Book Review: "Winning the War in Your Mind" by Craig Groeschel

Winning the War in Your Mind: Change Your Thinking, Change Your Life by Craig Groeschel
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Exceptional book that will help you gain mental and spiritual fortitude. In a time and culture where mental health seems to be declining rapidly and stress runs rampant, this book is an absolute must-read. Craig Groeschel shares some deeply personal stories of disappointment and struggle in his own life and helps us learn how to overcome our own mind wars. Bonus - I listened to the audiobook read by Craig Groeschel and there is an accompanying PDF so you can work through the exercises. https://www.harpercollinschristian.co...



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Book Review: "The Divine Mentor"

 

The Divine Mentor: Growing Your Faith as You Sit at the Feet of the Savior by Wayne Cordeiro
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Our church board read this book together. Pastor Wayne Cordeiro really demonstrates the importance of reading the Bible for a relationship and for wisdom. It's a good reminder that it's not something to just check off on a to-do list. One of the most practical takeaways for me was just in how to approach devotional time: with my Bible (obviously), a notebook, a pen, a Bible reading plan, AND my planner. The planner is for when my mind starts to wonder to my to-do list, write it down (brain dump) and the move on. This simple tip has so helped me to focus better!

Favorite Excerpts:

"Protecting and cultivating your spiritual root system is not a pill to swallow that automatically will bring you health, wealth, and a perfect family. But it will give you wide-open access to an all-wise, all-powerful God who will personally walk with you step by step. You’ll embark on an adventure that will introduce you to lifelong mentors who may save your health, your marriage, your ministry, and your future."

"I hate to break the bad news to you, but about 80 percent of all you do, anyone can do! For example, going to work, attending meetings, checking e-mail, answering phones, going to soccer games and lunches and dinners. Additionally, about 15 percent of all you do someone with some measure of training could do in your place. Whether it’s selling a product, running a program, teaching a class, or fixing a problem, there is education and training available for someone else to do what you do. But at least 5 percent of what you do, only you can do. No one else can do it for you.
The last 5 percent . . . it’s something we have to discover and then be responsible for. • • Only I can be a husband/wife to my spouse. • • Only I can be a father/mother to my children. • • Only I can grow myself spiritually. • • Only I can keep myself healthy. • • Only I can keep myself disciplined."

"Neglecting devotions will cause you more problems, more quickly, than just about anything you can name. Spending unrushed time alone with God in His Word releases a fountain of refreshment from the very core of your being."

"When you miss your devotions one day, you notice. When you miss them two days, your spouse and kids notice. And when you miss them three days, the world notices."





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Book Review: "Hope in the Dark"

Hope in the Dark: Believing God Is Good When Life Is Not by Craig Groeschel
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Favorite Snippets:

"Honest questions, sincere doubts, and deep hurts can draw you closer to God than you’ve ever been before."

"To really know God, you have to wrestle through pain, struggle with honest doubts, and even live with unanswered questions. So while I won’t promise you that God is your copilot or that the Bible says it and that settles it, I will promise you this: if you wrestle with him, seek him, cling to him, God will meet you in your pain."

"WHEN YOU’RE GOING THROUGH A SEASON OF STRUGGLING WITH God, remember: Habakkuk’s name means both to wrestle and to embrace. You can wrestle with God about all that you don’t like, yet simultaneously embrace him because he is good and trustworthy."

"Over time, as you grow in the grace of God, what normally would have rocked your world becomes something you can take in stride, knowing God is with you and will carry you when you are weak. "

"Even though I don’t like it, even though I don’t understand it, even though I know he could and he should but he’s not, yet will I trust in the Lord my God.”

Pray: Even though … I will trust you. You are my God.

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Book Review: "The Power of Moments"

The Power of Moments: Why Certain Moments Have Extraordinary Impact by Chip Heath
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

In my various leadership roles and even my job as a real estate agent, this book challenged me to do better at making the little moments special. The first day on the job, the first meeting, the first showing, the closing table, etc.  All of these moments have the power to make someone feel valued, appreciated, loved and should not be taken for granted. 

