Book Blast: Seeing the Life

Seeing The Life
By Sophie Dawson

About the Book

Seeing The Life is a look at the life of Yeshua the Christ in a way never used before. Dassa, the daughter of the innkeeper, is sent to fetch the midwife to help the young woman in the stable give birth. She and Mary become close friends as do Micah, her fiance then husband, and Joseph. Separated when the young family flees Bethlehem in the night, their friendship resumes several years later in Jerusalem.

Dassa and Micah know Yeshua is special, but he is still a boy with a boy's interests and love of life. Through the years the families, though separated most of the year, spend time together in Jerusalem during the Jewish Festivals. Then Yeshua begins speaking and teaching.

Micah, Joseph of Arimethea, their sons and others who follow and believe Yeshua's message. Yet do they really understand it? Is he the long awaited messiah who will free the Jews from the grip of Rome? What do the stories he tells really mean?

Seeing The Life sees the life of Yeshua within the social and political culture of the time. Not only do we see his ministry but also his family and friendships as he grew. Yeshua was a normal baby who cried, spit up, wet and messed. He was a child who fell and skinned his knees. He lost his baby teeth. He had siblings. He had friends. My goal was to show the humanness of Yeshua's life. We see him as fully God but often miss that he was fully man, boy and baby also.

LINK to KINDLE | LINK to PAPERBACK

Sophie Dawson is Midwestern born and bred and is the author of several novels, including the Cottonwood Series and Stone Creek Series. Her novel Healing Love has won three awards: AuthorStand 2012 Gold Medal, Indiebook 2012 Silver Medal, and Readers' Favorite 2013 Silver Medal. Giving Love was a finalist in Readers' Favorite 2013. Her books have also been #1 Best Sellers in their genre on Amazon. Seeing The Life is a finalist in Readers' Favorite Awards 2014. She is a member of Christian Independent Authors and Association of Independent Authors. An award-winning quilter with eclectic interests, Dawson posts to several blogs, including Little Bits Blog on her website, and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from Iowa Wesleyan College.

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National Young Reader's Day: My Favorite Bedtime Stories

In honor of National Young Reader's day, today I am posting about my favorite bedtime story/stories. Casper, an innovative memory foam mattress company, has inspired me to post about my favorite bedtime stories and to write about why they had an impact on me.

I have many favorite bedtime stories.  There are two categories of stories that I remember most from my childhood: Dr. Seuss books and stories that my parents made up.  I love Dr. Seuss books because they rhyme, they are hilarious, they are easy to remember, and they invoke imagination in children.  Some of my greatest memories are when my parents read to me before I went to sleep.

My all time favorite bedtime stories as a child were the ones that my parents made up.  I remember stories of "Princess Jessica" and Winnie the Pooh (one of my all time favorite characters).  I remember stories about knights and stories about fairies.  My parents created the best stories because they were relevant to me and to my favorite things.

Parents, if you have young children remember to be creative and make your own bedtime stories.  Don't worry about being silly or the stories being stupid; young kids will love any time and effort that you put into making them happy.  The bedtime stories that left the biggest impression on me were not the books with pictures, but the stories that my parents told that evoked mental pictures of my own creation.

Casper asked me to write a post about my favorite bedtime stories.  I received no compensation for writing this post.

Book Blast and Review: Trying to Outrun the Love of God by Karen Adams

Book Title: Trying to Outrun the Love of God, 

by Karen Adams

Publisher: CSN Books

Author The Author

Karen Adams survived childhood molestation, 7 years of crack addiction, 4 nervous breakdown, two admissions to mental wards of hospitals against her will. She is now an Evangelist who teaches and preaches on the transforming love of God. She has a burden for emotional wounded and hurting people. She attended college at all of the Alameda County Jr. Colleges. In her free time she enjoys, traveling, movies, reading and spending time with her cat Noches and her Cockatiel birdy.

About The Book

How can God reach someone who appears unreachable? Will the love of God be enough to break every chain and loose the trap of the enemy? In her debut book, Author Karen Adams struggles to understand how a loving God would allow life to be so unbearable. Facing childhood molestation, years of crack addiction, nervous breakdowns, and admissions to mental wards, she learned that no matter how difficult life was, God continued to extend His love. Trying to Outrun the Love of God, is a deeply moving story of one woman’s journey filled with suffering and pain, but one that ultimately finds wholeness and deliverance in the arms of a loving Savior. A must read for all those who think they are alone.

