Children's Book Review Tuesdays: Spiderwick Chronicles (Books 1 and 2)

Title: The Field Guide (Book 1) and The Seeing Stone (Book 2)

Series: The Spiderwick Chronicles

Authors: Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black

Publish Date: May 1, 2003

Genre: Children's Novels, Fantasy

Why I Read this Book: I re-read this book during Dewey's 24 Hour Readathon.

 

 

 

 

 About Book 1 (from Goodreads):  

When the three Grace children -- Mallory, Jared, and Simon -- and their mom move into Aunt Lucinda's old house, readers know there's magic afoot. The kids uncover a nest of assembled junk, and on a visit to the secret library via the dumbwaiter, Jared finds a note describing "my secret to all mankind." After a few mysterious pranks that get blamed on Jared, the boy finally digs up the real prize: Arthur Spiderwick's Field Guide to the Fantastical World Around You. Fortunately enough, the kids meet one of the critters listed in the guide -- a brownie named Thimbletack -- who makes it all "real" and helps provide the book's suspenseful conclusion: "'Throw the book away, toss it in a fire. If you do not heed, you will draw their ire.'"

Review

I first read this series when I was younger. I remember loving these books, but I could not remember why I loved them. After re-reading the first and second books during the Dewey's 24 Hour readathon, I fell in love with the books all over again.

The first book started to hold my attention after about page 30.  Each book is very fast paced and leaves you wanting more. The writing style reminds me of Lemony Snicket, who I also love. 

These books would be a great read for children who want to start reading chapter books. The language is great for a child; simple but enthralling. The plot is engaging. The series became even better in book 2 of the series. I hope to continue re-reading the whole series.

Final Statements

Recommended Reading Age: Any

Overall Rating: 5/5

Graphic Novel Review: Amulet (Vol. 1) by Kazu Kibuishi

Title: The Stone Keeper

Series: Amulet (Vol. 1)

Authors: Kazu Kibuishi 

Publish Date: January 1, 2008

Genre: Graphic Novel, Fantasy

Why I Read this Book: I read this book during Dewey's 24 Hour Readathon. I found this graphic novel at my local library and loved the cover.

 

 

About Book 1 (from Goodreads):  

Graphic novel star Kazu Kibuishi creates a world of terrible, man-eating demons, a mechanical rabbit, a giant robot---and two ordinary children on a life-or-death mission.

After the tragic death of their father, Emily and Navin move with their mother to the home of her deceased great-grandfather, but the strange house proves to be dangerous. Before long, a sinister creature lures the kids' mom through a door in the basement. Em and Navin, desperate not to lose her, follow her into an underground world inhabited by demons, robots, and talking animals.

Eventually, they enlist the help of a small mechanical rabbit named Miskit. Together with Miskit, they face the most terrifying monster of all, and Em finally has the chance to save someone she loves.

Review

The first thing that caught my eye about this book was the cover. I found the cover beautiful and intriguing. I immediately had high expectations from this book and I was not disappointed.

At first, I thought is strange that one of the main characters in a somewhat scary and extremely action packed graphic novel was a cute pink and white rabbit, but I fell in love with all of the characters in this book. They are all incredibly unique and quirky.

My favorite part of the first volume of this series was the action and the plot twists. I was held of the edge of my seat until the very last page. I cannot wait to read the rest of this amazing graphic novel series.

Final Statements

Recommended Reading Age: 10+ for intense action scenes

Overall Rating: 5/5

Rereadathon Challenge: What is your most read book?

As you may know, this week is the re-readathon, where you re-read some of your favorite books. I am taking a break from exams and doing a challenge for the re-readathon.

Here is the challenge (from the official post):

The thing I want to know is, do you have a book that you read over and over (or one that you collect multiple copies of)? Why do you read it so much? What is it that keeps you coming back to it? Basically I want to know whatever you want to tell me about this particular rereading experience!

 My most re-read book is probably the book of Esther from the Bible. I love that Esther stood up for her people (the Jews) even though she risked her life to do so. My husband and I collectively have about 10 or more copies of the Bible, in different translations.

