Fruit of My Spirit

" But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control. Against such things there is no law." Galatians 5:22-23

Do you ever wonder if there is a God out there that really and truly cares about what you're going through? If you're simply going through all the motions, there where are all the blessings? Feel like you're crossing through yet another parched desert alone?

Fear not, for God is with you, all the way to the end of whatever valley you are enduring in your life right now. There are certainly times where we begin to wonder where it's all going and is the journey even worth it and a great resource to pick up is Deanna Nowadnick's book, Fruit of the Spirit. Written as a short story to encourage her sons, it quickly became a longer book but now one that can inspire you as you endure your own walk of faith. In the end, God will bring about a great harvest as long as we don't lose heart along the way. This one came to me, at just the perfect time where I was wondering where God was in all of my own long walk of faith in one of the darkest trials in my life.

I was encouraged and refreshed as I read through this book. I found myself feeling called back into an oasis of sorts with God for some quiet time and reflection, as well as inspiration, endurance and faith. In the end, I hope we can all show through our own personal trials, the perfect fruit of walking with God along the way. A great reminder that He never leaves us or forsakes us, it's often us that walk away from Him. The great news is He is always watching and nearby!

I received this book compliments of Deanna Nowadnick for my honest review and think this is the perfect thirst quencher to go hand-in-hand with your Bible to help bring you through those dark valleys to rest upon the mountain tops when the time is right. I rate this one a 5 out of 5 stars and highly recommend it for those of you looking for some encouragement along your desert walk of faith!

For more information about Fruit of My Spirit, Deanna Nowadnick or where to pick up a copy of this book today, please click on the link below:

Fruit of My Spirit by Deanna Nowadnick 

Giant George

In 2006, Dave and Christie Nasser decided that they wanted to expand their family, but not in the way most of us would think. They decided to adopt a puppy since they were moving to Tucson, Arizona and buying a new home. It was what Christie needed to make the jump from living in California near her family and friends and moving to where Dave wanted. This was their compromise.

While researching breed types for the perfect type, they knew they both wanted a large dog. They settled on a Great Dane, but after searching thoroughly in the state of Arizona, they couldn't find any that would be ready to adopt right now. They did locate a breeder in Oregon who had some ready to go, and after careful selection from talking on the phone with her and email correspondence, they settle on a runt of the litter, a blue male dog they would name George.

The only problem facing the Nasser's now was finding a home soon enough and so they managed to hide George from the apartment managers and nosy neighbors until he got too large to hide. It was with great luck, they found a suitable fixer-upper thanks to Dave's job in Real Estate. They would soon discover that their problems would only continue to grow at such an alarming rate that what they dreamed of, would be much bigger than they could handle. Much bigger!



In the novel, Giant George, Life with the World's Biggest Dog by Dave Nasser with Lynne Barrett-Lee, the reader is in for the ride of their life, when they see just what happens when the Nasser's adopt the runt of the litter, only to have it turn out to literally be, the World's Largest Dog, EVER! It's a delightful story into the joys of raising George, and all the problems that go hand in hand with raising a large breed dog, who truly believes he is one of the family. I mean how do you manage a 245 pound dog?

I received Giant George compliments of Grand Central Publishing, a division of Hachette Book Groups for my honest review. This is a must read for dog lovers everywhere and for those of you that dream of owning a large breed dog, you might just want to check this one out first to make sure you know what you're getting yourself in for. I rate this one a GIANT 5 out of 5 stars and think this one is going to make you smile all the way through it.

For more information on Giant George, Dave Nasser and Lynne Barrett-Lee, or where to pick up a copy of this book today, please click on the links below:

Giant George: Life with the World's Biggest Dog by Dave Nasser with Lynne Barrett-Lee

You can also find Giant George on Facebook by clicking here or on his webpage by clicking here.

As Always, Jack ~ Giveaway and Review

Emma Sweeney has spent her life wondering what her real father must have been like. From time to time, she could gather moments in time from her mother of what their courtship and marriage must have been like because he died before she was born. Her mother didn't like to talk about Jack much but when she did, Emma could tell she had fond memories of him. Yet somehow it still seemed like something was missing, a part of him she couldn't know until when her mother died from complications of heart disease, did she come across 45 precious letters detailing their love during the course of a year and a half while he was at war.

It is through those letters that Emma learns of the man her father was, how he viewed the time he spent with her mother, that he lovingly refers to in his letters to her as Blonde! It takes the reader into a different time and place, when letters home from those serving in the war, show just how valuable communication was from those they longed to hear from. She learns how Jack spent his time serving as a Navy Pilot from Texas as he moved from base to base and what he did to pass his time away.

