book!

I make no apologies for the fact that I read.

A lot.

So, when I say that I have read an absolutely brilliant memoir, and that it would be in everyone's best interest to do so as well, I don't say it lightly.

Today, on my Page Addict blog, I have posted a review of Ian Morgan Cron's, Jesus, My Father, the CIA, and Me. I loved this book. And I am fortunate enough to be able to give a copy away to a lucky reader. All you have to do is comment on the review, answering the question at the end of the post {and shoot me an email so I know how to contact you if you are the winner}.

Good luck... and see you over there!

review: 50 Ways To Feel Great Today by David B. Biebel DMin and James E. Dill MD and Bobbie Dill RN

in one respect, 50 Ways To Feel Great Today: Keys to Beating Stress, Worry and the Blues really had me at the title. after all, who doesn't want to improve how they're feeling? but then there was that skeptical side of me, that felt as though the book cover was offering more than it could possibly deliver. so i cracked it open...

each chapter is one of 50 suggestions of things that almost everyone can do with little or no cost, that will enhance their life within a short period of time. from simple things like 'make a memory' and 'save your day with a nap', to some that require a bit of planning, such as 'schedule a massage' and 'visit a museum', this book is packed with great ideas whose only goal is to help the reader enhance their life.

none of the suggestions are earth-shatteringly original, but given given the relentless everyday-ness of life, it is the simple things that we tend to overlook, and most need reminders for.

i recommend 50 Ways as a resource to help view life from a different perspective, or simply pull one out of the doldrums.

available january 2010 at your favorite bookseller.

review: If You Want To Write

by Barbara Ueland

every once in a while you come across a book that makes you wonder how you survived your whole life without it. If You Want To Write is just such a book.

you would expect a book with this title to help you be a better writer. what you wouldn't expect is that it not only does just that, but it makes you want to be a better person as well! in one chapter she says just this...

...i have come to think that the only way to become a better writer is to become a better person. {p. 117}

she writes of such authors as tolstoy, blake, and goethe, saying...

their writing, their art is merely a by-product, a cast-off creation of a great personality. and that is why i think we should all, great and small, be creating all the time, casting off our works but forgetting them, and looking always toward the work ahead. for only by seeing that our creations are vulgar and mean can we see what our souls are, and then, by our imagination, see how to be better. {p. 117}

the author had a serious crush on russian writers, quoting Chekhov and Dostoevsky and others numerous times, has caused me to add their works to my reading list.

even though the book was originally published in 1938, it in no way felt dated. sure, there were some places that were a little odd, especially when she quotes from some of her student's writing, but never once did it lose my attention or feel at all awkward.

i was truly sad to turn the last page of the book. i could have easily read the book had it been three times as long. and not only was i saddened by finishing the book, i actually feel a loss that i will never get a chance to meet this brilliant woman.

so, if you want to write, become a better person, or create better art, whatever your art may be, i highly recommend you pick up this gem. don't waste any more time before you get it into your library.

{book 2 of 75}

review: Voices of the Faithful by Beth Moore & Kim P. Davis

confession: i am a sucker for a pretty book.

with that out of the way, Voices of the Faithful: Book 2, a devotional by beth moore and kim p. davis definitely qualifies for a check mark in the 'pretty' category. but it doesn't stop there. laced through the pages of this beautiful devotional are the real stories of joy, pain, unbelievable courage and overarching love of those serving in the mission fields of our planet. true accounts of a different kind of beauty.

each reading is a narrative of ordinary people living extraordinary lives simply by being obedient. broken down by months into different themes, as you read through the month, you cannot help but be moved. my favorite months were january {prayer} and november {encouragement}. january's readings reminded me of the incredible power of prayer, and how God's omnipresence is no match for the vastness of our world. november was a great reminder for me of exactly how strong a little encouragement can be for people who are up against more than we may ever imagine.

with our pace of life it's too easy to forget that there are those living out their faith in places without the conveniences we have at our fingertips, places where living out faith can be a dangerous prospect. Voices of the Faithful: Book 2 is the perfect tool to inform us of what is going on in the lives of other believers outside of our neighborhoods... and maybe even inspire some to live extraordinary lives of their own!


Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book 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.”

Christmas 2009 Blog Tour

The Christmas Dog
i will admit, i am a sucker for a good Christmas story, and during this season when there is so much demanding time, energy and focus, who couldn't use a good, holiday spirit invoking story to help relax?

betty kowalski's life has turned into a boring, predictable routine. the only 'excitement' she has are the frustratingly unpleasant run-ins with her equally unpleasant neighbor, with whom she fears the worst. with a goal to survive the holidays alone, then decide what to do afterward, she is a woman without a lot of hope.

but for a woman who isn't expecting much, there seems to always be someone at her door. first a dog, then others, each lost and alone in their own way, and all looking for something that eludes them.

