It Had to be You by Susan May Warren

Yes!! A great book! (after my last loooonnnggg and disliked book that I read for review (here)) I was SO happy to start into this great Christian fiction book It Had to be You by Susan May Warren.

This book is a wonderfully enjoyable read, with many dimensions -- it follows two major characters through several different plot strands. It is a romance, but not just that. Also touched upon in the book are themes of hope and grace, redemption, letting go, boldness, and faith.

The story follows Eden, a daughter who doesn't see her own potential as herself, one who wants to do right, but is afraid of being hurt. She is the big sister to a hockey star who she tries to take care of and keep out of trouble. She is an obituary writer who longs to write feature articles. Her place in her family is sort of as an observer, or, in her own words, a cheerleader. Other main characters are Jace, a professional hockey player; Sam, a dad and restaurant owner; "John Doe," who is. . .well, an unknown; Owen, Eden's brother; and many others.

I don't want to give you much more information, because it is a really great sweet strong story. I highly recommend it! :) You will want to read and read and read it! (you may stay up much later than you had planned to, just so that you can finish the book, as I did!) :)

I was not familiar with Susan May Warren and her books (here is a pic of her, shared by Tyndale Publisher) After reading this book, I will certainly be looking for more of her books! This is actually in a series of books about the Christiansen family (Eden's family)--I'd love to read all of them! I really enjoyed this author's style of writing, and the book in general!

I would certainly recommend this book! It is an easy, fun read; problems are resolved, and it has a happy ending. :) Just what I like to read! :)

I received a copy of this book from Tyndale Publishers in exchange for my review of this book. I was not required to write a positive review.

Here's a link to a Q&A with the author regarding this book, in case you'd like to check it out. (here)

Thank you to Tyndale Blog Network for the opportunity to read and review this book!!

Praying for Boys by Brooke McGlothlin

Do you have young sons? This book may inspire you to pray for them in distinctive ways! The book Praying for Boys by Brooke McGlothlin is subtitled Asking God for the Things They Need Most. The author reminds us that boys are different than girls in many ways and encourages moms to celebrate their spirits.

The book is a series of short chapters--2 or 3 pages, then a series of Scriptures with a _________ for your son's name to help you pray Scripture for your son. The chapters end with questions "for reflection or discussion."

I think that anything that encourages/reminds you to pray for your children is a good reminder! I do have a son, and he is definitely unique from his sisters and stretches us all in certain ways ;) and enhances our family life for sure!

The author of this book has two sons, aged 7 and 5. I think her prayer suggestions and discussion topics and ideas that she covers are sweet and valid.

The book seems geared toward moms of younger kids (which makes sense I suppose, good prayer habits should begin early!) I have a son who is a young teen--I think many of the narratives in this book are a bit simplistic at this point for us. However, the Scriptures are a great thing to refer to and use, for example, "May ________________ taste the goodness of your Word (Hebrews 6:5)" I think that these were the most valuable part of the book for me. If I had younger kids, I'd probably appreciate this book a little more.

The book would be great for a small group or Bible study of moms of young boys.

I received a copy of this book from Bethany House Publishers for the purpose of this review. I was not required to write a positive review.

Emma of Aurora (Trilogy) by Jane Kirkpatrick

This is a book review for the book Emma of Aurora by Jane Kirkpatrick; it's a trilogy, all 3 of the books together in one large volume. Since it is a book that I had agreed to review, I feel bad about not reading the entire thing, but

I.just.cannot.stand.to.read.any.more.

Usually when I agree to read it I go through with it all and read the book even if I don't like it, but I feel that I've wasted enough of my time by slogging through the first book of the volume. Bleh. So -- my review IS my opinion of the book, right? Well, I have certainly read enough to share an opinion.

I really dislike this book. It's hugely long (1153 pages), which would have been awesome had I liked the series! I think it's a great concept, putting all 3 together -- so often when I read one of a series I'd love to have the next book(s) in the same volume, so it's not just the size.

The book is about a religious cult-type community, following the leadership of one man who is seen as close to God. The men take their direction from him, as do the (more silent) women. The main character, Emma, is a young lady who becomes a wife and follows her husband out west to look for new land. Emma is kind of a whiner and deceitful, and throughout the first book at least does not seem to change. They go out west and have an incredibly horrible time, hardships are a never-ending saga, and when the leader of the original colony comes to check it out, his disapproval adds to the negatives. Book 2? ahhhhhhhh!!!! bad to worse!!!! :/ Yikes!!! I don't want to tell you. Emma's life? and family? ---------------------------

The book is long and incredibly slooooooowwwww and b-o-o-o-o-r-r-r-r-ing. So I stopped reading it. Blah. I really did not want to finish it. When I have time to read, I don't want to read this type of writing. I DO feel bad about not reading more than half of the book, but I certainly have an opinion.

On the other side. . .if you look on Amazon or other book review places, people have given glowing reviews for this book! So. . .obviously I'm not the norm when it comes to this book!

