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Showing posts with label Stories for a Sunday. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Stories for a Sunday. Show all posts
Sunday, October 20, 2019
Historical Romance Engrossing and Faith-Promoting
8:05 PM
(Image from Barnes & Noble)
When Ingrid Chastain decides to accompany her physician father on a mission to deliver smallpox vaccinations to a suffering village in Montana Territory, she has no idea the journey will change her life completely. After their wagon crashes on an icy hill, Ingrid is left injured and alone in the middle of nowhere. Her remote location plus the frigid winter weather makes rescue unlikely. Not only is Ingrid in danger of dying herself, but without a miracle, the vials of precious medicine with which she's traveling will never make it to the town that needs it so desperately.
Ingrid's miracle comes in the form of a gruff mountain man named Micah Bradley. Still grieving the loss of the wife and daughter he couldn't save from smallpox, he left his medical career five years ago. When Micah comes across Ingrid's broken body, he's forced to call on his long-dormant doctoring skills to save her life.
Despite her own precarious condition, Ingrid is frantic to get the vaccine to the people who need it. When she finally convinces Micah to set out on their own mad mission, the pair embark on a journey that will test them both physically and spiritually. Can they make it across the treacherous mountains in weather that worsens by the day? Will they get the vaccine vials where they need to go? Most importantly, will Micah re-discover the faith he lost five years ago or will God let him fail once again?
Christian fiction can be a hard sell for me, but I ended up quite enjoying Hope's Highest Mountain, the first book in a new series by Misty M. Beller. The novel starts with a bang and keeps the action going at a steady pace. While that kept me turning pages, the story really isn't about the characters' physical journeys, but about their spiritual ones. Faith—both firm and fledgling—is at the heart of this uplifting tale. That comes across loud and clear, but not in an irritating or preachy way. My only real complaint about Hope's Highest Mountain has to do with character development. Ingrid and Micah are both nice, likable characters but they're a little too nice, a little too perfect. I would have liked more personality from both of them as well as some imperfections to help them feel more authentic. In addition, I really wanted Ingrid to act like a heroine. She had good intentions, but she never really did anything. I would have liked to see more backbone and more risk-taking from her. Overall, though, I enjoyed this clean, faith-promoting romance. I'm definitely looking forward to the next installment in the series.
(Readalikes: Hm, I can't think of anything. You?)
Grade:
If this were a movie, it would be rated:
for scenes of peril
To the FTC, with love: I received a finished copy of Hope's Highest Mountain from the generous folks at Bethany House via those at Celebrate Lit in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!
Sunday, December 16, 2018
Touching Memoir Focuses Not On a Mother's Grief, But On the Faith That Carried Her Through It
12:00 AM
(Image from Barnes & Noble)
What ensued was a frantic, month-long search for the missing hiker. Because of the Gorge's rough terrain, it wasn't easy to scour the area, even with trained rock climbers, divers, and dog teams. Using the power of the media (Annie's father is a member of the musical group The Piano Guys), the Schmidts begged for information and help. Volunteers from the family, their church (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints), search and rescue groups, and more joined the effort to find Annie. On November 11, her remains were finally discovered. Her death was determined to be an accident, the result of a fatal fall while hiking. 
Carried by Michelle Schmidt (Annie's mother) and Angie Taylor (Michelle's sister) is the recently-published account of the tragedy. Although the book talks about what happened to Annie, it's not really a blow-by-blow recollection of the incident. Instead, the volume centers on Michelle's faith—how it developed in childhood, was sustained throughout adulthood, and how it carried her through the most devastating days of her life. Schmidt is open and real, talking candidly about her struggles with motherhood, family finances, self-confidence, grief, etc. What results is an affecting book that is uplifting, faith-promoting, and inspiring. It's a slim volume that provides a quick read, but one that will stay with you as you contemplate your own challenges and sorrows and how God carries us through it all. I highly recommend this tender memoir, especially if you're dealing with heartache and loss right now.
Also, check out this beautiful, touching video made by The Piano Guys and dedicated to all who are experiencing these emotions this Christmas:
(Readalikes: Reminds me of An Unseen Angel by Alissa Parker)
Grade:
If this were a movie, it would be rated:
for subject matter that might be scary/disturbing for readers under age 12
To the FTC, with love: I received a finished copy of Carried from the generous folks at Deseret Book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!
