The Long Journey to Jake Palmer by James L. Rubart

Jake Palmer is a 30 something year old former Ironman racer who coaches people on finding out their true identities by trying to figure out what's in their bottle. But what a lot of people don't know is that Jake doesn't even know what's on his bottle.

Events that transpired 18 months ago keep him from trusting anyone or anything, and it's impossible for him to imagine that anyone could ever love him again. When his friends invite him on their annual summer vacation, Jake turns them down repeatedly until he hears a quiet nudge telling him to go.

While there, Jake is presented with the opportunity to face everything that has left him so scarred. He hears of a corridor that is rumored to be magical and able to restore lives back to what they previously were. Jake is skeptical but can't help but wonder if it's true. Will he risk everything to go back to the way things used to be?

Both the cover of this book and the synopsis intrigued me from the beginning! At first it appears to be a story of a young man who feels a little sorry for himself and can't cope with his current life and the past that goes with it, but it's so much more! There is a tremendous spiritual undertone that is involved. The author does not overtly mention God and spiritual matters but it is implied and written much the same way C.S, Lewis might have written it. In fact, the story even mentions Prince Rilian and The Silver Chair.

Beautifully written. I would highly recommend it!

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.”

With All Due Respect by Nina Roesner & Debbie Hitchcock

"With All Due Respect: 40 Days to a more fulfilling relationship with your teens and tweens" by Nina Roesner & Debbie Hitchcock is the newest book on how to have a better relationship with your kids!

It's created specifically for parents (ie moms) who might already be having difficulties relating to and talking to their teen or tween. Authors help show parents what a successful loving relationship looks like and includes easy to follow suggestions. Some of these have to do with communicating lovingly, enforcing rules, resetting relationships, overcoming fears and handling rebellion.

Each day features a different story for parents to relate to, questions to think about, and a prayer to launch an action plan.

When I first requested this book, I thought it would be great for preparing for my daughter's tween and teenage years. While that may be true, I got a strong feeling that this book was mainly for parents who were already having problems with their tweens and teens.

On another note, I feel as if these two authors have really done their research as they have offered excellent advice on issues that most teens deal with. I would definitely recommend it to other moms with children in the tween/teen age range. I rate this book as 5 stars.

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.”

Wee Alphas: A to Z Postcards!

This week I was able to review "Wee Alphas: A to Z Postcards! This set includes 26 Postcards, each featuring a letter of the alphabet disguised as an animal! It is truly adorable with some common and some uncommon animals. For example, Fox is featured as the F, but Unicorn is featured for the U!

The back of each postcard has something fun to fill out about each letter. The Turtle postcard has boxes to check. It says "You Are:" and includes "Tremendous, Tough, Tops, Terrific, Talented and Ticklish. Each card is the standard postcard size making them super easy to mail!

My girls, who range in age from 10 to 2, loved the diversity of the animals included! It was a little difficult for my Kindergartener to try to find the letters in some of them as she is just learning to read, but still a fun tool to use! They had fun trying to figure out what each of the animals were, and it will be a fun exercise to try out letter writing skills!

I rate this product as 5 stars. I received this product for free from Blogging for Books in exchange for my honest unbiased opinion.

The Wired Soul by Tricia McCary Rhodes

Do you find yourself having to be constantly busy, not being able to be still and just enjoy the quiet? Are you constantly multitasking, trying to rush through your day?

In 2016 we are constantly moving, always on our phones, computers, tablets, televisions, and other electronic devices. What most people don't realize is that by simultaneously checking our email and responding to facebook messages, we are wiring our brains into being busy all the time. We're getting distracted more, and having a hard time falling asleep at night. We struggle to get into God's Word and to be still and listen to God speaking to us.

Tricia McCary Rhodes reintroduces us to classic disciplines of Scripture reading, meditation, prayer and contemplation.

This book teaches readers to slow down and just be still. To install practices into their life that will help them to daily be still and listen to God. To some people, I know meditation may seem a little "New Age" but the author is very careful to base her disciples on Biblical principals. It works almost as a devotional type book because there's different things to work on each day. It's not just a book to pick up and read. If you really want to take this book to heart, you must devote a little time each day to practicing these methods.

I rate this book as 4 stars. I received this book for free from Tyndale in exchange for my honest unbiased opinion.