Understanding Holiday Traditions Little Known Facts by Linda Weaver Clarke

I really enjoyed reading the old and interesting traditions and beginnings of the various holidays we celebrate each year.  It's so fun to know and come to understand the events that led up to these becoming holidays and how each has a significant historical meaning.

I enjoyed reading of a holiday that as I grew up in Minnesota, was a holiday that was always celebrated there.  That was May Day.  I remember little baskets on my door step and giving some out as well.  Then when we moved to California, I was sad that there was no celebration of that particular day.  

I enjoyed the vintage cards and the mentions of how different countries celebrated these days as well. 

A nice way to share the meaning of holidays to family members and to learn of their true meanings.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author.  All thoughts are my own.
 

Anna's Prayer by Karl Beckstrand

This is the fourth story of Karl's Beckstrand's non fiction children's book that I have read. They have all been stories of faith and love of God by these young immigrants.  The stories especially touch my heart because I was also a young immigrant girl.

Anna was the sister of Ida and as they separated to go to either a relative or a job, Anna is expecting to be picked up by an aunt at the train station.  It's late and no one arrives.  It's a beautiful tale of the faith of a young girl.  It brought some tears to my eyes as I read it. It's a gentle reminder of who we should always rely on.

I received an ebook copy of this book from the author.  All thoughts are my own.

Samuel Sailing: The True Story of an Immigrant Boy by Karl Beckstrand

Loved this book of Samuel, an immigrant boy and his early life, his travels to America and the story of his family and their love for one another.  The book shows beautiful historical photos and even some interesting documents!  All of this was loved by the professional genealogist in me.  I think it is so important for children to learn of their ancestors and the struggles that they dealt with to help their families enjoy a better life, serving their Church and God as they desire.

This is a great teaching book for children and even enjoyable for adults.

I received an ebook copy from the author.  All thoughts are my own.
 

Sojourner Truth Women of Courage compiled by Barbour Staff

This book intrigued me, having just watched "Harriet".  I really enjoyed the biography of her life and hard times and how she was able to overcome her trials and share her testimony of Christ and God anyway she could. A strong abolitionist and defender of women's rights, even till her older years.

This non-fiction book was a good reminder of the fact we are all God's Children and he loves each of us and will answer our prayers in His time.

As she left family to spread the Word of God, she traveled and spoke about her life and brought many people to a greater understanding.  A very good read.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing and was under no obligation to post a review.

Converted by Alonzo L. Gaskill

This book was given to me by my daughter who was given a few copies from one of the people featured in this book, a man who is an electrician and former Amish.

This book contains 15 stories of conversion from various religious beliefs, Amish, Buddhist, Judaism and even Atheist.  Each story is the story of how the featured person was converted to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, also previously called "Mormons". 

The book was very interesting to me and to see the hand of God work in their lives.  I found it to be a touching book  was very interesting to see their experiences, their feelings and struggles as they leave a religious belief and background and literally a culture that was their's for decades.  Very inspiring.

The Kew Gardener's Guide To Growing Herbs by Holly Farrell

This was so interesting.  I have a rather "wild" herb garden and I needed a little help on things.  And here it was!  I love herbs and using them both for foods, garden decor and health.  So was excited to now have a quick and easy reference guide to growing them.  I liked that the book gave heights and other facts on easy to locate charts for each herb featured in the book.  It will be a great help as I now can easily check back to see what helpful information I can find about various herbs. The book also had beautiful pictures of the herbs, which will help in the organizing of them in my small garden. 

I received an ebook copy from NetGalley.  All thoughts are my own,

Calming Angry Kids by Tricia Goyer

So first let me say the cover is exactly perfect--a whirling tornado.  I think as parents we have all experienced the angry little and not so little tornados that live in our homes.  This author is wonderful at helping others by sharing her personal experiences of life and what she has learned both through personal prayer and the help of others, including professionals in various fields.

I love how she incorporates prayer and those professionals and comes out with a better outcome than by only following one course.

This book gathers all her best experiences, tips and advice that she's learned through her own life's paths.  Angry Kids are often very challenging to parents, causing stress amongst themselves and all that are around them.  The book is full of suggestions that are tried and true.  And of course all kids are different but I am certain that there will be something that will touch the heart of your angry child.

