS AGO, so I didn’t have to actually witness it happen, I only watched while the primary characters tried to deal with the fall out years later. I liked this book because people were good to each other, even though they had bad moments, the bad moments weren’t described in a way that scared me, they just happened and then went on to make amends. The ending was especially satisfying…and at the very very end the author explains the importance of dealing with issues in our lives that embitter our lives. In the story our hero had to go back to deal with something that had happened to him when he was four. Changed the course of his life. Yet, once he understood where the person who had wounded him was coming from, what HER life details had been at the time, he understood her motives and was able to forgive her. It was a beautiful beautiful story. I received a free digital copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Book Review

2012-01-28T23:55:00.001-08:00

The Ride of a Lifetime
By Kitty McGregor

This work of fiction was an interesting tale. It was rather awkwardly written and could have used more of a critical eye in editing before publication, but those things aside, the story is a well thought out one. I appreciate how the author did not leave the tough scenes to our imagination, like many authors would be tempted to in situations like this. There are things that humans have not experienced, and I have noticed that if an author is afraid to imagine it or unable to find words to explain it or describe it, then the author will skip a scene that he or she had been working up to. Kitty McGregor is not an author like that. She works up to a frightening climax and then faithfully follows through in describing and explaining it in a way that is full of imagination and that I can only assume, accurately summarizes the way she sees and understands things to be. I believe that if she were to put this novel that reads a bit like a rough draft into the hands of a skilled editor and follow that editor’s advice, she would have a very good novel on her hands that would sell well in Christian bookstores everywhere. She is a brave author. I received a free e-copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Book Review:

2012-01-25T19:14:00.001-08:00

Healing Is a Choice
10 Decisions that will transform your life and 10 lies that can prevent you from making them.
By Steve Arterburn
This is a very good book that took me a long time to finish. The question is, “Do you WANT to be healed?” Because, believe it or not, some people do not really want to be healed. The illness or injury is doing something for them, and they like what it does for them.
All of us are injured or ill in one way or another, each one of us requires healing. There are many ways a person can need healing: Physical healing, mental healing, emotional healing, spiritual healing. This book skillfully outlines ten lies we might be believing that could stand in the way of the healing we want to take place in our lives. This book also outlines ten choices each of us needs to make if we are to have a hope at being healed. This book includes a workbook to help us work through what is standing in the way of healing in our lives.
This book took me a long time to read because of the workbook. I wanted to not just read this book, but experience it. I am glad that I did this, because I feel like I have learned something very important for my life because of this book. I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

Book Review: The Book of Man: Readings on the Path to Manhood.

2011-10-22T20:07:00.000-07:00

Edited by William J. Bennett

Very American, very male.

This book could be very valuable for a home-schooled, adolescent, American boy. It is very thick: 546 pages of high quality paper in a well bound, 2 pound book. The pages are bound in that jagged style that tempts ones fingers to turn five pages instead of one page, because the fingertips cannot determine by feel where the next page is. I found myself always double checking what page I was on, because I kept turning too many pages. (Truly, this book feels larger than my bible does.)

The stories are good ones, inspiring, encouraging, good work ethic et cetera. Many of them I have read somewhere before, some of them were new to me, and I must admit, it is nice to have them all together in one large volume. The target audience, I believe is, as I mentioned, young men on the cusp of adulthood who have time to read the important writings and stories of the past. Homeschooled boys will have this opportunity more readily than public schooled boys, because Mother will be choosing their reading material.

While I have no quarrel with the content, per se, nor any discomfort with William Bennett, (In fact I already own and enjoy a copy of his book , “The Book of Virtues”), as a woman and a Canadian I do find the strong national and male gender focus of this book a little irksome. Perhaps I shouldn’t have chosen this particular book to review, but how was I supposed to know it was geared to young American men?
Of course it is important for young men to be reminded of honorable American role models, as Mr. Bennett himself points out on page (xix), “Men, American men in particular, are increasingly dependent on the government dole rather than the fruits of their own labor.” … “There are probably more idle men now than at any time since the Great Depression, and this time the problem is mostly structural, not cyclical. These men will find it hard to attract spouses. Many will pick up habits that have a corrosive cultural influence on those around them.” While this might be true, (might not be, too…), I find it hard to imagine that the troubled men who Mr. Bennett might consider to be lazy, would be motivated to pick up this heavy book and find a story that challenges them.