My most re-read fiction book would be Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.  I have read this book around 5 times (maybe more). I own 5 copies of the book now: 2 UK paperbacks, 2 US paperbacks, and 1 US hardcover.  The US hardcover is special to me because my great-grandfather gave me the book when I was young and wrote a special message inside of the cover.  Sadly, he has passed away and that is a great memory that I have from him.

One reason that I have read this book so many times is I have the hopes of re-reading to whole series. I always start there and then almost never continue reading the series because I feel guilt about my TBR growing. Another reason is because J.K. Rowling is amazing! Enough said :)

What is your most read book? Please let me know in the comments or on Twitter (@blog_gal).

Re-readathon (May 4-10) Update Complete Thread

The re-readathon, hosted by An Armchair by the Sea, is happening this week. The goal is to re-read books you have previously read. More information can be found here.

Previously, I discussed my TBR grab pile. For this post, I plan to update it daily with my reading updates. For more frequent updates, follow my on Twitter (@blog_gal) or on Goodreads.

Day 1- Monday

I was not able to read any today due to working on my take-home final exams for college.

Day 2- Tuesday

I read 47% of a novella, A December Bride by Denise Hunter (approximately 42/88 pages).

Day 3- Wednesday

I completed the challenge for the day and participated in the twitter chat (woohoo!). Here is my challenge post.

I also read from 47% to 80% in A December Bride (approximately 29 pages today and 71/88 pages total).

Day 4-Thursday

I completed A December Bride (read approximately 17 pages).

I started A January Bride and read 9% (approximately 11 pages).

That's a Wrap

I was unable to read the rest of the days. I read a total of 99 pages during the readathon. Due to the week being busy, I am proud of my progress.

Re-readathon TBR Grab Pile

This week is the re-readathon, hosted by An Armchair By the Sea. The official post about the re-readathon can be found here. In this post, I talk about my TBR grab pile and goals. I have final exams this week and family coming in, but I hope to read some this week.

TBR Pile
I have a few books that I would like to re-read are novellas. Here they are:

The next set of books that I am thinking about re-reading is some of the Harry Potter series.  I just recently got a new set of them because these new covers are gorgeous and my old set is a little worn out. Check out my instagram post about it below:

My new #hp book set with the beautiful covers my husband bought me from amazon when they were on sale :) #bookhaul

A photo posted by Jessica Bradley (@blog_gal) on Apr 15, 2015 at 3:19pm PDT

So that is my TBR pile.  Are you joining in on the readathon? What are your goals? What are you reading this week?

Dewey's April 2015 Readathon Complete Post: All the Happenings from This Wonderful Day

Opening Meme
1) What fine part of the world are you reading from today?

I am reading from North Carolina in the awesome USA!

2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to?

All of them of course!

3) Which snack are you most looking forward to?

Reese's Pieces

4) Tell us a little something about yourself!

I am a biology graduate student that blogs about books in her free time. I am also a Christian, so I read a lot of christian fiction. I also love reading clean YA, children's novels, fantasy, and clean adult romance novels.

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?

I enjoyed the readathon so much last year that I think I'll do exactly the same: have fun :)

Hour 2 Mini Challenge: Classic Words of Wisdom

This hour's mini challenge is hosted by A Literary Odyssey and the challenge can be found here. Here is a quote about this hours challenge:

 So, for this challenge, you need to create a post highlighting your favorite "Classic Words of Wisdom" and then explain their meaning to you.

For this challenge, I thought of one of my favorite authors, C.S. Lewis. Here is one of my favorite quotes by him:

I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else. 

Hour 3 Mini Challenge: 4 Seasons 4 Books

The hour 3 mini challenge is hosted by Bart's Bookshelf and the challenge can be found here. In this challenge, you have to represent the four seasons with four books. Here is my entry:

#readathon hour 3 mini challenge. The bottom 2 are on my TBR for today :)

A photo posted by Jessica Bradley (@blog_gal) on Apr 25, 2015 at 7:20am PDT

Hour 7 Mini-Challenge

This challenge can be found here. For this challenge, I had to find 3 book covers: one with a tree, one with snow, and one with a weapon. Here is what I found:

#readathon #minichallenge Weapon: light saber from The Strange Case of Origami yoda Tree: background of The Sinners Garden Snow: cover of Son

A photo posted by Jessica Bradley (@blog_gal) on Apr 25, 2015 at 11:09am PDT

Mid-Event Survey
1. What are you reading right now?

