Sharing new authors, books, movies, and products with you is such a joy! If you are looking for homeschooling reviews from a transparent relaxed learning eclectic lifestyle with two active middle school boys - - you may enjoy my main blog - http://pebblekeeper.wordpress.com .

Friday, September 27, 2013

The Secret Keeper, a Review

9780764209802The Secret Keeper, from Bethany House part of the Home to Hickory Hollow.

I so enjoyed this  - and I rarely do with a series. It felt like I was coming home to Hickory Hollow with familiar characters.

I have started to read Amish fiction less and less, especially romantic Amish fiction.

This book is different.  The main character has been visiting and corresponding with a girl from Hickory Hollow for several years.  In her Englisher life, she has cut down to the most basic simple lifestyle. Her desire is to be Amish, making it through the Proving, and be baptized and join the church.

This story gently pulls you through what the Proving Process looks like. How the community reacts to an outsider, how fear and trust, faith and hard work intertwine.  As she learns that not all of ‘The People’ are perfect and without sin, there is question in her heart if she will ever measure up. Although the book is not centered around a beau, there is a character that gives her attention and you wonder through the book if they will get together. There is no pining over him, and no long drawn out ‘thought’ script of romance.

I believe this book could stand alone, or be the best thing since sliced bread if you’ve read other books in the series.  Beverly Lewis has done it again! Well Done!

I received a free kindle version of this book from Bethany House in exchange for an honest review.

Thursday, September 26, 2013

Grace Unplugged, The Novel–A Review

I enjoyed Grace Unplugged.  I think the audience for Grace Unplugged and Own It is more for the teen crowd, especially young ladies. If you have a young lady in your life that loves to devour books, this would be a great one for her. I have read several like the Own It book, and I think it is critical for teens and new Christians to come to terms with what they believe and why. Owning your own faith a part from your family or mentors.

About Grace Unplugged the Novel

Grace Trey is an 18 year old singer as passionate about her Christian faith as she is her phenomenal, God-given musical talent. Both traits come from her father, one hit wonder Johnny Trey who found Jesus after losing his chart success two decades ago. 

When Grace encounters her own music break of a lifetime, the sudden dive into the "real world" puts her deeper beliefs to the test. Pop superstardom is just within reach but appears to require some spiritual compromise. Will Grace reject her faith, or will she own it? 

Movie Release: October 4, 2013

Grace Unplugged is based on the motion picture of the same name starring AJ Michalka (Super 8) and Kevin Pollak (A Few Good Men) with performances by award-winning artists Chris Tomlin and Jamie Grace. 

About Own It, Discover Your Faith in God

The movie Grace Unplugged tells the story of Grace Trey, an ideal Christian teenager who is also a phenomenal singer. But when she is pushed into the “real world” at the tender age of eighteen after getting the music break of a lifetime, her faith is put to the test.

Own It mirrors the film by asking what it means to really “own” your personal faith rather than just automatically following in the footsteps of parents, friends, or other influencers. Best-selling authors Hayley and Michael DiMarco help readers understand what to do when faith meets real world challenges.

Without solid beliefs, poor choices are likely to follow. You must take the time to really know who you are, who you are becoming, and who God made you to be. It's your personal faith . . . own it! 

About the Grace Unplugged Author

Melody Carlson has sold more than five million books. A professional writer for twenty years, she recently received the Romantic Times Career Achievement Award. Melody has two grown sons and lives with her husband in the Pacific Northwest. 

About the Own It Authors

Hayley DiMarco is the best-selling author of more than thirty books including Dateable, Marriable, Mean Girls, and The Woman of Mystery. She has been a featured speaker at Women of Faith, Precept National Women's Conference, and MOPS Intl. among others and has consulted on the creation and enhancement of some of the largest stadium events for teens and young women in North America.

Michael DiMarco is a skillled communicator and teacher who has authored more than a dozen bestselling books including the 2010 Christian Bookof the Year for Youth, B4UD8 (Before You Date). He and his wife, author Hayley DiMarco, have one daughter and live in Nashville, Tennessee. 

