Review of PTSD: A Spouse's Perspective

PTSD: A Spouse's Perspective by Erica David is a book written by the wife of a man that came home from war a changed man.  He was emotionally and verbally abusive.  It drove Erica into a deep depression.  She constantly felt like she was walking through a minefield all the time.  She and her children had no idea what was going on.  She does a great job explaining the symptoms, causes, etc of PTSD.  I think this book is a great read for anyone that has been through verbal, emotional or physical abuse.  I downloaded this e-book this afternoon and read it completely in a couple of hours.  It was easily read and definitely kept my attention!  I received this e-book for free from Booksneeze in exchange for an honest review.

Review of Overcoming Abuse God's Way...

Overcoming Abuse God's Way: Rags to Riches by Janet Marie Napper and Brenda Branson is a memoir about one lady's path to overcoming abuse and forgiving her abuser.  Growing up in a verbally and emotionally abusive home, I could easily relate to a lot of the emotions in this book.  I am not sure I would recommend this book to everyone, but for those of us that have dealt with abuse, it is very helpful.  The scriptures at the end of each chapter were like a breath of fresh air.

I received this ebook for free from Booksneeze in exchange of an honest review.

Desperate... Hope for the Mom Who Needs to Breathe by Sarah Mae and Sally Clarkson

I don't know about you, but there are days when I am tired.  I love my kids to the moon and back and would lay down my life any day and any time for them, but sometimes life is hard and some days are hard.  I fight with selfishness many days and want to read or write or just be still.  There is hope for me on those days.  There is hope every day, but especially on those days.  I loved the way they weaved Bible verses into the chapters and loved how real and transparent Sarah Mae and Sally Clarkson are.  It felt like you were sitting down with them over a cup of tea.  I am very thankful that after reading this book, my eyes were opened to how selfish I had been with my time.  I am very thankful that there is still time to correct my mistakes and ask for forgiveness.

The description of the book reads:

"I just can't be a mother today."

These words have been whispered to God in quiet desperation by mothers who love their children to the depths of their soul, but who are struggling with how hard motherhood is.

Motherhood turns you inside out. Sometimes you feel overwhelmed by how tired you feel; the days go on and on, and you want to be a "good" mom, but you feel like a failure so much of the time. What happened to all your ideals? When did you end up feeling so...lost?

Sarah Mae and Sally Clarkson have been to the edge and back. Desperate is the story of one young mother’s trials and one experienced mentor’s priceless exhortations. Desperate is not a book about despair, nor is it a rule-laden mothering manual. It is a bouquet from a friend who has been there, reminding us that we are not alone. Sarah Mae’s unvarnished account of her own struggles mothering three feisty young children is a lesson in learning patience, loving idiosyncrasies, accepting help, and—most of all—leaning on God.

Each chapter includes a brief Bible study with journal exercises to help you find your own quiet center, and get you back into the fray soul-filled and refreshed. Written with candor, empathy, and faith, Desperate is like coffee with a trusted girlfriend; one who knows how hard being a mother can be, and how to navigate the often turbulent road.

I honestly think this is the best book on mothering that I have ever read.  If you are a mother, no matter the ages of your children, I cannot recommend this book enough.  It will give you hope and encouragement to be the mother than God has planned for your children.  

I received this e-book free through Booksneeze, in exchange for an honest review.  

Encouraged...

Our family has been under some crazy spiritual attack so far this year and I have been feeling some major discouragement.  Not full blown depression, as I have faced many times before, but this heavy feeling of defeat and despair.  Thanks to a sweet friend, I was reminded this morning that we should be encouraged by attacks from the devil.  If God didn't have a great plan for our lives, we would not be a threat to the devil and we would not be facing these attacks.  Thanks to her encouragement this morning, I feel peace and know that we are going to be okay.  So, starting this morning, I am choosing joy.  The devil is not going to pull me into his trap of defeat and despair.  Christ in me is so much more powerful than the devil.  Now I have My God is Greater on repeat in my head.  What a great song to dwell on this morning.  If my God is for us, who can ever stop us...

So, be encouraged.  No matter what you are going through or what you are facing, God has gone before you.  Your trials did not surprise Him.  There is a reason for your pain and He will use your pain for His purpose.  

Review of Fix by Force by Jason Warne

When I first read the description of this book, I knew immediately that I wanted to read it.  Here is the description: Drawn from personal experiences, this fast-faced story about self-image, relationships, choices, and sources of hope aims to speak to those readers who seek authentic and relatable characters they can identify with in real-life situations. Spencer doesn’t have a choice. He can't choose to be different than what he is—the son of the town's worst enemy, the weakling who can't stand up for himself, the loser without friends. He can't change the way things are. Or maybe he can. Spencer believes he needs to fix his life, and that is what the steroids promise—a quick fix.

