I received this book from B&H Publishing in exchange for an honest review.
The opinions expressed here are completely my own.
Description from back of the book
Young Scarlett has been wearing her grumbly glasses, which make for a grouchy girl and a gloomy day. But when Mom encourages her to look through her glad glasses instead, Scarlett finds a brighter day and a happy heart as she chooses to see all of God’s good gifts.
This delightful story encourages young readers to put down their own “grumbly glasses” and make the cheerful choice to see each day with a grateful heart!
The author, Janet Surette is mother to Taylor the Strong, Avery the Good, and Scarlett the Loud. Janet combines the skills of being a Christian speaker, author, and blogger with the wisdom of motherhood to produce winsome messages that engage parents and children alike through rhyme, compelling imagery, and a bit of spunk that crafts timeless messages into memorable resources that instruct and delight. You can learn more about Janet at janetsurette.com
This is the first review I have done for a children’s book.
Today there is a growing selection of high-quality Children’s books with Christian themes. This category has been expanding in recent years and I’m thrilled to see the number of choices available.
Scarlett’s Spectacles is a very sturdy board book designed to be read over and over. Scarlett discovers the joy a good attitude brings after following her Mom’s advice. Each day is a new opportunity to make a cheerful choice!
The story is wonderful and so are the charming illustrations!
Whimsical fun with a serious message🙂
I loved reading Scarlett’s Spectacles and hope to see more from Janet Surette and Shane Crampton in the future.
I received this book from B&H Publishing in exchange for an honest review.
The opinions expressed here are completely my own.
I received this book from B&H Publishing in exchange for an honest review.
The opinions expressed here are completely my own.
Description from back of the book
I know God is loving; I know He is good; I believe He is big and powerful. But sometimes I wonder if He is really kind— really deeply always kind.
Is He?
Christians love to talk about how God is in control, but that’s harder to grasp when things aren’t going like you thought they would, when your life looks quite different than you imagined.
For centuries, God’s people have been building altars to Him—to remind themselves and the people around them of His work. His goodness. His kindness. Stacks of stones. Altars. Temples. Cathedrals. Why? Because they believed God and wanted to remember Him.
In the back of my mind, God reminds me that He is the same trustworthy God—the One who always finishes the stories he starts. And this is my story—of wrestling with our God who gives a limp and a blessing. A God who is always kind even when my circumstances feel the opposite. God is who He says He is. He is kinder than you imagine. In a world where it is easy to forget who He is, we will not. We will remember God.
Let me start by saying this book was not at all what I was expecting.
Remember God strays far from the goal stated in the description. This is the first Annie Downs book I have read and will likely be the last.
There is a certain casual style that appeals to many but not to me especially when dealing with such important subjects. This book seems very self-focused and immature. Mostly I just don’t see how reading Remember God will provide what you need if you are struggling with truly perplexing questions in life.
If I had never read anything on the subject I might feel a little different than I do about this book. However, I’ve read some absolutely terrific writing on the subject over the years.
Below are books that I highly recommend
Questions or comments?
Please leave a comment below or email me Lynn@everydaywiththeking.com
On Sunday the first snow storm of the season arrived!
The grocery store trip was completed the day before so no last-minute rush for supplies. I had everything needed to make my potato leek soup, plenty of cookies, coffee, logs for the fire, extra cat food and seed for the birds. What else could possibly be needed?
If you are a reader, you know that a book to read is as much a part of snow day preparation as the soup and the cookies… When the first snow began to fall it was time to choose. In my closet is a stack of to-read books and there are the Nook books on my tablet. But this time the choice of which book was easy because some time ago I’d set aside a particular book to read on a snow day.
Description on back cover
I started reading as the snow was falling and quickly knew this was a perfect choice for snow day reading. As the storm continued I found myself involved in the story trying to solve puzzles, uncover secrets, and exploring hidden mysteries scattered through the pages.
We ended up getting more snow than was predicted resulting in an additional snow day on Monday. This worked out perfectly allowing me to finish the book.
The Book Of Hours was a very enjoyable read ♥
Bonnie (photo above) loves reading time but was having a difficult time keeping her eyes open.
