30 Days to Joy

Over the holiday season I received "30 Days to Joy" to read and review! It's a nice little one-month creative journal, with writing prompts for each day. It's a very light read and the book is somewhat small, so it would be easy to take in a bag or purse.

Each day is based on the same principal. Finding Joy in our lives amidst busy schedules, hard to manage days, and everything in between.

I enjoyed this book because it was small and it didn't take me long to get through each day. Each question took approximately 5-10 minutes to answer, depending on how much thought you wanted to put into each.

I will say though if you're looking for something that goes in-depth and digs into the Bible more, then this probably isn't the journal for you. It somewhat lacked in that area, so I would suggest getting a devotional to go along with it if you are using it in your quiet time. Other than that, I really have no complaints. It's inexpensive, well put together, and beautiful to look through. I rate it as 5 stars.

I received this book for free from Blogging for Books in exchange for my honest unbiased opinion.

Draw 50 Sea Creatures

I love getting to review drawing books, so I was super excited to review a book called "Draw 50: Sea Creatures."

What I love most about this book is that there's a little something for every age. There's some pictures which are simpler to draw, and then others which are much more complex. My daughters and I went through this book together, picking out different things to draw, and it was nice because all of our skills are somewhat different!

Readers learn how to draw narwhals, sharks, clown fish, whales, turtles, clams, kelp, and many other interesting sea creatures! Even though the drawing is somewhat beyond my younger children, we often read books about different animals or sea creatures, and this book is a fun way to soak in what they have been learning!

The book itself is a paperback but it has a fairly sturdy front and back cover, so it holds up very nicely, especially with kids.

I received this book for free from Blogging for Books in exchange for my honest unbiased opinion.

The Day the Angels Fell by Shawn Smucker

"The Day the Angels Fell" by Shawn Smucker is unlike anything I've read before. I was glued from the very beginning.

It was the summer of storms and strays and strangers. The summer that lightning struck the big oak tree in the front yard. The summer Samuel Chamber's mother died in a tragic accident. As a young boy, Samuel would have done anything to turn back time and have his mother back. What happened next was a series of events which lead him on a search for the tree of life. The one chance he had left to bring his mother back.

His quest to defeat death will entangle him and his best friend Abra in an ancient conflict, forcing Sam to grapple with an unwelcome question.... Could it be possible that death is a gift?
 
This book could easily become one of the greats among stories such as "The Chronicles of Narnia" series by C.S. Lewis or "A Wrinkle in Time" by Madeleine L'Engle. It's a beautiful mix of fantasy and real life. I tend to gravitate to Young Adult fiction more than any other book genre, but this might just be my favorite yet that I've read. I must add though, that it is appropriate for adults too and not just young adults. It has such a powerful message. Just as C.S. Lewis' and Madeleine L'Engle's books, I believe God speaks to our hearts in all different ways. Even in a young adult or children's book. "The Day the Angels Fell" will certainly give you some things to think about. This one will remain a favorite on my bookshelf that I will revisit.

I received this book for free from Revel, a division of Baker Publishing Group in exchange for my honest unbiased opinion.

NIV True Images: The Bible for Teen Girls

I love when I get to review Bibles! Especially if they're for kids or teenagers!

The NIV True Images Bible is beautiful inside and out. It features lots of feminine touches throughout the chapters, with plenty of pink accents. Inside you'll find 12 magazine style quizzes, introductions to each chapter, 52 stories of Biblical women, and the basics of Christianity.

This Bible focuses on true inner beauty and what that might look like for a young lady growing up today. I would love for my daughters to have a Bible like this as they go through their teen years. The devotions were so uplifting and the "In Focus" sections talk about real life problems that teenagers go through.

If you're searching for just the right Bible for your teenage daughter, this one has a lot to offer! I rate it as 5 stars.

I received this Bible for free in exchange for my honest unbiased opinion.

Draw 50 Outer Space Book Review

What's better than a book that teaches you to draw? A book that teaches you how to draw things from outer space!

In "Draw 50" by Lee J. Ames, Space enthusiasts learn how to draw astronauts, rocket ships, galaxies, meteors and much more! Each drawing has pictures throughout the process so artists can see their drawings begin to come alive. It's aimed at children ages 10 to 13, but can definitely be enjoyed by older artists as well.

I was super excited to get this book in the mail! I've always loved all things outer space related, and especially with the big solar eclipse that just occurred, I thought this book would be a fun activity to work on with my kids. I will say that to draw a lot of these, readers will probably have to have some sort of experience in drawing. Some of the pictures are very detailed and intricate. I am not the best at drawing, but I won't let the difficulty deter me! It's still a very fun and cute book.

I received this book for  free from Blogging for Books in exchange for my honest unbiased opinion.

Ninth City Burning by J. Patrick Black

"Ninth City Burning" by J. Patrick Black is the perfect book for fantasy loving readers! It's kind of a mix of Hunger Games and Ender's Game.

Unlike most books I've read, the chapters in Ninth City Burning alternates between MANY different characters. It's actually pretty impressive once you get to the end of the book and see how the characters are intertwined.

