The Mistletoe Promise

The Mistletoe Promise by Richard Paul Evans
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It's everything cheesy that you would expect from a Holiday book, but I loved it. I always seem to like Richard Paul Evans.
This is the story of Elisa & Nicholas. Two people who were lonely during the holidays & Nicholas, being a lawyer, came up with a contract which they called The Mistletoe Promise, where they would accompany each other during the holidays to Thanksgiving & Christmas events.
It reminded me of something like Pretty Woman, minus the hooker thing :)
It was a sweet story really as Nicholas swept Elise off of her feet through the holidays & as they started developing real emotions for each other. But they were both hiding a secret & not sure how the other would feel once each of their secrets were revealed.
Of course, as I mentioned, with cheesy holidays books come cheesy parts. Enter the role of Elise's ex-husband, Dan, who just got on my nerves & whose character just didn't fit with the class of the other two.
The stupid ex-husband didn't falter me from wanting to know what happens to these two.
It really was a fun read for the Holidays.

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Me Before You

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I knew this book was not going to have a happy ending.

When you hear of anyone talking about it & using the words like, heartbroken, tissues, puffy eyes... yeah, I knew going in to be prepared.

I still cried though. I'll use all those words myself now.

We meet Will Traynor. A man who had the life of a rich, powerful, business man playboy & how his life changed when he had an accident leaving him as a quadriplegic.
We meet Louisa who is looking for a job & not skilled for anything but somehow is hired for Will's caregiver. Two opposites together. She learning how to take care of Will. He learning how to make it through every day.

I don't want to give anything away because I think people have been really good at keeping the main points of the story to a place where you need to read it to find out where all this heart break comes from.

I will say I did enjoy the book. I was rooting for Lou. I was especially rooting for Will. I was rooting for the relationship they were developing. I was totally enraptured in the story.
It made me thankful for my health & the abilities I have & don't give much thought to.

The CONS of the book? I thought it was a little strange how they had a random chapter every now & then from someone else's point of view. It just felt odd to me.
The book is written from people in a different country, so to have different culture & use of words, it took me a bit to get used to some of it.
Neither of the cons made me dislike the book any less though.

In the end, I really enjoy the book, even though I closed it with a heavy heart & tear stained face. But if a book can move you to that emotion, then it gets a thumbs up for me.

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Neil Patrick Harris: Choose your Own Autobiography

Neil Patrick Harris: Choose Your Own Autobiography by Neil Patrick Harris
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

OK - let's put aside the face that I always said that I'm sure Neil Patrick Harris & I would be best friends if we met (which he confirmed in this book... seriously... he said those same words) - but this really is a fun book. Exactly what I expected from him.

And if you are wondering, it really IS an adventure book, just like the ones from when you were a kid. You can be on an adventure & make decisions as you want your life, as Neil Patrick Harris, to go.

I did try to do that but I was afraid I would miss something... which you would have if you didn't read it straight through. There's a spoiler for you. Or if you did do the adventure book style, look around for the pages that you missed then :)

But this is the story of his life from starting as a child actor, to a husband with twins & everything in between. It has its moments of realness, its moments of what growing up as a star looks like, its moments of what realizing you are gay, as a star, looks like. But even better, there are moments of funny, of a sense of humor that NPH has, a real person. & even pages of magic. Seriously. Real magic. He walks you through a few magic tricks ... that ALL work out! Don't ask me how. I really believe NPH is beyond magical now :) Try the tricks. You'll be amazed yourself.

I will say, there is language throughout the book & even a chapter that I was cringing with the language & the content.. but it was just a smidgen compared to the whole book.

In the end, I sat & read the last few chapters of how Neil & David became parents & what fatherhood is to him... & I seriously teared up. It was so moving. & the last part, just imaging how NPH would do it with the style of a Broadway star, I totally got choked up & wanted to start the adventure again.

I'm sad this book is over... a true sign of a good book.