The book is well written, well edited and obviously presented with the best of intentions, yet I find it to be discouraging and unhelpful. In my experience, men “on the dole” have a lot more issues in their lives making them feel hopeless about their futures than a generous supply of inspiring stories can possibly hope to answer.

I do not agree that these men ought to know better, or that reading good stories like these could teach them what they need to know to live a “better” life. I believe that they more likely have endured an injury to their souls that makes them incapable of hope for their own futures. What these fellows need is friendly encouragement from the men and women who they come into contact with. Perhaps a hand up, a job offer, someone with good intentions like those of William J. Bennett coming INTO their lives willing to get messy in order to help them figure out how to live a fulfilling life.

My low rating is an objection to the ridiculous tone of the entire tome: that education can help a man make a decent living when there are no jobs.

I received a free copy of this book from Thomas Nelson Publishers in exchange for the promise to read the entire book and give an honest review of it.

Ascent From Darkness - Book Review

2011-09-29T15:34:00.000-07:00

By Michael Leehan
This book was amazing. It is a recollection of the true story of the life of Michael Leehan. As a young adult, feeling abandoned by God and people, he turned to Satan for power and fulfillment. As his dedication to Satan intensified, he was given assignments to infiltrate the Christian church, take advantage of weak areas and weak people and distract them from experiencing true freedom in Christ. This is the part that really freaked me out, is how vulnerable certain people within the church are to people who mean them harm but seem harmless. I was particularly interested in Michael’s description of those weak spots within the church. It is good to know where our defenses are down so that we can also focus on ministering to those particular weak spots. For example, the new member of a church who finally makes an official commitment is often the loneliest and most neglected member of the church, because there is usually no support system in place for them yet, but those who have led them to the church figure they are safe now and they leave them alone. That is the place where the vulnerable are. It is an intriguing book, a fascinating tale. Stories about the evil side of Christianity are rare, this book is a treasure. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I honestly loved it.

2011-09-07T15:17:00.001-07:00

The Bone House
By Stephen Lawhead
This is a well written story. It is book two of a series and if you want to read this book, I strongly suggest that you first read book one, which is called The Skin Map. The reason is, there is just so much that is carefully introduced to the reader in book one that the success of book two depends upon the reader knowing these things. The success of the artful presentation of the storyline in book two depends on you knowing the history of the characters and what went on between them in the past. Stephen Lawhead is an author I was unaware of until I read from this series and I am impressed with both his tone and his style. I appreciate that though this is a story ultimately about time travel, or at least dimensional travel, he manages to not try to do what has already been done in other stories or movies. This book was given to me Thomas Nelson publishers in exchange for an honest review.

Water’s Edge by Robert Whitlow

2011-07-25T08:25:00.001-07:00

Wow, this was a novel I seriously could not put down. What first drew me to it was the beautiful, calm artwork on the cover, which prompted me to ask Booksneeze to send me a free copy of it to review. When the book arrived in the mail earlier this week, I could not wait to open it up. I read the first few paragraphs and then dove into the story, wanting to read only the story and not the other things I was supposed to be reading. It is the story about a big city lawyer who heads home to close down the office belonging to his recently deceased father, who is also a lawyer. The characters in this story are well written, consistent and knowable. It has been a while since I read a story and got so involved in it that I wanted to call out to the characters to warn them about other characters. The story continues to a very satisfying conclusion. I am being deliberately vague about the plot, because I don’t want to ruin any surprises for you when you start reading this novel. I highly recommend it.

Coming soon...

2011-07-05T22:05:00.000-07:00

The next book I will be reading and reviewing is...

I love the picture on the cover already.

The Quotable Rogue: The Ideals of Sarah Palin In Her Own Words

2011-07-02T21:02:00.000-07:00

Edited and with a Forward by Matt Lewis
I received a free copy of this book from Thomas Neilson Publishers in exchange for a promise from me to read the whole book and then write an honest review of it.
Sarah Palin was in the 2008 US Presidential race as a candidate for vice-president. As a Canadian, I don’t hear an awful lot about American politics, but I remember noticing she was in the news a lot. She was also spoofed on comedy shows a lot. It is interesting to read her quotes. I am not entirely sure what the intent of the editor of this book is, whether he wants to simply celebrate her or whether he wants to shame her. But as I read her words as laid out in this book I come away feeling that she is a sincere woman who has some very strongly held ideals. I think that her ideals are generally good ones. After reading this book, I understand where she is coming from a lot better. Some of the quotes just made me laugh, but others were wonderfully sincere and honorable, even though she may have been a little clumsy in her presentation.
I recommend this book to those who love to chuckle at politicians, but not in a derogatory way.

