Good Reminders, Slightly Stale

I haven't been undergoing persecution lately or had anything particularly bad happen in my life, but I have been having a hard time relating to God and figuring out how to live this life. From that position and finding no better looking alternatives, I requested a free copy of The Red Sea Rules by Robert J. Morgan from BookLook Bloggers. It turned out to be just about what I expected: a book with some good reminders but nothing especially new or life-changing.
Morgan draws 10 lessons from the Israelites' passage out of Egypt and through the Red Sea that offer insight for relating to God as we pass through various trials and hardships in our own lives. These lessons include trusting God, praying, and praising, along with (as you might guess) seven others.
I would not necessarily suggest reading this book, but I also don't doubt that it could be used to change a person's life. One thing I do like about it is that the lessons are not overly drawn out, so it's a fairly quick read.

Insight into Joy Through Suffering

You may have heard a song called "Clouds" by Zach Sobeich or seen a video about him and his family. I had not done either of those until I was about halfway through the book Fly A Little Higher written by Zach's mother, Laura.
I have to admit the book was a little bit out of my stylistic preference, but it was good. It went on a little too long for me, but otherwise I have no complaints about it. Laura Sobeich did a great job of capturing the life of their family, the difficulties and the joys surrounding the life and death of her son Zach.
I could relate to Zach somewhat from the musical aspect, and I admit I was somewhat jealous of all the opportunities he had musically. I was also envious of his attitude towards life, his care for others. The book paints a great picture of a great family, while including some of the raw emotion and authentic feelings.
It is a book worth reading. Will it change your life? Maybe. Maybe not.
I am glad I was given the opportunity to read this book by BookLook Bloggers who provided it free for review.

Girls and Shoes

As you might imagine, it generally makes the most sense to read a series in order. When I requested Riley Mae and the Ready Eddy Rapids I didn't realize that it was the second book in a series. Thankfully it was provided for free for review by BookLook Bloggers, and I wanted it more for my daughter in the future than for myself. Having read and reviewed book 2, I decided to request book 1 recently. Riley Mae and the Rock Shocker Trek by Jill Osborne provided some good background information on the characters that I had missed by reading the second book first. The story develops of a young girl whose father works in marketing for a shoe company. The girl, Riley Mae, ends up becoming the spokesgirl for a new line of shoes named after her. Shes learns some lessons in commitment and responsibility and deals with conflicting interests after signing a contract that takes precedence over softball.
I appreciate that each book of the series (at least the two I have read) has its own complete plot while there is also a plot that runs through them, giving them cohesion. I also appreciate some of the lessons that are demonstrated. One caution, however, is that there are several lies, or at least secrets in the book, some that are kept by Riley from her parents. While it is realistic that people hide things from each other, this is something certain parents might not want a book to suggest to their children.
Personally, I won't let that stop me from letting my daughter read this when she gets a little older (after she learns to read).
This book was also provided to me free for review by BookLook Bloggers.

Dealing With Guilt

We all make mistakes. Some seem bigger than others. Some remain in our memories longer. Others may be so bad that we block them out but deal with them subconsciously for a long time. In The Devil Walks In Mattingly author Billy Coffey deals with the issues of guilt and shame through a fictional tale of a small, secluded town. The story focuses on the sheriff of the town, whose shame has made him dead inside as he does all he can to maintain a put-together exterior. His wife, blaming herself for the same death as her husband, though neither knows it, tries to make up for her mistake by helping others. In this tale, this couple comes face to face with their past in a way that forces them to divulge the secrets they have tried to keep buried inside.
I enjoy a fiction novel that has a practical point to it. This novel has just that. While there seems to be a lack of clarity on some points about guilt and shame, the author does a good job of demonstrating the importance of honesty, both with yourself and others, particularly when dealing with guilt. The book seemed long and slow in getting to the point, but in a way, that enabled me to share the anxiety and awkwardness the characters felt as they found their way to the truth of the day that had changed their lives years ago.
I would recommend this book as an intriguing tale dealing with guilt. However, I would also add that it is in no way a comprehensive guide to dealing with guilt and shame.
I appreciate BookLook Bloggers for providing this book to me for review.

Something Different

After my previous review, I was looking through the books available for review from BookLook Bloggers and saw several that I thought I might like. I ended up choosing one that I wouldn't normally be interested in but thought might be a good one for my daughter when she gets a little older. I figured it would be an easy book to get through and would offer a change of pace.
The book Riley Mae and the Ready Eddy Rapids by Jill Osborne did end up being a quick read. It follows the adventures of a young spokesperson for a shoe company as she learns the ups and downs of a life of responsibility, a life that takes her away from her home and friends and that involves more thrills than anyone could have been prepared for. Riley seems to be accident prone as people around her continually end up in the hospital. Maybe they aren't just accidents.
The book includes many lessons about growing up and about faith, and I would recommend it for the target audience. If you are a little bit out of the target, like me, you still might be able to get something out of it and maybe even enjoy some or all of it.
I am grateful for BookLook Bloggers for providing this book free for review, and I am interested to see what my daughter will think of it when she learns to read.

Giving

I just finished reading The Happiest Life by Hugh Hewitt, which is a book about giving. The basic premise, as you might guess, is that the best way to live a happy life is to give. Hewitt describes seven gifts that anybody can give. They include intangibles, such as encouragement and energy. The chapters about gifts are followed by descriptions of givers. Basically, he outlines how you can be a giver in various arenas of life based on relationships you have in those arenas.
I appreciate that this book has some great truth about what it actually means to be happy and what are some of the best things to give and best ways to give them. I was able to glean much from the wisdom and experience of the author.
However, at many times, The Happiest Life seems like it should have been written as an autobiography with giving as a major theme throughout Hewitt's life. While I appreciate the stories and examples, I think the book often crossed the line between effectively communicating ideas and merely rambling. At times, I was reminded of the Bible's genealogy sections. While I think those section are important for the complete understanding of God's Word, I don't think they were necessary or helpful for this book. Not only were they not helpful but could often come across as name-dropping.
I would most likely recommend this book to people along with a warning about the amount of unnecessary information.
Thanks to BookSneeze, now BookLook Bloggers, for sending me this free book for review.

Finding

I was recently given the book Dear Mr. Knightley by BookSneeze, for review. For me, the amount of time it takes me to read a book is quite telling. This book I read within a few a days, meaning I enjoyed it and it engaged me.
Katherine Reay's first novel lays out the experiences and feelings of a young woman through letters she writes to a pseudonym attached to the foundation that pays for her Master's education at a prestigious journalism school.
The letters allow Sam to withdraw herself from her books and into the world around her, to be separate from her favorite characters and become herself. Throughout the book, she is faced with challenges to escape the fear, anger and other scars from the past that caused her to hide in the first place and enter a new chapter of life, a life with love and hope.
I appreciate the range of issues the book touches on: foster care, education, career choices, anger, fear, love, hope, God, and others.
I would recommend this book to others, especially those who appreciate reading and/or writing.