Recent Reads: The Miting

"The Miting" by Dee Yoder tells the story of Leah, a seventeen year-old Amish girl who has questions about the Amish lifestyle in which she has been raised.  She is not seeking the English life, but rather she is reading the Bible (a forbidden act) and developing her own faith.

"The Miting" is not the typical Amish fiction that I have read in the past... this story involves someone who leaves the faith, enters another church, waivers on that decision, pays the harsh consequences by being shunned in her own home, and then ultimately is forced to make life-changing decisions.   It wasn't a flowery picture of the fairy tale Amish life, but a gritty and realistic-feeling story about what it's really like to live with the multitude of rules and restrictions that the Amish must follow.  I appreciated that this wasn't a fairytale with a "perfect" ending. I was quickly drawn into this story and found myself considering things that I didn't know before-- like why can't an Amish girl read the Bible for herself?  

All in all, this was an excellent read and I will be looking for future books by Dee Yoder.

Get your own copy: The Miting by Dee Yoder will be available for FREE May 19 and $1.99 May 20-31 on Amazon Kindle! 

Disclaimer:  I was given a free copy of "The Miting" in exchange for posting my honest review during Kregel Publishing's Blog Tour of the book, May 19-23.  I will also post this review on Amazon and Good Reads.

 

This post may contain sponsored reviews or affiliate links- see my policy here. 
I always provide my honest opinion regardless of the source of the product.

Recent Reads: Highway to Hell

Highway to Hell: The Road Where Childhoods Are Stolen is an aptly named book about the horrors of child prostitution in Brazil.   I can't remember the last time I had a nightmare as an adult, but the first night I read this book, I woke up shaking from a horrible dream. (Though my dream was unrelated to this subject, I'm still sure that the book caused the dream.)

This book is written from the author's perspective as an investigative journalist who finds himself drawn to find out about these girls and try to help them.  He goes back to do research on the problem and finds that it is bigger and more widespread than he ever imagined.   In the book, he shares both his personal relections and stark facts that he uncovers.   The book gives enough details about the girls and their lives so that the reader truly feels compassion for them, but it is also written in a respectful manner, not just focused on the sexual aspects.

This was a hard book for me to read. I think part of the reason this book touched me so deeply is that I have a ten year-old daughter of my own, and I can't imagine her living a life anything like what most of these young girls accept as normal. The lives these girls live- often hopping on a semi truck along a highway and never being seen again- really got to me.  Tales of girls as young as nine years old willingly going into prostitution shocked me... they see it as a means to afford a cell phone or pretty clothing.  The stories of girls put in this life against their will were not as surprising, but still disturbing.

Disclosure: I received a free copy of this book from Kregel Publications in return for posting my honest review here on my blog during the book's tour dates of March 10-14.   I will also post copies of this review on Amazon and GoodReads. 

 

This post may contain sponsored reviews or affiliate links- see my policy here. 
I always provide my honest opinion regardless of the source of the product.

Recent Reads: Glitter and Glue

Glitter and Glue: A Memoir This was a night light read, a memoir of a daughter who grows up to appreciate her mother.  When Kelly Corrigan was a teen, her mom was that mom: the one who isn't necessarily "fun", who makes her do things the right way, who is practical and hard working.  Like teens everywhere, Kelly rolls her eyes and can't wait to move out and find adventure in the world.  She does.... and that's when her mom's voice in her head starts to really be her guide.  It turns out that Mom's rules and ideas weren't so useless after all.

I happened to catch an interview with the author on a morning talk show when I was about half-way through reading this book.  She talks just like she writes.... you get the feeling of a friend sitting around recalling stories.  I enjoyed her style of writing and would probably enjoy other books by this author.

Disclaimer: I was given a free copy of this book through the Amazon Vine program in exchange for posting my honest review on Amazon.  I will also share this review on GoodReads and my blog.

 

This post may contain sponsored reviews or affiliate links- see my policy here. 
I always provide my honest opinion regardless of the source of the product.

Recent Reads: The Vicar's Wife

The Vicar's Wife by Katharine Swartz

I received a free review copy of this book from Kregel Publications in return for posting my honest review online during the book's tour dates. I found that this was a nice light read, with no offensive language or graphic adult scenes.

This is the story of Jane, a modern day wife and mom who finds herself relocated to an old house and quiet town in her husband's native England. Jane misses her demanding career in New York, but she's starting to realize that her career was all she had in New York- she's missed out on a lot with her kids. Adjusting to this new life is hard on Jane, until she finds a tiny scrap of a shopping list, left by a previous tenant, Alice, many decades before. Imagining her life and trying to relate to her sparks Jane's curiosity, and ultimately inspires Jane to take on a new project and reach out to embrace some new relationships.

The story is told in alternating chapters, first Jane's life, then flashing back to Alice's life many years earlier. The parallels aren't contrived or blatant, as I feared they might be, and the story flows along nicely. I enjoyed the Jane's enthusiasm for uncovering the history of her home and could relate to this myself.