Here is a good checklist that we should make sure our team can answer:

"1. Do I know what is expected of me at work?
2. Do I have the materials and equipment I need to do my work right?
3. Do I have the opportunity to do what I do best every day?
4. In the last seven days, have I received recognition or praise for good work? (Validation.)
5. Does my supervisor, or someone at work, seem to care about me as a person? (Caring.)
6. Is there someone at work who encourages my development? (Understanding. Caring.)" 

Addressing these 6 answers/needs helps foster a positive work environment.

All-in, lots of good takeaways for any one who wants to be a better leader/influencer!

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Book Review: "Only Love Today"

 

Only Love Today: Reminders to Breathe More, Stress Less, and Choose Love by Rachel Macy Stafford
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Empowering and Beautiful

This truly is one of the most life-giving books I have ever read. This inspires me to be a better mom, wife, friend, worker, and person. I highly recommend this one!!!

"Pause in the busyness of your day—even a moment or two will do. For that moment, pay attention. Notice. Listen. Stop. Breathe. There’s a good chance you’ll catch a moment when all is right in your perfectly imperfect, gloriously messy, happily chaotic little world. Peace, love, freedom, and joy, right there at your fingertips. The most meaningful life experiences don’t happen in the “when”; they happen in the “now.” It is the sacred pauses within everyday life that heal our frenzied souls. Let us pause and live today." 

"Now, more than ever, we must catch glimpses of that which can lift us up.        

Now, more than ever, we must search for these barely noticeable glimmers of light that have the power to carry us. 

Now, more than ever, we must not let cynicism, negativity, or the busyness of life allow us to lose sight of the good."

"Today I will turn my attention away from the negativity filling my senses and my News Feed. I will turn to the people I love and notice that there is still so much goodness to be grasped and celebrated. Goodness comes down the stairs with crazy morning hair. It has a milk mustache and stinky feet. It puts gasoline in my car and kisses me good night. It bags my groceries with a smile. It teaches my children. It hugs me with shaky, wrinkled hands. The ability to detect goodness where others see nothing good is more than a day changer; it’s a life changer. Today I will notice the good in the world and in my world."

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Book Review: The Mess Detectives and the Case of the Lost Temper

The Mess Detectives and the Case of the Lost Temper by Karen Poth
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

We LOVE the Veggie Tales at our house. The kids love the hilarity of talking vegetables and wonder at how they can get so much accomplished without arms. Even Kenzie (who just turned 2) claps her hands enthusiastically and can sing parts of the theme song. So, since they love the shows and movies so much, I knew they would love some of the books. So far, I haven't been disappointed in any of the Veggie Tales brand of books, and we especially love the VeggieTales Bible Storybook: With Scripture from the NIRV.

This particular edition is of the "I Can Read!" line of books that uses short, simple sentences to help kids learn to read. This one is Level 1 so geared towards 4-8 year olds, but even younger kids will appreciate the story and illustrations. Older kids will get a lot more out of it and realize how silly it is to lose our temper. Micah (who is almost 4) asked me a lot of questions about why Bob (the infamous tomato) was upset and he caught on right away that they mysterious "masked door slammer" wasn't who the detectives (Larry & Bob) thought he was.

If your family likes Veggie Tales as much as we do, check this out!

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookLook Bloggers <http://booklookbloggers.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.”

Book Review: "Love, Skip, Jump"

Love, Skip, Jump: Start Living the Adventure of Yes by Shelene Bryan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I was crying in the first 10 pages. This book is just a wonderful, beautiful work of art filled with stories about what saying "Yes" to God can look like. Shelene Bryan starts off with comparing the Kingdom of God to "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" and I was HOOKED. She's brilliantly creative and honest as she shares with us how she learned to broaden her vision of the world and her place in it as a child of God.

Intrigued by the title? I was! In a nutshell, here's what it's about...

LOVE - God loves us in such a grand way that if we had even a slight understanding of it, it would change everything.

