50 Things Every Young Lady Should Know: What to Do, What to Say, & How to Behave

50 Things Every Young Lady Should Know: What to Do, What to Say, & How to Behave is a Thomas Nelson book I recently read written by Kay West with John Bridges and Bryan Curtis. The book gives young girls practical advice for things like being a dinner guest, expressing sympathy, asking permission, borrowing clothes, saying “excuse me”, and cosmetics. There book is broken into 50 chapters, and each chapters look at a different concept. Each chapter then gives examples of “You Do” and “You Don’t”. The chapters also end with quotes of what a lady does.

I thought this book was cute, and it is a good reference for an adult to use when their child asks them questions or when they are going to be spending time with another family for the first time. I really enjoyed reading through this book. It was a quick read, and it will be a perfect gift for a young family member.  

I received this book free of charge from the Booksneeze Bloggers Program. I was not required to write a positive review of this book.

 

Promise of an Angel

Promise of an Angel by Ruth Reid tells the story of Judith Fischer, who must deal with the guilt she feels after her brother fell from a barn roof and became paralyzed. As Judith attempts to deal with the guilt she feels for the accident, she meets an angel whose words make her believe her brother will walk again. She shared this belief with her community, and her faith causes her strict Amish community to decide she was “telling stories” in order to ease her guilt. As the community begins to shun Judith, the most unlikely person comes to her aid and forges a deep friendship with her.

I really enjoyed this book, and liked that the focuses was on not only the relationship between Judith and Andrew but on the healing of Judith’s brother. Throughout the entire book, Judith remains strong in her faith; although her faith caused her friendships to be tested, Judith continued to believe the words of God sent to her through the appearance of an angel.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the Booksneeze book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Unleashed

When I read Unleashed: Release the Untamed Faith Within by Erwin McManus, I didn’t find it to be my favorite book. The author argues that Christians need to live as Barbarians, never becoming too comfortable in their lives with Christ. I can agree with his assessment that some Christians are too comfortable with being in their own lives and not reaching out to help others, but I think his approach may be a little too radical.

He indicates that only people who are mentally insane can do things like travel to foreign countries to share God’s love, and if mental health professionals are sent to give these missionaries counseling they will realize what they are doing is not wise, and they will return to their prior lives. This is just one example I see of his views being a little on the radical side. Clearly, God is calling missionaries to travel the world and share his love…this does not indicate they are mentally unstable. That may be what primarily turned me off from this book; the author is seeming to say the only way you can fully love Jesus and devote your life to worshiping and serving him is if you acknowledge and live a life full of instability. I don’t necessarily agree with his assessment, but I did finish reading this extremely short book in one sitting, and I will keep it on my shelf…maybe at a future reading I will draw something different from the pages of this short book.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <[...]> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255 [...]> : "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Book reviews

So my sister talked me into this blogging thing...her, my mom, and other sister all get books from booksneeze and write a blog about the book. They love doing it, so I guess I'll try it too :-)