Book Review: The Little Red Book of Wisdom

The Little Red Book of Wisdom is a book by Mark DeMoss.

The Little Red Book of Wisdom offers time-tested principles for professional and personal fulfillment.

Mark DeMoss gathers insights for living wisely from history, Scripture, and a lifetime of listening. The result is a handy, accessible book that gives readers a new way to enjoy lasting success in the work world and beyond. Topics include finding and keeping your focus in life, building a winning corporate culture, and setting aside time for good thinking.

Mark DeMoss is president of the DeMoss Group, a public relations firm he founded in 1991 specifically to serve Christian organizations and causes.  More than 150 nonprofit organizations and corporations have sought counsel and support from his firm in the areas of communications, media relations, branding, marketing, nonprofit managing, and crisis management.  Mark and his wife, April, live in Atlanta, Georgia, with their children. His father, the late Arthur S. DeMoss, was a successful businessman, having pioneered direct response marking of life insurance through the National Liberty Corporation, which he founded.

While some of the quotes in this book are based of scripture, there are a lot that are not.  There are 25 chapters each focusing on wisdom for various aspects in your life.  One chapter focuses on twitter and social networking and even quotes what John Mayer had posted on his blog when he decided it was time for him to quit twitter.  A chapter is devoted to the art of letter writing, a seemingly lost cause.  (But one I try to continue through postcard writing.  Not exactly the same as a letter since space is limited but handwritten and requiring a stamp to get anywhere just the same.)

This book can be read easily all in one sitting as I read it – or like other books I have read and reviewed you can choose to break it down and read one of the 25 chapters each night before bed or every morning when you first wake up to give you a different perspective on how you should live your life that day.

Some of the chapter’s relate to things that have gone on in Mark’s life: his father passing away at 53 leaving his mother to take care of their 7 children aged 8 to 22, their house burning down when Mark was a child.  Other chapters relate wisdom to things that he knows from friends or that had happened to others.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Book Review: The Keepers by Monique O'Connor James

About the Book:

Jess denies God. In his infinite wisdom, he’s taken everyone she’s ever loved. Moving to the French Quarter was a ploy to erase the guilt she felt for rebuking her faith. Perhaps, if she hadn’t met Justin, an angel preoccupied with getting back into God’s good graces, and drowning in his hatred for humanity, her plan would have worked.
Justin’s general disdain for the human race makes him difficult to like, but some higher power has appointed him her keeper. Justin’s convinced he can mend her broken relationship with her maker, but in the process he learns a thing or two about his own humanity.
Never mind falling in love, that’s not supposed to happen. In fact, it may even be forbidden. Jess just wants Justin to understand her plight, and he wants to protect her from a world she doesn’t know.If neither are equipped to save the other, then whose soul will live and whose will perish?

Buy the Book at Amazon ‘Like’ Monique O’Connor James on Facebook Visit Monique’s Blog Monique’s Official Website

About the Author:

Monique is the mother of two beautiful children and lives in a small community outside of Baton Rouge, Louisiana.  She currently works full time as an insurance agent, but her favorite jobs are mother, wife, and author. On her eighth

birthday, her mother bought her a journal and said “write whatever you want, just write”. And so, a love affair with words was born.  She wrote poetry and short stories in high school and college, until 1993 when her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer.
Finally, in 2007, under the urging of friends, she sat down and pecked out her first novel.  It was raw and unpolished, but the process had been unquestionably cathartic. The next three years were spent filling her hard drive with seven complete manuscripts.At the beginning of 2011, Monique decided it was time to edit the work and share it  with the world.  She hopes you enjoy the ramblings of a truly southern girl raised in a state rich with heritage and love.

My thoughts:

I have to say, this book was incredibly difficult for me to get in to.  Once I pushed myself, I found a grammatical error of the use of “you’re” instead of “your”, which is one of my biggest pet peeves when it comes to grammar as that is one of the easiest ones to figure out! You’re = you are.  “You’re brother is hot” would be “You are brother is hot” which makes no sense!  That then turned me off again so I had to push myself again to continue on.

