Made by Rae Jackpack Backpack GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

Made by Rae Jackpack Backpack GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

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Fearless by Max Lucado

I loved this book! The whole premise behind this work is that through faith you don't have to embrace fear. Fear never accomplished anything good. It holds us back and makes life less meaningful. Throughout scripture we are reminded that God asks us to choose courage over fear. I didn't actually finish reading the book because I had a friend who needed it much more than I did- so I gave it to her when I was about halfway finished. She's been reading it ever since and also has good things to say. During a time of struggle it's a comfort and a very good reminder that God loves us and we are not alone. Choose to live your life without fear.

How Sweet It Is- by Alice J. Wisler, published by Bethany House

"Sometimes life's biggest blessings come in the wrapped packages that you never expected and didn't choose." After her grandfather's death Deena Livingston moves to his cabin in a small mountain community. The cabin will be hers if she stays and teaches cooking to a group of troubled middle school students. Deena is a professional chef and hopes to open her own cake baking business. The challenges and rewards that await her as she remakes her life and learns the power of peace and forgiveness warmed my heart. It made me question how my own faith has grown and changed over time.

Alice J. Wisler creates memorable, well developed characters. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who's looking for an uplifting read or simply light romance. At the end of the book is a page with "questions for conversation." This was a pleasant surprise and I truly enjoyed being nudged along in my quest to journal about some of the lessons touched on in the book. There are also several recipes included. My favorite is a recipe for peanut soup. This book is a light read, but it has many layers and I have a feeling it will stay with me a lot longer than most books, simply because of the way it was crafted.

Exposure- by Brandilyn Collins

I loved this book! All week I kept trying to get into a romance I'd agreed to review and this book sat on my side table, tempting me. Finally, I put the other book aside and started reading Exposure, written by Brandilyn Collins, published by Zondervan. I couldn't put it down. Kaycee Raye lives in fear of unknown people watching her every move. She knows the fear is irrational. It's something she picked up from her mother, who had the same fear. Except- what if her fears aren't irrational? What if someone really is out there? Watching her? Moving things in her house? Leaving vanishing pictures of a dead man in her home?

Exposure is very well written. The suspense kept me on the edge of my seat throughout the entire book. There are no "slow" chapters. Brandilyn Collins has written an amazing action packed story that I highly recommend to anyone interested in mystery/suspense. I'll certainly be looking for more stories written by this author!

Yesterday we received, "The Wackiest, Wildest, Weirdest Animals in the World," by Jack Hanna, published by Thomas Nelson. I didn't get the opportunity to look at the book until this evening because my children have been fighting over it for the past day. "The Wackiest Wildest Weirdest Animals in the World" is a big hit with the seven and under crowd living here! Some of the animals covered were very familiar to the family (like lions and ostrich). A couple of the animals (like Bongo) we'd never heard of before. Our kids were definately motivated by the beautiful pictures to read to themselves and find out more about the animals.

Included with the book is a DVD of bloopers from Jack Hanna's TV show. My kids weren't terrifically enthralled with the DVD, but I enjoyed it :-) I'd recommed this book to for anyone with younger children.