I received a free copy of Judgment Day by Wanda Dyson to review through Multnomah’s Blogging for Books program.

I enjoyed reading this book. The story is about a female reporter who is framed for murder. It was a fast read, but has a lot of characters, so I did occasionally have to slow down and remember exactly who everyone was and how they fit into the story. My mom also read this book while she was here, and she went so far as to make a list of all the characters to keep them all straight.

The book was entertaining, and I really enjoyed it. The characters were believable, though there were a few times I rolled my eyes at the situations they found themselves in. Just a note: the summary on the back of my book isn’t accurate-it identifies the murder victim as being one character, when in fact it’s someone completely different. Not a huge deal, but incorrect nonetheless and something the publisher may want to fix.

All in all, I’d recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a story with a little mystery and suspense.

In between Supernanny, Monk, Matlock, and Murder She Wrote marathons, I have managed to read a few books this month. Mom brought out a few books for me to tackle, so hopefully I’ll get a few read in May, too. Here’s what I read in April:

- Baby Wise, by Gary Ezzo
- Millie’s Fling, by Jill Mansell
- The Horse and His Boy, by C.S. Lewis
- Mine Is The Night, by Liz Curtis Higgs
- Judgment Day, by Wanda Dyson

I received a complimentary advance copy of Jane Kirkpatrick’s newest novel, “The Daughter’s Walk,” for review through Multnomah’s Blogging for Books program.

Before I begin this review, it’s important that you know that I am Jane Kirkpatrick’s #1 fan.

I love her writing style.

I love the way she develops characters and makes them vivid and real.

I love how she can take a true story from decades ago and weave it into a living, breathing, flowing narrative that is endearing a century later.

I love her ability to tell a story and make it so compelling that you cannot stop reading, even though it is two hours past your bedtime and your husband knows that it’s a miracle that his nine months pregnant wife has made it past 9:30 pm and has asked you more than once, “Why are you still up?”  And all you can reply with is, “I can’t stop reading this book!”

This book was fabulous.

Jane Kirkpatrick is a master at telling the true, historical stories of real people who lived in the American West. Her most recent book is no exception.  “The Daughter’s Walk” begins by chronicling a mother and daughter who, in an effort to earn $10,000 to save the family farm in Spokane, Washington, walk 4,000 miles to New York City.  Walking.  On foot.  Taking a trip longer than anyone wants to take on a train or in a car…and they do it on foot by themselves in 1896, which was practically unacceptable for women in that time period.  Their journey is fascinating, their mother/daughter relationship is unique (and at times realistically and painfully frustrating), and what happens after they return home is heartbreaking.  Combine all of that and you have a very moving and compelling story.

The story is broken down into two parts: the first half is an account of Helga and Clara’s trip east and back, all of which is fairly accurate historically. Less is known about Clara’s life as an adult, which is where part two picks up.  After studying the details of the womens’ journey to New York, Kirkpatrick was fascinated by what transpired in Clara’s life after she returned to Washington. The second half of the story follows Clara through adulthood as she deals with separation from her family, independence, success, and failure.  It’s an amazing account of a woman who struggles for her own rights and success in a period of time where women basically had no rights, when independence was not encouraged.  As I read this story, I fell in love with both Clara and Helga, and I think you will, too.  The combination of the characters and the historical context and details makes “The Daughter’s Walk” a completely enjoyable and worthwhile read.

I tried to read as many books as possible this month, because heaven only knows how the arrival of a newborn will impact this hobby of mine.  I’m hoping to still have a little time for reading, but one never knows.  Time will tell!

• Love Finds You in Poetry, Texas – Janice Hanna (kind of corny, but cute)
• Curse of the Spellmans – Lisa Lutz (I am LOVING these books.  This one made me laugh out loud…a LOT…which resulted in many strange glances from my husband.)
• Vision in White – Nora Roberts.  (Eh.  So-so.)
• Dr. Spock’s Baby Basics – Robert Needlman (Helpful but a little overwhelming.)
• Lemon Meringue Pie Murder – Joanne Fluke (I keep reading this series, but I am not in love with the characters.  They kind of annoy me.  But they are easy/fast reads.)
• Boo – Rene Gutteridge (Another series that has somewhat annoying characters. May or may not read books two and three…will depend on how desperate I am for reading material in the future.)
• The Daughter’s Walk – Jane Kirkpatrick (Loved, loved, loved. Love anything by Jane Kirkpatrick. Book review on this one coming later this week.)
• Wisconsin Weddings – Andrea Boeshaar (Fast, lighthearted book)

I’m finding it difficult to read “serious” books right now.  I’m too easily distracted and can’t focus on them at the moment.  I’m more drawn towards things that are lighthearted and don’t take a lot of thought…hence why it took me all month to read “Soul Print,” my latest Blogging for Books pick which is more of a “self discovery” book that should have taken me all of an evening to finish.  I just kept getting distracted by other books that were more…fun.  Here’s what I read this month – have you read anything good?  I need suggestions for March!

