Big and Little Coloring Devotional ~ Review

Big and Little Coloring Devotional
Written by Rachel C. Swanson
Illustrated by Jacy Corral

Big and Little Coloring Devotional is a fun and relaxing way to spend time together with your younger family members. The facing pages go together one is a simpler design while other is more intricate. They are themed so that these two pages go together offering a verse of Scripture on both pages and corresponding devotional message on the big page.

The book is softcover so while it does not lay-flat it can get fairly close to it and is an excellent opportunity for parent and child to learn to work together if coloring at the same time. The pages are of a heavier weight but I'd recommend crayons or color pencils just to be sure the color doesn't bleed through to the other side.

One page pairing has the verse: Children obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. The parents are then offered a small insight - they are to lead their children in the Lord. The pages have a penguin family to color as you think on these things.

If you have more than one child you may have to come up with an alternating day coloring system or get a second book to double the enjoyment. This would also be a lovely visit to Grandma and Grandpa's house activity. Do you know someone expecting a new sibling soon - this would be a great big brother/big sister gift with the promise that there will still be a special parent time to come (unwinding de-stressing time for Mom).

I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher BH with no expectation except that give my honest opinion ~ all opinions expressed are my own.


About the Book:

Kids crave constant activities and attention. Adults crave quiet moments of refreshment. How can we achieve both? Big and Little Coloring Devotional engages adults’ minds with appealing biblical devotionals while providing a creative outlet through coloring to diffuse stress.

Let’s have fun with our children through coloring and facilitate their spiritual growth with Scripture. Big and Little Coloring Devotional will incorporate physical, spiritual, and emotional refreshment by providing authentic faith-filled devotionals combined with therapeutic doodling for both the adult and child.

About the Author:

Rachel C. Swanson is a dental hygienist turned author and speaker. She’s founder of the blog community RefineAndRestore.com where she pours out "R&R for the Heart and Soul." Her writing is featured on multiple websites worldwide. She’s been married ten years to her husband who loves her despite her love for coffee and often impulsive nature. They rear their tribe of identical twin boys and (nineteen months later) their baby girl ... and a Weimaraner (dog) who thinks she’s human. They reside in a wannabe country town just on the outskirts of the big city Los Angeles, CA. www.RachelCSwanson.com

About the Illustrator:

Jacy Corral (pronounced "Jackie") is an illustrator, hand lettering artist, graphic designer, wife, and mom. After enjoying an extensive career in corporate marketing and design, she traded fancy slacks for yoga pants to focus on the great privilege of raising her daughter, investing in her home and marriage, and creating artwork that helps people to connect and reflect. Jacy lives with her husband, daughter, and miniature poodle in West Los Angeles, CA. She shares her creations regularly on Instagram and at www.hyssopdesign.com.

The Nutcracker and the Four Realms ~ Featurettes

This year's Nutcracker is a big screen event

Enjoy this brand new featurette featuring Misty Copeland in her role as the ballerina princess in Disney’s “Nutcracker and the Four Realms”  Misty is the first African-American principal dancer for the prestigious American Ballet Theater and showcases her world-class dancing in the upcoming holiday film.

This beautiful behind-the-scenes look at the story and how the cast 

came to fall in love with the story of the original Nutcracker.

ABOUT THE MOVIE:

All Clara (Mackenzie Foy) wants is a key – a one-of-a-kind key that will unlock a box that holds a priceless gift. A golden thread, presented to her at godfather Drosselmeyer’s (Morgan Freeman) annual holiday party, leads her to the coveted key—which promptly disappears into a strange and mysterious parallel world. It’s there that Clara encounters a soldier named Phillip (Jayden Fowora-Knight), a gang of mice and the regents who preside over three Realms: Land of Snowflakes, Land of Flowers and Land of Sweets. Clara and Phillip must brave the ominous Fourth Realm, home to the tyrant Mother Ginger (Helen Mirren), to retrieve Clara’s key and hopefully return harmony to the unstable world. Starring Keira Knightley as the Sugar Plum Fairy, Disney’s new holiday feature film “The Nutcracker and the Four Realms” is directed by Lasse Hallström and Joe Johnston, and inspired by E.T.A. Hoffmann’s classic tale.

Opens in U.S. theaters on Nov. 2, 2018.

