How can you keep your energy, happiness, creativity, and relationships fresh and thriving in the midst of never-ending family demands, career pressures, and the stress of everyday life? In Sacred Rest, Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith, a board-certified internal medicine doctor, reveals why rest can no longer remain optional.

Dr. Dalton-Smith shares seven types of rest she has found lacking in the lives of those she encounters in her clinical practice and research-physical, mental, spiritual, emotional, sensory, social, creative-and why a deficiency in any one of these types of rest can have unfavorable effects on your health, happiness, relationships, creativity, and productivity. Sacred Rest combines the science of rest, the spirituality of rest, the gifts of rest, and the resulting fruit of rest. It shows rest as something sacred, valuable, and worthy of our respect.

By combining scientific research with personal stories, spiritual insight, and practical next steps, Sacred Rest gives the weary permission to embrace rest, set boundaries, and seek sanctuary without any guilt, shame, or fear.

My Review:

Reviewed by Laura Fabiani

I love reading books on the mind-body-spirit connection that are well-written and support a holistic lifestyle. It's one of the reasons I was attracted to this book. And of course, there's also the fact that I don't get enough rest. Even though I'm very conscientious of this and make great efforts to do so. If you're wondering how to slow down and avoid burning out, this book offers much insight.

In Sacred Rest, author Saundra Dalton-Smith takes the topic of rest beyond "we need to get more sleep". She differentiates the two by stating that sleep is a biological necessity, solely a physical activity, whereas rest penetrates into the spiritual, it "speaks peace into the daily storms your mind, body and spirit encounter." The book is divided into three parts: Why Rest?, The Gifts of Rest, and the Promises of Rest.

In the first part, the author introduces us to the topic of rest and its necessity to lead a fulfilling and happy life that encompasses our mental, physical, emotional and spiritual wellbeing. She goes on to explain the different kinds of rest, such as physical and mental, which are familiar to most of us but also social, creative and sensory rest, which many of us don't think about. In the second part, she discusses topics such as setting boundaries (learning to say no, which is what I need to work on!), choosing to do nothing when you constantly feel the need to hustle and bustle, seeking out beauty and spending time in its presence, communicating with God and how not to confuse activity with productivity, to name but a few. The third part is short and summarizes the benefits of sacred rest. The author then invited the reader to take the Thirty-day Sacred Rest Challenge, which I think I'll do.

Sacred Rest is written in the first person by a medical doctor who shares her experiences through anecdotes and personal stories. She is also a Christian who liberally quotes biblical scripture throughout the text and bases much of her discussions on them. As a Christian myself, I appreciated this. I've been reading the Bible daily for most of my life and enjoyed their application to the topic of rest. This book offers practical suggestions on getting the most out of life by proper application of rest with biblical wisdom as its foundation. I enjoyed reading it and will keep it as a resource.

If you are feeling frazzled and need direction on how to restore your energy and make the most out of life without burning out, this book will help you do that by rediscovering how to rest.

To read more reviews, please visit Saundra Dalton-Smith's page on Litfuse.

Disclosure: Thanks to Litfuse for sending me this book for review. I was not compensated in any other way, nor told how to rate or review this product.

Buy the Book:

Books A Million ~ Amazon.com ~ ChristianBook.com

Author: Vicki Caruana
Publisher: David C. Cook
Category: Adult Non-Fiction,  240 pages
ISBN: 9780781414678
Published: April 1, 2017
Content Rating: G

Book Description:

With readings of encouragement and inspirational quotes, this devotional helps parents prepare their hearts for their children's independence, whether their kids are just starting kindergarten or graduating from college.

Parents let go of their children every day, even in ways they don’t realize. The 52 devotional readings within shine a light on all the times readers have loosened their grip on their children and encourages them to continue to let go in life-giving ways. Written by a parenting and education expert, The Joy of Letting Go will comfort and inspire parents in all seasons of parenting.

Buy the Book:

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Add to Goodreads

My Review:

Reviewed by Laura Fabiani

With two thriving teens in my house, (ages 13 and 15) I thought I could use some inspiration on how to let go without losing it. My kids are my life and letting them go in this scary world is...well, scary! Although I'm not big on devotionals, (I prefer reading the Bible daily) I decided to read The Joy of Letting Go. It's a smallish book that can easily fit into your purse and includes 52 devotionals that read more like a short snippet or story about an experience the author had when parenting her two boys. Each devotional has a title, a quote at the beginning and a Thought Poke at the end with a few questions and a scripture that is meant for the reader to meditate upon.

