"Rasmus and the Vagabond" Book Review and Giveaway

Have you ever read a book that was so delightful you turned around and read it again? "Rasmus and the Vagabond" did that for me.

I average two books a week. I don't have time to reread anything. But for "Rasmus and the Vagabond", I made an exception. This book is intended for perhaps 8 to 14 year olds but the writing is so lovely that as soon as I finished reading it, I called my family together and said, "I'm going to read this to you." We've only made it to chapter 3 so far but already they're hooked too.

The author, Astrid Linden, also wrote the well known story of Pippi Longstocking. (Don't you now feel so well-informed) To be truthful, I never read that one but now, seeing as how I liked this one so much, I might just have to pick up a copy of it.

The only caution I have about "Rasmus and the Vagabond", which is a tale about an orphan who runs away from the orphanage in search of parents, is that it romanticizes running away. I recognize that this is a fictious book intended for youngsters and therefore tales of abuse and drugs is hardly appropriate, but all the same, I couldn't help but wonder if this book might in fact encourage running away. I suppose it could serve as a springboard for conversation between you and your child.

There is one spot where the runaway and the vagabond talk about ghosts but it only lasts for a few lines and there is some mild violence as they come into contact with robbers. On the whole, I would feel comfortable putting this into the hands of any child since the violence is not glorified and the ghosts aren't made a big deal of.

If you have an 8 to 14 year old, "Rasmus and the Vagabond" would make a lovely read aloud. The first three chapters have already made my kids laugh and wanting more. (They are aged 12, 13 and 15)

So if you want a free copy - as in TOTALLY FREE, leave a comment below. The winner will have a copy mailed to them at no charge straight from the publisher. Good luck. Draw will be made February 19th, 2015.


"Disclosure (in accordance with the FTC’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”): Many thanks to Propeller Consulting, LLC for providing this prize for the giveaway. Choice of winners and opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation. I did receive a sample of the product in exchange for this review and post.

Only one entrant per mailing address, per giveaway. If you have won a prize from our sponsor Propeller / FlyBy Promotions in the last 30 days, you are not eligible to win. Or if you have won the same prize on another blog, you are not eligible to win it again. Winner is subject to eligibility verification.”

"Blindsided By God"

Author Peter Chin knocked it out of the park with this one. "Blindsided By God" gets my enthusiastic two thumbs up. I wish I had a couple dozen copies of to give to any and every person who is struggling through any sort of difficulty.

Mr. Chin tells of the many trials he and his family went through and the lessons God taught him through it. As the saying goes: when it rains, it pours. And this was the case in his life. By trial after fiery trial, life seemed to pound away at his faith and patience. In the end, with God's grace and strength, he and his family got through it and are now more capable of helping others through their own difficulties.

"Blindsided By God" was at once readable, touching and teaching. Even though, in this season, I'm not facing a difficult situation, I know that I'm better prepared for whatever tomorrow holds because I read this book. It also helped me to know how to help others.

This review might be short and sweet but I mean every word of it. GREAT BOOK!

BTW, I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Anyone who has read any of my other reviews knows that I can be a bit on the harsh side so when I say I loved it, you can know it's a special book.

"Nourished: A Search for Health, Happiness and a Full Night's Sleep" Review and Giveaway

•Cluttered Surroundings
•Exhaustion of parenting
•Time-starved marriages
•Feeling like a spiritual slacker
•Crowded Schedules
•Negative Body Image

Do you have issues with any of the above? Don't answer "No" because I'd hate to have to call you out on your lying tendencies.

Okay, question number 2:
Have you ever noticed that,like Pinterest, self-help books can be inspiring and deflating all at once? Because with the same words that are meant to encourage us to, say, overcome the fear of someone seeing our flabby thighs, they deflate us by pointing out we have flabby thighs that need overcoming!