"Gratitude for such amazing, undeserved love will compel us to give of ourselves and our treasure. His inexplicable love toward us will become the motivation for all we do." (xviii)

"The fact that such a majestic God does not treat us like ants to be crushed is wonderful and phenomenal all at the same time." (32)

SKIP - the attitude of self-denial in order to give to someone else.

JUMP - the action of doing something... the adventure!

"If you are not using your God-given gifts to help others, you've got to expend some energy to get moving. You have got to jump." (43)

I truly believe (and have experienced it in my own life) that following God is an ADVENTURE, so I loved that Shelene's subtitle is "Start Living the Adventure of Yes," and I'm so thankful she shared some of her adventures with us! Drawing on her experiences from travelling all over the world, witnessing God's amazing direction and provision, and allowing herself to get a little uncomfortable for the advancement of God's kingdom, Shelene inspires us all to do love, skip, jump in ways we maybe never thought we could or would! I highly recommend this one!

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookLook Bloggers <http://booklookbloggers.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.”

Book Review: "Notes from a Blue Bike"

Notes from a Blue Bike: The Art of Living Intentionally in a Chaotic World by Tsh Oxenreider
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

It's been a long time since I had a book that I found so inspiring! Seriously, I related to so much of what Tsh says here and kept thinking "yes, I want this life too!"

It is such a chaotic, busy life that we live in and it's almost impossible to NOT be going in a million directions at once. Her family's choices and goals to slow down and live simpler are so in line with what I would love to be able to do.

They have prioritized travel, books, and time together over expensive material things. She talks about her time living all over the world and encourages her readers to make sure their families get out of the US at least once. She's also very realistic about the finances (and financial sacrifices) a goal like that takes and references how they turned their life around with Dave Ramsey's advice.

She also talks a lot about shopping at the local farmer's market while living in Turkey and how she wanted to continue that fresh approach after moving back to the states. It's a lot harder, but can be done. She definitely sparked my interest in more local farmer's markets, the slow food movement, etc.

I so appreciated her style (honest, autobiographical) and could relate to her life...

"I cannot remember one day in five years when my to do list was completely finished. Not one." (For me, it might be closer to 4 years - Micah's age - but yeah!)

And here's one of my favorites - perfect justification for my obsession with children's books and the library...

"According to the US National Commission on Reading, the most significant factor in a child's educational success is an introduction to books."

Tsh asserts that the most important things we can give our kids are "books, open-ended toys, and access to the outdoors." Open-ended toys = LEGOS, art supplies, train tracks, cars, etc.

She shares many valuable lessons that her family has learned and what has worked and not worked for them (home schooling vs. public schooling, for example), and I just highly recommend this for any family that wants to really start simplifying and re-prioritizing life.

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Book Review: "A Woman After God's Own Heart"

A Woman After God's Own Heart by Elizabeth George
My rating: 5 of 5 stars






Great book on sorting through our priorities as Christian women.

#1 God
#2 Husband
#3 Kids
#4 Home
#5 My Spiritual Growth
#6 My Ministry Activities
#7 Other Activities

The only thing I found a little disheartening about the book is that it definitely assumes stay-at-home mom. I'm sort of a hybrid work-at-home, work-outside-the-home mom in my life and career, so I did find some parts a little hard to reconcile. But, to be fair, she does address this in the updated version and comments that when she wrote it less than half of Christian mothers worked outside the home, and now over 70% do. My biggest failure in this area (I feel) is taking care of the home. I don't have fresh-cut flowers, perfectly clean rooms, or a home-cooked meal every night, though I would love to, it's probably just not too realistic this stage of our lives. Plus, Eli's not coming home for dinner every night (he's coming home for breakfast after 24-hour shifts!).

That being said, the basics are so timeless! Time with God helps us grow and impact others exponentially.

One of my personal favorite takeaways from this book is Elizabeth's advise to create "Five Fat Files" - to pick 5 areas that I want to grow in and fill it with articles, notes, etc. to help me learn that topic with the goal of becoming an EXPERT. Examples she gave include hospitality, health, child-raising, home-making, Bible-study methods, attributes of God, fruits of the Spirit, biblical counseling, teaching, heroes of the faith, parenting, organization, holiness, etc.