Although I appreciated reading about her family experiences, I cannot say that this book was inspirational. Most of what I read was common sense, a little superficial, and felt more like a memoir of a mom who is proud of her parental achievements. I have read many parenting books and those that have helped me apply scriptural counsel, and did not feel like this was one of them. There are so many deep issues that kids go through today. They have to navigate through a very competitive world that is plugged 24/7 and spews out information overload. 

More than ever, there is a high level of depression among our teens, along with suicide, eating disorders, cutting and bullying. As a mom, my daily concern is to help my children navigate through all this with God's help and and to let go appropriately and at the right time and...to do it joyfully, which is not easy when kids are experiencing growing pains and hormonal fluctuations! 

I guess I was expecting more from this book. However, if you have children that are getting ready for college, this book may be useful in seeing how this one mother handled letting go of her two sons as they readied for independence.

To read more reviews, please visit Vicki Caruana's page on Litfuse Publicity.

Disclosure: Thanks to the publisher and Litfuse for sending me this book for review. I was not compensated in any other way, nor told how to rate or review this product.




Dr. Vicki Caruana is the author of 20 books and the blog Apples & Chalkdust —named after her bestselling book that has touched the lives of a million educators around the world. Caruana is one of four parenting experts on Starting Points, Focus on the Family’s parenting DVD series. Formerly a public school teacher and a homeschooling mom, Vicki is now an assistant professor of education at Mount Saint Mary College in New York. She lives with her station wagon loving husband, Chip, in Newburgh, New York and has two grown sons in Colorado Springs.

I dug into this book with no expectations. I just wanted to see what I could learn. And as someone with a background in both Bible study and psychology, I was also curious how the author was going to tackle this subject.

Book Description:

Learn more and purchase a copy.



I decided to read this book because as a perfectionist, I know that at times I have control issues. I've learned through the years to work through them, which helps, now that I have teenagers to parent, but there's always room for improvement. So I dug into this book with no expectations. I just wanted to see what I could learn. And as someone with a background in both Bible study and psychology, I was also curious how the author was going to tackle this subject.

Well, I found this book to be a gem. First, I found that I was able to relate to the author herself. She was brutally honest and included descriptions of what she calls "ugly scenes" of controlling behaviour, which she admitted were very hard for her to write. But these anecdotes drove the point home in many instances. As a reader we want to know that the author understands well the topic she is writing about. So I appreciated her honesty.

I liked the book's layout. It was easy to read, formatted as a Bible study aid with questions and scriptures at the end of each lesson to read and meditate upon, many of which were my favorite ones. This is the kind of book you need to take the time to read with pen and highlighter in hand. I looked up and wrote out many of the scriptures directly in the book so that in future I could easily refer to them when looking through the book again.

But best of all is that the author used God's Word to make her point. Having studied the Bible for the last 27 years, I knew all the scriptures she referred to and was pleased with their application. And even though I was familiar with them, I truly appreciated re-reading and meditating on them with the goal to applying the Bible's counsel in regards to being controlling. One can read the same scripture at different times in one's life and see it in a different light in view of one's life experience.

Finally, using the example of Biblical women who displayed controlling issues as lessons for us to learn from was brilliant. After all the Bible itself says in Romans 15:4: "For all the things that were written beforehand were written for our instruction..." and in 1 Cor 10:11: "Now these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for a warning to us..."

Often women who like to control equate that with running an organized and efficient household with each member doing exactly what they's supposed to be doing. That's what I thought for the longest time. But it's not true. Doing this requires skill and insight, not control over what others do and how they do them.

If you are a Christian woman who struggles with control or someone who is willing to humbly look into Bible scripture for help with control issues, this book is just what you need. If you have an open mind, a willingness to make changes and the understanding that God knows us more than we will ever know ourselves, then you will greatly benefit from reading this book. The author's ultimate message that true family happiness and peace comes from following God's advice rather than being a control freak is right on.

To read more reviews, please visit Shannon Popkin's page on Litfuse.

Disclosure: Thanks to the publisher and Lifuse for sending me this book for review. I was not compensated in any other way, nor told how to rate or review this product.


Shannon Popkin is a wife and mom, a speaker and teacher, and a leader of small group studies. She's been published by "Family Fun," "MOMsense," "Focus on the Family Magazine," and other outlets. She is a contributing blogger for True Woman.com and has blogged for several years at shannonpopkin.com. "Control Girl" is her first book.

Find out more about Shannon at shannonpopkin.com.

One grand prize winner will receive: A copy of Control Girl

A Vera Bradley tote

A rose gold arrow bracelet

A set of Moleskine journals

Genre: Historical Fiction , 352 pages

Publisher: Kregel Publications
Release Date: June 27, 2016

Content Rating: PG-13 + M (There is no profanity or sex scenes, but there is a rape scene and other horrific war atrocities that are described)

Book Description:

An epic novel exposing the ugliness of war and the beauty of hope.