Book Review

2011-06-01T14:45:00.001-07:00

Money Secrets of the Amish by Lorilee Craker
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I really enjoyed this book. Lorilee writes with a friendly, unintimidating tone while she interviews the Amish to find out what their money secrets are. She has such an engaging tone, that I found myself loving her Amish friends as much as she probably does. Included in her story are her modern urban friends and her rooted Amish friends. She gleans wisdom from both lifestyles, but of course to us modern urban folk, it is the Amish advice that is the most illuminating. The book is divided up into fourteen chapters, each of which is focused on a timeless truth that the Amish consider in their approach to money. One Amish man who she refers to repeatedly through the book is forty five years old, and has saved up four hundred thousand dollars to purchase his own farm. This is remarkable by itself, but this man saved this money while renting a farm for twenty years and raising fourteen children. Another character that figures strongly in this book is a banker who services an Amish community. All in all, I strongly recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a different way to view money.

The Final Summit

2011-05-23T12:43:00.000-07:00

by Andy Andrews

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I love books written by Andy Andrews. He is an uplifting kind of author. The last time I reviewed a book written by him it was too short and didn’t give enough…but this book was wonderful. It was just long enough, and it did not fail to inspire me towards an empowering satisfaction with my life. I admire the way that in all his books, Mr. Andrews challenges the reader to read biographies of famous people. He maintains that there is so much to be learned from the experiences of others. The struggles they faced while achieving their goals serve as encouragement to me in my life, because it means that the struggles I face need not stop me from achieving my own dreams and goals. This book seems to be a sequel to a book I have not read, however, the previous book is summarized well enough that I felt I could still grasp the background well enough. I highly recommend you read this book, if you read any book by Mr. Andrews it will be time well spent. I found I underlined a lot in this book; words I will revisit and ponder further.

Book Review

2011-05-06T18:27:00.000-07:00

Knitting Knee-Highs by Barb Brown
I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for writing an honest review and posting that review on my blog and on a web book store. I chose this book because I do like to knit and I also like to wear knee high socks. I have never attempted before to knit socks, they just seemed to complex. Reading this book has helped me to dare to try. I think the first pair I will try to knit is the style on page 99, the Counterpane Knee-Highs. I think they are just lovely. She also includes the alternative of making them into stylish little leg warmers. I like her writing style. She writes in a way that makes me feel like I could do it. For example, she challenges me by saying that if I would like to try my hand at a fancy stitch, a sock is a great way to practice the stitch because when all is said and done, even a long knee high sock is still a smaller project than the sleeve of a sweater. Another thing that might hold a person back from knitting socks is the sad reality that socks get holes in them. She has a simple plan for that eventuality as well, but I won’t tell you what it is, you can read it for yourself on page 9.

Book Review

2011-05-05T19:49:00.001-07:00

The Principle of the Path by Andy Stanley
I received a free copy this book in exchange for writing an honest review that would be published on my blog and at the webpage of an online book retailer. This book is written by a pastor who has, in his work, repeatedly seen what can happen to a life if you allow yourself to follow the wrong path. Sometimes we get on the wrong path; either by decision or by not paying attention. If we stay on the wrong path we will wind up in the wrong place. The basic principle of the path, which he lays out for us in chapter two, after introducing it for a chapter and a half, is that it is our direction not our intention that will determine our destination. He dedicates this entire book to explaining that basic principle with illustrative stories from both the bible and from the lives of people he either knows or made up. If you are not happy with where you are in your life right now you might benefit from reading this book. It is an easy book to read, Mr. Stanley writes with clarity and with a pleasant sense of humour.

Book Review: Same Life, New Story

2011-05-03T16:48:00.001-07:00

Same Life, New Story – by Jan Silvious
In exchange for a free copy of this book from Thomas Nelson Publishers, I have been invited to write and submit a review for it.
I received this book late last week and spent the weekend and yesterday reading it. I look forward to a time in the not-so-distant future when I might revisit this book and take a bit of time with it. I think it will be beneficial for me to take the ten weeks it was designed for and work through the study built within.
The purpose of this book is to help women take a new and fresh look at our lives. It is so easy to get mired in old ideas and past hurts and forget what a miracle it is that we are alive, in our lives at this time. The author draws examples from the lives of ten biblical women: Naomi, Leah, Rahab, Deborah, Hannah, Anna, Jehosheba, Abigail, Namaan’s Servant Girl and Elizabeth; as well as from the lives of specific modern women. Using these inspirational example, Jan reminds us that if we are stuck in a life that restricts our ability to live fully that it is possible to rewrite our story and live it better.
She illustrates that by living the life we have as fully as we possibly can we can bring praise and glory to God our creator. It is a very good study.

