Starring Me by Krista McGee #christianbookreview

Starring Me by Krista McGee
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Summary from Booksneeze:

Kara McKormick is told she’s auditioning to star in a new teen variety show. But it’s what she isn’t told that could change her life.

The feisty New Yorker moves to sunny Orlando to participate in a month-long audition, where she’ll live with nine other contestants and an eccentric housemother. Kara knows that the show already has a big-time celebrity lined up for the co-host, but she doesn’t know who it is.

Chad Beacon quickly rose to fame after winning America’s Next Star, but he doesn’t want his entire career to be about singing. There is so much more he wants to do—like act. The new variety show sounds like the perfect next step for him, but his parents want him to have a co-star who shares his faith since they’ll be spending so much time together.

Acting is high on Kara’s priority list. But a relationship with God? Not so much. In fact, she’s tried to stay away from anything religious. But God is after Kara’s heart and He’s put people in her life who are showing her there’s far more to Christianity than rules and judgment.

And just when it seems that Kara’s going to have to give up her acting dream, God reveals that she may have a starring role after all—in a story so big only He could write it.

My review:

I really enjoyed this book as you can see by my rating. This book is target to the teen or young adult reader.  With that said, I think this book would be fine for an advanced reader of a younger age.  So many books targeting this age group are filled with vampires, werewolves or some other paranormal creature. It's tiring really and this book was refreshing in that it had none of that.

The lead character, Kara, was well written. I enjoyed her bold attitude even before she became a believer. I loved how the author used her friend Addy as a witness without her being overbearing. The subtle ways the author showed the love of Christ to Kara, was refreshing. Chad's character really helped to set the foundation for the book very well. He was a believable character as were his parents and his housekeeper Flora was hilarious but great! Again, it was refreshing to see such a great story without all the sleaze (and no vampires or werewolves!). While there were romantic relationships in the book, they were presented tastefully and clean.

The author did and excellent job of showing Kara's path to God. I thought the story she told was realistic in today's world of reality shows. The competition, the disregard for others by some of the characters was believable. The twist at the end with one of the house characters was kind of expected but was presented well.

I really didn't have complaints about this book. I would let my 11 yo read this book even though it involves high school age characters.

Thank you Booksneeze for a copy of this book for the purpose of review.

Love and Blessings Always!
Margaret

Christian Book Review: Wildflowers from Winter #christianbookreview

Wildflowers from Winter: A Novel by Katie Ganshert
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Bethany Quinn thinks she has it all with her fancy job in Chicago, her high profile boyfriend and staying as far away from Peaks as she can. That is until tragedy strikes and she's forced to face her fears that stem back to her childhood. Not only that, she's got Evan to deal with and she's not sure where he fits into her life. Follow Bethany's journey as she hooks up with old friends and faces old fears.

You can see the complete book description on Amazon: Wildflowers from Winter: A Novel
  
My Review:  
For me this book was just OK. I don't think I ever developed an emotional connection to it, it just felt like a story being told to me.  I like to feel like I am part of the story.

The major character were developed well.  I did gain an understanding of Bethany and Evan as well as the secondary characters of Robin, Dan and the other minor characters.  Robyn's mother was also developed very well.  

As for the storytelling, I think the story could have been developed better.  While the characters were described well, I didn't relate to them or get any sort of emotional response from their stories. This is important for me when reading a book, I have to be able to relate or at least have an emotional response.  I think the storyline is an overused one where the "heroine" really hates this guy then ends up dating him.  

This book received a three for several reasons.  One, the characters were not made out to be super-Christians.  They got mad at God when they faced tragedy, they called out to Him in moments of weakness.   Also, while there weren't scripture references, you got the sense that the characters spend a lot of time in the Word which is essential for a strong Faith.  Again, this made their faith more realistic.  Finally, everything wasn't tied up so neat and tidy.  People died, people got their feelings hurt, people had their eyes opened.  I really enjoyed those aspects of the story. 

Overall, this book would make a pleasant weekend read, but don't expect much depth as it is very predictable.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book as part of the Blogging for Books program.  I was not required to write a positive review, as such, opinions expressed are completely my own.

Love and Blessings Always!

Margaret

CLOSED: Christian Book Review: My Big Bottom Blessing by Teasi Cannon #christianbook #giveaway

CLOSED! WINNER IS
Faith Hope Cherrytea!!!

My Big Bottom Blessing: How Hating My Body Led to Loving My Life by Teasi Cannon
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

My Big Bottom Blessing is a nonfiction book about well... Teasi Cannon's big bottom! It's a delightful, humorous and fulfilling book regarding our "broken" views of body images. If you are looking for a diet book, this is not the book for you! However, if you are looking for an inspirational, God-honoring, love yourself as you are book, then you've chosen well!

I really loved the format of this book. There was the reading or what I like to refer to as the "testimony" part with scriptural references/reinforcement, then there was the self evaluation part, thoughtful questions that really allowed me to examine why I respond the way I do, and finally the "pep talk." Combined, these different approaches all helped to reinforce the reading.

Another thing I enjoyed about this book was it felt like I was sitting and chatting with a friend. Very emotional at times but also very cleansing! With that said, this book is not for the "perfect" Christian woman.  This book is for the Christian woman who knows that she is broken, who knows that she is nothing without Jesus and who is learning that when God made her, he used his best mold to make sure that she was fearfully and wonderfully made. 

About the Author

Teasi Cannon Teasi (pronounced Tee See) is married to her best friend, Bill Cannon, and
they have three awesome children: Carli, Ben, and Sam. Teasi has a master’s degree in
pastoral counseling from Liberty Theological Seminary, and is a sought-after speaker who
loves to help women remember who they are in Christ.