By the end of the first chapter of "Nourished: A Search for Health, Happiness and a Full Night's Sleep", by mother/daughter team Becky Johnson and Rachel Randolph, I felt so upset with my life and house and children and husband and, and, and... that I didn't know what was stronger - anger or despair. But slowly, as the chapters went on, I came to love these two gals who were reminding me to relax and that I'm beautiful.

Of the two, it would seem I am a great deal more like the daughter of the duo than the mother. (which might be why I enjoyed the mother's stories more - they didn't hit so close to home) A number of times while reading "Nourished", I thought, these women have read my diary! Maybe I should write a book. However, I don't think I could write it in nearly the charming way they did. This really is a charming book but I would caution against some of the advice they give - not so much because it's bad advice per se but because anything can be taken to the extreme. For example: they recommend pairing up an unpleasant task with something you enjoy - like having a glass of wine while you make dinner. But if I had a glass of wine with every task I disliked, I might be drunk all day sometimes. And I've tried to "get the whole family involved with making supper", like the book suggests, before. Disaster. Instead of the kids just complaining about what was before them at the supper table, they now got to complain about the making of supper.

While I wholeheartedly agree with the you-have-to-put-your-own-oxygen-mask-on-yourself-first rule, it's also wise to remember that Jesus never put Himself first and He is our ultimate role model. Mind you, He did steal away by Himself to pray.






I'm having a draw on February 12th, 2015 for a copy of this book. Leave a comment below to get your name in the draw. Good luck!

"Disclosure (in accordance with the FTC’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”): Many thanks to Propeller Consulting, LLC for providing this prize for the giveaway. Choice of winners and opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation. I did receive a sample of the product in exchange for this review and post.

Only one entrant per mailing address, per giveaway. If you have won a prize from our sponsor Propeller / FlyBy Promotions in the last 30 days, you are not eligible to win. Or if you have won the same prize on another blog, you are not eligible to win it again. Winner is subject to eligibility verification.”

"Team Us" book review

I have 5 siblings all brothers except 4 of them. According to birth order I'm number 4. But because my husband and I got married a few days after I was out of high school, I got married before any of them. It also means I got married before all of my friends. What I didn't realize at the time was that handing out marriage advice based on your own union is a bad idea because no other couple out there just like the two of you.

Now don't get me wrong, "Team Us" by Ashleigh Slater is not all advice based on her marriage but at times it come across that way. And I can't say I loved the blurps by her husband Ted either because hearing a man talk about what he wants his wife to do doesn't help me to know what's going on in MY husband's head. It doesn't always translate in real life. In fact, my husband often jokes about women's magazines and says, "Well, I guess I'd better read some of these to find out what I'm really thinking."

Most of the advice given in "Team Us" was the usual: communicate, give, surrender... I can't say as that a single page inspired me to change in the least. (Maybe I'm just that great of a wife already ha ha) Nothing the author said was wrong; it was just sort of, well, pithy. I was on vacation when I read it and as I started into it, my mother, who was sitting beside me, said, "Let me know if you come across anything good." My reply a few moments later was, "I'm skimming." Not a good sign.

I have been married 18 years and can honestly say it's getting better and better all the time. And truth be told, I bet this book would have been far more valuable to me in the beginning - before I learned the hard way simple yet life changing truths like - don't say anything bad about your husband and be kind. And in fact, if someone who was in the first few years of marriage wanted to read it, I'd be encouraging because there are lots of things that are new to me that seem like old news to others. But if I hadn't learned it, I STILL wouldn't know it. "Team US" just isn't for those who have been married for any length of time. (I almost didn't be past the first few pages because the author said we were supposed to read it as a couple. Right there she proved she doesn't understand the dynamic of most couples.)

I'm having a draw for a free copy of this book on February 12th so leave a comment if you want in. Good luck!

"Disclosure (in accordance with the FTC’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”): Many thanks to Propeller Consulting, LLC for providing this prize for the giveaway. Choice of winners and opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation. I did receive a sample of the product in exchange for this review and post.

Only one entrant per mailing address, per giveaway. If you have won the same prize on another blog, you are not eligible to win it again. Winner is subject to eligibility verification.”