More Than a Bucket List

More Than a Bucket List Making Your Dreams, Passions, and Faith a Reality

By Toni Birdsong

Book Description

Fun ideas of things to do, places to see, and ways to make a difference!
Everyone dreams about places to see, people to meet, and things to do in their lifetime. But too often we lose sight of those dreams and get buried in everyday busyness and demands. More Than a Bucket List will inspire you to seize and act on a range of dreams—anything from visiting the Holy Land, donating your time at a soup kitchen, learning to climb a tree, or helping a child learn to read. The book also includes ideas to make lasting memories as you marvel at a new sight, laugh like crazy with an old friend, or change a life.
The compilation of bucket list items is divided thematically and blended with Scripture and personal stories. Pages at the back allow you to write your own bucket list items. Are you ready to finish this life well and start checking off items from your bucket list?

My Review
This book is all that it says it is and more. It is broken down into very short chapters and lists. Some of the to-do items included: Take a ferry ride, what to do when in Ireland, where to go for various interesting sites, volunteer at a soup kitchen, memorize a bible verse every week, journal, do something nice for your neighbor, pay for the car behind you when you're in a drive through. Most of the items were simple and FREE! I think this will make a nice gift book and I will be using it as a tool to do things outside of my comfort zone.

You can purchase this book from Amazon.com (this link is for the Kindle version) or any other retail book store.

As a part of the BookSneeze crew, I received a free copy of this book to review. Thank you!

Unexpected Christmas Hero

Josie Meyers thinks she is living the American dream when she marries a nice, handsome man with a promising future. The dream quickly becomes a nightmare when Josie becomes a widow and must deal with the fallout of her husband’s decisions. She soon finds that she and her two small children are forced to live on the streets and in homeless shelters.
 
While the scenes surrounding Josie are dominated by Christmas decorations and carols, Josie finds herself struggling with the demands of caring for her two small children. She is forced to lean on the kindness and generosity of others. What she doesn't know is that the influence of one homeless man in particular is about to change the course of her life and lead her home to the One who waits for her. He becomes her unexpected Christmas hero. 


About Kathi Macias:

Kathi Macias is a multi-award winning writer who has authored nearly 40 books and ghostwritten several others. A former newspaper columnist and string reporter, Kathi has taught creative and business writing in various venues and has been a guest on many radio and television programs. Kathi is a popular speaker at churches, women’s clubs and retreats, and writers’ conferences, and recently won the prestigious 2008 member of the year award from AWSA (Advanced Writers and Speakers Association) at the annual Golden Scrolls award banquet. Kathi “Easy Writer” Macias lives in Homeland, CA, with her husband, Al.

Finally, we know you as an award-winning author, but you also enjoy speaking for women’s events, and other groups, as well. On what areas or topics do you focus your speaking presentations? How can a church or group find out more about having you speak for their event? 

I speak on various topics, including the issues I address in my books, but on other topics too. One of my most requested topics is “When Passion and Purpose Collide.” That, along with several other popular topics, can be found in the speaking section of my website (http://kathimacias.com/speaking/). To see my current speaking schedule and/or to explore the possibility of having me come and speak, just go to http://kathimacias.com/speaking/speaking-schedule/ and click on the Christian Speakers Services button to make contact. You can also see some of my speaking endorsements at http://kathimacias.com/speaking/endorsements/.

For more opportunities for free copies of Unexpected Christmas Hero by Kathi Macias, please visit Facebook.com/CSSVBT.KathiMacias.
I was given a complimentary copy of this book from the author in exchange for posting the author’s interview and/or book review on my blog. This blog tour is managed by Christian Speakers Services (http://ChristianSpeakersServices.com).

Healing is a Choice

Healing Is a Choice 10 Decisions That Will Transform Your Life and 10 Lies That Can Prevent You From Making Them

By Steve Arterburn
Published by Thomas Nelson


Do you want to get well?

The power to heal—physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually—is in God's hands. But the choice to be healed is ours. Everyone, at some level, needs healing. In this book, Stephen Arterburn outlines ten choices crucial to receiving healing and ten lies that can prevent us from making them. Readers will find the wholeness God desires for them in a practical and prayerful way through this book.

Now including the full workbook, this combined release emphasizes the fact that we must choose to let the hurt go and let the healing begin.

The book asks the participant, "Do you want to be healed?" If the answer is yes, then ten choices are provided to make the path toward healing a restorative experience.

My thoughts:
I heard Stephen Arterburn speak at a Women of Faith event I attended not that long ago. His story, in some ways, was similar to mine. A heart betrayed, a marriage bond broken, a person trying to make the best out of what she had been given. I was impressed when he spoke about his bonus children from his "new" marriage. Because of his sharing, I chose this book to read and review. 

Have you ever gotten a book and thought about all the people the book could help - if they would only just pick it up, read it and follow through with the steps? That is how I felt about this book. It's not just a self help book - but more of a guide for having your hurts healed in a God honoring way, written by a man who writes about his own experiences. 

Brother or sister - do you need to heal? Then allow the material in this book to help guide your path. It's well written and enjoyable to read.

I received this book from Thomas Nelson in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, Thomas Nelson!

Tangled Ashes

When Marshall Becker arrives in Lamorlaye, France, to begin the massive renovation of a Renaissance-era castle, he unearths a dark World War II history few in the village remember.  The project that was meant to provide an escape for Becker instead becomes a gripping glimpse into the human drama that unfolded during the Nazi occupation and seems to live on in midnight disturbances and acts of vandalism.

Populated with a cast of complex characters, “Tangled Ashes” follows Becker’s exploration of the castle’s shadowy past as he seeks to cope with an unbearable present.  From the virtually mute recluse who lives in the gatehouse to the feisty and enigmatic nanny of the owner’s children, every one of the château’s inhabitants seems to have something to hide and something to survive—but none more so than Becker himself.

Behind the Story

(Spoiler alert—if you haven’t read the book yet, you might want to save this until after you’ve finished!)

Though some elements of this novel are fictional, many of the places featured in it are not.  The Meunier manor, hidden away in the hills above Lamorlaye, does indeed exist, and it really was the site of France’s only Lebensborn until the Germans evacuated in 1944.  Unlike other “Founts of Life,” Lamorlaye’s seemed to have been devoted just to “willing” mothers who entered the program voluntarily.  Others, across Europe, were much more sordid, their babies the product of rapes and kidnappings committed to expand the Third Reich. Most of the documents that might have helped to reconstruct the WWII period of the manor’s history were destroyed as the Nazis left, but historians have proven that well over a hundred children were born there during the final months of the war.

When I was thirteen, I started attending... for more information - go to Tangled Ashes' site!

I enjoyed this book due to the character development and the descriptive scenery. I also enjoyed learning about a time about which I know little. I look forward to seeing more by Michele. If you're looking for a good read - then you should pick this one up. You can purchase this book from amazon.com.
 
I received a courtesy copy of this book in exchange for an honest review of the book. Thank you!