• The Blue Bottle Club – Penelope J. Stokes (so-so)
• Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder – Joanne Fluke (entertaining)
• Strawberry Shortcake Murder – Joanne Fluke (entertaining)
• Lonesome Cowboy – Debbie Macomber (okay)
• Texas Two Step – Debbie Macomber (okay)
• The Undomestic Goddess – Sophie Kinsella (okay)
• Doctor in Petticoats – Mary Connealy (cute story)
• The Spellman Files – Lisa Lutz (very good – similar to Stephanie Plum novels by Janet Evanovich)
• Soul Print – Mark Batterson (okay)

This was the most recent book that I received for free through Multnomah’s Blogging for Books program.  It wasn’t the most amazing book I’ve ever read, but it wasn’t the worst, either.

The meat of the book centers around discovering your true potential and purpose…and also in discovering who you’re not.  Through the book, Batterson encourages us to feel free to genuinely be who God created us to be.  He uses the story of David to illustrate that we don’t have to be the biggest or the best or the brightest to make a difference in the world.  All we have to be is willing and available to follow God’s plan for our lives.

This was a very hopeful and encouraging book, though I did think it was pretty cliché at times.

The book includes a study guide/discussion questions at the end.  All in all, I enjoyed reading it.  I don’t have to compete with anyone or try to be something I’m not, because being who God made me to be is good enough.

I think that I have mentioned my love for “The Duggars: 20 and Counting,” by Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar, about 17,345 times in the past couple of weeks, and I thought I’d better get all my thoughts about it out of my system in one post because otherwise I will be talking about it for another year and a half, so here we go.

I cam across the book in our local Christian book store.  I was starting to freak out about having the responsibility of raising a person, and since I totally and completely respect the way their children behave and act on tv, I thought it couldn’t hurt to purchase the book.  They just fascinate me.  Anyone who has multitudes of well-behaved children, an organized home and home-schooling routine, and is living virtually debt-free has my complete awe and respect forever.

I didn’t go into the book with any preconceived expectations; I simply thought it would be interesting to learn a little bit about Jim Bob and Michelle, maybe read a little how they came to have so many kids, and how they manage…well, everything.

The first four chapters went into their backgrounds and history as a family…all very interesting.  I breezed through those first chapters, but then made myself slow down once I got to chapter 5, which is titled, “Training and Correcting Little Ones.”

If I can be half the mom that Michelle Duggar is, I will consider myself successful.  She is just so stinking patient.  Jon is always telling me to be more patient.  I fully recognize that I have leaps and bounds to go before I could ever be considered a patient person. Something about Michelle Duggar just inspires me to try harder.  You can feel her calmness, sweetness, gentleness, and even godliness oozing from the pages of this book.  In chapter 5, she includes this quote from Margaret Sangster: “To keep one’s voice sweet, one’s face bright, one’s will steady, one’s patience unperturbed, in the arena of the home, in the light of one’s own family, is no light task.”  I love that.  Here are a  few key quotes from Michelle in this chapter:

• As we started our family, we did a lot of talking together and praying for God’s direction in establishing our philosophy of parenting.  I was selective in the books I read, seeking ideas from experienced parents and Christian authors we respect.  I shared what I learned with Jim Bob, and we prayed about those ideas and decided on what we believed to be the biblical model for out family.
• We’ve learned that consistency (WOTY!) is one of the most important tools of correction.  It makes life much easier when our children know we will be consistent in enforcing the rules, especially the first and most important rule: obeying Mommy and Daddy.
• Another important character quality we want to instill in our children is self-control, and we begin that training early in their lives with something we call “blanket time.”  (I cannot wait to try this!  It is so simple and brilliant, and this section alone was worth buying the book for.)
• Children learn fastest when training is continual and consequences are consistent.  We try our best not to be constantly saying don’t, don’t, don’t.  Instead we work hard at focusing on the behavior we expect, and we explain what the consequences will be if that doesn’t happen.

Chapter 6 has just as much helpful parenting info, but I think I’ll just let you read it and absorb it on your own, if you’re interested (and I hope you are, because it is good stuff!).  I underlined lots…and lots…and lots.

Chapter 7 is all about organization, such as the tip that I mentioned last week about labeling storage boxes.  Tons of good, useful, practical info in this chapter.  Michelle includes thrifty recipes for homemade laundry soap and baby wipes, and also provides info on how to better manage money.  She also talks quite a bit about their homeschooling routines.  Some quotes from this chapter:

• Homes need almost as much storage space as living space.  My goal has always been to keep most things like toys, games, books, and equipment out of sight and out of reach but easy to access.
• If you’re busy, make it a goal to work for just 15 minutes at a time.  It can be overwhelming if you think you have to organize a whole room at once, but knowing you’re just going to work at it for 15 minutes makes it seem more doable. (I’ve started doing this and it has completely been a success at our house.  Totally works.)
• Our main educational goal is to give them as much knowledge and as many skills as possible to prepare them for adult life.

