Everything She Didn’t Say by Jane Kirkpatrick

Would you like to take a trip back in time when the railroad was beginning to head out west? Then this is a story you’ll want to read.  Everything She Didn’t Say  by Jane Kirkpatrick will introduce you to a young, adventurous woman named Carrie Adell Strahorn.

Carrie’s story is filled with the hard life of a pioneer, and the exciting adventures of settling the unknown Wild West. She and her husband, Robert Strahorn, travelled around the west for the Union Pacific researching different locations for the railroad to expand to and for material for Robert to write books promoting settling in the West.

Jane Kirkpatrick has a way with bringing an unknown woman’s story to life. The author has done a wonderful job of being true to Carrie’s story while exploring the possibilities of what Carrie left out of what she wrote. I enjoyed reading this story and learning more about the history of my wonderful country. If you’re looking for a good read, pick up this new book by Jane Kirkpatrick!

My Rating: ★★★★

***I received this complimentary book from Revell. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions are my own. 

Who Was Esther?, and Who Was David? Kingdom Files series by Matt Koceich

My daughter has really enjoyed the "Who Was" series from our local library, and I was excited to learn that author Matt Koceich has come out with something similar but with Biblical characters.

Who Was David? and Who Was Esther? are just two of the books in this series. Each book tells the life story of a biblical character and reads like a biography that is separated into three sections--Fact File (key information), Action File (events of the character's life), and Power File (memory verse and application for your life). Clue boxes appear along the way and give applications from the story. These books are for kids ages 8-12.

I thought the stories were a good re-telling of the facts from Scripture so that kids can get a total understanding of the main character being discussed. But I wish the stories were less dry and more engaging for the reader. On the other hand, the power-up section in the back of the book would be a great talking tool to use with your kids as you discuss the book together.

In Who Was David?  I thought that this book could of really used a map to help the reader follow along.  In the Power-up section in the back of the book,  power-up #4 talks about God being with you which is a great lesson we can learn from the life of David. But I didn't like what was emphasized in this paragraph: "After David defeated Goliath, the king invited him in to be a part of his team. Saul sent David out on missions, and David was always successful. So Saul gave David a high rank in the army. David found success in all things he did because God was right there with him." It's almost like he's saying that if God is with you, then you will always be successful. The main idea is not that because we have God, we will be successful with whatever we do--soccer games, life going well, etc.  God was the One Who worked through David because David obeyed. I wish this would of been said a little differently since success is looked at in such a different way by our culture.  In Who Was Esther?  I appreciated that this book did include a mini timeline and a map of the area that was being discussed. Overall, I think the series is a great idea in helping kids get familiar with the character's complete story from Scripture instead of just knowing about them from one story of their lives.

The following is a list of the other books in this series: Who is Jesus?, Who was Daniel?, Who was Jonah?, Who was Mary, Mother of Jesus?  You can see all the books from this series by clicking here.

***I received complimentary copies of these books from Barbour Publishing and was under no obligation to post a review.

The Best of Intentions by Susan Anne Mason (Canadian Crossings book 1)

I love a book with a great cover, don't you? That is one thing that makes me pick up a book or glance past it. A good cover can make my eyes stop and take notice of a book. I just love the cover to this new series by Susan Anne Mason. The Best of Intentions is the first book in the Canadian Crossings series.

From the Back Cover:
In the aftermath of WWI, Grace Abernathy is determined to reunite her family, crossing an ocean to convince her widowed sister to return home to England. Yet, in Toronto she discovers more tragedy--her nephew Christian is in the custody of his paternal relatives, the formidable Easton family, who rejected Grace's sister because of her low status.
Unconvinced the Eastons can be fitting caretakers, Grace uses an assumed name to secure the position of Christian's nanny and moves into the Easton estate. There she can observe the family up close, while ensuring Christian's well-being. In the course of her new role, she is shocked to find herself falling in love with Andrew Easton, the boy's guardian. Unfortunately, Andrew is promised to a spoiled socialite who is sure to make a terrible stepmother for Christian. Will Grace be able to protect her nephew...and her heart?

