A Peek Inside: Books and Reading

Showing posts with label Books and Reading. Show all posts

Thursday, December 29, 2011

2011 List of Books I Read

Friday, September 23, 2011

Ascent From Darkness by Michael Leehan

I think it's something that all Christians wonder about. What would it be like to be under the influence and power of Satan. How dark and dreary that world must be.

Michael Leehan has written a book about his life and Satan worship. He is now a saved man, going to church in the very one that Satan had told him to attack and kill the pastor. Michael writes about his choice to follow Satan and the automatic distance he felt from the God that he didn't believe in when he opened those doors.

This book is written with powerful emotion and stark honesty. Even though the subject and some of the things that I read about are scary, some horrifying, it was a good book to read. It fills that natural curiosity enough that you don't really wonder anymore.

The story of Ascent From Darkness talks about the power and unending love of our Lord Jesus. Jesus has power over Satan and his devils. He always loves us and will gladly forgive us, beckoning us back to Him with open arms.

The appendix included in this book is very interesting material because it is testimonies written by Michael's friends or people that knew of his lifestyle and changes. I think it's interesting to have someone else's outlook on his situation included in the book.

This review is all of my own thoughts and ideas. I received this book to review with my honest opinions from Booksneeze and Thomas Nelson books.

Thursday, September 22, 2011

Fall Into Reading 2011 Reading List

I really love this reading challenge and I have done it for the past 3 years I think. It's a challenge to me to make a list for this short time and try to actually follow it, while following my reading plans for the year.

My list this year is as follows:

Sept 23 - 20

Life in Spite of my by Tricia Goyer
Junie B. Jones and a Little Monkey Business by Barbara Park
A book that starts with K that I haven't found yet.

October

Ascent From Darkness by Michael Leehan
The Mammoth Hunters by Jean M. Auel
A book for my book reviews
Just a Minute (from Edelweiss reader, not sure about the author right now)
Listen (on my Kindle PC)

November

Glorious Appearing by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins
Plains of Passage by Jean M. Auel
A book review
A book review
5 Conversations You Must Have w/Your Daughter (Edelweiss reader)

December

After the Leaves Fall (Kindle PC)
Young Fu of the Upper Yangtze by Elizabeth Foreman Lewis
The Last Jihad by Joel C. Rosenberg
A book Review
Book that starts with X
Book that starts with Z

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Go Big by Cory Cotton Book Review

Before I started reading the book I felt good things about it. For one thing, I liked the design and the lay out of the book. The colors are vibrant on the cover and the inside pages even have a little bit of color to them, even if it is just orange and gray. Six pages into the book and I have to go and check out some of these Dude Perfect videos on YouTube.

And lucky me, I was fortunate enough to find the very first video that they created, which I actually read about in those first 6 pages. And if I do this video embedding thing right, it's here:
<iframe width="560" height="345" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/PD6eQY7yCfw" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

And I watched and liked this one too:
<iframe width="560" height="345" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/0n4tqhBd0h4" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

As you read this book you will enjoy hearing about their amazing story of how they started Dude Perfect and the awesome shots they do. I appreciate the fact that Corey is honest about how hard some of these moments were. You can almost imagine yourself there, at each shot that he describes.

If you want to read a book that will inspire you and teach you, this is the book to read! I am glad that I chose this book to review!! I would recommend this book to anyone, not just those looking to start their own business. I think the tips and tricks learned in this book can help a person on any path in life.

I was given this book from Tyndale Books and all I had to do was read it and write this post with my own thoughts and opinions. They are all MY opinions!

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

With Book Review by Skye Jethani

Skye Jethani has broken down our relationships with God. According to him, most people are in one of these categories:Life Under God, Life Over God, Life From God and Life For God.

He explains each of these different ways that we commune with God throughout his book. Jethani also includes illustrations that he has come up with to help those who learn visually and they are added to help you learn yourself or explain to someone else.

One of my favorite quotes that are on the book is by Margaret Feinberg, the author of Spiritual Rhythm. She says:

You can't read this book and not see yourself and others differently!

There are some points in this book that I am not sure that I agree with. And I will admit that there were some times when I was confused on the point that was being made.

