Wishing on Willows

Wishing on Willows by Katie Ganshert is a novel about a young widow who is facing the loss of her beloved café when a developer and over half the town want her to sell to make room for some new condos that are supposed to be built. Robin, the young widow, is determined to fight it with all she has, not only for her café, but for a ministry center nearby that means a lot to her.

The developer, a handsome divorcé, is just as determined to get her to change her mind. Can they come to a mutual agreement, or will one of them have to give in?

The ending of this book was a little more interesting than the first 2/3. I wasn’t particularly impressed with the storyline and the execution, but romance novels aren’t really my thing, either. If you enjoy Christian novels set in the modern day Midwestern, small town America, then you would probably enjoy this.

I received an advanced reading copy of this book free from Waterbrook Press through the Blogging for Books program in exchange for an honest review.

Desperate: Hope for the Mom Who Needs to Breathe

I thoroughly enjoyed Desperate: Hope for the Mom Who Needs to Breathe by  Sally Clarkson and Sarah Mae. That title could describe me perfectly a lot of the time! I never realized how tough this motherhood gig is until I became a mother, and then I was like “Whoa! Why didn’t anyone tell me it would be this hard? Why didn’t anyone warn me?!”

I could have used a book like this as soon as my oldest was born, but it still has so much wisdom, so much insight on the struggles of motherhood. Partway through the book, my computer crashed and I lost all my bookmarks and the parts I highlighted because they were either so me, or they spoke truths that I needed to hear and wanted to remember. I wanted to have those to reference when I wrote this review, but I don’t have that anymore.

However, this is hands down one of the best books I have ever read written for moms, and I would highly recommend it to anyone who is a mom, especially of little ones, who sometimes feels like she can hardly breathe (or go to the bathroom in peace!!) or anyone who wants to understand moms.

I like the way Sarah Mae, who is more “in the trenches” so to speak, writes about challenges she’s facing, and Sally, an older mom and Sarah Mae’s mentor, responds. I can identify with Sarah Mae, and I am blessed by Sally’s honesty, wisdom, and experience.

I was given this book free by Thomas Nelson publishers through the Booksneeze program in exchange for an honest review.

Unstoppable by Nick Vujicic

Do you have arms and legs? Are you able to use them? Then you already have an advantage over Nick Vujicic.

Although he has distinct physical limitations, Nick lives a full, adventurous life. What is stopping you from taking control of your life and making it the best it can be? Are your circumstances too overwhelming and difficult for God to redeem?

Through his stories and those of others who have overcome great difficulties, Nick shows you how to live a rich life, how to get through tough challenges and become unstoppable.

I was given this book by Multnomah and Waterbrook Press in exchange for an honest review.

Grace by Max Lucado

What is grace? Do you understand it correctly? How have you been changed by grace?

In this book, Max Lucado takes a closer look at grace, answering the questions above and more, showing us how grace looks in our lives. Max always has an interesting, compelling, fresh perspective on issues, and whether you agree with his conclusions or not, you will never be bored.

I would recommend this book to anyone who doesn’t fully understand grace and want wants to know how to experience it more abundantly.

This book was given to me by Thomas Nelson publishers through the Booksneeze program in exchange for an honest review.

Fully Alive

I really enjoyed the book Fully Alive by Ken Davis. Living fully alive is something I aspire to do, but most often fall far short of. This book inspires me to live more fully, experience life as God intended it.

The thing that I didn’t especially like was that quite a few chapters were devoted to weight loss, exercise, and healthy living. There’s nothing wrong with that, and that’s part of living fully alive, but I definitely wasn’t expecting as much of the book to be dedicated to that. It got a little old after awhile, because there are hundreds of other books devoted to caring for your physically body.

After I got past that part, though, I can honestly say this is one of the better books I have read in a long time, and one that I will probably be rereading and going back to for reference. It’s easy to read, inspiring, and overall a book I would highly recommend.

I was given this book free by Thomas Nelson publishers through the Booksneeze program in exchange for an honest review.

The Fourth Fisherman

The Fourth Fisherman by Joe Kissack is a the story of a man who “had it all” but it wasn’t enough. He made choices that ultimately culminated in depression, addiction, and kept him away from his family.

And then there are the three fisherman lost at sea for months with little but their faith and a Bible to keep them sustained. These two stories are woven together into a story of hope.

I personally had a hard time getting into this book. It’s written well enough, and the premise is interesting, but I wasn’t drawn in.

This book was given to me free by Multnomah Waterbrook Press in exchange for an honest review.

Cruel Harvest by Fran Grubb: A Review

I could hardly put down Cruel Harvest by Fran Grubb. My husband picked it up and read it for a long while, something he never does. This is an incredibly sad story. It’s not a fun book to read, but it is horrifyingly fascinating. That a man could treat his children like that is almost beyond comprehension, although this isn’t the first time I’ve heard of such sadness, and it might not even be the worst story I’ve read. Still, it makes one’s heart to ache to realize that there are innocent children in this world that suffer unimaginable things by the very people who were meant to love and protect them.

This book is well written and definitely holds one’s attention, but I do wish there was more detail to the story after Fran escaped from her father, how she became saved, etc. It was wonderful that she could, at last, find it in her heart to forgive her father for the awful things he did to her and the family.

If nothing else, this story renews in my heart the desire to somehow find a way to help those caught in similar unfortunate circumstances. I definitely recommend this book, although I do caution that it’s not light reading.

This book was given to me free by Thomas Nelson Publishers through the Booksneeze program in exchange for an honest review.