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Knockout Knits

Knockout Knits: New Tricks for Scarves, Hats, Jewelry, and Other Accessories by Laura Nelkin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

love to knit & always am interested in knitting books. This one did not fail.

It had such beautiful patterns & new techniques that I have not tried. Plus the pictures in the book were so gorgeous & the patterns were well written & easy to understand.

The only problem now is I'm not sure which project to start first.

My step daughter is a knitter as well & I know as soon as she sees this book, she's going to want it for herself.

This is a perfect book to get for knitters in your life.


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Catcher, Caught

Catcher, Caught by Sarah Honenberger
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

So this book is supposed to be based off the book, The Catcher in the Rye. I've never read it, so I'm thinking i may have been missing out on a big part of this book. but i kept reading, learning the story of a teenager, Daniel, who has leukemia & his battle with his parents who are all about natural healing, & being forced to send their chils to school when they want to keep him home. also about the relationship he has witb his first love, Meredith & his brothers & a friend he sees traveling down the wrong road.

it was a coming of age book, twisted with knowing his life may not be long lived.

i just didnt feel this book. again, maybe because he talked a lot about his relationship with Holden & I'm lost in those areas. & mainly because when the end came, i felt cheated, like, this is it? I felt short changed after everything i watched Daniel go through. Not my favorite book.

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Divergent

Divergent by Veronica Roth
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

So I'm a little late to this party. I actually saw the movie first, which I never like to do before reading a book, but in this case, I'm glad I did. I think I would have been a little lost in the book if I read it first.

All these stories sort of blend together, Harry Potter, Hunger Games & now Divergent.

I liked the story though. The idea that the world sections people off & people don't always stay in the same category... or that one faction wants more power then the others.

I really think I would be Divergent myself... :) with dauntless being on the lesser side. You're not going to see me jumping off trains or jumping off buildings.

I heard a lot of people that loved this book & a lot that actually thought it was dumb. I did enjoy it. Excited to read the next one... but dreading the 3rd one. Opinions seem to be in agreement on that one - its dumb... I just hope I can figure out all that is happening... onto the next one.

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Where she went

Where She Went by Gayle Forman
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

****SPOILERS******
When I got to the end of 'If I Stay' I was sorta disappointed. It didn't feel like a real ending to me. I mean, I wanted Mia to wake up & say some words of what happened. It just sort of blank screened...

& then I was excited to hear there was another book. OK - I get to know what happened afterwards
... only to find that her & Adam have broken up! WHAT? This is the guy who was devastated to loose the love of his life in the previous book & we see he's a big time rock star & living with some other big name star?

I wasn't happy going into this book. Seeing how sad Adam was & how he was thrown to the curb for Mia's cello career.

So on a total run in, Adam sees Mia is in town & watches her perform & their encounter to see each other in years happens. As they talk about the past few years & eventually discuss how life has really touched them, that's when I started liking the book.

It did take me awhile to get into it.
I actually skipped ahead a few chapters because it was just making me mad... but then as I was reading, I noticed I missed something & ended up going back & reading everything I missed. & was glad I did.

Now, at the end of it all, I can put this book down happily...enjoying the full circle story of Mia & Adam...

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Finding our way Home

I wanted to read this book as soon as I saw it was about a ballerina. I'm mystified by these dancers.  & reading about Sasha & her injuries that take her away from what she loves just hits me. If you ever have your life path changed, you'd understand.  We see Sasha return home to where she needs help.  Enter Evelyn.  We see that sometimes opposites are drawn to each other in friendship... causing bumpy roads.  But seeing that the bumps can come together to show grace & friendship can make the paths smooth again. 

I thought this was a easy read & I really am looking forward to more books by this author.

____________
Given this book for review by Blogging for Books

Love the One You're With

Love the One You're With by Emily Giffin
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I hadn't read an Emily Griffin book in the longest time. It felt good to sink in a fun, easy read.

This is a story of Ellen & her perfect marriage. Perfect until she sees an old boyfriend out on the street one day. He comes & meets her at a coffee shop, & the feelings are stirred up again.