Directors:  Lasse Hallström, Joe Johnston

Producers:  Mark Gordon, Larry Franco

Executive producers:  Sara Smith, Lindy Goldstein

SOCIAL LINKS:

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/DisneysNutcracker

Twitter:   https://twitter.com/disneystudios

Instagram:   https://www.instagram.com/disneysnutcracker

Becoming Mrs. Lewis ~ Review

Becoming Mrs. Lewis
By Patti Callahan

She became Mrs. Lewis but the journey from Joy Davidman to Mrs. Gresham to Mrs. Lewis was not an easy one. From an early age, Joy became an atheist and she clung to this belief of unbelief until she called out to God in a moment of despair. Fear for her husband caused her to call out but what she experienced set her on a path that would take years and redirect her life.

What had she experienced? Joy was determined to discover the truth researching through reading books, articles, and asking questions. The question that made the greatest impact was the one she wrote to Mr. Chad Walsh in which she asked him about C.S. Lewis. In reply to her letter, he told to write to C.S. Lewis and ask him the questions she had. What followed was years of correspondence that lead to a unique and special friendship between the two.

As Joy struggles with her husband's bouts of drinking, infidelity, and abuse her correspondence with Jack offers her a chance to escape the life she had and to hope for something better. When her own writing provides the funds to visit England in the hopes of saving her marriage and to heal from the undiagnosed illness plaguing her Joy takes this opportunity. Exploring England, doing research for her newest book, and connecting with her friends including Jack.

Joy's return to her home exposed just how dreadful her home life had become, a life that was threatening to drag her beloved sons down with it. With her husband once again straying from his vows, Joy knows that she and her sons must leave behind this toxic life. But divorce was something she had never thought would be a consideration for her. Yet it was the only way she knew to save both herself and her boys.

Becoming Mrs. Lewis is a most interesting look at the life of the woman who inspired C.S. Lewis to write A Grief Observed. Their friendship and love was but a mere 10 years and yet it had a tremendous impact on both. It all started with the reading of a book The Great Divorce and a questioning, seeking mind. One never knows just what journey the opening of a book will set one on and this is one woman's journey. A journey of pain, of loss, of joy, of love, of life.

I was provided a complimentary copy of this book by the publisher through TLC Book Tour with no expectation but offering my honest opinion - all opinions expressed are my own.

Listen to an audio clip of chapters 1 and 2: here

About the Book:

Hardcover: 432 Pages

Publisher: Thomas Nelson (October 2, 2018)

In a most improbable friendship, she found love. 

In a world where women were silenced, she found her voice.

From New York Times bestselling author Patti Callahan comes an exquisite novel of Joy Davidman, the woman C. S. Lewis called “my whole world.” When poet and writer Joy Davidman began writing letters to C. S. Lewis—known as Jack—she was looking for spiritual answers, not love. Love, after all, wasn’t holding together her crumbling marriage. Everything about New Yorker Joy seemed ill-matched for an Oxford don and the beloved writer of Narnia, yet their minds bonded over their letters. Embarking on the adventure of her life, Joy traveled from America to England and back again, facing heartbreak and poverty, discovering friendship and faith, and against all odds, finding a love that even the threat of death couldn’t destroy.

In this masterful exploration of one of the greatest love stories of modern times, we meet a brilliant writer, a fiercely independent mother, and a passionate woman who changed the life of this respected author and inspired books that still enchant us and change us. Joy lived at a time when women weren’t meant to have a voice—and yet her love for Jack gave them both voices they didn’t know they had.

At once a fascinating historical novel and a glimpse into a writer’s life, Becoming Mrs. Lewis is above all a love story—a love of literature and ideas and a love between a husband and wife that, in the end, was not impossible at all.

Purchase Links

Amazon | Books-A-Million | Barnes & Noble

About the Author:

Patti Callahan (who also writes as Patti Callahan Henry) is a New York Times bestselling author. Patti was a finalist in the Townsend Prize for Fiction, has been an Indie Next Pick, twice an OKRA pick, and a multiple nominee for the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance (SIBA) Novel of the Year. Her work has also been included in short story collections, anthologies, magazines, and blogs. Patti attended Auburn University for her undergraduate work and Georgia State University for her graduate degree. Once a Pediatric Clinical Nurse Specialist, she now writes full time. The mother of three children, she lives in both Mountain Brook, Alabama and Bluffton, South Carolina with her husband.

