Book Journey

I really did find treasure within this book!  ~  Sheila

Cigar boxes. Refrigerator doors. Scrapbooks and sock drawers and top shelves. These are the places we store our treasures–the keepsakes that tell the story of whom and what we’ve loved, how we’ve lived, and what matters most to us.

God is a collector, too, whose treasures are tucked securely into the pages of his book: a golden bell here, an olive leaf there, a scarlet thread, a blood-stained cloth, a few grains of barley. Each of these saved artifacts reveals a facet of his heart and tells the story of a Father whose most precious possession is…us.

In My Opinion:

This book was a treasure to me.  I was engrossed in the stories that Leigh shares as she takes “treasures” out of different parts of the Bible.  Opening with Genesis 3:6-7, Leigh McLeroy writes about the fig leaf that to me was just a past of the make up of the early scriptures – and she takes it beyond the leaf.  Yes.  Beyond the leaf.  As this first chapter unfolds I get a real idea of where Leigh McLeroy is going here… she is literally taking pieces of the Bible and going deeper… and I am totally following her lead.

From Abraham’s knife… we are shown God’s mercy.  From Ruth we see through a head of barley, God gleans joy from sorrow… and on and on the chapters go breathing life into the stories that really made me think of all the treasures that surround me daily thatI do not always see as… well… treasures.

I closed this book with a renewed desire to read deeper.  To look beyond the obvious words and see what I have been missing.  Treasures has become a book for me that is just that.  A treasure that will stay with me a long time and remind me to look beyond the surface.  I just found what I will be getting many of my close friends for Christmas.

About The Author:

A former ghostwriter with seven books to her credit, Leigh’s first solo effort, Moments for Singles, was published by NavPress in 2004. She is the author of The Beautiful Ache and The Sacred Ordinary, published by Revell in 2007 and 2008, and a contributor to Daily Seeds, a compilation devotional published by Moody in 2008.

A frequent conference and event speaker, Leigh makes her home in Houston, Texas, where she is raising Owen – who may be the most adorable spaniel ever named after an Inkling, a John Irving character, and a Puritan preacher.

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I received my review copy of this book from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group

A first time reader of Lisa Tawn Bergren, I loved these books and would love to read more!  ~ Sheila

As Little Cub and Grandpa Bear’s Fishing adventure is interrupted by mischievous otters, the little polar bear begins to ask questions why we must love others… even the seemingly unlovable.

In answering her questions, Grandpa Bear gives tender explanations that teach Little Cub about the different kinds of love that is shared between families, friends, and mamas, and papas.  Grandpa explains that all these kinds of love comes from God and that it is important to love others because…

This time, the bears are getting ready to celebrate the most special day of the year: Christmas. In this enchanting picture book, you can help young children celebrate the true meaning of Christmas, and it offers the perfect opportunity for little ones to discover the awesome truth of how much God loves them.

In the midst of all the Christmas preparations, curious Little Cub asks one day, “Who invented Christmas?” Mama’s answer only leads to more questions, like: “Is God more important than Santa?” So Mama decides to take Little Cub on an expedition to discover how God gave them Christmas. As their journey unfolds, the pair finds signs that God is at work all around them. Mama’s gentle guidance helps Little Cub discover that Jesus is the best present of all! Recommended for ages 4 to 8.

In My Opinion:

Using a little cub’s curiosity to explain Love in God Gave Us Love, and to explain Christmas in God Gave us Christmas, author Lisa Tawn Bergren hits the topics in a gentle teaching way that are wonderful for children to understand.  I enjoyed reading her words and at the same time knowing that David Hohn’s beautiful illustrations would glue children to every page.

In God gave Us Love the message is about the different kinds of love we experience.

How do we know God loves us?  Little Cub whispered.  I mean when we can’t see or touch or feel Him?

We trust He is always with us, Grandpa whispers back.  Like your brother and sistercan’t see you right now, but they know you are here.  That’s Faith.

I appreciated the message that is brought across in this book.

In God Gave Us Christmas, Lisa Tawn Bregren again gives a great message in a way that the little ones in our life can grasp on to.  While Little Cub is hoping to be able to go and find santa, Mama instead sets out to show him God.  She shows him lights in the sky, and the sun in the morning, she shows him great bodies of water and ice bergs…. through nature and the story of the first Christmas, little Cub learns of the present of all.

Two wonderful reads!

About the Author

Lisa Tawn Bergren is the best-selling author of ten novels, three novellas, and two gift books. God Gave Us Christmas is her third childrens book. She makes her messy-but-cozy home in Colorado, with her husband, Tim, and their children, Olivia, Emma, and Jack.

