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!!!

The Remarkable Soul of A Woman

The Remarkable Soul of A Woman by Dieter F. Uchtdorf is a beautiful little book with great words of wisdom for women to hear during these days. It reminds all of us women of the many strengths, abilities and natural gifts given to us as daughters of a loving Heavenly Father. We all have so much to offer to the world just be finding those gifts and talents in ourselves and magnifying to them to the best of our ability! It is truly an uplifting book that I enjoyed reading and it made me feel even better about myself as a Daughter of God!

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 and I found it VERY interesting and motivating! John C. Maxwell gave great real-world examples in this book that ANYONE can use to better communicate and connect with the people around them; whether in business or in our own marriages and families. The strategies that he presented are pretty straight-forward and are things that we can all do. As he pointed out in the book, connecting with people can be learned and is not something that just happens automatically or comes naturally. I loved the way he made it sound so simple and I've been trying out some of these strategies already and have seen some results. As a teacher, I am given ample opportunities to connect with people ALL DAY LONG from my students, to my colleagues, to my supervisors and I think this book is really going to help me improve myself in my career, as well as in my ability to connect and communicate effectively with those around me at home, church, and in my community. I'm excited about trying out these strategies and would definitely recommend this book to others. It is easy to read and very enjoyable too!

The Untold Story of Olive Osmond

Genre: biography/nonfiction
Ages: All

Growing up in the 70's and being a girl, I was in love with the Osmond Brothers and especially Donny Osmond. I watched every show they ever did and had all the records and posters and could (and still can)sing all of their songs! I also loved their family and the values and morals and standards by which they lived and conducted themselves. So, when I ran across this book about the spiritual matriarch, Olive Osmond, I knew that I wanted to read it! What a beautifully written book (written by her son Virl). It really told a lot about the woman who would lovingly be referred to as "Mother Osmond" by millions around the world. Even Elvis Presley revered her and would call her up to talk to her! I loved reading about her growing up years and then her marriage to her husband! It was so neat to read about her hobbies and abilities and her love of motherhood! What an inspiring book! I couldn't put it down! The world lost a wonderful woman when she passed away, but I'm sure the angels in heaven rejoice at having her with them! Very well written book!

Ruby Holler

Genre: Fiction
Ages: 4th grade and up

This is a lovely story about 2 high-spirited orphans and their struggle to find a place where they fit in. It is a really interesting surprise when they find a couple who accept them for who they are and love them faults and all. Very touching story and humorous too! I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and some of the "surprises" that were found between the covers of this book! Very well written....it's a keeper!

Hate That Cat

Genre: Fiction/Poetry
Age: Grades 3 and up

This is the second book in a series. The first one was called, Love That Dog which I read years ago and loved. This one continues to follow the same little boy as he writes letters back and forth to his teacher about what he is learning about Poetry. As a cat lover, I didn't think I would like this book because I thought it would be negative towards cats, but it is very endearing and I absolutely loved it. It was also fun to read the different kinds of poems that the child writes as he learns about different poets' styles and then the poets' poems are in the book too. Great little book!

The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner

Genre: Fiction
Ages: Middle School to Adults

I am a HUGE fan of the Twilight sagas and was surprised to find this book out. It is a very SHORT read and I finished it in just a couple of hours. It is told from the point of view of one of the new vampires that was created to battle against the Cullens. It is was very interesting to read from this point of view although a few times, it was a little confusing. The ending is predictable because you already KNOW what is going to happen to this vampire girl from reading the other books, but the point of view makes it an interesting story and gives the reader insight into the lives of the new vampires that are created in the story.

Dork Diaries

Genre: Fiction
Ages: Middle Grades 3-6

This was a fun book to read because it was written like a young girl's journal so you feel like you are reading someone's private thoughts. It follows a young girl as she enters a new middle school and her struggles to fit in, make new friends, and not be bullied and teased. VERY funny! I finished it in one night and really enjoyed it. It reminded me of The Diary of a Wimpy Kid books except this time, the main character is a girl! A couple of my students read this book at the end of the year after I told them about it and LOVED it! It was hard to get them to put it down!

Getting Started

Well, since I have a love for reading, I decided to start this blog just to have a place for me to write about the books that I have read, or am reading. I believe in the value of ALL books so I read everything from the easy children's books to books appropriate for my 5th-grade students, to adult selections. I love romance books, but find that I prefer those that are clean, wholesome romance books and not the raunchy trashy kinds. Anyhow, this blog is basically just for ME to think about things I have read and how I felt about them.