Faithful Christian Deidre Clark-Morris is a professional career-minded woman with a loving husband and beautiful home, but no children. Kenisha Smalls has lived in poverty her entire life and has three children by three different men. After learning that Kenisha has inoperable cervical cancer, the relationship between these two women becomes a catalyst of hope, leading them both to a place of redemption and healing.

My Comments: I cried throughout this book – it was so sad, yet had a very satisfying conclusion.  The struggles the characters had with their faith in God were so real-to-life.  The author made it easy to relate to each character.  I love the idea of one of the main characters being the principal to the other main character’s child.  Even the problems the principal faced at school and with her superintendent struck a familiar chord.  I “know” some of these people close and personal and you may also.  I highly recommend this book to anyone strong in the faith, weak in the faith, or without faith.  You will find hope.

The cover is beautiful, don’t you think?  I look forward to reading more books by Vanessa Miller!

Thank you NetGalley for an e-copy of this book!

Every life has a soundtrack. All you have to do is listen.

Music has set the tone for most of Zoe Baxter’s life. There’s the melody that reminds her of the summer she spent rubbing baby oil on her stomach in pursuit of the perfect tan. A dance beat that makes her think of using a fake ID to slip into a nightclub. A dirge that marked the years she spent trying to get pregnant.

For better or for worse, music is the language of memory. It is also the language of love.

In the aftermath of a series of personal tragedies, Zoe throws herself into her career as a music therapist. When an unexpected friendship slowly blossoms into love, she makes plans for a new life, but to her shock and inevitable rage, some people—even those she loves and trusts most—don’t want that to happen.

Sing You Home is about identity, love, marriage, and parenthood. It’s about people wanting to do the right thing for the greater good, even as they work to fulfill their own personal desires and dreams. And it’s about what happens when the outside world brutally calls into question the very thing closest to our hearts: family.

INCLUDES A COMPACT DISC OF ORIGINAL SONGS

Music by Ellen Wilber

Lyrics by Jodi Picoult

All songs performed by Ellen Wilber

My Comments: This was not a “fun” book to read for two reasons: first, the content was same-sex marriage, of which I am opposed, second; the author depicted Christians in a negative light, and I am a Christian.  She broadbrushed believers and made us look small-minded and somewhat radical.  Well, we may be radical, but most of us are intelligent and thoughtful.  Most of us do not protest outside courthouses, or treat people like second-class citizens.  I do not believe this is the way Jesus wants us to act at all, and just because there are a few who do, it is not at all the majority, and I get tired of seeing us depicted that way.

I thought I would stop reading about half-way through because I found the content offensive, but kept at it because I wanted to see how the story would end.  There was a great twist at the end which made me realize what a talented and creative writer Jodi Picoult is.  I honestly just have to say I didn’t care for the subject matter.  I have read other books by her that I loved, however, such as My Sister’s Keeper.  I won’t stop reading her books or anything like that.  I’m just disappointed that she would choose this issue to write about.  I am sure many will love this book and will agree with her, I’m just not one.  Other issues brought to light in this book are infertility, IVF, miscarriage, and infidelity.

This book will be available on March 1 and is available for pre-order.  We received an Advance Reading Copy from Simon & Schuster.

How do you react to the “book police”? (people who judge what you are reading, and try to make you feel guilty) Do you respond to their judgements? Or, do you keep quiet? Do you let what they say influence your reading, or do you do your own thing, regardless?

Amy here. I decided to answer this very interesting question on Musing Mondays and I hope that Sally and Leah will chime in with their thoughts in comments.

I have to admit that nothing gets under my skin like people judging my reading choices. I read a huge variety of books and I find value in many different kinds of reading. I love everything from children’s books to chick lit to “literary fiction” to nonfiction. Generally, I may try to pick a little bit of a fight by expressing what I think. Sometimes I don’t think people realize how elitist and snobby they come off and I can usually chalk it up to the fact that they haven’t read very much outside of what they consider read-worthy. But that’s a little judgy of me as well. At the end of the day, we all approach reading differently and we should know better than to assume anything about anyone by what they read. Including why they are reading it.

Read everyone else’s responses at Musing Mondays!

Time and time again, I reach for Phyllis Pellman Good’s Fix-It and Enjoy it Cookbook while menu-planning and looking for cooking inspiration. The recipes in this book are for truly “home-cooked” meals. Good started with over 3000 recipes sent to her from cooks across the country and narrowed them down to over 675 of the best ones. Most are simple and use common ingredients that we are all familiar with. This book provides a huge variety of recipes – over 675! – for appetizers, breads, salads, vegetables, snacks, main dishes, and even a large dessert section. Some of my favorites out of this book include Trees and Seeds Salad, Oven-Roasted Vegetables, Chicken Broccoli Lo Mein, and Amazing Apple Pie. My kids like the Baked French Toast and the Cheesy Chicken Casserole – and many others! If you are looking a cookbook that gives you recipes you can really use and that will taste good without spending a lot of money on expensive ingredients, you might consider giving this one a try. It is very well-used in my house!

Hello All!  It’s been quite awhile since I took a turn writing a post for this blog.  I’ve missed you and hope to be writing again regularly.  One of my new adventures and challenges these past few months has been homeschooling my 3 beauties.  My youngest daughter will be 5 this spring and is showing a real interest in reading.  I was thrilled to find these books at our local library.