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This post may contain sponsored reviews or affiliate links- see my policy here. 
I always provide my honest opinion regardless of the source of the product.

Recent Reads: Forever Friday

Forever Friday: A Novel by Timothy Lewis
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Forever Friday is a romantic story that unfolds through a series of flashbacks. A man selling an estate finds himself captivated by the romance of a couple whose story he begins to piece together after coming across a photo album full of old postcards. The cards contain poems which were written by a man to his wife, every Friday, throughout the course of their marriage. The man finds himself intrigued by their story, and equally captivated by the woman who helps him piece it all together.

All in all, it was a sweet story, rather predictable but enjoyable. There were a few plot twists that kept it from being too over-the-top "picture perfect", and I appreciated those little detours, but it was still too predictable for my taste. This book is classified as Christian fiction, but it's not particularly focused on faith or God in any way.

Disclosure: I received a free copy of this book via the Amazon Vine program in return for posting my honest review on Amazon.

View all my reviews on Goodreads.

 

This post may contain sponsored reviews or affiliate links- see my policy here. 
I always provide my honest opinion regardless of the source of the product.

Recent Reads: The Glory of Heaven

 Glory of Heaven, The: Inspiring True Stories and Answers to Common Questions by Betty Malz

I misktakenly believed, when choosing this book to review (courtesy of Chosen Publishing), that it would be a compilation of various people's beliefs and stories of what they think heaven will be like.  Instead, the entire book is Mrs. Malz's own beliefs, backed up by anectdotes and scripture quotes.

Her opinions are stated as facts, such as her notion of exactly what type of vehicles people will use to get around in heaven ("I estimate that they travel at least at the speed of sound and are propelled by the power of God; no motors, no fuel.  The vehicles can travel over land, river, or sky.", page 47.)  I find these kinds of ideas interesting to imagine, but not based in Scripture.

Many times I feel that she over-simplified things.  In chapter nine she asserts that true believers can determine the way they will pass away, citing several stories of folks who did just that by declaring to someone the day or time they would pass.  Having worked in a nursing home for 18+ years, I can tell you, I have seen many true believers who have most certainly not been able to choose the way in which they would spend their final minutes.  I found this chapter rather insulting, implying that those with "true" faith have some sort of power that others don't in this area.

Another time she mentions that she went through a period of depression, which was suddenly cured when she sat down at the piano and played a worship song.  While I'm happy that it worked for her, the implication that anyone can cure their own depression in such a simple manner was a bit much for me to swallow.

All in all, this book simply did not resonate with my personal faith and beliefs.    Had I not been obligated to write a review, I would likely have just stopped reading it after the first few chapters.  

Disclosure: I was given a free copy of this book by Chosen Publishing in return for posting my honest review online.

 

This post may contain sponsored reviews or affiliate links- see my policy here. 
I always provide my honest opinion regardless of the source of the product.

Recent Reads: "Totally Catholic"

"Totally Catholic: A Catechism for Kids and Their Parents and Teachers" doesn't sound like a very exciting book, does it?   I'm sure most of us have never sat down with the adult Catechism and read it cover to cover.

Luckily, this book is a lot more fun than the adult Catechism.  It reminds me a lot of the "dummies" series... it's written in a fun manner with lots of margin notes and fun little infographics. 

Chapters like Why is the Eucharist Wonderful? draw the reader in.   Each section begins with a quote from the Catechism, then goes on to explain that reference in detail. 

My ten year-old daughter liked the book.  She hasn't read it cover-to-cover, but, she's picked it up a couple of times and sat reading bits and pieces.   This is one of those books that will be kept in our family's permanent collection and I'm sure we'll be referring back to it many times in the future.

Disclosure: This review was written as part of the Catholic book reviewer program from The Catholic Company.    I was given a free copy of the book in return for posting my honest review on my blog and letting you know that you can visit The Catholic Company to find more information on Totally Catholic:A Catechism for Kids and Their Parents and Teachers .

 

This post may contain sponsored reviews or affiliate links- see my policy here. 
I always provide my honest opinion regardless of the source of the product.

Recent Reads: Death on Lindisfarne

This post contains a sponsored review - see my policy here.
 
Death on Lindisfarne (The Aidan Mysteries) by Fay Sampson

This was a hard book for me to get into-- I picked it up and started it 3-4 times before I finally wound up reading the whole thing.   There's a lot of details about history of  Lindisfarne / Northumbrian spirituality that really did not itnerest me the way that I thought it would. I found myself skimming the long-winded saint stories, looking more for the modern day characters and plot.  

That said, the overall plot of the book was interesting.  A mismatched group of characters gathers on the island for a week-long class on Lindisfarne and the saints that lived there.  Over the course of a few days, one person gets hurt, and another is found dead on the beach, and a third must outwit someone scary from her past.  The plot twists and turns as the proverbial skeletons in everyone's closets come tumbling out.   In the end, the bad guys are caught and the door is left wide open for a sequel as two of the characters begin to explore their budding interest in each other.

