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.:)

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.

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.

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.

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.

Saturday, January 29, 2011

Book Number 2 Lady in waiting by Susan Meissner

I just wrote and posted my second review for Blogging for Books. It is LADY IN WAITING by Susan Meissner. You will be able to find it at waterbookmultnomah.com/blogging for books. Look it up under the name of the book or the date it was posted which was Jan.30th. Please read my review and rate it. Soon I hope to have a way for you to rate my review right here on Greetinggirl. I need to get my computer son on board so that he can help me learn how to do this each time I write a review. Until then, please visit Waterbrookmultnomah.com/blogging for books. Thanks for your help

I have ordered my next book which is a childrens picture book. I can't wait to share it with you.

Lady in Waiting by Susan Meissner

Choices. We all make choices everyday. This book, which I really enjoyed, is about 2 women named Jane who made choices about love.

Jane Lindsey lives in modern day New York and manages her great aunt's antique shop  Her husband of 22 years has just left her and  has asked her to give him space to sort out his life. She is totally unprepared for this happening and struggles to make sense of his decision.

Lady Jane Grey lives in 16th century England and at age 14, is waiting for her parents to make a suitable wedding match for her. She is royalty being descended from the Tudor line so her future is really not her own. She favors the young Edward Seymour who has secretly given her a betrothal ring. Centuries later, Jane Lindsey finds a ring in the spine of an old Reformed prayer book that came from a jumble sale in England. The author skillfully weaves the stories of these 2 women around this ring.

I enjoyed reading this book because the author made the characters so real. You can feel Jane Lindseys  confusion and hurt when her husband leaves. You feel her frustration when her parents try to "help" her make the right decision. You are just as intrigued as she is when she finds the ring and searches for its story since the name "Jane" is engraved in the band. You feel the bewilderment of young Lady Jane as she tries to make sense of her parent's choice for her husband. You feel her agony when she realizes that she may never see Edward Seymour again. You rejoice with her when she lets her love of God and country guide her final decision in life. This author is a master of her craft and the book reflects this mastery in every way.

This book can be purchased at both Amazon.com and CBD.com. You can read Chapter one by clicking on the left hand button on the Blogging for Books site.

Waterbrook Multnomah provided this book free of charge for review purposes.