Parable Treasury by Liz Curtis Higgs

 This Parable Treasury was such a joy to read to my children! The book contains four seasonal stories.

The Parable of the Lily. a grace filled message about Easter and the joy of forgiveness.

The Sunflower Parable, a meaningful lesson about sharing God's love with our neighbors.

The Pumpkin Patch Parable, an uplifting tale of how God  can make us new inside and out.

The Pine Tree Parable, a tender story about the joy of Christmas and unselfish giving.

The stories are sweet and simple. My children were able to easily understand the underlying message of the stories without being told. I love to be able to celebrate the seasons with my children and this is such a fun way to do that.

The book is actually pretty large. The cover is lightly padded and sturdy. All the illustrations are bright and cheery. This book would make a great present!

I received this book in exchange for my honest review.

The Shock of Night by Patrick W. Carr

 I *might* be a major speculative fiction nerd... I just love a good fantasy book. I was already familiar with Patrick Carr from his book A Cast of Stones. I read it on a whim a year or so ago. The book was free on the Kindle (and still is). I decided to give it a go and was pleasantly surprised. Free Kindle books can be hit and miss, usually a lot of miss. This book was interesting and unique and caught my attention. I was excited to see his newest work The Shock of Night published by Bethany House.

The book centers around one man, Willet Dura. Willet is the king's Reeve and basically acts as a detective in his city Burnard. When he is called to the scene of the newest murder in town, his life gets infinitely more complicated. He is gifted a dying man's mysterious power. Willet's dark past and the complexities of the gift intertwine in an interesting and dangerous story.

The Darkwater forest is somehow infecting people who enter, making them unstable and downright evil. These people snap and kill with an unusual strength and speed. The man whose death Willet is investigating, Elwyn, belongs to The Vigil. The Vigil monitors the forest and those who become infected. Willet's new gift binds him to the Vigil. Willet himself was forced into the forest years ago, but survived. His memories of the place are locked away and his experience unclear. Will Willet become the member the Vigil desperately needs or will he too snap?

For the first half of this book I was absolutely captivated. There are so many mysteries and interesting twists, both internally for Dura and externally in the story. I found myself questioning who to trust and whether Dura himself was the real enemy.

Carr builds the city of Burnard around you; one really gets a sense for Willet's world. The reader comes in contact with every class of citizen from the king and nobility to the poorest street urchins. Willet himself is a natural detective and interesting main character. I thought all the character development was great. There were a lot of different characters in the book but Carr made them all come to life. The friendship developed between Willet and his guard Bolt was one of my favorite parts of the book.

There were so many small threads in the plot that were left unexplained. I had great anticipation for the second half of the book, believing that these things would eventually come together. There are perhaps a dozen instances left unexplained and not fully fleshed-out. To me the mark of a really good fantasy book is when you have all these dangling threads--- and then almost magically it seems the author weaves them back into the story one by one. Each one coming together to make the story more interesting and complex. Details that don't seem to have a purpose suddenly hold meaning.

My problem with this book is that these details are just not added back into the story. Obviously, this is the first book in a series. There is no need for the book to end on a complete note. However, I thought the book just left too much unsaid. More details of the story needed to come together and make sense. The end of the book felt rushed and unnatural. It felt like it was missing an ending and the reader was left with no resolution. I think at times this sort of ending can aid in a sense of anticipation for the next story, however this just annoyed me.

There were a few instances in the book where I had to re-read a section to understand what happened. One instance was a major plot-changer and I couldn't figure out what was going on. I just had to read on and try to piece what happened together.

Even though I found myself much more interested in the first part of the story than the last, I still enjoyed it. I know I will seek at out the next in the series when it becomes available. I really enjoy Carr's writing and I think he has grown into a great fantasy author. I never imagined when I read that free ebook ages ago that I would find a writer of such great depth.  

I received this book from Bethany House in exchange for my honest review.

Trim Healthy Mama

 I have have been meaning to review this book for a few weeks now-- I just don't know where to start! There is so much I could say about Trim Healthy Mama. I'll give you a quick rundown on what the plan is, and then my review of the cookbook itself.