Is Ellen happy in her perfect house, with her perfect husband, with her perfect in laws, or is the guy who broke her heart, but still holds a part of, the one she should have ended up with?

I was torn in the book. I hate any kind of cheating story & thankful this didn't get raunchy or distasteful. & I was thrilled with the ending.

I just took this book as a really easy read. Just as I knew Emily Griffin could deliver. Chick-lit at its finest. So while I was rooting for my favorite guy in the story, & I was rooting for Ellen to pick the right path, I took it all in stride of a nice mindless read.

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Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was pulled into this book just because flipping through it, there are pictures. Hello! I'm a picture nut. & not just regular pictures, but pictures from long ago... those 'weird' looking pictures that just seem so odd. This author took these pictures & turned them into a story... of peculiar children.

The book follows Jacob who listens to his grandfather tell of his friends from the pictures & the stories of the amazing things these friends could do. Jacob believed them, until he grew up & then just felt his grandfather was good at telling tales.... & then when his grandfather dies in front of him in a very unusual way, Jacob starts to wonder about the things his grandfather told him about his past.

We find Jacob heading to the island where his grandfather grew up in a children's home & coming across the past of his grandfather.

it's a story that has a sci-fi sort of twist, with a little bit of Harry Potter kind of magic.

I really loved the story - loved the excitement of it - loved meeting the peculiar children & learning of their talent. Strength, bees coming out of mouths, invisible, needing lead shoes or a little girl could fly away. I loved that Miss Peregrine "The Bird" was still in charge of these children in their 'loop' & protecting these kids as wights & hollows are after them.

This book has totally set up the series for the adventures of the children & Jacob as he learned he's not so 'normal' after all & got a lot of genes from his grandfather....

I am already heading out to get the next book "The Hollow City" this week... I want to make sure these peculiar children are ok :)

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If I stay

If I Stay by Gayle Forman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

So I saw the commercials for the movie & immediately saw it was a book & knew I had to read it.
The story of a young lady, Mia, who is in an accident with her family. She is standing on the side of the road seeing everything that happened, even her own body. She watches as everything goes on around her, as people she loves comes & talks to her, as nurses whisper encouragement in her ears, as her boyfriend Adam does what he can to get in & see her. During the whole book, we get glimpses of Mia's life & her relationship with her parents who seem like the coolest parents ever, her brother Teddy & how her relationship with Adam developed. We also see the talent Mia has & her dreams of going to Julliard & the decisions she would have to make to leave the people she loves behind to pursue her dream. But then, the accident... everything changes. And Mia knows she has the choice to make. To leave & just let her body die.. or to come back to her body & deal with the suffering & pain.

I really did enjoy the book. It was a good, fast, easy read. I was involved in the story of Mia's life & all the stories she has with her parents & especially with Adam.

I really did get choked up as Mia realizes everything she has lost in this accident... & I laughed as we see the wonderful life Mia had with her family & friends... this book totally had me fully invested.

I will say, I was disappointed in the ending though. It felt sort of abrupt to me & didn't give me any sort of closure to it all. But when I see there is another book that follows, then I figure that's where I find my closure... or at least I hope so.

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Let's all be Brave

Let's All Be Brave: Living Life with Everything You Have by Annie F. Downs
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I saw this book going around everywhere & was excited to get it. When I started off reading it, I was instantly hooked because I saw the name "Steven Curtis Chapman" being used as Annie talked about a song of his. OK - so we can be instant friends!
Then, it was weird. I think maybe I was expecting something else reading a lot of women's Christian books. This didn't feel like the others.
It took me a few chapters to get the feel of the book, but then I was hooked.
The stories switch up quickly & sometimes connect, sometimes they don't... but I started to love every word written.
I loved how she could have one chapter being "Hold On" & the next "Let it go" & had examples of how God works in both.
I went into this book thinking it'll be a good read but didn't expect to have God speak things on my heart about areas I need to Brave in... that's exactly what happened. I feel the need to start praying about being brave in personal things in my life, & in spiritual things. I now have a fire started in my soul about it all... I think that's the point of this book.
& if we all get a little bit of spark of being Brave? The things that could change...