I am currently in the middle of three books:

• The Strange Case of Origami Yoda by Tom Angleberger
• The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
• Son by Lois Lowry

2. How many books have you read so far?

I have read

• Spiderwick Chronicles 1 and 2 (Children's Fiction)
• The Care and Feeding of Sprites (Part of Spiderwick Chronicles)
• Amulet, Vol. 1 (Graphic Novel)
• Fairy Tales (Graphic Novel)

So I have read 5 books all together.

3. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-thon?

I am really looking forward to Son by Lois Lowry.

4. Have you had many interruptions? How did you deal with those?

Yes, I have been taking breaks and spending time with my husband. It is a great time to rest the eyes and I enjoyed it.

5. What surprises you most about the Read-a-thon, so far?

I am surprised by how much people are talking on Twitter. It is the best part of the readathon!



Ongoing Reading Progress

• Completed The Spiderwick Chronicles: The Field Guide (Book 1, 107 pages)
• Completed Amulet, Vol. 1 (185 pages)
• Completed The Spiderwick Chronicles: The Seeing Stone (Book 2, 108 pages)
• Completed The Care and Feeding of Sprites from the Spiderwick Chronicles (35 pages)
• Completed Fairy Tales, Vol. 4 (174 pages)
• Completed The Strange Case of Origami Yoda by Tom Angleberger (141 pages)
• Read 42 pages of The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neal Gaiman
• Read 47 pages of Son by Lois Lowry

Dewey's 24 Hour Readathon (Saturday, April 25): Reading Goals and TBR Grab Pile

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Dewey's 24 Hour Readathon is coming up very soon! Woohoo! You can sign up for the readathon here. Did you miss my announcement of participation in the readathon, my updated book recommendations for readathons or my post about my overall goals for this readathon?

Today, I am going to talk about my reading goals for this readathon and show you my TBR grab pile. Here are my reading goals:

• Out of these 21 hours that I was awake, I read actively for 8.5 hours. For this readathon, I hope to read actively for at least 10 hours.
• Read 1000 pages. In the october readathon, I read 859 pages (including graphic novels and childrens chapter books). My average reading pace overall was 1.68 pages/minute. By this rate and the additional hours that I plan to read, I should be able to reach this goal.
• Last readathon, I finished 2 adult novellas, 1 graphic novel, and 3 children's novels, for a total of 6 books. This readathon, I hope to finish 7 books.

Now for my TBR grab pile. These are the books that I plan on choosing from during the readathon.  I may grab some other books, but these are the ones that I am particularly interested in at the moment. There are too many in my grab pile to discuss here, so I have created a shelf on Goodreads that can be found here.

Are you signed up for Dewey's 24H Readathon? If not, you can sign up here. Do you want to be a cheerleader? You can learn more about being a cheerleader and how to sign up here. Do you want to host a mini-challenge? You can sign up for hosting a mini-challenge here.

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! Comment below or tweet me at @blog_gal.

Dewey's 24 Hour Readathon (April 18, 2015): Overall Goals

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Dewey's 24 Hour Readathon is coming up very soon and there is still time to sign up! You can sign up for the readathon here. Did you miss my announcement of participation in the readathon or my updated book recommendations for readathons?

Today, I am going to talk about my overall goals for the readathon. 

• For the last Dewey's readathon in October, I had a goal of participating in all 24 hours of the readathon. I ended up taking a 3 hour nap during the readathon.  For this readathon, I hope to participate in all 24 hours. 
• I want to cheer as much as possible :)
• Tweet (@blog_gal) updates about my reading progress as much as possible.
• Write a wrap-up post the day after the readathon.
• Track progress on a spreadsheet similar to the one that can be found here.

Are you signed up for Dewey's 24H Readathon? If not, you can sign up here. Do you want to be a cheerleader? You can learn more about being a cheerleader and how to sign up here. Do you want to host a mini-challenge? You can sign up for hosting a mini-challenge here.

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! Comment below or tweet me at @blog_gal.

FREE BOOK: Fields of Elysium

Fields of Elysium

by A.B. Whelan

Best seller in Teen & Young Adult Fantasy

4.3 stars on 86 reviews

Price: $0.00 Save $14.35

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CAN LOVE MEND A HEART FULL OF HATE?