And finally, chapter 8 is all about the process of designing, building and organizing their current home, which is 7,000 square feet.  They even included a floor plan showing the layout of their home.  Super interesting.  Makes me want to have 18 kids of my own.  Almost.

Oh, and at the end they list a ton of resources (books and websites) that they use and/or recommend on a variety of topics, from cookbooks to homeschooling resources to other various family resources.

I paid $17 for this book at our local Christian bookstore, but you can find it at christianbook.com for $13.99.  (Not sure about shipping costs.)  Or you can buy it as an ebook for $12.99..but I prefer to have books like this in print so that I can mark it up and make notes and such in it.

If you just want a little more info about the Duggars, you can check out their family website.  Lots of good info, parenting tips and resources there, too.

As soon as I finished this book, I started reading it again.   And I’ll probably keep reading it over and over until the baby comes.  That’s how much I loved it.  If you check it out, I hope you like it, too!  Let me know!

In an effort to hold myself accountable for reading at least 50 books in 2011, I’m making it a goal to post the list of books I’ve read each month.

I’m noticing that my reading habits go in spurts.  Some evenings I can read for hours, and other times I fall asleep three minutes after picking up the book, and don’t attempt it again for a few days.

So, without further ado, here are the books I managed to read in January.

• The Duggars: 20 and Counting, by Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar (Loved)
• Lake Wobegon Days, by Garrison Keillor (Very good)
• The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency, by Alexander McCall Smith (Good)
• Blind Hope, by Kim Meeder and Laurie Sacher (Good)
• The Best Baby Names Treasury, by Emily Larson (Interesting…)

Anyone have any good recommendations for February?  Leave me a note in the comments…

I was thrilled to receive “Blind Hope” in the mail a couple of weeks ago.  I received the book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review. (For more information about this awesome program, read this blog post.)  The book was written by Kim Meeder and Laurie Sacher.

I picked this book because I had the opportunity to meet both Kim and Laurie when Susan and I visited Crystal Peaks Youth Ranch in Oregon last May.  The sincere faith and spiritual maturity exhibited by both women made me very eager to read this book.

It was a fast read…I finished it in a few hours, but I underlined lots and made lots of notes and cried a lot.  Kim tells the very touching story about Laurie’s experience of adopting a dog named Mia.  Chapter by chapter, I read of the feelings and emotions and changes that occurred in Laurie throughout the process.  Her adoption of a dog that had major health complications (including blindness and diabetes) landed Laurie in a place where she had to dig deep and explore her ability to love.

I related a lot to Laurie throughout the book.  Her honesty revealed her flaws and struggles that I’ve had for years, too – things like low self-esteem, pride, and self-centered obsessions, and how those directly influence not only the ability to love others, but love yourself, as well.

Through interactions with Mia, Laurie changes from living life solely guided by emotions down a road that ultimately leads to happiness, joy, and peace, and a deeper relationship with her Heavenly Father.  I thought was an excellent read, and really brought me to examine my own heart and relationship with the Lord.  I don’t want to live my life guided solely by emotions…and Laurie’s story of how she changed through her experience gives me hope that I can change, too.

This week I received a very exciting email.  It was from Waterbrook Multnomah Publishing Group, which because of Robin Jones Gunn’s Glenbrooke series has had a warm place in my heart for years.  I love those stories and characters and in college I dreamed of being an editor for Multnomah when I grew up, thus resulting in my pursuance of an English degree.

I was super thrilled when we got to see Multnomah Falls while in Oregon last May because I am still so in love with that company.  Seeing the falls was on my bucket list.  And it was magnificent.  Stunning.  Love at first site.  Worth getting 100% drenched in sporadic Oregon rain showers for.

And I die for that little bridge.  DIE.

Ahem.  Sorry about my little trip to la-la-land there…back to the email.  The email was about their “Blogging for Books” program, and the moment I read it, I went directly to the website and signed up.  I thought I’d spread the word about the program, in case any of you have blogs and love free books.  Yes, FREE!!!!!!!  I know, right?!?!?!  LOVE it!

Waterbrook Multnomah is a Christian publishing group – they print fiction, nonfiction, Bible studies, devotionals, kids books, and on and on.  Basically, the gist of the program is this:  you pick out a book to read from the list of available titles, and they send it to you, 100% free – you don’t even have to pay shipping!  Fab, right?  You read the book, review it on your blog, and also post your review to the Blogging for Books site and a retail site, like Amazon or Barnes and Noble.  Then you pick out your next book, and so on, and so on, and so on! You can check out the site here.

My first book should arrive in 10-14 days, so stay tuned…book review coming soon!  I am in love with this program already.

Plus, my strategy is to read as many books as I can to help the time go faster until our little bambino joins us.  Reading is a great distraction.