Book Nook Club: religion

Showing posts with label religion. Show all posts

Showing posts with label religion. Show all posts

February 20, 2012

The Qur'an Dilemma

Have you ever wanted to dive into the Qur’an, yet didn’t know where to even start? “The Qur’an Dilemma” allows Muslims and non-Muslims to examine the Qur’an and look at each sura (or chapter) critically. Written by numerous former Muslims, who remain anonymous throughout the book, the book is divided into three main parts.

Part I consists of different articles on a host of controversial issues, such as women, the treatment of people of other faiths, and the chronological order of the Qur’an. This portion proved to be the most interesting for me. The authors explained that much like the Bible, the Qur’an has many different versions, published and edited by scholars of differing opinions on how the Qur’an should be organized. Also, the section covering people of other faiths, such as the Jewish population, served as a real eye-opener. The book continues on in Part II as the first nine suras are examined. Think of this as an intricate Bible study. The authors examine what certain words refer to and historical meanings behind passages. Part III holds resources, such as maps and a glossary, to aid the reader.

Overall, this book proves interesting if you enjoy examining other cultures. As for those who are already Muslim, I would imagine this take on the Qur’an would be intriguing as well. The authors claim that the Qur’an has never been critically analyzed before, as Muslims consider this holy book infallible. The core of this book rightly reflects the title: “The Qur’an Dilemma.” The authors continually point out that this holy book contains errors and issues that no longer apply to today’s society. However, no revisions are authorized. Therefore, many Muslims are presented with a true dilemma: how do you separate the truth from the negations in the Qur’an. My only issue with the book was the level of difficulty it presented. For an individual who has a basic understanding of Islam, I was constantly rereading sentences and continually flipping to the glossary to define a term. Some parts still leave me confused, however, I enjoyed expanding my knowledge concerning a religion that remains a mystery to many Americans.

3 stars

**I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinions.

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February 9, 2012

Until Next Time by Amy Lignor

How does a girl choose between the one who steals her heart and the one who owns her soul?

Matt and Emily were created for a specific job. Raised and trained as the ultimate angel/warrior team, they are sent down to earth to save, defend, judge and forgive, depending on the 'life' they've been assigned. What they don't realize is that the power of human emotions, such as love, anger, passion and fear can take over even the best of souls, causing them to make mistakes and follow paths that lead to confusion and heartache.

The setting switches back and forth between a heavenly scene and earth with Matt and Emily going back and forth between the two. The catch, Matt and Emily are only Matt and Emily in the heavenly setting, they are placed in the lives of other humans on earth, trying to remember who they are and what they are there for. While many young adult novels have one-dimensional characters, Amy Lignor's characters are anything but and I loved both the main characters but also the supporting cast. And I really felt the love and confusion that Emily felt as she tried to remember her true purpose, a feeling I think we can all relate to as we try to decide what we think we should do and what we feel.

Until Next Time surprised me. While I was expecting fantasy, I was surprised by how many parts of it actually rang very true on a deeper level to me, which made this story much more than just your typical young adult novel. Things like Emily and Matt learning and training in heaven to prepare them for their time on the earth. And that when they are sent to earth their knowledge being taken away so that they can be tested and learn during their earthly experiences. Other small insights throughout the novel give this story and the characters in it more depth and meaning to me and I loved it. This is Book 1 in the Angel Chronicles and I will definitely be reading the next one to see where Emily and Matt's partnership takes them next. 5 stars.
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January 23, 2012

American Idol by S.C. Hayden

Meet Gus and Desmond aka Zoltar and Orbitron. They have a scheme to make millions. Want money? Fame? Talent? A better video game score? There's an Idol for that! The American Idol Company guarantees their idols will help you achieve all your goals and more! Throw in some bad behavior by the founders for publicity and you've got yourself a good ol' American fad. Are you starting to see the plot?