Small town girl, Molly Bennett, moves to Los Angeles where she becomes an outsider while attending Beverly Hills High School. It seems life cannot be any more dreadful.

Then one day after school, something magical happens. On a secluded hike in the Hollywood Hills, Molly chases her disobedient mutt and only friend into a hidden cavern. She stumbles upon a strange glimmering gateway that transports her to Arkana, a planet that is the cradle of an advanced human race. There, teenagers navigate amazing flying vehicles, compete in perilous games for glory, and possess supernatural powers.

While Molly tries to wrap her mind around this unbelievable discovery, she meets the alluring and mysterious Victor Sorren. He is a Sentinel Apprentice, whose hatred toward people from Earth is beyond understanding. Yet every time Victor unpredictably saves Molly’s life, his heart draws closer to hers, no matter how much he tries to fight against it. It further complicates things that their growing friendship is strictly forbidden. Earth people are prohibited in Arkana, yet Molly continues to cross through the portal to Arkana to see Victor.

Torn between their double lives, they go down a dangerous path, from where there is no return and multiple endings.

Would you fight to be with the one you truly love? What cost would you be willing to sacrifice for that love?

Fields of Elysium Dream Cast

Fields of Elysium Book Trailer

Fields of Elysium Playlist on YouTube

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After reading this story you will find your heart racing whenever you enter a cave.

Dewey's 24 Hour Readathon (Saturday, April 25): Updated Book Recommendations for Readathons

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Dewey's 24 Hour Readathon is next weekend and I am ecstatic about it! If you missed my last post about Dewey's readathon, you can find it here. Are you beginning to gather your books for your TBR pile for the readathon? For today's post, I am updating my book recommendations for readathons.  My previous recommendations can be found here. The books below are my additional recommendations.

Firstly, I am going to start with some books that I read during the last Dewey's Readathon. During that readathon, I read a lot of Children's fiction, novellas, and graphic novels. Here are my recommendations from the last readathon.

Children's fiction

Dying to Meet You by Kate Kline is my first recommendation. This is a hilarious children's fiction novel about a boy that moves into a haunted house. This book is written completely in letters and newspaper articles. This was a quick read and I really enjoyed the novel. I gave this book 5/5 stars. You can find my full review for this book here.

Adult Clean Romance Novella

The Year of Weddings novellas are my second recommendation.  The novellas in this series are clean romance novels, each written by a different author. I love novellas for a readathon because I can get a lot of them read and I fell like I have accomplished a lot at the end of the readathon. I have read the first two books in this series, both during the last readathon, and I gave them an average rating of 4.5/5 stars.

Lastly, I would like to recommend two young adult novels and a newly released novella that I have read since the last readathon. These are both full length novels, but they are really engaging and to me were pretty quick reads.

My next recommendation is the Giver Quartet by Lois Lowry. I have read the first three books in this quartet and they were amazing! I gave them an average of 4.7/5 stars. This is an action packed dystopian series with each book having different main characters.  The first book, The Giver, is about Jonas who is in a world where everything is seemingly perfect. There is no war, no fear, and no pain. Jonas is singled out to recieve special training from the Giver, but can he handle all that he has to encounter? You can read my full review of The Giver here.

In Between by Jenny B. Jones is a YA Christian fiction contemporary novel about a girl that is in foster care and is moved to a new foster home in the middle of no where. Filled with both laughter and sentimental moments, In Between is a book that I would recommend to anyone looking for a great, light, inspirational read. This book was also free on Amazon when I purchased it (and it may still be). I gave this book 5/5 stars. You can find my full review here.

12 Hours by Hannah Harvey is a YA contemporary fiction novella (released last week) that occurs two months after Ivy's boyfriend breaks up with her on graduation day with no explanation. The events of the book happen within 12 hours. This is a great, quick (only 65 pages), intense read that would be great for any readathon. My full review can be found here.









Are you signed up for Dewey's 24H Readathon? If not, you can sign up here. Do you want to be a cheerleader? You can learn more about being a cheerleader and how to sign up here. Do you want to host a mini-challenge? You can sign up for hosting a mini-challenge here.

