Quiet

Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain is an excellent book. I felt like it described my life and self so perfectly. I was so excited to find a book solely dedicated to the study of introverts. This book reads like a mix between a textbook and a fast paced novel - it was packed full of intellectual information with a mix of exciting and compelling personal stories.The book touches on the traits of an introvert, differences between introversion and shyness, the business world, history, science, children, education, and much, much more. She mentions this book took seven years to write and you can definitely tell by the amount of research that went into it.Quiet is a jam packed 352 page book which also includes notes, an index, a quiz to determine where you fall on the introvert/extrovert scale, Q&A with the author, resources, discussion questions, and more. I absolutely recommend this book for all introverts, plus parents or spouses of introverts. You won't regret reading it.My only "complaints" about this book would be the sometimes pretentious writing - it talks frequently about fancy dinner parties, attorneys, high powered consultants, etc, etc. It's obvious the author comes from a rather different circle of life than this middle class stay at home mom! Also, I'm confused as to why this book is being promoted by a Christian publisher - it is not by any stretch of the imagination a religious book and I'm not even sure if the author is a Christian. It also has some infrequent language. However, this wouldn't cause me not to read the book - I just thought it was a bit odd.All around, read this book!I received a copy of this book from Waterbrook Multnomah in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

When Love And Submission Ignite by Ken O. Griffith

When Love And Submission Ignite by Ken O. Griffith is more of a booklet than a book - it's only 50 (small) pages long and is something you can definitely read in one sitting. It covers basics of the dating, engagement, and marriage relationships. There's no "new truths" in it - just a good covering of biblical principles for couples. This would be the perfect book to pass out to engaged couples, seriously dating couples, or married couples who have hit a rough patch and need some help. It would be a good resource to have on hand for marital or engagement counseling, as well. Excellent truths in a small package - perfect! I received a copy of this book from BookCrash in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

A Kingsbury Collection by Karen Kingsbury

A Kingsbury Collection by Karen Kingsbury includes three full length novels by the author: Where Yesterday Lives, When Joy Came To Stay, and On Every Side. I love collections like these that allow you to get several of an author's books at once, so I was super excited to receive this one! I have read several of her books in the past, but not any of these. The books overall were pretty good. Not the best of hers I've ever read, but still good solid reads. The stories touch on issues such as loss, depression, and faith. This is a super thick book of over 700 pages, so it will keep you entertained and occupied for quite some time! I would recommend this to any Kingsbury fan or romance novel lover. I received a copy of this book from Blogging For Books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Damascus Countdown by Joel C. Rosenberg

I just finished reading Damascus Countdown by Joel C. Rosenberg. When I received this book I didn't realize it was #3 in a series, so it took a few chapters to figure out all the characters, but it did work as a stand alone novel as well. I was able to figure out the plot and characters fairly quickly. However, I do now want to read the first two books! Damascus Countdown is huge, hefty book (my favorite kind!) with close to 500 pages. It is jam packed with action and adventure and a total page turner. You won't want to put it down. It deals with many issues currently in the news, so it feels very realistic. I highly recommend this book. I received a copy of this book from Tyndale in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Heaven's Lessons by Steve Sjogren

Heaven's Lessons by Steve Sjogren is a good book, but not what I expected when I picked it. I've read several books about near death experiences, and I expected it to more of an account of his NDE like other books I've read. However, this book briefly touches on his NDE experience and recovery and focuses mainly on the lessons he's learned during his recovery. I don't know if he's written a book focused on the actual NDE and this is a followup, but it wasn't what I had expected. That said, I did enjoy this book a lot. The lessons he shared were simple, but profound and helpful. They were all things everyone could apply to their daily life. This book is a quick, easy read and I would definitely recommend it. I received a copy of this book from BookSneeze in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Stumbling On Open Ground by Ken Mansfield

I will start by saying I thoroughly enjoyed reading Stumbling On Open Ground by Ken Mansfield. I was very touched by the spiritual insight he gained and shared while going through his cancer battles. I especially loved the intro to each chapter by his wife, Connie. Ken's story is very interesting, kept my attention, and was easy to read. I definitely got a lot of spiritual help from the book. However, my only complaint was that this book tended to be rather confusing to me. I am in my 20s and not a rock and roll fan, so all the talk of Apple Records and names he mentioned didn't mean anything to me and just confused me further trying to piece together who was who and what was going on. Also, the actual details of his cancer battles tended to be very sparse and disjointed - I often found myself wondering what was happening during the story as it jumped around quite a bit and on one page he had a year to live and then onto the next chapter he's been cancer free for 5 or more years. A little more detail and explanation about the events during his cancers and treatments would've helped lessen this confusion, as well as being more clear about who he was talking about with the Apple records business. Overall, I do recommend this book. His story is Job-like in its intensity and trials. I was encouraged by his strong faith through unimaginable pain and suffering. I was uplifted by his prayers and insights that he shared. I received a copy of this book from Booksneeze in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Fearless by Eric Blehm

I just finished reading Fearless by Eric Blehm. This is a book that will touch your heart, inspire you, make you laugh, and make you cry. The book follows the life story of Adam Brown and how he went from a crack addict to a top level Navy SEAL. This is one of the books you read in just a day or two because you won't be able to put it down. As I got closer to the end I was hoping it would end miraculously instead of with his death, but I knew he died. It was sad to get toward the end and read about his death, but inspiring and necessary. I highly, highly recommend reading this book. Not only is it entertaining, it will help you remember never to take for granted what you have and live each day as if it may be your last. Tiny note that this book does contain some language - but I expected it might considering the subject matter. However, I was a little surprised it was published like this with a Christian publisher. Still absolutely worth reading, though. I received a copy of this book from Blogging For Books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.