The House on Foster Hill

The House on Foster Hill by Jamie Jo Wright kept me entertained on a freezing cold New Year's weekend. 
" Kaine purchases an old house sight unseen in her grandfather's Wisconsin hometown. But one look at the eerie, abandoned house immediately leaves her questioning her rash decision. And when the house's dark history comes back with a vengeance, Kaine is forced to face the terrifying realization she has nowhere left to hide."  
The story goes back and forth between 1906 and the present day, which I'm never a huge fan of, but it was easy to follow along so that's not a con for this book.
   It's difficult to review this as it's a "typical Christian book", which sounds negative but just means that it had a few Bible verses and mentions of God in odd places so that it would fit into the Christian genre, whereas I didn't get inspired by the message and often feel like it would have been a better book had it not had random preaching in it (and this is coming from a Christian herself). 
   I think my biggest problem was that there wasn't enough "meat" to the characters and they all blended in to fuzzy sketches of people that I never got to know enough to care about.
   With that said, the story was interesting enough to keep me entertained and it was a good fluffy read so I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it if someone wants an easy read.

This book was given to me by Baker Publishing in exchange for my honest review.
 

Lizzy the Lioness

I love children's books that teach a  lesson or moral and Lizzy the Lioness by Lisa Bevere fits that bill. The illustrations by Kristeen Morris-Jones are adorable and the story teaches us that it takes courage to speak up for the right thing, even when others won't. In this day in age it's a lesson that every age can benefit from! 

This book was given to me by BookLook Bloggers in exchange for my honest review.

The Alphabet of Grief

The Alphabet of Grief by Andrea Raynor was so much more than I expected. For some reason I find "alphabet books" a bit kitschy but I wanted to give it a chance and am so glad I did. Raynor is a minister and hospice spiritual counselor and you can tell she writes this book with both wisdom and compassion. 

I've found that when you are thrown into grief you sometimes need a map to help you navigate the bumpy roads. It's unbelievable how reassuring it is to see that others have had the same thoughts and feelings before you and that it is all part of a normal grieving process. From topics such as Isolation and Loneliness to Joy, Kinship, and Rainbows (signs from above) this book truly is a comfort with a Christian perspective. I plan on purchasing another copy for myself to keep as I'm passing this copy on to a friend.
 This book was given to me by Blogging for Books in exchange for my honest review.
  
 

Of Mess and Moxie

"You don't need to be who you first were." This was Jen Hatmaker's first message to me in her recent book Of Mess and Moxie. It resonated with me deeply as that's one of the reasons I quit blogging. I was no longer the know-it-all, opinionated person I once was.

 "That early version of yourself, that season you were in, even the phase you are currently experiencing - it is all good or purposeful or at least useful and created a fuller, nuanced you and contributed to your life's meaning, but you are not stuck in a category just because you were once branded that way. Just because something was does not mean it will always be.

Maybe part of your story involves heartache, abuse, struggle, loss, choices you wish you had back. Those are particularly sticky labels to unpeel. Those seasons tend to brand us permanently, at least to others, maybe especially to ourselves.  

You don't have to be who you were." (Pages 4-5)

From the very start I was drawn into Jen's wisdom, insight, and circle. Somehow Jen weaves in parenting, marriage, faith, friendship, creativity, and life without preaching, only sharing, yet makes you stop and take note and reevaluate how you yourself view things.  A mixture of 1 part Jim Gaffigan, 1 part Jenny Lawson (a clean version!), and 2 parts friend this book kept me entertained and warmed my soul. I dog eared pages (which I never do to books!) and will add this to my shelves to read again. I also plan to search out her other books to read.

This book was given to me by BookLook Bloggers in exchange for my honest review.
 

100 Days to Brave

I've read Annie Downs' book Let's All Be Brave and gave it a pretty scathing review. I had forgotten about that when I ordered her devotional 100 Days to Brave which I'm glad of because I would have missed out on a great little piece of encouragement.

This devotional is 100 short devotions that lead us to unlocking our most courageous self. The dictionary lists the definition of courage as " the ability to do something that frightens one" and "strength in the face of pain or grief" which I found interesting. 

Life takes courage, and courage can be found in God. This book is about trusting in Him, in His plan for us, and in truth. Whether we need courage to change jobs, stand up for ourselves or others, deal with an illness, or make a drastic life change we can find that courage when we look to God. This devotional helps us stop believing lies, stand our ground when the world wants us to conform, be brave for others, and so much more.

The reason I found the definition of courage interesting is because sometimes I've been amazed by my own courage, especially through pain and grief. I know that it isn't from myself, but rather a blessing from God when I truly needed it. Other times my courage wanes and I need encouragement to spark it. My husband and I are reading this devotional together daily and are finding it helpful and uplifting.

This book was given to me by BookLook Bloggers in exchange for my honest review. 

Whole

Whole by Steve Wiens 


"Look around, and you'll notice: The world is covered with jagged edges. People and places are broken all around us.

We were made for better than this: We were made to be whole, and wholly human, to tend a world that is wholly humane. We were made in the image of God. This book is a quest to recover that image in ourselves and our neighbors, to help us all become human and humane again."

I picked this book up because I am scared for the broken world, the broken people, the broken pieces in all of us. I was hoping to get some answers on how to mend those pieces but for some reason couldn't get into the book. I'm not sure why, as the writing was intelligent and pointed to the Gospel. I felt maybe like it was written more for preachers or leaders or too text book for my tastes? After making myself trudge through it for several weeks I finally stopped midway.

This book was given to me by Tyndale Publishing in exchange for my honest review.

 

On Edge

On Edge; A Journey Through Anxiety by Andrea Petersen is a  study into the minds of those with anxiety, but also the  statistics and science behind anxiety.

I had assumed this book would mainly just be Petersen's own story but am glad that it delved more into anxiety and what may/may not cause one person to develop it and one not to. Woven within is her own story, though not all doom and gloom but with humor mixed within.

I found it highly educational as well as an interesting read. 

This book was given to me by Blogging for Books in exchange for my honest opinion.