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! Comment below or tweet me at @blog_gal.

Dewey's 24 Hour Readathon (April 25th 2015): Announcement of Participation

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Another readathon is coming up soon. It is another Dewey's 24 hour readathon! Woohoo!

Dewey's Readathon lasts for 24 hours and begins at the same time across the world (times canbe found here). It is full of hourly challenges, giveaways, cheerleading (#rahrahreadathon), and lots of reading. You can find more information about this readathon here. I participated in this readathon last October. You can find my posts about the October readathon at the following links:

• Reading Goals for the October Readathon
• Book Recommendations for Readathons
• Overall Goals for the October Readathon
• Opening Meme
• Mid-Event Survey and Progress
• Wrap Up Post and Closing Meme

As you can see, I get very excited about this readathon so I have a lot of exciting posts for the days leading up to the readathon. Here is the outline of the posts that I am planning for before the readathon:

• Updated Book Recommendations for Readathons (Saturday, April 18)
• Overall Goals (Wednesday, April 22)
• Reading Goals and TBR Grab Pile (Friday, April 24)

Are you signed up for Dewey's 24H Readathon? If not, you can sign up here. Do you want to be a cheerleader? You can learn more about being a cheerleader and how to sign up here. Do you want to host a mini-challenge? You can sign up for hosting a mini-challenge here.

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! Comment below or tweet me at @blog_gal.

Release Day Novella Review: 12 Hours by Hannah Harvey

Novella Title: 12 Hours

Author: Hannah Harvey

Publish Date: April 11, 2015

Genre: Young Adult Contemporary Romance Novella

Why I Read this Book: I received this book for review from the author in exchange for an honest review. This in no way influenced my review.

 

 

 

 

 

About the Book (from Goodreads):  

Two months ago, Riley was heartbroken when her boyfriend of almost a year, James, broke up with her on her graduation day, and then left town without saying goodbye.
She hasn't heard from him since that day. Until now.
Now it's two months on. It's midnight, and she's just received a message from him.

I'm outside. I need you.

Three little words she's never been able to resist from him. Over the next twelve hours, follow Ivy on an emotional journey, as she tries to work out why he's back. If he's staying and what she wants now that he's back in her life again.

Review

This contemporary romance is filled with suspense. The story begins two months after Riley's boyfriend broke up with her and left town without giving a reason for his departure. What happened during there relationship and during these two months is unknown at the beginning of the story. For me, the suspense in not knowing the full story was what kept me longing for more of this novella.

The characters were not very well developed, but this is often hard to do in a novella. When I was finished reading the novella, I was left wanting more because there were a lot of questions that were left unanswered.

I would recommend this book for someone wanting an intense contemporary novella.

Final Statements

Recommended Reading Age: Any

Overall Rating: 4/5

You can purchase this book on Amazon.

Blog Changes

Hello all! I hope this week has brought you many exciting things! If you haven't noticed yet, I have a new tab at the top the my blog called "Book Review Archive".

In this marvelous new tab, I have created an alphabetized list of all of the books that I have reviewed, including novellas and children's picture books. They are organized both by author's name and by book title. Please check it out and give me feedback. If I have any error, please feel free to let me know. I created this archive in order to make it easier for you to find a specific book that I have reviewed. 

As always, I still have the "Browse by Topic" module on the right side of the blog for you to find books by genre and also to find posts that I may have put up during certain events, like the Dewey's 24 Hour Readathon (which is coming up again very soon).

I have also begun something else. I have started using AdSense to display ads on the right hand side of my blog. I will get a small profit for displaying the ads based on how many times my blog in viewed. I never intended this blog to be used to earn money, but I am putting an increasing amount of time into blogging, reading, and reviewing books. I am hoping to use this money to help support the blog by being able to buy more books that I am interested in to review.

Finally, I may begin occasionally reviewing non-book items, such as cooking supplies, that I receive for review. This will not effect the overall content of my blog; this will always be a blog about books. I just hope to supplement what I am already reviewing on the site and bring items to you that you may be interested in.

Please leave your thoughts about these additions to the blog in the comments below.  I would love to hear your thoughts!