I think I am going to modernize the concept with either Pinterest boards or an Evernote notebook for my "Five Fat Files."

1. Raising Kids to Love Jesus
2. Intimacy in Marriage
3. Christian Leadership in the Workplace
4. Slow Food (http://www.slowfoodusa.org/) also inspired by another awesome book I'm reading - Notes from a Blue Bike: The Art of Living Intentionally in a Chaotic World - more on that later!
5. Time Management!

This is a read, but my favorite Elizbeth George book (so far) is still Life Management for Busy Women: Living Out God's Plan with Passion & Purpose!

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Book Review: "Cold Tangerines"

Cold Tangerines: Celebrating the Extraordinary Nature of Everyday Life by Shauna Niequist
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Author Shauna Niequist shares her journey in small little chunks - each chapter is a poignant slice of real life. I love the subtitle "Celebrating the Extraordinary Nature of Everyday Life" - so often we forget how extraordinary every day, every moment truly is!

This is probably one of my favorite quotes from the book:

"Everything is interim. Everything is a path or a preparation for the next thing, and we never know what the next thing is. Life is like that, of course, twisty and surprising. But life with God is like that exponentially. ... Life with God is a daring dream, full of flashes and last-minute exits and generally all the things we've said we'd never do. And with the surprises comes great hope."

Isn't that so true? I love that about life with God, but I've never been able to express it so fully.

Another quote I love and is also on the back cover (of my edition anyway):

"I want a life that sizzles and pops and makes me laugh out loud. And I don't want to get to the end, or to tomorrow, even, and realize that my life is a collection of meetings and pop cans and errands and receipts and dirty dishes. ... I want to read books so good they make me jump up and down, and I want my everyday to make God belly laugh, glad that he gave life to someone who loves the gift."

Amen, right!?

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Book Review: "Praying for Boys"

Praying for Boys: Asking God for the Things They Need Most by Brooke McGlothlin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this thoroughly practical book on how to pray for boys. Author Brooke McGlothlin shares her own life and experiences (the humorous and the serious) and how she used them to teach her sons truths about life and God. Her commitment to praying for her boys is inspiring. She also provides detailed guides and even fill-in-the-blank (with your son's name) prayers based on scriptures and specifically fruits of the Spirit. I plan to use and reference these in my own prayer time for Micah - to remind me to pray for him and to guide me when I don't know where to start! Brooke also really motivated and challenged me to think about and realize what a great task it is to raise a good Godly man (they're hard to find, huh?)!!! Our world definitely needs more men who are willing to pray, serve God, work hard, provide for their families, stand up for others, be faithful to their wives and in their giving, and be a true man after God's heart. I pray that Micah will be able to grow into all of these roles.

I highly recommend this to all moms of boys (no matter what age!). Never too early or too late to pray for our sons!

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Book Review: "Lean In"

Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead by Sheryl Sandberg
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Fantastic book on so many levels. Sheryl Sandberg draws on her extensive life experience (she has worked as the chief of staff for the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, for Google, and is COO of Facebook) AND uses and references plenty of outside research to make her points about gender differences in the work place and beyond.

She talks about basic differences between men & women in the work place, and gives good advise on how to overcome some of negatives and capitalize on the positives.

A main point she makes throughout is that "when a girl tries to lead, she is often labeled as bossy. Boys are seldom called bossy because a boy taking the role of a boss does not surprise or offend. As someone who was called this for much of my childhood, I know that it is not a compliment" (19). I imagine most every girl I know has been called "bossy" I know that I have been; and reading this book has given me a great motivation to make sure that I avoid calling my daughter bossy.

She also addresses a question that I am always debating internally:
Does working outside the home hurt my kids or my marriage?
Sandberg says no, but she also makes the point that WHATEVER you decide is what is right for you.
She quotes the founder of the White House Project, Marie Wilson - "Show me a woman without guilt and I'll show you a man" (137).
There is no 100% cookie-cutter solution. She encourages women on every front (work @ home, work from home, work out of home) to SUPPORT each other. She wants to remove the debate all together. Hallelujah!

