What is on your nightstand?

It has been such a crazy week this week and I haven't posted much here so I thought I would just share what I am reading in between all the exciting celebrations going on at our house!

I was contacted by an author ~ Cathy Bryant. She asked me to review her book "Texas Roads"


WOW! This book is so good and if I didn't have all these other things going on I would have already finished it! I am so thankful she contacted me to review this book! I look forward to sharing my review with you in just a few days!

Next up is


They almost always come Home by Cynthia Ruchti. I have been wanting to read this ever since I saw this on so many book blogs!


After that will be


Shades of Morning by Marlo Shaelsky

What is on your nightstand for this week?

The Heart Mender GIVEAWAY!

Thank you to everyone who entered the giveaway! :) The winner of Andy Andrews new novel is:

Jennifer with JRU Studio!


Congrats Jennifer :) I will get this in the mail asap!

The Last Christian Review

In the future, it’s possible to live forever—but at what cost?

A.D. 2088.

Missionary daughter Abigail Caldwell emerges from the jungle for the first time in her thirty-four years, the sole survivor of a mysterious disease that killed her village. Abby goes to America, only to discover a nation where Christianity has completely died out. A curious message from her grandfather assigns her a surprising mission: re-introduce the Christian faith in America, no matter how insurmountable the odds.

But a larger threat looms. The world's leading artificial intelligence industrialist has perfected a technique for downloading the human brain into a silicon form. Brain transplants have begun, and with them comes the potential of eliminating physical death altogether—but at what expense?

As Abby navigates a society grown more addicted to stimulating the body than nurturing the soul, she and Creighton Daniels, a historian troubled by his father's unexpected death, become unwitting targets of powerful men who will stop at nothing to further their nefarious goals. Hanging in the balance—the spiritual future of all humanity.

In this fast-paced thriller, startling near-future science collides with thought-provoking religious themes to create a spell-binding "what-if?" novel.


To read the first chapter go here




My Review: This book is a Sci-Fi novel that honestly isn't what I typically read but I have to say I am sooo glad I stuck with this book and was amazed at how it is so close to the spiritual nature of Our Nation. This book will keep you turning pages well into the night and awaken your evangelistic mindset!

It's the year 2088, and Abigail Caldwell receives a message from her grandparents years after it was recorded~ their plea: Reawaken Christianity! She leaves the only home (the jungle) and people (the Inisi villagers of Papua New Guinea) she has ever known and goes to American to fulfill her grandparents wish. She seeks the Lord and relies on HIM to protect, guide and lead her on this journey. This America is filled with people who believe they can live forever...

I recommend this book to those who like thrillers, suspense novels and of course Sci-Fi. This book will surprise you with how this comes so close and you really will ask yourself "What if this could really happen?"

I received this book complimentary from Waterbrook Multnomah Publishing Group in return for this honest reveiw. To purchase a copy of this book go here

Predator

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance

is introducing

PredatorZondervan (May 25, 2010)

by

Terri Blackstock





ABOUT THE AUTHOR:



Terri Blackstock’s books have sold six million copies worldwide. Her suspense novels often debut at number one on the Christian fiction best-seller lists, and True Light, published last year, was number one of all Christian books—fiction and non-fiction. Blackstock has had twenty-five years of success as a novelist.



In 1994 Blackstock was writing for publishers such as HarperCollins, Harlequin and Silhouette, when a spiritual awakening drew her into the Christian market. Since that time, she’s written over thirty Christian titles, in addition to the thirty-two she had in the secular market. Her most recent books are the four in her acclaimed Restoration Series, which includes Last Light, Night Light, True Light and Dawn’s Light. She is also known for her popular Newpointe 911 and Cape Refuge Series.



In addition to her suspense novels, she has written a number of novels in the women’s fiction genre, including Covenant Child, which was chosen as one of the first Women of Faith novels, and her Seasons Series written with Beverly LaHaye, wife of Tim LaHaye.



Blackstock has won the Retailer’s Choice Award and has appeared on national television programs such as The 700 Club, Home Life, and At Home Live with Chuck and Jenny. She has been a guest on numerous radio programs across the country and the subject of countless articles. The story of her personal journey appears in books such as Touched By the Savior by Mike Yorkey, True Stories of Answered Prayer by Mike Nappa, Faces of Faith by John Hanna, and I Saw Him In Your Eyes by Ace Collins.







ABOUT THE BOOK

The murder of Krista Carmichael's fourteen-year-old sister by an online predator has shaken her faith and made her question God's justice and protection. Desperate to find the killer, she creates an online persona to bait the predator. But when the stalker turns his sights on her, will Krista be able to control the outcome?



Ryan Adkins started the social network GrapeVyne in his college dorm and has grown it into a billion-dollar corporation. But he never expected it to become a stalking ground for online Predators. One of them lives in his town and has killed two girls and attacked a third. When Ryan meets Krista, the murders become more than a news story to him, and everything is on the line.



Joining forces, he and Krista set out to stop the killer. But when hunters pursue a hunter, the tables can easily turn. Only God can protect them now.



Enter the Terri Blackstock iPad CONTEST: http://www.terriblackstock.com/contests/.



If you would like to read the first chapter of Predator, go HERE.