The city of Kiev was bombed in Hitler's blitzkrieg across the Soviet Union, but the constant siege was only the beginning for her citizens. In this sweeping historical saga, Kelli Stuart takes the reader on a captivating journey into the little-known history of Ukraine's tragedies through the eyes of four compelling characters who experience the same story from different perspectives.

Maria Ivanovna is only fourteen when the bombing begins and not much older when she is forced into work at a German labor camp. She must fight to survive and to make her way back to her beloved Ukraine.

Ivan Kyrilovich is falsely mistaken for a Jew and lined up with 34,000 other men, women, and children who are to be shot at the edge of Babi Yar, the "killing ditch." He survives, but not without devastating consequences.

Luda is sixteen when German soldiers rape her. Now pregnant with the child of the enemy, she is abandoned by her father, alone, and in pain. She must learn to trust family and friends again and find her own strength in order to discover the redemption that awaits.

Frederick Hermann is sure in his knowledge that the Führer's plans for domination are right and just. He is driven to succeed by a desire to please a demanding father and by his own blind faith in the ideals of Nazism.

Based on true stories gathered from fifteen years of research and interviews with Ukrainian World War II survivors, Like a River from Its Course is a story of love, war, heartache, forgiveness, and redemption.

Like a River from Its Course is simply unforgettable, a journey through the lives of  four individuals and their families touched irrevocably by WWII in Ukraine. As I sit here contemplating what to write in my review, I think how can my words do this book justice? How can it relate the vast array of emotions I felt reading it? I was both deeply touched and horrified by the events that the characters experienced. I cried and had to put the book down on several occasions, but I also rejoiced at the bravery and love displayed at a time of fear and depravity.

Every page in this book had me riveted. There was never a dull moment. Stuart has written a tour de force, easily pulling me into the world of these characters who have experienced circumstances and horrors, made more powerful by the knowledge that the author had meticulously researched them through the real-life accounts of Ukrainians who've lived them.

The story is told through the point of view of four characters, one of which is the son of one of the top Nazi leaders. I think this is what I loved the most about this novel. It showed all sides of the war, from the Ukrainians to the Germans. Truly, there is evil and goodness on both sides and what stands out is the integrity of each human, no matter their nationality. The stories are brutally honest and as a reader I was invested in all of them.

I've read many books on the Holocaust, and I like the ones that tell the unknown stories. I'm amazed that this is Stuart's first novel. Her characters are compelling, the setting vivid and the plot well executed. All the character had distinct voices and I thought it brilliant how we get to see the war through the eyes of very different individuals, from young Maria to idealistic Frederick.

Without a doubt, this book has made it on my list of Best Reads for 2016. It is powerful, riveting and compelling. It is heartrendingly beautiful in its portrayal of family and kindness. It is a book I will talk about for a long time, recommending it to my friends and book lovers. This one is definitely a must-read and I hope it gets the recognition it deserves!

 

 

Book Details:

The Ringmaster's Wife by Kristy Cambron

Thomas Nelson

Published: June 2016

Trade paperback, 362 pages

Content rating: G

Book Description:

In turn-of-the-century America, a young girl dreams of a world that stretches beyond the confines of a quiet life on the family farm. With little more than her wit and a cigar box of treasures to call her own, Mable steps away from all she knows, seeking the limitless marvels of the Chicago World's Fair. There, a chance encounter triggers her destiny---a life with a famed showman by the name of John Ringling.

A quarter of a century later, Lady Rosamund Easling of Yorkshire, England, boards a ship to America as a last adventure before her life is planned out for her. There, the twenties are roaring, and the rich and famous gather at opulent, Gatsby-esque parties in the grandest ballrooms the country has to offer. The Jazz Age has arrived, and with it, the golden era of the American circus, whose queen is none other than the enigmatic Mable Ringling.

When Rosamund's path crosses with Mable's and the Ringlings' glittering world, she makes the life-altering decision to leave behind a comfortable future of estates and propriety, instead choosing the nomadic life of a trick rider in the Ringling Brothers' circus.

A novel that is at once captivating, deeply poignant, and swirling with exquisite historical details of a bygone world, The Ringmaster's Wife will escort readers into the center ring, with its bright lights, exotic animals, and a dazzling performance that can only be described as the greatest show on earth!

What happens when a margrave realizes he's fallen in love with a servant?

