Bringing Up Girls is a guide book that provides information and insights about parenting girls using Dobson’s signature conversational style.  He begins with exploring the physiological and psychological differences between boy and girls, and he then explores cultural influences, and the impact and influence of a daughter’s relationship with her mother and her father.  Ultimately, this book did not provide a great deal of “new” information for me, but I do think the book is a good parenting resource.  The detailed discussion of the impact of a father’s relationship with his daughter was of particular note.

While this complimentary book was provided for review by Tyndale House Publishers, no other compensation was given.  All remarks are my personal and honest opinions.

Turning Guild Trips into Joy Rides is a book of daily readings.  The focus is on identifying situations one cannot control and seeing the bigger picture.  Each entry uses a scriptural foundation and addresses a guilt trip to avoid and then a joy ride to take instead. Although the daily readings are brief they do a good job providing encouragement in developing a more positive, big picture perspective.

While this complimentary book was provided for review by Litfuse Publicity Group, no other compensation was given.  All remarks are my personal and honest opinions.

Almost Amish chronicles the transformation of Nancy Sleeth’s family from a technology oriented “plugged in” family whose members were continually bringing the newest and the best into their home to a family that has simplified their lives in order to have more time to build meaningful relationships with their family, friends, and God. 

I think we all wonder at times if all of the technology that makes our lives easier really does make it easier when all is said and done. As a result this book sparked my interest.  Sleet examines life through the lens of ten Amish principles that focus on making a simpler, slower, and more sustainable life.
Her text is broken up into ten chapters which examine the key element of each principle:

Homes
Technology
Finances
Nature
Simplicity
Service
Security
Community
Families
Faith

Almost Amish provides the reader a great deal to think about…

While this complimentary book was provided for review by Tyndale House Publishers, no other compensation was given.  All remarks are my personal and honest opinions.

After seeing Brenda Warner speak at The Women of Faith Event in Dallas, I was interested in reading her book.  One Call Away: Answering Life’s Challenges with Unshakable Faith shares Brenda’s story from the humble beginnings of early childhood to present day and the unexpected stops along the way ~ becoming a parent of a special needs child, divorce, living in poverty, losing both her parents in a tornado, meeting and marrying Kurt Warner, and her role of wife and mother as her husband’s career transitioned from Arena Football Player to National Football League M.V.P.   Ultimately, her story is one of encouragement; she repeatedly reminds the reader that one is not defined by his/her circumstances.

Warner’s story is told using a conversational tone that is easy to read.  Although an interesting read, I was expecting a bit more than I heard from her at The Women of Faith Event.  Unfortunately, her book and her talk are one in the same.  There is no further reflection or insights provided in her writing.

While this complimentary book was provided for review by Thomas Nelson Publishers, no other compensation was given.  All remarks are my personal and honest opinions.

Bonhoeffer:   Pastor, Martyn, Prophet , Spy shares the amazing story of Dietrich Bonhoeffer.  This exhaustive biography of Bonhoeffer’s life is extremely well written and engaging.  The use of personal letters, interviews, and research provides the reader with a clear picture of who this man was and the incredible impact and influence he had in aggressively opposing the Nazi Movement culminating in his participation in the conspiracy to assassinate Hitler.

This book is well worth reading.  I highly recommend it.

While this complimentary book was provided for review by Tyndale House Publishers, no other compensation was given.  All remarks are my personal and honest opinions.

Thunder Dog shares the true story of Micheal Hingson’s escape from the World Trade Center on September 11th.  He takes the reader on the incredible journey from his office on the 78th floor to safety.  As you read the book you can actually visualize what it must have been like to navigate the 1,463 stairs in fume-filled stairwell b which is truly amazing as this fight for survival is told by blind man who escaped and helped others to escape with his faithful guide dog Roselle.   I found it difficult to put the book down as I read the descriptions of the escape.  They were vivid and thought-provoking.

Throughout the book, the author goes back and forth between sharing details of  his day on September 11th, and sharing his story as a blind person.  Initially, this format worked fairly well and made for an interesting story, but ultimately, the book came across as more of a way of sharing his views and opinions about being blind in America today then sharing his experiences on September 11th.  This was not what I was expecting…

While this complimentary book was provided for review by Thomas Nelson Publishers, no other compensation was given.  All remarks are my personal and honest opinions.