Sunday, December 02, 2018
Quick, Informative Guide Helps Church Members Find Family Names for the Temple
7:52 AM
(Image from Barnes & Noble)
If there's one thing members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are known for (besides not drinking coffee), it's their love of genealogy/family history. The Church has long encouraged and supported its people in exploring their roots, seeking out their dead, and performing eternal ordinances by proxy for their deceased family members in its temples. To help in this effort, the Church created FamilySearch.org, a family tree-building website that houses a massive database of records and other information to help people create complete and accurate trees. The site is collaborative, user friendly, and totally free for all users (although only Church members can access the site's temple features). If you are interested in family history, it's a website you simply must check out. You will likely be stunned by the amount of information about your ancestors already in the database. FamilySearch really is incredible.
Because of the Church's long emphasis on the importance of doing family history, one of members' biggest frustrations is not being able to find ancestors whose temple work has not already been done. It can be difficult to comb through all the different branches and generations of one's family, which is why apps like Take a Name (or FamilySearch's Ordinance Ready feature, which can be found under the "Temple" tab) have been created. These are useful shortcuts, but it's also important to learn how to build and search your family tree properly and thoroughly. 
To help people do just that, Nicole Dyer and Diana Elder—the genealogists behind Family Locket—wrote Find Names for the Temple: A Step-by-Step Method for Success. I'm not going to lie, their approach is methodical, even tedious. However, it is very thorough. By following their instructions, you can ensure the information you put into your tree as well as the information you get out of it (including finding names for the temple) is both complete and accurate. Although the effort might seem exhaustive at the outset, you will be saving yourself time and frustration in the long-run. Find Names for the Temple is aimed at beginners, but it does assume a bit of familiarity with FamilySearch. It also focuses mostly on finding names, so it's not a comprehensive guide on how to use the website (never fear, though—FamilySearch offers excellent tutorials as well as 24/7 customer support). Dyer and Elder are experienced, passionate genealogists and that enthusiasm shows in this quick, easy-to-read guide. If you're having trouble finding names for the temple, whether you're a beginner or a seasoned researcher, definitely check out this book (as well as the Family Locket website). I've been working on my family history for years and I still learned a lot from this very helpful volume.
(Readalikes: I've never really read a family history guide before, so I'm not sure what to compare this one to. You?)
Grade:
If this were a movie, it would be rated:
To the FTC, with love: I received a finished copy of Find Names for the Temple from its very generous authors in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!
Thursday, April 12, 2018
Worth A Quick, Empowering Read (With a Giveaway!)
1:00 AM
(Image from Barnes & Noble)
In a world where we're bombarded every day with images of airbrushed beauty and Instagram-staged perfection, it's easy for women to feel degraded, depressed, and discouraged. In an effort to buoy them up, Wendy Ellison penned her first book, Worth. As the subtitle suggests, the volume discusses individual worth with a special focus on how remembering our divine beginnings can help us find contentment, fulfillment, and purpose, which will lead us to the promised happy endings. Using scriptural examples, quotes from LDS leaders, and personal anecdotes, Ellison expounds on these topics and recommends ways to remind ourselves daily of our personal worth.
Although the book is specifically directed at adult LDS women, it teaches powerful lessons that apply to everyone—male or female, teen or adult, Mormon or non. If you're a member of the Church, you won't find anything new or earth-shattering here, but Worth is still an inspiring read that will boost the morale of any woman. At just over 100 pages, it's a quick, uplifting book perfect for Sabbath (or any time) reading. I enjoyed it.(Readalikes: I don't read a lot of inspirational/religious non-fiction, so I'm not sure. Suggestions?)
Grade:
If this were a movie, it would be rated:
To the FTC, with love: I received a finished copy of Worth from the generous folks at Covenant. Thank you!
--
Would you like more opinions about Worth? Follow along on the book's blog tour by visiting the following sites:
*April 9th: http://mybookaday.com/
*April 10th: https://www.rockinbookreviews.
*April 12th: http://www.blogginboutbooks.
Would you like a chance to win a copy of Worth for your very own? How about a $25 Amazon gift card to go along with it? Use the Rafflecopter below to enter the giveaway:
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Sunday, February 04, 2018
The One Where I Actually Read Something My Husband Recommends to Me
1:00 AM
(Image from Barnes & Noble)
My husband often accuses me of ignoring the many book recommendations he's given to me. And justifiably so. It's not that I don't appreciate his suggestions or that I don't want to experience a book that he's enjoyed—it's just that we like very different kinds of books. You've no doubt noticed that I'm a fiction kind of girl. I read for entertainment, so I generally shy away from anything that's too deep. As I like to tell my husband, if I have to re-read every sentence five times before I understand it, I'm out.