Book Review

2010-11-30T09:09:00.000-08:00

Heaven is For Real
By Todd Burpo with Lynn Vincent
For a long time I looked forward to the arrival of this book to my home. I love modern stories from people who have experienced the next world in one way or another. It took a very long time for the book to arrive, but finally last week I had it in my hands.
I wondered how the author would present: “A Little Boy’s Astounding Story of His Trip to Heaven and Back”. I did expect the story to be written from Colton’s perspective.
The happening itself is credible. Why not? Why wouldn’t a person of any age die for a few minutes while on the operating table and experience timeless heaven? These things fit easily into my world view, and I appreciate the care Todd (Colton’s father) took to gather and record the information as spoken by Colton as true as possible to how Colton witnessed and experienced it. It is a good story, a good thing to share with the world.
I was a little disappointed to discover that this story is actually Colton’s father, Todd’s, story: full of Todd’s point of view of what happened to Colton. The impact Colton’s experience had on Todd’s life.

Book Review

2010-10-11T13:33:00.001-07:00

Jesus Calling: 365 Devotions for kids
By Sarah Young
No sooner did I receive this book in the mail than my 18 year old daughter eagerly grabbed it and began reading it. She wondered if the devotions would be useful to her in her volunteer work with children. To our pleasant surprise, we discovered a wonderful encouragement in this book. The author writes from Jesus heart to ours. She writes in an encouraging way, never accusing, never setting out expectations that very few people can reach, just a lot of love written out in an easy to read format. I appreciate her upbeat, positive outlook. The physical appearance and feel of the book is pleasant because it is designed to look like it is already an often used, well-worn tome. Final verdict from my teenaged daughter is not only does she feel the book will be useful in her work with children, but she also plans to use it in her own devotional activities. As a gift, I believe this book would be a wonderful blessing to anyone you might choose to give it to, regardless of their age. It is innocent and pure and encouraging. I highly recommend it.

Book Review

2010-09-18T22:45:00.000-07:00

Your Money God’s Way
Overcoming the 7 money myths that keep Christians Broke
By Amie Streater
By her own admission, the author writes with a “kick-in-the-pants” kind of style, freely admitting her own struggles regarding the handling of money. I find her tone extremely pleasant and easy to read. She does not come off as the expert who does everything right, but rather, the fellow struggler who has figured a few things out.
I have had it for less than a week and already two of my friends have lined up to borrow it from me. I seem to bring it up in conversation. I appreciate how honest she is about the misunderstandings so many of us have about money, about handling money. She gets right at the shame we feel when we find we are handling it wrong. She doesn’t pacify or try to gloss over mistakes made, but she offers a simple and sensible plan we can use to try to get ourselves out of trouble.
As she sees it, there are seven different types of biblical myths about money that we might find ourselves believing that we must understand and overcome before we can begin to manage our finances in a more responsible way.
This was a very good book.

Book Review

2010-09-07T14:43:00.000-07:00

The Butterfly Effect
How Your Life Matters
By Andy Andrews

In this case, it feels to me as though my two hundred word book review might end up containing more words than the actual book I am reviewing.
I was happy to review another book by Andy Andrews, happy to read more of his inspirational and uplifting world view...but I was left wanting more.
This book is too short.
This book is too vague.
I would have appreciated more than just a passing reference to certain details of certain people’s accomplishments. I know that the many uses for sweet potatoes and peanuts has been discussed before, but further elaboration also belonged in this book.
I would have appreciated a more detailed explanation of the idea of the BUTTERFLY EFFECT. Mr. Andrews mentions that bad movies and certain stories have referred to it, but which bad movies? I am intrigued by this idea, and I wanted to read more about it. It would have been interesting to know.
I can always count on Mr. Andrews to write words of empowerment and blessing. It is the spirit with which he writes that is the true value when you pick up any book written by Andy Andrews.