Emma shares those letters in the memoir, As Always, Jack, a World War Two Love Story. Here we get to see how just one simple photograph is enough to anchor a man who doesn't know when or if he'll make it home and how weeks can go by without hearing from home. Yet it's through their faithful letter writing that they got to know one another and how it fanned the flames of love and gave Emma a rare insight into the man she never knew but got to know through his love letters to her mom.

I received As Always, Jack by Emma Sweeney compliments of TLC Book Tours and Axios Publishers for my honest review. Being a huge WWII history lover, this book resounded within me as well as a hopeful romantic who gets an inside look at what one man wrote to his girlfriend to keep him going through a very long war. It's beautiful, warm, and often times funny at how he talks to Beebe, with one of my favorite lines in a letter closing being, "Is you is, or is you ain't my Beebe?" Now I know just how important communication from home is for those serving in the war and my heart aches for those who may not have anyone to write home to, and why letter writing campaigns to our serving men and women is so vital today. I rate this memoir a 5 out of 5 stars and thank Emma Sweeney for sharing the love of her father and mother with all who read these words.

For more information on As Always, Jack, Emma Sweeney or where to pick up a copy of this book today, please click on the links below:

As Always, Jack by Emma Sweeney

You can also read more reviews from this book tour by clicking here.

Thank to the generosity of Axios Publishers and TLC Book Tours, they are providing a giveaway copy to one lucky follower of my blog, Reviews From The Heart. Here are your guidelines:

1. Be a resident of the US or have a US shipping address. Please No P.O. Boxes.

2. "Like" this book on Amazon by clicking here.

3. If you are a follower of my Facebook page, Reviews From The Heart, leave me a comment telling me why communication is important to our serving men and women for an extra opportunity to be entered.

4. Leave me a comment below telling me why written communication to our service men and women is so important and don't forget to include your email address. Without it, I can't notify you if you're the lucky winner. You can use the words (at) and (dot) instead of the symbols.

The winner will be notified by email and posted on my Facebook page, Reviews From The Heart once this giveaway ends on July 25th. Enter as many times as you want, just make sure to let me know how you communicated your entries!

Diary of A Player - Giveaway and Review

What does country music, guitar heroes and an autobiography have in common? The newest novel called, Diary of A Player by Brad Paisley and David Wild. Welcome to the unique story of just how untalented Brad Paisley really believed himself to be and how he utilized the talents of creative legends like Buck Owens, Roy Clark, and Chet Atkins to help him turn his dream into a reality!

This honest, funny, revealing book is one musician's true story of what's been a very musical life with strings attached. Diary of A Player is Brad Paisley's love letter to the guitar as an instrument that changes our lives and a loving tribute to the musical heroes that taught him everything he really needed to know about growing up.

You will learn about the important people that came into Brad's life from his humble beginnings as an 8-year-old-boy who received a guitar from his grandfather one Christmas and his journey into learning how to become the talented musician we have come to love and adore. Believe it or not, he didn't just pick it up as a natural and begin playing. He actually gave it up for awhile much to the dismay of his grandfather. The reader is also along for the journey into how he met and married Kimberly Williams, his wife and what his thoughts are for his own children. Included with the book are candid photos of Brad's journey to stardom and some of the "guitar heroes" he has met along the way.

I received this novel compliments of Simon and Schuster for my honest review and loved how simple the story was written. You actually feel as though Brad is sitting with you sharing his story in the words that spring to life off the page. You can see that even though he is a musical superstar today, the journey wasn't always the easy one we have a tendency to think of when comparing him to where he is today. I highly recommend this story to my readers and rate this autobiography a 5 out of 5 stars!

For even more information on this book, the author and where to pick up a copy of this book, please click on the links below:

Diary of A Player by Brad Paisley and David Wild

Thanks to the generous folks at Simon and Schuster, they are offering a giveaway copy of this book to one lucky follower of this blog, Reviews From The Heart. Here's all you need to do to enter:

1. Be a follower of Reviews From The Heart.

2. "Like" my Facebook page, Reviews From The Heart.

3. Be a resident of the US or have a US shipping address. Please No P.O. Box addresses since this will be shipped to you directly from the publisher.

4. Leave me a comment telling me why you'd like to win a copy of this book along with your email address. I need a way to contact you if your the winner of the giveaway, so your email address is needed. You can use the words (at) and (dot) instead of the symbols.

The giveaway will end on December 9th and I will notify the winner by email at that time.