My Review

I received an electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.  This in no way influenced my review.

Karen Adam shares a wonderful testimony in Trying to Outrun the Love of God.  She shows how no matter what you have done and no matter what life has brought you through God will ALWAYS love you.  Nothing can separate you from his love!

I sincerely enjoyed Karen Adam's testimony, but I wish that the book had been written in chronological order.  I found her story a bit confusing at times, but overall it was a great message that everyone needs to hear.  I am glad that I read her testimony and I am sure it will influence all that will read this book as much as it has influenced me!

And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.  

-Revelation 12:11 

Buy Link:

Publisher: http://csnbooks.net/

Social Link

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Children's Book Review Tuesdays: Dying to Meet You by Kate Klise

Book Title: Dying to Meet You

Series Title: 43 Old Cemetery Road (Book 1)

Author: Kate Klise

Publish Date: April 6, 2009

Genre: Middle Grade Paranormal

About the Book (from Goodreads):  

Enter at your own risk: You might just DIE laughing.

The best-selling author Ignatius B. Grumply moves into the Victorian mansion at 43 Old Cemetery Road, hoping to find some peace and quiet so that he can crack a wicked case of writer's block.

But 43 Old Cemetery Road is already occupied--by an eleven-year-old boy named Seymour, his cat, Shadow, and an irritable ghost named Olive.

And they have no intention of sharing!

Why I Read this Book: I saw this at my local Goodwill and thought that it would be wonderful for Dewey's Readathon that I participated in last week.

 

Review

This book was pun-y!  Dying to Meet You is written in the form of letters and newspaper articles.  It contains incredibly cute illustrations.  This book would be perfect for anyone wanting a fun read that makes you laugh out loud.  It is a perfect read for Halloween.  It teaches you the importance of being nice and helping others.  I hope that I can read the rest of the series very soon!

 

Final Statements

Recommended Reading Age: Any

Overall Rating: 5/5

Book Review: A God for All Seasons by Patti Tingen

Book Title: A God for All Seasons

Author: Patti Tingen

Publish Date: August 1, 2012

Genre: Christian Inspirational

About the Book (from Goodreads):  

As nature's seasons change, so too do the seasons of our soul. But God's love never changes. He is with us through every season of our lives. Join author Patti Tingen in a year of exploration as she reflects on her own spiritual journey, and provides hope and encouragement for yours - month by month, season by season. Find reassurance and pause for reflection in the inspirational readings for each month of the year.

Why I Read this Book: I was given a physical copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.  This in no way influenced my review.

 

Review

Filled with personal experience and inspiration, A God for All Seasons is a wonderful inspirational book.  I loved Patti Tingen's use of personal stories to illustrate her points of discussion.  I enjoyed her allegories to the changing weather as advise for our spiritual seasons.  Her theme of God's love never changing is a great inspiration for any and every season in your life.  If you are looking for encouragement through God's word and His promises, I would advise you to pick this book up and see how He changes your life.

 

Final Statements

Recommended Reading Age: Any

Overall Rating: 5/5

Book Review: Leaving by Karen Kingsbury

Book Title: Leaving

Author:  Karen Kingsbury

Publish Date: March 22, 2011

 Why I Read this Book: I listened to the audiobook version of this book that I received from my local library.

 

 

 

 

 

Review

This book has not only entertained me, but it has also encouraged me.  It has taught me and encouraged me to rely on God and to trust in His promises.  It has taught me how to deal with change which is an important lesson in my life right now as I prepare to graduate from undergraduate school and go onto graduate school. 

Leaving is a third person narrative following three characters.  I loved all three perspectives. Leaving is relevant to my life right now because it is about a girl that is around my age (young 20s) and finding out what God has for her future.  Bailey is seeking for both financial assurance through a career and the guy that God has prepared for her.  It also follows Cody, Bailey's ex-boyfriend, and all that God has for him in a coaching career.  And finally, it follows a woman whose husband is suffering from a lung disease due to his time as a firefighter at the World Trade Center on 9/11.