David Hohn is an award-winning illustrator who graduated with honors from the Maryland Institute college of Art. He lives in Portland, Oregon.

I received these review copies from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group

I would have never believed that this would be for me… but once I got started I really couldn’t stop!  ~ Sheila

Created by celebrity fitness trainer Beto Perez, Zumba® combines fun, easy-to-follow dance steps with hot Latin beats to help you shed pounds and inches fast. Now the DVD and classes that have hooked millions are available in book format, with a complete workout program, fat-burning diet, and an exclusive instructional DVD with 60 minutes worth of music to help you Zumba your way to the perfect body.

Using the principles of interval and resistance training, the simple dance and sculpting moves (inspired by the traditional cumbia, salsa, samba, and merengue) tone and shape your body. And because it burns 600 to 1,000 calories per hour, you don’t have to restrict your meals to boring or bland-tasting diet foods. The Zumba diet begins with a 5-Day Express Diet to jump start weight loss (lose up to 9 lbs in 5 days) and then offers 14-day meal plans and recipes that target weight loss in the stomach and thighs. You’ll find:
• Hot moves that make you feel like you’re on the dance floor-not on the elliptical machine!

So start moving, grooving and losing with Zumba today!

In My Opinion:

I honestly had never heard of Zumba before I read this book.  When I flipped through it to see what it was about I noticed there was a Demo DVD in the back of the book.  I felt that was as good of a starting place as any to learn what this was about so I popped the DVD into my laptop and watched the demo.   The music got me right away.  I love a good beat and I love working out to good strong rhythmic music…. this was exactly what I was watching as they demonstrated the basic moves.  I liked it.  A lot.

The book is filled with step by step instructions of the dances with lots of pictures to follow along.  I loved reading about the tips about healthy choices and taking care of yourself.  I enjoyed the lists of healthy foods and the sample menu’s. I took a lot of notes and practiced with the Demo DVD.  I will refer to this book frequently in the future.

I enjoyed this so much I went on line to find a class near me.   I am going to pursue this more and I am actually considering taking the instructor classes they are offering in January in Wisconsin.  I seriously am loving this high energy workout!

I received my copy of this book from review from Hachette Book Group

Warm characters that you want to connect with, you want to share a cup of coffee or cocoa with ~ Sheila

Ever since his mother left, life hasn’t been easy for Heath Wellington III. Between his father’s (Junior’s) bouts with alcoholism and literary rejection, and Heath’s own wrongful suspension from school, there hasn’t been all that much to be thankful for.

But following the tragic death of estranged grandfather Senior, father and son alike stand to inherit a life-changing fortune . . . with one catch.

Heath and Junior must spend the next three months managing Senior’s bed and breakfast, located in the same Massachusetts home Junior has spent the last eight years trying to escape.
Upended from his everyday life and relocated to a town where everyone knew and loved the grandfather he can’t even remember, Heath finds an inn full of some of the strangest people he’s ever met, such as:

• Winsted, the old, wise Jamaican man who used to lead the prayers in Senior’s factory;
• Mrs. Farrel, an elderly woman giving away her late husband’s fortune letter by letter;
• Mustang Sally, the muscle-bound, tattooed grease monkey who doubles as a children’s author;
• Carter, the silent TV news junkie and secret Harvard graduate.

And at a nearby school is Savannah, Junior’s first love, and her adorable, autistic daughter, Tori.

But most of all, there’s Junior himself, vinegar to Heath’s oil. As Heath adjusts to his new world, what he needs most is to start anew with his father, to understand that Junior, too, is dealing with loss, and to realize that, even in the most tragic of times, there’s a lot in life to be thankful for.

In My Opinion:

Thanksgiving At The Inn was a timely read that I had intentionally left for Thanksgiving weekend to read.  I enjoyed 12 year old Heath as the narrator of the book.  I think this perspective really added to what this book was and I can not really imagine what it would have been read like if it would have been told from Jr’s perspective.  Author Tim Whitney made a smart choice when he wrote the book this way and it really made me think how books can totally change when told by a different character.

A smooth easy read, I found the book lite enough for the MG (middle Grade) it was written for, and at the same time the subject line had an inner deepness that I found surprising and appreciated as an adult.  I guess what I am saying is that while this book would be a good read for a younger person, I didn’t find it too simply written.  The characters were good fits with the book and I enjoyed learning that each one had a bit of quirkiness.  For a young person reading this book I think these characters are a good way to remind us not to judge someone and that you really don’t always know what a person has going on inside.

Over all a good read that I really enjoyed.

I won this book from Miss Remmer’s Reviews