The book includes Appendix A and B with some very useful information in those sections! Appendix A is written on communing with God. Appendix B is a discussion section that includes questions for you to discuss with others in a group setting or with a friend. You could also discuss those questions with yourself for further growth if you don't have another person to read it with!

I received this book for free from Booksneeze.com in exchange for my own opinions.

Monday, August 8, 2011

The Remnant by Tim LaHaye & Jerry B. Jenkins Book Review

Talk about action packed! Missiles, fighter jets, sneaking around, darkness, burning sun and so much more! The Remnant is living up to the rest of the series for sure! This is the tenth book in the series. I only have 2 left to read!

The imagination of these two authors is great and awes me. I understand that they get the basic facts from the Bible. But then to be able to see that in real life! That is talent to me. I just love reading their books. It's definitely entertaining.

I only have two more books to finish for my reading challenge!

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Winnie Book #1 Wild Thing Book Review

I just finished reading this book last night. Winnie by Dandi Daley Mackall is a Christian horse fiction for young readers. The character, Winnie Willis, is a 12 year old lover of horses. She knows her stuff to!

There was one disturbing part that I felt should have been kept out. When Winnie takes a job answering questions about horses through email, she decides to open up to a customer called Hawk. She tells this stranger more than I think she should at 12 years old.

Other than that part, the book was good. I can't say excellent, I have read better horse books. I like that there were Bible verses used in the book and references to how much God loves us.

All in all, this is a book I will keep for my daughter to read. We may even have to get the rest of the series!

Disclaimer: This book was given to me by Tyndale to read and review with my own honest opinion.

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

A Place Called Blessing Book Review

http://booksneeze.com/art/_140_245_Book.445.cover.jpg

This was a GREAT book! Now I have to be careful what I say so I don't spoil anything for anyone who wants to read it. YOU SHOULD TOTALLY READ THIS BOOK!!

One of the best books that I have read in a long time. This story is unbelievable and well written.

A book written to prove each person's worth in this world. God has a purpose for us all. Everything happens for a reason. Most of us don't get to see what happens in the bigger picture. A Place Called Blessing puts that all into perspective.

I definitely recommend this read to EVERYONE!

WHY HAVEN'T YOU READ IT YET?

Disclaimer: This book was given to me to review with my own opinions by BookSneeze.com.

Love and War by John & Stasi Eldredge Book Review

I tried really hard to like this book. I just couldn't. It was just way to slow or something for me.

I did find some interesting points in the book. One was that children of divorced families don't fare in life as well as children who grew up with a family intact. But that was a statistic that most people are already aware of I think.

Another interesting point that I liked was this quote:

We want to be able to offer something to our spouses out of a full heart, and not merely bring them our need.

That is always a good reminder to me. I tend to just want want want out of my marriage. I have to remind myself that I have to do some things for him too.

It's not all about me!

That's what I always tell the kids. "It's not all about you!"

I'm sure there are many readers out there that will enjoy this book and use it to help their marriage grow in Christ.

Disclaimer: I received this book free from Waterbrook Press books to read and write my own review. The opinions are all my own and were in no way swayed by anyone or anything but my honest feelings.

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Imaginary Jesus by Matt Mikalatos Book Review

This was a very odd book. The story was very out there for me. There were Jesuses popping up all over the place. Meticulous Jesus, Traditional Jesus, New Age Jesus, Free Will Jesus and lots more. It was all very confusing.

I think that the point of this story is that we need to get to know the REAL Jesus. Not ones that we make up in our mind to fit the image or thoughts that we want. We need to search for Him and only follow that Jesus.

I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone to read though. I think if someone is searching for Jesus, this book would only add to the confusion. There is not a whole lot more I can say about this book.

Disclaimer: I received this book free from Tyndale Books in exchange for my honest review. These thoughts are my own.

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Desecration by Tim Lahaye & Jerry B. Jenkins Book Review

This is book nine of the Left Behind series by authors Tim Layahe and Jerry B. Jenkins. In all there are 12 books. The action and truth packed into these books are so exciting!

Desecration tells the story of the remaining Jews that are still alive after the 3 1/2 years that started the Tribulation period. God, of course, is going to protect the Jews and get them to the land of safety. How this is done is edge-of-your-seat-exciting!

