A Review: "Rest Assured" by Vicki Courtney

"Rest Assured" by Vicki Courtney aims at helping women who are overcommitted, over-connected, and generally overwhelmed to slow down and find true rest for their souls. The book is divided into two sections. The first deals with enemies of rest; Courtney examines four specific areas (busyness, pursuit of happiness, tethered to technology, and worry) that bring women down distract them from incorporating rest into daily life. The second section deals with recovery. She includes four chapters that focus on four different ways to truly make rest part of life. Each chapter in this book includes discussion questions for small groups or for the reader to tackle on her own. The final four chapters also include a one-week dare where the reader takes one week to focus on living out the principles that were just read about (this is where a small group would really come in handy for the accountability aspect).

While there was nothing entirely new in this book, Courtney's writing is so fresh and engaging that the principles all feel brand new. I've known about these concepts for a long time, but putting them into practice has typically been more difficult. The practical suggestions and ideas that she puts forth in this book are just the motivation I need to implement some of these into my daily and weekly life. It's a wonderful book that so many women need to read. I highly recommend it!

(I’ve received this complimentary book through the BookLook program in exchange for a review. A positive review was not required and the views expressed in my review are strictly my own.)

A Review: "Crazy Little Thing Called Marriage" by Dr. Greg and Erin Smalley

"Crazy Little Thing Called Marriage:  12 Secrets for a Lifelong Romance" by Dr. Greg and Erin Smalley is the newest edition in the many offerings from Focus on the Family:  Focus on Marriage resources designed to help strengthen and nurture marriage relationships. With marriage under attack from so many influences, both outside and inside the relationship, it's vital for all married and engaged couples to focus on marriage, strengthening it to help you navigate all kinds of challenges. In this book, the Smalleys combine solid Biblical teaching and personal stories to bring the reader 12 secrets, 12 truths, 12 ways to help fortify your marriage and help it last a lifetime. These truths include help understanding communication, honoring one another, serving one another, and seeking God above all.

While at first glance, these 12 secrets seem fairly basic. However, the more I got into the book, the more I realized just how much better I can do. Even being married for nearly 13 years, there are still so many ways I can improve and make my own marriage better. These may seem like simple techniques and insights to some, but they are highly valuable insights that would benefit many marriages, from those just starting out to those that have many years behind them.

I was truly blown away by this book and the insights that were offered. I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for ways to bring some fresh insight and fresh perspective in your marriage journey.

Just as Joshua challenged his people to "choose this day whom you will serve" (Joshua 24:15), so we need to choose, every day, to pursue a great marriage. We need to choose intentionality over passivity...Loving thoughts over self-centered thoughts...Loving actions over self-serving ones. And in the process of keeping your commitments and acting in love, you will find yourselves enjoying the true Promised Land Marriage. (p.258)

(I’ve received this complimentary book from Tyndale House Publishers in exchange for a review. A positive review was not required and the views expressed in my review are strictly my own.)

A Review: "The Painter's Daughter" by Julie Klassen

Julie Klassen's newest novel, "The Painter's Daughter", focuses on the story of Sophie DuPont, a young woman who works as an assistant in her father's art studio. Located on the north Devon coast, the area is popular with many artists and poets, including artist Wesley Overtree. After departing for Italy and leaving Sophie in a serious situation, Wesley's brother, Captain Stephen Overtree, offers Sophie a solution. She is now faced with a choice, each carrying significant ramifications.

The story in this one took me a few chapters to really get into it, but once I found my rhythm with it, the story really drew me in.  The main characters were really well developed and the plot flowed well. There was enough intrigue to keep things interesting and fresh. The visual descriptions for the locations truly made the reader picture the setting.

Julie Klassen has become one of my "must-read" authors. I have enjoyed most of her work; there have been a couple more recent novels that have not been impressive. However, this novel is definitely one of her better ones and I would highly recommend it even to people not familiar with her other work.

(I’ve received this complimentary book from Bethany House Publishers through the Book Blogger program in exchange for a review. A positive review was not required and the views expressed in my review are strictly my own.)

A Review: "The Bronte Plot" by Katherine Reay

The third novel by Katherine Reay, "The Bronte Plot", follows the story of Lucy Alling. Lucy works for an antiques dealer and interior designer where she primarily manages the rare book collection. She often uses somewhat shady methods to achieve her goals, which eventually ruin a couple of important relationships in her life. She learns about her family history, and discovers that there are three generations of people in her family using similar shady methods for personal gain. After taking a trip to England with her ex-boyfriend's grandmother, she begins to find the courage to change and thus starts her redemption. She owns up to the choices she made and willingly accepts the consequences of her actions.

I found it difficult to really get into this book. The main characters really felt under-developed and a bit flat. The writing, while mostly good, jumped around and it felt like there were sections of it missing. The relationship between Lucy and her boyfriend, James, was a perfect example of this; it wasn't fully developed and was a little confusing at times. However, I did enjoy the section of the story pertaining to the trip to England. It was rich with literary references and made me want to dig into a Bronte novel. The descriptions of the sights were such that the reader could truly picture the scene.

