Book Reviews & New Releases
One of the things that I want to start to do here on my blog is let you know about some of the books that have just been released. I haven't read all of them but they have either been recommended by someone I trust or written by someone I follow online.
Finding I AM
This year for Christmas I got a little bit of money and I bought myself the new Lysa TerKeurst book Uninvited and so far I have just loved it. I have been following The First5 app and Proverbs 31 on Instagram for awhile and I am consistently encouraged by the content. There is an online Bible Study you can join for this one January 23 - February 24.
(1/02/2017)
Fear Fighting
I just got approved to read an advance copy of this and I can tell you that there won't be a whole lot of sleeping going on over here. I have only read the first few pages and I'm already really loving it. She begins with "if you hoping for a perfect, brave, bold, amazing and beautifully clad woman wearing the badged heart of courage, I am not your gal." Oh I already love this! A little later she writes "I am tired. I am tired of pretending I am good. I am tired of just existing. I am tired of returning to swampy places that make me sink into selfish desires..." If you have been reading my blog here for awhile, especially if you read all of my posts about being brave then you know how much this is in my lane. I can't wait to read this one. I received a digital advance copy of this title from NetGalley for the purpose of review. You can be sure you'll be hearing about this some more soon.
(1/03/2017)
Full: Food, Jesus, and the Battle for Satisfaction
I follow Asheritah Ciuciu on Instagram and I have to say - I really love her. You may have seen her book "Unwrapping the Names of Jesus" over the advent season. She is such a real person, and someone who I look up to. On the topic of food - isn't it something most of us have to deal with in one way or another? Eating too much, or not enough. Thinking about what we eat too much, or not enough. As someone with an eating disorder I have a love/hate relationship with books on food. This is one that I love. I love that she says that this is not just a "fat girl" problem. I love that she comes to this with an attitude that just because we struggle with food does not mean that this is our "thorn in the flesh" and that we can experience victory in this area. I love that she comes at this as a form of idolatry, yet with the compassion of someone who has been there - done that. There is also a companion journal available. (1/03/2017)
This is the Psalms re-translated by a group of Messianic Jewish and Christian scholars into the Tree of Life Version of the Bible with a short devotional after each Psalm. The devotions are written by Jeffrey Seif - the vice-president & Chief Theologian of the Messianic Jewish Family Bible Project, the group who commissioned the Tree of Life Version, Messianic Rabbi Glenn Blank & worship leader Paul Wilbur I love reading the Scriptures in different translations because each time something new jumps out at me. I also appreciate the different perspective on a familiar (and favorite) portion of scriptures. (1/03/2017)
I received a digital copy from NetGalley.com
Love Unending
It has been true for me, I don't know if it has been true for you as well, that I had very high hopes for my marriage at the beginning. Then life comes along, especially kids, and wears down those high hopes. One of the things that I appreciate about this book is that Becky Thompson is that she is very real. You can tell that she has been blogging for awhile and that she is used to telling it like it is. She shares the side of her marriage that a lot of us might try to keep hidden, but she does it in order to offer hope. She writes about a pivotal moment when she asked her dad for his secret to a happy marriage and he said that he treated each day like it was his first day in love with his wife. This book is a 21 day challenge with really specific action steps for how to apply this principle to your marriage. For example - day 1 is to think about how you might have greeted your husband when your relationship was first starting, compare it to how you greet him now and see how you can improve in this area. There are also really sweet journaling prompts right in the book. I do wish that there were more positive examples of how this principle is actually improving her marriage. Other than that I enjoyed reading this book and looking for ways to apply this to my marriage. Be on the lookout for a giveaway of this book coming soon!! (1/03/2017)
I received a free copy of this book from Blogging for Books
No More Faking Fine (1/10/17)
Craving Connection
The first thin that you need to know, in case you don't already is that this book is edited by none other than the wonderful Crystal Stine who hosts the write31days challenge that I have done the last couple of years. If you haven't connected with her on social media yet - get to it! Her 31 days posts this year were written specifically and directly to me. I am not even joking. What you need to know about this book - it is divided into three sections - connecting with God more deeply, connecting with friends more purposefully and Connecting with community more intentionally. The chapters are from (in)Courage authors (like Annie F Downs and Lisa-Jo Baker, Holley Gerth, ) and they are really similar to the blog posts we see on that site. The chapters vary in length and tone but they are all similarly pointing to the singular idea that we are made to live connected - to God and to each other. There are questions, a challenge and a prayer with each chapter. There's a Bible verse and a quote to consider. There's also a fun section at the back where the authors answer random questions like "what role would you play in a rock band?" (Does photographer/social media person count?!) (1/10/17)
I received a digital advance galley from NetGalley.
Chasing Slow
Emily Freeman (do I still have to add the P? Okay, Emily P. Freeman, there, now it is official) recommended this book in her post 17 New Books to Read in 2017 (I just got that and had to giggle a little bit. Will she do 18 books to read in 2018 I wonder?) I read a bit of it on the Amazon page and a bit of her blog Design for Mankind I can not wait to read more. It is the memoir of "viral sensation" and HGTV star Erin Loechner, she is married to Ken who has a brain tumor. They have an adorable little girl and they just adopted a dark haired little boy! (01/10/2017)
Coming Soon:
Sweeter that Honey - a coloring book by Lindsay Letters (1/24)
Nothing to Prove - Jennie Allen (1/31)
Coming Later:
It's Simply Tuesday - a coloring book by Emily P Freeman & Jennifer Tucker (4/4)
BTW it is not too late to enter my giveaway of the book "It's Not Fair" by Melanie Dale.
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