Reading, Writing & Pondering

Like many book bloggers, reading is one of my biggest hobbies. Talking about my latest read or your favorite book is one of my favorite pastimes. Book Girl by Sarah Clarkson is all about her love of books and reading. In Book Girl , Sarah Clarkson starts about by sharing how she got her love of reading and books. She then shares how books have shaped her life and how she created book lists. She then shares some of her book list categories: books that broaden your world, books can shape your story, books can stir you to action, books can cultivate imagination, books can foster community, books can open your eyes to wonder, books can deepen your soul, and books can impart hope. In each of these sections, Clarkson shares books that can affect readers in ways related to each section. She shares about the books that she has found to be helpful in each of these areas and why she recommends them. She closes Book Girl with the importance of passing books and the love of reading to those ...

I think most of us have wondered what life would be like after we die. We wonder what does Heaven look like? Imagine Heaven Devotional by John Burke and Kathy Burke has 100 devotions sharing true stories of near-death experiences. Each devotion in the Imagine Heaven Devotional starts out with a Bible verse, then there is a two-page devotion that includes at least one or more stories from people who have had near-death experiences, and it ends with a prayer. This hardcover book has a beautiful cover that looks rather like we imagine heaven and it includes a ribbon marker. It really is gorgeous and would make a good gift for almost anyone. I enjoyed reading Imagine Heaven Devotional to start my day and to end my day. I just felt my faith being lifted up as I read through this book. If I am honest, I also felt less scared about dying even though as a Christian I already knew I was going to a better place. This book just left me feeling more heavenly minded and less worried about wh...

The Daily Question For Your And Your Child is a fun way to create a special keepsake journal with your child. The Daily Question For You and Your Child contains 365 questions, one for each day of the year. However, this book could be started any time of the year. Open up the book to the current date and start asking a question. This interactive journal has space for asking the question for three years. The idea is that you are creating a time capsule of responses and can see how your child's personality and interests have changed over time as the vary year after year. Here are a couple examples of questions that are asked in the book: What is your favorite smell? What do you do when you are bored? What do you know about Jesus? This is a spiritual journal so there are a few Christian-based questions asked. I like that the Daily Question For You and Your Child journal has a place to slip a picture into the front cover to turn it into a frame. One could change the picture ev...

Alex Thornton and Jabir al-Omri, Unit 28 agents who are in love with each other, want to make a life together. Unfortunately, Hashim al-Hassan want nothing more than to take Alex Thornton down to get revenge for deceiving him many years before. In Loose Ends, the second book in the Unit 28 series, Alex and Jabir work to wrap up an investigation and run right back into Hashim again. To make matters worse, Jabir knows a secret which could be compounding their problems but he feels honor bound to keep it. Jennifer Haynie has worked all of this together to create a novel of intrigue, romance, and suspense. The first book in the Unit 28 series, Panama deception, does set the scene for this novel. That book included much more Islamic terrorist type violence, which I didn't really enjoy reading those parts, but I am glad I read the book that started the series off. However, Loose Ends focuses much more on relationships and includes more of the characters' faith through the book. ...

Fall is the season of pumpkin spice. This year the pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks will be out the last week in August. Why not get a copy of the new Pumpkin Spice and Everything Nice coloring book to relax with along with your latte? The Pumpkin Spice and Everything Nice coloring book features 90 coloring designs. There are gorgeous fall drawings, verses and sayings to color featuring pumpkins, fall leaves, apples, harvest dinners and pies, owls, warm beverages topped with whipping cream and lots more. I like that this coloring book has such a nice mix of pictures. Also, the pictures contain a mix of coloring both larger and smaller spaces, but not terribly tiny spaces, which I appreciate. I also like the faith element with Bible verses and spiritually uplifting sayings. The pictures are on both sides of the pages. I would encourage the use of colored pencils over markers in this book to be sure there is no bleed through, although the paper is heavy stock. However, the pages ...

Are you a reader that likes fast action, romance, and danger in a plot? If you answered yes, Jennifer Haynie's book, Panama Deception , offers all of those things in a novel. Alex Thornton is a disgraced former covert operative who leaves the United States to meet up with her 3 other good friends in Costa Rica for a vacation. When Alex and 2 of her friends arrive, they discover that their good friend, Melanie, has not only not arrived but has been kidnapped. Jabir  al-Omri is Alex's former comrade who abandoned Alex four years before after a mission gone amuck. Jabir is in the area for another mission. Alex and Jabir run into each other and join forces to find Melanie. Panama Deception is definitely a page turner and I don't want to give any of the plot away. It has adventure, intrigue and romance. It is also quite violent in several scenes. The non-Christian characters are leading a fairly worldly life with drinking and sex mentioned in various places, although t...

Do your kids enjoy a good joke or funny story? Sandy Silverthorne has created a whole book full of  funny riddles, jokes, one-liners, and other humorous stories and lists. Crack Yourself Up Jokes for Kids is aimed at kids ages 6-12--but everyone in my family enjoyed them. There must be a joke of some sort to make most everyone laugh in this book. It has a lot and one or the other of them should make someone laugh. I think it could be a lot of fun to use as an icebreaker for Sunday School, School groups or with youth group meetings besides adding to family fun times. I would encourage families to get a copy for the fun of it. It sells for less than $5 on Kindle or in hard copy so it could create quite a bit of entertainment for the money invested. Here is an example of a joke we enjoyed from Crack Yourself Up Jokes for Kids . You may enjoy it or one of many other jokes in the book: Teacher: If you have five dollars and ask your father for five more, how much money would y...

Jessica Honegger tells her story in Imperfect Courage of leaving her comfortable life and inadvertently starting her company, Noonday Collection, to help fund the personal adoption of her Rwandan son, Jack. Imperfect Courage is divided into three parts, The First Step, Better Together, and A World Changed. Each section has four chapters in it. Honegger shares how she started her company and how she has kept it going and growing. She shares how her family adopted their son Jack. She shares how to build a sisterhood of support and how to encourage other women both at home and in business.  I am not a Noonday Ambassador, so I have to say that honestly I really wasn't familiar with the company before reading this book. However, I found her story of how she started the business and kept it going to be quite interesting. I liked that she seemed to share honestly and was straightforward in both what worked for her and what didn't as the company grew. I also learned a lot about...

If you are looking for a new book to cozy up and read with your little ones before bed, Night Night, Sleepy Town is an adorable new board book designed to help your little ones feel safe and loved before bed. Night Night, Sleepy Town introduces children to the folks who help keep the town running smoothly--the mayor, the farmer, the policeman, the teacher, and more. Children are reminded that each of these special people take care of everyone in their own special way and encourages the children to remember them and say thank you for them. Adorable brightly-colored illustrations help bring each profession to life for the young readers. This book has short rhyming verses and great rhythm. The illustrations are great. The reminder to be grateful for all of the special people who make the town run each day is such a good idea to help children learn gratitude. Night Night, Sleepy Town is aimed at children 3 to 5 years old and is 20 pages long. It is also part of Amy Parker's s...