I also had a hard time picturing the scenes.  I like to imagine that I am in these places with the characters.  I know that everything was set in New Orleans, but as I have never been there (though I would love to visit one day) it was hard to picture it without there being some descriptions of where they were.

I did like the concept of the fallen angel though.  I am not one for vampire stories, but I do love angels so this was a bit of a breath of fresh air in that aspect.  And who isn’t a sucker for a young adult romance novel?

I would rate this book 3.5 / 5 stars. It is a quick read and would be great for a quick summer weekend if you want a bit of an escape from reality.

Book Review: It Couldn't Just Happen

It Couldn’t Just Happen – Knowing The Truth about God’s Awesome Creation is a book by Lawrence O Richards.

This four-color, Gold Medallion Book Award winner is a perfect tool that offers solid, biblical answers to some of the tough questions kids ask about evolution and our world.

“Did Earth begin with a ‘Big Bang’ cosmic explosion?”

“Does science contradict the Bible?”

“What happened to dinosaurs?”

“Is there life on other planets?”

“Did we evolve from apes?”

“What makes my body work on its own?”

Kids are daily exposed to the theory of evolution by the media and public schools. It’s not safe to assume that your kids will reject that theory. It’s up to us as parents and Christian leaders to make sure our children know the truth about the creation of the world. With thousands of evidences to prove He created and sustains the universe, It Couldn’t Just Happen will fascinate kids with fun activities and examples of God’s marvelous works.

This book was interesting to me because having read Inherit The Wind in High School we had a big discussion about how Science and God and the Bible can maybe all be telling the same story when it comes to evolution.  I was interested to see what theories this book would put forward to “disprove” science (or maybe further prove)

At the end of each chapter there is a “just for fun” section with some questions and activities for you to further look into what was presented in each chapter.  These were all very interesting things, even though the book is geared towards Children I still found myself learning a lot.  (And even though I have taken a LOT of science classes and have had an interest in space and the solar system since I was a kid I still found myself learning a lot)

The book also presents a lot of interesting theories that I had never heard before. Some are really out there, some make some sense, but all made me think.

Even though this book is geared ore towards children I think it is a great read for children and adults a like. You don’t need to have kids to enjoy this book and be interested in the information that it presents.  And, since it is geared towards children, everything is explained in simple terms – something that often lacks when science gets involved!

To be honest I thought this book was going to leave me rolling my eyes at ridiculous claims that God created everything and there is no science and stuff like that, but I was pleasantly surprised with how much this book was NOT like that and how much I actually enjoyed reading it.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Book Review: Don’t Check Your Brains at the Door

Don’t Check Your Brains At The Door by Josh McDowell & Bob Hostetler is a book geared at teens and helping them know what the believe and why when it comes to God.  It is broken down to sections:

Myths About God

Myths About Jesus

Myths About The Bible

Myths About The Resurrection

Myths About Religion and Christianity

Myths About Life and Happiness

Each section then breaks down different myths relating situations in a way that teenagers and younger readers can understand and relate to.  At the end of each chapter is “Brain Food” which notes parts of the Bibles to read and has some thought provoking questions for each of the passages that relate to the chapter.

I think this book is a good read for teenagers and even young adults and adults who question what they believe in.  It makes things more relate-able and easy to understand.  I kind of wish something like this was out when I was a teen – because a lot of the questions I had could not be answered (at least not to my liking) by religious teachers or others.  Yet many of them are touched upon and explained in this book.  Whether or not the answers in this book which I believe to be satisfactory now would have satisfied my wonder several years ago, we’ll never know.

