A Farmer's Daugther by Dawn Stoltzfus

I absolutely loved cooking out of this cookbook.  I tried several recipes out of this book and all of them were a hit with my family.  That's saying a lot since I have to please a 2-year-old and a 4-year-old. 

Our favorite food that we made was the potato soup.  It was very easy and very quick.  It didn't require a lot of ingredients, but just your usual prep work of a few things.  I really liked that the recipe didn't call for any shortcuts with pre-packaged foods.  Most of them used normal ingredients that didn't come in a jar!  I love cooking homemade and found that this was recipe was a one that would be used again many times over the winter months.

I also did the pumpkin spice latte and it was really good, as well.  Of course, since I have had Starbucks mostly, I had expected the taste of their drink.  It took me a few sips, but once I got it in my head that it would never and was never expected to have that taste, I enjoyed it.  What I enjoyed most about that recipe was the story above it that spoke about her mom making it for her after a long trip.  While I drank it, I imagined what it must have been like.  I'm sentimental like that, so I enjoy the personal stories over recipes.

One that I'm looking forward to making over Thanksgiving is the Toasted Butter Pecan Cake and I really want to try the Granola balls, too. 

This cookbook is one that I know I will probably try every recipe because most of them are normal ones that a family tends to eat on a weekly basis.  They are not time-consuming recipes, but taste wonderful because they are homemade.  That's the kind of recipe book I look for!

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

A Merry Little Christmas by Anita Higman

This book was such a delight to read.  It was fun and definitely had unexpected plots throughout the book.  I absolutely disliked Mr. Landau but did find a soft spot for him at the end of the book.  I enjoyed Franny and how she was a simple lady...no frills, so special impressions...just herself.  I think that endeared her to me and made me easily connect with her.  Had Charlie Landau's ex-girlfriend been one of the main characters of the book, I think I would have disliked it a lot!

Being a music therapist, I like it when any book emphasizes the arts and music.  Since these two fell in love over music and planned to add music to their lives, I could easily relate to them.  It was interesting to read about Willie and how he had a turn around with himself and with his father.  You don't learn too much about him, but you learn enough to make you want to know more.  He definitely has a story to tell!

Franny and Charlie meet when Charlie wants to purchase Franny's farm.  Franny wants to pursue her dream in the city but she soon finds out that not all dreams are meant to be followed.  She returns to the farm as "hired help," but not before she's made a difference in the life of a friend who rescued her on the most horrible day of her life in the city.  Both know they love each other from the first time they met and danced together, but neither are from the same social class.  Franny has no money and no fame.  Charlie has lots of money and is from a well-known family.  What is it about Christmas that seems to bring people together despite so many differences?

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For more opinions on this book, go to: http://litfusegroup.com/author/AHigman

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Meet Anita:

Best-selling and award-winning author, Anita Higman, has over thirty books published (several coauthored) for adults and children. She's been a Barnes & Noble "Author of the Month" for Houston and has a BA degree, combining speech communication, psychology, and art. Anita loves good movies, exotic teas, and brunch with her friends.

Find out more about Anita at http://www.anitahigman.com.

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About A Merry Little Christmas:

Fall in love with this cozy story about two people from different worlds.

Franny Martin is an Oklahoma farm girl who's preparing to spend the holidays alone...again. Then Charlie Landau shows up one day, all wealth and polish, and offers to buy Franny's farm. Franny has no money to speak of, but she is clever and spirited, and she's more than happy to sell the farm and move to the city.

As Sinatra croons from the radio and Christmas descends upon her charming farm, Franny teaches Charlie the curious and sometimes comical ways of country life. In the process, they unearth some discoveries of the heart-that sometimes love comes when you're least ready for it. Will the holidays bring their most impossible dreams within reach?

Link to buy the book: http://ow.ly/eyLJH  

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I received this book free from Litfuse Publicity Group and Summerside Press in exchange for my honest opinion of this book.