This is a religious satire in all its glory. There is a virgin mother stripper, a Skinhead gay-lover, and oh so many more wonderful supporting characters. The comedy is dark but truly funny. And the commentary on modern culture and our obsession with stuff and more stuff is poignant and not always subtle. S.C. Hayden tricks you into eating a sugar cube he's filled with stinky self-truth. Don't believe me? What was the latest fad you fell victim too? Beanie babies? Bell-bottoms? Sudoku? Is it that hard to believe an "American Idol" company is that far fetched?

The plot twists and turns but makes sure you're riding along with it. The ending is unexpected but totally one of the best parts. And I laughed out loud. A lot.

Fair warning, however, nothing is off limits in Hayden's world, and if you prefer entertainment without an occasional slap this may not be the book for you.
5 Stars. Recommended for Adults - with reservations.

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January 20, 2012

Every Day a Friday by Joel Osteen

If you had to choose your favorite day of the week, what would it be? Mine would be Friday.

Every Day a Friday by Joel Osteen offers twenty-seven chapters divided into seven sections, all built on key points for holding on to your happiness and joy every day of the week. If any of you have ever listened to Joel Osteen speak, he is all about optimist and looking at the bright side of things. Every Day a Friday is a written version of that attitude and has a lot of good advice for turning every day into Friday, what most consider to be the best day of the week.

This book was well-structured, well-written, and the ideas were well-developed. And while there were parts that were insightful and helpful, by the middle of the book I understood the concept and thought it became a little repetitive. Each section is specific to one lesson to learn (e.g., Live Without Crutches, The Healing Power of Laughter, and Help Others Win) and apply in our lives and in general, yes, I think that Joel got his point across. If we live our lives with a more positive and optimist spirit, we will be happier, not because bad things won't happen to us but we'll react to them better. Good but not life changing. 3 stars.

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January 18, 2012

Chasing Amanda by Melissa Foster

Nine years ago, Molly Tanner witnessed a young girl's abduction in the busy city of Philadelphia, shifting her occasional clairvoyance into overdrive. Two days later, the girl's body was found, and Molly's life fell apart. Consumed by guilt for not acting upon her visions, and on the brink of losing her family, Molly escaped the torturous reminders in the city, fleeing to the safety of the close-knit rural community of Boyds, Maryland.

Molly's life is back on track, her son has begun college, and she and her husband have finally rekindled their relationship. Their fresh start is shattered when a seven-year-old girl disappears from a local park near Molly's home. Unable to turn her back on another child and troubled by memories of the past, Molly sets out to find her, jeopardizing the marriage she'd fought so hard to hold together. While unearthing clues and struggling to decipher her visions, Molly discovers another side of Boyds, where the residents--and the land itself--hold potentially lethal secrets, and exposes another side of her husband, one that threatens to tear them apart.

There were so many things that I liked about this book including the main plot, which was fascinating and mysterious all at the same time. Melissa did an excellent job with character development as well as representing the strain on familial relationships during hardships. She also did an excellent job of demonstrating both sides of the crime and helping the reader understand the confusion and fear felt by all sides.

So while I really enjoyed Chasing Amanda, there was one element that I just couldn't get past - the ending. Melissa did a good job of tying up all loose ends except for the one that was central to the entire plot - how the 7-year old girl was abducted and kept in the first place. Other questions were answered but the main one was left wide open and that frustrated me. I may have missed something somewhere but I just didn't feel like the case was as resolved as it was written to be. 4 stars.

*I received a free copy of this book in return for my honest opinion.
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December 22, 2011

Real by Shelley Malcolm

“REAL” is a collection of 60 inspirational stories by Shelley Malcolm, with photos by Terilee Dawn Ouimette. The stories are deeply revealing, while the photos are anonymous, focusing only on each subject’s hands.

The book is divided into 11 different sections focused on one particular element of life - hope, love, inspiration, work, etc. Each of those sections includes pictures of hands and stories based on those pictures. The stories are about people from all walks of life including the rich and famous and people pinching pennies. As unique as each of the individuals are, they are all joined together in this beautiful book.

