My Big Bottom Blessing by Teasi Cannon

I got up this morning, and I didn't stand on the scale.  True story.  If you said "who cares?", then don't bother reading the rest of my book review.  I got up this morning, and I looked in the mirror, and I thanked God for my surgery scar, and the pregnancy fat I never lost, and for seeing me as beautiful every time He looks at me.  Really. Did you say "who cares?" again? Then, you've read far enough.  I was up during the night thinking about what has occurred during my lifetime to cause me to look at myself with Satan's eyes, instead of God's eyes.  To think about emotional wounds, and forgiveness, and the way I picture God.  Then, I slept for a while, and got out of bed this morning, and reminded myself to live like the child of the King. Because I am one. I am a Princess.

Teasi Cannon brings us face-to-face with who we are, not who we think we are. With brutal honesty about the emotional wounds of her own life (including childhood sexual abuse), she leads us though an examination of our own hearts and minds in an attempt to help us overcome our wrong views of our female bodies.  She gives us permission to be free of the scale, and the horrors of the mirror, and instead to examine our hearts, because "man looks at the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart". "Oh, a 'feel good' book?", you're thinking. Nope. You won't feel good after you read each chapter. You'll answer the questions, and say "ew, that's ugly, have I really been thinking and behaving like that? Wow, that needs to change. Right now".

I always manage to find my "favorite quote" when I read. This one is on page 62, when Teasi is being prayed over, and "feels nothing".  "The prayer is not working", she says. "I thought for sure he was going to tell me that I wasn't feeling anything because I was desperately lost. That mine was a case like none other, and that there truly was no hope for me. But that's not what he said. Although what he did say wasn't much better, it got me to thinking.  He simply said, "It doesn't matter if you feel it or not. The truth is still the truth."  

"My Big Bottom Blessing: How Hating My Body Led to Loving My Life" is just that. Truth.  It's time to bury the lies. Forever. It's time to put Satan's words where they belong. Buried. Forever. It doesn't matter if you feel it or not when you read the book. The truth is still the truth.

Take a peek at the first chapter, and the book trailer here:https://www.facebook.com/teasicannon/app_208195102528120

When you're done reading the first chapter, I hope you're craving more. Don't just buy the book for yourself.   Share it with a close friend. Someone you can talk to over tea and cookies (yes, I said "cookies", not low-fat, air-filled puffy things with 0 points). If you're going to examine your life, you definitely want to have cookies. Chocolate cookies.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6pS5HCkgPI

Fearless by Eric Blehm

Fearless was provided to me free of charge by Waterbrook Multnomah for review purposes. I must admit, when the book arrived, it sat for a few days as I decided whether or not I had the stomach to read it. Knowing from the dust jacket that the strong, young Navy SEAL on the cover had lost his life in battle made for the difficult choice. Did I really want to get to know this man, his family, his friends, his struggles and triumphs of life, knowing the outcome before I even began? Then, if I did read it, would I be able to write an unbiased review, or would I feel like I had to write "nice things" so as not to offend the family left behind? Flipping a coin seemed like a cop-out, so I did the next best thing. I decided that I would read the first chapter, see how I fared, and then make my choice.

Chapter one quickly turned into two, then three, then a night of unending reading as I did find myself pulled into the story of Adam Brown's life.  The author did a beautiful job of introducing the reader to Adam and his family. It wasn't always easy to experience the joys and triumphs of his life, remembering the loss that lay at the end of the book.  The good news is that there is much to learn between the pages about persevering in all situations.  Some of Adam's trials were so great that they seemed they could not possibly be overcome, but God is faithful.  Through the many phases of Adam's life, you can see God's hand in everything that happened.  It's a rare look at life from the other end.

I greatly appreciated the chance to get to know Adam Brown through the eyes of his family and friends.  I found it to be a fitting tribute to an American hero, as well as a reminder to all of us that life is brief. How do you want to remembered when someone writes your story? And when they read it, will they see God in the pages?