Book Review

2010-08-24T12:54:00.001-07:00

Saint Francis
Christian Encounters Series
By Robert West
Supported by a long bibliography of background books which were written over the past eight hundred years, this new biography of St. Francis is both inspirational and informational. Mr. West has woven a well-written, engaging history lesson together with honest, spiritual explanations of the motivation of St. Francis of Assisi to make the choices and take the stand he did. Mr. West aptly describes the lifestyle, the background, the character and the deep beliefs of St. Francis of Assisi.
I especially appreciated the parts where Mr. West described the soul agony St. Francis of Assisi went through to get to his preferred state of living in poverty; a simple acceptance of just being alive to worship God. What St. Francis of Assisi yearned for is what I yearn for, though I doubt I possess the determination to follow entirely in his path.
I would have liked to see a time line or at least a chronological list of the historical details of that time and the biographical details of St. Francis of Assisi, as they were mentioned in the book, because I found it a little difficult to keep all those time details straight in my head. Another thing I would have liked to see is a list of the rules St. Francis of Assisi had composed for those seeking to be admitted into his brotherhood, and who desired to stay in his group.
I consider this book about the life and heart of St. Francis of Assisi to be a very valuable read. I enjoyed reading it and I highly recommend it to my friends and family.

Book Review

2010-07-22T15:30:00.000-07:00

Never Let You Go
Erin Healy
This book was a very good read. The author writes with a gentleness and awareness that is rare. She carefully reveals the secrets of the story bit by bit, at just the right time. What originally drew me to this particular story was the cover; I found the cover art intriguing. What kept me in the book was the masterful storytelling. It took me a very long time to read this, because while it is a page turner, it is also the kind of book you want to last. I was not expecting the supernatural element to the tale, to include the supernatural can be a tricky thing: if handled awkwardly it can ruin a perfectly good story. This author handled it well, making the supernatural characters believable, possible and powerful. Sometimes you wonder whether the person is simply losing their mind or whether the supernatural character they are dealing with is real. Perfect. I love stories like that where you wonder what is true, and that either possibility is fine for the story. I recommend this story for people who want a good story to read, full of mystery, heartbreak, love and grace.

Book Review

2010-06-06T15:32:00.000-07:00

Love on a Dime (Ladies of Summerhill)
By Cara Lynn James

I found the book to be easy and enjoyable to read. The characters were simple and endearing, the storyline was pleasant and enjoyable and the writing style was engaging. It was a story I could not put down and I enjoyed reading it in all my spare time this weekend. It was a romantic story of love, heartbreak, loving the wrong person, forgiving the right one and finally, loving the right person. But it was a gentle story, there was nothing offensive or overly personal described within. Also in the story was a challenge to the readers to not care so much about meeting the approval of our peers, but to be true to who we really are even if such honesty risks the disapproval of powerful people in our life. In the background of the story, there is mention of a Christian Settlement House. The good guys in the story support this ministry, the bad guys don’t want to. I would love to read more about the kind of work they did in that house. Overall, this was a sweet and simple story that I’m sure many people will enjoy reading. I look forward to reading more of her stories in the future.

Book Review

2010-05-20T17:42:00.000-07:00

Embracing Your Second Calling
By Dale Hanson Bourke

This is the kind of book that you want to read slowly and savour. There is a lot to be learned in this book and while I quickly read it for this book review, I kept thinking how nice it would be to study this book with a few other women who are also facing the second half of their lives. Ms. Bourke writes with an engaging and friendly style. She writes like a wise friend, in fact, reading her words made me feel that she is someone I might enjoy spending time with. I appreciated all the inspiring tales about other women who lived out the second half of their lives quite differently that the first half. I also enjoyed all the questions designed to get me looking closely at my own life, my own past and start dreaming about or looking for hints about what my future will look like. I, too, had come into this time thinking life was over since it was not like how it used to be. Life is not over until we die. Life is full of potential.

Book Review

2010-05-02T23:09:00.000-07:00

Plan B
What Do You Do When God Doesn’t Show Up the Way You Thought He Would?
Pete Wilson

This book was a timely and enjoyable read. I appreciated the idea that calm acceptance is the best way to handle the various circumstances of our lives. This book focuses primarily on what we can do when life doesn’t turn out how we expected it to. In life, we tend to think that if we are good people and are nice to people we will get the life we deserve: Marriage, a couple healthy children, a well-paying job, the opportunity to travel, good health. But life rarely works out that way. Maybe we never marry, maybe we marry but one of us gets sick or dies or cheats or leaves the other. We might get a job, but discover it is not good for us, or we lose the job in painful or unfair way. We might get children, but they might break our hearts or be sick or die. When reality hits, we are stunned, because we thought it was going to be a good life. This books teaches us to relax and accept our life in whatever way it plays out. It is a good book.