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Passing Strangers

Passing Strangers by Angela Elwell Hunt
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I am so disappointed to give this an 'ok' - I love Angela Hunt. She's one of my favorite authors & I usually give her 5 stars across the board. Was so excited for her latest book... but I just didn't feel it.

This story is about 3 strangers on a train going across the part of the country & the way they meet. The story then sort of breaks up into each individual person's story & what their background is.

I really liked the first one with a story of a girl who was a famous child star on a reality based TV & as she grew up, she fled from all things famous. When her mother is dying, what does she do. I'm all into this story.

The second story lost me. It was the story of this man who has 2 children & he lost his wife in an accident. He is a lawyer who works way too much & wants others to take care of his children. His trip was basically to leave his kids at his mothers house. Something about this part of the story just bothered me. It seemed stupid, didn't seem real. Aggravated me about how easily this guy was going to leave his kids.

The third story was about a mom who had to leave because her adult daughter was causing issues in their home. This part was OK but I was so exhausted by this book by then, I didn't enjoy it.

In the end, you see how the 3 people are intertwined now as friends, but I was just glad to get it over with honestly. I have another Angela Hunt book on my Kindle to read. Hoping I find my faith back in this author.

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Running Away: a memoir

Running Away: A Memoir by Robert Andrew Powell
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I love stories on people's journey into running & hearing about their experiences in races. So I was excited to give this book a go. I just didn't get into this one.
This was the story of Robert & his life after his divorce, finding his living arrangements in Hotels & without a job. He decides to try something his own father did at his late years in his life. Take up running. Except his father qualified for Boston on his first marathon out & then finished Boston in an amazing time. A true natural.
Robert decides to try the same, moving from Miami & going to Boulder, Colorado.
The book documents the whole thing, the people he meets, the people that train him, all the way through is qualifying Boston race - his first marathon. But the book just kept traveling back & going through the past & this book seemed more like a therapy book about the relationship he had with his father more then anything else. Everything was a comparison, an attitude of being better then his father, how his father seemed to think of his son as worthless & this was just a point to prove to his dad.
I actually got so bored with it at one point, I skipped like 10 chapters & STILL didn't feel like I missed anything - the next chapter started with the same feel.
I will say, I did enjoy the chapter on his marathon he ran...but even that, his father being at the race & at the finish line, & the voice of his dad he heard in his head...
yeah, more of a therapy book then a running book.

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Dreaming of the Sea

Dreaming of the Sea by Heidi Garrett
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a cute little read. Apparently this author takes well known fairy tales & redoes them with a twist.

This was one taken from the Little Mermaid ... & the story of how the Sea Witch, how she came to be, how she controlled things, how she had a deal with the devil & needs an apprentice before she dies. & what happened when the latest Sea Witch finds a human to become her apprentice, one who is beautiful & has a strong faith in God...

I really did enjoy this book & was totally into the story of it. Give me a fairy tale, even a twisted backwards version, & I'll still love it.

I already downloaded another one of the 'mixed up' fairy tales she wrote, I think based off of Snow White.

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Everybody's Got Something

Everybody's Got Something by Robin Roberts
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I love Robin Roberts & was excited to see she wrote a book about her experience with MDS. It helps that I love autobiographies as well.

This book definitely shines the love of family Robin has, the joy she has in life & the strength she has through the loss of her mother & the trials of her illness.

There's not much in the book that you haven't seen on her special or heard her talk about on shows, but it's still a good easy read to sit back & enjoy.

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Paper Towns

Paper Towns by John Green
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Quentin Jacobsen has spent a lifetime loving the magnificently adventurous Margo Roth Spiegelman from afar. So when she cracks open a window and climbs back into his life — dressed like a ninja and summoning him for an ingenious campaign of revenge — he follows.