One subject she touched upon that I know can be a big determining factor is that we may follow a parental cycle that our parents used, which may not have been the best answer and we need to check ourselves before repeating that cycle to see if that is only our lack of control or really the best thing to do.

Good advice, good book and lots to learn from.

I received a copy of this book from the author.  All thoughts are my own.

The Gospel at 30,000 Feet by Dieter F. Uchtdorf

This book is a compilation of Dieter F. Uchtdorf's airplane stories.  It was very uplifting with good advice to all who read this.It is a good reminder and guide for all to live their lives.

He reminds us to Ponder the scriptures, to have meaningful prayer and to listen to the Spirit and to increase our spiritual altitude.

I enjoyed this book and can only benefit from the thoughts shared.

Th Spiritual Legacy of Laura Ingalls Wilder. A Prairie Girl's Faith by Stephen W. Hines

As a young Minnesota girl, it was part of school life to read the books by Laura Ingalls Wilder.  For me, this was definitely not a chore, but an absolute delight.  The love for reading was kindled in me from these and similar type books.

This new book by Stephen W. Hines, looks at the insights of Laura's life and legacy.  The well written book shares not only a bit about prairie life, both the hard, the wonderful and the real, but also some of the things that made Laura "tick", so to speak.  It almost felt as though her life was studied and shared her innermost reasons for being who she was.  Both the good and maybe not-so perfect Laura, was related and explained.

It was wonderful to read this book, having been such a childhood fan, and to see the social and personal feelings of Laura and how trials of our faith  send you in directions you never knew would happen in your life.  There are also several pages of pioneer recipes from Laura's associates.

I found the title of chapter 10 somewhat thought provoking.  It was "What Laura Means to Us".  Laura meant a lot to me as a child and her legacy will outlive that of most of ours.  This book shares the history, the social and family networking of those days and I feel by reading this book I have come to understand them.  And in some ways would love to relive them.  The book depicts some of the cultural shifts which appeared over the passing of time.  It's a  good book to help us appreciate those who came before us and pioneered in this land and what our lives were built on.  Highly recommend this book!

I received an ebook copy of this book from NetGalley.  All thoughts are my own.

365 Classic Bedtime Bible Stories Illustrated by Alessia Girasole

This beautifully illustrated Bible story book for children tells the wonderful stories of both the Old and New Testament in an easy to understand way for young people.  It's a great foundation for children to build their faith in God.

This book is a hard-cover book with many stories to choose from.

I am sure this book with be of great interest for children and those who tell them the stories.

I really enjoyed these stories and look forward to reading them to my grandson.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing and was under no obligation to post a review.

Anne Frank in the Secret Annex Who Was Who? Published by the Anne Frank House

This book has a special meaning to me.  Not simply because it was the diary of a victim of the Holocaust, but it has a personal meaning to me, as well.

Many years ago in high school, our drama department put on the play Anne Frank.  I was chosen to be Edith Frank, mother of Anne.  It was the first play I was in, and from then on, I was in every play I could be in.  Being in the play brought a deep understanding of the events of this young girl's life.  The emotions of performing in the play were very deep for our entire cast and especially for me, whose mother was in a prison camp in Czechoslovakia at the end of WWII.

Having been in the play, although long ago, I remembered the names of all the characters and when I was fortunate enough to visit the Anne Frank house about two weeks ago in Amsterdam, I noticed the surnames of the other individuals were different than in the play.  As we exited the house, there was a shop with many books and so I purchased this one to get some clarification on who was who!  I found that pseudonyms were used and what the names of those persons actually were.

I found the book very helpful and interesting and having known the story well, it was interesting to read about the others, and the helpers, as well.  The book has many pictures of the family and other persons involved.

It was very interesting and helpful.  It is available at this  link.

My People, The Amish by Joe Keim

This powerful, deeply intense book by former Amish, Joe Keim, shares a first-hand account of his Amish life, family and his attempts to leave.  Not as easy as one would think...  The emotional ties remain for his family, yet the beliefs do not work for all Amish and in trying to find their ways, they often actually get lost, as did Joe.