About The Book

“Seven in 10 Protestants ages 18 to 30—both evangelical and mainline—who went to church regularly in high school said they quit attending by age 23, according to the survey by LifeWay Research.” (USA Today)

Don’t Check Your Brains at the Door gives teens answers that make sense, even for the toughest of questions. Internationally known defender of the faith Josh McDowell and co-author Bob Hostetler offer clarity laced with humor to expose common myths about God, the Bible, religion, and life to show how Christianity stands up to the test of fact and reason. Teens will be better equipped to stick with their faith as they begin to understand why they believe and why it’s important to make a lifetime commitment to Christ and the church.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Book Review: Love Each Day by Gail Bernice Holland

About the Book

We are used to psychologists, psychiatrists, and other “experts” offering advice about how to be happy and how to live a fulfilling life. Even though the books by these experts can be helpful, sometimes the best way to learn about life is from true stories. Although “Love Each Day” doesn’t specifically tell people how to live a wonderful life, the authentic true stories nevertheless offer timeless lessons about enjoying life. The tapestry of true stories in our lives will always be invaluable. From these stories we not only learn how people from different walks of life live, but also what is important to these individuals. Ultimately, this book inspires readers to spend time treasuring what really matters.

About the Author

Gail Bernice Holland is an author and award-winning journalist who has worked on newspapers and magazines in Britain and the United States. As a staff writer and interior designer for “Home” magazine in London, England, Holland furnished a four-bedroom house for the Ideal Home Exhibition visited by Princess Alexandra, a member of the British Royal Family. After immigrating to the United States, Holland was a feature writer for the “San Francisco Examiner” newspaper, editor of “Connections” magazine published by the Institute of Noetic Sciences, and a staff copywriter for the stores Joseph Magnin and Gump’s, California. She has also worked in the movie industry and written radio commentaries, including winning awards for her writing and editorial work. Read more about Gail at http://www.authorgbr.com/bio.html.  You can listen to an interview with Gail at http://www.insidescooplive.com/author-pages/Holland-Gail-interview_Love_Each_Day.html

My Thoughts

Love Each Day: Live each day so you would want to live it again by Gail Bernice Holland and inspirational and uplifting.  The book has 40 true inspiration stories.  Each are short, about 3 pages each. The way the book is set up – you have a couple of options on how you want to read it.  I opted to read it straight through over the course of a day (taking breaks in between each story to work on other things).  But you could easily leave this on your bedside table and read a story when you wake up or before bed to try and get you in the right mindset to live your day like you’d want to live it again.  The stories also come from people in all walks of life and all occupations.  On the front cover it lists some of the occupations who have stories included in this book: doctor, bartender, bus driver, Olympic athlete, business person, astronaut, baseball player, etc.  It will be hard for anyone to not be able to find at least one story they relate to, and all of the stories are uplifting and sure to put a smile on your face.  After reading the book, I thought about my life – am I living each day so I would want to live it again?  Well, no, not every day.  I have been taking the time to re-evaluate how I live my life and what changes can I make so that I would want to live each day again.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in order to write my review.  All thoughts and opinions are 100% mine and I was not otherwise compensated.

Book Review: Christian Encounters J.R.R Tolkien

J.R.R. Tolkien by Mark Horne is the 4th book in the Christian Encounter Series that I have read and I have to say it was by far my favorite.  What I like about these books is that they are tiny – size wise and page wise and can easily be carried around in my purse.

This book was much easier for me to read than some of the others – only 10 chapters and everything flowed and told the story of Tolkien’s life with a bit of his Christian lifestyle stuck in there as well. (Though this didn’t have as much mention of his Christianity as some of the other books in the series)  Other books in this series I struggled to get through, this one I found myself wanting to read all in one sitting (though unfortunately I started it a bit too late at night for that!)

It told about how some of the stories in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings mirrored what had happened in his life, how after writing The Hobbit the publisher’s wanted him to expand on it but instead he wrote The Simirilian, which was more of an “adult” book to the Hobbit’s “children’s” book.  And how he did not get “celebrity status” until much later in his life.