Book review for Classic Hymns: Read & Reflect with the Classics
Authors: B&H Editorial Staff
I received this book from B&H Publishing in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are completely my own.
This book is the latest in the Read & Reflect with the Classics series. Each of the books in the series is a different color but each has a classic fabric hardcover. Classic Hymns is a beautiful blue. I have been using Classic Hymns during my daily devotional time for months. Packed within 234 pages are 90 hymns. That alone is reason to love it but there is more. All the words to each hymn are included along with the name of who wrote each hymn and who wrote the music. After reading each hymn you will find three sections.
Bible Study Questions
Personal Reflection Questions
Prayer
If you love hymns, you will love this book. It is an ideal gift for anyone who appreciates hymns.
Check it out along with the other books in the series at LifeWay
Just when I thought the days of Christian magazines were over, self-publishing came to the rescue. I have discovered a magazine that is serious and refreshing. It does Not contain pages of light, fluffy, cutesy stuff.
The magazine is Memoirs of a Virtuous Woman. It is available in both print and digital.
MVW also has a free app. Download from the App Store or Google Play.
So who is behind Memoirs of a Virtuous Woman?
I was so thrilled with the quality of the magazine that I asked if I could interview the Founder.
She said yes!
Read the interview below
Meet Danielle Wallace, Founder, and Editor of Memoirs of a Virtuous Woman
How did you know that God wanted you to publish a magazine?
Danielle: I love words and more importantly, I have a passion for Christ! I majored in Broadcast Journalism at Troy University and published my first book “Her Poetic Cinema of Life” during my senior year. Before that, as a child you could find me in my room, writing in journals, reading my Bible, flipping through magazines, tons of other books or even pretending to have my own little radio show – that explains why I’m a news reporter today. Stringing words together has always come natural to me and learning more about God’s word has always been instilled in me by my parents so constantly doing something in the area of writing excites me.
For Memoirs of a Virtuous Woman, I saw that the online content was constantly growing and women were expressing how grateful they were for it’s content. After praying about it, I moved forward with the magazine incorporating more articles with a theme for each issue and interviews with influential women.
How do you choose the theme for each issue?
Danielle: For each issue, I think about things that women are facing right now and how the words from others can help them get through those situations. I keep a running list of ideas that come to mind whether it’s from conversations with others or from surveys I provide to email subscribers. The next issue, in particular, set for July is surrounding “healing from past wounds.” I’ve had quite a few requests from women to touch on this topic.
What has been the best part of this publishing adventure?
Danielle: The best part is reading how Christ is changing women from all over the world. While editing can be a lot, it’s worth it! I learn so much from ladies that are contributing writers. While I was born and raised in southern Alabama, it’s refreshing to hear how women from Nigeria or London are making a difference in their own community or how Christ is continually molding them.
You have the website, magazine, and app, What is next for MVW?
Danielle: Memoirs of a Virtuous Woman has certainly evolved since it’s first blog post in 2013, that was simply written to share my thoughts during a dry season in my life. I was desiring to encourage other young women. It didn’t matter if it was only one. The community has grown to over a thousand email subscribers that I’m very thankful for. My goal is to eventually incorporate an outreach part of “Memoirs of a Virtuous Woman.” While reading the journeys of these women online weekly and in print quarterly is great. I believe more women would benefit greatly with face-to-face fellowship in Bible studies and community service projects. Memoirs of a Virtuous Woman sticks to the motto “The Proverbs 31 Women of Today are the Titus 2 Women of Tomorrow.” That’s something I would like for these women to truly experience together-younger women learning from our older women, to in turn teach another generation to walk the narrow path. It’s a cycle that I believe is imperative in the society we live in today.
What a pleasure it has been to interview Danielle Wallace
Founder and Editorial Director ~ Memoirs of a Virtuous Woman
I love the Bible and that’s why I enjoy Biblical fiction. I long to be transported back to those times and places. I want to become immersed in the story and discover things I didn’t notice before while reading my Bible. The best authors will cause me to love and appreciate God’s Word even more. Connilyn Cossette accomplishes this and more in her thrilling Out From Egypt series. Wings of the Wind is the third, and final book of the series.