AfterImage

Probably one of the most difficult challenges to weather in this life is the loss of someone very close to you and even worse watching them battle for a win in their life against a disease that will ultimately claim them.

In the novel After Image by Carla Malden, we get to share in her personal memoir of dealing with the loss of her husband Laurence to cancer at such an early age in their marriage. The story is so touching and real for me because I couldn't imagine a life without my husband in it and it was difficult for me to read Carla's words as she takes us through her journey of dealing with finding out her husband is diagnosed with cancer and the subsequent battle she faced in trying to beat it.

Nothing can prepare the reader for Carla's words come through as though you are sitting with a close friend who is walking through her grief. We get to see "snapshots" of Laurence's life so we are getting to know both of them in the process. Carla's memoir is about as real as it comes for anyone who has ever dealt with grief or even facing the unknown turmoils and challenges that cancer can bring. From dealing with all the unknown's going through your mind as you try to search for an answer that may defeat cancer, to walking through the minutes and weeks of chemotherapy hoping against hope that no matter how positive you remain, in the back of your mind doubt and fear still peers it's ugly head.

I received this book compliments of Pump Up Your Book for my honest review. This book rates a 5 out of 5 stars for me. It offers a different perspective of dealing with a loss of a loved one so great that you wonder if life will ever be the same again. The only thing that grieves me is one statement in the beginning of the book where the author quotes, "But cancer was the villain in our story, and while I emerged from this year with no glimpse of God, I began to wonder toward the end, if, in fact, the devil does indeed exist, and if we were not battling him mano a mano." (pg 3). I personally believe that God is present in everything we go through even though it appears that at that time, God was silent as this happened. You will definitely need a box of tissues to go along with this one. It grabs your heart and makes you really appreciate the time we have with the ones we love!

For more information about the book, the author and where you can purchase a copy of the book, please click on the link below:

AfterImage by Carla Malden

After Image

Probably one of the most difficult challenges to weather in this life is the loss of someone very close to you and even worse watching them battle for a win in their life against a disease that will ultimately claim them and take them from us, thus two lives will be lost.

In the novel After Image by Carla Malden, we get to share in her personal memoir of dealing with the loss of her husband, Laurence, to cancer at such an early age in their marriage. The story is so touching and real for me because I couldn't imagine a life without my husband in it and it was difficult for me to read Carla's words as she takes us through her journey of dealing with finding out her husband is diagnosed with cancer and the subsequent battle she faced in trying to beat it.

Nothing can prepare the reader for Carla's words come through as though you are sitting with a close friend who is walking through her grief. We get to see "snapshots" of Laurence's life so we are getting to know both of them in the process. Carla's memoir is about as real as it comes for anyone who has ever dealt with grief or even facing the unknown turmoils and challenges that cancer can bring. From dealing with all the unknown's going through your mind as you try to search for an answer that may defeat cancer, to walking through the minutes and weeks of chemotherapy hoping against hope that no matter how positive you remain, in the back of your mind doubt and fear still peers it's ugly head.

I received this book compliments of Pump Up Your Book for my honest review. This book rates a 5 out of 5 stars for me. It offers a different perspective of dealing with a loss of a loved one so great that you wonder if life will ever be the same again. The only thing that grieves me is one statement in the beginning of the book where the author quotes, "But cancer was the villain in our story, and while I emerged from this year with no glimpse of God, I began to wonder toward the end, if, in fact, the devil does indeed exist, and if we were not battling him mano a mano." (pg 3). I personally believe that God is present in everything we go through even though it appears that at that time, God was silent as this happened. You will definitely need a box of tissues to go along with this one. It grabs your heart and makes you really appreciate the time we have with the ones we love!

For even more information about this book, the author and where to purchase a copy of this book, please click on the links below:

After Image By Carla Malden

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: skirt!; First edition (May 3, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0762763825
• ISBN-13: 978-0762763825
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.8 x 1.1 inches
• Price: $ 16.47
  

Mom: A Celebration of Mother's From StoryCorps Giveaway and Review

Just in time for Mother's day comes an inspired collection of true stories from people all over the world, different age groups, races, and unique relationships that deal with remembering the treasured moments with moms.

StoryCorps launched in October 23, 2003, in Grand Central Terminal in New York CIty. It was admittedly something of a crazy idea: to put a recording booth in the middle of one of the busiest train stations in the world, then invite pairs of people to come in and interview each other about the most important moments in their lives. These are just a sampling of the stories that they have collected dealing with our treasured and precious memories of our moms.