While I have not read any of Tolkien’s books (I had to read The Hobbit for school but just couldn’t get in to it and never finished it) I have seen The Lord of the Rings movies several times, so it was interesting to find out about the author and his upbringing before writing the books.

About the Book

Christian Encounters, a series of biographies from Thomas Nelson Publishers, highlights important lives from all ages and areas of the Church. Some are familiar faces. Others are unexpected guests. But all, through their relationships, struggles, prayers, and desires, uniquely illuminate our shared experience.

J.R.R. Tolkien famously penned The Hobbit and the 3-volume novel The Lord of the Rings. Known as “the father of modern fantasy literature,” his writings have inspired many other works of fantasy and have had a lasting effect on the entire genre. In this Christian Encounters biography, learn how Tolkien’s faith was an intrinsic element of his creative imagination, one that played out in the pages of his writings and his life.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Book Review: The boy who came back from heaven by Kevin & Alex Malarkey

I was drawn to this book because I had thought that I saw the boy this book is about on the news.  However, when the book arrived I realized that it was actually a different story that I had seen on the news and the fact that there are now (at least) 2 boys who are claiming to have met God… is pretty fascinating in and of itself.

This book was a quick and easy read and was incredibly interesting.  It is roughly 200 pages and I finished it in 1 sitting in about 2 hours.

The book tells the story from the perspectives of Kevin and Alex Malarkey.  When Alex was 6, he and his father get in to a terrible auto accident and many believed that Alex had died.  However, paramedics heard a slight heartbeat and he was helicoptered away to a Children’s Hospital while Kevin was taken to a nearby hospital to be checked out.

Kevin was actually on the phone with his wife at the time of the crash, who was home with their 3 children – one of which who had been born just 2 days previous!  Fortunately, she assumed that he was just in an area without much reception and did not hear the crash occurring.

Each chapter we hear Kevin’s perspective and at the end, Alex tells what he was going through at the time.  He tells about how he went to Heaven but could not see God’s face because if you see his face, you die.  He tells about Jesus being with him as he watched what was going on at the accident scene.  He tells about how angels removed Kevin from the car during the accident and how the devil told him that the accident was his fault. Alex tries to describe Heaven to the best of his abilities – but it seems like it is more of a “you have to see it to believe it” type of place.  All of this time, Alex’s Army were praying for him as Alex was in a coma and was internally decapitated.

The story is truly captivating and amazing. Inserted in to each chapter are also a few paragraphs from people who were at the scene of the accident, who were praying for Alex or attended his church,etc with their thoughts on everything that was going on.

(For anyone interested – the other boy has also written a book which is called “Heaven Is For Real” I have not read it yet but it would be interesting to see how his descriptions of Heaven are similar/different to Alex’s!)

I received a free copy of this book from Tyndale Publisher’s in order to write this review.

Book Review: The boy who came back from heaven by Kevin & Alex Malarkey

I was drawn to this book because I had thought that I saw the boy this book is about on the news.  However, when the book arrived I realized that it was actually a different story that I had seen on the news and the fact that there are now (at least) 2 boys who are claiming to have met God… is pretty fascinating in and of itself.

This book was a quick and easy read and was incredibly interesting.  It is roughly 200 pages and I finished it in 1 sitting in about 2 hours.

The book tells the story from the perspectives of Kevin and Alex Malarkey.  When Alex was 6, he and his father get in to a terrible auto accident and many believed that Alex had died.  However, paramedics heard a slight heartbeat and he was helicoptered away to a Children’s Hospital while Kevin was taken to a nearby hospital to be checked out.

Kevin was actually on the phone with his wife at the time of the crash, who was home with their 3 children – one of which who had been born just 2 days previous!  Fortunately, she assumed that he was just in an area without much reception and did not hear the crash occurring.