I received a paperback copy of this book to review but could see myself buying a hard cover version as a coffee table book for my mother-in-law. The pictures are beautiful and inspiring even without the written stories, and I am amazed by how much someone's hands can tell about their life. It makes me wonder what story my hands tell. I recommend this book, especially for anyone who loves photography and inspiring stories.

You can purchase a copy of the book here. Proceeds from all sales are split among various charities. If you'd like to see what other people are saying, you can check out other stops on the blog tour.

*I received a free copy in return for my honest opinion and review.
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November 29, 2011

The Lost Angel by Javier Sierra

During the great flood the earth was cleansed of all but a few choice survivors, Noah and his family. Thousands of years later the earth is threatened by another life ending catastrophe and Julia Alvarez is the only one hope to stop it, but she doesn't know that yet. All she knows is that her husband Martin has been kidnapped by a terrorist group and that she must find and save him.

Javier Sierra's new book The Lost Angel is an apocalyptic thriller that is part Da Vinci Code part National Treasure part historical fiction. Julia Alvarez has a gift, she can use stones (adamants) to communicate with God, communication channels that haven't been opened since Noah used the same type of stones on his ark. Now that the stones have been found, everyone is after them - Julia's husband and friends, foreign "terrorists," and even the US government. The book is full of twists and turns as everyone seeks to find the adamants and put them to good use.

While I normally love these type of books this one just didn't hook me. I actually put it down (which I never do) three or four times before finally getting through it. While the story was interesting, I felt that it lacked focus and mystery. There were too many people involved that took away from the storyline rather than adding to it, and I just couldn't keep it all straight. The plot was also fairly straightforward from the beginning and missing the intrigue and detective work that I love in other books like Da Vinci Code. This was a decent read but could have been much better. 3 stars

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November 19, 2011

Fashioned by Faith by Rachel Lee Carter

Does what you wear matter?

I think we would all agree that yes, what we wear definitely matters. I'm sure I'm not the only one who has a boost of self-confidence when I do my hair, wear makeup, and actually put some effort into my outfit in the morning. And that my attention goes to people based on their wearing - some good and some bad attention.

In her new book, Fashioned by Faith, international model Rachel Lee Carter explores the question of "Can you look great and still honor God?" And her resounding answer is yes and she gives a number of examples from her own career on why she truly believes you can dress well while still dressing modestly.

Fashioned by Faith is mainly written for young women to help them understand why they should dress modestly while it seems that women who dress immodestly are the ones who get all the attention. The book is split into nine chapters that each focus on a specific element of fashion and dressing modestly including why you should dress modestly and tips for doing so. Each of those chapters is then split into four sections - a young man's thoughts on modest young women, a section of Rachel's thoughts and experiences, a section about God's thoughts on the subject, and finally a section with questions for the reader to answer with their own thoughts.

I think that this book was well-written and would be helpful for its specific audience. I think it could be a helpful tool for a parent trying to help their young woman understand why they don't have to show off their boob, butt, or belly to get attention. The layout makes it very easy to read, and I actually found Rachel's stories of her modeling career fascinating to see the different types of shoots she'd gotten to experience. And it was enlightening to see that there is at least one successful model at there who refuses to model lingerie and clothes that flaunt her body. I'd recommend this book for young women and parents of young women, but if you don't fit that demographic, not sure it's really that useful of a book. 4 stars.

**I received a free copy of this book to review through the Book Sneeze blogger review program.
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August 20, 2011

Trees Cry for Rain by Jeri Fink

I began Trees Cry for Rain thinking it would be another time shifting historical fiction novel. That it would be good, but not awesome. Wow - I was wrong. From the very opening pages, I was gripped. The story begins with a family in Spain during the Spanish Inquisition. They are Jews who are desperately pretending to be Christians. They are betrayed, the parents are sent to prison, and the children have to flee. The story switches gears after that and we meet modern day New Yorkers who are connected somehow - to each other, and to the horrible persecutions of the past. It's difficult to say more than that without divulging too much but believe me - this is one powerful book.

