The Inner Circle

Book:  The Inner Circle

Author: Brad Meltzer

Grade:  A-

I am not usually a fan of political themed books of any kind.

Having said that, I read this book after my husband listened to it on CD and raved about it for weeks! I thought it was a little slow in the beginning but then it picked up very quickly and became a very engaging read that kept me guessing until the end.

This book is well written and the author uses so much detail that you feel like you are living it out in real time. I love a book like that.

I recommend this if you like engaging and suspenseful books. I look forward to reading more by him!

Almost Amish

Title: Almost Amish
Author: Nancy Sleeth


Grade: A

This book is actually very interesting and very thought provoking. For me, personally, it encompassed a line of thinking that I have been praying about a lot recently. Although I am not Amish, there is a lot to be said for the way they live and live out their faith. I appreciated the author's real life examples and bringing the reality of the Amish life into my own life and home.

Very good read and lots of good ideas and thoughts!

Proverbs 31

I recently finished this book after receiving it as a gift from a very dear friend (and cousin!). :)

This book is well written and engaging, but in my opinion it lacks in content. I loved peeking in to her life and watching as she succeeded and struggled in the every day. Her main point is right on: Focusing on God is the true calling of the Proverbs 31, and the every day, life.

I felt that there was a lot of reaching for justification in the dilemma between being a working mom and a stay-at-home mom and wife. However, I appreciated her honesty. We all are called and convicted differently and it was nice to see her side of things.

Definitely an enjoyable read, but more for fun and less for strong Spiritual growth.

Grade: B

Safely Home

I'm not sure there has ever been another book that affected me on such a personal and spiritual level. I could not stop reading this book. It is captivating and it is exciting, terrifying and exhilarating all at the same time.

The story is written by Randy Alcorn, who happens to be one of my favorite Christian authors. I did not know that he wrote fiction, so this was my first peek at his work. I was incredibly impressed.

I cannot recommend this book enough and I highly suggest that you read it!

Grade: A+

Kiss Me Like You Mean It

I first saw this book while browsing through books at the library. I love a good book about how to spice things up in my marriage and after reading the back of the book for a snippet of what was inside, I was intrigued. 

I thought the content was intriguing, thought-provoking and somewhat exciting. It was an easy book to read with language that is easy to understand. I thought that he may have stretched his take on Solomon and his wife in places, but overall I think it was a pretty good book. If anything, it is a good look into what my husband may or may not be thinking and a good reminder that it takes work to make things fun and have a good, solid, sound marriage. 

I thought this was a fun little book with a serious message given in an enjoyable way. If you are looking for a way to spice things up, or just need a little kick in the butt to get things going again, pick up this book!

B+

First Book in 2012

I have made it my personal goal this year to read more books. I love reading and always have. As a kid, teenager and single adult, I was the person that would read a book and pull an all-nighter if the book required it and refused to let me put it down. There is something very satisfying about completing a book and learning something new.

So, without further ado. My first book completed this year is:

While browsing in the Christian section of the library, this jumped out at me and after skimming through the first chapter, I had to check it out. It became my reading material for the treadmill and it is a devotional of sorts with one story, lesson and prayer per day. However, she is an excellent writer and I identified in a lot of areas and therefore, I read more than one a day. I read until my time on the treadmill was complete and I discovered two things:  A) I am not the only mom in the world that feels like I do and has the emotions and hang-ups that I do, and yet God still loves me and still chose for me to be exactly where I am.  B) I enjoy reading while running/walking on the treadmill and having a good book encourages me to get on the treadmill if nothing else, for an opportunity to read. :) 

I highly recommend the book if you are looking for light content with hard-hitting reminders that are backed up by Scripture. It's a cute little book to give you a little motivation and encouragement each day if that's all you have time for. She is funny, an excellent writer and I am now also following her blog. 

Book Score: A- 

Feminine Appeal

First, I apologize for taking so long to write again.... busy, busy!

Second, there are times in life where you know that God led you to something that you were not really looking for. Case in point: About 2 months ago, I went through a very dark time in my personal life. I struggled with some serious depression. As I was coming out of this time, I decided to search for a book. I am an avid reader... I love to read. I am the kid that pulled all nighters because I could not stop reading a book once I began it. That has not changed. This particular time in my life, I was struggling deeply with where God has placed me and how terribly I felt that I was failing at it. Looking back, God really used this time to reveal to me His purpose for my life and that I had stopped relying on Him in many areas of my life.

As I searched for a book that might help guide me out of my troubles, I came across a book that looked like it had been written quite a while ago. After reading the description, I reserved it at the library and thought I'd give it a shot.

This book changed me. Very few books have ever changed me, outside of the Bible. Carolyn Mahaney (who I had never even heard of before) led me on a path through Scripture that God would use to show me who I was supposed to be, how to get there, and why it is important. Obviously, everyone will be affected differently by different things going on in their life and different viewpoints... but I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking to find out or to verify what it means to be a Christian wife and mother. Moving on...

After reading this book and spending many days in prayer and thought, I knew what I had to do and this time I actually started doing it. I actually started thinking of my home, my child, my husband, my neighbors, my life ... as I was supposed to. I am supposed to be a source of peace to my family, a source of friendship and service to those around me... I wasn't. I was too focused on other things.

I have been led on a journey to realize my full potential within God's plan for my life.