All in all it wasn't a bad story, but I would have enjoyed it more if there was less history and more depth on the characters.   I'm giving it three out of five stars.

Disclosure: I was given a free review copy of this book as a part of a Kregel book tour in return for posting my honest review.   I will also be posting this review on GoodReads and Amazon.

 

This post may contain sponsored reviews or affiliate links- see my policy here. 
I always provide my honest opinion regardless of the source of the product.

Recent Reads: A Dog Walks Into a Nursing Home

A Dog Walks Into a Nursing Home: Lessons in the Good Life from an Unlikely Teacher
by Sue Halpern
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Based on the description of this book, I was expecting lots of stories about a therapy dog working in a nursing home. Since I am the Activity Director in a county nursing home, I was really looking forward to reading this. Instead, the author intersperses dog stories with lots of research & commentary on philosophy, statistics, religion, etc.

I did enjoy the dog stories. Especially touching was the story of how she had a resident walk her dog in her wheelchair... it really is these little "normal" things that mean the most to residents. I also enjoyed the section that talked about how animals seem to sense approaching death, and specifically how her dog instinctively laid with a dying woman and provided comfort.

By the end, I was skimming though the research/commentary sections and just reading the dog stories. I wish there had been more of those and less focus on theories, research, and statistics.

Disclosure: I received a free copy of this book in return for posting my honest review online at Amazon via the Amazon Vine program.

View all my reviews at Good Reads.

 

This post may contain sponsored reviews or affiliate links- see my policy here. 
I always provide my honest opinion regardless of the source of the product.

Recent Reads: Potluck Club #3

The Potluck Club Takes the Cake (The Potluck Club, Book 3)
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Another fun installment of The Potluck Club! I couldn't predict how two of the storylines turned out, and that always makes a book much better, in my opinion.

If you're not familiar with this series, The Potluck Club is the story of a group of Christian women who meet once a month to share food, prayers, and gossip. They live in a small mountain town where everyone knows everyone.

This particular volume covers a long-lost relative coming back to town, a couple working on their marriage, an avalanche, and lastly, a long-awaited wedding.

Love these books... my only problem now is that my library doesn't seem to have the ones I haven't read yet!

This was not a sponsored review, but simply my review of a book I picked up at the library and very much enjoyed.   View all my reviews on the Good Reads site!

 

This post may contain sponsored reviews or affiliate links- see my policy here. 
I always provide my honest opinion regardless of the source of the product.

Recent Reads: Deeply Loved

Deeply Loved: 40 Ways in 40 Days to Experience the Heart of Jesus  is the kind of book we all need during Lent... forty days worth of different ways to connect with Jesus.  I enjoy having a quick chapter to read each day.  I started this book after Lent was already underway, but I had no trouble reading several chapters in one evening.

I enjoyed reading the daily reflections and anectdotes to illustrate the real-world applications of the spritual practices.  Many of the practices I have heard of, but there were some new ideas, too.   I appreciated the author's real-world take on some things: for example, she encouraged mothers of young children to find little pockets of true quiet time when they can, by driving without the radio on, or by re-thinking those few quiet moments in the shower.  That's something I can really do, as opposed to other books I've read that push for long meditations or retreats.

Each chapter ends with a check-box to mark off after you have tried the day's spiritual exercise described in that chapter.  I was a little put off by that, as some of the spiritual practices will appeal to some readers, and some will not.  I got more out of the book by reading each day's practices and adapting the ones that fit into my life right now.

Disclosure: I was provided with a free copy of this book from Abingdon Press in return for posting my honest review. 

 

This post may contain sponsored reviews or affiliate links- see my policy here.
I accept review items with the understanding that I will post an honest review.

Party Invitations

We're in the midst of planning my daughter's birthday party-- the big number ten.  We've decided to go with a softball theme, since that is her favorite sport.  We've arranged to take a few friends to the batting cages and then have a little party afterwards.  This weekend we're figuring out invitations. 

If you search for invitations online, of course you get tons of wedding invitations thrown in the mix.   Have you seen the wedding invitations at Minted?  Wedding invitations aren't on my shopping list any time soon, but I still spent some time there looking around. They have some really unique options!  Back when I got married, choosing invitations was one of the hardest parts for me-- I'm picky about paper weights, and I just couldn't find what I wanted.  I wish Minted had been around then!  I love these:

 

If you happen to be shopping for wedding invitations, be sure you check out Minted's Coupon Codes and Promotions page.  Currently there's a discount on wedding invitations and an offer for free samples. 

But... back to the party planning.  Minted had several fun options for us:

• These personalized children's cards would be cute for thank-you notes:

• And if we decide to make our own invitations and favors, as we usually do, they've got lots of fun party supplies: colored straws, stickers, table decorations, and more: 

Minted was a new-to-me site and I have to say that I was pretty impressed with their selection.   I'll be keeping them in mind for future events!
 
Disclosure: I was asked to review the products at Minted, and in return I will receive a store credit towards my next purchase.  All opinions are my own.

 

This post may contain sponsored reviews or affiliate links- see my policy here.