Grace Unplugged

  • Written by: Melody Carlson
  • Publisher: B&H Books
  • Paperback: 304 pages 
  • Release Date: September 1, 2013
  • $15.99

Own It

  • Written by: Hayley and Michael DiMarco
  • Publisher: B&H Publishing
  • Paperback: 192 pages
  • Release Date: September 1, 2013
  • $14.99

Thursday, September 5, 2013

Orkin Home Education Kit, A Giveaway

WIN:  Winner Announced
The Orkin Home Education Kit includes:
• 2 Orkin Factoids 11x17 Posters
     - Poster #1 - The Pollinators
     - Poster #2 - The Recyclers
• 1 Orkin bug-finding flashlight
• 20 Rubber Toy Creepy Crawly Bugs
Be your own Orkin man! Use the flashlight and fun posters to learn about how every creature plays a part in our ecosystem.
To Enter:
Winner is Purple Squirrel
Comment on this blog post – One Entry
Comment on the post on http://www.facebook.com/Petra.School
The prize will be sent via FedEx or USPS. No P.O. Boxes please. I am working with Orkin and Orkin supplied these materials to me for posting the app on my blog. I received no product or compensation – just passing a perk to my readers.




Wednesday, August 7, 2013

Get Out Alive–Bear Grylls–Win!

 

NBCUniversal Promotional Giveaway

 

Comment for your chance to win a Bear Grylls Survival Bracelet from Gerber!

Disclosure: This is a promotion of NBCUniversal, and NBCUniversal supplied these materials  to the winner. I did not receive any merchandise for this review.

Monday, July 22, 2013

Dandelions on the Wind, a Review

I enjoyed this historical fiction novel based in Saint Charles, Missouri.  Although this does have a “romantic” story line as the center, we also get to meet some wonderful characters in town and learn about what the women are doing in this time.  Many have come from the East Coast to build their lives in Missouri, and are now feeling the pull to join the trains of wagons headed further west.

The main character is deep and insightful. Loosing her eyesight is a secondary theme of the book. We get to hear about her close friends and the choices they have for pursuing their life passions.  This was a quick read for me. I usually dislike series style books as they just seem to drop the story on the last page. This one fills your heart with the time, the town, the characters – and gives a wonderful breaking point for the story. I long to read the second book, but the characters are safely tucked into a great stopping point in the story. I recommend this book for a great weekend read!

Maren Jensen, a rejected mail-order bride from Denmark, works as a domestic on Elsa Brantenberg's farm and helps care for Elsa's granddaughter. Maren's failing eyesight has made having a family of her own seem impossible. When Rutherford "Wooly" Wainwright returns to the farm, now a Civil War veteran, he discovers that Maren has become an important part of his mother-in-law's and daughter's lives. Maren soon realizes there isn't room for both she and Rutherford on the farm and takes a job at a store in town, making it possible for Rutherford to start fresh with his family, but her absence in the home affects them all. In the end, Maren realizes God has been lighting her path all along.
Story Locale: St. Charles, MO, 1866

"Like a warm breeze ripples across a lake, Dandelions in the Wind offers a gentle crossing in this first-in a-series novel. Mona Hodgson gives readers characters we care about, a bit of intrigue, love, and a satisfying ending that promises more in the second series book. Well done!"
-Jane Kirkpatrick, bestselling author of Where Lilacs Still Bloom.

"Dandelions on the Wind is a sweet tale about the merging of two hurting hearts. The characters drew me, and I can't wait to read more about their lives…and their love!"
-Tricia Goyer, best-selling author of 33 novels including The Memory Jar

I received this book on my Kindle for free in exchange for a review from Waterbrook Press.

Friday, July 12, 2013

Flowers for Fannie, a Review

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I was contacted by the Director/Screenwriter Sharon Wilharm to review Flowers For Fannie.  I am always on the lookout for great Faith Based movies so I said yes!