Would I recommend it? NOPE!! But apparently other people like it.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher for free in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review.

A Promise Kept by Robin Lee Hatcher

A Promise Kept by Robin Lee Hatcher is a Christian fiction book definitely worth your time to read. It's a wonderful story of life, disappointment, forgiveness, and hope. It's not a romance, but just a story that seems taken from real life.

Allison, the main character, is a newly-divorced empty-nester type woman. She has come to a place at which she never could have envisioned herself and is building a new life in her new normal. Her only daughter is grown and has moved far away and she has moved up to a new small town, to a house left her by her great-aunt.

The book alternates between Allison's story and that of her great Aunt Emma, whose lives seem to have some similarities and many surprises. Allison finds Emma's journals and reads them, learning things about her that she could never have guessed, and observing (through the journals) her aunt's healing and growth throughout her years. Allison's new life develops and she grows in many ways, as God works in and through her.

As with most of my reviews, I do not want to give away any more information about the story line, because I want you to read it! :) It is a very interesting book, a great read, and one which feels kind of "real" and "deep" but not bogged down. It's a story of surprises and, as I said earlier, hope and forgiveness.

I definitely enjoyed this book and would certainly recommend it. It's a good read, but more than that. This is one of those books I'll probably keep and re-read a time or two. Nicely written, enjoyably read. A real-life picture of God working in a normal life.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher for the purpose of this review. I was not required to write a positive review.

Filling Up the Afflictions of Christ by John Piper

This book by John Piper, Filling up the Afflictions of Christ, contains the stories of three men who brought Christ to other cultures at a huge cost to their own lives and those of their families. The 3 men whose ministries are included in this book are Adoniram Judson, John Paton, and William Tyndale.

As biographies go, I actually did not care for the writing style of this book. It wasn't arranged chronologically, and seemed to skip back and forth in their lives. There was a chapter for each of the men. I had not heard the story of John Paton before (missionary to Vanuatu), but had heard of the others. The focus was on the life sacrifices each of these men made to bring the Gospel to those who had not heard.

With the wide range of biographies available today, I probably would not recommend this one. I didn't care for the writing, it was not easy for me to read, and I tend to get more out of something more read-able.

So--I didn't love this. I probably wouldn't buy it or give it as a gift. We love hearing missionary stories in my family, but this one. . .I'd rather read a different one.

I received a copy of this book through the Crossway Homeschool Book Review Program for the purpose of this review. I was not required to write a positive review.

Chronological Life Application Study Bible published by Tyndale

I LOVE this study Bible!! I did not have a study Bible, and I sure didn't know what I was missing! This Chronological Life Application Study Bible published by Tyndale is a wonderful new addition to our Bible study materials!

Some of the wonderful things about it ~~ Chronological ~~ so cool to have the passages arranged as they occurred in history. Last year the kids and I started studying ancient history and WOW! it was amazing to see the Scripture in its historical context -- made some of the passages so much more easily understandable and just clearer! With this layout of the Bible, it's easier to connect those historical dots. There is also a table in the front of this edition that lists the canonical table of contents (the "regular" way that the Bible is arranged, book by book) and shows the pages that they can be found in this edition.

The study part of this Bible is multi-faceted. There's a timeline that runs along the upper margin of each page, showing which era in history the section of the Scripture that you're looking at falls into. There are maps and explanations, drawings along with other explanations, introductions, titles, little historical facts (for example on p. 1111 in the Ezekiel section, the sidenote says that in 585 BC the Greek astronomer Thales predicts and eclipse). There are outlines, summaries, . . .I just cannot give a full explanation of all the study helps available in this! You can see some more detail on the website for this Bible, found HERE.

I definitely recommend this Study Bible. I know that it will be a great help in our family's Bible studies this year and in the future!

I am so thankful to have received a copy of this Bible for the purpose of this review. I was not required to write a positive review, but I really like this study Bible! Get one and use it yourself!!

The New Answers Book 4 by Ken Ham

The New Answers Book 4 by Ken Ham is in the series of "Answers" books by Master Books. It is a lengthy book, a good resource, filled with essays on different topics of interest to Christians and those curious about Christian beliefs. Some of the topics include: dragons, creation, the size of the universe, GMOs, the ark, mutations, and many more.

I tried to just read through this book, cover to cover, and frankly--it's a LOT to read straight through. I found myself putting off reading and not reading (which I really enjoy) because I felt guilty about not finishing this book yet :) I would suggest reading a chapter at a time at your leisure, or using this book as a reference, when questions come up, you'll have this to refer to and learn more about those topics.

I have read and reviewed Answers Books for Teens before (here) and (here) and for reading through, I prefer those :) However, this "big" Answers Book 4 is a good reference, with sources cited and plenty of thoughtful research to consider.

I WOULD recommend this book, to be used as a reference, or as a "slow" read -- to get the most out of it. I will keep it on the shelf for myself and my family to read as the need arises.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher for the purpose of this review. I was not required to write a positive review.