Heart shaped

"Prayers for a Heart-Shaped Life" by Karen Moore is a small book of prayers that inspires living a life Heart First.  Each prayer has a scripture and a letter (prayer) to God from the writer.  There are a little over 200 prayers that I have been reading daily.  It is a very cute little book and is perfect for a quick morning prayer.  I enjoyed this book very much.  I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing and was under no obligation to post a review."

Sacred Slow review

"The Sacred Slow: A Holy Departure from Fast Faith" by Alicia Britt Chole is a formatted  devotion of types book.  Each section is called a Movement.  There are twelve.  Each  movement is divided into parts and includes a guided response.  The book is designed to be taken slowly and with depth.  It is rather complicated.  It is not for everybody.  I had a hard time with the book, it seemed to be above my understanding most of the time.  It is definitely an intellectual and penetrating book.  I would suggest using this in a small group setting with a pastor or counselor guiding the readers.  "I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing and was under no obligation to post a review." 

the proving review

"The Proving"  is the newest stand-alone novel by Beverly Lewis.  Amanda Dienner is a raised-Amish woman who has left the Amish community due to a betrayal by her sister. Amanda becomes almost completely estranged from her family.  After living 5 years in Kansas as an Englisher, she learns her mother has died and left her the B&B that was run by her family.  Though confused by the reasoning, Amanda takes over the B&B for the next 12 months. 
The novel is of course, a wonderfully well written book, since it is by the queen of Amish Fiction.  Amanda is incredibly stubborn and driven.  The reader will be either cheering her on or wanting to smack her upside the head!  She is a trying woman and Lewis will quickly involve the reader emotionally into the book.  I like the direction of this book.
I received this book in exchange for an honest review from the author and Bethany House Publishing. 

book 3 in series

"Gathering the Threads" by Cindy Woodsmall is the third book in the Amish of Summer Grove Series.  The first two are not necessary to read to follow 'Gathering' but it would be helpful.  In this series, Ariana and Skylar are two 20 year olds that have discovered that they were switched at birth.  Ariana was raised in an Amish home and Skylar was raised in a home of a single mother and a married father.  The third novel focuses mostly on Ariana and follows the storyline of her life being governed by a herd of men who seem to live to control her and every woman around them.  That is fairly standard of all women regardless of the society they are brought up in, but Ariana starts to rebel and think for herself, realizing that the threat of hell or manipulation are for the sake of the controller and not the controlee. 
I really liked this book.  The desperate need of men to control women is something that I take a personal interest in.  It has not gone unnoticed that women are held to a different standard.  A much lower standard.  I recommend this book, especially to young women who are looking to find their voice. I received this book I exchange for an honest review from www.bloggingforbooks.com

An Amish Mercies Novel

"Abiding Mercy" by Ruth Reid is An Amish Mercies Novel.  Ruth Reid has written a novel centering on Faith, an Amish girl in northern Michigan; Roslyn, a mother whose toddler has been kidnapped by the nanny and desperately searches for 15 years to find her daughter; and a red-haired angel that keeps popping up to help with God's work.
A common storyline in Amish Fiction is the "lost a baby, found a baby" saga.  This  novel falls into this category.   Though that storyline has been done to death, Reid gives it a new twist.  In this novel, the lost/found child doesn't want to leave the Amish to follow her 'blood' family.  Faith is quiet content to stay with her found family and her beliefs and upbringing.  She also tells of Faith and her sister Olivia as they scorn and rat each other out in true sisterly fashion.  I really liked this book and stayed up most of the night reading it.  I highly recommend it.  I received this novel through www.booklookbloggers". 

crooked hat

"The Man in the Crooked Hat" by Harry Dolan is a mystery about a serial killer in the Midwest.  Jack Pellum is a disgraced cop turned Private I that is only interested in one case: his wife's murder.  Shortly before his wife was killed, Jack saw a man in a crooked hat that stood out.  For the next few years Jack's only agenda is finding that man.  Soon the pieces start to come together and he is on the trail of not just one serial killer, but two.  Michael Underhill is a man with a wicked past that has found the love of a good woman and the future he feels he deserves.  It's all within reach if  his past will just stay dead and Pellum will stay out of it. 
The novel goes back and forth between the two men as they are both the hunter and the hunted.  The story is pretty good.  I like the storyline and the character development.  The body count was a little to high at the end of the book for authenticity, but I guess some serial killers are better than others.  I liked the book.  I received this book from www.firsttoread.com. 

a different book club

"Death in the Stacks" by Jenn McKinlay is the newest in the Library Lover's Mystery series.  In this novel, Lindsey's enemy Olive, a ruthless, conniving, piece of work is out to get Lindsey, the library, and anyone standing around.  While on her rampage of black mail and torture, Olive is found stabbed in the fiction section at the library.  Lindsey and her sidekick Robbie are out to prove that lead suspect and library aide, Paula, is not the killer.  The only way to do that is to find out who is.

I really liked this book. It's not a real deep book, so it can easily be enjoyed anywhere.  The characters are well written and the twist and turns keep the reader guessing.  I had no idea who the killer was until the book was wrapping up.  I recommend this delightful who done it.  I received this book form www.firsttoread.com.