Monday, November 21, 2011

December 1941

"December 1941" by Craig Shirley is the most interesting history book I've ever read. This book isn't just a historical account of the events surrounding World War 2 in December 1941. This book actually reads more like an actual story, as Shirley dives into the economic, social, and financial atmosphere of the United States, day by day, from December 1st, before the Pearl Harbor attack, through December 31st. It's really interesting to read, to understand how the Pearl Harbor attack was a pivotal moment that changed our country forever. Each chapter of this book is one day in December 1941, with facts about the war, explanations of the events going on in the United States, and the attitude of Americans. I found this to be an extremely insightful look at not only the war itself, but the way that our country and people were so changed by Pearl Harbor. It is a fascinating read, and I would highly recommend it.

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

Sunday, November 13, 2011

As Silver Refined

Kay Arthur's "As Silver Refined" is an amazing book. The premise for the book is how to manage a life that doesn't seem to work out how you had planned. We've all been in a situation where we had planned for something, and it didn't work out the way we had hoped, and are left with feelings of disappointment, frustration, or even anger. "As Silver Refined" addresses these feelings, and gives practical, Biblical insight into dealing with life's disappointments, which Kay artfully renames "God's Appointments". As Christians, we have to learn that even though life doesn't always turn out as we had planned, these disappointments are God's way of fine-tuning us. I really loved this book, and found an extreme amount of wisdom and hope in "As Silver Refined". I would highly recommend this book to anyone - eventually we all go through difficult times in our lives, and having this book to help guide you through it makes it much easier to see God through the hurt and disappointment. Loved it. 


~I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

Monday, November 7, 2011

The Love & Respect Experience

This was my very first interaction with the Love & Respect concept of Emerson Eggerichs. I thought that the devotional itself was very well written. There are 52 devotionals, each one written specifically for couples - so it is definitely husband-friendly. At the end of each devotional, there is a prayer and a recommended activity for couples to work on together. I liked that the activities were relatively simple, and things that were helpful, but that didn't require a ton of time. My husband and I have a three year old, so getting extensive amounts of time alone is rare, and these activities fit within our busy life. Overall, I thought this was a pretty good devotional. I would give it 4/5. 


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 

The Lucado Inspirational Reader

Max Lucado's "The Lucado Inspirational Reader" is essentially a compilation of memorable quotes and stories from his previous works. The book is split up into chapters based on the topics and subjects of the material. It is fairly easy to find an inspirational story or hope-filled quote or verse relevant to what you are looking for via the chapter topic. What I liked about this book was that it is like a compilation of Lucado's most relevant wisdoms from his previous writings. I don't own that many Lucado works, so this was definitely a welcome addition to my bookshelf. I thought the book had a lot of hope and inspiration in its pages, and I would recommend this book. I would give it 4.5/5. My only complaint was that the books is rather long, and a little heavy.. It's over 450 pages long, but that just means that there is a LOT of helpful information inside! Great book.



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 

Friday, November 4, 2011

The Scroll

"The Scroll" is a novel by Grant R. Jeffrey and Alton L. Gansky. The short description of the book is enticing, and lured me in. This book is a suspenseful ride, and I found it to be a fulfilling read. There were short lulls in the action, and in some parts there seemed to be a tad too much detail that it became a distraction. But overall, I thought this book was well written, and well thought out. The story follows an archaeologist, and I felt like I was able to gain a lot of knowledge about the field of archaeology while reading the book. I thought that the ending of the book was slightly predictable, but entertaining nonetheless. Overall I would give this book a 4/5. The action and suspense kept me reading for hours at a time. Interesting topic and interesting storyline. I would definitely recommend this book to a friend.

~I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

RP Nettelhorst's - "A Year With Jesus"

RP Nettelhorst's "A Year With Jesus" is an awesome devotional! I had never heard of Nettelhorst prior to receiving this book, so I really wasn't too sure what to expect, but I LOVED this devotional. "A Year With Jesus" is an entire year of devotionals, each one only taking up about one page of the book. Obviously, each message is short, but I felt like Nettelhorst really packed a lot of important things into each page of this devotional. What is different about "A Year With Jesus" is that the bible verses that are the focus of each devotional are all words that Jesus spoke in the Bible, which makes this devotional feel like it is giving me more of a connection with Jesus, and I really felt like I was getting more out of these simple, short devotionals that I have gotten out of longer, more in-depth ones in the past. I am planning on buying this devotional for a Christmas gift - it was that awesome! I would give this devotional 5 stars! 
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the 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