The Christmas Dog is a charming Christmas story that i read in an afternoon. and at the risk of sounding sappy, i will say that it is a story that reminds us that when we open our hearts to love, even if it is just a dog, you never know what will happen.

read an excerpt of The Christmas Dog here or by clicking on the book cover.



The Unfinished Gift
not being one for historical fiction, when i opened this book i was hoping that the 1943 setting was a prologue. but any misgivings i may have had quickly faded away as i was carried into this beautifully told story about three generations of men in the collins family.

the story opens with young patrick collins on his way to his grandfather's house. his father, a pilot, is on the other side of the world fighting in world war II, and his mother, having just died in a car crash, have left young patrick on his own. his only living relative is ian collins, a grandfather he doesn't know, who alienated himself from his son's family years ago, after his own wife's death. a grandfather who has more anger and bitterness than young patrick can hope to understand.

through a series of bad-to-worse events, patrick's grandfather discovers some letters never meant for his eyes that open his heart and help him see where he's been wrong for years. but is it too little too late, when it looks like he's driven off everyone who has ever loved him?

The Unfinished Gift was a perfect Christmas read. it was one of the few historical fiction pieces that i truly didn't want to end... except of course for a happy ending!

read an excerpt of The Unfinished Gift here or click on the book cover.



Finding Christmas
and finally, i haven't had the pleasure of reading Finding Christmas yet, but thought i would share an excerpt from this book as well. enjoy.








All three books are available at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

book review: The Noticer

there are times in life when all we can do is hang on. circumstances, relationships, stress, work… all these things and more sometimes seem to serve only to barrage our lives with yet one more thing, robbing us of a vital, precious commodity: perspective.

it’s at this moment in a person’s life when Jones, the main character in Andy Andrew’s The Noticer, walks into their life, bringing with him his gift for seeing what others fail to notice. Jones brings with him the perspective that seems to get lost in the barrage of every day life.

whether he is talking to a homeless young adult with no clue of what his next step will be, a couple on the verge of divorce, an elderly widow who believes all her best days are behind her, or a business owner teetering on the edge of losing it all, Jones’ words of wisdom and clarity-inducing questions bring the needed perspective.

we all need people in our lives who really see us...really see us. The Noticer is an excellent reminder to us all that while we all need these people in our lives, we also need to be Noticers for those around us.

book review: This Is Your Brain On Joy

I’ve always been a pretty firm believer that you can judge a book by its cover. And the cover of This Is Your Brain On Joy has a pretty spectacular cover, so my hopes were high as I cracked open the cover.

My theory, as usual, was not incorrect. Dr. Earl Henslin’s book examines the concept of joy, not only the emotional aspect, but also the physical, environmental and nutritional factors that contribute to the joy we all seek. It’s too easy to beat ourselves up due to the lack of joy in our lives, and write it off as a spiritual deficiency. Dr. Henslin tells us that there are other contributing factors to a lack of joy, and presents us with a plan to reintroduce joy to our lives.

The book starts with some fairly technical language, but once you get past the initial introduction to the regions of the brain, there is an assessment you can take, which will help you see which area you may want to focus on. Then, the following chapters outline the ways that you can improve your brain health through diet, exercise and supplements.

My personal favorite aspect of the book is that it goes farther than the usual things to improve your health. There are music, book and movie recommendations to aid in the process, both for adults and children. The book definitely takes a holistic approach to the rediscovery of joy.

If joy seems to be eluding you, I wholeheartedly rencourage you to pick up this book.

book review: House of Dark Shadows

When you are 15-years old and your parents decide to move, it’s bad enough. It gets worse if you are an amateur film maker and you move from LA to a small town in the middle of nowhere. But unfortunately, for Xander King, the move is just the beginning…

House of Dark Shadows, the first in the Dreamhouse Kings series, brings you along with the King family as they move to Pinedale. For Xander, the move itself is bad enough. Then, the family finds the ‘perfect’ house, a large, Victorian-era home, hidden from the rest of the world by the trees that surround it. The fact that voices seem to come from all over the house, family members mysteriously appear in different rooms than they were seen moments ago and Xander experiences an unshakeable uneasiness, leave him unsure whether this house is a nightmare, or a filmmaker’s dream.

While the book started off a little slowly, it wasn’t long before I couldn’t put it down. In my opinion, it is the best kind of suspense…keeping you wanting more, while still allowing you to sleep! One caveat, however: when you finally turn the last page of House of Dark Shadows, you will, indeed, feel strangely compelled to pick up book two...