Book Review

2010-04-15T19:16:00.000-07:00

Will the world end in 2012?
by: Raymond C. Hundley, PH.D.

I enjoyed this book. I read the whole thing in one long afternoon. A few weeks ago I watched the movie 2012 and enjoyed it, so when I saw this title among the books available for me to review I chose it right away. The author writes an engaging introduction and then explains ten different popular theories, predictions or fears about the end of the world, devoting a chapter to each idea. This includes ideas like the Mayan calendar, the black hole, solar flares and Nostradamus. The author’s tone is calm and logical. Instead of creating a panicked reader, his tone calms the reader down. He cites quotes from many different sources to give a rounded opinion on each idea. At the end of each chapter, he gives his own conclusions about the idea he had just explained. Finally at the end of the book he includes a couple chapters to help us decide how to deal with the possibility that the end of our world could happen at any time. I found this book to be very enjoyable and will recommend it to others who are curious about all the possible ways the world could end.

Book Review

2010-04-05T07:02:00.000-07:00

The Gospel According to Lost
by Chris Seay

This is a book that has taken me months to crack open. Once I received it in the mail I looked closely at it and judged the book by its "cover". The cover was beautiful, but the words written on the cover struck me instinctually as fluff. I felt the book was going to be trite words written by a young, enthusiastic pastor taking advantage of the popularity of an imaginative TV show to boost his own name up into the list of familiarly known authors. So I put the book away in a cupboard and didn’t pull it out again until I was stuck at home recovering from surgery and desperate for something new to read. I am so glad it was there. What a surprisingly delightful tome! The author writes with a familiarity that is easy to read. He has an engaging voice that just made me want to keep reading and reading. He quotes appropriately from many wise, classic sources. Best of all, he uses a popular television show, which is so confusing that it lost me after the third season, to share helpful truth with his readers. I especially love the quote near the end written by a late friend of his about how to live fully and presently.

Book Review

2009-11-29T22:54:00.000-08:00

Green
by Ted Dekker
While I admire Ted Dekker and his creative story telling skills, there is one detail that I find very distracting about this series: The obvious and overstated marketing. There is a specific pendant designed especially for this series that you can buy and proudly wear the symbol of the story. There is a CD you can buy of music that either inspired him to write the series or the series inspired song writers to compose the songs.
Clever.
That is what I think of when I consider this series of books and the marketing connected with it.
Like I said, it distracts me from the story at hand. I cannot read a paragraph without feeling like I am being played or manipulated into purchasing everything connected to this series.
Ted Dekker writes with clever, witty, imaginative skill and I do choose his books to read over many others. There is a depth of truth present in his writing that is lacking in many other offerings of modern fiction.
What a clever idea, too, to make this series a circle instead of a progression.
Even though in this particular book I feel he is far too clever and far too pushy about the other things he wants to sell that tie in to the story, I still cannot deny that I love this story.
I recommend it.

Book Review

2009-10-05T00:01:00.000-07:00

Find Your Strongest Life
by Marcus Buckingham

This was a very good book to read, it really helped me to view my life in a much more pro-active way than I had been viewing it before. Marcus Buckingham is a statistical expert, and his love of statistics translates into a worldview that is helpful and aware.
He states that women tend to get sadder as they age, and I must say, personally that I find this to be true. No matter how good I know my life is, I am sadder than I used to be. Old ghosts haunt me, old lies continue to mislead me…a book like this is a tool, a step on the road to living a fulfilling and satisfying life.
I did go online to take the Strongest Life Test, and I found the definitions to be accurate, apt and helpful. I especially appreciated the advice he gives to women like me whose strongest trait is Creator. He warns us to not spend so much time planning that we never get around to doing.
I am certain that this is a book that I will be referring back to as I strive to make myself happier in my life as I age rather than more sad.