The transitions between time periods and characters are seamless. The scene descriptions and background inclusions are beautiful and always a positive. The characters are deep and reach out from the pages to grab your heart. The sheer amount of research that had to happen for this novel blows my mind. I followed the characters on their journey and found it all to easy to see their surroundings, to feel their emotions, and to worry for their fates. This novel has all of the components of an epic success - strong characters, engrossing plot, and gripping themes. I look forward to future works from Ms. Fink!

5 Stars!

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July 18, 2011

Reternity by Neal Wooten

I've been worried about myself lately, worried I may have lost my capacity for wonder. I rarely watch movies anymore because they all seem so desperate to shock, surprise, and enthrall that they've essentially reached the limits for such things and are becoming repetitive. Books aren't as bad because I don't read thrillers, but I'm willing to bet Clive Cussler and his ilk are running out of ways to imperil Earth. But this book has either proven I can still be amazed, or it's added another layer to my cognitive callous. Either way, I am, at the moment, thoroughly amazed.

Reternity is the story of a young man named Max who has lived a very sheltered life as a pastor's son in a small Mayberry-esque town. As he graduates from high school and begins studying at a nearby university, his parents fear that his newfound interest in physics will test his faith. Their fears are calmed somewhat when they learn that his professor hosts weekly Bible studies, but their worries mount as his involvement in a science project quickly evolves into an obsession. On Max's part, he struggles with the idea that his discoveries could cause harm that would far outweigh any recognition he'd receive for it. His investigations take him, his professor, and the reader on an incredible journey that will bend the mind and enliven the senses.

I have only two complaints about this book. First, the writing in the first few chapters is very shaky. It's supposed to be set currently, but the beginning reads more like something from the 50's. In fact a lot of the language and portrayal of female characters reminded me of my mom and her ways of speaking. Second, the female characters -with a single exception- are two-dimensional. The reader gets the impression that Wooten must either fear women or acknowledge his ignorance of them, as he seems to tiptoe around their characterization. For these reasons, especially the writing in the beginning, I can't in good conscience award a full five stars.

However, this is truly an incredible book. It's uncommon to find others that share the belief that Science and God are compatible, and that's not the only difficult topic covered in this book (that particular issue is mainly tackled in the Forward). The Bible studies described shed light on things I hadn't realized had left me in the dark previously. Some of it may be upsetting to some readers, but I hope most will be open to discovering the truth for themselves.

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July 8, 2011

Heaven is for Real by Todd Burpo

You've probably heard of this book, maybe you've even seen the author and his son interviewed on TV. In case you haven't, it's the biographical account of a boy who claims to have visited heaven during an operation. As someone that struggles with doubt I was eager to read it. Not eager enough to spend money on it, but certainly eager enough to put it on hold at the library.

Todd Burpo is a Wesleyan pastor in a small Midwestern town. The first part of the book paints a picture of his family's life there, and the events that preceded his three year old son Colton's emergency surgery for a burst appendix. A few months after the surgery Colton startled his family by making comments about sitting in Jesus' lap and hearing the angels sing to him during the operation. He said he'd left his body and could see what his mother and father were doing in other rooms, things they'd thought they'd done in private.

In the time after he made those comments, the Burpos attempted to gently extract more information from their son about his miraculous visit, finding themselves astounded over and over as Colton described things outlined in scripture he hadn't yet been exposed to. He also claimed to have met a sister that had been miscarried (he hadn't been told about the miscarriage) and a grandfather. When shown different portraits of Jesus he said none of them were accurate until coming across the one by Akiane Kramarik, a girl from an atheist family who paints from dreams and visions of heaven she claims to experience.

