The Pastor's Wife: Book 21

The Pastor's Wife by Jennifer Ailee

This was a quick and fun read, after all the non-fiction books I've been reading.  The story revolves around the town of Granger and Pastor Nick, the senior pastor at a local church. He and his wife Maura have been separated for 6 years when one of the member's of his church passes away and through her will tries to bring the couple back together.  The will causes them to have to make some difficult decisions about things that in the end might be amazing opportunities. Will it be worth taking the risk of living in the same town again in order to take advantage of the opportunities?  Only reading the book will allow you to find out what really happened.

Great story, wonderful character development.
I'd give the book 5 stars.


Next up on my reading list:
Say Goodbye to Survival Mode by Crystal Paine

Simple Garage Organization- Create Space for Parking, Building and Storing: Book 20

Book 20: Simple Garage Organization- Create Space for Parking, Building and Storing by Angela Agranoff

 

This was one of the free books of the day on one of the many sites I get emails from.  I downloaded it, because it was about organization.  It was a quick read, with only a few chapters, but I'm glad I didn't buy it.  It may be helpful to someone who hasn't read many books about organization, but for me it was just restating things I already knew. The only new tip that I highlighted was to store potting soil in a garbage can so that it doesn't spill or create messes. I'd go further and suggest finding a garbage can, small that can be easily moved, on wheels as the actual storage container.  This would make using it so much easier.

 

 

Good for some who do not understand organization, but no real new tips for those who do. I'd give the book 1 star.

 





The Passionate Mom: Book 19

The Passionate Mom was the 19th book I read this year.  This book by Susan Merrill is filled with inspiration she gained when reading the book of Nehemiah in the Old Testament.   So often we read the stories of the Old Testament and think about how they were great stories from a time long ago, but rarely do we really study them to see what we can gain from them on a personal level.  In her study of the book she discovered that we can learn a lot about parenting from Nehemiah's example. 
She discussed to begin with the question we as  Mom's ask a lot, "am I doing this right?" (location 99 in my Kindle app). This is a question that I know plagues us, often finding us feeling like a failure.  I don't remember where I read it, or who said it, but I know that I did not come up with this myself.  The saying that "God made you the Mom of these children, or this child, and while you might not be perfect, you are the perfect Mom for them". Sometimes this thought helps me get through those tough days when I feel like I'm failing on every level.

So what did Nehemiah do that helps us as parents.  According to the study she did he "perceived the situation, he pondered every task, he was driven with passion to search for solutions, he prayed for direction, he patiently waited for opportunities, he methodically prepared to take action, he maintained his purpose, he developed the plan, and he persevered through problems to the end".(location 151 in Kindle app)

Susan then goes through each of the above words in italics and explained how we can follow Nehemiah's example and become truly passionate for our kids, and thus make an impact on them and the generations that will follow.  Each chapter talks about these different areas with clarity and examples from Susan's own life that then would allow them to be implemented into the reader's life. I was impressed with her understanding of Nehemiah and her desire to help her children reach the goals she has set for them in this world that doesn't always cooperate with our way of thinking. 

I highly recommend this book for any parent who is wanting to be more passionate and more intentional in how they parent. I'd give this book 5 stars.

Divergent, Insurgent, Alliegent: Books 16-18

Book 16 Divergent by Veronica Roth

Wow!  Twice now my son has purchased books at a book fair, and then suggested that I read them.  Both times I've been hooked and can hardly stop reading.  The first series he did this with was the Hunger Games Trilogy.  Although at the time we had to wait for the final book to come out, this time he had all 3 books on his shelf by the time I decided to read them.

Honestly, both are very much alike in the main problem facing the characters is their governments and the choices that their governments are making.  Both deal with friendships, death, decisions and needing to learn from the past.  The main difference is that the killing that occurs in this book series actually seems understandable in terms of it not being kids killing kids just to survive a game.  Regardless, in both series horrible losses take place.  The characters must grow and find their own ways in many cases. 

Divergent revolves around Beatrice Prior and Four.  Two characters that have had to make the choice of which faction to belong to.  Both chose Dauntless, both started out in Abnegation.  They made their choice to leave their factions after an aptitude test and the following choosing ceremonies. From their they basically have to deny their families and start over with their faction as their family.  The problem is that for Beatrice, who takes on the name Tris when she becomes Dauntless, is that she has something else to hide. She didn't get a clear indicator during the aptitude test for which group she should be in.  Instead, she showed that 3 different factions would have been a suitable choice.  Three is an unheard of number in the tests and can only mean one thing. That she is DIVERGENT. This is a dangerous thing to be, although she doesn't know why.  As the book progresses, more things are revealed, and they lead directly into the need to keep reading the next book in the series.

Book 17 Insurgent

In this book Tris and Four have to continue to figure out what they are fighting for an against.  Who is really the enemy, and who is telling the truth.  The author did a great job of weaving in the relationships and having you grow attached to people only to find that they could not necessarily be trusted. The plot moves along so quickly, with so many twists and turns it was near impossible to stop reading for any length of time.

Will Tris and Four be able to stop the new government from making the wrong choices?  Will family loyalty win in the end, and what of the secrets they are discovering about themselves and those around them.  Will their relationship thrive or die with all the lies that must be told.  To truly get the answers you have to continue the series by reading the last book.
Book 18 Allegiant

Wow, again..wow!  I finished this book last night and wow, is about all I can say.  I did not end the way I wanted it to or even the way I expected it to, although many elements fell in to place as I should have known they would.  I don't want to write too much about it, as the whole series would be ruined if you knew the end.  So instead, I will just say that I am impressed by this writer. She knew her audience would be teens, and while there is violence she could have gone into more detail, but restrained.  The same with the physical relationship between two of the characters in particular. She again, could have been more descriptive, but with the audience she was writing for I'm glad she left things out.

Great series, leaves you thinking about what is real and what is not.  I'd highly recommend it.

15 stars...5 for each book!