As he forges a path away from his Amish community, he and his wife, Esther, plan their departure from their Amish families and community.

This book does not hold back any of the feelings, the mistakes and the trials of this difficult time.  It wasn't always smooth sailing, but Joe Keim found his way and now has a ministry to help other Amish in their decisions to leave and start new lives.

It is a very well written story of a father and son,  a story that I feel is an honest representation of what occurred in their lives as well as probably many Amish families.

I was very happy to have had an opportunity to read this amazing account of Joe Keim's life amongst his Amish people.  It was hard to put the book down and as I read it, I gained a better understanding of this group of people and their culture.  I am sure this will make interesting reading for  anyone that is interested in the Amish.  I have learned a lot from reading this and highly recommend reading it.

I received an e-book copy for my honest review, which I have given. All thoughts are my own.

This book will be available on June 1, 2017 and you can pre-order it at this link.

The World of Laura Ingalls Wilder by Marta McDowell

I grew up on Laura Ingalls Wilder.  I was a Minnesota gal!  My favorite teacher shared two wonderful book series with us.  The Box Car Children and all things Laura Ingalls Wilder!

I fell in love with the pioneering spirit of these wonderful books.  The trials, the joy, sadness and heartache that all was apart of their lives.

As an adult, I returned to Minnesota and we visited Burr Oak, in Iowa which was not far from my Minnesota border town home.  Now I've shared my love of these books with my daughter and also my granddaughter.

These books are so special to me and I was so thrilled to see this commemorative book on behalf of Laura's 150th birthday.

The book is beautiful and does a real loving memory to this wonderful author and pioneering woman.  Her illustrations and art work are just amazing and the text brought a few tears to my eyes as I remembered the stories and the details of the lives of these people who became a part of my growing up years.  Such a beautiful book, the kind you want to leave on your coffee table for all to browse through.

And as a genealogist, I loved looking at the plat maps, seeing where they lived throughout their lives. I never really realized how often they started over, although I knew that there were several homes.

This book is truly a reminder of the many happy childhood memories this author shared with me and many others who have loved and treasured her books.  So happy to have had a chance to see this wonderful tribute to Laura Ingalls Wilder.

I received an e-book version of this book from NetGalley for my honest review, which I have given. All thoughts are my own.

You can pre-order this book at this link.

Too Blessed to be Stressed Inspiration for Every Day by Debora M. Coty

I loved this.  Each day has a sweet devotion that gives you a real boost for the day.  The devotionals give a daily scripture as well as a story to uplift your spirits.  It's a beautiful book, inside and out. There is a helpful scripture index at the end of the book. On the December 31st entry page, there is a really fun poem that probably describes many of us to a t!  I enjoyed each day's entry and many were very meaningful to me.

It appears that there is a nice series of these type of book by this author.  I would love to read them, too.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher for my honest review which I have given.

Cowgirl Up by Heidi M. Thomas

This was a bit of a different type of book for me.  I liked the history and how the cowgirls were able to do the same events as men but only after time and much effort on their parts.  To "Cowgirl up" means to not whine, cry, complain, but rather to be tough and handle whatever comes your way.

It was interesting how there were so many injuries, yet they recovered only to get back in the saddle. This was a well researched book on this topic.The stories that were written about were of cowgirls from Montana, their shows and competitions.  It was a very interesting historical book.

From Depths We Rise by Sarah Rodriguez

This book.  It was overwhelming, the trials that this woman and her family and friends had to go through.  The book especially touched me as I lost my father the past March after suffering for eight years with ongoing health issues.  So it was very close to my heart as I read this.

The story of their trials and illnesses were beyond anything most people have to go through, and when you do you know that all things lie in God's hands as to how your own story will go.

The book touched my soul and I felt tears welling throughout the reading of it.  It was amazing how despite it all, she clung to her faith and never waivered, but relied on the Savior to comfort their family and bless them and for the miracles of healing both in body and in spirit.

A wonderful book you will NOT want to miss.

I received a copy of this book from Barbour Publishing for my honest review.