One of my husband's very favorite books is The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis. He's been urging me to give it a go for a long time, reassuring me that it's more readable than many of the tomes he likes to consume. Ironically enough, it wasn't until it was selected as the next pick for my book club that I finally gave it a chance. And you know what? The hubs was right. It's a worthwhile read. Do I count it as a favorite of mine? No, but that's okay. I'm glad I read it and took the time to ponder Lewis' thoughts.
The allegorical story in The Great Divorce is told by a man who dreams he gets on a bus and takes an incredible journey through Heaven and Hell. He converses with his fellow passengers, meets a variety of supernatural beings, and has his mind opened to some surprising truths about life, death, human nature, and good vs. evil.
I know a good deal of Lewis' ruminations went straight over my head, so I'm not going to even pretend that I understand The Great Divorce. I did, however, enjoy "meeting" the different bus riders, each of whom represents a different type of person—the proud, the faithless, the fearful, etc. When my husband asked me which of them I most identified with, I replied, "Um, all of them?" I saw portions of myself in each of their weaknesses, which definitely provided food for thought. I also appreciated Lewis' ideas on letting go of "earthly" concepts like fairness, justification, quarrels, etc. as I, too, feel that such things do not exist in heaven.
Overall, then, I enjoyed The Great Divorce. It's a short book with some big messages, most of which I would probably have to read about five more times in order to really get. Maybe I'll do that.
(Readalikes: Besides The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, the only other thing I've read by C.S. Lewis is The Screwtape Letters. It's similar to The Great Divorce, I think.)
Grade:
If this were a movie, it would be rated:
To the FTC, with love: The Great Divorce is from my personal library.
Sunday, November 19, 2017
Worth the Wrestle Insightful, Inspiring
6:02 AM
(Image from Barnes & Noble)
As members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, we're taught that if we follow the teachings of the Gospel faithfully, everything we experience in life will work out for our good. Sometimes we foolishly expect this to mean we will never struggle—not financially, not in our relationships, not with our faith, not with the doctrine of the Church. This is simply not so. Everyone has their challenges, even if they are earnestly striving every day to live the Gospel. When these complications come, how do faithful LDS people react? How should we react? We're taught to "hold to the rod", look to the Lord, and have faith that He knows what He's doing. If we do this, we won't question our God, our faith, our Church leaders, the purpose of our challenges, etc. Too often questioning is frowned upon because it is equated with doubt and unbelief. But is questioning really so bad?
According to Sheri Dew—current CEO of Deseret Book Publishing Company, a former member of the Relief Society General Presidency, and a popular author and speaker—questions are good. In her new book, Worth the Wrestle, she says questions should not be seen as threats to our testimonies. Quite the opposite. "...questions asked against a backdrop of faith," she says, "and with an earnest desire to learn always lead to spiritual growth and a stronger testimony." Not asking questions can, in fact, block learning, progression, revelation, and whisperings of the Spirit.
After offering these refreshing insights, Dew goes on to discuss related topics like how to receive personal revelation, how to stand as a witness even if we don't know everything, and how and why we need to wrestle with our questions. Most meaningful for me, personally, was the section on understanding the personalized way in which the Lord speaks to us. I also appreciated Dew's constant reassurance that although receiving answers takes both time and work, if you put in the effort, those answers will come.
If you've ever read a book by Dew or heard her speak, you know her words are always marked by her trademark warmth, wit, and down-to-earth wisdom. No matter how profound the topic she's addressing, she makes it accessible. This is the reason I love Worth the Wrestle so much. It's deep, yes, but not so much that you have to re-read every sentence three times to understand what Dew's saying. I came away from the read feeling enlightened and inspired, not confused or headache-y from trying to understand. Dew's approach always resonates with me. I read Worth the Wrestle at exactly the right time and highly recommend it to anyone who's looking for an insightful, uplifting, and inspiring read.
(Readalikes: Hm, nothing's coming to mind. Ideas?)
Grade:
If this were a movie, it would be rated:
To the FTC, with love: I received a finished copy of Worth the Wrestle from the generous folks at Deseret Book. Thank you!
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