I think "The Bronte Plot" was a decent read, and I liked the idea of the book. But the whole thing felt a bit flat and under-developed to me. Personally, I think Reay's best novel was her debut one, "Dear Mr. Knightley". I may try her future novels, but they are not must-reads for me.

(I’ve received this complimentary book through the BookLook program in exchange for a review. A positive review was not required and the views expressed in my review are strictly my own.)

A Review: "Trim Healthy Mama Cookbook" by Pearl Barrett and Serene Allison

I had never heard of the Trim Healthy Mama plan. The cookbook sounded interesting, so I thought I'd take a look at it. Let me start with the positives about the cookbook. The pictures they included with the recipes are beautiful (and there are ample pictures scattered throughout the book. There is a lengthy introduction regarding how to use the cookbook, including sections on what equipment to have handy, how to stock your pantry, and descriptions of their healthy special ingredients.

Now for the downsides. The book has a TON of recipes in it. It feels a bit overwhelming to go through it (it comes in at whopping 512 pages!). Many of the recipes sound intriguing, but nearly everything requires their special ingredients. I simply don't have the extra money or time to hunt down these ingredients. I prefer cookbooks that create healthy meals using more commonly found ingredients.

While a beautiful book, it's not a book for everyone, and it's not a book for me.

(I’ve received this complimentary book from the Blogging for Books program in exchange for a review. A positive review was not required and the views expressed in my review are strictly my own.)

A Review: "The Legend of the Christmas Cookie" by Dandi Daley Mackall

"The Legend of the Christmas Cookie" by Dandi Daley Mackall is a lovely children's Christmas story about the significance behind Christmas cookies. The book tells the story of Jack, a young boy who's feeling a little lost at home since his dad went away to find work. He comes home one day to discover his mom making Christmas cookies for the needy at church. They use carved wooden shapes to create the cookie shapes, and his mother uses this opportunity to teach Jack about the meaning of Christmas cookies--how they were used to tell people the story of Jesus' birth.

This is a sweet story complete with colorful illustrations from Richard Cowdrey. My boys enjoyed looking through this book and will like it even more once the Christmas season is upon us and we make our own batch of Christmas cookies. This book will definitely take a place in our regular rotation of Christmas read-alouds.

(I’ve received this complimentary book through the BookLook program in exchange for a review. A positive review was not required and the views expressed in my review are strictly my own.)

Quick Lit: What I've Been Reading Lately

I'm linking up with Modern Mrs. Darcy for this month's quick lit, where I share short and sweet reviews of a few books I've read in the past month. You can also find me over at Goodreads if you are interested in other books I've read or reviewed.

"7 Women and the Secret of Their Greatness" by Eric Metaxas. I can't say enough good things about this book. Metaxas tells the story of seven women, including Joan of Arc, Rosa Parks, and Corrie ten Boom. He truly brings these women to life on the page thanks to his conversational story-telling style. I was blown away by how these women allowed themselves to be used of God in incredibly powerful ways. This book, along with his previous book "7 Men", introduces modern readers to stories that need to be told. Men and women alike need to be exposed to these true heroes of the faith, especially in light of our world gone mad.


"For the Love of God:  Volume One" by D.A. Carson. This is a daily devotional following the M'Cheyne reading plan. Over the course of a year, you read the New Testament and Psalms twice and the rest of the Old Testament once. Each day, the reader goes through four chapters of Scripture. In volume one, he selects one of two passages and provides a one-page commentary on that particular passage. In volume two, he chooses from the other pair of passages. This is by far the best devotional I have ever encountered. It's a fabulous way to get beyond fluff and go deeper into Scripture. Carson does an excellent job helping the reader understand the passage at hand and how it fits in God's overall plan. Highly, highly recommend this devotional.

"Call the Midwife:  Shadows of the Workhouse" by Jennifer Worth. Her second memoir, this book didn't really include anything about midwifery. Instead, it was divided into three sections and essentially focused on three separate stories. The first section told the stories of Jane, Peggy, and Frank who all grew up in the workhouse. The descriptions of the conditions for the poor who lived there were disturbing and appalling. The second section contained the story of how Sister Monica Joan was accused of shoplifting and the ensuing consequences of her actions. The final section was the story of Joseph Collett, a elderly man she came in contact with on her community rounds. The entire book had a very different flavor than her first book. Each section reads almost like its own separate mini-book. Enjoyed it, but not as much as the first one.

"For the Love" by Jen Hatmaker. This is my third dive into a Hatmaker book, and each one keeps getting better. This collection of essays is divided into four separate sections:  yourself, your family, people around you, and faith and church. It's hard to describe this book because of the range of topics and voices scattered throughout. Humorous, witty, deep, and thought-provoking are all terms that come to mind. She speaks a lot to wives and mothers, but all women will benefit from the wisdom that shines through her writings. It's truly a fun book to read, yet still manages to challenge you in the process.