I placed all three books of the Out From Egypt series on the table and tried to choose my favorite. Well, turns out I can’t pick just one because I enjoyed traveling along with each of the amazing women of these books.
Counted with the Stars starts the series off in Egypt while the Hebrews are still slaves. It prompted me to think about what caused the Hebrews to find themselves in slavery. I found myself pondering what it would it be like to follow Moses toward freedom, especially having never known freedom. Viewing the events through the eyes of Kiya was amazing.
Shadow of the Storm explores the time that the Hebrews spent at Mt Sinai. What was it like to enter this new unknown life? How did this huge group of people interact with each other? I loved following Shira through the challenging time period after the exodus.
Wings of the Wind begins as the 40 years in the wilderness are almost ended. I was immediately drawn into the story of Alanah, a Canaanite. This book was captivating from the first page. Fascinating story with many surprises along the way.
If you like Biblical fiction you should get your hands on this series.
I am looking forward to more from this talented author.
Do you tend to select books and studies from your favorite authors? I think most of us do.
It is easy and safe to choose a study from a writer you know and like. I tend to do this often but sometimes I think this pattern may cause us to miss out. When I have ventured out and selected a study from someone unfamiliar to me, it has often turned out to be a great Bible study experience. So I challenge you to give it a try. Be adventurous in your selection. Be open to where God is leading you.
Researching online and reading reviews can be very helpful.
I love to have the opportunity to hear directly from the author about any book or study I’m considering. That’s why I am excited about Friday, March 31st. That is the day of the 2017 Bible Study Expo!
Marnie Swedberg is the hostess of the Bible Study Expo!
I received this book from B&H Publishing in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are completely my own.
Beginning
This book is a double memoir of two amazing young women. I liked the beginning of the book and found my favorite parts in the first chapters. The authors show how the solid truth of God’s word is steady and unchanging through the ups and downs of life. Their experiences are shared to testify that Jesus has been there for each of them time and time again.
Middle
Before the halfway point, I became a little disappointed in the book. It is almost entirely a recounting of the author’s personal life stories. I was looking for more information about the creation and growth of the online community She Reads Truth. Learning more about the birth and development of the community and Bible studies would be very interesting to me.
End
In conclusion, the book has one great focus and that is to lead readers of She Reads Truth to the Bible. If you want to read the biographical accounts of these two women and experience the encouragement to join them in reading the truth found in God’s word then you might like to get the book. However, if you are expecting chapters on the background of She Reads Truth community and Bible studies, you might want to pass on this one.
I have just finished reading Lynn Austin’s new book “Waves of Mercy”. I received a free copy of the book from Bethany House Publishers. I’m thrilled to be on the launch team for “Waves of Mercy”. Released on October 4th this book immediately became #1 on Christianbook and Amazon in the category of Christian Historical Fiction.
The book is set in Holland Michigan in the year 1897, as the town is preparing to celebrate it’s 50 year anniversary. Geesje begins writing a memoir of her experience emigrating from the Netherlands to Michigan. At the same time, a young woman from Chicago is seeking direction in her life after a broken engagement. The stories of these two very different women are woven together with masterful skill.
Captured from the first chapter, I gobbled the pages during every spare moment and hated putting the book down. Lynn Austin is a gifted writer who does extensive research to ensure historical accuracy. It was great to learn about the Dutch immigrants who came seeking religious freedom. “Waves of Mercy” is bursting with rich wisdom and inspiration for real life.
If you enjoy reading Christian Historical Fiction, you will like this book. My only caution is that you may want to keep tissues within reach.
The author, Janet Surette is mother to Taylor the Strong, Avery the Good, and Scarlett the Loud. Janet combines the skills of being a Christian speaker, author, and blogger with the wisdom of motherhood to produce winsome messages that engage parents and children alike through rhyme, compelling imagery, and a bit of spunk that crafts timeless messages into memorable resources that instruct and delight. You can learn more about Janet at janetsurette.com