I wanted this book to inspire me and to erase doubts from my mind, but unfortunately I can't say that happened. Maybe I'm overly skeptical, but some of the things Colton describes just seem too trite, like he's just describing cartoon scenes from a flannel board in Sunday School. The wounds he described on Jesus' hands and feet were not accurate as Science demands. The way he described the Trinity was not the complex mystery we try to wrap our minds around, but rather the actual division that compels Muslims to accuse us of polytheism.

At the same time, I've always felt that Heaven is likely a subjective experience. Maybe Colton saw things that way because that was how he understood them. Maybe an adult would see things different, more complex and less Nickelodeon. We can't really know, can we?

As a skeptic I also have to wonder how much of this was truly Colton's original experience and how much of it was generated by a desire to please or get attention. In his interviews he seems very bored with the whole thing, just muttering the answers he knows are expected of him, certainly understandable after having an experience like this dominate his childhood. Throughout the book Burpo recalls that he was very careful not to plant ideas or ask leading questions when discussing this with his son, but then went on to do exactly that more than once, and those are just the times he wrote about. I do believe there is a large core of truth, I'm just not so sure how much of it has been re-interpreted or overplayed as it has been extracted from the mind of a small child via his parents.

Who would I recommend this to? I would hesitate to recommend it to a non-believer because I'd be afraid it would come across as more cheesy than revolutionary. At the same time, it could very well open up a closed mind to new possibilities, I guess it depends on the mind. Here is a short interview with the Burpos.

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July 5, 2011

God and Stephen Hawking: Whose Design is it Anyway? by John C. Lennox

I was interested in this book for a number of reasons - the main one being that I have read a few things from Stephen Hawking and while I found his writing engaging and informative, I have always wondered - Where's God? All kinds of scientific theories are put out into the world but God seems to still be a very taboo subject for scientists and academics. This book may provide an interesting perspective for students attending online Christian colleges. So it was interesting to read something that responded to a very openly atheist scientific work from a Christian point of view.

Lennox does a great job of making some rather complicated ideas understandable. It is a short book but definatly full of thought-provoking questions. The beginning of God and Stephen Hawking opens with an argument against Hawking's controversial statement that "Philosophy is dead". Lennox asks if the questions Hawing debates in his book - Where did we come from? How did we get here? - are not themselves philosophical questions. The book follows this same pattern of taking an argument, disecting it, and refuting each point.

Overall, I learned a few things and have kept it in my personal library for future reference. Worth a read if for nothing else than it makes you think about your personal views and where the current scientific trends fit into them.

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July 1, 2011

The Playful and Powerful Warrior Within You by GJ Reynolds

The Playful and Powerful Warrior Within You is written by a man who has been to the rock bottom and back. He's been on the brink of suicide and crawled his way back to the top. This book shares his inspiring story as he found a way to find the playful and powerful warrior inside of himself as well as how you can find that warrior in yourself as well.

I chose to read this book because the title caught my eye. I've seen, read, and reviewed numerous self-help books but this was one of the first that put an emphasis on being playful in your lives. If you hadn't noticed already, my blogging name is Playful Professional and my personal blog is talenttoplay.blogspot.com. If it isn't obvious enough, I like to play. And being your best self by adding playfulness back into your life intrigued me because I 100% agree with that idea.

While I agree with the idea and think that the book had a lot of potential as a concept, I feel it fell flat in the structure. Each of the chapters focuses on one specific element to find the warrior within you - things like being authentic, forgiving yourself, and having fun and enjoying the journey along the way. All great ideas that I'm sure would be very helpful but the chapters were filled with so much text that rather than enjoying the journey, I got bored.

Pictures, quotes, practical applications would go a long way to help this book be not only more enjoyable to read but more useful for real life. Being given reasons for why you should be authentic are great but I want to know ideas and ways to be authentic rather than the false version of me that everyone expects. I will say that at the end of the chapter the author includes a couple of practical applications for each idea but because of that and the heavy amounts of text only in each chapter, I found myself wanting to skip to the end of each chapter.