Connect with Patti

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Instagram Tour Stops

Monday, October 1st: @Rissi006

Monday, October 1st: @hollyslittlebookreviews

Tuesday, October 2nd: @thecaffeinated_bibliophile

Wednesday, October 3rd: @girlsinbooks

Wednesday, October 3rd: @readingbringsjoy

Thursday, October 4th: @bookishmadeleine

Thursday, October 4th: @ladyofthelibrary

Thursday, October 4th:: @theardentbiblio

Saturday, October 6th: @acozyreader

Sunday, October 7th: @theliterarybirds

Review Tour Stops

Monday, October 1st: View from the Birdhouse

Tuesday, October 2nd: @prose_and_palate and Prose and Palate

Wednesday, October 3rd: Book by Book

Thursday, October 4th: Amy’s Book-et List

Friday, October 5th: Running Through the Storms

Monday, October 8th: Really Into This and @mountain_reader_

Tuesday, October 9th: Blooming with Books

Wednesday, October 10th: @createexploreread

Thursday, October 11th: Jathan & Heather

Friday, October 12th: The Lit Bitch

Monday, October 15th: @kim_reads

Tuesday, October 16th: Diary of a Stay at Home Mom

Wednesday, October 17th: Openly Bookish

Thursday, October 18th: Cheryl’s Book Nook

Monday, October 22nd: Fiction Aficionado

Monday, October 22nd: @novelmombooks

Tuesday, October 23rd: Read Eat Repeat

Wednesday, October 24th: Faery Tales are Real

Thursday, October 25th: Girl Who Reads

Friday, October 26th: What is That Book About

Second-Chance Dogs ~ Review

Second-Chance Dogs

True Stories of the Dogs We Rescue 

           and the Dogs Who Rescue Us

Edited by Callie Smith Grant

Everyone loves a good dog story or at least I do and this collection of stories offers several that will warm your heart. Second-Chance Dogs is an offering of dogs who are offered a second chance at life and a home. But these delightful new additions also offer their new families a second chance as well.

All too often after the loss of a beloved friend, one declares that they can't take the heartbreak of another pet but somehow these four-legged bundles of life manage to make a place in hearts that are hurting.

I really like that each story is a quick read and takes under 10 minutes. Some of these stories will bring tears while others will make you smile as you are reminded of the antics of your beloved furry friend. I highly recommend this book - it would be a great gift for the dog-lover in your life.  Another possibility for this book is if you volunteer with seniors is this would be a great group read-aloud book that could be read a story at a time.

I was provided a complimentary copy of this book by Revell with no expectation but my honest opinion - all opinions expressed are my own.



About the Book:

Everyone loves an underdog, and nothing gives us warmer feelings than seeing someone get a second chance in life. A problem pup who flourishes under the right kind of training. The struggling veteran who finds unconditional love wiggling around at the end of a leash. The lonely child who finds comfort in the steady breathing of the warm, furry friend at her side. Each of us needs to be rescued from something--and each of us has the capacity to rescue someone, or something, else.

This collection of more than thirty contemporary, true, feel-good stories spotlights the beauty of being rescued--dogs rescued by people, people rescued by dogs, and even dogs who rescue other animals. It's the perfect companion--well, besides the four-legged, tail-wagging kind--for your morning cup of coffee or an evening curled up on the couch. Contributors include Susy Flory, Dusty Rainbolt, Lauraine Snelling, Melody Carlson, Wanda Dyson, Suzanne Woods Fisher, and many more.

The Sound of Distant Thunder ~ Review

The Sound of Distant Thunder
The Amish of Weaver's Creek #1
By Jan Drexler

Katie Stuckey and Jonas Weaver know that they are meant to marry and they want to do it as soon as possible. But Katie's father thinks she is too young at 17 years. And Jonas he feels is just not responsible enough to marry his youngest daughter. Gustav is relieved when Jonas agrees to wait.

With the country caught up in a war about slavery and state rights, the Amish of Weaver's Creek are caught in their problem those who want to embrace the change of the world and those who want to hold tight to their traditions. War is the furthest thing on their minds as they refuse to participate in violence. But when Ohio implements a draft the Amish community is faced with a dilemma - take up arms (against the church), pay a fee to avoid serving, or pay a substitute to fight for them.

When Samuel, Jonas's older married brother's name is drawn he is faced with a dilemma. Samuel vowed to never pay a fee nor pay a substitute to take his place. As one who had joined the church serving in the war could cost him dearly - shunning.  Jonas feels drawn to the war not that he wants to fight but he feels that God has something for him to do. Taking his brother's place means that Jonas will have to put his plans on hold and he will be separated from Katie. 

With Jonas gone Katie faces challenges that will test her. Can she hold onto the promise that Jonas will return to her? Can Jonas stay true to his beliefs or will war change him forever?

The Sound of Distant Thunder is an apt title for this book as thunder is a reoccurring theme throughout - thunder that is accompanied by a storm and that that is the distant call of battle coming. I have not read Jan Drexler's work before so came to this book with no expectations. I found the first few chapters to be a little slow but once the book got into it with the characters established the pacing and story seemed to move along quicker.

