Monday, May 8, 2017

Scripture Graphics #38

What a good example for us to follow! How many things -- even "good things" -- do we jump into without first seeking God? Do we think we should prosper, if we have *not* begun with seeking God?

It doesn't matter how often I read this verse, I always need the reminder. What I need wisdom for today may not be what I needed wisdom for yesterday, yet when I ask God, He is always faithful to supply the wisdom I need.

"Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers." Ephesians 4:25
I know that I need the reminder to step back and evaluate what I'm letting come out of my mouth (and texts and emails, letters, blog posts, etc.). Are the words I'm saying building others up, or sending sparks? There is no excuse of, "Well, no one listens to me anyway." Someone is listening. What are they hearing?


We will always battle with our flesh, but "He giveth more grace!" With every struggle we face, God is there to give us His help, if we seek Him in humility.


Now it's your turn! What's a verse you read this past week?
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Saturday, May 6, 2017

Books I Read - April 2017

It's still April, isn't it? ;P Seriously, yesterday I wrote "April 5" TWICE--and I didn't even realize it until this morning. How many of you have a hard time transitioning into May?

So, now that I have convinced myself that it is, indeed, May, it's time for April reading recap! I actually read a lot in April (mostly in the beginning of the month). Like I may have beat January's book-count. Of course, many of these were short. ;) And most of them were fantastic reads!

Books I've been waiting forever to read...
Finally!! I was able to get around to books that have been on my TBR pile forever (or what seems like forever). The first checked off my list...

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I was not disappointed! I thoroughly enjoyed Kate's Innocence and grabbed Kate's Capitol several months ago. I had to wait until my reading schedule was cleared up to read it. I'm happy to recommend this book to readers! There is more romance issues than in Innocence, for readers sensitive to that. But, you can see my review here.

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Oh my word. Why did I wait so long to read this book?! It was SO, SO good!! You can read my fangirling enthusiastic review here.

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I've seen this author around for a few years, so she's kind of been on my TBR list. I didn't know what to think of this book at first, as it was quite a different style...but in the end, I loved it. And since I've put the book down, I have been reminded of the message of the book several times in my own life. That makes it a wonderful read for me. See my review.

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The last that got a little dusty on my shelves before I got around to reading it was Five Love Languages for Singles. This was also a good read and I felt like I learned a lot in it. My review is here.

Moving on...
Saddest read of the month...
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I remember 9/11, so this book resonated and brought back a lot of the initial feelings of "when it happened." It was good to be reminded of 9/11. Full review here.

Favorite short story...
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We're going to pretend that this isn't my only short story read in April. Seriously, if I had read others, this would have still made it to favorites list! Honest, truly. It's free! So get it and read it. And if you need more persuasion, you may read my complete review.

Favorite inspirational read...
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This book was SO good!!! It is properly named "gems." It was easy to read, as it was just a bunch of short quotes (a few paragraph-long), and they were so good. Yeah, it was just good. I highlighted like half of the book. I don't know that I have more in my review, but it's here if you're interested. ;) This is another free Kindle book.

Uncategorized...
None of the books I read this month were "never read again" but two of them were kind of on my neutral list.


This was highly informative and I will likely read it again. Review here.

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I laughed at parts in this book, but some parts also fell a little flat. My review is here, for more of my thoughts.

Children's books...
I think I'm getting addicted to reviewing children's books. ;) They are so cute and very handy to have on hand in case I need to gift them.

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This one wasn't on a review program; I grabbed it at a thrift store and am so glad I did. See My review.

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I read God Loves Mommy and Me in March so was happy to review this one as well. It's just as cute. My review here.

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And this one. SO cute. So adorable! I love this little book!!! You can read my full thoughts here.

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There you have it! My books of April. What did you read in April? What were your favorite reads? Have you read any of these books? If so, do you agree with my thoughts or not? Why?

What are your anticipated reads of May 2017? I'm going to see how far I can get in these two beasts of books. I'm already about 120 pages in Sherman (research reading) and 1 1/2 stories in Holmes (my first time reading Sherlock!).


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Friday, May 5, 2017

Behind the Scenes | Giveaway, Blog Tour, FLF

Happy Friday! I'm here with another book for review and First Line Friday. ;)

behind-the-scenes
 
First Line:
"Pressing her nose against the glass of the carriage window, Miss Permilia Griswold felt her stomach begin to churn as she took note of the throngs of people lining Fifth Avenue."
~*~*~
Also, be sure to hop along to all of these other blogs and see what First Lines they have to share!
Please note that I may not fully endorse all of the books that these bloggers read or the content in these blogs.

Rachel - Bookworm Mama
Lauraine - Lauraine's Notes
Andi - Radiant Light
Robin - Robin's Nest
Kathleen - Kathleen Denly
Jessica – A Baker’s Perspective
Trisha – Joy of Reading



BehindtheScenes_mck.inddAbout the Book

Book: Behind the Scenes  

Author: Jen Turano  

Genre: Inspirational Historical Romance  

Release Date: April, 2017

To order your copy, click here.