So overall this was an okay book that could have been great. Great idea, poor execution. 3 stars.

I received a free copy of this book to review.

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June 21, 2011

The Canary List by Sigmund Brouwer

All Crockett Grey wants is to mark the anniversary of his daughter's death alone. That's it. But after one of his students, Jaimie Piper, knocks on his window that night scared to death, his life will never be the same. Jaimie isn't your typical 12-year old girl. She's not afraid of the dark, the Boogeyman, or even an abusive family member. She's afraid of evil.

I can't tell you a whole lot of the story without giving it away, but the basic idea is that Crockett is a teacher who because of being in the wrong place at the wrong time, is now in the middle of a mess including super-hackers, demon chasers, and the Vatican mafia. And all he really wants to do is clear his name so he can be a good father to his little boy Mickey.

This book was interesting and kept me guessing until the very last page, which is hard to do. It was a little hard to follow at times with all of the Vatican history and talk about demons and witches, but I understood the general idea behind the plot and like one of the reviews on the back of the book said, "What's darkly horrifying...is the plausibility of the story." And once you read the book you'll understand that comment. Overall a decent book but not my favorite. 3 stars.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

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June 6, 2011

The Constantine Codex by Paul L. Maier

In this sequel to A Skeleton in God's Closet and More Than a Skeleton, Harvard professor Jonathan Weber and his archaeologist wife Shannon discover an incredible missing manuscript that could have a profound effect on Christianity.

If it sounds familiar, you've probably read something by Dan Brown or Steve Berry at some point. The major difference here is that while Dan Brown and pretty much everyone who has ever written in this genre has done so to discredit Christianity, Paul L. Maier does it to reaffirm Christianity. Another major difference is that Dan Brown and Steve Berry are hobbysists when it comes to History, and don't much care if their sources have any basis in fact. Nor do they care that their readers in ignorance do take it for fact, leading to generations of cocksure ignoramuses who think Christians are a bunch of cocksure ignoramuses. Paul L. Maier on the other hand is a professor of ancient History at Western Michigan University and not only presumably knows his stuff, but is conscientious about the effect his work will have on the intellectual well-being of the public at large.

The first couple of chapters got me excited about this Christian Dan Brown. There were ancient manuscripts, archeological digs, danger, and real monuments and real history behind it all. And best of all, none of it would lead to Paul being gay or or the resurrection being staged or Jesus really being an alien from another realm. But there Maier seemed to hit the apex of his excitement. It didn't quite go downhill from there, but the energy certainly disappeared.

So Jon and Shannon find an ancient manuscript, and an entire chapter is devoted to detailed descriptions of them photographing it for posterity. I kept waiting for them to be interrupted by a masked gunman or the ancient vellum to disintegrate or something, but it was all just anticipation on my part and scholarship on the part of the characters.

Then there's an exciting debate between Weber and a famous moderate Muslim in the Haga Sofia. But Weber And his debate partner are so diplomatic about the whole thing and so afraid to step on one another's toes that there was simply no excitement. It was an interesting discussion, and I did learn some things about Islam and even some things I didn't know about Christianity, but I had a hard time keeping my eyes open.

Then they must get the manuscript to the U.S. for testing, and finally something happens. The manuscript is stolen! A desperate search is unleashed spanning continents! Then the manuscript simply arrives in the mail. To make up for it, Jon gets poisoned and a traitor unveiled, but it's all more Ben Matlock than Robert Langdon.

The manuscript is eventually translated and released and everyone loves it. The end.

Maybe it was my fault for making comparisons, but this book was a real disappointment to me. Christian publishing desperately needs a Christian Dan Brown. There is a real void there, and I was so hoping Maier would fill it. A reader without my preconceptions may find this book more enjoyable than I did.