Brian P. Cleary’s Sounds Like Reading series includes 8 books that begin with learning to read short vowel sound words and advance to reading words with diphthongs (gliding vowels used in words such as clown and cow).

My daughter was at the stage where she could easily read book one.  Book two introduces consonant blends.  Each page introduces 3 words with a picture of each word.  The child reads the three words using the picture clues and then reads a silly sentence using all of those three words plus one or two that sound similar (use the same ending sound).  This technique was awesome.  By the time we completed reading book 2, I felt she had a much better handle on how to read consonant blends.  Can’t wait to read book 3!

Well done, Brian P. Cleary!

I love the fact that we take an entire month to celebrate Christmas! Other holidays
like Thanksgiving or the Fourth of July get their twenty-four hours but that’ s it. They
don’ t have their own music, their own stores, their own movies, sweaters or Broadway
shows. Sure they have some decorations but nothing like Christmas! Christmas comes
with trees, lights, wreaths, stars, angels, tinsel, ornaments, silver bells and mistletoe.
Christmas is the one time of year when even the harshest cynic wants to believe in
goodness, hope and peace.

I love Christmas because I get to see it through the eyes of my three young children
who never get frustrated or angry over the tangled, blown lights but amazed by their
glow. They turn Christmas music on first thing in the morning and make a date with
their grandma to make Santa cookies. They work at my side in our local food pantry and
are continually awed at how much more food is on the shelves this time of year. Even
now they are discovering that Christmas brings the best out in people. They pick out
their “ angels” for Project Angel Tree every year and gather shoeboxes for Operation
Christmas Child. We make a day of it to shop and then make an assembly line in the
kitchen as we fill the boxes to send to children overseas. I love Christmas because unlike
Thanksgiving, the Fourth of July, or President’ s Day, it’ s celebrated all around the world!

I love Christmas because I get to try new candy, cookie and goody recipes!

I love Christmas because the bell ringers are faithful in their gentle reminder that
someone needs me, us, you. We do make a difference. One dollar at a time.

I love Christmas because you feel the energy and joy and hope that is Christmas. As the
song says, “ In the air, there’ s the feeling of Christmas.” It was at this time that the Word
became flesh and made his dwelling among us. In The Christmas Journey, Joseph asks
Mary, “ How will we raise him?” She responds, “ With love.” Joseph looks at her and
asks, “ But will love from a common man be enough?” She says, “ It will be more than
enough. It’ s the very reason he’ s coming.” I love Christmas because Christmas is love.
I don’ t say that to sound trite or to trivialize anyone’ s pain during this season because it
is a painful time for many but love and hope are still alive. If we are quiet or still long
enough we can feel it in the air.

I do wish you a merry Christmas and a happy New Year!
Donna

A man discovers a book on Christmas Eve that in an unusual set of circumstances. He quickly reads it and is sucked into a legend of a man named Klaus that enjoyed making toys and delivering them to children at Christmas.

The legend develops all of the things associated with Santa Claus…how he came to have reindeer, how he moved to the true north, how he met Mrs. Klaus, why parents told their children they didn’t get presents because they’d been naughty and more. It’s imaginative and festive and sure to please fans of Santa Claus.

One thing I found interesting about it was how Slover mixes in Christian history and religion to the legend. This pops up in many ways. While some people might enjoy this, it felt a little strange to me.

This is a short engaging read and certain to make you want to believe in the joy of the season!

Experience Christmas on the historical American Great Plains as retold by nine different multi-published authors, including Tracie Peterson and Deborah Raney. Follow pioneers, immigrants, and orphans through their adventures, heartaches, challenges, victories, and romances. You are sure to find more than one favorite among the nine holiday romances in this unique collection to warm your heart and inspire your faith.</P></DIV>

My Review: This book is made up of nine short stories about life on the prairie at Christmas.  I appreciated that I could sit down and read one story at a time.  This alone is great this time of the year, when the rushing begins for the holidays.  One story is just enough to give me a little Christmas spirit and then be on my way!  The stories are written by nine different authors with different styles, but all easy and enjoyable to read.  The stories are sweet and Christian.  If you enjoy reading about old-fashioned, old-timey holiday stories – this is the book for you!

This fabulous, life-sized introduction to what animals eat, how they eat it, and how much they eat in a single bite is full of compelling facts and images. From the tiny sand-grain-sized bite of earth that the earthworm takes to the double-gatefold spread of a sperm whale sucking a whole giant squid down in just one bite, this book and the eleven animals in it are EXACTLY as large as life!

My Review: This book is another winner published by Chronicle Books.  My second grade students enjoyed the story as well as the life-sized illustrations (and they were learning about science and nature at the same time).  I would recommend this book for preschool through second grade children.  It would make a fabulous gift!

In this exuberant book, acclaimed graphic designer Craig Frazier does more than simply showcase a vast variety of dots, he encourages young readers to look closely at the world around them. Through his energetic images, the ordinary becomes extraordinary. Buttons are dots. Wheels are dots. Ladybugs have dots. And so do the fried eggs on your plate. Lots of Dots is lots of fun!

My Review: I read this to my second graders who range in age from 6 to 8 and they enjoyed it.  When we voted at the end of the reading, the book received a unanimous thumbs up from the boys and girls.  The illustrations make up a large portion of this book’s appeal – they are very vivid and colorful, as you can tell by the cover.  This book is recommended for children ages 4 – 8, and I think that is the perfect age range!

This book will be published this month by Chronicle Books.