Synopsis: 
Aliens have invaded earth, and they've brought their own kind of magic with them. The war has been going on for five hundred years. Old cities and civilizations are gone, with only their crumbling buildings remaining. Chapters alternate between Naomi, Torro, Jax, Rae, and multiple other characters. Each with their own unique story and abilities, yet all fighting for the same outcome. To eradicate the alien race.


There's so much going on in this book, it's really difficult to give a synopsis without giving anything away. I found it to be both interesting and thought provoking, and still vastly different from most books in its genre. It's a long read, at just over five hundred pages long, but it's worth it. I would definitely recommend this one.


I received this book for free from Blogging for Books in exchange for my honest unbiased opinion.

The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman

"The Invisible Library" by Genevieve Cogman is a new young adult fantasy series!

The main character, Irene is a professional spy for the Library, a shady organization that collects important books from different time periods. She was born into this job, and has done her share of perilous assignments, but this new assignment is like nothing she's ever done before.

Her supervisor has given her a newer recruit named Kai to help with this mission. They've been charged with the retrieval of a dangerous book. In addition, it's in alternate London, which means it's chaos infested! Enter werewolves, vampires and other mystical creatures. To make matters worse, the book is already missing when they arrive!

Irene finds there is a lot more at stake than what she first imagined.

I was extremely excited to read and review this book! Young adult fantasy is one of my favorite genres of books to read. The story was interesting but it took a bit getting into for me. It took me until about chapter three to fully understand what was going on in the book. So, yes it was good, but I wish the beginning was explained a bit better and the main character was a lot more developed.

I received this book for free from Blogging for Books in exchange for my honest unbiased opinion. I rate this book as 3 stars.

Drawn In Bible Study: Ruth by Eugene H. Peterson

The "Drawn In Bible Study: Ruth" by Eugene H. Peterson is the newest way to do your Bible study!

In between the Bible readings and spaces to fill in your answers, you'll find beautiful pictures to color in! I've never seen anything quite like this, and I've owned multiple coloring books and postcards to join the latest craze.

The questions are fairly basic, but bring up excellent discussion points and topics. The author takes readers through Ruth and Naomi's journey, beginning with the loss of their husbands. It goes through Ruth meeting Boaz and God's blessing upon the two women.

One thing I really enjoyed about this book was that it is very easy to understand. It is appropriate for women in all walks of life, and something that so many women can relate to! If you work on a chapter a week, it works out very well. The chapters are not super long, so I just work on a few questions a day.

The only thing I disliked about this book was the way the passages were written out. It didn't specifically say which passage you were reading as you went along. For example, the instructions would say to read verses 8-9 but the passage was labeled as verses 1-12 and didn't label which were 8-9. Of course when doing a Bible study, one expects to use a Bible, so this really isn't a big deal, but I thought it was worth noting.

I have thoroughly enjoyed doing this Bible study and I look forward to doing the other two books as well! I received this book for free from Tyndale book publishers in exchange for my honest unbiased opinion.

ICB Blessed Garden Bible

The ICB Blessed Garden Bible is an adorable woodland creature themed Bible aimed at 6-10 year old children.

The front cover is made to look like an old fashioned fairy tale book, with a faux lock and lots of scroll symbols. It features an adorable fox, as well as snails, birds, butterflies, hedgehogs, bunnies, raccoons, owls and many other woodland creatures.

There are 24 full color pages with adorable animals and flowers throughout the Bible! These pages show a Bible time line, important verses to remember, places to write down your favorite verses, and answers to common questions children might have. Questions such as "How do I pray?", "How do I forgive?", and "How do I study the Bible?".

The end of the Bible has an index for miracles performed in the Bible, the names of the disciples, and kids from the Bible. There are also 4 pages of Biblical maps located in the last few pages of the Bible.

All in all, I thought this was an adorable Bible! I don't typically buy ICB versions of Bibles but it would be an excellent beginner Bible for a child who has just learned to read. This version makes the Bible very easy to understand for young children. The illustrations were absolutely adorable! They were bright and colorful, with a sort of whimsical design. The front cover itself is bright colored and even has glitter on some of the pictures.

I rate this Bible as 5 stars! I received this Bible for free from Booklook Bloggers in exchange for my honest unbiased opinion.

Kids' Visual Study Bible

Having four kids of my own, I love getting the opportunity to read and review children's books and Bibles!

The Kids' Visual Study Bible NIV contains over 700 colored images! It features fun little tidbits at the beginning of each book, including:

"Who wrote this book?"
"Why was this book written?"
"What do we learn about God in this book?"
"Who are the key people in this book?"
"Where did this happen?"
"What are some of the stories in this book?"

Each page has a small pop of color. In the yellow portion of each page, it paraphrases what is being read in each chapter. Throughout the pages, readers get to see photos of items specific to that date in time. Photos include pictures of maps, fruit, animals, plants, buildings and much more!

One thing that I thought was really cool, was a graphic of the breakdown of Noah's time in the ark! It's such a fun way for kids to visualize what actually happened, and it lets the story soak in a little deeper!

This Bible is aimed at children between the grades of 3-7, but I think it could potentially be used for younger children as well if the parent were doing the reading. There are many interesting colored photos to look through while listening to the stories. Overall, I found it to be a fun and interesting Bible that will keep a child engaged while reading! I rate this Bible as 5 stars.

I received this book for free from Booklook Bloggers in exchange for my honest unbiased opinion.