Wednesday, August 24, 2011

One Call Away Answering Life's Challenges with Unshakable Faith

By Brenda Warner with Jennifer Schuchmann
Published by Thomas Nelson 

Book Description

Brenda’s life has taken twists and turns that are stranger than fiction. It always seemed as if she was just one phone call away from the next explosive change. Each time her plans fell apart, she had a choice: would she give up, or would she press forward and learn from the unexpected? One Call Away is the inspiring story of a woman who has prevailed through many of the circumstances that discourage women: tragedy, poverty, betrayal, and humiliation. But unlike most women, her life has been on display in the media.
Brenda’s faith and God’s strength enable her to face challenge after challenge: an accident that leaves her son blind and brain damaged, a crumbling marriage, a tornado that kills her parents, a new relationship with promising football player Kurt Warner, and the pressures his sudden success brings to their growing family.
Through food stamps and funerals, Super Bowls and serving others, Brenda’s strength is unwavering. Her determination to dream new dreams, willingness to learn from her mistakes, and commitment to giving back to her community make her a role model for women of all backgrounds.
Her dreams haven’t materialized as she had imagined, but Brenda has found that God has a much bigger plan for her. Conversational and candid, One Call Away invites readers facing their own difficulties to trust God and discover hope in the future.

My Review:
Interesting read! Brenda Warner is honest as she shares her life story. The ups and downs of life in the NFL. The highs and low of being rich and well known. We often think these type of people can't possibly undertand what us ordinary people deal with in our everyday life but in this book I realize they suffer and struggle with much of the same things we do in our lives. This is a refreshing book that I would recomment for all to read.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

New!
Winning the Battle for Your Home, Family, and Friends
ISBN: 978-0-7642-0890-4
Price: $13.99
Format: Paperback
Publication date: Jul. 11 | Division: Bethany House

My Review:
I not too sure what I thought of this book.It was a little different from other books I have read on Spiritual Warfare. I guess I felt something lacking in this book. There are some truths to this book but I wouldn't agree with everything written. Best thing to do is check out the Word of God and see what He has to say on the subjects of healing, praying for your marriage, children and friendships. I wouldn't  recommend this book as a good resource for those seeking to learn more about Spiritual Warfare. There are other books out there that are better.
I received this book free from Bethany House for this review.

$14.99
ISBN: 978-0-7642-0838-6
ISBN-10: 0-7642-0838-1
Dimensions: 5.5 x 8.5
Price:
Number of pages: 368
Publication Date: Jan. 11

Paperback




Inspired by Actual Events!
"I would do a great many things for you." Even at sixteen, Jake's handsome features hold the calm certainty and patient confidence of a man, and Rachel Bender knows--Jake Weaver is the one.
Rachel will grow into a strong young woman with powerful gifts—but in a faraway country, without her Jake. In 1921, Ohio's new law forces Caleb Bender's family to seek sanctuary in the wilds of Mexico where the government will not interfere with their Amish way of life, or take their children from them. Nor will it protect them from the bandits terrorizing the countryside.
In an unfamiliar land where no one speaks their language or knows their ways, the Benders establish a homestead in exile. Sisters Emma, Rachel, and Miriam find strengths unimagined, gifts unexpected, and yearning beyond their deepest dreams. Even steadfast Caleb is compelled to wrestle with the demands of faith, only to discover that love has its own demands.
Paradise Valley—a tale of love, danger, and redeeming faith.
Endorsements
"If you like Amish fiction, you'll love this book"
--Beverly Lewis, New York Times bestselling author
Reviews
"Dale Cramer ... has written his most adventurous story yet in Paradise Valley.... Cramer is at his most warm hearted and compassionate as he relates this story of a family in a strange new world. He manages to make each character spring to life, each with his or her unique personality traits; but it is with Rachel that he excels the most. He looks inside this young girl's heart and relates her feelings and emotions with clarity and assurance.

"This first novel in the trilogy is a setting up for what is yet to come, but readers will find it complete in its story. It doesn't feel or read like a preparation novel at all. The story is so intense and the adventure so compelling that readers will race through the book and then begrudge the ending coming so quickly.

"Paradise Valley is Dale Cramer at his best. Read this first novel and then anticipate the rest of the story. If the next two books equal this first one it will be an amazing series indeed." --Jackie K. Cooper, The Huffington Post "Cramer follows his acclaimed novel Levi's Will (2005) with another inspiring and honest look at the Amish community in the opening volume in The Daughters of Caleb Bender trilogy. In 1920s Ohio, Amish fathers are taken to court and imprisoned when they refuse to allow their children to attend public school. Matters escalate when the Amish children are removed from their parents' homes, stripped of their plain appearance, and forced to live in the children's home while they attend public school. This incident inspires Caleb Bender to move his entire family to Mexico. Faced with rebuilding a homestead while battling bandits, Cramer's characters dig deep to find the forgiveness and strength it takes to truly love one's enemies. Cramer's ability to develop characters with genuine struggles sets this Amish novel apart from the rest, especially because it's based on Cramer's great-grandfather's experiences as an elder statesman of the colony Paradise Valley, Mexico. Fans of historical fiction will find enough here to spur further research, and for followers of Amish fiction this is a must-read." --Elizabeth Ponder, Booklist
"Paradise Valley was on my list of most anticipated reads for 2011 and it did not disappoint. It fully lived up to my expectation to be a good book, and I was pleasantly surprised with just how much I loved it. I can't wait for the next book in the series...to continue exploring the ideas introduced in this one and to see what these characters I have grown to love will face next." --MyFriendAmysBlog.com
"Dale Cramer's Paradise Valley (Bethany House) is set in 1920s Ohio, when a new law mandates that children from age 6 through age 18 attend school. Five Amish fathers refuse to comply: Police arrest the fathers and take the children from their homes until the fathers promise to obey the law. Instead of obeying, Caleb Bender moves his family to Paradise Valley in the Sierra Madre mountains of Mexico. They struggle to build a new farm, ward off bandits from the remains of Pancho Villa's army, and reconcile their faith with the customs of a new land. Using historical events as a base, Cramer has written an engaging story of love and conviction." --Susan Olasky, World Magazine