Obviously I think any woman in any sort of leadership or business role should read this, but beyond that, ANY woman could benefit from this. And for that matter, any man married to a woman, any father of a girl, and any male employer that has women employees should also read this.

Example: "I don't know of one woman in a leadership position whose life partner is not fully - and I mean fully - supportive of her career. No exceptions." That's why you men need to read it too! ;-)

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Book Review: "Sit, Walk, Stand"

Sit, Walk, Stand: The Process of Christian Maturity by Watchman Nee
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I thought this was a great little book based on Ephesians.

At first I thought the title was a little backwards... shouldn't it be stand-walk-sit, but after reading it, it does make perfect sense.

First, we have to SIT with Jesus. Or have faith that we will be seated at his right hand. After all, faith is not anything that we DO, but what has already been done for us.

Once we have mastered sitting, we get to WALK - that is "the practical outworking of that heavenly position here on earth" (loc 248).

And finally, the STAND - the STAND is against spiritual warfare. I thought this quote summed it up nicely:

"For no Christian can hope to enter the warfare of the ages without learning first to rest in Christ and in what He has done, and then, through the strength of the Holy Spirit within, to follow Him in a practical, holy life here on earth. If he is deficient in either of these, he will find that all the talk about spiritual warfare remains only talk; he will never know its reality. Satan can afford to ignore him, for he does not count for anything." (loc 533)

And another quote that really inspired me:

"God never asks us to do anything we CAN do. He asks us to live a life which we can never live and do a work which we can never do. Yet, by His grace, we are living it and doing it."


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Favorite Reads of 2013

Every year, I pick out my 5 (or so!) favorite books of the year for their own special shelf on GoodReads (if you are on there, add me as your friend!) and this year, I had 8!  A couple are kids' books so I figured that would be OK to include!

Here they are for the curious... a little something for everyone I think...

Katie's 2013favs book montage

Katie Casey's favorite books »

Book Review: "Work, Love, Pray"

Work, Love, Pray: Practical Wisdom for Young Professional Christian Women by Diane Paddison
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I honestly almost put this book down about 1/3 through. I had bought it after reading part of it on a blog somewhere and thought it sounded intriguing, but I was starting to get disappointed in the beginning. The first 1/3 to 1/2 of the book is a necessity (I now see) for Diane Paddison to establish her credibility as a very successful business woman, but I was looking for more advise and less autobiography. Now, however I am so glad that I stuck it through and learned where Paddison was coming from!

The second half of the book makes it so worth it, so KEEP reading!!! After sharing her personal stories, Paddison really gets a lot more practical and encouraging on HOW you can balance your faith, family, and career. And why should we even bother with the balancing act? She says, "We don't give God only our spiritual selves when we surrender to him. We give him everything, and that includes our talents, our gifts, and yes, the part of us that goes to work every day" (location 1722).

Another great quote: "I'm far from perfect and have experienced my share of the dry times, but when my faith is strong and I am closest to God, the benefits spill over into my family and my work. I am a better parent, better spouse, and better worker when I put God first" (location 2088). AMEN!

Paddison sprinkles the book (the last half anyway!) with great verses to reference. She writes, "the best way you can become a shining light for Christ is to be the best employee in the company (Colossians 3:23)." This is one of my favorite verses that has gotten me through some pretty bad jobs in the past - it says, "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters" (NIV).

Her advise covers everything from finding a good church family, growing an accountability group, making Bible study a daily habit, physical exercise, putting your kids and husband first, financial concerns, spiritual retreats, business conferences, travel, boundaries, and more! I have so many highlights in my Kindle edition and have a long list of websites and books that she referenced that I want to check out! Many of her suggestions are listed on the website of Diane Paddison's non-for-profit ministry, 4word. She also has a blog there that I have begun following.

I recommend this to any Christian woman (18+) who plans on spending ANY time at all in the work force. Eli and I are so fortunate that with our jobs and schedules, we can be stay-at-home parents with full-time jobs; but I still find "doing it all" and "having it all" to be quite challenging at times, and this book has been very encouraging to me! Hope you will find it to be so too!

