The Bridesmaid by Beverly Lewis

 I was privileged to get a review copy of Beverly Lewis' new book The Bridesmaid.   This is the next book in the Home to Hickory Hollow series.  Not too long ago I was able to read the first book called The Fiddler.  The Bridesmaid begins with Joanna of the characters from the first book.  She was a good friend to the Englischer, Amelia.   In The Bridesmaid, Joanna and her younger sister Cora Jane do not see eye to eye on everything.  Cora Jane warns Joanna about the age old saying... "3 times a bridesmaid, never a bride", but Joanna doesn't listen and wonders if she is risking meeting someone by being a bridesmaid so many times especially considering that she is already 24 years old.  Cora Jane becomes pretty upset with Joanna when Joanna meets a young man from another state and becomes romantically attached to him.  Joanna is not sure that her long distance romance will last and maybe she will be written off as a maid.
  This was a fun, easy read.  I like to read continuing stories of characters I've previously met.  This book can be read as part of the series or a stand alone novel. It was interesting to see the characters grow as they each encountered disappointing circumstances choosing to trust God in spite of what was happening in their lives.  The plot was well written,  and I would recommend this book.

**I received this book free from Bethany House Publishers and Library Thing in exchange for an honest review.

Understanding World Religions in 15 minutes a Day by Garry R. Morgan

Author Garry R. Morgan has put together a good resource for covering the main points of different religions.  Understanding World Religions in 15 minutes a Day presents only the facts about each religion and does not have a biased viewpoint.  There are 40 chapters in the book.  Each chapter is about 4 pages long and really does only take 15 minutes or less to read.

The religions that are covered in this book are as follows:

Roman Catholic Christianity                
Eastern Orthodox Christianity
Protestant Christianity                         
Evangelical Christianity
Animism and Folk Religions                
Native American Religions
African Traditional Religions               
Judaism
Zoroastrianism                                      
Islam
The Nation of Islam                              
Baha'i
Hinduism                                              
Janism
Sikhism                                                
Theravada Buddhism
Mahayana Buddism                             
Tibetan Buddism
Confucianism                                       
Taoism
Shinto                                                   
Secular Humanism
Cults, "Isms" and Contemporary Religious Movements                            
The Unitarian-Universalist Association
The Unity School of Christianity         
The Unification Church
Christian Science                                  
Scientology
Mormonism                                          
Jehovah's Witnesses
Neopagan Religions                             
New Age Religions
Transcendental Meditation

I think this book would be a great resource to have on hand when dealing with others about different religions.  I know for me I often can get them confused or forget what the main facets of a particular religion are.  Morgan's book is concise and factual.  I would recommend this book for anyone who would like a quick resource on hand.

**I received this book free from Bethany House Publishers in exchange for an honest review.

Live to Give Facebook Launch Party Tonight

Tonight at 8pm, you can join Hoops of Hope founder Austin Gutwein as he hosts a live Facebook event that will cover the themes from his new book Live to Give.  Live to Give is about conquering  your fears and using the talents God has given you to help others.  There will be giveaways at the event.  So if you have some time this evening,  join the party on Facebook and learn more about this book while getting the chance to win some great prizes.

Click here to visit the Facebook Party page.

Tyndale's Free E-books this month

I thought I'd share these free E-books that Tyndale is having available for free during certain days in the month of September.  So take advantage of this offer and get them on your e-reader!!  The first 2 that are free from Sept. 2-29th are:

Click here to download Robot Wars.

Click here to download While the World Watched

There are more free e-books to come.  I'll make sure to post them the day they are free.