Mother & Son: The Respect Effect

Author: Dr. Emerson Eggerichs, Ph.D.

Publisher: Thomas Nelson

Release Date: April 5, 2016

One of the best parenting books written, especially for mothers of boys!

It is always talked about father and sons and them being best buddies, but there is something special about the relationship between mother and son. It is a bond like no other, but how do we enhance that bond and make the relationship even better? Dr. Eggerichs has written a book that is specific for mothers and sons and how the relationship is so different from mothers and daughters. With each chapter I read, I was awed by the insight I found from within. When you think of mothers, the first thing that comes to mind is love; Mother’s give love to their children both girls and boys. This book shows that boys need love, but they also need respect even more. The way Dr. Eggerichs presents this information is eye opening and will give mothers tools that they need to help their sons feel loved and respected.

As I read this book, I found myself nodding my head in agreement with all I read; it is such good information for parents and written in a way I had not thought about before. I had this book recommended to me by another mother and have found that I can now be a better mother for my two sons. This book takes a good, biblical look at how we need to approach parenting our sons and helping them to grow up to be the best men they can be. I recommend this book to all parents of boys to try and be the best parent they can be.

My Jesus

Author: Anne Wilson

Publisher: Thomas Nelson

Release Date: October 25, 2022

An uplifting story about dealing with loss and healing while learning to lean on God during the good and the bad!

Anne Wilson came onto the Christian music scene with a powerful country/bluegrass sound and her song, My Jesus, which exploded up the charts. In her book, My Jesus, Anne gives listeners of her music an inside look at her path to becoming a recording artist. Anne originally had a goal of going to space and becoming an astronaut, but when her brother passed away in a car crash, her plans changed. She and her family were very close and the death of her brother, Jacob, almost crushed them. When they couldn’t find anyone to sing at his memorial, Anne stepped up; even though she had never sung publicly she quickly found she had a talent for it. Finding hope in God was how Anne and her family made it through the hardest time in their lives.

This book was a quick glimpse into the life of an up-and-coming Christian music artist, one that is quickly become one of my favorite artists. I enjoyed seeing how she was shaped by tragedy and found her voice, a gift given to her by her Jesus. Her voice in singing and now in writing is real, authentic and a breath of fresh air. The tragedy she and her family faced is one no one wants to have to encounter but the way they let it move them closer to God and each other is uplifting and so great to read. I recommend this book to those looking for an uplifting read with one of the brightest young stars.

I received a complimentary copy of this title from the publisher. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.

Love, Pray, Listen

Author: Mary DeMuth

Publisher: Bethany House

Release Date: September 6, 2022

A great book looking at the parent/child relationship in a different light as we age and dynamics change.

Mary DeMuth takes readers on a journey of learning how things can become drastically different as children get older. I only have young children now, but picked up this book wanting to see what it held for me as an adult daughter for my parents and to better prepare myself for when my children do grow up. I found many of the chapters eye opening with how to cope with dealing with the hard times of when communication becomes harder, and realizing this is the stage I am in with my own mother. Trying to prepare for when I want to overstep in my grown kids’ lives and when it is best to just sit back, pray, love and listen to them.

As a parent we never wan to our kids to make mistakes or go through hard times that could have been avoided if they just listen to us, but we are here to love them no matter what. Mary DeMuth does a fabulous job of putting together a book that has so many tools to help us in dealing with these hard times and making them a little less difficult and trying. I would recommend this book to parents as their kids are getting older to keep from struggling as they age and want to live their own lives.

I received a complimentary copy of this title from the publisher. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.

The Clutter Fix

Author: Shannon Acheson

Publisher: Bethany House

Release Date: September 13, 2022

A super quick and easy guide to getting rid of excess and living by the mindset of “less is more.”

We live in a world of stuff; everywhere we look there is more and better stuff to have in our lives and in our homes. But does that stuff really make us happy? The short answer is no; we think it will make us happy but if we have too much we end up with chaos and disorganized clutter all around that can leave us feeling anxious and depressed.

Shannon Acheson uses the tools throughout this book to help readers learn to get rid of what they don’t need and how to organize what they do keep. Step by step instructions along with helpful checklists will give readers the tools they need to start down the path of having less so they can enjoy what they do have more. One of the nicest things about the book is it doesn’t just deal with the physical stuff, it also talks about emotional clutter and cleaning out email inboxes and such that can get over run and overlooked. I always enjoy a good cleanout and purge and using the checklists throughout this book will make for a great tool to make it so much easier. I recommend this book to everyone, even if you feel like you don’t have much to get rid of this list will show you there is more to declutter than you would think.