My Thoughts:
This book pulled me in right from the beginning and didn't let go. My mind was swept away to the year 1919 and the end of WWI as Grace Abernathy traveled across the ocean to find her sister in Canada. Susan did a great job communicating the desperation her character would of felt in a new country, trying to find out what happened to her sister and the child. The story communicated the vast difference of social classes during this era as the two families in this story, the Abernathys and the Eastons, come from completely different circles. Grace shows such bravery as she heads into a nanny position with the Eastons not knowing what the outcome will cost her. She only wants to honor the promise made to her sister, Rose, and maybe silence the guilt in her conscience that has plagued her for years regarding an event the family never talks about. I enjoyed this story as Grace tries to figure out what is the right thing to do in this difficult circumstance. If you're looking for a good, clean, romantic story set in a historical time period, then pick up this new book from Susan Anne Mason!

My Rating: ★★★★

***I received this complimentary book from the author. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions are my own.

The Way of Abundance: A 60-Day Journey Into A Deeply Meaningful Life by Ann Voskamp

Ann Voskamp's The Way of Abundance is a newly released devotional based on insights from her book, The Broken Way. This devotional is a 60-day journey and each day includes a Bible verse, devotional thoughts and concludes with two reflection questions. (41) The book is divided into 6 parts and each part is 10 days. The titles are as follows:

Part One: How Can the Brokenhearted Keep Going?
Part Two: How Do We Live Like the Brokenhearted, Cruciform Christ?
Part Three: How Do You Let Your Broken Heart Receive?
Part Four: How Can the Brokenhearted Find Real Communion?
Part Five: How Can the Brokenhearted Release Control?
Part Six: How Do the Brokenhearted Get to Love?

I read some of the reviews on Amazon that were unfavorable towards this book saying that it was too depressing.  My first thought after reading this book is that this book is for brokenhearted people. Those who have gone through deep suffering will identify with what the author is trying to communicate. I thought that the book was great in that it takes you from thinking about yourself and your circumstances to thinking about how you can imitate Christ in this fallen world. The following are some of the thoughts that stood out to me as I was reading:

"What would happen if the scars you carry are what God uses to carry Christ to a scarred and broken world?" (p. 12)
"Abundance isn't about having as much as you want--abundance is about having as much of God as you want." (p.13)
"Why--Why, you with your broken heart, why do you bother to keep getting out of bed? ...Because this is what I know: Nothing is more necessary than finding God and falling in love and deeper into Him. Love decides. Love decides everything. What you are in love with decides what you live for. What you are in love with decides what you get out of bed for." (p.18)

If you are grieving a loss in your life whether a loved one, a relationship, a dream, your health, this is a devotional that will start where you are and point you in a different direction. One that is away from yourself and toward God and serving others.

My Rating: ★★★★

***I received this complimentary book from BookLook Bloggers. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions are my own.

Crack Yourself Up Jokes for Kids by Sandy Silverthorne

I don't know about your kids, but my 3 kids 10 and under love telling jokes. They find joy in making others laugh with them. So, when I see a joke book, I like to pick it up and give the kids some new, funny material to make us all laugh.  Revell has a new joke book out for kids by author Sandy Silverthorne called, Crack Yourself Up Jokes for Kids. This book is filled with jokes, stories, knock knocks, and riddles.

This book is for kids ages 6-12. I thought the book had some pretty funny jokes inside. Some are ones I have heard over the years, and there are others that were new to me. Here are 3 that I found funny:

"Susie was so excited that she put together a puzzle in just 10 days even though the box said 2-4 years." (pg.39)

"Max: Grandma, how old are you?
Grandma: 39 and holding.
Max: How old would you be if you let go?" (pg. 56)

"Mom (on the first day of school): What did you learn today, Andy?
Andy: Not enough, apparently--they want me to come back tomorrow." (pg. 115)

Now one thing I must warn about is that there were a couple of jokes that talked about a kid being dumb or calling someone dumb. Here is are 2 examples:

"Jason is such a dummy that during a power failure at the mall, he got stuck on an escalator for two and a half hours." (pg. 64)

"The teacher pointed at me with a ruler and said, 'At the end of this ruler is a real dunce!' I got sent to the principal's office when I said, 'Which end?'" (pg. 134) 

So, this is one thing to keep in mind with this book. I certainly wouldn't want my kids repeating this to their teacher at school.

***I received this complimentary book from Revell. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions are my own.