Treasuring Emma: A Book Review

Treasuring Emma by Kathleen Fuller is a fantastic fictional account of an Amish woman's struggle with life, death, and love. Emma is a young Amish woman who is shattered by the death of a family member. While trying to cope with her loss and financial problems, Emma also finds herself dealing with unexpected male attention. Will Emma keep her heart open to God and the man she loves, or will she give up on her own life and simply do what others tell her to? This charming novel is one of several Amish romances that Fuller has written. Her detailed writings and knack for creating beloved characters make this book a must read for women of any age or religion. I certainly enjoyed not only the romantic aspects of the novel, but also the glimpse into Amish life. I received this book free from Book Sneeze publishing company for my review.

Life, In Spite of Me: A Book Reveiw

Life, in Spite of Me is a tragic, yet inspirational account of one woman's fall into deep depression and suicide and her recovery into a life full of God's grace and happiness. With the help of Tricia Goyer, Kristen Jane Anderson has produced a book that gives the reader a glimpse into both Hell and Heaven. Kristen recounts her tragic drop into attempted suicide and her rehabilitation, both physical and emotional. Kristen shows the reader how a person can come back from a dark and painful place to a place filled with hope, love, and forgiveness; all with God's help.
As a reader and a Christian, I was touched by Kristen's story. I believe Kristen has the power to lift people's spirits and save them from a life full of pain, like her life once was. I was intrigued in Kristen's story, from the details of what brought her to the point of attempting suicide to her amazing recovery. However, towards the end of the book (and Kristen's current life) I found myself almost battered by Kristen's praising of God. I completely understand her praise, but as a reader, I had to take a break from the overwhelming mention of God's Grace. I don't mean to say that God doesn't deserve Kristen's praise, however I got a little tired of reading how EVERYTHING Kristen does now, she does by first consulting with Him. Do you mean to tell me that you don't buy a new shirt unless God tells you it is His Will? That is the kind of feeling I was overcome with during the last few chapters of this book. I will highly recommend this book to all my Christian friends, but I will not recommend it to someone who is not completely devoted to God. I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

The Kiwi Kingdom: A Book Review

The Kiwi Kingdom by New Zealander Rosemary Thomas is a children's novel about interactions between various animal species, including humans. Using anthropomorphic traits, native New Zealand animals take the reader on a journey through the untamed and unpredictable environment of the New Zealand landscape. Friendships are explored, adventures are had, and lessons are learned.
This small novel has the perfect storyline and interesting animal species that will intrigue elementary school students, yet much of the vocabulary is a bit challenging for some young readers. Thomas uses language and sentence structure that feels juvenile while adding in some words that even adults may have to look up. As an elementary teacher, I can easily imagine my students interested in the story that this book tells. However, I can also easily imagine having to stop at every page or so to explain some vocabulary that my students will have no way of knowing. Older readers will tire of the unsophisticated writing and simple storyline, yet they are the only readers who can easily read this book. Despite its technical faults, the story this book tells contains great life lessons that children should learn. With a lot of pre-planning, this book can be taught in several lessons to young students. You can obtain a copy of this book at this link. I received a complimentary copy of The Kiwi Kingdom as a member of the Dorrance Publishing Book Review Team. Visit dorrancebookstore.com to learn how you can become a member of the Book Review Team.

The Seraph Seal: a book review

Leonard Sweet and Lori Wagner have created an intriguing novel about what may lie in our future. Using an unsuspected combination of ancient biblical references and futuristic technological advancements, Sweet and Wagner propel the reader into a world of mystery and intrigue, not unlike Dan Brown's breakthrough novel, The DaVinci Code. While I was expecting a somewhat long-winded version of Brown's work, I was pleasantly surprised by the quick and smart read The Seraph Seal turned out to be. The blend of religion and technology is a refreshing take on the classic mystery tale. I recommend this book for anyone wanting to read about a mysterious adventure, and fans of Dan Brown's writings will be very pleased with this book as well. I received this book free from Book Sneeze publishing company for my review.

Lilies in Moonlight: my first book review

Lilies in Moonlight by Allison Pittman

I devoured this enchanting book in two days! It has something for everybody: romance, baseball, war, religion, family, etc. This sweet story follows a flapper named Lilly in her quest to find happiness. She finds happiness and love in an old widow named Betty Ruth and finds something much more in Betty Ruth's war-torn son, Cullen. This family teaches Lilly about forgiveness and family while Lilly teaches them about friendship. The thing that really stands out to me about this book is the lyrical way it is written. Allison Pittman uses beautiful language and wit to create a heartwarming story that enchants the reader and leaves them as satisfied as Thanksgiving dinner! I highly recommend this book for anyone and Ilook forward to reading more from Allison Pittman. I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

Not a Porcupine

Welcome to my new 6 week old baby hedgehog, Qwilleran! We drove to Ohio (with a stop at the Indiana outlet stores) and picked him up from a breeder. Turns out he's a climber. He scaled the walls of his cage and fell off from the top. So now Dad is coming up with a contraption to prevent this. In the mean time, he is happily sleeping and eating his days away. He's a snuggler. Have you ever snuggled with a hairbrush? That's about as pleasant as snuggling a hedgehog.

Roma!

This weekend 11 of us went to Rome, Italy! Jillian Maggard and I took a hop on hop off tour bus around the city and spent some time at the Colosseum and the Vatican, as well as shopping. The Colosseum was my favorite. It felt so powerful there, to know that so many gladiators and other people died there, mostly for entertainment. I'll just have to go home and watch Gladiator to relive the good ole days. The Vatican was amazing! We walked through the Vatican Museum which houses the Sistine Chapel. All the millions of hallways that led to the Sistine Chapel were amazingly beautiful. So many intricate paintings on the wall as well as the walls and ceilings themselves. The Sistine Chapel was awe inspiring. There were guards that kept shushing everyone. Apparently the Sistine Chapel needs complete silence to work. Whatever. Also no pictures. I got yelled at... Oops. Well I wasn't going to pass up the illegal opportunity to get my own picture of the famous ceiling! We did some major shopping after that and stumbled back to our hostel. Then we left to go home (Maastricht) on Sunday.
Today I had to say goodbye to my year 6 class. They left for camp this morning and my last day at their school is tomorrow. I had a harder time saying goodbye to them than their parents did. At least their parents get to see them when they come back from camp on Thursday. I really had a great time with my class and I already miss them all! So many different languages spoken in that class, yet a very tight sense of community. I have gotten email addresses from teachers and substitute teachers. One sub told me that she would do anything for me because she so enjoyed working with me. This lady worked with me for ONE DAY! That was pretty cool.
Tonight our professors took us to a nice Italian restaurant that GVSU paid for. Also Gelato for dessert. Did I mention that while we were in Rome, Jillian had 4 Gelatos in one day? Also she got pooped on by a bird. But not a pigeon because they are all too fat and lazy to fly in Rome.