After their all-nighter ends and a new day breaks, Q arrives at school to discover that Margo, always an enigma, has now become a mystery. But Q soon learns that there are clues — and they’re for him. Urged down a disconnected path, the closer he gets, the less Q sees of the girl he thought he knew

____________________

So I started off loving this book where it talks about the all nighter that Margo & "Q" went through. I laughed & enjoyed their night of revenge. Sweet to see Q get to see his childhood friend again & feel a closeness to her again.
... & then she disappears.

The rest after that had me up & down on the book.

I loved the times Q was with his friends Radar & Ben. It felt like real life teenage attitude. Going through prom, graduation, hanging out with friends & having them help you on your hunt for this girl that you had this strange connection to your whole life.

I didn't love so much the 'mystery' part of the book, trying to figure out clues they felt like Margo left them. Trying to find all the 'paper towns' on maps & looking in abandoned places to find the smallest clues... one being a Whitman poem. It just felt repetitive & boring... but then the next chapter would be Q & his friends just being buddies & getting through life together... so it was topsy turvey for me.

The ending? Won't give it away if they find Margo & what the real story is, but I was left again torn on how it all worked out. I felt like it had a solid ending, but did I agree with it? Not sure.

I will say, I do like John Green's writing style. Will read his other books as well.

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4:09:43

4:09:43: Boston 2013 Through the Eyes of the Runners by Hal Higdon
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I love everything about running & running stories. I was excited to get this book to see through the eyes of runners the story of Boston & the bombing that happened in 2013.

This is a quick book that starts at the beginning of the race & leads us to the time on the clock of 4:09:43

I loved hearing the stories, but it got a little over whelming with all the names & stats of each person's story. It was like little snippets off of hundreds of people's blogs or something. "So & So from such such said" - "So & So from such & such ran" - "So & so from such & such felt" ... it's that kind of thing continually repeating. I get this is the point of the story to see the day through runners eyes, but it was just distracting to me.

I'm sure these runners loved seeing their names in this book, having a part of their story of Boston put into a book with others. It just wasn't made for a good book. This to me just reminded me of a collaboration of a bunch of blog posts.

I wish they would have focused on maybe 1, 2 or 3 people that really experienced the day & tell their story more in depth.

Its still definitely an interesting read - something I'm glad I read just to feel what happened that awful day.

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Dorothy Must Die

Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

My mom is more then obsessed with Wizard of Oz, so I grew up with Dorothy, & her friends being part of our family.

So the front of this book grabbed my attention. I had to read it & went into a little leery. Little did I know I wouldn't be able to put this book down.

This is the story of Amy - a young girl in Kansas who is considered 'trash' in her school & has an mother who doesn't even care for her. She's all alone when her trailer gets caught up in a tornado & she's wisked away to Oz... a place she knows, but didn't know it was real... until now.

But this Oz doesn't look like the Oz she grew up on. This Oz is scary & dark & full of evil.

Amy finds out that Dorothy has returned from Kansas & she has taken over. Power has gotten to Dorothy & she wants more & more of it. Glinda has turned against the munchkins causing them to be slaves. The 3 friends, The scarecrow, tinman & lion? They've all mutated into creatures that are evil & cruel, & don't think twice on harming other creatures in Oz.

When Amy is captured & taken to the Emerald City, things aren't looking good for her. But next thing she knows, she has a choice if she wants to join the Wicked Alliance & join a group of Wicked Witches.

But is Oz what it seems? Can wicked be good & good be wicked? & can Amy do that job that she's pressed to do? To kill Dorothy?

This book is not for the faint of heart. It has language, it has violence, it is shocking in what happens to the characters... but its a good story. It makes you wonder if there was a happily ever after.

It's a long book but I wanted more....

& more I'll get... I just have to wait.

This is going to be a series & I'll have to wait till the next book. DANG IT!!!

I had read that this was in talks of being a TV series on the CW... I could TOTALLY see it. & it'd be wonderful.

I think if you liked The Hunger Games & if you like the Wizard of Oz - you'd enjoy this book.