Book Review

2009-10-03T16:10:00.000-07:00

What difference do it make?
By Ron Hall, Denver Moore and Lynn Vincent

I appreciated this book even though I have not read the book that precedes it. There are homeless people who are homeless by choice, but this book is about homeless people who need a hand up. I really appreciate the part early in the book on page five where Denver explains why asking a homeless person to explain what brought him to this dire reality is neither helpful nor any of our business. Our job, as those who are a little more fortunate, is to look for ways to help a homeless person get his life back together if he wants to. Our job is to try to bring hope. Page 179 talks about how “homeless people become used to people who feel warm and fuzzy and compassionate for a few days or weeks but then abandon their efforts when their life gets too busy or when the going gets tough.” They call people like these, “Catch and release friends.” Ron Hall warns that for every homeless person who takes your time investment and is helped in a remarkable way, there are one or two who are actually dangerous. He reminds us that though some are harmless, many homeless people are mentally ill, in a dangerous way.
It opened my eyes, I loved it.

2009-09-07T23:23:00.000-07:00

Book Review
Max Lucado
Fearless – Imagine Your Life Without Fear

The focus of this book is fear…or rather, freedom from fear.
With many examples and illustrations, Max Lucado demonstrates for us the inevitability of humans feeling fear and the harm it does a human to feel fear. Max Lucado uses his signature gift with words to demonstrate for us the need for humans to live fearlessly.

Of course, you mustn’t take all of his illustrations literally, Max is the kind of writer who imagines and exaggerates in order to share a deeper truth. For example, on page 167 he doesn’t really mean that Moses and Elijah’s portraits are really hung in the entry wall to the Hebrew Hall of Fame, he is merely illustrating for us just how important those prophets are to the Hebrews, and just how awestruck Peter, James and John would have been to see them in their day and age.

My favourite example of fear taken to devastating lengths is the quote Max includes on page 9 regarding the perception Martin Niemoller had of Adolf Hitler in 1933: “I discovered that Herr Hitler is a terribly frightened man.” Max uses this quote as an illustration of how fear releases the tyrant within.

This was an enjoyable book with an excellent message. It really is important for us to learn how to live our lives without fear, while remaining aware of the risks and dangers being fully alive proposes.

Book Review

2009-08-18T14:25:00.000-07:00

Everyday Greatness, published by Readers Digest, edited by Stephen R Covey.

This was a very good book. From beginning to end it was inspiring and liberating. It is a book of many authors and many sections. Each section teaches a different theme of admirable human character. Each section includes two or three biographical stories about life details of various well known people, and lesser known people. Each story was designed to inspire you and I to view our own lives with the same sense of joy, responsibility, integrity and vision. I especially enjoyed the stories about people who had endured failure and rejection time after time, but kept at it anyway, eventually meeting with success. At the end of each section of stories there are a few pages of quotes which all are focused on the same theme. Even the quotes inspire and move a person towards performing simple acts of greatness. Speaking as a woman who is at a time in her life where she is attempting to pick up pieces of broken dreams and figure out where to go from here and how to make a living at it, a book like this was just the hopeful boost I needed. I highly recommend it.

Book Review

2009-07-13T16:29:00.000-07:00

Between Wyomings
By Ken Mansfield

This is a very detailed record of a road trip taken by Ken and his wife Connie. They each had an iPod, (his black, hers green like her eyes) loaded with their own favourite music.
If you dream about taking a road trip with your van and your life companion and some good music, then you might want to read this – especially if the chances of you actually taking that road trip are slim. Reading this book is almost like being there and doing it yourself. He has written a beautiful book. Ken is obviously a content man, grateful for life and appreciative of the beauty of being alive. Ken has a fine grasp of the language, using intelligent ways of re-creating reality. He is very detailed as he uses the road trip as a walk through the memory lane of his life. Personally I found the book difficult to read because it was far more detailed than I felt was necessary. I’ve noticed that sometimes the most meaningful artistic offerings are ones that have been simplified and misted over, if it is too complicated, too detailed you lose people. Still, it is a positive book, not a dark one.

Book Review

2009-05-24T15:57:00.000-07:00

Nelson’s Illustrated Guide to Religions
James A. Beverly
850 pages
Published by Thomas Nelson, 2009

This book surprised me in a good way. I am interested in the world religions, and perhaps that is why I was able to read this whole book in one week, perhaps being bedridden with a bad cold helped me read it faster than I would have expected…but I think that the reason this book was such a pleasure to read, and the reason I missed the book whenever I was reading something different is because of the tone of the author. While he explains details of various world religions, citing his words with proof and documentation, I very rarely felt he was being condescending in any way. The writing of James A. Beverly in this reference book is not condescending towards the religions he is reporting on, nor is it condescending to me, his devoted reader. The book is descriptive and the pictures included are helpful. I learned much about various world religions, and I suspect the author may have sparked a curiosity in me which might drive me to learn even more from other sources. Such learning can begin where his book leaves off, as the author includes many web-pages, books and periodicals by different authors and organizations that I can refer to when I choose to further my own studies on the subject.

