Song of My Heart Review
11 Mar 2012 Leave a Comment
in Christian, Romance Tags: song of my heart
Name of book: Song of My Heart
Author: Kim Vogel Sawyer
Reviewer: Melissa
Summary: Sadie Wagner has always been devoted to her family. So when her stepfather is injured and can’t work, she decides to leave home and accept a position as a clerk at the mercantile in Goldtree, Kansas. Goldtree also offers the opportunity to use her God-given singing talent–though the promised opera house is far different from what she imagined. With her family needing every cent she can provide, Sadie will do anything to keep her job.
Reason for rating: I have to be honest. When I first started off this book and for about the first half off the book, I thought it was just okay. I was going to rate it three stars. Sid (Sadie’s cousin that first writes to her about the opportunity to move to Goldtree) annoyed me at first. I figured out who the bootlegger was on very early on. The love triangle aspect of the book bored me quickly. It felt a little predictable at first. But as I moved into the last third of the book, I found myself really enjoying it. Sid came around to be more likable. The plot thickens. Sadie was a really likable character from the beginning and she only became more likable to me as the book went on because of all the human emotions that Sadie experienced that felt so real and genuine to me. I was rooting for her. Plus, not only that, but I really liked the Christian themes in the book. Some of the verses and reminders that the characters brought to mind happened to also be verses and reminders that I needed to hear at this point in time. Overall it was a good light read and I enjoyed it when I finished it. If you’re unsure about it in the beginning, keep reading because it has a good ending.
Celebrate with Kim by entering to win a Nook Tablet and connecting with her at the Book Chat Party on 3/29!
One “songbird” winner will receive:
- A Nook Tablet
- Song of My Heart by Kim Vogel Sawyer
| Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends 3/28/12. Winner will be announced at Kim’s Book Chat Facebook Party on 3/29. Kim will be hosting an evening of chat, fun trivia and more! She’ll also be giving away some GREAT prizes: gift certificates, books, and much more! |
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Don’t miss a moment of the fun. RSVP TODAY and tell your friends via FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of winning. Hope to see you on the 29th!
While I can’t make the Facebook party (we have child birth classes that night), I hope that you will be able to make it! Facebook parties are always a lot of fun and if you’ve never been to one before, don’t worry, there will be someone who can help you along.
Find Song of My Heart on Amazon
Find Song of My Heart on Goodreads
You can find more on this book as well as links to read other reviewers’ thoughts on the book here.
Disclosure: I received a copy of this for free to provide my honest thoughts about the book. I was under no obligation to review it positively.
Refuge: An Unnatural History of Family and Place Review
19 Jan 2012 Leave a Comment
in Non-fiction
Name of book: Refuge: An Unnatural History of Family and Place
Author: Terry Tempest Williams
Reviewer: Melissa
Summary (from Amazon): “In the spring of 1983 Terry Tempest Williams learned that her mother was dying of cancer. That same season, The Great Salt Lake began to rise to record heights, threatening the herons, owls, and snowy egrets that Williams, a poet and naturalist, had come to gauge her life by. One event was nature at its most random, the other a by-product of rogue technology: Terry’s mother, and Terry herself, had been exposed to the fallout of atomic bomb tests in the 1950s. As it interweaves these narratives of dying and accommodation, Refuge transforms tragedy into a document of renewal and spiritual grace, resulting in a work that has become a classic.”
Rating: 3
Reason for rating: I thought this book was just okay. I had high hopes for this book after I read select excerpts in my literature and environment class. And on some levels, it did deliver. There were parts of the book that were very touching and beautiful. Especially the parts concerning her family and the people side of things. But there were other parts that were quite boring. I mean, they were beautiful in a sense, her description of the birds and so on, but there was a little too much of that for my taste. I think it would be an excellent book for the right reader, but it wasn’t quite for me. That being said, I do like that she has a very distinctive and unique voice and I like the way that she blends narratives together and I did indeed find some of the environmental things very interesting. However, after a while it sort of felt like they were just lists of birds. Perhaps it would have helped if I had been familiar with the birds.
Find Refuge: An Unnatural History of Family and Place on Amazon
Find Refuge: An Unnatural History of Family and Place on Goodreads
Disclosure: I was not paid for this review. I checked it out from the library and decided to review it. All opinions in this post are 100 percent mine.
XVI Review
17 Oct 2011 Leave a Comment
Name of book: XVI
Author: Julia Karr
Reviewer: Melissa
Summary (from the author’s website): ”In the year 2150, being a girl isn’t necessarily a good thing, especially when your sixteenth (read sex-teenth) birthday is fast approaching. That in itself would be enough to make anyone more than a little nuts, what with the tattoo and all – but Nina Oberon’s life has taken a definite turn for the worse. Her mother is brutally stabbed and left for dead. Before dying, she entrusts a secret book to Nina, telling her to deliver it to Nina’s father. But, first Nina has to find him; since for fifteen years he’s been officially dead. Complications arise when she rescues Sal, a mysterious, and ultra hot guy. He seems to like Nina, but also seems to know more about her father than he’s letting on. Then there’s that murderous ex-government agent who’s stalking her, and just happens to be her little sister’s dad.”
Rating: 5
Reason for rating:I loved this book. I think what drew me to it initially was the fact that was dystopian (I liked dystopian in 1984 before it was even trendy) but what made me stay was so much more. First of all, strong female characters. Nina was a strong female character, as were her mother and her little sister. I loved the larger questions it made me think about teenagers and the pressure to have sex and the way a society is (like maybe it’s more formal in this society – more spoken about, but is it really that much different now?). I loved the relationship between Nina and her little sister – it reminded me of the relationship between me and my little sister, even if I don’t have the same family situation. I love the hidden secrets and the things left under the surface. I love that Nina is written like a real character – you can see her struggle and I felt her feelings and emotions were very real. I think this is a must read book for anyone who is interested in these larger questions about sex and teenage girls in society in particular.
