Behind the Veils of Yemen by Audra Grace Shelby

Kevin and Audra found themselves accepting the calling to go to Yemen to show the Muslims the love of Christ.  Audra had a deep desire to get behind the veils of women to tell them about Christ.  I was honestly impressed that she would wear the veil so to have a chance to be accepted by them and to be able to talk to them openly.  She shares about what some of the women wear under the veil and I was actually surprised.  I loved hearing the conversations between the women and Audra and I was very glad that Audra shared her own insecurities throughout the book.  She shared when she doubted, when God was silent or when things weren't working as they had thought that it would.

The thing that stuck out to me is how she realized that we (I say we as Christians) weren't praying for the Muslims to come to know the Lord.  She talks about how we're not as burdened for them to know Jesus as Lord.  After hearing about the women, I understand more now about how the women are viewed, treated, and the conversations they have with their friends.  It was interesting to see how they view sickness, and it was painful to see how a baby was mistreated.  It was sad to hear how the men take advantage of the women in several ways and how even a woman dressed in a veil can still be looked upon by a guy and lusted after.

I would dare say that Christ followers need to read this book.  After reading it, I understand more about how I can pray for other missionaries from the IMB (International Mission Board) who are serving in these areas and for Muslims, in general.  It opened my eyes to things that I never realized or understood.

Audra and her husband, Kevin, along with their 3 (now 4 kids) were missionaries to Yemen and later on in Egypt.  They have since returned to the U.S. so that their children could attend high school.  They are very active in getting God's Word into the Middle East.

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I received this book free from Bethany House Publishing in exchange for my honest review of this book.

December 1941 by Craig Shirley

When you hear people talk about December 1941, what do you think?  I think most people think back to WWII and Pearl Harbor.  At least I hope most people think of that so that this year is never forgotten. 

I love history, so I was intrigued by the title of this book and the great reviews that it had on it.  Also, my grandfather and I like to talk about WWII and things he remembered so I thought this would give us more to talk about! 

On December 6, 1941, America knew that they would have to be involved in the war at some point, but they really thought they would be in the European War.  Other countries wanted us in the war against Hitler but America wasn't quite ready at the time.  They had no idea of the plans Japan had concocted.  The Japanese fleet of boats and planes were able to move about undetected in the ocean and then surprise us with the unthinkable.  This book goes through the 31 days in December and what happened each day.  These were most probably the most important days for us in the war due to the huge amounts of loss of life. 

Not only was WWII going on, but you also had the Great Depression lingering about.  How would that fit into the war with not much money to spend?  That's talked about, too.

If you are in any way interested in history, you have to read this book.  Don't worry.  It's not like you reading a textbook like you did in school.  This book holds your interest and makes you want to find more history books written just like it.

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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.

A Lasting Impression by Tamera Alexander

The setting is the historic Belmont Mansion in Nashville during the 1860s. (Already, you can see why I bonded with this book!) This book truly has it all: suspense, deception, and of course, a love story. when Claire Laurent just wants to be herself, the sweet and kind person that she is, what will happen? Will she chose to trust the wrong person? Does she really know who is a fake and who is being real? Claire really longs to make a difference in the world using her art, but the only way that could even be a possibility is if her past stays hidden and people don't find out about who she really is/was.

This book is the first in the Belmont Mansion Series. I loved Tamera's writing and definitely want to keep up with the books that she writes. I found myself turning page after page long after I should have turned out the lights. She definitely has a talent to make history into a live, realistic story.

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I received this book free from Bethany House Publishers in exchange for my honest opinon.

Reclaiming Lily by Patti Lacy

Ever wonder what some Chinese people go through on a daily basis? Do we realize the heartache that couples feel when they must give up a child because they can't afford to pay the fines for another child? The Chang family had to put Lily up for adoption. Due to the strict Family Planning Law, the couple was forced to give up Lily, who was their fourth child.

Eager to adopt a child, Gloria and her husband Andrew, a pastor, have chosen to adopt 10-year-old Lily. Lily's name is changed to Joy and she begins her new life in America. Joy gives the Powells a run for their money and is completely rebellious and not very fond of Gloria, who does tend to be a bit overprotective.

