not for me

"Red Letter Revolution: What if Jesus really Meant What He Said?" by Shane Claiborne and Tony Campolo is a book written by a couple of guys who seem to want you to agree with every idea that floats through their heads, because they are, of course, right on all things.  The book is a back and forth dialogue written between the two men about what they think Christianity is.  And of course, they agree with each other 100%.  Basically it is a "biblically based" ( I use that term loosely) string of excuses as to why they can mooch off of others.  I would not read this book if I were you; I couldn't even get through it the first time.  D-  I received this book for free from Thomas Nelson.

invisible review

No matter what your size, there is a reason to connect with this book.  "Invisible" by Ginny L. Yttrup is a novel about three women and a man who are connected through their body image, physical health, and emotional trauma.  Allyn is an overweight middle aged bachelorette who owns and cooks in her restaurant.  Sabina, is a psychiatrist on sabbatical who is battling depression and probably a good case of post traumatic stress disorder.  Twila is an anorexic woman in her mid-twenties who works in a health foods store.  And finally we have the good doctor, Miles, who is the connection of the three.
The book is arranged so that each chapter is a first person telling of the four main characters.  Each character has a distinctive voice that is undeniably their own.  The characters are detailed and well written.  Mostly, the plot is the telling of each person's image and association with God.  This is a great book.  I received this book for free from Handlebar Publishing.

veggie tales

I received "The Little House that Stood" a Veggie Tales DVD for free from www.servantwifemother.blogspot.com and showed it to my Sunday School class.  As a teacher, I thought it was funny in a way that the kids didn't get, but still appropriate.  The movie was 48 minutes long and included the House on a solid foundation parable using the three little pigs nursery rhyme.  This was a good way to introduce parables as well as this specific lesson.  A short of the Humpty Dumpty prequel was also included. A word of advice, don't show both stories together, it makes it too long for a class.  We also used printout color pages that were found on pintrist. Here is the review of one member of the class.
Sarah-8:  It was good.  I liked the Humpty Dumpty story best.
So there you have it.  It is good.

sinners and the sea review

"Sinners and the Sea" by Rebecca Kanner is the untold story of Noah's wife.  In the bible Noah's wife has no name, and in the novel she has no name.  She is called whatever her relationship is with the person speaking or 'Demon Woman'.  The novel not only covers the well known story of the building of the ark and the flood, but also a fictional account of Demon Woman's life as a child with a mark (birthmark) and the agony of growing up in a society that keeps her separate from them. 
Most of this book is really good.  Again, the account of Demon Woman is very fictional, most of which has no biblical basing.  This is what could have happened.  In a world of sinners, thieves, murderers, and prostitutes, there is no lack of drama being had in this novel.  Even the ark gets pretty exciting.  There is an area in the middle of the book that hits a rather dull stretch, but most of the novel is well written and realistic.  I received this book for free from the publisher Howard Books.

Desperate Review

"Desperate: Hope for the Mom who Needs to Breathe" by Sarah Mae and Sally Clarkson is a devotional written by two moms, a newbie and a veteran.  Sarah Mae has three small children, is a SAHM, but also a writer and speaker.  Sally Clarkson is a mother of four, the youngest is in her late teens, she is a Home School mom and a missionary.  The two moms put together a series of "momisms".  Each chapter opens with letters to each other concerning an issue.  Then Sarah will give her side, then Sally hers.  Each chapter ends with a "Your Turn" which consists of scripture and journaling, followed by "Something to Do" which is a homework assignment.
I am a mom.  I have three (two are in high school, one in second grade) I also have four step children (two are graduating college, one is still in, and the younger is joining the army).  I have faced the bad from terminal illness, felonies, and head lice.  I have also seen the good, from Honor students, beauty queen, star athlete, and hunting trophies.  There was a lot in this book I totally got.  Sometimes it really hit home.  I could relate to both women, though not always on the same issues.  This is a good book for the mama.  Whatever "season" she is in.  I received this book for free from the publisher, Thomas Nelson, through Family Fiction.

a short story and a short not story

I have a couple of shorts that I have received for free that I will give a short review on.  The first is "Cultivating a Heart for Motherhood" by Joy Forney is a non-fiction short about dealing with motherhood using scripture to find the strength to make it through one more day.  This is only 33 pages long and takes less than an hour to read.  So think naptime.  This isn't the best writing in the world, but the message she is sending is a relief.  The website it came from www.gracefullmama.com seems like it would be a 'stay at home or you're going to hell' kind of site.  Sometimes it is, but mostly it is a ;granting permission; even, congratulating on a job well done' kind of site.  This is a good short for those feeling the strain of early motherhood.
"Broken Pieces" by TL Higley, www.tracyhigley.com, is a short story about a woman, Natalee, who works in a museum and meets who she believes to be a Roman soldier.  The soldier teaches her about God's grace regardless of how broken the person is.  The story is well written, but a little corny.  It is a good introduction to Higley's work. 

Marching right along

March has ended.  Kind of a weird month, full of snow and blizzards, thunderstorms, Easter.  Unusual.  This month I read 10 books.  I'm getting behind on my reading for review.  I've been doing some reading for no special reason.  I have purposely been doing less in my community in order to have some down time.  I tend to overextend myself, and then I get a little grouchy.  Hopefully I will be less grouchy and doing more reading this year.  That was my New Year's resolution; so far, so good.  Of the 10 books I read three were digital, one was audio, and the rest were real.  Here goes the list:
Love at Last Sight- The Shooks
Grits and Glory- Haley Whitehall
Congo Dawn- Jeanette Windle
The Inner Circle- Brad Meltzer
Echoes- Robin Jones Gunn
Scarlet Thread- Francine Cushman
Spare Change- Robert B. Parker
The Guardian- Beverly Lewis
Fever- Mary Beth Keane

Of the month's top books I would give the prize to Almost Amish and Fever.  Now, The Inner Circle got some bad review on Amazon, but I would have to say I don't agree with them.  It's not a classic waiting to happen, but it's still a good book.  If you like Meltzer or conspiracy, you should look it up.