Where Lilacs Still Bloom by Jane Kirkpatrick

I struggled with "Where Lilacs Still Bloom". I picked it up and put it back down at least five times. I started it, and it seemed like a book I would enjoy, but the story travels from one character to another and I found it confusing. There may very well be one of those "tie it all together" chapters toward the end, but I never made it that far. I had a similar experience with another one of Jane Kirkpatrick's books, so it may be that I just don't mesh with her writing style.  Thank you to Waterbrook Multnomah for allowing me the opportunity to preview this book for free. Below you will find a link to dowload the first chapter of this book:
http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/blog/2011/12/09/sneak-peek-where-lilacs-still-bloom-by-jane-kirkpatrick/

God Gave Us Love by Lisa Tawn Bergen

The "God Gave Us..." books by Lisa Tawn Bergen have by far become my favorite children's books of late, and "God Gave Us Love" does not disappoint.  With Laura Bryant's adorable artwork, and a dialogue between Little Cub and Grampa about the true meaning of love, even the adult reader gets caught up in the story. "God Gave Us Love" answers the hard questions about love...how can we love THEM (they aren't like us, and I don't like them!), how is that kind of love different from loving our family, and what exactly is the love of God?

My favorite line from this book is when Grampa tells Little Cub that "God is love, so He created us to love. He ties us all together like the strings on our snowshoes, heart to heart.". What a great word picture!

I highly recommend this book for your little one ages 0-3 years. Although, I had no problem reading it myself, and I'm way past three! It would make a great gift for any little person. Read an excerpt, get details about the book, or add it to your cart at http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/catalog.php?isbn=9780307730275

This book was provided to me free of charge by Waterbrook Multnomah for review purposes.

Wildflowers From Winter by Katie Ganshert

I don't watch much TV, with the exception of Tuesday night. Tuesday nights at 8 p.m. mean the TV belongs to "mom", it's time to be quiet, and "no, you can't have my popcorn, make your own". So, when I opened up to the first chapter of "Wildflowers From Winter" on a Tuesday evening, it was with the intention of starting it, and putting it down in time for my "show". Needless to say, when 8:05 rolled around, and I decided to stay on the couch with my book, the family started wondering what on earth was going on with mom.

"Wildflowers From Winter" draws you right into the main character's life, and holds you there. I barely made it through the Prologue before asking myself "who is this new writer, and when is she writing the NEXT one?" The characters are "meaty", they have depth and emotion. There's no violet-eyed beauty falling into the arms of a chisel-jawed cowboy, only real people with real problems trying to figure out who they are after great loss. The Chicago architect who pulled herself up out of the trailer park, left her past behind, and "made something of herself". The back-home farmhand, faithfully caring for the people and land he loves most. Both united through a common loss and a common bond. 

Don't understand my enthusiasm? Read the first chapter, and I guarantee you'll be wanting this book long before it hits the store shelves this May! http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/blog/2011/12/09/sneak-peek-wildflowers-from-winter-by-katie-ganshert/

The great thing about Christian fiction is that it's always about more than the book! The author expresses that she wants people to find hope through this story, and the knowledge that we worship a God who is with us even in the barren times. I believe she has accomplished far more than that.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nzE0YC_Tvns

Go. Read. Enjoy

This book was provided to me free of charge by Waterbrook Multnomah for review purposes. It can be pre-ordered or purchased through
 http://www.christianbook.com/apps/product?item_no=730383;item_code=WW

Not This TIme by Vicki Hinze

It has taken me weeks to get to this blog. Not because I wasn't reading, but because I couldn't get into the book I wanted to blog about. "Not This Time" by Vicki Hinze was provided to me free of charge by Waterbrook Multnomah for review purposes. In all fairness to the author, I did not realize when I chose to review this book that it was book # 3 in a series (after Forget Me Not and Deadly Ties). I tried several times to get into this book. I read and reread the first chapters to no avail. There are a LOT of characters, and try as I might I could not figure out the who's who. Plus, I don't get into suspense, and "high tension" when I read. I much prefer a book that helps me to relax. If you like suspense and romance, then I would suggest starting with book #1 so you can get a good feel for the plot and the characters. My apologies to Vicki Hinze for being unable to give a fair review of her book.