Virtual Book Tour: Love, Hope, Faith Anthology (Produced by Vanessa Miller)

Title: Love. Hope. Faith Anthology

Produced by: Vanessa Miller
Genre: Christian Inspirational, Non-Fiction
Paperback: 166 pages
Publisher: Praise Unlimited Enterprises, LLC (February 18, 2015)
ISBN-10: 1508505330
ISBN-13: 978-1508505334

Stories of Love, Hope and Faith line the pages of this spiritually uplifting anthology produced by bestselling author, Vanessa Miller. Love. Hope. Faith. will take you on a journey toward your happy place. The contributing writers of this anthology pour out their hearts to deliver soul-stirring, Godly stories of triumph. The Love. Hope. Faith. anthology will touch your heart as it allows you to believe again.

From Trust-less to Trustworthy - By: Yvette Wilson Bentley

"When I looked at my friendships with women and why I didn’t trust them, I realized that I had lots to unpack and examine. I was okay not trusting women, but I knew that living as a Christian meant that my attitude and mindset had to change. Was it something that I wanted to do? At first, absolutely not! But I knew that to be of service to God and His people, a change had to be made, so I became willing to be willing. "

Back At One - By: Kendy Ward

“God, You promised that if I served You, followed You with every fiber of my being, then You would restore my family. It’s been five years. I don’t doubt that You can do anything. You specialize in the impossible, but my faith is faltering.” Jason then prayed in his heavenly language.

I am not a man that I should lie. I will complete the good work I have begun.

Jason released a sigh of relief. “Thank You for hearing me. I’ll wait. However long it takes, I will wait.”

No Greater Love - By: Rita Moore

“A few weeks into my pregnancy the doctor told us, the medications I had been taking caused harm to our child, test showed abnormal fluid. He suggested we terminate the pregnancy, or prepare for a child with birth defects! I was devastated, but my husband reminded me of the God we serve! Abortion was not an option! We found a new doctor, a believer, a doctor who trusted the miracle working love of God! Nine months later we had a perfectly healthy baby girl!”

"On the day of my surgery, prior to being wheeled into surgery, the doctor took my hand and said, “It is my custom to pray with my patients prior to conducting surgery”. I have never known a doctor to do that! Everything happens for a reason. His prayer spoke of his faith and trust in God to guide his hands, and he prayed for my complete healing. I felt confident he was definitely the doctor I needed to perform the surgery. God said He perfects those things that concern us!”

Leap Into Your Destiny- By: Sherae Bell

One morning in late December, as I posted what I expected to be my last prayer to Facebook, my seven-year-old granddaughter, Anashija, ran into the room.

She stood beside me, put her arm around my neck and politely, but in a matter-of-fact manner, said, “Grandma, are you writing your God Notes?”

I did not realize that she had been paying attention. Surprised, I looked at her and said, “My God Notes?”

“Yes, Grandma, your God Notes!”

“Why did you call them my ‘God Notes’?”

She took a deep breathe, sighed and then said, “Grandma, because you write your notes to God every day.” She ran out of the room as if she had completed her mission to confirm that my postings had nothing to do with me and everything to do with God.

God’s timing is always perfect. Not until we acknowledge that it is just that, His timing, will we be able to live as He has designed. Every time I wanted to give up, He stopped me from waving the flag. I realized that God ordained my words. I knew that He had more work for me. God is faithful. He brings to fruition what He has ordained to be accomplished, no matter the package used to deliver it.

Courage To Stand- By Paulette Harper

Have you ever took a step of faith in what you believed you heard from God and got mid-way through and wanted to turn back, put the brakes on, put the car in reverse and start all over? You knew this was not the way you had envisioned your current situation. Everything you see before you tells you that somehow you’ve missed God. Fear settles in, doubt and anxiety comes knocking at your heart.

Prior to taking that step of faith, confidence in what you were doing was strong and un-quenching, yet all alone God knew exactly what trouble awaited you, what problems were in the making and He knew you would be in that place of doubt and disbelief.

In your mind, you began to question if God told you to do this, did you really hear God? For sure if God told you then there shouldn’t be any problems, no challenges, no regrets, right? On the contrary, it’s in those places that we can be assured that God has us right where He wants us. In places of trouble, in that wilderness, in that place where even His still quiet voice is not speaking. This place is where your faith will be stretched, the promises of God will be challenged or questioned. It’s in this place that going back seems like the better solution, at least that’s what your flesh wants you to believe. Clearly what’s in front is more difficult than what is behind.

