Wednesday, June 29, 2016

Punderdome - The Card Game

"Punderdome" is a card game that is all about puns.  What is a pun you may ask well it is the humorous use of a word or phrase so that it suggests different meanings or applications or using words that are alike or nearly alike in sound but different in meaning in another words a play on words.  Short and skinny version of how the games work is you have a white topic card and a green situation card one of each is chosen by the prompter who chooses from either 2 or more people who comes up with the best pun.  The person who comes up with the most won puns by the end of the game wins.  Here is an example of a pun that could be used in the game.  I am Poe at working out.  The topic was poetry and the situation was working out.  They don't have to be good and trust I love puns but I am not good at making them.  This is a very fun and challenging game I think its really good in a get to know each group setting.  I highly recommend this game for a fun group get together.

P.S. the only thing I would change though is don't use the amount of 90 seconds like they recommend as that is too hard give people some more time than 90 seconds.

I was given this book from Blogging For Books for my honest review and was not required to give a positive review.

Saturday, June 25, 2016

Catch A Star by Tamika Catchings

"Catch A Star" by Tamika Catchings is the life story of Tamika a professional basketball player who was born partial deaf that overcame that to become a top of her field basketball player.  Her story is very interesting all the hard work she did to get to where her career.  Her story of working so hard and to overcome the teasing/bullying from her youth to the basketball giant she became.  This book was so inspiring to me.  To have her even a little of her ambition the early 90's to grow up to be a professional basketball player was powerful.  See when I was on a basketball team in junior high none of the girls I knew even thought about being a professional in basketball so to know she did was amazing.  Her father played in the NBA but she never used to that rest on her own talent and hard work is what brought her to where she is today.  She kept focused even when God put speed bumps in her life.  I highly recommend this book for a very encouraging and uplifting book to read.

I was given this book from Revell a division of Baker Publishing Group for my honest review and was not required to give a positive review.

Girl Defined by Kristen Clark & Bethany Baird

"Girl Defined" by Kristen Clark & Bethany Baird is about is about learning God's Radical Design for beauty, femininity and identity.  This book was such a breath of fresh air on being a Godly woman.  It did not focus on a list of do's and don'ts and an attitude of you must be like us.  It was focused on scripture and what it says how a woman should be not what society even Christian society says.  I am so used to books that give the author's opinion how they think a Christian woman should be even without back their idea with scripture.  This book was so different and such a breath of fresh air to use scripture to show what a woman should be like.  No cookie cut lists the author explains that God has a different path for each of us but does have some things that we are supposed to focus on in the Lord.  What great book and I highly recommend it.

I was given this book from BakerBooks a division of Baker Publishing Group for my honest review and was not required to give a positive review.

Thursday, June 23, 2016

Dressed For Death by Julianna Deering

"Dressed For Death" by Julianna Deering takes place in the 1930's as Drew and Madeline Farthering go to house party with old friends only to get involved in a murder that will change how they look at old friends.  Drew old friend Talbot Cummins finance is found dead of an apparent overdose of cocaine. I am a big fan of books that take place in the early 1900's, I have no clue why but I am.    This book did start out a little on the slow side for me but once it got going I just could not put it down.  There were some surprises and other were not so much once I got more into the story I figured them out.  I really did enjoy how this book went into detail about drug abuse and drug trafficking happened back then.  Sometimes us modern people forget there is nothing new under the sun as sins today have been there for a long time.  I don't want to give away any of the story so I am going to stop writing now.  I highly recommend this book as a very good mystery.

I was given this book from Bethany House Publishing for my honest review and was not required to give a positive review.

Tuesday, June 21, 2016

All But Normal by Shawn Thornton

"All But Normal" by Shawn Thornton is a memoir about the author's mother who suffered after an car accident extremes in her personality that resulted in abuse that the author had to deal with as a child then come to terms with as an adult.  Once I picked up this book I just could not put down.  The horrendous at times the author and his family had to deal with because of his mother's extreme mental changes were heart breaking as I read each chapter after we learn of the author's mother's car accident that caused a major brain injury.  But her faith and her comforting others when not being affected by it was so powerful.  It was very good to read how the author instead of letting a horrendous at times childhood drag him down used it to build himself and others up.  It is a very powerful story that you must read to be able to understand what this author has gone through.  However I will say that it might cause flashbacks or issues for someone who has lived thru extreme emotional abuse and has seen physical abuse as a child or as an adult.   I highly recommend this book but be warned have a tissue near by.

I was given this book from Tyndale Publishers for my honest review and was not required to give a positive review. 

Every Frenchman Has One by Olivia deHavilland

"Every Frenchman Has One" by Olivia de Havilland is a memoir is about the author learning how to live in France after marrying a French man.  Now you are probable wonder why do should this book be interesting about some American woman learning to live in France well one this is a more well off woman.  Also if you are not an older film fan then you may not know that the author is a famous actress well known for her role in “Gone With The Wind” as she played Melanie Hamilton the wife of Scarlett’s love Ashley Wilkes.  So to me this was a very interesting book on what Olivia had to learn about while starting to live in France in the 1950's.  It was a well written book and fast paced for a memoir.  I love how she was honest about what she was feeling and her actions.  It was a fun, refreshing and overall good book to read.  I highly recommend this book especially if you are a fan of her movies.