I'm attaching this interview as well.  If you aren't sure you need to read this book, listen to this interview, and you will KNOW you need to read it!

Still not convinced?  Take a look at this sample chapter to get a feel for the book.


 I don't often give out 5 stars, but I couldn't give this book anything less!

I was blessed to be able to offer my readers one copy of this book! I can only ship in the Continental US,  and you must be 18 years old to enter. Contest ends midnight (ET) on June 18.   A winner will be picked using Random.or


To enter, please be a follower of this blog and leave a comment below to let me know, what is it about you that YOU see as a blessing from God?

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book for the purpose of review.  I also received a free copy to give away to my readers.  No other compensation was received and I was not required to write a positive review. 

View all my reviews

Love and Blessings Always!

Margaret 

Book Review: Sixteen Brides by Stephanie Whitson #bookreview

Sixteen Brides by Stephanie Grace Whitson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Synopsis from Amazon:

Sixteen Civil War widows living in St. Louis respond to a series of meetings conducted by a land speculator who lures them west by promising "prime homesteads" in a "booming community." Unbeknownst to them, the speculator's true motive is to find an excuse to bring women to the fledging community of Plum Grove, Nebraska, in hopes they will accept marriage proposals shortly after their arrival!

Sparks fly when these unsuspecting widows meet the men who are waiting for them. These women are going to need all the courage and faith they can muster to survive these unwanted circumstances--especially when they begin to discover that none of them is exactly who she appears to be.

My review:

I really enjoyed this book! The characters were developed well and the author did a great job of drawing the reader into the story. Each woman was an individual, yet part of the larger story. As each story begins to develop, you can't help be gain a sense of admiration for these women. I loved the character of Caroline Jamison most. She just had such a deep determination to succeed in what she came west to do, all while remaining the lady that she was. In some ways, this helped her to be successful, but in other ways it stood in the way. Ellen and her mama, as well as Ruth and Hettie, were fun, lovable characters.

It was so interesting to see how these women relied on faith, inner strength and intelligence to accomplish their goals. It was only then that we began to see the different romances that were brewing. The author did a great job of weaving all of the elements of the story together.

From a Christian perspective, this is a nice clean read, something I would let my 11 year old read. There is no violence (other than from nature), no sexual situations and no profanity.  It is an example of trusting God when it seems things are hopeless!

Love and Blessings Always,

Margaret

View all my reviews

Book Review: Amish Prayers: Heartfelt Expressions of Humility, Gratitude and Devotion #christianbook

Amish Prayers: Heartfelt Expressions of Humility, Gratitude, and Devotion by Beverly Lewis
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Amish Prayers is a book of common prayers used by the Amish. They are heartfelt, prayers and a nice guide to use when you don't know exactly what to pray. They tend to be on the formal side but that does not take away from the content!

Overall I gained much from the forthrightness and humility of these prayers. This is a book I will keep on my phone/kindle for reference.

This was a free download from Barnes and Noble, part of my personal collection.

Love and Blessings Always,
Margaret


View all my reviews

Book Review: Church Missing Black Men - Women Going Alone: Get Saved Man! by Lydia Paul #christianbook

Get Saved Man! by Lydia Paul
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Sorry I don't have a picture of the book cover for this one.

The premise of this Christian book is to show Christian women that there are many of us who have husbands who do not attend church regularly. What I was expecting was guidance in prayer and conduct for Christian women who want their husbands to attend, but not be overbearing or nagging. What I got was a book that described various situations the author faced with her husband who is not a church attender.

The book certainly had some golden nuggets. I love how she said nagging will not work, instead choose prayer and fasting. She gave some great advice on setting an example of godliness rather than using manipulative measures. I had to shake the pan to get rid of the dirt to find the gold nuggets, but the search was worth it when I found them! 

What I didn't like what that there was a LOT of information, but it was disorganized.  For example, there are a lot of links and references to books on Amazon in this book. That was very distracting to me, I would rather see traditional bibliography or footnote. In physical books, I rarely see a link unless it's directly related to the subject, not a reference document.  It seemed like the author got tired of researching the subject and just referenced other people's work. I really didn't connect at all even though I'm in a similar situation. This was certainly disappointing.

As a Christian book reviewer, I think the book needs a bit more work, maybe a review by a professional editor would have addressed my concerns. It definitely has potential and could be a good resource for women in this position. As a Christian reader, I would like to see a shorter version of this book that just sticks to the challenges of having a Christian husband who does not attend church and how she coped
with it.

Love and Blessings Always!

Margaret

View all my reviews

Umm God?

I know I said the other day to bring the rain, but God?  I was bluffing.  See, I really don't like being wet.  And my shoes are all sloshy and it's really uncomfortable and  I want ... what's that You say?

^{Jeremiah 29:11} For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 


Oh yeah, I know that!  But what I'm trying to say is, uh,  I changed my mind.  I mean, I want you to do your plan and all, but can you make it a little more comfortable, a little less rain??  NO? What's that?


^{James 1:2} Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 

OK, if You say so, but it's really hard to feel joy right now, I'm really trying to keep my head above all of this rain.  I'm paddling and paddling but it feels like the water level just keeps getting higher and higher, something is weighing me down.  I just wish could drop whatever it is and just float.  I CAN?

^{Matthew 11:29} Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 


Does this mean you will do the paddling for me????  Ok, Lord, show me how to let this burden go, I'm ready... boy am I ever ready!!  Because I'm really tired and I need that rest you are offering!  

One last thing to remember?  Oh, I guess it's not about me.. it has always been about You.  I'm sorry Father, thank you for your grace.

^{Job 29:20} My glory will not fade; the bow will be ever new in my hand.’  

^{2 Corinthians 12:9} But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. ” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 

Love and Blessings Always,
Margaret