I loved all of the characters and their stories.  I loved that it was full of drama, but seemed realistic enough to happen in real life.  I loved that it evoked emotions and left me wanting to cry.  I would recommend this to anyone wanting a great inspirational story about finding God's purpose in your life.

Final Statements

Recommended Reading Age: Any

Overall Rating: 4/5

Dewey's Read-a-Thon: Closing Meme and Wrap-Up

End of Event Meme:

1. Which hour was most daunting for you?
I took a 3 hour nap around the beginning of hour 18.
2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year?
If you like middle-grade, "Dying to Meet You" by Kate Klise was really interesting!  I also loved the first two novellas in the Year of Weddings novella series.
3. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year?
I loved the read-a-thon and I cannot think of any ways that it could be improved.
4. What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon?
I loved being a cheerleader and being cheered.  It was really motivating seeing everyone's progress and having others cheering for you. I would read for about 30 minutes to an hour at a time and then take breaks to cheer others.
5. How many books did you read?
3 middle-grade books, 2 novellas, and a graphic novel
6. What were the names of the books you read?

Middle-grade

• Dying to Meet You by Kate Klise (43 Old Cemetery Road Series, Book 1)
• The Tiger Rising by Kate DiCamillo
• The Tower Treasure (Hardy Boys Series, Book 1)

Novellas

• A December Bride by Denise Hunter (A Year of Weddings Novella Series, Novella 1)
• A January Bride by Deborah Raney (A Year of Weddings Novella Series, Novella 2)

Graphic Novel

• Lola by J. Torres and Elbert Or 

7. Which book did you enjoy most?
I loved all of them except Lola.
8. Which did you enjoy least?
Lola
9. If you were a Cheerleader, do you have any advice for next year’s Cheerleaders?
It was a lot of fun!  Try to just hang out and chat with others about what they are reading.
10. How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time?
I will participate in as many of Dewey's 24 Hour Read-a-Thons as I can.  I would be a reader and a cheerleader.

My goals for this readathon were to read 1 graphic novel, 1 novella, and 1 book I recieved for review.  I completed all these goals and ended up reading actively for 8.5 hours and reading approximately  848 pages. The novellas were e-books and I used the estimated pages from Amazon to determine page counts.  The time that I was not reading I spent cheering others.  I only took a 3 hour nap during the run of the read-a-thon.  I had so much fun and cannot wait for the next Dewey's read-a-thon.

Dewey's 24 Hour Readathon: Mid-Event Survey and Progress

Mid-Event Survey:
1. What are you reading right now?
The Tiger Rising by Kate DiCamillo 2. How many books have you read so far?
I have completed 1 middle-grade paranormal (Dying to Meet You by Kate Klise), 1 clean adult romance novella (A December Bride, Denise Hunter), and one YA graphic novel (Lola by J. Torres and Elbert Or) and I am 3/4 finished with The Tiger Rising, a middle-grade book.  I also DNF a YA graphic novel (Orcs: Forged for War by Stan Nichoils and Joe Flood) after reading 62 pages. 3. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-thon?
I am not sure what I am going to read yet.  I am pretty excited to finish the book that I am currently reading though. 4. Have you had many interruptions? How did you deal with those?
I have taken breaks and had a few interuptions, but I just get back to reading afterwards and do not worry about the time I didn't spend reading or cheering. 5. What surprises you most about the Read-a-thon, so far?
It surprises me how much time I have spent on Twitter.  I have really enjoyed Tweeting and cheering for others.

It is the half way mark of the read-a-thon and I have read for a total of 4 hours and 6 minutes.  I have also cheered and read others blogs when I was not reading.  I have not spent much of my time today doing things that were not read-a-thon related.  I have read a total of 523 pages so far.

How have you done on the read-a-thon?  Are you having fun?  I'd love to read your comments below :)
 

Dewey's Read-A-Thon: Opening Meme

Opening Meme:

1) What fine part of the world are you reading from today?
The wonderful state of Georgia in the USA
2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to?
I am looking forward to...all of them!
3) Which snack are you most looking forward to?
I do not really have snacks planned out, but I will most likely have my favorite snack: yogurt.
4) Tell us a little something about yourself!
I am a Christian who loves to read fantasy, clean romance stories, and any other clean novel that I can get my hands on :)
5) If you participated in the last read-a-thon, what’s one thing you’ll do different today? If this is your first read-a-thon, what are you most looking forward to?
This is my first Dewey's read-a-thon and I am really looking forward to cheering! Go #TeamBronte!