The Bridge by Karen Kingsbury

What book lover would hate the setting of this book?!  The Bridge is a bookstore that is in financial distress, but it is a bookstore that is a landmark in Franklin, Tennessee.  All of the locals know about it and go there.  Well, they used to until the 100-year flood destroyed the store and all of the items inside of it. 

The Bridge is much more though.  It also happens to be the one place that Molly Allen and Ryan Kelly could go to share their passions about books.  It was the place where Molly could be free and know that her father didn't have someone watching her and her movements 24/7.  It was the place where they could fall in love and dream and hope could grow.  But when their dreams get squelched and the beloved owners of the Bridge fall on hard times, will either find hope again?  Will the Bridge once again offer treasured books to customers and will it bridge a relationship that may not be meant to happen?

I am a huge Karen Kingsbury fan and this book was as great as all of her other books.  She writes in such a way that makes you feel like you are walking along on a journey with the characters.  She knows how to tug at the heart and get you so absorbed in her books that you just can't put it down.

The book itself is a short book, which I found to be a nice change.  I actually could read the book in a few hours with distractions from kids!  I was delighted by that fact alone.  It may be a short book, but it packs a lot of content.  As Kingsbury does in many of her books, she loves to show the redemption of people and that God is a God of second chances. 

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I received a free copy of this book from Howard Books, for my honest review.  The opinions expressed here are my own.

You Don't Know Me by Susan May Warren

I was hooked on this book from the first page.  I must say, I don't always read the back of the book to find out an overview before I begin reading a book. I like to be surprised and try to figure out if the cover will give me any clues as to what the book is about.  Let me just say that this cover was definitely not what I thought the book was about!  Had I read the back of the book, I would have totally understood!  I figured it had to do with a relationship, but I was thinking it was a romance book.

 

It is a romance book, to some degree.  Annalise has a husband and 3 children and is the poster mom of perfection.  She seems to have it all and to have a perfect life.  Her husband is running for mayor and she seems to be the perfect mayor's wife.  However, her past means that she doesn't need to be in the spotlight or she could put her family and herself in a deathly situation.

 

I loved this plot because I had not read much about the Witness Protection before and I found it very interesting.  It was heartbreaking to think about having to tell my children goodbye for their own protection and to never know anything else about them.  When I read the back where Susan May Warren talks about where she got the idea for this book, I was stunned.  I guess that I never realized that people really do have to tell their families goodbye.  It brought tears to my eyes when I thought of the poor lady on a plane to tell her daughter goodbye for a final time, knowing she'd never know what she'd grow up to be or what her life held for her.

 

I was flipping pages, anxious to find out what happens to Annalise and her family.  Would she choose to disrupt her life again and start new?  Could she really give up her family twice?  I can't say enough about this plot because it was so intriguing to me.  I found myself thinking about this book long after I closed it for the final time.  This is a book that will demand your attention once you start reading!

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To read more reviews on this book, go to: http://litfusegroup.com/campaigns/you-dont-know-me-by-susan-may-warren-200-weekend-getaway-giveaway-and-facebook-party-1023

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I received this book free from Tyndale House Publishers and Litfuse Publicity Group in exchange for my honest opinion of this book.

The Marriage of Your Dreams by Rick Johnson

What wife doesn't want to know more about their husband and what he's really like?  My favorite part of this book were when women asked Rick Johnson questions and he answered them.  Some of them made me laugh because they were a simple one word answer when I'm sure the women really wanted more of an explanation....because that's how we are!  His answers were so much like my husbands, which made me realize that perhaps my husband isn't that odd after all.  Maybe more guys really do think like that. 

Johnson talks about the relationship with the husband's mother and your husband (which was very enlightening and kinda scary!), his relationship with his father and his relationships with others and how they affect his marriage and his family.  He then goes on to discuss their communication styles, their work, sexuality, and their need for respect and admiration. 