The Margrave of Thornbeck has to find a bride, fast. He invites ten noble-born ladies from around the country to be his guests at Thornbeck Castle for two weeks, a time to test these ladies and reveal their true character.

Avelina is only responsible for two things: making sure her deception goes undetected and avoiding being selected as the margrave's bride. Since the latter seems unlikely, she concentrates on not getting caught. No one must know she is merely a maidservant, sent by the Earl of Plimmwald to stand in for his daughter, Dorothea.

Despite Avelina's best attempts at diverting attention from herself, the margrave has taken notice. And try as she might, she can't deny her own growing feelings. But something else is afoot in the castle. Something sinister that could have far worse---far deadlier---consequences. Will Avelina be able to stop the evil plot? And at what cost?

Reviewed by Laura Fabiani

This is the second book I read by Melanie Dickerson and I like that her historical fiction novels are clean and are the perfect escapism books for a light romantic read. Dickerson's writing flows well with a steady pace and a good plotline, although I did find this one predictable. Her characters are well-drawn out, flawed and conflicted. Avelina was a good main character, and I appreciated her humbleness as well as her courageous spirit.

Reinhart, the Margrave of Thornbeck, has to find a bride but he is grumpy and not thrilled with this prospect. I had a hard time warming up to him as he didn't say much for the first half of the book except to grunt and growl. No witty repartee between him and Avelina. It's only in the second half of the book that we get his perspective on things, and he is much more vocal. I also thought he was a little too passive and clueless for a margrave (medieval title for the military commander) when it came to the cunning Fronicka and her scheming father the Duke of  Geitbart. Avelina was doing all the planning and rescuing!

However, I enjoyed the story as it had the message of treating others with respect no matter their station in life and standing up for oneself. Overall, this was a sweet romance with action, secrets and treachery tailored to lovers of medieval historical fiction.

To read more reviews, please visit Melanie Dickerson's page on Litfuse.

Disclosure: Thanks to the publisher and Litfuse for sending me this book for review. I was not compensated in any other way, nor told how to rate or review this product.

Join Melanie in celebrating the release of The Beautiful Pretender by entering to win her Once Upon a Kindle giveaway!


One grand prize winner will receive:

• A copy of The Beautiful Pretender
• A Kindle Fire tablet
• A $25 Amazon gift card
• The choice between a Funko POP Disney Beauty or Beast doll

Enter today by clicking the icon below. But hurry! The giveaway ends on June 7th. The winner will be announced June 8th on Melanie's blog.

In 1910 Toronto, while other bachelor girls perfect their domestic skills and find husbands, two friends perfect their sleuthing skills and find a murderer.

Inspired by their fascination with all things Sherlock Holmes, best friends and flatmates Merinda and Jem launch a consulting detective business. The deaths of young Irish women lead Merinda and Jem deeper into the mire of the city's underbelly, where the high hopes of those dreaming to make a new life in Canada are met with prejudice and squalor.

While searching for answers, donning disguises, and sneaking around where no proper ladies would ever go, they pair with Jasper Forth, a police constable, and Ray DeLuca, a reporter in whom Jem takes a more than professional interest. Merinda could well be Toronto's premiere consulting detective, and Jem may just find a way to put her bachelor girlhood behind her forever---if they can stay alive long enough to do so.

My Review:

Reviewed by Laura Fabiani

What a delightful book this was! Author Rachel McMillan succeeded in creating the female versions of Sherlock and Watson in Merinda and Jem, best friends who shun convention and take up sleuthing instead. 

Although this book was a light and fun read, it was witty, comical, and romantic, too. I loved the Canadian historical setting and appreciated the author shedding light on some of the prejudices against single women and immigrants in Toronto at the turn of the 20th century.

Both Merinda and Jem are strong female characters and they want a different life other than the one they are expected to live.  In their detective adventures, they pair up with two men who can appreciate their intelligence even as they admire their femininity. I cracked up during the scene when Jem first meets Ray DeLuca, an Italian immigrant. She is disguised as a man and things don't quite work out the way they were supposed to.

If you are a fan of cozy mysteries à la Sherlock Holmes, then you will love this book. Merinda is quirky, impulsive and smart, while Jem is sensible, romantic and courageous. They make a great duo as they don men's clothing, advocate women's rights and get into dangerous situations.

This is the first book in what promises to be a series with the second book titled A Lesson in Love and Murder slated to be released Sept 1, 2016. There are also two e-novellas which I plan on purchasing. I am now a fan of McMillan and her Herringford and Watts Mysteries.

About the Author:

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Disclosure: Thanks to Lifuse for sending me this book for review. I was not compensated in any other way, nor told how to rate or review this product.