Find XVI on Amazon
Find XVI on Goodreads
Disclosure: I was not paid for this review. I checked it out from the library and loved it. All opinions in this post are 100 percent mine.
Soaring Home Review
17 Oct 2011 Leave a Comment
in Historical, Romance
Name of book: Soaring Home
Author: Christine Johnson
Reviewer: Melissa
Summary: At the end of WWI, a small-town girl plans to make a big splash for women’s rights by being the first woman to fly across the Atlantic. All she needs is a plane, a co-pilot, and flight lessons.
Her prayers seem answered when a chauvinistic, though admittedly dashing, pilot lands in her hometown. The man blocks her every effort to make the grand flight, but she perseveres, sure she’s following God’s plan. God, however, has a way of turning the best-laid plans to his own surprising purposes.
Rating: 5
Reason for rating:I loved this book. I know I say that a lot, but I really do think there are a lot of great books out there right now. I think what drew me into this book is a strong female character and also the intriguing idea of flight. Being the first woman pilot to fly anything is fascinating to me – I loved reading about Amelia Earhart. I also loved that it was a Christian book but it never felt to me like it was preaching – it seemed to be a natural part of the story. I also liked the romance – I liked that it wasn’t an easy romance. Overall I thought this was an excellent book that I would recommend to many others. I also like how it included details about flight and planes and yet while I’m not particularly interested in the mechanics of planes, it became interesting to me in the way that the author has written it.
Find Soaring Home on Amazon
Find Soaring Home on Goodreads
Disclosure: I was not paid for this review. I received a free copy of the book in order to provide my opinions about it. All opinions in this post are 100 percent mine.
Lies the Government Told You: Myth, Power, and Deception in American History Review
14 Oct 2011 Leave a Comment
in Non-fiction, Politics
Dear Readers (If I have any left) I have been a bad book blogger. I hope I can make it up to you. I will try to post reviews in a more timely manner, but it doesn’t always happen. Maybe after I’m finished with school it will. At any rate, here is your review. Enjoy!
Name of book: Lies the Government Told You: Myth, Power, and Deception in American History
Author: Judge Andrew P. Napolitano
Reviewer: Melissa
Summary:
What new crisis will the federal government manufacture in order to acquire more power over individuals? What new lies will it tell?
Throughout our history, the federal government has lied to send our children off to war, lied to take our money, lied to steal our property, lied to gain our trust, and lied to enhance its power over us. Not only does the government lie to us, we lie to ourselves. We won’t admit that each time we let the government get away with misleading us, we are allowing it to increase in size and power and decrease our personal liberty.
In acquiescing to the government’s continuous fraudulent behavior, we bear partial responsibility for the erosion of our individual liberties and the ever-expanding federal regulation of private behavior. This book attacks the culture in government that facilitates lying, and it challenges readers to recognize that culture, to confront it, and to be rid of it.
Rating: 5
Reason for rating: I loved this book. It is a perfect book for a political science major like me. The book contains 17 lies – some that I knew or suspected already and some that were new. What I liked about it was that I felt it was really approachable but yet still interesting. Even among the sections that I knew something about already, I still found that I was learning new things. I feel like this will be approachable for people who haven’t studied this area. Also, I feel like if you were talking about or debating certain areas, it would be easy to photocopy just that chapter and use it to help you talk. I also love books like this because I feel that Americans do have the right to truth and books like this try and bring it closer. While some might say that this book has a slant (and I’m sure it does – most political books have slants) I felt that a lot of the facts that I already knew in reading it were consistent with what I had already learned. Even if you just checked out the book from the library and picked out only the sections that sounded interesting to you, you’d still learn a lot.
Find Lies the Government Told You: Myth, Power, and Deception in American History on Amazon
Find Lies the Government Told You: Myth, Power, and Deception in American History on Goodreads
Disclosure: I was not paid for this review. I received a free copy of the book in order to provide my opinions about it. All opinions in this post are 100 percent mine.
September is Read Your Own Books Month
01 Sep 2011 1 Comment
So I know I fell off the bandwagon a little bit – I have lots of things to review for you, I just haven’t written the reviews yet. But I will as soon as I can, I promise. Anyways, I saw this idea on another blog and so I will be attempting to read my own books in September – books that are part of my collection but I haven’t read yet.
I thought five was a pretty reasonable number, so here are the five I picked.
1. I Will Teach You To Be Rich by Ramit Sethi
2. No Plot? No Problem! by Chris Baty
3. The Power of a Praying Wife by Stormie Omartian
4. Sunset Wishes by Cherie Bennett
5. Stamp Twice for Murder by Betty Cavanna
So those are my books – eclectic at best, but these are some I have been wanting to read for awhile (hopefully I will be able to make some progress).
Shelf Awareness!
12 Aug 2011 Leave a Comment
From their website,
“The publication booksellers turn to for news on the book industry is now publishing a version for book lovers! Shelf Awareness: Enlightenment for Readers is a FREE emailed newsletter with reviews on the 25 best books publishing each week along with author interviews, book excerpts, giveaways and more. Right now they’re running a contest for new subscribers. Check out the button on our website to sign up for the new publication and to be entered for a chance to win a great book!”
It’s a pretty neat opportunity. So you should definitely check it out.
Note: I was not asked or compensated to do this. I did this because I want to bring good things to my readers.