My Review:
I really enjoyed this book. It was different from all the other Amish Fiction  I have read before. In this book an Amish family decides to move to Mexico to be free from sending their children to public school. This book's subject is dated back in the 1920's before the Amish had the freedom to educate their children on their own. This was quite a different setting for an Amish family as we see how they deal the obstacles of bandits and the very poor. I would recommend this book to everyone.


 I received this book free from Bethany House for this review.

Monday, August 22, 2011


The One-Day Way

Today Is All the Time You Need to Lose All the Weight You Want

Written by Chantel Hobbs

Lose All the Weight You Want, One Meal, One Pound, One Day At a Time!

I've got great news for you: You are about to feel better and look better beginning today! Today is truly a new opportunity for you to reach your weight loss goals. No, you won't fit into your "skinny jeans" today, but I'm going to show you how each day will get you closer to that goal.

Yesterday's mistakes are gone so let them go. You can't control tomorrow, so stop worrying about it. Today is your opportunity to lose weight, get strong, and look great. It won't happen overnight, but you can build a new life by changing your actions immediately and I'm here to show you how to make the changes that will create the new lifestyle you dream of: body, mind, and spirit. Best of all, you will start celebrating right away!

Come on, my friend. Let's get started! By opening this book, I'll show you how to unlock every tool you need to lose weight and get fit —and stay that way for the rest of your life. Success can be yours, what are you waiting for?

-Chantel

My review:
This book is another diet plan but with quite a lot of resources. The author shares how we must changed the way we think of food and changed the way of thinking about ourselves. She has the ten commandment of diet rules. The author provides you with menu ideas and also exercises that can be useful for some. This book might work for some so I would recommend this book for those looking to lose weight.


"I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review”.

Growing Up Amish
New  York Times eBook bestseller!
One fateful starless night, 17-year-old Ira Wagler got up at 2 AM, left a scribbled note under his pillow, packed all of his earthly belongings into in a little black duffel bag, and walked away from his home in the Amish settlement of Bloomfield, Iowa. Now, in this heartwarming memoir, Ira paints a vivid portrait of Amish life—from his childhood days on the family farm, his Rumspringa rite of passage at age 16, to his ultimate decision to leave the Amish Church for good at age 26. Growing Up Amish is the true story of one man’s quest to discover who he is and where he belongs. Readers will laugh, cry, and be inspired by this charming yet poignant coming of age story set amidst the backdrop of one of the most enigmatic cultures in America today—the Old Order Amish.

My Review:
Not one of my more enjoyable reads.This book is a memoir of a man that grew up Amish but never felt happy living in that life. The author often repeat details and it is a rather depressing book. Would of been better had he giving more details of his life after accepting the Lord and finally found some peace in his life.If you are an Amish fiction fan you might not enjoy this book.


Tyndale House Publishers has provided you with a complimentary copy of this book or ARC. 

Friday, August 5, 2011

The Promise of an Angel

By Ruth Reid
Published by Thomas Nelson

Book Description

In Mescota County, Michigan, an angelic visitor's words inspire Judith to a future she never imagined. After a barn raising accident, Judith Fischer’s convinced she’s met an angel. However, her attempts to convince others end up frustrating her Old-Order Amish community. Only Andrew Lapp believes her, but the rest, including Levi Plank, the man’s she’s waited to marry, demand she forget the nonsense. Meanwhile, her younger sister Martha has taken a fancy to Levi and sees her sister's controversy as a perfect distraction for turning Levi's head.
In a dream, the angel tells Judith she must choose her path. As her faith continues to grow, so do her feelings for Andrew. Will she continue to place her hope in the angel’s message, even if it means losing all she knows and loves?
My Review:
If you like Amish Fiction you will enjoy this book. As the story goes an accident occurs while Judith is in charge of her younger siblings during a barn raising. An angel appears to give a word from the Lord to Judith that her brother will be okay. As she shares this word with others almost everyone turns on her and thinks she is crazy. What I took from the story is to fellow the Lord even when others close to you might not understand or believe.This is my first time to read a book from this author and I would recommend her book to all Amish Fiction fans.


Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com &lt;http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 &lt;http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”