My very first Blog Award

2009-05-09T08:09:00.000-07:00

Syd over at Adventures in Nature has chosen to include this blog among her list of favourites she would like to boost. Well, thankyou Sydney, I appreciate very much you choosing to introduce me to your other friends in this way.
I understand that with this honour comes the responsibility of favouring other bloggers with this award.
Having just learned that I can add images to the side column of my blog, I already feel like I have accomplished great things today, but before I can recommend other blogs, I wish to do what Sydney did for me, and give the other bloggers a chance to accept or reject the award. So, to that end, in one week I will post my list of favourite blogs worthy of the award.

Ways to Manage Depression:

2009-05-05T14:01:00.000-07:00

Do not eat junk food.

Take vitamin supplements - especially vitamin B's and vitamin D.

Get enough sleep.

Remove stressors from your life.

Surround your self with safe, positive people - but not out of desperation.

Avoid toxic, agressive people - but not with fear.

Choose to count blessings instead of think about your fear.

Lower your standards about how perfect you want everything to be.

Go out and exercise in the outdoors if you can bear to leave your home.

Create an inner happy place that you can visit when you feel unsafe or exposed.

Make a list of all the memories and people who give you joy.

Make a list of your dreams, things you want to accomplish.

Hang both of these lists in a place where you can see them and remember.

Do not buy things. It won't help you feel any better, and spending money can make your circumstances worse.

Volunteer somewhere, where the people you work with are gentle and kind and the people or animals you help are grateful.

Spend time every day journalling. Spend some of that journalling time listing ten things you are thankful for.

Drink enough water.

Create something.

Don't let yourself believe that you are less than anyone else.

Give love to others without thinking of it as the currency that brings you love in return. Draw your love from the creator, the source of love - don't depend on people to provide your love needs, but do allow yourself to receive love from people when it is given.

Book Review

2009-04-26T22:21:00.000-07:00

Title: The Noticer
Author: Andy Andrews
Publisher: Thomas Nelson, 2009

There is a theme in this story that fills a person with hope. Hope that our lives might still be salvaged into something beautiful. There is still time, because the most important part of our life has not yet been lived, or we would not be alive.

Sometimes, all a person needs is someone to notice you, to notice what you are doing in your life that isn’t working, and to help you learn what you need to do in order to make your life work the way you actually really want it to.

In this short, easy to read story, there is someone who takes the time to notice things about people. He also takes the time to help them see their lives with a bit of perspective right when the timing is at its most crucial. One life after another, he invites people to “Take a breath, regroup and begin your life again.”

If you can imagine yourself in the life of any of the characters in this story, then you will hear that same invitation yourself regarding your own life.

I recommend you read this book for the simple lessons hidden within. The author has a gentle wisdom, a common sense that is becoming less and less common, and he shares his observations through the vehicle of this delightful little story.

Book Review

2009-03-20T13:21:00.001-07:00

The Great Eight
By Scott Hamilton

This is a good book.
I started out reading it with a cynical eye.

I wondered what motivated him to write this book. Do we just want to hear from him because of his fame? He felt a little preachy at times, and I assumed that he was only writing the book because of his fame as a gold medal winning skater and cancer survivor. I made irritated notes in the margins complaining about the confusing time line he was using to tell his story, and also about all the name dropping he was doing, I felt, to boost his own importance.

However, by the time I got to page 89 he had me.

I now feel that what makes this writer special is not so much that he was an olympic skater, nor that he was able to overcome physical hardships to succeed, nor that he has worked with important people, nor that he has found a wife and is a member of a church - though these stories are impressive.

What makes this writer worth reading is his honesty and his choice to be a positive person, no matter what happens. I like the way he is not ashamed to point out character flaws in himself and explain how those flaws get in the way of healthy relationships with people who are important to him.

He shows by narrative example how to deal with people and situations that hurt us and that could be crushing.

What gives Scott Hamiltion the right to share his life lessons in a book? It's not because he is famous, it is because he is human.

Thanks for sharing your life lessons, Scott.