5 Minutes with Jesus

5 Minutes with Jesus

Peace for Today

Sheila Walsh

 

Our days can become so busy that we rush from one thing to another. Begin each day with a short devotional that will leave you with the peace of Jesus. Each devotional has a thought for the day and then ends with a section called "Five Minutes in the Word" that includes several scriptures that tie in to the devotional. 

The book is small, has a bendable cover, and fits well in my purse for those rushed, out the door mornings. Each day has a thought that centers around the peace and calm that can only come from time with Jesus. The author uses stories and antidotes to help illustrate her thoughts and ties everything together with scripture. I really liked the extra scripture at the end of the devotional. Each text is written out so the reader doesn't need to grab their Bible if they are pressed for time or taking the book to another location. Overall, this was a beautiful little book that had some great thoughts. It would work well for a gift, but I intend to keep mine.

 

I received this book free of charge from Harper Collins in exchange for my honest review.

Pressing Pause

Pressing Pause

100 Quiet Moments for Moms to Meet Jesus

Karen Ehman and Ruth Schwenk

Life as a mom can get crazy, with never-ending lists of things to do. When the kids are fighting, the laundry is piling up, and the next meal is waiting to be prepared the typical mother rarely has time for a moment with Jesus. Both authors, as mothers, know the stress of being a mother. So they've designed this devotional just for mothers who need to take a moment to regroup and reconnect. Each day begins with a Bible verse, has a brief thought, and then a prayer that all ties together. At the end is one or two questions about the thought and some space for writing. The authors kept the mother's lack of time into account so the devotionals are short, but packed with food for thought.

I loved the cover on this book. It's beautiful, but calming. The design is simplistic, but pretty. Each devotional was well thought out and concise. The book has a ribbon to use for a bookmark. I loved this since the book is designed for busy moms who might lose a bookmark or grab random items to shove in its place. This would make a wonderful gift for that special mom or friend in your life.

I received this book free of charge from Harper Collins in exchange for my honest review.

So Not Okay

So Not Okay

Mean Girl Makeover

Nancy Rue

Tori and her friends aren't exactly being bullied. But they are not very high on the list with the popular girls. It's more like they're invisible. But when a new girl arrives at school the popular girls begin to make her life miserable. Tori is stuck between ignoring what she sees happening or risk being put in the category with the girl being bullied. Can she come up with a plan to stop the taunts and save her class project or will everything fall down around her?

This book was extremely well written. Sadly I could really relate, so it was also a bit painful to read. The author did a great job of not only telling the story, but showing ways to combat the bullying. Young girls will be able not only feel like someone understands, but will be left with solutions and tactics they can use to help get rid of the bullies in their school. While the subject matter is heavy, the author has inserted elements of humor that makes the story fun to read as well. I would highly recommend this book to any young girl about to enter middle school.

I received this book free of charge from Harper Collins in exchange for my honest review.

Footprints in the Sand

Footprints in the Sand

A Piper Donovan Mystery

Book 3

Mary Jane Clark

Piper is excited to head to the balmy beaches of Florida to attend her cousins wedding. But when the deaths and accidents start adding up she enlists her boyfriend's help. He is in the FBI and she hopes that he can provide some answers before her cousins wedding is ruined.

I'm pretty picky about my mysteries and I really enjoyed this one. It wasn't incredibly suspenseful and not a bit gory. This is apparently the third book in the series, but I never felt confused or left out. There were enough clues that the murderer could have been any number of people. While I did have a pretty good idea, I wasn't certain until the very end. I really enjoyed this book and will be checking out the previous books in the series as well as other books by this author.

I received this book free of charge from Harper Collins in exchange for my honest review.