Back in China, Joy's sister, Kai Chang, has taken care of her mother who ends up dying from PKD. Her promise to her mother was that she would find Lily and bring her home to be part of the Chang family again. Kai, who has become a doctor and studies PKD, has found her sister and family living in Texas. Kai feels it is urgent to talk to Lily because she's afraid Lily has inherited the PKD disease, as well, since it's genetic.

Once Kai is reunited with her sister, Joy, Joy just wants to be with her biological family. You can only imagine the hurt that Gloria and Andrew feels. However, thanks to Kai, Joy starts treating her adoptive family better and actually forms a much better relationship with Gloria.

How will things turn out for Lily? In the midst of all of this turmoil and heartbreak, will she turn to the one person who can give her hope? Does she have PKD and if she does, how will it change her outlook on life? Will the Powells and Changs actually become friends or will there always be hurt between the two families?

This is a must-read for absolutely anyone who likes a heartwarming story. This book has so many twists and turns and problems that arise that are similar to what a real family going through this might would face. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this book if you read it.

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I received a free copy of this book from Bethany House Publishers. This is my honest opinion and was in no way compensated for this review.

Smitten by Colleen Coble, Kristin Billerbeck, Diann Hunt, & Denise Hunter

Four of my favorite authors combined into one book!  You can't help but have a wonderful book when you combine these three.  I really like chick lit.  In fact, I happened upon Kristin Billerbeck's books by chance and fell in love with her chick lit books.  So thanks to her, I now like that genre of books.

Full of romance, as one might expect, four women have a desire to save Smitten, Vermont, when the logging company closes and the town isn't for sure if they will ever be noticed again.  Natalie, Julia, Shelby, and Reese decide to take matters into their own hands and open up a honeymoon destination right in Smitten. Despite all of the daily issues that life throws at you and the heartbreak that is involved in life, these four friends come together to bring romance into their town.

These authors worked well in writing their stories with each other.  No one story stuck out as misplaced and it flowed together very nicely.  All chick lit lovers need to add this book to their collection!  This would make a wonderful vacation book.

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I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers in exchange for my honest opinion of this book.

The Names of God Bible

I have been purposefully seeking out names of God and their meanings for a variety of reasons.  One of them is because I think it reminds us of who we are worshipping and you can't help but praise Him when you say the names of God.  With that said, this Bible TREMENDOUSLY helped me, as you can imagine by the name of the Bible. 

Written in the God's Word Translation, which uses the "closest natural language that is equivalent to that of the source meaning in the target language that is equivalent to that of the source language.  It seeks to express that meaning naturally, in a way that a native English speaker would speak or write.  Finally, it expresses the meaning with a style that preserves may of the characteristics of the source text."  I had honestly never used this translation before because I prefer the NLT or the ESV.  However, I like this Bible as a good study help, kind of like the Message.  It doesn't sum it up like the Message does, but it reads easily.

My favorite part of the Bible?  It translates the names of God throughout so that while you are reading, you know which name of God is being used. If you don't know what the meaning of God's name used there, you can flip to the front and find the listing with the definition.  I love it!  Sometimes, knowing what name of God is used in a passage helps provide more understanding and insight.

It's not a study Bible of passages, per say, but it is a Study Bible when it comes to the names of God.  Before each book of the Bible is a name of God with the definition, praying to that particular name of God, and what it means, as well as Scripture references to just a few places that name can be found.

Throughout the Scriptures, the names of God/Jesus are written in read so it stands out easily and makes it easier to pick out which name is being used.

If you are in any way interested in the names of God, get this Bible.  It's a great supportive resource to enhance your Bible study time.

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I received this book free from Revell Publishers in exchange for my honest opinon of this Bible.

Baby's Little Bible

Small and filled with Bible stories ranging from the Old Testament to the New Testament, this little Bible is perfect for little hands. Both my 3-year-old and my 1-year-old carry this Bible around and is often the source of many arguments!

I received the pink Bible for girls and it is full of pictures and short sentences, which make it easy to read in the short segments that a child allows. And priced less than $10, around $8 in most places, it makes it a great book to give for baby showers or birthdays.

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I received this book free from Kregel Publications in exchange for my honest opinion of this book.