I was given this book from NetGalley for my honest review and was not required to give a positive review.

Roots & Sky by Christie Purifoy

"Roots & Sky" by Christie Purifoy is a month by month memoir of the authors life in her new home which her family calls Maplehurst.  I really don't know what I was expecting when I decided to read this book.  I am really still not sure what I read at points it seemed like a memoir then at points it was like the author wanted to tell us what she believes but then would back off of doing so.  I got so confused by the way it was written.  I think the section that really stood out to me that this book was not for me was her selection in May on Page 150 when she says that this world is our home.  But when I read Hebrews 13:13-14 I understand to that sections to mean that this world is not our home but we are just passing thru it.  I really just was confused by this book maybe its for someone else but it sure was not for me.

I was given this book from Revell a division of Baker Publishing Group for my honest review and was not required to give a positive review.

Monday, June 20, 2016

Better Together by Jill Savage


"Better Together" by Jill Savage and Anne McClane is a book about making mom friends and keeping them. This book was a toss up for me as it was encouraging for those with mom friends and would discouraging for those you can't seem to make mom friends no matter what you do.  Why do I say both as a woman with an a very close friend that lives out of state I could see if we lived closer this book could be very encouraging.  But for someone who has tried to make close friends in the Christian mom circle to no avail this book at times made me feel like I was missing something even though I know a group of Christian mom as good friends is not what God has plans for me right now.   I will say I was thankful that the author did talk about how groups of friends should be open to new people even if they are different than your norm but sadly I have not always found that to be the case at least in the area I live in.  I also was very encouraging on how the authors really encouraged you to stay in your scriptures and keep a bible study going.  I will say that this is an excellent book formost woman but us odd balls it might be more of discouragement as it was for me.  But that is me.  I still highly recommend this book for most people as it can be very encouraging and does make you look at your friendships in a different light.

I was given this book from Moody Publishers for my honest review and was not required to give a positive review.

Monday, June 13, 2016

Chronicle of a Last Summer by Yasmine El Rashidi


"Chronicle Of A Last Summer" by Yasmine El Rashidi is a fiction story about a young girl growing up in Cairo during the summer.  It is broke up into three different sections one when she is a child, one when she is a teen and the final section is when she is an adult.  This is such a well written little book that I kept forgetting that I was not reading an actual memoir but a fiction novel.  Even though I have never been to Egypt I could picture a lot of what the author wrote.  It was such a sweet book from the viewpoint of young girl to when she is an adult woman.  Her love of her family is so featured in this book and makes it very personable. The only negative I would say is the cover really did not capture the wonderfulness in the book itself.  I just can't say how much more I would recommend this book.

I was given this book from Blogging For Books for my honest review and was not required to give a positive review.

Breakaway Amish by Johnny Mast

"Breakaway Amish" by Johnny Mast is a memoir about the author growing up in the Amish community called Bergholz that became famous for the beard cutting assault case.  I had heard of the beard cutting incident but did not know much about it.  This book was very interesting and gave me more understanding of the case.  There was so much more to the story than the newspapers released.  What is interesting is that the author is the grandson son of the leader of the group.  It is not a positive look on the this group more of an honest look at this specific Amish community and how it was more of a cult.  The author does not hold back and for that I was thankful.  I highly recommend this book for knowledge of the Bergholz Beard Cutters and the honesty of the author.

I was given this book from Net Galley for my honest review and was not required to give a positive review.

Sunday, June 12, 2016

Scattering Ashes: A Memoir of Letting Go by Joan Z. Rough

"Scattering Ashes: A Memoir of Letting Go" by Joan Z. Rough is about a daughter coming to terms with her mom dying.  This is not a story of a normal mother and daughter relationship as the authors mother was emotional abusive and an alcoholic.    It was a very interesting read on how the author had to learn to handle taking care of a parent at the end of their life who was abusive even near the end.  This was a very powerful book and very helpful on knowing how there are others out there if you know someone that is emotional abusive and the abuser is at the end of their life or having serious health issues.  She wrote about in one part of the book about trying to get medical people to realize she is telling the truth and her mother is trying to scam them I really understood that as we have seen that with a family member on my husbands side. I could not put it down once I started reading, I will admit it was emotional upsetting at times but worth the read. This was a very powerful book and I highly recommend it.

I was given this book from NetGalley for my honest review and was not required to give a positive review.

Saturday, June 11, 2016

Kill Devil by Mike Dellosso

"Kill Devil" by Mike Dellosso is the latest in the  Jed Patrick series of books.  Jed Patrick is trying to keep his family safe and to get away from the Centralia project.  Which is a very secretive and dangerous group.  He must decide if he wants to take them down or keep his values.  I did not realize when I chose this book to review that it was part of a series.  This book has lots of twists and turns that you will not expect.  It is a very fast paced high action adventure story.  I thought the characters were well developed and very interesting.  Jed's family characters are very intertwined in this story.  The book does go back and forth between characters which did make me have to slow down some on my reading to make sure I knew from whose viewpoint the story was from. I highly recommend this book if you like good mysteries/adventure stories.

I was given this book from Tyndale Publishers for my honest review and was not required to give a positive review.

Thoughts on my hubby

27 years ago was the summer before my senior year in high school and I went for a walk that would change my life forever.  I just wanted to ...