I received a complimentary copy of this title from the publisher. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.

Brain Washed

Author: Manny Arango

Publisher: Bethany House

Release Date: September 13, 2022

A great book that will help readers take back control of their mind in a world where our minds are constantly being attacked.

Our world bombards us with so many distractions and things that can take our minds and thoughts captive, and we have a choice, let it take us captive or take the thoughts captive. Throughout the pages of this book, readers see how important it is to look to scripture in order to transform our minds and overcome what the world wants and expects of us. Many times throughout my life, I have heard that the Bible is the instructional manual for our lives. That can be hard to believe but it really is true. The Bible gives us instructions to deal with whatever may come our way, and I’ve had several hard things come my way lately. Learning to truly rely on God and his word is a hard thing but when we do find that faith it will change lives.

Dealing with trauma and pain can make relationships and our journey through life very difficult but using the words throughout Brain Washed will help make things easier. As I read through the pages of this book, I found myself nodding my head and smiling at many of the lessons it taught. With social media and all the outlets available to escape into, it is easier than ever for evil thoughts to get into our head and take us down a path we don’t want to be on. Readers will go throughout these pages and find helpful advice for everyday life and so much more.

I received a complimentary copy of this title from the publisher. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.

Rookie Mistakes

Author: Kelly Bandas

Publisher: July 19, 2022

Publisher: Thomas Nelson

We all make mistakes; this book helps us learn to laugh at the mistakes and learn from them so we can have the best life possible.

Kelly Bandas is a comedian that uses her humor to help others by learning from the mistakes she has made and our own at trying to become a functional adult in this crazy world we live in. She was raised in a catholic home and all throughout her childhood Kelly was afraid to upset God, that she would never be good enough. As she grew, she tried to learn what it was like to live in a world that was cruel and hard at times and even though she felt alone, she was never alone. Each story that Kelly shares brings laughter and a sense of head nodding readers can agree with and feel connected to someone in ways they might not have expected.

As I read this book, I found so many of the stories relatable and made me feel better as a parent and person in this crazy life. We all make mistakes, every single day, but if we can learn from the mistakes and learn to do better without judging ourselves or others too harshly for it life will be better. If we can learn from our Rookie Mistakes and not keeping making the same ones over and over, maybe it will all be worth it.

I received a complimentary copy of this title from the publisher. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.

Her True Worth

Author: Brittany Maher & Cassandra Speer

Publisher: Thomas Nelson

Release Date: July 5, 2022

A powerful book that hits home in this day and age of social media and feeling like we have to live up to the false identities all around us.

Brittany Maher and Cassandra Speer have the ministry Her True Worth and are popular on social media. They are using their calling to help other women work to break free from the chains that social media can impose on them. Brittany worked for years in the beauty industry while Cassandra became depressed with the messages being sent about a woman’s worth. All around they would both see women lost and seeking attention and affirmation without looking to the only one that can give us what we need, Jesus Christ. Within the pages of this book, these two women show readers what God intended our identity to be, not what we have been told it should be. Each chapter is a reminder that our true worth is found in the one that loves us unconditionally and will steer us away from the false messages we have been led to believe.

This book hit me hard at a time I have doubted my worth not only with God, but with others around me. I recently had a great friend of mine celebrate a birthday and had lots of friends post about times with her and I started to wonder if I was as good of a friend because I didn’t post on Facebook about our friendship. How crazy is that? I had to take a step back and realize if that affected our friendship, which it didn’t, the friendship wasn’t real to begin with. With social media in our world, we see more and more young adults and even older adults becoming obsessed with being online and “liked” and depressed if they don’t have the right social media presence. I loved each and every chapter of this book and the way it pointed out how our value is much more than we realize based on social media and the world around us. If we can continue to remind us to look to Jesus and what he thinks of us instead of the world we will all be in better shape.

I received a complimentary copy of this title from the publisher. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.

A Faith Unleashed

Author: Joshua J. Masters

Publisher: Bold Vision Books

Release Date: April 21, 2021

An absolutely precious and powerful book that will give readers all the feels and bring you closer to God with each new chapter.

