An Amish Love

A "BookSneeze" Book that was sent to me to read and review for free.
First of all Thomas Nelson provided me with a complimentary copy of this book to read and review. An Amish Love is actually a collection of three novellas in one book. At first I didn't know if I would really understand any of the "amish" things in the book, but found that I was wrong about that. The authors of the three novellas do a great job of making the reader feel at home in their details of the amish lifestyle and beliefs. The stories are easy to read and I found myself really caught up in the love stories of each. I loved each of the stories and was disappointed when they each came to a conclusion, but happy when I could start yet another story! I also enjoyed the Amish recipes at the back of the book! What a wonderful addition. Since I love to cook and try new recipes, this was a really fun surprise! I actually made the Amish Icebox Cookies and the recipe was easy and very tasty! I would strongly recommend this book if you enjoy good, clean love stories that you can fall into and become a part of along with the characters. It was easy for me to enjoy this book whole-heartedly!!!

Fearless By Max Lucado

A "BookSneeze" Book that was sent to me to read and review for free.
First of all Thomas Nelson provided me with a complimentary copy of this book to read and review. This is a great look at how fear can keep us from being happy because we let the fear of the unknown forces in life hold us back from truly living life to its fullest. I love the way the author, Max Lucado, uses Biblical references along with very interesting stories to demonstrate the different points he has to make. For example, he talks about how people nowadays are obsessed with focusing on "the worst case scenario"; convincing themselves that they have to be prepared for this impending doom! They become focused solely on that negative way of thinking and it consumes them. I could personally relate to the book, because sometimes I have a way of always expecting the worst and then being surprised when the worst doesn't happen. I think we tend to do that as a way to protect ourselves from disappointment and hurt. This book really opened my eyes and I am beginning to see that sometimes its just better to have faith that things are going to be ok and that when bad things happen, they will get better. I am really trying to do that more after reading this book. It is a really inspiring book and very easy to read. I also enjoyed cross-referencing the verses that he referenced in the Bible!

Crow

This is such a cute children's book that the publisher sent for me to read and review for them. I love the white back ground that make the illustrations seem so bold! I love the colors in the illustrations and the facial expressions of the birds! It is so much fun to read and I loved reading it over and over with my 16 month old daughter, Rebekah! She LOVES the book! It is a sweet story of a black crow who tries to be something he is not, and finds in the end that being yourself is the best choice! What a life lesson for us all! One of my favorite children's books now!

The Incredible Gifts Of Women

This was written by Barbara Barrington Jones who has worked with many pageant contestants and has also done a lot of workshops to help women improve themselves physically, mentally, and spiritually. It is a very thought-provoking book that looks at the god-given characteristics that make women so special. I enjoyed her personal stories and examples and found that I could not put this book down. I will definitely be reading it again and again. I found myself looking at myself and identifying things that I need to work on to be a better mother, wife, daughter, friend, and child of God. Very inspiring and uplifting book that makes you really examine your own life and your purpose here on Earth.

Teach Like Your Hair's On Fire

This is a GREAT book by a 5th grade teacher who really works to bring out the best in all of his students. He brings art, music, theater and a good work ethic into his classroom and his students EXCELS! This is a very inspiring book and I loved reading about a fellow 5th grade teacher and seeing some of the methods that work for him and his students. VERY inspiring book! It made me want to be even better at working with my students!

The Book Whisperer

I read this book at the beginning of the school year but never took the time to post anything about it because the beginning of the year is CRAZY! hahahahahaha But let me say that I LOVED this book! It had so many great ideas for helping EACH and EVERY student in the class read! I really liked the idea of conferencing one on one with kids and giving the opportunity to talk to ME about what they are reading and what they like and think about books. I'd love to just have my students read books and none of the silly basal selections but we have to do those. So I am working to do more of the novels and self-selected reading in addition to the basal textbook. I am trying to have more conversations in my classroom about what they are reading and the books they are choosing and it is working! My kids are reading MORE and enjoying it more! GREAT BOOK for ALL teachers!!!!!!

Sunshine for the Latter-Day Saint Mother's Soul

This book follows the same format as the many "Chicken Soup For the Soul Books" that I love! I enjoyed this particular version because it was written for mothers and since I am a NEW mom, I enjoyed reading the sweet stories of inspiring mothers and recollections from others about what they remember the most about their mothers. There were some very touchy and emotional selections that made me cry and others that were very humorous and reminded me that there will be times that I will just have to laugh at myself as a mother, because we ALL make mistakes from time to time! The stories were easy to read and then close the book until I had time to read another short one. The poems were particularly touching and I really enjoyed those. This little book was just a joy to read and I think it helped to read about how other mothers struggled with their desires to be the PERFECT mother and to realize that NO ONE is the perfect mother.....we all just have to do the best we can and love our children! We can't compare ourselves to others and strive to be some "SUPER MOM" that only exists in our overly-active imaginations. Definitely a great book to read!!!