Each chapter we hear Kevin’s perspective and at the end, Alex tells what he was going through at the time.  He tells about how he went to Heaven but could not see God’s face because if you see his face, you die.  He tells about Jesus being with him as he watched what was going on at the accident scene.  He tells about how angels removed Kevin from the car during the accident and how the devil told him that the accident was his fault. Alex tries to describe Heaven to the best of his abilities – but it seems like it is more of a “you have to see it to believe it” type of place.  All of this time, Alex’s Army were praying for him as Alex was in a coma and was internally decapitated.

The story is truly captivating and amazing. Inserted in to each chapter are also a few paragraphs from people who were at the scene of the accident, who were praying for Alex or attended his church,etc with their thoughts on everything that was going on.

(For anyone interested – the other boy has also written a book which is called “Heaven Is For Real” I have not read it yet but it would be interesting to see how his descriptions of Heaven are similar/different to Alex’s!)

I received a free copy of this book from Tyndale Publisher’s in order to write this review.

Pretty Little Liars #9 – Twisted

The newest book in the Pretty Little Liars series, Twisted, is out today.  Sara Shepard is writing 3 more books in addition to Twisted to add on to the end of the book series which has turned in to a hit ABC Family TV Show.

If you’d like to check out what the book is all about before you buy it – you can preview it at Harper Teen:

http://browseinside.harperteen.com/index.aspx?isbn13=9780062081018

The book takes place when the Pretty Little Lairs – Aria, Spencer, Emily and Hanna are seniors in high school and while the mystery surrounding A and Alison has been solved, it looks like the girls are getting themselves in to trouble once again!

I am very much so looking forward to reading the last 4 books in this series – though it will be interesting to see how everything plays out – it might get a bit confusing to be reading it while the TV show is airing since the plot lines are not the same from the first 8 books to the TV show.

Book Review: An Unlikely Suitor by Nancy Moser

I have to start of this review by saying – I loved this book!  I read almost all of it the first day I started it – and if the day had more hours in it I probably would have finished it all in one go.

The story is about Lucy Scarpelli, a seamstress whose family is being evicted from their home.  Her aunt and uncle decide to move from New York to Oklahoma, leaving Lucy and her mother and her sister to figure out on their own a place to live.

Lucy manages to find a man that not only will rent them an apartment, but will also give the three ladies jobs as seamstresses and hat makers at his dress shop!  While working in the shop, Lucy meets Rowena, a woman of high society who needs dresses made so that she can court with Edward.  Edward and Rowena’s parents want them to marry each other although Rowena is not sure anyone will want to marry her because she is “crippled” (She hurt her hip/leg in an accident and walks with a limp)  Rowena goes along with her parents idea even though she is really in love with Morrie – but he is part of “the help” and therefore off limits for her to pursue.

Rowena quickly forms a friendship with Lucy, as Lucy discovers a way to make her dresses quite flattering on Rowena.  When Rowena and her family head off to Newport, RI for the summer, Rowena rips apart her dresses and demands that Lucy come out right away to repair them.  While there Lucy meets “Dante”, who saves her from the Cliff Walk when she fell.  Lucy and Dante sneak out to meet each other and send letters to each other.

Meanwhile, several of the other ladies want Lucy to help make them costumes for the Vanderbilt’s ball, so Lucy’s mom and sister are brought in to help with making them.  It seems like once everyone is there – everybody starts falling in love and the story takes some twists and turns! I won’t give any more away 🙂

I liked that at the end of the book the author included a “Fact or Fiction” section where she discussed how things were in the late 1800s and how she decided to pick and choose where people lived, what their apartments looked like, etc.  This was a nice touch and was very interesting to read after I had finished the book.  She also included some photos of typical outfits for the women in this time period so it made it a bit easier to picture what Lucy was creating and what the women of high society were wearing during the book.

I was given a free copy of this book from the publisher in order to do a review.  All opinions are 100% mine and I was not compensated in any other way or asked to write a positive review.
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