I did find it funny when Johnson gave an example about breaking an unspoken "girl rule" when he commented to his wife, while on a date, that the girl behind him (whom he couldn't see) had a pretty laugh.  His wife got mad and he couldn't figure out why that would bother her.  He then went on to warn women to tell their husbands of any unspoken rules because they don't need any more help to get into trouble!  Poor men...they really aren't blessed with the communication skills for the most part.  He shed light on how their communication is so different and how they need time to process what they just heard.  It's not that they're insensitive or uncaring...they just don't know how to express their thoughts on the matter, yet.  His examples on that issue showed me how many times my husband and I had experienced that misunderstanding in communication.

Continuing on, Johnson speaks on his odds of meeting your expectations, his emotions, his desires in a wife, his cheating heart, and his needs of his woman.  I always hate reading the cheating sections because it scares me a bit, but I do like to know what I can do to keep his eyes from straying and his heart from yielding to temptation.

Overall, this book touched on some different topics that I hadn't read in other marriage books.  It was also nice to get one's opinion who wasn't a therapist or a counselor.  He had polled men and got some responses back, which I thought made the book for enlightening and the men were probably more honest.

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

The True Account of Adam and Eve by Ken Ham

The cover of this book attracted me to hurry and read this book.  I thought it was very pretty and it had a look about it that could make it either a children's book or a coffee table book to be read and/or discussed by adults.  Once I opened up the book, I was excited that the pictures in the book were just as beautiful as the one displayed on the cover.  The pictures made this book come to life and really drive home what Ken Ham was writing.  I don't know that I've seen a book with such elaborate drawings lately. 

I read this book with my children because we are and studying Genesis in our Bible Study.  I thought it would be fun to read together and see if it lined up with what we have studied the Scriptures to teach.  I have never known Ham to stray from biblical accounts, but I always like to double check.  I was pleased to discover that he stayed true to Scripture and did, what I thought was, an excellent explanation of Adam and Eve and how sin brought with it destruction.  I like how he showed from the beginning that everything pointed to God, even in the beginning.  He ended by talking about God's plan for redemption and it had Scripture references so you could discover for yourself if what he was saying was true.

Throughout the book, he addressed the theory of Adam and Eve being real people and not just a parable.  He also talked about God's plan for marriage, and how the age of the earth couldn't be billions of years old.  I personally liked how he included the food for humans and animals in the beginning, because we overlook that a lot and many people don't even realize that it wasn't until after the flood that God told them that they could then eat meat. 

Filled with biblical history, this is a book that you'll want to have in your collection.  I read it to my kids, but as I was reading it, I realized it didn't necessarily read like a children's book or an adult book.  There weren't simple sentences or simple explanations.  He did thorough explanations that I think could be elaborated more with your children through discussion about his topics. 

I saw that he had a book on Noah out, so I definitely want to get that one!  It's by the same illustrator, too, so I know the pictures will be just as amazing.

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If you would like more information on Ken Ham, click here.

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I received this book free from Master Books, a division of New Leaf Publishing Group, in exchange for my honest opinion of this book.

Twice Promised by Maggie Brendan

I am really enjoying this series so far and am looking forward to more books about the Blue Willow Brides.  I imagine that it might have something to do with Greta's sister Anna, but I'm not positive. 

This story had me laughing many times at the horrible misunderstanding between the all involved.  Cora and Jess are to be wed and Greta and Zach are to be wed.  How did this come about?  Well, Zach wrote letters to Cora and Greta pretending to be his brother Jess looking for a wife.  So when both girls arrive, they are shocked to learn that they are both going to have the challenge of winning over Jess  The only way Jess will even consider courting one of them is if Zach courts one too.  Thanks to their Granny and her insight, they flip a coin to decide who courts who.  But then hearts start to go in different directions, how will the air be cleared when no one wants to hurt anyone else? 

I liked all of the twists in the book, but by the end, I was definitely more than ready for the admissions!  I liked how spite wasn't involved at all and that no meanness was involved.  I also enjoyed the Caleb and how he was given a second chance.  I really hope that we hear more about him, as well.  I know he has a story that is just itching to be told!

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