Here is a snapshot of one of my favorite stories between Gabrielle Hall, 29 talking to his sister Danielle Hall, 27 about their mother, Martha Hall:

Danielle Hall: She taught me things about relationships that I still use. She told me when you fight, you have to decide how much it really matters to you. If it's not worth getting upset about, let it go. And if it is worth getting upset about, you have to be brave enough to bring it up with the other person. And if you're not brave enough to do that, you have to let it go. Once you've discussed it, it's over and you never bring it up again.

Gabrielle: She was such a fighter - we knew for fourteen years that she had cancer and that she was dying, but she believed in the essence of her that she was not going to die.

Danielle: I feel blessed that we had fourteen years. Before she died, I told her that I thought she had been a wonderful mother, that she taught us how to be strong and independent and smart and capable of doing anything, that I loved her, and that we would be okay. But she really wanted to know that you would be okay. (pg 59).

This is just a sample of the beautiful and heartwarming stories that are shared in this beautiful book, Mom: A Celebration of Mothers from StoryCorps by Dave Isay. This collection is guaranteed to make you remember just how special your own mother is. There is even a section at the conclusion of the book to help you create a legacy of stories between you and your mom. This would make the perfect gift this Mother's Day.

I received this book compliments of TLC Book Tours for my honest review and LOVED it. I can't wait to begin collecting the stories from my mom but also stories I hope to pass on down to my children as well. This one rates a 5 out of 5 stars. This book is available in hardcover and eBook formats.

For more information about this book and where you can get a copy of this book, click on the link below:

Mom: A Celebration of Mothers From StoryCorps by Dave Isay

Thanks to the generous folks at TLC Book Tours, they are offering a giveaway copy to one lucky follower of this blog. Here are your guidelines:

1. Be a follower of my blog, Reviews From The Heart.

2. Like my Facebook page, Reviews From The Heart by clicking here.

3. Be a resident of the US or have a US shipping address. No P.O. Boxes please.

4. Please include your email address with your comment. You can use the words (at) and (dot) instead of the symbols and let me know why you would love to win a copy. The giveaway will end on May 9th and I will notify the winner by email.

The Long Goodbye - Giveaway and Review

I'd just lain down in bed when the phone rang. It was my mother.

"Meg?" her voice rose. "You're home? There's something I want to tell you," she said with a deliberateness that alarmed me. "And I wanted you to hear it from me." She hesitated. "I haven't been feeling well and I went to the doctor for some tests, and she found a tumor."

The next week she called as I was walking back from lunch to my office on Fifty-seventh Street. As the afternoon crowd bustled industriously around me, she said bluntly, "The doctor got the results. The tumor is cancerous. I'm going to need to have surgery and then maybe radiation and chemotherapy, and we need to do it soon. But they think they can treat it," she continued.

This is my story of how Meghan O'Rourke dealt with her mother's diagnosis of colon cancer and the grief resulting from her losing her battle to fight it. This is her memoir that deals with how she went through the process of healing and shares those thoughts and memories with us in her book, The Long Goodbye.

So much of dealing with a disease is waiting. Waiting for appointments, for tests, for "procedures." And waiting, more broadly, for it - for the thing itself, for the other shoe to drop. Except in the waiting you keep forgetting that "it" will really happen - it's more like a threat, an anxiety: Will my love love me forever? (pg 63).

It's Meghan's honesty in sharing her most intimate thoughts that makes you feel like we are her closest friend as she pours these out to you in her own words. You feel priviledged, like you have reached a secret place where friends share this secrets and thoughts with one another to keep yourself from going crazy keeping them all bottled up inside. Meghan possesses such courage in sharing how difficult it must be to watch her mother go through this and knowing there is nothing you can do to make it better. This is what makes this book so great for us to read.

For those that have gone through a grieving process in watching cancer take someone you love from you, you can relate to the various emotions that come across the pages in this book and create a kinship that we can all identify with.

I received this book, The Long Goodbye by Meghan O'Rourke, compliments of TLC Book Tours for my honest review and rate this one a 5 out of 5 stars. While the subject matter is difficult, it makes it easy for anyone to understand the grief process and how much it changes us from the inside out. It creates a new sense of normal of us in which there is no going back to be able to change it.

For more information about this book, the author and where to purchase a copy, please click on the link below:

The Long Goodbye by Meghan O'Rourke

Thanks to the generous folks at TLC Book Tours, they are offering a giveaway copy to one lucky reader. Here are your guidelines:

1. You must be a follower of my blog, Reviews From The Heart.

2. Please like my Reviews From The Heart Facebook page by clicking here.

3. You must be a resident of the US or have a US shipping address. Please No P.O. Boxes.

4. I must have a way to reach you so be sure to include your email address with your comment below. You can use the words (at) or (dot) instead of the symbols.