Those who like historical American fiction will enjoy this one as it is set in the early 1860s and if you have a fondness for Amish fiction consider this a bonus read as it offers both. This book focuses on family and the idea of hold firm to your principles.  Overall I would recommend this book which is the first in a new series The Amish of Weaver's Creek.

I was provided a complimentary copy of this book by Revell with no expectations but that I give my honest opinion. All opinions expressed are my own.


About the Book:

For two hopeless romantics, 

the Civil War will be the ultimate test . . .

Seventeen-year-old Katie Stuckey is starry-eyed, in love with the idea of being in love, and does not want to wait until she is eighteen to marry Jonas Weaver as her parents insist. Twenty-year-old Jonas knows war is at odds with the teachings of the church, yet he can't help being taken in by the romance of the soldiering life, especially for the abolitionist cause.

When his married brother's name comes up in the draft list, Jonas volunteers to take his brother's place. But can the commitment Katie and Jonas have made to each other survive the separation?

The Nutcracker and the Four Realms ~ Movie Trailer

The Nutcracker in all its various forms is considered to be a tradition of the Christmas season for many.

Clara receiving the Nutcracker. The party that features a most formidable Christmas tree that is too large for most homes. The rats, the prince, the sugarplum fairies. For most, a delightful memory or two is attached to this story. 

This year Disney is offering a new vision of  E.T.A. Hoffmann’s classic tale “The Nutcracker.” The Nutcracker and the Four Realms showcases the wondrous journey of Clara, who finds herself in the mystical world of the Four Realms, home to a host of eccentric characters and no shortage of surprises. 

The film opens in theaters on November 2, 2018

All Clara (Mackenzie Foy) wants is a key – a one-of-a-kind key that will unlock a box that holds a priceless gift. A golden thread, presented to her at godfather Drosselmeyer’s (Morgan Freeman) annual holiday party, leads her to the coveted key—which promptly disappears into a strange and mysterious parallel world. It’s there that Clara encounters a soldier named Phillip (Jayden Fowora-Knight), a gang of mice and the regents who preside over three Realms: Land of Snowflakes, Land of Flowers and Land of Sweets. Clara and Phillip must brave the ominous Fourth Realm, home to the tyrant Mother Ginger (Helen Mirren), to retrieve Clara’s key and hopefully return harmony to the unstable world. Starring Keira Knightley as the Sugar Plum Fairy, Disney’s new holiday feature film The Nutcracker and the Four Realms is directed by Lasse Hallström and Joe Johnston and inspired by E.T.A. Hoffmann’s classic tale.

The cast includes Keira Knightley, Mackenzie Foy, Eugenio Derbez, Matthew Macfadyen, Richard E. Grant, Miranda Hart, Sergei Polunin, Jayden Fowora-Knight, Omid  Djalili, Jack Whitehall, Meera Syal, Ellie Bamber, Misty Copeland, with Helen  Mirren and Morgan Freeman. 

The film is directed by Lasse Hallström and Joe Johnston.

Check out the trailer:

Target Acquired ~ Review

Target Acquired
Justin Hall #14
By Ethan Jones

Justin Hall is about to face his most personal mission yet when it suddenly goes wrong and the person who means the most to him is captured. When a not so simple mission goes sideways Justin must decide just how far he will go to rescue his partner when she is captured by extremists in Tunisia.

And Justin is about to push the limits to get what he needs and it won't be pretty. And the consequences he'll just deal with them when the time comes. Get ready for some cringe-worthy moments. And time is against this op/rescue mission especially if they still want to achieve their objective. Justin may have to make a deal with the devil this time...

If you like intense action and suspense this newest Justin Hall book offers this and more. Just a word of warning Justin does go to extremes in this one and he pays a price. Now there is not graphic violence but there is violence that is described after the fact that might cause a bit of cringing at the thought of it. Overall this is another winner from Ethan Jones that will keep you reading. And there is an interesting setup for future missions.


About the Book:

When you wake up drenched in sweat only to realize the nightmare is real…

How far would you go to save the one you love?

Spymaster Justin Hall is on a sanctioned assassination operation in Tunisia when his partner is captured by terrorists. With only a few hours to get her back alive, Justin frantically begins working with a CIA operative and attempts to activate a precarious old contact. Distraught and determined, Justin will go to any lengths to save her. Will he make it in time to save the one he loves?

Target Acquired is an adrenaline-fueled spy thriller with emotionally-charged characters, electrifying action, and fast-paced spycraft. If you’re a fan of Silva, Baldacci, Child, Clancy, DeMille, le Carré, Ludlum, Thor or Flynn, you’ll love Target Acquired.