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Book Review: "In the Eye of the Storm"

In the Eye of the Storm by Max Lucado
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Love how Max Lucado makes God so REAL.

One of my favorite chapters was "Why God Smiles" in which Lucado writes "I'm not one who easily envisions a smiling God. A weeping God, yes. An angry God, OK. A might God, you bet. But a chuckling God? .... What do I think he was doing when he stretched the neck of the giraffe? An exercise in engineering? What do I think he had in mind when he told the ostrich where to put his head? Spelunking? What do I think he was doing when he designed the mating call of an ape? Or the eight legs of the octopus? And what do I envision on his face when he saw Adam's first glance at Eve? A yawn? Hardly."

Throughout the book, Lucado gives examples of Jesus' interaction with people to show us that our almighty God really does understand us and that no matter what we are facing - even in the eye of the storm - He is there with us and has been there before.

So here's to a smiling God that loves us more than we will ever understand this side of heaven!

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Book Reivew: Soulprint

Soulprint: Discovering Your Divine Destiny by Mark Batterson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is a pretty quick read and useful for thinking in terms of what God wants out of your life. Mark Batterson uses a lot of good examples from David's life to encourage readers to be the people God created us to be.

I really love Mark Batterson, but I enjoyed some of his other books much better (In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day: How to Survive and Thrive When Opportunity Roars and of course The Circle Maker: Praying Circles Around Your Biggest Dreams and Greatest Fears) so admittedly this one was slightly disappointing compared to those 2, or perhaps I just needed those 2 more than this one at this point in my life!

However, if you are at a point in your life (we're all there sometime!) where you are really struggling to find out what your purpose is, what you should be doing, and really just wanting to hear from God, then I would recommend it!

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“I received this book for free from the publisher’s Blogging for Books program in exchange for this review”.

Book Review: "Read and Share Stories about Jesus"

Read and Share written by Gwen Ellis and illustrated by Steve Smallman

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Complete with 13 short and sweet stories about Jesus’s life and some lively illustrations, this sturdy little board book is a great way to get kids reading and learning about Jesus. With every turn of the page, parents and young readers alike will find a new story, taken from the International Children’s Bible®, a large and colorful illustration, and (my personal favorite) a little take-away question on every page.

I really enjoyed this book, and of course, loved reading it to Micah. The pages are very strong so I could allow him to turn the pages and not worry about him tearing them. When he gets older, I look forward to having some good discussions with him based on the extra questions that follow each story. For example, following the story about Jesus walking on water, the discussion box asks “If you had been in that boat, what would you have done?” So, while the physical quality of the book (the illustrations and the build) make it perfect for my 5 month old; the spiritual quality of the book’s content is enough to please even this 27-year old momma! :-)

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 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”


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Book Review: Love on a Dime

Love on a Dime by Cara Lynn James

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This historical fiction piece is set in 19th Century New England where the main character, Lilly Westbrook, is a romance “dime novel” novelist – a profession that is considered scandalous amongst her fellow “society” families – so she writes in secret using the alias Fannie Cole. Besides trying to keep her writing career secret, Lilly must also contend with two men dueling for her love. The wealthy society catch, Harlan S., is about to propose to her, when her first sweetheart, Jackson Grail, appears back in her life and happens to purchase her publishing company. Drama ensues...

If Jane Austen and Francine Rivers coauthored a book, it might look something like this. Lucky for me, I love both authors! I really enjoyed this book, and could picture the characters well. Author Cara Lynn James uses Bible verses freely through the text while Lilly calls upon them to help her through times of crisis. While I have noticed some reviewers found this annoying, I thought they were well placed and helped us to understand Lilly's motivations and inspiration.

This book is dubbed “Ladies of Summerhill, Book One” so I assume that means more are coming and I plan on keeping my eyes open for them!


-Katie Casey
Thomas Nelson Book Review Blogger
http://booksneeze.com/

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 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”



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2010 Goodreads

Favorite Reads of 2010

Katie Casey's favorite books »

What were yours?