Dewey's 24 Hour Read-a-Thon: Grab Pile (TBR pile)

It's time for another post about DEWEY'S 24 HOUR READ-A-THON! Can you tell I am excited?

Today's post is about my reading goals.  In case you missed it, I already discussed my overall goals for this read-a-thon and my reading goals.













As for my TBR pile, I have a list of books that I might read during the read-a-thon.  I like to have a number of books that I can choose from, so I have a large pile.  I do not expect to read all of these books during the read-a-thon.  My current TBR list can be found on my Goodreads shelf.  Here are the books that I am picking from for this read-a-thon:

Graphic Novels:

Christian Fantasy (received from author for review):

Clean romance novellas (from Netgalley):

Christian Nonfiction (from Netgalley):

Children's Fiction (from Netgalley):

Fantasy (Escape was given to me from the author for review):

Other:

Book Recommendations for Readathons

In honor of Dewey's 24 Hour Read-a-Thon this weekend, this post is all about book recommendations that are perfect for read-a-thons.  I have not participated in a 24 hour read-a-thon before, but I have participated in several week (or longer) read-a-thons.

All of the graphic novels based on Ted Dekker books are amazing!  I gave an average of 4.3 to the The Circle graphic novel series (3 volumes) and an average of 4.25 to The Lost Books graphic novel series (4 volumes).  They are all very fast paced Christian fantasy/scifi novels.  Although they are Christian novels, these would be great for fantasy lovers also.

If you love children's fiction, you should check out the Eve Hallows series!  I gave 5 stars to all of these books!  They are a fun addition to your Halloween reads.  Eve has lived in Gravesville (with all the monsters) but has to move to the human world as part of her parent's job relocation and she is not happy.  She has to find a way to adjust to the happiness of the human world and the unusual behaviors that they have.

If you love YA contemporary novels, you should check out Appaloosa Summer.  I gave this book a 5/5 stars.  This was the cutest novel that I have read is a while.  The main character is Meg who is 16 and loves riding horses.  Her horse dies during a show and she has to learn how to deal with the grief.  She tries to escape her grief by working at a B&B over the summer where she meets Jared Strickland who is also grieving from the loss of his father.

A Ripple Effect Romance novella series would be a great choice if you love clean adult romance novels!  Although they can be a little cheesy and predictable, all of these novellas left me with a warm fussy feeling.  They are also great because they are quick reads at around 100-150 pages each.  The first novella is currently free on Amazon and the complete series is $7.99 on Amazon (all e-books).  I gave this 6 book series an average of  4.5/5 stars.

If you are looking for a Christian fiction novel, I would recommend either of William Sirls novels,  The Reason or The Sinner's Garden.  They are both fast-paced and emotion-provoking.  I gave both of these stand-alones 5/5 stars.

Finally, if you enjoy YA paranormal with lots of action packed fighting, I would recommend The Unbounded series!  I have read the first book and I am in the middle of the second one.  I gave the first one 4/5 stars.  These are a little lengthly (over 300 pages) but well worth it!  It is a quick read due to how much action is in the series.

Are you signed up for Dewey's Read-a-Thon?  It is next Saturday (Oct. 18), so there is still plenty of time to sign-up! If you are not signed up and wish to do so, visit the reader's sign-up page. If you are signed up for the read-a-thon, what are your goals?  I would love to hear about your read-a-thon progress during and after the read-a-thon!

Dewey's 24 Hour Read-a-Thon (Saturday, October 18th): Reading Goals

It's time for another post about DEWEY'S 24 HOUR READ-A-THON! Can you tell I am excited?

Today's post is about my reading goals.  In case you missed it, I already discussed my overall goals for this read-a-thon.