 Miss Permilia Griswold may have been given the opportunity of a debut into New York high society, but no one warned her she wasn’t guaranteed to “take.” After spending the last six years banished to the wallflower section of the ballroom, she’s finally putting her status on the fringes of society to good use by penning anonymous society gossip columns under the pseudonym “Miss Quill.”

Mr. Asher Rutherford has managed to maintain his status as a reputable gentleman of society despite opening his own department store. While pretending it’s simply a lark to fill his time, he has quite legitimate reasons for needing to make his store the most successful in the country. When Permilia overhears a threat against the estimable Mr. Rutherford, she’s determined to find and warn the man. Disgruntled at a first meeting that goes quite poorly and results in Asher not believing her, she decides to take matters into her own hands, never realizing she’ll end up at risk as well.

As Asher and Permilia are forced to work together and spend time away from the spotlight of society, perhaps there’s more going on behind the scenes than they ever could have anticipated. . . .

My Review
Another laugh-out-loud read!! I don’t always find authors to be humorous, but Jen Turano has it down. I got many strange looks from my family when I just couldn’t hold back a giggle (or ten). 

I would say that Behind the Scenes is definitely a character-driven novel. I fell in love with Permilia, Gertrude, and yes, Asher and Harrison (here’s hoping the next in the series is about Gertrude!). All of the characters were very well developed and interesting. I loved how Turano leaked out what they were doing and consistently made changes in their character growth and trust (or distrust) of others.

The plot seemed a little scattered at times because there was SO much going on between the main threat presented, family relationships, etc. It was all very interesting, it just seemed that occasionally the main threat was forgotten for a while (and, seeing as it was dangerous, how could one forget it?).

This was a very clean book. I would say it is Christian, because it definitely speaks of God, but it didn’t strike me as having a solid message woven throughout the entire story—more in the latter half. Also, I’m not 100% sure that I fully endorse some of the thoughts presented (such as, “Follow God, hope for the best”—this is probably me being slightly nit-picky).

There was romance, of course, but it was comical. I didn’t find it to be extremely emotional-driven. There were a few times of flutters and such, but honestly, I don’t remember any extreme detail of emotions and kisses (which is a personal plus here).

Due to the era, there was a bit about the suffrage/progressive movement. I personally don’t fully agree with the movement, but I did find it to add historical accuracy.

All in all, this was a super enjoyable read and I’m looking forward to book two in the series.

*I received this book complimentary of the author and Celebrate Lit, and happily provided my review.*

About the Author

jen-turano


Jen Turano, author of nine books and two novellas, is a graduate of the University of Akron with a degree in clothing and textiles. She is a member of ACFW and lives in a suburb of Denver, Colorado. Visit her website at www.jenturano.com.






Blog Stops

April 27: The Scribbler
April 27: Genesis 5020
April 28: Back Porch Reads
April 29: Bookworm Mama
April 29: Karen Sue Hadley
April 30: Lighthouse Academy
April 30: Radiant Light
April 30: Bigreadersite
April 30: Lane Hill House
May 3: Book by Book
May 5: Baker Kella
May 6: A Greater Yes
May 6: Just Commonly
May 8: Giveaway Lady


Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Jen is giving away a $25 Barnes and Noble Gift Card and the four books: After a Fashion, In Good Company, Playing the Part, Behind the Scenes!! Click below to enter. Be sure to comment on this post before you enter to claim 9 extra entries!

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/4664b04910/
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Thursday, May 4, 2017

Jesus Loves Me | Book Review

Children's book plus music...of course this is a book that called my name! The children's son, "Jesus Loves Me" is coupled with woodland art and fun, whimsical text. Three verses of "Jesus Loves Me" are depicted in this book. The first verse that we all know, but then the other two I don't recall ("As He loved so long ago" and "Walking with me on my way"). I didn't particularly care for the fact that the last two verses kind of seemed to illustrate Jesus as a moose (when it said "Taking children on His knee," it was a picture of a moose with a kitten on its knee; when it said, "Jesus...[walks] with me on my way" it has a moose holding the kitten's hand). I'm not sure that children would see it as "this is supposed to be Jesus" but my sister and I separately thought it was depicted as such. That just sends a not-so-great vibe with me. So if things like that don’t bother you, this is a really cute book for children. 
*I received this book from Book Look Bloggers and happily provided my review.*


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Available on Amazon.
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Tuesday, May 2, 2017

Who's Who in The Secret Slipper | Pinterest!!

Ah, character cast. Every book has them. If you're anything like me, as you read, you tend to visualize the characters only to find out that maybe the author's view of the characters was slightly different than you own.

Something I've begun doing is creating a Pinterest board for my book. "The Secret Slipper" is no exception. I have all of my characters on my board! Even if you've not read "The Secret Slipper" yet, it will give you an author's introduction to the characters. :) So hop on over, see who's who, and then I'd love to hear who you're eager to hear more about in the novella!


Remember, you can sign up to review or feature "The Secret Slipper" on your blog here. Tour dates: May 25-June 3, 2017.

