Wednesday, January 31, 2018

Winner winner!

And the winner of a free copy of Across the Blue is......





CHRYSTAL!

Congratulations, Chrystal! You will be receiving a free book courtesy of WaterBrook! Thanks for participating!

Stay tuned for more reviews and giveaways!

Happy reading!

Thursday, January 25, 2018

Be the Hands and Feet by Nick Vujicic

When Nick Vujicic was born, he had no arms and legs, much to the surprise of his parents. However, he has not let this slow him down in his pursuit to live his life to the fullest and spread the good news of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Nick is an inspiration to all. He has defied the odds and has proved that with perseverance, a positive attitude, and God on our side we can make a difference. We can all "be the hands and feet of Jesus."

Throughout Nick's life, he has had struggles and triumphs and he talks about many of his experiences in this book. His life experiences are interesting and inspiring. He is proof that God can use anybody to do His work.

One of the parts of this book that stood out to me the most was Nick's outlook on churches and how they can help others. Nick goes on to say that churches should be helping people in need by offering services of assistance such as counseling and addiction recovery. Think of how many people we could reach if our churches were persistent in offering support to community members. This is just one of many examples of Nick's servanthood. Nick is special to God just like we all are, and He can use us if we just let Him. Thank you, Nick, for sharing your life with your readers and inspiring others each and every day. It is an honor to be on the launch team for this book.

Tuesday, January 23, 2018

Across the Blue giveaway!

Carrie Turansky's new book, Across the Blue, is releasing on February 20 and WaterBrook has so graciously given me permission to host a giveaway! To be entered into the giveaway, just leave me a comment on this blog post and I will randomly pick one of you to win your free copy of Across the Blue. Easy peasy! I will draw a winner on January 31.

I'm reading Across the Blue now and it is excellent so far! It's hard to put down! It's based in the 1900s and it's the story of an up and coming aviator named James Drake who has his mind set on being the first person to fly across the English Channel. He catches the attention of young Miss Isabella Grayson who is the daughter of a very successful businessman. James and Isabella come from very different backgrounds so it will be interesting to see their relationship grow. This book is in the Christian fiction genre so it's good wholesome reading!

Thanks for checking out my book blog and GOOD LUCK! Don't forget to leave a comment for your chance to win! Happy Reading!

Thursday, January 18, 2018

Your God is Too Glorious by Chad Bird

I really wanted to like this book, but as I got further and further into it, I just couldn't stop finding things about it that just rubbed me the wrong way. This book talks a lot about how God is mainly found in low, discouraging places and how we should live a simple life in order for Him to work through us. I do believe that God is found in the low places. The Bible does say that he is close to the broken-hearted. But he is found in high places, too. He gives us dreams and he gives us a platform to use to glorify Him. The author of this book came across as judgmental and extreme in his references at times. I cannot fully support a book that uses foul language toward God and talks about drinking alcoholic beverages as a pastime. However, there are many useful tidbits in this book and I actually started out thinking I was going to love it. Overall, I ended up being sadly disappointed. I received this book from Baker Books in exchange for my honest review.

Saturday, January 6, 2018

Salvation on Death Row by John T. Thorngren

Salvation on Death Row is the powerful true story of death row inmate Pamela Perillo. Pamela had a troubled childhood and ended up turning to drugs to numb the pain of her daily struggles. In 1980, Pamela hit an all time low when she committed two murders while she was under the influence. Pamela ended up being sentenced to the death penalty as punishment for her crimes. Shortly after Pamela was imprisoned, she found the Lord and was saved. She felt remorse for her sins and asked for forgiveness. Throughout the years, Pamela would fight to change her death penalty sentence and would also fight to spread the word of Jesus Christ. She ended up being successful in both areas and she escaped death row in exchange for a lifetime imprisonment. At the time this book was published, Pamela had been in jail for almost 40 years and she is hoping for parole in 2019.

God can use anyone to bring others to Him. Pamela has defeated the odds. She has used a terrible situation for the good of the Lord. She has truly been changed by the blood of Jesus Christ. Reading Pamela's story will help readers to be more open-minded and aware that we all have fallen short. We all have sinned and we are broken. But in the end, evil does not win. GOD WINS. Pamela is very brave to share her story and strive to move on from her troubled past and move forward to fulfill God's plan for her life. I received this book from the publisher in exchange for my review.

Wednesday, January 3, 2018

No One Ever Asked by Katie Ganshert

Every now and then you read a book that sticks with you. A book that you just can't forget. A book that affects you in a special way. This is one of those books. Having never read Katie Ganshert's work before, I didn't know what to expect, but I am so glad that I have discovered this talented author. She is surely to be one of my favorites from here on out and I can't wait to read all of her other books.

No One Ever Asked is a heartwrenching look into some very serious issues that our world has been dealing with for many years. Racism is alive and well in society today and stories like this one bring awareness to this very important issue. This book is told from the perspective of three different main characters: Camille, Jen, and Anaya. Readers will be surprised to see the relevance in each character's story and will experience a point of view that they may not have thought about before. The characters in this book are very relatable. I found myself relating to Camille in many instances because she is a mom who loves her children fiercely and wants the best for them. In comparison, Jen is also a mother, but she struggles to show love to her newly adopted daughter. Anaya has an important role in both Camille and Jen's lives because she is a teacher and track coach at the children's school. These ladies are all so different, yet they must adapt to each other as their lives become intertwined.

In the author's note, Katie says that she hopes her readers will gain empathy from this book. That is one thing that makes this book so special. We get to see all sides of the story and put ourselves in the characters' shoes.

My "to read" pile is a mile high, yet this book kept making its way to the top of the pile. It's a book that you can't put down and can't get out of your head. It's a book that is necessary and interesting and surprising. It's very well written and Katie Ganshert is an artist of telling stories. I am honored to have read this book and to be on the launch team as it releases. Thank you, Katie, for telling this amazing story.