First Comes Love, Then Comes Marriage - By: Valerie J. Lewis-Coleman

All eyes were on Jeanine as she took slow orchestrated steps toward the altar. The beaded embellishments on her tailored gown glistened in the sunrays that beamed through the cathedral windows. Every strand of her short bob was in place, Mac makeup flawless. The elegant bouquet of fresh-cut flowers bombarded her senses. For a brief moment, she stopped, closed her eyes, inhaled. The pianist seemed to strike the keys in sync with her racing heart. She opened her eyes and gazed down the aisle to see the groom poised, ready to meet his bride. A full smile washed across her face, she steadied her breathing. As she walked toward him, acknowledging each friend and family member with a glance, slight grin and head nod, she whispered a prayer.

“Father, I thank You for this beautiful day. Everything is coming together as planned; even the weather is perfect. I ask Your grace upon this union. Let it flourish. Keep away the naysayers. Divorce is not an option as this marriage will represent Your unconditional love. I count my request as done. I just have one question: When will it be my turn as bride? I’m happy for my girl, but…I’m tired of being alone, crying myself to sleep. Smiling at every man I meet, hoping, praying that he’s the one. I love my nieces and nephews, but I’m ready to be a mother. The official has shot the gun to start the foot race and I’m stuck in the blocks watching my girlfriends run ahead with husbands in tow. Why am I still single? What is it about me that keeps me on this side of matrimony?”

As the tears flowed, Jeanine took her place, two bridesmaids from the bride. She dabbed at the tears with a monogrammed handkerchief provided by the groomsman who escorted her.

As I Look Back - by: LaDawn Michelle

When I first got clean from drugs I learned in order to positively deal with any feelings I must first identify them. Today there is a popular saying going around “I felt some type of way.” That phrase doesn’t do anything to promote healing. “I feel some type of way” does not identify a feeling. You cannot heal emotionally by identifying with “feeling some type of way.” The only thing the statement does is give a voice to the fact that there is a dysfunction in your emotions. We must be careful that we do not allow our spirits to latch onto the commonalities society gives us that do not promote good emotional health by handicapping us with catchy phrases that mean absolutely nothing once they are dissected. One of the first tools I was given when I got clean from drugs was a feeling words list. In order to embark on a journey of emotional healing, one of your first steps may be to get a feeling word list and use it.

Triumphant Victory - by: Kyna Williams

My mind had been tainted to believe that all the good things in life only happened for the pretty girls with long hair or the children with both parents in the home. I believed the world was filled with two categories of people. One category consisted of “THOSE OTHER PEOPLE” who seemingly have no problems, no hidden secrets, or shameful pasts that stripped them of the freedom to live the “Good Life.” The second category consisted of the broken souls, filled with hopelessness, like me. I was void of even the faintest perception that I would one day have the opportunity to be one of “THOSE OTHER PEOPLE.” I had decided within myself that I was damaged goods. I carried with me the weight of emotional baggage my secretive fragile past had attached to me, limiting my ability to dream of a future where I would be free to live the “Good Life” or any type of life that did not require me to mask who I felt I really was beneath the surface of my glamorous facade. If anyone were to find out who I really was beneath it all, it would certainly result in the complete ruin of the flawless public façade I had mastered displaying.

The Visionary - by: Loureva Slade

“I need you all to trust me,” Pastor Gaines said as he tensely tapped his fingers on the table, unamused by Deacon Clemmons’ humor. “And if that is too difficult, trust that God has put me over this congregation and trust that He won’t allow me to do anything that doesn’t align with His will. Can you all just do that?”

Tour hosted by Write Now Literary

Calling Authors, Motivational Speakers and Ministers of the Gospel…
With Volume 1 of the Love. Hope. Faith. Anthology complete, I am now in search of inspirational testimonies for Volume 2.

*Is your life a living testimony?

*Are you a new author looking for a way to break into the industry?

*Can you take a motivational speech and write something that will inspire readers?

*Has God put a burning desire to minister to His people in your heart?

Contact Vanessa Miller for submission guidelines: vanessa.praiseunlimited@gmail.com