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Monday, May 1, 2017

Scripture Graphics #37

"Thy mercy, O LORD, is in the heavens;
and thy faithfulness reacheth unto the clouds.
Thy righteousness is like the great mountains;
thy judgments are a great deep:
O LORD, thou preservest man and beast.
How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God!
therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings.
They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house;
and thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures.
For with thee is the fountain of life:
in thy light shall we see light." Psalm 36:5-9
Take this passage phrase by phrase and just meditate on it. God used metaphors of things we have not fully explored -- what greater way to express the vastness of Himself to us?

"Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy: for I am the LORD your God. And ye shall keep my statutes, and do them: I am the LORD which sanctify you." Leviticus 20:7-8
"But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy." 1 Peter 1:15-16
The call to holiness is never revoked for New Testament believers. Yet how often do we hear it preached? How often do we examine our daily lives and hold our lives against God's Word to see if every manner of our conversation ("behavior") is holy according to God's definition? When was the last time we sought God's help in this area? (For it is God Who sanctifies us)


"Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus,...Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:" Hebrews 10:19, 22-24
All that we do for God must be grounded in Christ's work on Calvary. It is only through the blood of Christ that we can draw near, have full assurance of faith, have our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, hold fast without wavering, and minister to others. Any of these actions not founded in Christ and His salvation will not stand.
Also, sometimes as believers, we will be tempted to trust in these works alone ("Have I done enough?"), and do not fully trust in the sufficiency of Jesus' blood and sacrifice for us. Doing this, we will not have full assurance of faith.

"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen....But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him." Hebrews 11:1, 6

What verses have you been clinging to this week?
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Friday, April 28, 2017

Spurgeon Gems | FLF 4.27.17

My choice for #firstlinefriday is a book I stared on Sunday, Spurgeon Gems. You can get it for free on Kindle and I definitely think it's worth it!

Since this is just a book full of random quotes, I'm choosing one of my favorites (I have highlighted not quite half the book... a lot of great stuff in there!).




"Do not begin until you have prayed! 
Begin, continue and end everything with prayer, 
but especially begin with prayer."
(Spurgeon Gems, Charles H. Spurgeon

First...
Pull a book from your shelf and share a first line!

Then...
Be sure to hop along to all of these other blogs and see what First Lines they have to share!
Please note that I may not fully endorse all of the books that these bloggers read or the content in these blogs.

Rachel - Bookworm Mama
Lauraine - Lauraine's Notes
Andi - Radiant Light
Robin - Robin's Nest
Kathleen - Kathleen Denly
Jessica – A Baker’s Perspective
Trisha – Joy of Reading


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Tuesday, April 25, 2017

Christ Arose! | Book Review and Giveaway


I am not big into Biblical fiction, because the authors usually take a little too much creative license for my personal preference. However, Faith just finished a Biblical fiction short story (which she wrote, edited, and published in just three short days AND you can get it for free!!)...I had time so read it and wow!! Five stars all the way! You can read my review of it here. I definitely recommend it! OH... AND the giveaway is cool because it comes from my sister's Etsy shop. Yeah... you want to see it. ;)

About the Book



And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it. His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow: And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men.

No longer could I say I was lonely. But oh, how I wish I could! Who could have done such a thing to the Creator of the world? Who had so much hatred for Him?

Available for free on all eBook vendor: http://books2read.com/christ-arose

About the Author

Faith Blum is a 20-something author of multiple books in various genres. She loves to write, read, play piano, knit, crochet, sew, watch movies, and play games with her family. She lives in Wisconsin with her family on a small family farm where they raise goats, chickens, turkeys, ducks, and have 2 dogs and a varying number of cats.

Faith’s goal in her writing is to encourage Christians in their walk with Christ. If you enjoyed this book, go to her website to sign up for her Monthly Newsletter so you can get an email with fun facts, giveaways, and so much more every month. You will also find links to her other Social Media sites on her website. She loves to hear from her readers, so feel free to contact her. 

Giveaway




Faith is offering a really neat giveaway for this tour. The Par La Grace etsy seller has an April special right now for a really beautifully made block that says He Lives. Isn’t it pretty? You can enter the giveaway here:
 


Excerpt

I am empty. Bereft. No one visits, no one comes near. The garden is a comfort in some ways. The beauty of the flowers, the trees, and the sky above. But I am lonely. Not like my brothers and sisters nearby. They have been used. They are filled with the bodies of their masters’ loved ones.

Yes, I am a tomb. The rock I am made from was created by God the Creator long ago. Sometime later, Joseph of Arimathea bought me and had men work on me until a beautiful place became hollowed out for my master's body and for his loved ones when they went to be forever with their Creator.

Tour Schedule 


April 22
Bookish Orchestrations-Intro Post
Letters from Annie Douglass Lima-Book Spotlight
Written Rest-Book Spotlight and Review

April 24
Leila Tualla-Book Spotlight
God's Peculiar Treasure Rae-Book Spotlight

April 25
With a Joyful Noise-Book Spotlight and Review
Writings, Ramblings, and Reflections-Book Spotlight

April 26
Frances Hoelsma-Book Spotlight
Perpetual Indie Perspective-Book Spotlight and Review

April 27
Bookish Orchestrations-Giveaway Winner

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