 My reading goals are not going to be too detailed this go around because I have never participated in a 24 hour read-a-thon before.  I have done a few weekly ones (Bout of Books and such) and also a two week readathon, but never a 24 hour one.  Therefore, I am keeping my goals light this time in order to make sure that I don't push my self beyond my limits and instead let myself have a little fun!

Without further delay, here are my reading goals:

1. Read one graphic novel
2. Read one book that I have received for review
3. Read one novella

That is it!  What do you think?  What are your reading goals for this readathon?  What books would you suggest that I read?  I am hoping to read short-ish books and/or books that are fast paced.
Are you signed up for Dewey's Read-a-Thon?  It is next Saturday (Oct. 18), so there is still plenty of time to sign-up! If you are not signed up and wish to do so, visit the reader's sign-up page. If you are interested in being a cheerleader, please visit this page.  If you are signed up for the read-a-thon, what are your goals?  I would love to hear about your read-a-thon progress during and after the read-a-thon!

If you would like to know my TBR before the read-a-thon, check back on Friday (Oct. 17th).

Children's Book Review Tuesdays: Rhoda's Rock Hunt

Book Title: Rhoda's Rock Hunt

Author:  Molly Beth Griffin

Illustrator: Jennifer Bell

Publish Date: October 2014

 Why I Read this Book: I received a free copy of this book for review purposes from Edelweiss.  This in no way influenced my review.

 

 

 

 

 

Review

I can really relate to this book.  Rhoda is a girl who loves to collect rocks, but finds herself wanting to keep too many of them.  She cannot take all of them home because they are too heavy, so what does she decide to do?  Read this cute book filled with beautifully colorful illustrations and a wonderfully crafted story to find out.

Final Statements

Recommended Reading Age: Any

Overall Rating: 4/5

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone Discussion (SPOILERS)

This is a discussion post about Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone which contains SPOILERS.  If you would like to read my spoiler free review, please follow this link.

The last time that I read Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone from start to finish was probably in third grade (about 13 years ago, right after this first movie came out).  Since then, I have read segments of the book several times. I love the puzzles and the final scene with Dumbledore, so I have read those scenes numerous times.  Does anyone else do this with books that you love? I enjoy re-reading my favorite scenes without going back and re-reading the whole book.

Upon re-reading the first book, there was one thing that I really noticed.  I had always thought of the Harry Potter series as more of a young adult series rather than a middle grade series because of the dark themes in the last few books, but when I was reading the first book again I realized that the writing style towards the beginning of the series is definitely more like a middle grade book.  This is when I realized an amazing thing that J.K. Rowling has done with the Harry Potter series, whether intentional or unintentional I am not sure.  The Harry Potter series was not only a series that many people grew up with, but the series grows with its audience too.  The writing style starts off as more of a middle grade series and then progresses to a young adult series.  The last two books may even be compared to an adult fantasy series.  ( I will have to analyze this further after I have re-read the whole series.   It has been about 7ish years since I read the 7th book).  Has anyone else noticed this too?  What are your thoughts about this?

Another amazing aspect of this series is the characters.  They are so well developed.  My favorite characters for this book would have to be Hagrid and Dumbledore.  Hagrid has always been one of my favorites because of his jolly attitude and his love for others.  He will stand up for those that he cares about (for instance when the Hagrid finds out that Harry does not know anything about the wizarding world).  Dumbledore's intelligence and wisdom have always put him at the top of my list of favorite characters.  As I said before, I love the scene at the end of the first book with Dumbledore after Harry wakes up in the hospital wing at Hogwarts.

I am going to end this post with a few of my favorite quotes from book 1 (taken from Goodreads).  What are some of your favorite quotes?  What is your favorite part of this series? Please comment with your thoughts below.


Dumbledore: “Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!”
― J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

Harry: "And what if I wave my wand and nothing happens?”
Ron: “Throw it away and punch him on the nose.”
― J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

Dumbledore: “To the well-organized mind, death is but the next great adventure.”
― J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone  

“No thanks,’ said Harry. ‘The poor toilet’s never had anything as horrible as your head down it – it might be sick.’ Then he ran, before Dudley could work out what he’d said.”
― J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone  

Dumbledore: “It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends.”
― J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone 

Dumbledore: “What happened down in the dungeons between you and Professor Quirrell is a complete secret, so, naturally the whole school knows.”
― J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone