Friendship for Grown-Ups GIVEAWAY

Book: Friendship for Grown-ups

Author:  Lisa Whelchel

"Isnt that what we all want? To be seen, in all our glory, for better or worse, the good, the bad, & the ugly & still be embraced?" If only such friendships were easy to find.  And keep.  For Lisa Whelchel & millions of others, friendship is a challenge.  The vulnerability, trust, balance, grace & time required to develop & maintain strong friendships to not come easily.

Growing up as an actress in Hollywood, there were few people Lisa could trust & even fewer to guide her.  By the time she reached adulthood, she had learned to be self-sufficient.  She was strong, "safe" & she was lonely.  One day, Lisa found that "the desire to experience connection was stronger than the desire to be safe".  She determined right then to finally understand friendship;  how to create one, sustain it, & experience the sheer joy of having it.  But it wasnt easy. 

Since then, she has traveled the ups & downs of friendships, learning about herself, others & the kinds of friendships God designed.
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I zoomed through this book in a few hours... it was just a good read & easy to comprehend Lisa's story & her growth & the things she learned.

For me, I have been very, VERY blessed with friendships.  All through all the stages of my life... from childhood, through teen years, as a young adult & as a woman.... I have had friends come in my life for seasons, but have always had amazing people there for advice, laughter, tears & just plain old friendship.  I just have never had a problem making friends....

After reading this, I can see what a blessing I have had in my life because apparently it is not the case for everyone....

I guess that's what had me so intrigued about Lisa's story & struggle on finding friendship & experiencing it.  It sort of made me open my eyes to people who may have that same struggle. 

But as this wonderful Christian writer goes about her struggles & growths, she has God in it all - with scripture & spiritual lessons & just advise that everyone could take. 

For example - I wrote down this quote out of the book that doesnt necessarily have to do with friendship, but just with a Christian walk:

"I've lived enough life to know that my best intentions are no match for the enemy's brillant use of the weapons of deceit, moments of weakness & things hidden...."  -Amen sister....

Thomas Nelson sent me 5 copies of this book to give away too!  How amazing is that!!!!!  If you are a Women of Faith fan, you will love this book... I loved the questions with each chapter & I especially loved the "Conversation Prompts" at the end too.... perfect for a blogger.

So all you have to do to win... Just leave me a comment & tell me why you love your friends in your life... what makes them so special?  Easy enough! 

And remember - FIVE WINNERS!  WHOO HOOO!!!

Good luck! .... I'll draw the names on Sunday - the 4th of July....

My Rating: 4 skeins
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The Random Generator drew the numbers & here are the winners!!!

1. Gretta

2.  Mimi

3.  Lynn

4.  Lamb Around

5.  Megan

Then I just felt like someone needed this book more then me so I'm giving my copy away as well & the last winner was

6. Becca

Congrats ladies!!!!

The Extra Large Medium

Book:  The Extra Large Medium

Author: Helen Slavin

Ever since she was a child, Annie Colville has been talking to the dead. She knows they’re dead because for some reason they’re always dressed in chocolate brown. But Annie’s grown up now, and things are getting serious. Especially after she falls for and marries Evan Bees. It’s hard enough to lose someone you love; but what if you know they could come back to you? And they just . . . don’t? During her long wait for her missing husband to come back to her, in chocolate brown or not, Annie searches through her mother’s vast collection of lovers for the other missing man in her life — her father — and struggles with the questions her gift asks of her.
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The way the book started off, I thought I was really going to like it... but about a quarter in, I just kind of lost my interest.  The character of Annie just turned "whiney" to me & I just wasnt feeling the story.  I think a big part for me was that areas that I would think would be big parts of the story - like Evan Bees - it would be all covered on one page.  Like in one sentence, they would say, "Evan Bees met me that day.  Two months later we were married.  & then 4 years later, he went away one evening & he disappeared" - that's not from the book, but the way I perceived it .... & seriously, thats the way it seemed to flow.  Then it would take time on something that seemed far away from the story... just weird.

Plus, this is from an English writer so there were terms & words that seemed to be English sayings or their way of speaking....

I dont know... I just by the end, didnt really even care.  Hated that too because I did really think it was going to grip me in those first few pages.

My rating:  1 skein

Eclipse

Book: Eclipse

Author:  Stephenie Meyer

As Seattle is ravaged by a string of mysterious killings and a malicious vampire continues her quest for revenge, Bella once again finds herself surrounded by danger. In the midst of it all, she is forced to choose between her love for Edward and her friendship with Jacob–knowing that her decision has the potential to ignite the ageless struggle between vampire and werewolf. With her graduation quickly approaching, Bella has one more decision to make: life or death. But which is which?

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After reading "The short life of Bree Tanner" - I had to go over Eclipse again & figured with the movie coming out, I needed to read it again...

I'm glad I did... this is my favorite of all 4 books - or is it 5 now with the new book?  But anyways - this is my favorite with Bella, Jacob & Edward...

Couldnt want to get to the chapter "Fire & Ice" that involved the tent scene.  I love the conversation between Jacob & Edward... & the chapter following where Bella finally realizes she does have feelings for Jacob... oh, be still my wolf-loving-heart.

It was neat to read it again - especially after the other book & knowing more "back story" ...

And I know this is a re-read, but I am keeping track of all the books I've read this year, so thats why I have to add it on here...

And once again, my rating:   5 skeins .... with a big dramatic vampire/wolf love triangle sigh....

The short second life of bree tanner

Book:  the short second life of bree tanner

Author:  Stephenie Meyer

Pages:  178

Bree Tanner can barely remember life before she had uncannily powerful seneses, superhuman reflexes & unstoppable physical strength.  Life before she had a relentless thirst for blood... life before she became a vampire.
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this is the story of a "newborn" Bree ... she is mentioned in Eclipse & this is the story of her life... the back story of the newborns from Seattle in Eclipse.

I love that Mrs Meyers did this & now that I read it, wish she would do more.

We know the characters of the Volturri in here & of Riley & of Victoria... but I really enjoyed the story of Freaky Fred & want to now know more about HIM!!!!  (Hint Mrs. Meyers - another story please?)

I so enjoyed when the Cullens became part of the story... I got to see my precious Charlisle too... ahh... I have to say though - I got confused when they were just naming people by hair color.  Edward had red hair?  I'm lost?  A girl had red hair?  The only red head I remember is Victoria... I was confused by that part of the story...

But I felt for bree tanner... knew what the ending of the story was going to be - which made it all the more sad. 

And now, as soon as I put the book on the shelf, I pulled Eclipse out & will now re-read it... I want to see once again the other side...

My rating:  5 skeins

The Help

Book:  The Help

Author:  Kathryn Stockett

Pages: 451

Twenty Two yr old Skeeter has just returned home from graduating from Ole Miss.  She may have a degree, but its 1962, Mississippi, & her mother will not be happy till Skeeter has a ring on her finger.  Skeeter would normally find solace with her beloved maid Constantine, the woman who raised her, but Constantine has disappeared & no one will tell Skeeter where she has gone.

Aibileen is a black maid, a wise, regal woman raising her seventeeth white child.  Something has shifted inside her after the loss of her own son, who died while his bosses looked the other way.  She is devoted to the little girl she looks after (Mae Mobley), though she knows both their hearts may be broken.

Minny, Aibileen's best friend, is short, fat & perhaps the sassiest woman in Mississippi.  She can cook like nobody's business, but she cant mind her tongue so she's lost yet another job.  Minny finally finds a position working for someone too new to town to know her reputation.  But her new boss has secrets of her own.

Seemingly as different from one another as can be, these woman will nonetheless come together for a clandestine project that will put them all at risk.  And why?  Because they are suffocating within the lines that define their town & their times.  And sometimes lines are made to be crossed.
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I've heard so much about this book & have seen it every where on everyone's reading list - so I had to see what it was about... & I am so thankful I did.  The story of these women & the other maids & the women they work for just takes you back into a time that wasnt that far behind us, but seems like it could be forever.  It blows my mind to think that in the time my husband was alive, in Mississippi, people still treated their "maids" or the HELP the way they did. The way racial differences were so harsh & cruel.

The chapters are told from the different perspective of these three women who come together.  Afraid to trust each other at first, but having friendships develope between them is just so endearing.  I couldnt wait to get to each word in this book, to see what would happen in the chance these women were taking. 

Skeeter, being an "outsider" because she wasnt married or had children & didnt quite fit in with the "society ladies" - people who used to be her friends growing up.  Aibileen, who did everything to make sure the children she watched had a little bit more sense of black people & they were really no different.  I love the stories she would tell Mae Mobley - especially about the green alien, Martian Luther King!!!! ... & I just love Minny - I can relate to a lady who has a big mouth.  The woman she works for, Celia, just entranced me too - because she too was a loner... someone who I envisioned as Marilyn Monroe - someone the other women didnt like because they knew their husband DID like her...

I didnt want this book to end.  I felt like I knew each one of these ladies... & I loved them... I can tell a good book by my reactions on reading a story.  Yep, I actually gasped at parts, actually laughed out loud at parts, & actually teared up in areas... & my heart ached for these women... that is why this book is up in a top ranking of my favorite books...you wont regret traveling back in time to Mississippi in the 60's & meeting these women...

My rating:  5 skeins