Franklin is an abused and neglected little pup before coming to live in his forever home. He spent his youngest days in a puppy mill and was severely neglected which left him afraid of most everything life had to offer. His journey from brokenness to a life of joy and belonging is a lot like our own. Each chapter gives us a cute story of Franklin’s life and then connects it to a biblical application for our own lives. With the passing of each chapter, readers see the similarities of Franklin’s journey of being rescued and our own as we allow Christ to rescue us from our lives and give us new life in him.

I was amazed as I read each new chapter and saw the way Masters wove together how we ourselves are like a rescued pup when we allow Jesus to come into our lives and make things so much better than we ever knew possible. At the start of each chapter we get a cute little Franklin story and then see how that can apply to our lives, which made me look at things in an entirely new light. All the comparisons are down to earth, easy to relate to with nothing too crazy that the readers will have trouble believing. One of the nicest things about this book is I could hand it over to my pre-teen son and feel like he would get a closer connection to the Lord through the pages. It is a great book for new believers and especially animal lovers.

Messy to Meaningful: My Purse Runneth Over

Authors: Monica Schmelter, Rhonda Rhea, Kaley Rhea

Publisher: Bold Vision Books

Release Date: February 2, 2021

A fun, engaging book that kept me laughing and smiling with the turn of every page and an uplifted spirit.

Do you ever feel weighed down with extra baggage, both spiritually and physically? Whether you carry a backpack, purse, fanny pack or small clutch, we all have something that holds the things we need as we go throughout the day. Some of us have everything plus the kitchen sink while others get by with the bare minimum. What we carry with us can say a lot about us and what is going on in our lives and what we value. I make sure anywhere I go I have a book in my bag, you never know when a line might be long or stuck in traffic that could allow you to get a few pages in. We also have the baggage the world can put on us, feelings of failure and a lack of peace. Each of us need to find a way to let go of the things that won’t bring us anything good and fight for what matters to keep in our bags. When we have what we need in our bags, our purse will runneth over and we will feel full inside and out!

I’ve read Rhonda and Kaley Rhea several times before and knew that anything they teamed together to write would be on my shelf. Now, with the addition of Monica Schmelter, there was so much more to love and laugh about within the pages of the book. I love when you get a group of writers that can craft a story in a way that makes you laugh but also leaves an impression with you of what they are trying to teach you. Each chapter gives a lesson with humor, one of the best nonfiction tools for me. A lot of times nonfiction is very hard for me to get through, just doesn’t hold my attention, but with these books it is easy to let the pages fly and enjoy the lessons within. I recommend this book for all those struggling with what is right and best to keep in their “bag.” No matter how big or small the bag we carry may be, we all need the right tools to help us through the crazy times we are living in.

This is such a fun book that I believe many readers will enjoy it. Find it on Amazon!

I received a complimentary copy of this title from the publisher. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.

Fix Her Upper: Christmas

Authors: Beth Duewel & Rhonda Rhea

Publisher: Bold Vision Books

Release Date: November 24, 2020

Reviewer: Jessica Higgins

Fix-Her-Upper Christmas is a wonderful addition in this season, especially in the year we are all going through. Everyone can gleam something wonderful from this spectacularly fun book!

It’s the most wonderful time of the year, or the most stressful time for some. If this season of shopping, family, decorations is getting a tad overwhelming, you are not alone. Throughout the pages of this book, you will find story upon story from Beth and Rhonda of trials and struggles they have gone through and the way they worked through them with humor and faith to discover the real reason for the season was worth more than any gift they could buy. The message is clear, even in the frantic season we are in, our focus should be on Jesus, He is the reason for the season, and if we forget that, there really is nothing to celebrate. Less is more is a main theme throughout, and I love that. The devotions are spot on with just the right amount of humor and insightful tidbits to bring us joy and helpful holiday tips.

Anytime you pick up a Rhonda Rhea and Beth Duewel book you know you are going to be rolling on the floor laughing and come away feeling refreshed. This time of year, we could use with a little laughter and refreshing. No matter how hard this year has been, and for some it has been unbearable, we can all find some cheer within the pages and rely on the hope that Christmas is about the birth of our savior and nothing is more important than that. If we fix our eyes on Him, this could very well be the best Christmas we have ever had.