The first thoughts I had were, that is so similar to the way I felt growing up.  I had some major self-image issues, because of a stepdad that was constantly telling me that I was fat and not worth anything.  I had relationship issues because I was scared of letting people get close to me and being hurt.  If I couldn't trust my Mom and stepdad to protect me and not hurt me emotionally, how could I trust others to not do the same thing?  I found myself turning to the misfits at school, because I was looking for acceptance anywhere I could get it.  

Looking for a quick fix, some way to forget about the pain for a little while made perfect sense to me as a teenager.  I never did drugs or steroids, but that could have easily been me.  I love reading books where the main character seems very real.  This one definitely felt that way for me.  

I loved the book and would recommend it to teenage boys and girls.  I will definitely recommend my son read it and have a conversation with him about it when he is done.  

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Review of The River by Michael Neale

A friend of mine texted me a month or so ago and asked if I was going to read The River.  I had not heard of the book and really wasn't sure, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized Jennifer and I tend to be drawn to the same kind of books, so it would probably be a good book!  I am so glad that she texted me and let me know about this book.

The back cover states: “You were made for The River . . .”

Gabriel Clarke is mysteriously drawn to The River, a ribbon of frothy white water carving its way through steep canyons high in the Colorado Rockies. The rushing waters beckon him to experience freedom and adventure.

But something holds him back—the memory of the terrible event he witnessed on The River when he was just five years old—something no child should ever see.

Chains of fear and resentment imprison Gabriel, keeping him from discovering the treasures of The River. He remains trapped, afraid to take hold of the life awaiting him.

When he returns to The River after years away, his heart knows he is finally home. His destiny is within reach. Claiming that destiny will be the hardest—and bravest—thing he has ever done.

 It starts out with the author sitting in an airport and meeting Gabriel Clark.  Gabriel really wanted to share his story with someone and after the first couple of pages, you are so drawn into his story.  He grew up living near the river with his Dad.  The parallels in his life and my life, as a child that grew up after losing a Father way too soon, kept me riveted to this book.  I did not want to put it down.  The author tells the story absolutely beautifully.  The ending shocked me, but it turns out so amazing.  I would recommend this book to anyone.

I received this book from Thomas Nelson through Book Sneeze in exchange for my honest review.  I was under no obligation to write a positive review.  The opinions in this review are entirely my own.

Review of Crazy Dangerous by Andrew Klavan

Crazy Dangerous is not the normal book for me to read or review.  When I saw there was a new book by Andrew Klavan, I wanted to read it, though.  I have only read one or two other books of his, but I loved his writing.  He writes Christian fiction, but his books are not overly preachy.  I love that!  This book was a very quick read.  I think it took my two days to read it cover to cover.  My teenage son could not wait to read it when I was finished!  He actually purchased the book on his nook, because I was not reading fast enough for him!  

“You probably want to hear about Jennifer and the demons and how I played chicken with a freight train and—oh yeah—the weird murder . . . you’re definitely going to want to hear about that.”

Sam Hopkins is a good kid who has fallen in with a bad crowd. Hanging around with car thieves and thugs, Sam knows it’s only a matter of time before he makes one bad decision too many and gets into real trouble.

But one day, Sam sees them harassing an eccentric schoolmate of his named Jennifer. When Sam finds the courage to face the bullies down, he loses a bad set of friends and acquires a very strange new one.

Because Jennifer is not just eccentric. To Sam, she seems downright crazy. She has terrifying hallucinations involving demons and the devil and death. And here’s the really crazy part: Sam is beginning to suspect that these visions may actually be prophecies—prophecies of something terrible that’s going to happen very soon. Unless he can stop it.

With no one to believe him, with no one to help him, Sam is now all alone in a race against time. Finding the truth before disaster strikes is going to be both crazy and very, very dangerous.

Crazy Dangerous kept my attention from the beginning until the end!  I did not want to put it down!  Sam is a preacher's kid that falls in with a bad crowd.  I could really relate to him, because I also fell in with a bad crowd in high school.  I was looking for attention from anywhere I could get it because I felt like my parents did not have time for me.  So, the book really hit home.  I was very caught up in the story line and could not wait to see what was going to happen!  The main thing that I carried away from the book was Sam's mantra "Do Right.  Fear Nothing."  I have lived my life in fear and that was very encouraging!  

Disclosure: I received a free copy of this book from Thomas Nelson publishers through their BookSneeze program in exchange for my review.