Brew yourself a cup of tea and find a comfortable chair then pick up a copy of The Bridge of Peace and let it transport you to the world of the Amish.
Lena Kauffman is a young Old Order Amish schoolteacher with a facial birthmark on her cheek. She has learned to deal with this birthmark by asserting herself and pouring her love for teaching into her Amish students. She is independent and tries unorthodox methods that bring her into conflict with parents and school board alike.
Grey Graber is a member of the school board and a life long friend of Lena. He and his wife are experiencing difficulties in their marriage due to his wife’s fear that she carries defective genes. They are in the process of resolving their problems when tragedy strikes their family.
The author uses this tragedy to bring Lena and Grey together but rumors and secrets threaten to destroy their friendship and their future.
This is a well written and gripping story. From page one the author draws you into the lives of the characters and their struggles. She also gives a modern portrayal of the life of the Amish and the challenges it holds for those who follow this faith and life style. I highly recommend this book and this author. I look forward to reading more books that she has written.
You can find this book at Christianbook.com, Amazon.com, Barnesandnoble.com.and Waterbrookmultnomah.com
Friday, February 25, 2011
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Same Life, New Story by Jan Silvious
Same Life, New Story is a 10 week Bible study for women written by a Christian author, speaker and professional life coach. Using the lives of 10 women from Scripture, the author helps us understand how a small change can have life long effects.
Each chapter of the book is based on the life of a woman from Scripture. The author uses the lives of Naomi, Leah, Rahab, Hannah, Abigail, Elizabeth, Jehosheba, Anna, Deborah and Naaman’s servant girl to guide women in their search for a new direction in life. We may have the same life but with God’s help, we can write a new story for all to read.
Because I am an older woman, I especially identified with her use of Elizabeth as a woman who in her old age wrote a new story. God used her as the mother of John the Baptizer and thereby changed her story and her life. The author pointed out that until we die there is always more of our story to write. In living our lives, we leave a legacy for those who will follow after us and how we live determines that legacy. Elizabeth lived a life of hope and passed that hope down to those who followed her.
I really enjoyed each of these Bible studies and would highly recommend this book to everyone who wants to expand their understanding of Scripture and how it is applied to our everyday lives. There is much to be learned from Same Life, New Story.
This book was provided to me free of charge by Thomas Nelson Publishers for review purposes.
Each chapter of the book is based on the life of a woman from Scripture. The author uses the lives of Naomi, Leah, Rahab, Hannah, Abigail, Elizabeth, Jehosheba, Anna, Deborah and Naaman’s servant girl to guide women in their search for a new direction in life. We may have the same life but with God’s help, we can write a new story for all to read.
Because I am an older woman, I especially identified with her use of Elizabeth as a woman who in her old age wrote a new story. God used her as the mother of John the Baptizer and thereby changed her story and her life. The author pointed out that until we die there is always more of our story to write. In living our lives, we leave a legacy for those who will follow after us and how we live determines that legacy. Elizabeth lived a life of hope and passed that hope down to those who followed her.
I really enjoyed each of these Bible studies and would highly recommend this book to everyone who wants to expand their understanding of Scripture and how it is applied to our everyday lives. There is much to be learned from Same Life, New Story.
This book was provided to me free of charge by Thomas Nelson Publishers for review purposes.
Monday, February 21, 2011
Monday Musings
My next Blogging for Books book is not released until March so I have borrowed a library book by Cindy Woodsmall to read and review in the meantime. Cindy is an author that I have not yet read. She writes about the Amish so I want to read this book called " The Bridge of Peace " to see how she tells their story. Blogging for Books allows you to review any book published by Waterbrook Multnomah and to post the review on their site as well as your blog. I hope to read the book this week and publish the review shortly after I have finished reading it.
I am really enjoying this whole blogging and reviewing books experience. I am able to read a wide variety of books and keep them for free. I am able to practice my writing skills and widen my horizons by choosing different authors and books each time. It is a pretty good deal all the way around.:)
I am reviewing books for other publishers as well. I have a Bible Study book from Thomas Nelson that I am in the process of reading right now. It is a bible study for women that uses 10 women of the Bible as a focus for 10 studies. I am about 1/2 way through it and hope to post a review very soon.
I am also signed up to review books for Tyndale Publishers but have yet to get a book from them. They only offer one or two books at a time and so far I have not found any that interest me. I will just wait until one becomes available that I find interesting, request it , read it and post the review for all of you to read.
If you have not yet read my newest review, " God Gave us the World ", please do so and rate it right here on my blog. My first 2 reviews are also on this blog so feel free to read and rate them as well.
That is all the "musing" that I wanted to share with you today. Check back often. You never know when I might be moved to "muse" again.:)
I am really enjoying this whole blogging and reviewing books experience. I am able to read a wide variety of books and keep them for free. I am able to practice my writing skills and widen my horizons by choosing different authors and books each time. It is a pretty good deal all the way around.:)
I am reviewing books for other publishers as well. I have a Bible Study book from Thomas Nelson that I am in the process of reading right now. It is a bible study for women that uses 10 women of the Bible as a focus for 10 studies. I am about 1/2 way through it and hope to post a review very soon.
I am also signed up to review books for Tyndale Publishers but have yet to get a book from them. They only offer one or two books at a time and so far I have not found any that interest me. I will just wait until one becomes available that I find interesting, request it , read it and post the review for all of you to read.