Pearl and Serene are the sisters behind THM. Back in 2012 they wrote the first book Trim Healthy Mama. The book is about losing/maintaining weight and having a healthy lifestyle. There is a lot of content in that one book. It is packed with advice and recipes. The books was so helpful to me. Besides cutting sugar and most carbs I learned how to fuel my body so that it didn't store fat. The downside of the book was how confusing the format was. The layout jumped around a lot. There are no color photos of any of the recipes. While Pearl and Serene's writing is very enjoyable, the book really needed an update.

Which is just what the ladies have done. Now you can purchase the THM cookbook  and the separate THM Plan book. The cookbook doesn't go into any detail of how the diet works, so you really need the companion Plan book if you are new to this. I only have the cookbook right now, and refer to my old copy of the original book if I need help.

The THM cookbook is full of a TON of new recipes and a few old favorites. Everything is updated and the photos are gorgeous. Having pictures of all the recipes is unbelievably helpful. I am now inspired just by looking at the photos. I'll be honest, there are certain recipes that do not sound appealing to me. However, looking at the delicious photos will prompt me to give it a try.

This is this resource I have been waiting for since I got the original book years ago. I am pleased that it doesn't disappoint. The only thing I would change about the book is that many recipes are written with their specific THM products as ingredients. Pearl and Serene sell their own sweeteners, baking blend and many other THM products. The products are reasonably priced, however I prefer to by my own sweeteners/flours elsewhere. Many of the recipes call for their baking blend. This is frustrating because now I can't make these unless I purchase their specific product.

All in all, this book is a great addition to my cookbook library. I received it from Blogging for Book in exchange for my honest review.

Goodnight, Manger by Laura Sassi

 The nights are getting colder, things are getting cosier. It's a sure sign that all things Christmas are right around the corner. This Goodnight, Manger book by Laura Sassi seemed like just the ticket. This book really surprised me, and not in a good way...

The appearance of this book was impressive right off the bat. This hard-covered book comes with a dust jacket and vibrant illustrations. The pictures are so rich and beautiful. The colors evoke such a warmth and sweetness. The illustrator, Jane Chapman did a great job.

Unfortunately, that's about all I liked about this book. The actual content of the story was just bizarre to me. The story centers around Jesus in the manger. The story of the magnificent and miraculous birth of Christ is reduced to frustrated parents trying to get a baby to sleep. First the animals are being disruptive. Then angels come to praise the new king and Mary tells them to be quite. Three kings show up with gifts for the baby and how does Mary feel about that? "Mama's frantic, in a tizzy."

I understand that this is just a storybook. The author has taken creative license and seen the story a new way. However, this isn't just any story, this is the birth of our Savior. She hasn't just changed certain details, she has changed the whole meaning of the story.

Being a new mom isn't easy. Certainly there was a lot going on that night. I can imagine that Mary was tired, sore. However the joy of giving birth to her Savior certainly must have outweighed those things. Can you imagine Mary telling the angles to be quite or getting upset at the three kings for coming?!

Bottom line, there are tons of great storybooks that retell the birth of Jesus. Why bother with one that misrepresents the story? The great illustrations and rhyming do not save this story in my opinion.

I received this book from Book Look Bloggers in exchange for my honest review.

Vendetta by Lisa Harris

I love a fast paced mystery novel! Vendetta by Lisa Harris showed a lot of potential to be an outstanding read-- 

Nikki gets involved in a missing persons case that quickly becomes personal. While hunting for the abductor of a teenage girl, she finds clues that point to her own past. Years ago, Nikki's own sister was abducted and it seems he is striking again. Fueled by the desire to save the missing girl and uncover the truth about her sister, Nikki runs down the clues. The closer she gets to finding the truth, the more personal the case gets.

While the book didn't quite live up to my expectations, there were things I really enjoyed about it. I was pleased that it was such a clean book that didn't get wrapped up in the gruesome or overtly sexual. Any teen mature enough for some thrilling subject matter could read this book. If you are looking for a thrilling read that doesn't go too dark or gritty, this is a good option.

The book explored the guilt and frustration of Nikki and another character, Tyler. They both have suffered personal tragedy that left them helpless. In each situation they were powerless to save the ones they loved. Both struggled reconciling how God could allow these things to happen. There were no hard and fast answers, or easy solutions, just some good discussions.

