"Luther and Katharina" Book Review

Luther and Katharina Book Review

I absolutely loved this book. Everything about it was superb. It was written beautifully and drew me in from the first chapter.

Honestly, I was thinking this book was not going to be that good. But it sure did impress me. Since it is a historical book I thought it would be very stuffy and boring. But it was the complete opposite. It had great historical aspects and kept my attention throughout. It felt like you were right in the midst of the story unfolding.

I have never read anything like this or in this time period. So I was kind of uncertain about it. I know as much about Martian Luther as the next guy. So I was intrigued to see how she would portray him and his character. Since most of the characters in the book were real, there must have been some pressure in perfecting it. I think she did a beautiful job. I really got a sense of who Martian Luther was. He wasn’t just an old monk that rebelled against the church. He was a human with real feeling and went through tremendous trails. I never realized how much persecution him and his family endured. It was very eye opening.

When I was finished reading this book, I made sure to read the author’s notes. I’m glad I did. In the notes it said that that most of what happened in the book really took place. I really appreciate that aspect of this book. It makes it ten times more enjoyable to know what you’re reading really took place. I could really feel the effort and research that went into writing this book. I highly recommend this book to anyone that enjoys a great historical book. There’s nothing I would change about it, it was perfect. I give it 5 out of 5 stars.

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

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"The Mapmaker's Children" Book Review

The Mapmaker's Children is a novel that takes place in two different centuries. When I received this book from Blogging for Books I was interested in seeing how Sarah McCoy would mingle two centuries in one story. The book centers around two women that live in different centuries. One, Sarah Brown, lives during the Civil War era. The second, Eden lives in modern day America. 

When Eden and her husband move into a home with many past secrets. McCoy effortlessly blend two different time periods beautifully. 

I greatly enjoy history and to find a book that blended the past centuries with the modern day world was wonderful to find. I enjoyed this book immensely. I recommend it for anyone that enjoys historical novels but also likes little bit of the modern world mixed in. 

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

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"When Grace Sings" Book Review

When Grace Sings Book Review

                When Grace Sings is the second book in the Zimmerman Restoration Trilogy.  I have not read the first book in this series, but I don’t think it’s necessary to read it before this book.  Although things might be a little clearer if you read the first book in the series.

                I was excited when I received this book from Blogging for Books. I have read many books from Kim Vogel Sawyer and have enjoyed every one. This one is specifically Amish/Mennonite.  Have read many Amish books before and have enjoyed them. I’m always so fascinated with the life and culture of the Amish.

                When Grace Sings centers around two main characters, Alexa Zimmerman and Anna-Grace Braun. Alexa is a part of the Old Order Mennonite and is just starting to get use to her life as a Mennonite. She helps run a Bed and Breakfast with her grandmother in Arborville, Kansas. Since in the Bed and Breakfast is new to the community she needs all the business she can get, so she agrees to let a reporter from Chicago Stay. Briley Forrester has come to report about the Amish and to uncover secrets that he thinks the Amish keep. But no one in Arborville knows he’s reporting about the Amish.

                The book has a compelling story plot and in immediately sucks you into life in Arborville.  You get to know the characters and sympathize with their predicaments. It was a great book overall and I am looking forward to the third installment in the series.

                I rate this book four out of five stars.

                I received this book from Blogging for Books.

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"The Pharaoh’s Daughter" Book Review

We’ve all heard the Biblical story of Moses. But The Pharaoh’s Daughter by Mesu Andrews, gives you a new prospective on the Bible story.

The moment I began the first chapter of this book I knew it was going to be good. I grew up in church and Moses was a popular story that I would always hear. I’ve heard it so many times it really doesn’t affect like it did the first time I heard it as a child. But reading this book has changed that. I have a whole new perspective on the story. It definitely changed how I will read the story of Moses for now on.

The Pharaoh’s Daughter tells the Biblical story of Moses through the eyes of the Pharaoh’s daughter and a Hebrew slave. I loved how you not only got the Pharaoh’s daughter perspective, but a Hebrew slave’s perspective too. It gave you a different look to the story that I liked. When you hear the story of Moses you are always told that the Hebrews were enslaved to the Egyptians for centuries. But this would usually come in one ear and out the other.  But when I read this book it definitely changed that. It gave me a perspective of how the Hebrew’s were treated cruelly by the Egyptians.

I loved every aspect of this book. It kept my attention from the beginning till the end. This was the first book I have read that was set in ancient Egypt and I loved it. I definitely makes me want to read a book from this time period again.

I rate this book five out of five stars.

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I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

"Supermarket Healthy" Book Review

                It’s a New Year and that means some of us have made New Year’s resolutions. I bet you some of those resolutions were to get healthy. Am I right? We all want to be healthy and happy. But sometimes the hardest thing about getting healthy is making the right food choices. With unhealthy cheap food out there, it’s easier to give in and eat bad. Your only reasoning for this decision is, you can’t afford to eat healthy and my kids won’t eat the good stuff. Well, that may be true but what if there was a way to eat healthy on a budget and it tastes good.

                In Melissa D’Arabian’s Supermarket Healthy she shows us how to make healthful meals on a budget that your kids will love. The recipes are easy to follow and have great tips for eating on a budget. The cookbook is split up into categories, so you can easily jump to breakfast food to Dessert. And yes you can still have dessert when you’re eating healthy. Her delicious dessert recipes will have you feeling good about dessert and not guilty.

                Supermarket Healthy is a great cookbook if you’re looking for healthy recipes that the whole family will love.     

                I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

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"Magnetic" Book Review

Magnetic By Lynn Cowell

                This book is amazing. It was well written and really captures your heart. When I began reading this I had high hopes for it, and man did it deliver.  It goes through every one of the fruit of the spirits in quick easy to read chapters. The chapters are not at all boring; it really takes the view of a young teenage girl and is very relatable.                                                                 Each chapter goes through a different Fruit of the Spirit, targeting many things teenage girls struggle with. The first chapter focuses on the characteristics of a true gorgeous girl. The chapter that spoke most to me was chapter three. This chapter focused on joy. It mentions in the chapter that many girls base their joy on getting what they want. That could be having a boyfriend, getting the most fashionable clothes, or getting a car, etc. None of these things are necessarily bad, but sometimes we can base getting these things whether or not we would be happy. So many girls say, “Well if I had a boyfriend I would be happy”. Is this saying you are nothing if you don’t have a boyfriend, that you will be unhappy if you don’t get one? Too many girls are guilty of thinking this way. They think once they get a boyfriend everything will be right in the world. But most of the time were looking in the wrong places to find true joy. We need to take a step back and remember what Jesus did for us. We need to be finding true joy in THE joy-giver. It’s only when we look to God for joy that will we be truly happy.                                                                                                                                                                        This is a great book to go through with a small group of girls or just your own daughter. If she has been struggling with her walk with God or just wanting to grow in her walk with Lord, this book is perfect. I encourage mothers to read it along with their daughters, because even you could get something out of this too.                                                  Overall I rate this book a five out of five stars.

                     I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

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