If you have not yet read my newest review, " God Gave us the World ", please do so and rate it right here on my blog. My first 2 reviews are also on this blog so feel free to read and rate them as well.
That is all the "musing" that I wanted to share with you today. Check back often. You never know when I might be moved to "muse" again.:)
Thursday, February 17, 2011
God Gave Us the World by Lisa Bergren
Mama bear is taking Little Cub to a museum exhibit about bears. Little Cub has many questions about bears and about how other bears are different from polar bears. Mama Bear takes this opportunity to teach her cub about God the Creator and the wonderful world He created. She leads Little Cub to see the diversity of God’s Creation and the responsibility we all share to care for it.
I really liked this picture book and the characters that the author created. I think that small children will relate well to Little Cub and the curiosity that she exhibits in her questioning. The Mama Bear character is so kind and gentle in her approach to her daughter and explains things directly in language that her daughter can understand.
The illustrator of this book, Laura J. Bryant, does a beautiful job of showing the words of the author in her illustrations of the characters. I love her use of vibrant colors that capture the attention of small children and keep them focused on the story. Her drawings are detailed and accurate as seen in the claws of the various bears and the way they move and eat.
Both parents and children will enjoy this book and the fine illustrations that bring the words to life.
This book was provided to me free of charge for review purposes by Waterbrook
Multnomah Publishing Company.
I really liked this picture book and the characters that the author created. I think that small children will relate well to Little Cub and the curiosity that she exhibits in her questioning. The Mama Bear character is so kind and gentle in her approach to her daughter and explains things directly in language that her daughter can understand.
The illustrator of this book, Laura J. Bryant, does a beautiful job of showing the words of the author in her illustrations of the characters. I love her use of vibrant colors that capture the attention of small children and keep them focused on the story. Her drawings are detailed and accurate as seen in the claws of the various bears and the way they move and eat.
Both parents and children will enjoy this book and the fine illustrations that bring the words to life.
This book was provided to me free of charge for review purposes by Waterbrook
Multnomah Publishing Company.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
The Children's Picture Book has Arrived!
The picture book is here and I am eager to read and review it. It arrived while we were visiting our son and family in South Dakota. Our grand son arrived on his due date so we journeyed out to meet him and spend time helping his sister and parents as they welcomed him into their lives. I had forgotten how small a new born is but so enjoyed holding him and getting to know him. It was hard to say good bye since we probably will not see him again until he is 4 months old.
The book that I am to review deals with creation and I am curious to see how the author and illustrator handled this subject. Come back in a day or two and I should have the review posted. I will alert you on Facebook when it is ready.
The book that I am to review deals with creation and I am curious to see how the author and illustrator handled this subject. Come back in a day or two and I should have the review posted. I will alert you on Facebook when it is ready.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
South Dakota
We are spending some time in South Dakota getting to know our new grandson, Gabriel. I hope that my childrens picture book from Waterbrookmultnomah will be there waiting for me when I return.
While this post has nothing to do with books, I really wanted to share how great it is to be a grandparent. I had forgotten how small newborns are even at 8lbs.5oz. They are easy to hold and so much fun to cuddle. I love watching the faces he makes while he is sleeping in my arms. He startles very easily and seems uncomfortable with the big world in which he finds himself. When he is swaddled, he is so much more comfortable and drifts off to sleep quickly. I love how he smells with the baby smell of lotion and soap just after his bath. Even his cry is appealing as it is just a request for food or pants changing. As I hold him, I wonder what kind of a boy he will be and how he will get along with his big sister, Grace. His grandpa will baptize him on Sunday and through Water and the Word, Gabriel Joseph will become a redeemed child of God. Thank you, Jesus for this wonderful gift you have given to our family.
While this post has nothing to do with books, I really wanted to share how great it is to be a grandparent. I had forgotten how small newborns are even at 8lbs.5oz. They are easy to hold and so much fun to cuddle. I love watching the faces he makes while he is sleeping in my arms. He startles very easily and seems uncomfortable with the big world in which he finds himself. When he is swaddled, he is so much more comfortable and drifts off to sleep quickly. I love how he smells with the baby smell of lotion and soap just after his bath. Even his cry is appealing as it is just a request for food or pants changing. As I hold him, I wonder what kind of a boy he will be and how he will get along with his big sister, Grace. His grandpa will baptize him on Sunday and through Water and the Word, Gabriel Joseph will become a redeemed child of God. Thank you, Jesus for this wonderful gift you have given to our family.
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Snow and Cold
We just survived our first real winter storm and it was a doozy. We had 16 inches of snow and below zero cold and strong winds for about 24 hours. The winds died down yesterday so we blew out our drifted driveway and brushed off the frozen car. The sun is shining today and we are to get up to 14 degrees so it is improving little by little.
My book from Waterbrook Multnomah has been shipped and should arrive next week. This time it is a childrens picture book and I am really excited to read and review it. I will post on Facebook when the review is ready and I hope that you will all check it out. Blogging for Books is fun and I am enjoying being a part of the program.
My book from Waterbrook Multnomah has been shipped and should arrive next week. This time it is a childrens picture book and I am really excited to read and review it. I will post on Facebook when the review is ready and I hope that you will all check it out. Blogging for Books is fun and I am enjoying being a part of the program.
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