Chaim Rosenzweig is now posing as Micah, and leads the People out of the Antichrist's grasp and into safety. Rayford is flying helicopters and shooting high powered auxiliary that takes his hearing away. I won't be a spoiler and tell you the miraculous way that he gets his hearing back though, you'll have to find that out for yourself. Chloe is bored and tired of being left behind and goes out for her own adventure.

The story opens with the verse that ended The Mark, book eight. Those who have received the mark of the Antichrist suffer from those boils and in places it is funny.

Then I heard a loud voice from the temple saying to the seven angels, 'Go and pour out the bowls of the wrath of God on the earth.' So the first went and poured out his bowl upon the earth, and a foul and loathsome sore came upon the men who had the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. Revelation 16:1-2

I thoroughly enjoy these books and am anxiously waiting to read the other three!

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

No He Can't Book Review by Kevin McCullough

No He Can't by Kevin McCullough

This book had a lot of useful information in it. Many things about Barack Obama that I did not know. After learning those things, it opened my eyes more to the type of man and leader he is. But this post isn't about my opinions of Obama, it's about the book

I have to say I was excited to read a book that told "how Barack Obama is dismantling hope and change". But Kevin McCullough was very negative throughout the whole book. I understand it is a book about what Obama does wrong, but I think it was more the way that McCullough said things. He repeated a lot of stuff too.

It took me a long time to get through this book because of the way that it was written. I wanted to know how Obama was dismantling our country, but this just doesn't seem the right book for me. However I did find some good information in it.

All in all, I don't know if I would recommend this book to someone else. Maybe someone with more political knowledge or more patience with reading governmental subjects.

Disclaimer: This book was given to me to review with my own opinions by BookSneeze.com. My opinion has not been swayed in any way, shape, or form. It's all my own.

Saturday, May 14, 2011

Praying for Your Future Husband by Robin Jones Gunn & Tricia Goyer Book Review

Before I start gushing about the book, I want to explain why, as a married woman, I wanted to read it. A couple of years ago, I found a Christian author online named Tricia Goyer. I really don't remember how I found her, but it may have been on Facebook. I just remember that I really liked her, right away.

I waited and waited for the Walmart near my house to get one of her books in. I was looking for Love Finds You in Lonesome Prairie Montana which she wrote with Ocieanna Fleiss. If you're interested in this book, check it out here. I had to go to another Walmart to finally find it. I read that book and just fell in love.

I have been waiting for the chance to get another book that Tricia Goyer wrote, but have not been able to. But here was my chance! I had a chance to pick a book for a review from Multnomah books and one of my options was Praying for Your Future Husband by Tricia Goyer and Robin Jones Gunn. So I grabbed the opportunity!

I also have an 8 year old daughter, who will one day be old enough to read this book and give her the basic principles for praying for her future husband.

Now onto the book gushing:

Praying for Your Future Husband was a book that was very hard to put down! The first night I read 86 pages and stayed awake until nearly 1am trying to read as much as I could. My eyes were so heavy that I thought weights were hanging from my lids.

I'm going to start with the appearance of the book so I can make sure to hit every part!

The cover was very catching and refreshing. The young lady is in a field of wheat(?), soaking in the sun while praying under a blue summer sky. Definitely a book that catches your eye! I also loved the size. It was very light and easy to fit in my purse.

The format and decorations of the inside were also very pleasing to my eye. The pages have feminine touches on them and are extremely inviting. How I would have loved to read this book when I was a young lady. And what good it would have done me!

The book includes 12 chapters of different topics that a young lady can pray for her future husband. I think all of these could also apply to older ladies who are still waiting. The story of each author flowed from chapter to chapter as they touched upon topics such as praying for his heart, praying for protection, praying for strength, praying that he will be a God lover and praying for commitment.

Along with the personal touches that each author adds they have included a list in each chapter. In the chapter Pray He Will Be a God Lover, for example, there is a list telling you exactly how to pray for that, like praying

that both of you will set your hearts and your affections fully on the Lord.

Each chapter also has testimonies from other women and prayers to recite to guide you along your praying journey. At the end of each chapter there are discussion questions that can be answered in a group or used as personal enrichment.

This is a book that I rate with 5 stars and would personally recommend for any single woman, young or old, who are waiting for that special love to come into their life. You can go directly to Tricia Goyer's website to order this book.

I was given this book to review with my honest opinion from Multnomah Books.