However, when it came, the back of the DVD case was a grave and the front of the DVD case was the two characters above, but with a graveyard in the back instead of clouds. I really like the DVD case above a lot better. I held on the to movie for a couple of weeks until I had time to watch it by myself without the boys interrupting.

I must confess, I didn’t expect a lot out of the film. I was pleasantly surprised when, quite quickly, I was in love with Fannie and wanted a friend for her. The characters introduced as family, church members and people in town are all enchanting.

The settings are beautiful, an old time town with a square and old homes that are furnished beautifully. You really want to have an invite to Fannie’s house for lunch.

I was really pulled into this story. I laughed, and was choked up, and delighted. I worried for a too sad ending – and was again, delightfully surprised with how they topped it off.

Set to be in stores in October 2013, I recommend this movie as an excellent feel good family film, suitable for all ages.

Flowers for Fannie - Movie Website

Facebook - Flowers for Fannie

I received a free copy of the DVD from the Director in the hopes that I would review the movie after watching.

Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Boundaries for Leaders, A Review

Boundaries for Leaders: Results, Relationships, and Being Ridiculously in Charge

By Dr. Henry Cloud
Published by Zondervan

I originally requested this book to review from BookSneeze to help out a friend, in a new office management position.  I thought I’d read it to glean some tips for my hubby who is in Retail Management.  I ended up reading every single page, and enjoying the entire read. I like the way Dr. Henry Cloud writes, how he explains human behavior and our reactions to people’s actions.

Chapter by chapter I could see circumstances and results in my own life and that of my friends. My favorite section was The Emotional Climate That Makes Brains Work. My husband works in an extremely hostile work environment, has for the last 4 years.  I could see the choices of management and the fight or flight reactions. It helped me to see what he is going through. A fresh new manager came to the store a few months ago – ready to run the company and rule the world. He has how chosen Flight and switched retail establishments throwing away a thriving career path. Nothing anyone could say to him could change his mind and make him stay. I couldn’t figure it out until this chapter. I wish I had the guts to hand this book to the three executives in charge of our store. sigh.

If you are in charge of people, and are trying to figure out how to pull your team together – this is the book for you.  If you are like me, Type A. Take Charge. Run in and Fix. – then this is the book for you.  He gives so many example of how the same things can be said and presented, in just a bit of a different twist – to take your team to a winning level. I feel like a lot of what I say is misunderstood, and this book helped to explain reactions to me.

I have enjoyed the other Boundaries books, and this was no disappointment.

From the Publisher:

Book Description

An expert on the psychology of business and a co-author of the classic bestseller Boundaries explains how the best leaders set expectations and limits to get the results they want from their employees and from themselves.

In Boundaries for Leaders, Dr. Henry Cloud combines his knowledge of human behavior, business leadership, and neuroscience to help executives lead effectively, build organizational culture, develop strong teams, and get results from themselves and others.

What is a boundary? Simply put, a boundary is a property line that defines ownership, control, and responsibility. It sets limits on the behaviors and activities allowed on the property. Similarly, leadership success depends on shaping and defining organizational boundaries. When leaders set appropriate and healthy expectations that are in line with the ways people actually behave, organizations and their employees thrive. Beginning with a lucid description of how brains actually work, Dr. Cloud then applies those principles to the most critical aspects of a leader's work: how to manage teams, coach direct reports, and instill an organization with strong values and culture.

Filled with inspiring and practical examples, Boundaries for Leaders is essential reading for executives and those who aspire to lead-professionals who want to create successful companies, with more satisfied employees and customers, while becoming more resilient managers themselves. Its practical advice brings clarity and direction, helping leaders cut through the chaos and confusion, resulting in organizations that are positive and results-oriented. In short, it defines the essential boundaries that leaders must provide for their vision to become reality.

I received this book from Book Sneeze for free in exchange for a review on this blog.