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April 3, 2011

Couples Who Pray by Squire Rushnell and Louise Duart

Couples Who Pray is a book written for married couples by a husband and wife team. It is a book explaining the benefits of couples who not only pray, but couples who pray together regularly, every day even. Included with the benefits is an actual 40-day prayer challenge that asks you and your spouse to pray together every day for 40 days straight for at least five minutes. And finally, the book includes numerous celebrity testimonies of how prayer and the 40-day prayer challenge specifically changed their marriage.

I'll admit I was hoping for a lot more from this book, but that might be because my husband and I already pray on a regular basis. I was hoping for some sort of guidance or helpful tips to make prayer more meaningful between couples, but I felt like that was included in just two pages of the entire 200 page book. If I needed to be convinced of the benefits of praying together, I may have a different opinion but for me reading the book just got old after a while. Statistic about praying together, example from some celebrity, why you should pray together, repeat. And the great 40-day prayer challenge, as far as I could tell, it's nothing more than making the commitment to pray together for 40 days straight. Yes, I get that's as a challenge but the cover and the description of the book made it seem a little more in-depth and guided. There may be some benefit in this book for those who are seeing a counselor with a Christian counseling degree. For those interested in this degree, more information can be found here.

So overall I was disappointed in the book and felt like name-dropping was more emphasized than the actual overall purpose, which is sad because I'm a firm believer that praying together as a couple is very beneficial to any marriage.

*I received a copy of this book to review through the Book Sneeze blogger program and while this review may not match your own, it is my honest opinion. 2 stars.

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March 27, 2011

101 Ways to Meditate by Linda A. Lavid

I'll just throw it out there from the start - I do a lot of self-study, reflecting, etc. but have no experience with meditation. I agreed to review this book with the hope that I would gain some insight into it, which I did and I also realized that I'm probably not going to add meditation as one of my hobbies anytime in the near future. I know it's beneficial and helpful to those who use it, but I've already got enough things that I'm trying to fit into my day, including my own sort of daily reflection and study, and meditation just doesn't fit in right now.

But enough about me, let's get on to the book itself. 101 Ways to Meditate is broken up into four separate what I'm going to call sections. The first section is a couple of pages long and is supposed to prepare you for the book and for meditation itself. The second section includes information regarding meditation basics - things you should know for every type of meditation like doing it for 20 minutes, using a journal, etc. The third section is what the book is all about, the 101 ways to meditate. But in reality after reviewing the different ways to meditate, I felt like they were more along the lines of things to meditate upon like a beautiful moment, someone you love, or a desire you have. The basic premise of each way to meditate is the same, which is where the basics of meditation come in.

And the final section is a 30 day meditation journal where you're supposed to write and draw regarding your experience with that day's meditation. Each day has a different meditation topic to use from the list of 101 in the previous section so you're guided in your meditation. And that's it. Guidelines, topics, and an area to reflect all wrapped up into one nice short book.

Like my review of Blessed Beyond Measure, I feel like this could be a helpful book to the right person. It is organized neatly into different sections that make everything easy to find, but I'm not sure this would be my first resource to pick up if I were to start in on meditation. And I was actually a little confused with the journal at the end that walked you through 30 different meditation topics in a seemingly unknown order (#1, #22, #97, #14, etc.). The journal itself actually just felt like an appendix rather than an actual part of the whole.

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March 22, 2011

Blessed Beyond Measure Devotional Journal by Gloria Copeland

Let me preface this review by saying that this devotional journal is apparently supposed to go with Gloria's book Blessed Beyond Measure. I didn't know that and did not have that when I read through this devotional journal so this review is of the journal only.

Gloria Copeland's Blessed Beyond Measure Devotional Journal has one main goal as far as I could tell - to help the reader and writer understand that God loves them by looking at the ways He blesses you in your daily life. She helps readers achieve this through nine different five-day sections. Each of those days starts with a description of what you're focusing on for that day (e.g., First Things First, God is Good...All the Time) and is followed by a section called "Reflecting on His Goodness," that questions to reflect on the message of the day. This is followed by "Experiencing His Goodness," which is more of a practical application of the message and finally, "Praying in His Goodness," which is room for you to write out your prayers and anything else you think of at the time.