Let me know if you read it - I'm dying to talk to someone about it!!!

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No Place Like Oz

No Place Like Oz by Danielle Paige
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

So I found out about this book AFTER I read "Dorothy Must Die"... & it didn't change any thing about the 2nd book. Actually was cool to read some things that are in the DMD & then thin, Ahh - there it is. What I'm saying is it doesn't hurt which way you read this. First or Second.

What I will say is I again love this writer & the way she's taken a classic story & put a new spin on it. What happens to Dorothy after she wakes up at home? Is her life changed? Do people believe she was really in a place called Oz?

We're at Dorothy's 16th birthday & life isn't the best for the "girl who rode the cyclone"... & then she gets a birthday present she wasn't expecting. Before you know it, Dorothy is back in Oz & seeing how things have changed since she's left. & Dorothy is there for one reason, to find Glinda so has seemed to have gone missing.

I won't give anything away, but we see how Dorothy turns into the person she is in Dorothy Must Die. But the whole time we are drawing lines between wicked & good... & which side is really which.

I'm going to be sitting on pins & needles waiting for the next book in this series!!!


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Chasing God

Chasing God by Angie Smith
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

So my best friend (or at least in my imaginary world of awesome friends) wrote another book.

I just love Angie Smith & get so excited when I hear she's writing a new book. There's something about the way she write that speaks to me. She's real. She takes life & makes real situations that happen to her someone lead into an amazing teaching of God's Word.

I will say, this book is a little more in depth then any of her other books. I actually struggled with it in the first few chapters, but then immediately fell right back into the stories of honesty & sunk back into the teaching she has for us this time around.

Are we chasing God? We shouldn't have to chase after Him... He's there with us. No need to chase. Are we living like that or feeling like we have to work to earn His love... have to do it all right... have to work at finding our faith?

Angie touches topics as prayer & forgiveness & one of my favorite chapters, how we read the Bible...

If you've liked Angie's works in the past, you'll continue to love this one... with an even more of a 'teacher' role that she takes.

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Gone Girl

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Nick & Amy Dunne ... a couple that seems like they should have it all. Amy is the child that has a whole series of books written about her. Nick was a writer who was working in New York when writing was old school & before everything web related. A young couple - what could go wrong? Everything changes when Amy is missing one day.

I wanted to read this book before it came out in the movie & I know I'm a little late to this party, but I'm glad I finally got to get this book in.

Its hard to review without giving a lot of the twists & turns of this book. It is a mystery, that's for sure.

The book goes back & forth between Nick & Amy - hearing different sides of the story... the things they both have hidden from each other.

I will say, I did enjoy the book in the sense that I wasn't sure what was going to happen & where it was going to go.
I didn't like the extreme language used ... that's just me...
& I'm still a little torn on the ending. Again, don't want to give anything away. In a situation with a missing woman, or whatever situation this is, I'm not sure there CAN be a perfect ending... or could there?

I will say, I'm now totally waiting to see how they make the movie.

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Made to Crave

Made to Crave: Satisfying Your Deepest Desire with God, Not Food by Lysa TerKeurst
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A study about watching your weight & food issues ... or anything that you crave in life... with a God perspective? Yeah, I was excited about this book.

I really like Lysa TerKeurst's honest style. She makes you feel like you're not alone in your struggles. You don't feel like the odd man out. She just has that way about her in her writing & honesty in her own stories of struggle.

I did this book with the Proverbs 31 Online Bible Study group. I think it made it even better because there were so many ways to connect with others having the same struggles & finding encouragement in each other.

I'm not sure if reading it alone would have had the same impact... but it's definitely a book full of information & reminders of what God wants for us in our lives. Not focus on food - but on Him. To know our weight doesn't define who we are in Him. Wonderful Scripture to cling too when facing temptation.

I will say, I feel like towards the end, the information was becoming repetitive, but I guess when we're talking about issues that we can't fight or shake ourselves, its not bad to hear things over & over again.

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