Wednesday 25 April 2012

Momaholic: Confessions of a Helicopter Parent by Dena Higley


This is a story showing the speed with which a “normal” family can fall apart. No one dies. No one gets kidnapped. They just have to deal with each of their own issues….and then one unwanted and unplanned pregnancy. This was a church-going family whose kids were taught abstinence until marriage. With the family running around as the tornado sirens roared warnings to take cover, mother, Miss Drama, becomes the biggest mess of all and ends up finding a whole new freedom for her soul.

To be completely honest, every parent needs to read this book, not just Moms. But it truly is a look inside the life of the hustle and bustle of parenthood. How many times have we all got so lost in the craziness of day to day living that we forget what we even set out to do? This book takes us through the crazy times, the straw that broke the camels back and the recovery. What we don't realize is that it's ok to say no once in a while, it's ok not to do everything for everybody, it's ok not to be perfect and most of all it's ok to ask for help. Definitely a great read!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://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 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Wednesday 11 April 2012

Crazy Dangerous By Andrew Klavan

"You probably want to hear about Jennifer and the demons and how I played chicken with a freight train and—oh yeah—the weird murder . . . you're definitely going to want to hear about that."
Sam Hopkins is a good kid who has fallen in with a bad crowd. Hanging around with car thieves and thugs, Sam knows it’s only a matter of time before he makes one bad decision too many and gets into real trouble.
But one day, Sam sees them harassing an eccentric schoolmate of his named Jennifer. When Sam finds the courage to face the bullies down, he loses a bad set of friends and acquires a very strange new one.
Because Jennifer is not just eccentric. To Sam, she seems downright crazy. She has terrifying hallucinations involving demons and the devil and death. And here’s the really crazy part: Sam is beginning to suspect that these visions may actually be prophecies—prophecies of something terrible that’s going to happen very soon. Unless he can stop it.
With no one to believe him, with no one to help him, Sam is now all alone in a race against time. Finding the truth before disaster strikes is going to be both crazy and very, very dangerous.

This is a great young adult read, about a bored preachers kid (teen) and about how he stirs up trouble with a new notorious group of people and meets a girl who everyone thinks is schizophrenic. This is not just a book for teens but adults as well. It's full of action and adventure and keeps you wondering what Sam is gonna do next.
It really makes one think about the choices Sam made, whether is was wrong or right and you can definitely feel the peer pressure overtones that is so prominant in our society today.
Overall it was a great read, would definitely reccomend!

Tuesday 3 April 2012

By Faith, Not By Sight By Scott MacIntyre

A moving story of hope, faith, persistence and the power of dreams.
A piano prodigy, a nineteen-year-old college grad, a Marshall scholar, and an American Idol finalist. This guy had it made. He could sing.
He could ski blind. What couldn’t he do?
Even if you saw him in concert, you might not believe that Scott MacIntyre is blind, and you’d never guess that at nineteen, he faced a diagnosis that rocked his family and nearly took his life.
So how did he do it? How did he overcome the odds?
This is Scott’s story, but he’d be the first to tell you that it’s not really about him. This is the story of how God used a dedicated family, a selfless acquaintance, hardship, and a host of characters to give him life, faith, determination, and experiences most can only imagine.

Well why I requested this book I don't know. I thought it would be a good read, and I wasn't disappointed. This is an autobiography from a past contestant from the famous TV show American Idol.
Scott has his sights set on being a musician, an artist, and in this tell all story he tells of his struggles, his roadblocks and the obstacles that got in his way- one of them, being blind.
While we may think our life is tough, we can never see past our own noses. We don't realize how hard others have it as well. I cannot imagine living with blindness and I commend this man for everything he's went through and still held on to his Faith in God.
This story tells of God's goodness and grace when we put our trust in him. I would definitely reccomend this book to anyone who's struggling and feeling like God has left them, because he is indeed there, always.