5. Please leave a comment and let me know why you'd love to win a copy of The Long Goodbye. The giveaway will end on April 23rd. I will notify the winner via email at that time.

Moonface - Giveaway and Review

Warning: May cause increased appetite and fat deposits. May cause acne, hair growth, weight gain, and a moon-face complexion.

These were printed on the orange bottled prescription bottle of Prednisone that Charlie had picked up and began reading and that is where I got my nickname, Moonface from.

Little did I know how much Charlie would change my life, first as someone I could relate to and be myself with and then someone who would quite literally become my hero. Charlie became my hero when after one kidney failure that my brother donated to me, he willingly donated his.

Even now when friends ask us why he still hasn't asked me to marry him, he jokes and says, "She has my kidney and now she wants me heart too?" and the group begins to laugh.

This is just a small sampling of the wonderful story that you will find yourself immersed in by Angela Balcita in the novel Moonface. It's a unique behind the scenes memoir about how one woman found romance and laughter in the midst of a life threatening illness.

We learn first hand through a wonderful woven blend of humor and love that shows the unique perspective on how our attitude towards life really does help us deal with the most difficult of circumstances that life will throw our way.

I received this heartfelt memoir compliments of TLC Book Tours for my honest review and loved every page of it. My grandmother passed away from kidney failure when my mother was only three so this became a personal story for me in seeing things from another's eyes. This book is a beautiful 5 hearts out of 5 for the love story alone! This book is available in paperback and eBook formats.

For more information about the book, the author and where to purchase a copy of this book, please click on the link below:

Moonface by Angela Balcita

For one lucky follower of my blog, TLC Book Tours is giving away a copy of this amazing book. Here are your guidelines:

1. You must be a follower of Reviews From The Heart.

2. You must be a resident of the US or Canada and No P.O. Boxes please.

3. I must have a way to contact you so please include your email address with your comment. You can use the words (at) and (dot) instead of the symbols.

4. Leave me a comment and let me know why you'd love to win a copy. The giveaway will end on February 16th. I will notify the winner by email after that.

In The Sanctuary of Outcasts, A Memoir

Daddy is going to camp.

That's what I told my children.

But it wasn't camp...

Neil White wanted only the best for those he loved and was willing to go to any lengths to provide it - which is how he ended up in a federal prison in rural Louisiana, serving eighteen months for bank fraud.

But it's no ordinary prison.

The beautiful, isolated colony in Carville, Louisiana, was also home to the last people in the continental Unitead States disfigured by leprosy - a small circle of outcasts who had forged a tenacious, clandestine community, a fortress to repel the cruelty of the outside world. In this place rich with history, amid an unlikely mix of leprosy patients, nuns and criminals, White's strange and compelling new life journey began.

An extraordinary memoir at once funny, poignant, and uplifting, In the Sanctuary of Outcasts reminds us all what matters most. (excerpt back cover).

My Review ~ This is such a heart rendering book about unconditional love on both sides. First Neil White is repulsed as are most of the inmates about the disfigurement of the many residents of the "leper" colony living among them. There are those that look seemingly "normal" and then there are the extreme cases with loss of limbs and complete facial deformity.

Yet once Neil is willing to look past his own fears, he finds such warm stories of those that are the outcasts of society today. He learns what it is to really love behind the exterior of someone and really see the person God sees in us all.

Neil White is serving time in this prison for bank fraud known as kiting. It's taking funds from one account to pay another while in the hopes it buys you enough time to actually put the money in the accounts. Neil gets caught and thus find his wife dropping him off to serve his time.

I loved this book for the message found in the pages of the stories of the real life people whose names have been changed to protect their identities. In the book, I found myself not only getting to know Neil but also the residents of the colony as well. I have to give this book a 10 out of 10 and even though the language is harsh, it falls in line with a memoir dealing with some of societies harshest prisoners.

For more information on this book, the author or where to pick up a copy, please click on the link below:

http://tlcbooktours.com/2010/03/neil-white-author-of-in-the-sanctuary-of-outcasts-on-tour-june-2010/

I received this book compliments of TLC Book Tours and I am delighted to be able to offer you a copy as a follower of my blog who leaves a comment. This giveaway is open to residents of the US and Canada only. Please NO P.O. Boxes. I also need to be able to reach you so if your email isn't linked to your blog, please leave it in the comments. Please tell me why you want to win this giveaway. The giveaway ends on Sunday, June 20th.