We are all waiting for something or someone. Perhaps you are reading this review while you wait for dinner to finish cooking, or while you wait for inspiration to strike. The Waiting Place by Eileen Button is series of essays written about being in “The Waiting Place” and finding God within it.
Button carries the reader through her own life, from childhood to marriage to parenthood to her own struggles as a writer. Her candor about events of her own life shines a light on God’s love and gentle hand within her life, and she makes the waiting place a time to embrace versus a place to grumble about.
I absolutely loved this book. Ironically, I found myself reaching for it while in my own waiting places. On a plane. In the car. Waiting to get sleepy. And, most recently, waiting for writing inspiration. This book spoke to me in ways I couldn’t begin to put into words. I needed this book, and perhaps this was God’s own way of stepping into my own waiting place.
This book made me cry. This book made me laugh. This book made me think. More importantly, though, it made me reflect on my own life and my own various waiting places. The ones I’ve been in… and the ones I am in right now.
I highly recommend this book to anyone and everyone. I will be reaching for it again and again myself.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the 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 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
Lucy Wiltshire is a strong, independent woman who runs a non-profit organization helping young women who have graduated out of “the system” and who are basically left on the streets. Alex Sinclair is a former NFL superstar who is now running for Congress. When unlikely pair find themselves needing each other — Lucy needing funds to help keep her organization open, and Alex needs something to make him more appealing to voters — a plan is hatched. If Lucy will pose as Alex’s fiancee, he will give her the money she needs.
Save the Date follows this duo through their fake engagement and the ups and downs it brings with it, everything from matters of the heart, matters of family and matters of faith.
I officially have a new book in my top ten favorite books of all time. This book made me laugh out loud. It made me cry at times. It made me think. And it sucked me into Lucy and Alex’s world. Whenever I would get a chance to sit down and read, I would easily read multiple chapters in one sitting… and I’d have to force myself to put it down.
As I said, it made me laugh with witty banter between the characters. I cried along with the characters as heartaches occurred. However, its in matters of faith and God that made me think about my own life and how I handled various situations. At the end of the book is a “Group Reading Guide,” that asks multiple thought-provoking questions based on the story. Its worth going through those questions and reflecting on each one. It takes the book from just being an entertaining piece of fiction to a wonderfully inspiring piece of literature.
Without a doubt, I recommend this book to anyone and everyone… heck, I can’t wait to read it again myself!!
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the 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 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
When I opened Faithful by Kim Cash Tate for the first time, I never expected it to suck me in as hard as it did. I read half the book in two days, and I became so wrapped up in it that I had to literally force myself to put it down and live my own life!
The individual and entwined stories of Cydney, Dana and Phyllis made me think of my own girlfriends, appreciate my marriage, and see God’s love through all things — even in the most trying times of life.
Tate fleshes out the stories of these three women who are all at different stages of life — one single at 40, one dealing with an unfaithful husband, and another struggling with her husband’s lack of faith in God — with a care and realism that can be hard to find in any type of fiction, much less in romantic fiction. Furthermore, the religious side of the book never felt heavy-handed. It is instead woven into the plot line with an ease and realism that I really appreciated, and that also made it a key factor in each woman’s story.
I was drawn into the story completely, always wanting to know what happened next, wanting to see how these women dealt with each of their “issues.” The characters became like friends to me, and I found myself going through their many emotions right along with them. That fact alone is the mark of a great book and a talented author. As such, this book is definitely the a short list of books I am sure to read again and again in the future!
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their 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 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
When I finish a book and it has little post it notes sticking out of it, its a visual affirmation of the impact it has made on me. When I finished The Right to Lead by John C. Maxwell, it had inherited multiple post-it notes, and I can guaranteed it won’t be gathering dust on my bookshelf.
…rely on the rock of discipline, not the shifting sand of emotion. p. 8
Proof that a book doesn’t have to be 500 pages long to be powerful, this book packs its punch in its 121 pages. Leadership is broken down into the seven characteristics that help make a good leader: action, vision, sacrifice, risk, determination, service and integrity.Filled with quotes, bible verses and historical stories, each chapter’s message reaches out to the reader in a clear and concise manner.
As you read the book, you not only learn about the seven characteristics of a leader, you learn in detail about great leaders of the past. Some are names we’ve all heard about since we were kids. Others are names that are brand new. All of them undeniable leaders that today’s aspiring leaders should study and learn about.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone in a leadership position, anyone looking to move into leadership or even anyone who needs help understanding and supporting a leader. I could not be happier to have this book now; I know it will be staying on my desk at all times! It’s a place to turn in a moment of doubt or weakness; guaranteed to give you the boost you need to push forward in any leadership role.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their 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 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
I’ve been working on this book for several months, and at the end of it I find myself with a serious love/hate relationship with it.
Patsy Clairmont presents the book of Proverbs in a quirky and fun way. Each Proverb is given its own chapter (2 – 3 pages long), in which it is analyzed in a quirky way that will make you laugh and appreciate it. Then she gives the reader a series of “Bits & Pieces” questions to help bring that same Proverb into the reader’s life. At the end of the chapter, other Bible verses are given that tie it all together neatly.
What I love about this book is that it is written in such a relaxed manner. Each chapter is short and makes for a great daily devotional to start or end the day.
Like the name implies, it twists Proverbs around into a colorful display. One that is enjoyable, and will make the reader really appreciate the verse as something to apply to their own life. You’ll laugh. You’ll really think. You’ll end the book with a new thought process.
However, again as the name implies, I never felt the book had a true path. I, personally, prefer a book that makes me want to pick it up every free chance I have, because I know its going to carry on to the next level. This book felt too random, and my urge to pick it up after I set it down just didn’t exist. I found myself forcing myself to open it and read. I would appreciate it as I read it, but if I wasn’t actively reading it, I really had no urge to do so.
In the end, I would give this book a solid 3 stars out of 5. Excellent topic, and a fun approach to it. However, not a book I foresee myself reading again.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their 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 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
We all have bad days. We all have good days. We all say hello. We all say good bye. We all have sunshine. We all have rainy days. The hope is that we each have enough of all of these to live a full and joyful life.
That concept is the basis of the gift book, I Wish You Enough by Bob Perks.
Based on a wish shared in an airport, the book explores 8 elements needed to find true happiness.
Sun. Rain. Happiness. Pain. Gain. Loss.Hello. Good-bye.
These opposing elements are explored through short stories to show how they all come together to fill ones life with happiness and appreciation. Anyone who has ever experienced strife in their life should have a copy of this book within reach to remind them that it is even within our tough times that we can find strength and appreciation for the good times.
The book is short and an easy read. Every chapter, every page, is like a greeting card to the reader with each story containing a message pierces your heart and transforms your thoughts. Definitely taking the reader on a spiritual journey (each story even ends with a bible verse that is just the perfect bow on top of the story’s gift!), I read it on a recent business flight. Upon landing my location had not only changed, but so had my attitude and outlook on life. I wanted to hand every person around me a copy of the book. I highly recommend I Wish You Enough as a gift for a friend or just a gift for yourself.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their 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.”