While the book started out strong, I didn't feel like it kept it's momentum through the middle. It felt like a variation of the same situation played out over and over. Nikki finds a clue, the clue leads to a dead end, Nikki is frustrated and lets her personal feeling get the best of her. When things finally did pick up, the climax of the book did not feel satisfying.

While it wasn't a bad book, Vendetta just didn't rise above the rest for me. I did find myself caught up in the story and connected to the characters. It definitely wasn't a wasted afternoon reading it, however I don't think I will follow the rest of the series.

I received this book from Revell in exchange for my honest review.

Every Little Thing

"Making a world of difference right where you are..." Can I tell you how many times I have sat down and pondered exactly how I'm suppose to do that? This has been on my heart for years now. After my first child it felt like motherhood had pretty much closed off any ministries outside of my home. I hear about amazing ministries and my heart says "I want to help with that, I want to volunteer!" I want to love on the women at our Pregnancy Resource Center, I want to help at our overtaxed homeless shelter, I want to support that awesome ministry in China. I prayed about these things and found time and time again that it wasn't where the Lord wanted me. I have been given the very big job right now of caring for my home, my family and my children's education. While I can still support those ministries that touch my heart in prayer, right now I cannot physically.

I have found on the other hand, that motherhood has opened a whole other universe where I can make a difference. With my kids I have the huge, seemingly endless job of teaching, praying, leading and disciplining. I also have a new crowd of women that are trucking along beside me. Every week I attend a Bible study for mom's. I get to share my own heart and encourage those around me (and childcare is provided! WIN). I have seen God work there, and it is important work! So many stay-at-home-mom's feel alone and isolated. It is awesome to be able to reach out and say "I'm there too, you're not crazy."

Yes, God has placed me right here. Right in this impoverished county, in this tiny tiny town, at my church with dwindling numbers. Instead of lamenting the season of life I am in, I'm trying to embrace it. This book, Every Little Thing by Deidra Riggs has been seriously encouraging me,

"Everyone has had that moment--we see a need and we think, Someone really should do something about that, never imagining that we might be the answer. We don't have the time, the expertise, the money. We've got careers to manage, bills to pay, meals to prepare, and families to attend to. Besides, who are we to think we can change the world?

In this encouraging and empowering book, Deidra Riggs calls you to accept God's invitation to join him in making a difference right where you are, right now. She shows you that you were created with a purpose and with the capacities to fulfill that purpose. And she reminds you that while it's not up to you to fix the world, it is up to you to join God--and his people--in his redemptive work."

Deidra uses her life experiences and examples from scripture to showcase how God can work through us right here. Deidra draws the reader in with her compelling stories. It is easy to get caught up into the wonderful narratives of her life; only to later see how she will incorporate it with scripture to make her point.

Perhaps you hunger to make a difference right where you are, but feel held back by fear and insecurity. I found this book incredibly encouraging. As a person who constantly goes to battle with my own fears, I have a feeling I will be rereading this in the future. 

I received this book in exchange for my honest review.

Beach Day

Somehow, we always end up at the beach. Always here. This is my favorite spot. We go at low-tide and climb over the rocks to our special cove. The water is always calm, perfect for little people to wade it. My husband was busy so the kids and I went with my parents. Those two little figures in the photo are my son and dad.They spent a majority of the time "rock climbing". My parents are amazing. Titus and my dad have a really special relationship. 

Mom and I hunted for sea glass. This is the best beach for finding glass in our area! Last time I found two purple pieces and a pink piece. My dad thinks the variety and interesting pieces we find might be due to the fact that there was once a dairy very close, right on the cliffs. We live in such an interesting area! Mom and I entertained this little peanut with peanuts. She spent about 30m picking away at her snack. It was a little chilly to swim, which is what she usually does. I plan on making something like this with my glass.

There aren't a whole lot of things that everybody in my family loves to do. My husband and I have totally different ideas of what a fun afternoon means. He would prefer to drive around in the woods while a cozy coffee shop sounds better to me. We both have learned to enjoy activities from each others worlds. The beach though, is something that is fun for everybody... especially if I let him bring his fishing pole ;)