I JUST received this book so I have not read it yet but look forward to it! I will come back and let you know what I think :)

Have a blessed weekend!

Book Blog Hop

Jennifer at Crazy for Books hosts this awesome bloghop every week so go join HERE and meet others who share your love of reading and make some new friends!


ABOUT THE HOP:
In the spirit of the Friday Follow, the Book Blogger Hop is a place just for book bloggers and readers to connect and find new blogs that we may be missing out on! This weekly BOOK PARTY is an awesome opportunity for book bloggers to connect with other book lovers, make new friends, support each other, and generally just share our love of books! It will also give blog readers a chance to find other book blogs that they may not know existed! So, grab the logo, post about the Hop on your blog, and start HOPPING through the list of blogs that are posted in the Linky list below!!

The Hop lasts Friday-Monday every week, so if you don't have time to Hop today, come back later and join the fun! This is a weekly event!

Your blog should have content related to books, including, but not limited to book reviews.

If you start following someone through the Hop, leave a comment on their blog to let them know! Stop back during the week to see other blogs that are added! And, most importantly, the idea is to HAVE FUN!!

The Heart Mender review and GIVEAWAY!

A unique blend of historical fact and engaging fiction showing the power of forgiveness.

In 1942, German subs are dispatched to the Gulf of Mexico to sink U.S. vessels carrying goods and fuel. While taking a late-night walk, Helen Mason—widowed by war—discovers the near-lifeless body of a German sailor. Enraged at the site of Josef Landermann's uniform, Helen is prepared to leave him to die when an unusual phrase, faintly uttered, changes her mind.

In The Heart Mender, a small town must prepare itself for the worst the world has to offer, and Josef and Helen must reconcile their pasts to create a future.

Back of the Book:

In the classic storytelling of The Noticer and The Travelers Gift, New York Times best-selling author Andy Andrews now delivers an adventure set sharply against the warm waters and white sand of the Gulf of Mexico in WWII America.

Saddened and unable to abandon her resentment toward the nazi war machine that took her husband's life, the young and attractive Helen Mason is living a bitter, lonely existence. Betrayed and left for dead, German U-boat officer Lt. Josef Landermann washes ashore in a sleepy town along the northern gulf coast, looking to Helen for survival.

The Heart Mender is a story of life, loss, and reconciliation, reminding us of the power of forgiveness and the universal experience of letting go.


http://www.andyandrews.com/theheartmender/

My review:

I will be honest...At first, I did not know how I would like this book as it appears to be about WWII. I immediately told my son who is a WWII fan that he would love to read this book after I finished :) As the pages turned I began to get so involved in this story! Truly it is a story of hope and forgiveness. I found myself having so much compassion for the young Helen and her new found guest Josef as they had both lost so much and yet fought hard to lead a life placing one foot in front of the other no matter their circumstance. I love how Andy tells their tale and yet it is his story as well. Andy finds some treasures and sets forth to find out where in the world they came from.

The Heart Mender is a wonderful book that will encourage you and inspire you. I recommend it to those who love a good "love story" as well as those who enjoy history and World War II stories. I am so thankful to be able to give someone a copy!

To enter this giveaway, here is how you enter:

1) Be a follower of this blog and also leave your email in your comment
2) Leave me a comment letting me know you would like to read this book and why
3) refer a friend to be a follower of this blog and let them know to give me your name (this will give you 2 entries!)
4) blog or facebook the giveaway for 5 additional entries :)

I will close this giveaway May 23, 2010 @ 10 pm. The winner will be announce Monday the 24th!

This book was complimentary from Thomas Nelson. I received this for this honest review.

Bringing up Girls

Help your daughters meet the challenges that come their way and become the healthy, happy, and successful women you want them to be. Based on research done by Dr. James Dobson and written in his down-to-earth and good-humored style, Bringing Up Girls will do for parents of girls what Bringing Up Boys did for parents of boys. Hardcover. A Focus on the Family Recommendation.

Back of the book:

Peer pressure. Eating disorders. Decisions about love, romance, and sex. Academic demands. Life goals and how to achieve them. These are just some of the challenges that girls face today ~ and the age at which they encounter them is getting younger and younger. As a parent, how are you guiding your daughter on her journey to womanhood? Are you equipping her to make wise choices? Whether she's still playing with dolls or in the midst of the often-turbulent teen years, is she truly secure in her identity as your valued and loved daughter?

My Review:

As I expected this book is a phenomenal resource in raising daughters. The advice ranges from how we are made to cultural influences, the importance of the fathers role, and of course purity and puberty. I really appreciate the chapter on bullying as it is so important these days to look for those situations. All in all this book has a common denominator in all areas for me.
COMMUNICATION AND BEING ACTIVE IN YOUR CHILDS LIFE! Talking to them about what is going on...in their bodies, in their friendships, at school, their emotions ~ everything! Talk. Talk. Talk. No matter what type your family is we can always talk to our children! This book is a must for anyone participating in raising a daughter. Grandparents can benefit. Aunts, Day Care providers, they too can benefit. I recommend this book to every parent out there!

to read the first chapter go here
I received this book complimentary from Tyndale Publishers in return for this honest review. No compensation of any kind was given.