I'll admit I didn't actually go through and use the journal myself. I did read all of the pages, quotes, and messages but did not go through and record my thoughts for the 45 days so I can't give any sort of review on whether this helps with seeing God's love in your life any better but I can review the journal itself.

The journal is well-organized and well thought out. Each section is focused on one major theme and really gets you not only thinking about the topic but also about taking action on it through the practical applications. As an avid journal writer myself I don't typically need prompts to put down on paper what's going in my head, but I can see how this would be a very effective tool for anyone that needed a little motivation to get them going, especially when it comes to the matter of counting your blessings and finding God in you everyday life. And I think that's something we can all use a little more of.

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February 6, 2011

What's He Really Thinking by Paula Rinehart

I was given What's He Really Thinking: How to Be A Relational Genius with the Man in Your Life as part of the Book Sneeze blog review program. Well I should clarify, I chose this book to read out of all of the books available because what woman doesn't want to understand the minds of the men in her life a little better. I was pretty excited to read this book to see what insights Paula Rinehart could teach me that would help me understand my husband specifically better.

This book is written to help women understand how men think, why they do what they do, and what they struggle with. Author Paula Rinehart uses her more than twenty years of counseling experience to help unlock the age-old mysteries of the male mind-set. She walks readers through a path of first understanding the men (helping to unlock those mysteries), then learning to love the men that you now understand.

This book was full of those insights that I so wanted, things like, "A propensity for doing, because it needs to be done and can be done, is the best of who a man is." If you really sit and think about it, I'm sure you can come up with numerous situations where a man in your life did something just because he could or because he felt the need to do something. Men are made for doing and I loved how Rinehart used this as the backbone of her book because it makes perfect sense to me. It helps me also to understand why when I don't allow men (okay who am I kidding, my husband) to help me, it makes them feel weak and unneeded. I may be an extremely independent woman but allowing my husband to be there for me and to feel needed as a part of my life can strengthen our relationship immensely.

Insights like that one really made me stop and think about what I can do to look at the picture from my husband's point of view and to make my decisions based on how the typical brain works. Another part of this book that I loved was how spiritual truths were littered throughout - Rinehart talks about praying for the men in your life and praying for ways you can understand and love him better. Marriage is a triangular relationship - you, your husband, and God. Without any of the three points the relationship is not as strong, and she gets that point across without it being too over the top.

Overall I really enjoyed this book. It was a quick read and was eye-opening for me in a lot of different ways. I would recommend it to anyone since like the book itself says, "If there is one universal in any woman's life it's this: she will always be relating to a man." 4 stars.

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January 12, 2011

A Woman and Her Workplace by Rosemary Flaaten

I, as are many of us, am a working professional. I work in an office of about 150 people and have great relationships with some of my colleagues, good relationships with others, and a little less friendly relationships with others. I wouldn't say that I have a bad relationship with anyone that I work with, but there's always room for improvement in any relationship. And for that reason, I was pretty excited to review A Woman and Her Workplace by Rosemary Flaaten. I'm always happy to read and learn things that will help me out at work.

And I really think this book will help me out. It is full of practical advice, especially for women, in working in a workplace full of other men and women. The book is broken into topic specific chapters like building relationships, pride, anger, being part of a team, being or not being a boss, and working with men and working with women. In the short 200 pages I found myself thinking oh that's so true numerous times as I read the true-life stories of other professionals trying to get along in their own work lives.

The writing is simple, full of stories, and to the point. It's also filled with practical advice that I feel like men and women alike could use in building better relationships at work. I would recommend this one to anyone really but especially anyone who works with other people on a regular basis. I think we could all stand to be a little more humble, optimistic, and celebratory of our colleagues. This book can help you get there. 4 stars.

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