Coming up next... Lead. Serve. Love.

Hermie & Friends - A Bug Collection

I just watched the last of the DVD's in this set by Max Lucado. The DVD set was provided to me at no charge by Booksneeze.com in exchange for my honest review. The bugs in this collection of stories teach lessons about fighting, bad behavior, and not saying your prayers. I thought the characters were cute and the voices were fun. I showed one of the DVD's to my nieces, ages 3 and 6, and they were captivated by characters and story. While I think that the intention of the stories is to teach children not to fight, to say their prayers, and to "bee"have, I was not a fan of the bickering that was on display for the kids. That being said, I did appreciate the main points and the Christian focus of the stories.

Coming Soon...

I thought it would be fun to do my next review on a children's product. I love Max Lucado so I am excited to have ordered this DVD set. Judging by the cover and what I already know of the author, I anticipate this will be full of cute characters and meaningful messages. I can't wait for it to arrive!!!

An Amish Love

I just finished reading the book "An Amish Love" which is a compilation of three short romance novellas written by Beth Wiseman, Kathleen Fuller, and Kelly Long. This book was provided to me at no charge by Booksneeze.com in exchange for my honest review.

Each of the three stories in this book manages to pull you into the story and you feel connected to the characters as if they were your friends. The stories are told individually but the authors have managed to weave them together beautifully. Because the stories are short, I always wanted a little more when one would end so I was pleasantly surprised to find common characters between the stories.

"A Marriage of the Heart" tells the story of Abby, a girl who wants to escape the confines of her Amish roots, and Joseph, who has struggled to come back and be accepted in the community. What starts as a marriage of deception turns into a new love that keeps both where their hearts want to be.

"Healing Hearts" is a unique romance in that it is the story of an old love in the Amish community. Naaman leaves to find himself and when he returns Levina must decide whether or not she can trust him and welcome him home.

"What the Heart Sees" is a touching story of overcoming tragedy, anger, guilt, and moving on with life. After a serious car accident claimed the life of Ellie's best friend and left her without her sight, she worked hard to regain her independence, despite feeling that she would never find a man to love her. Five years later, Chris comes back to town after being banned from the community and Ellie finds that love and additional healing from the past might be closer than she thinks.

I truly enjoyed reading these stories, learning a little about the Amish culture, and getting to know the characters in the books. The authors did a wonderful job weaving the characters throughout the stories and creating a "Paradise" that really felt like somewhere you would want to visit.

Invasion by J.S. Lewis

I recently read the book "Invasion" by J. S. Lewis. This book was provided free by Booksneeze.com in exchange for my review.

I originally selected this book because the cover had an interesting Sci-fi look to it, plus the title alludes to the fact that the book would have aliens or other "out-of-this-world" characters. The story consists of 57 relatively short chapters, typical of a young adult novel, and is an easy read.

I compare this book to the movie "Men In Black", as it follows the same type of story line - aliens, shape-shifters, and other creatures hidden amongst the human race, and of course, there is a conspiracy.

This book has plenty of action, including flying motorcycles, secret gateways, and of course government cover-ups, which I think would keep a teenager who is into Sci-fi interested in the book. I do think it is unfortunate that this book is part of a series (C.H.A.O.S.) by the author and the next installation is not due to come out until January 2012.

My only disappointment in the book was its lack of character development. It was easy to pick out the main players - Colt, Dani, and Oz - however I didn't feel like I could get into their heads. The story was slow but I think it is leaving room for the rest of the series.

Then Sings My Soul

I recently read the book "Then Sings My Soul" by Robert J. Morgan. This book was provided free by Booksneeze.com in exchange for my review. I love the presentation of this book - the cover is done in beautiful colors and features a peaceful and serene landscape with almost a whisper of a treble cleft. The pages of the book are "old" with torn edge styling, giving the book a unique and almost antique feel to it. The book contains a vast selection of Christian hymns (words and basic hymnal music) as well as a story related to each song.

I absolutely loved reading this book. My favorite type of reading is the kind where I can grab the book and open to any page at any time and find something interesting. This book does that. Whether you are in the mood for the history of how and why a song was written or the emotions tied to the story of the people who inspired or wrote the song, this book has it all. This book truly illustrates how our Father in Heaven can inspire beautiful and thought-provoking lyrics to be written through tragic experiences filled with sorrow.

Being a music lover, I especially loved that this book included the music. If I wasn't familiar with a song I was able to plink it out on the piano and get a better feel for the song and how the lyrics should flow.

First Book - Review coming soon...