The Silent Governess
by Julie Klassen

Believing herself guilty of a crime, Olivia Keene flees her home, eventually stumbling upon a grand estate where an elaborate celebration is in progress. But all is not as joyous as it seems…. Lord Bradley has just learned a terrible secret, which, if exposed, will change his life forever. When he glimpses a figure on the grounds, he fears a spy or thief has overheard his devastating news. He is stunned to discover the intruder is a scrap of a woman with her throat badly injured. Fearing she will spread his secret, he gives the girl a post and confines her to his estate. As Olivia and Lord Bradley’s secrets catch up with them, will their hidden pasts ruin their hope of finding love?

READ MORE

REAL SOLUTIONS FOR BUSY MOMS
by Kathy Ireland

Moms are super busy these days, whether they have one child or twelve, and if you have to balance a career with children and a home, then you need help! You need real solutions right now. Ms. Ireland understands. She is the parent of three children, a wife, and the CEO of an international business, so she draws on personal experience, research, and conversations with other moms across the nation to offer hope and powerful, practical answers.

Ms. Ireland’s advice doesn’t center around beauty tips or how to dress. Rather, she discusses important things such as finances, budgets, raising children, managing a household or career or both, and finding time to take care of themselves.

READ MORE

Kitty Litter Killer
by Candice Speare

Being a sleuth can be a very dangerous thing. Because of that, Trish Cunningham decided it was time to hang up her "gum shoes" and focus on her family. She had a lot of work to do. Her daughter had started to "take" things that didn’t belong to her. Her 13 month old son needed a lot of attention. Then there was her relationship with her mother-in-law…LOTS of work needed there. Seems like they just couldn’t ever get along. And now Trish has to decide if she’ll let her daughter accept the kitten that her mother-in-law wants to get her.

READ MORE

Rest
by Keri Wyatt Kent

We live in a world that’s pretty much none stop. It used to be that people would get a break when they went somewhere, leaving the phone behind. Now not only do most people take cell phones with them, they can hook up to the Internet with them. Where does rest fit in? When do people take the time to recharge their batteries and get refreshed so that they can tackle the world again? This is the basis for this book.

The author starts by looking at what Jesus said about the Sabbath. He brought out the true spiritual meaning of the Sabbath as He taught the people. What she is trying to with the rest of the book is show how the concept of the Sabbath is a "mind-set." The whole week should revolve around it, either preparing for it or remembering it. She also brings out that everyone should take some "mini-Sabbaths" during the day.

READ MORE

Pure Gold
by Pam Davis

The concept for this book is an interesting one. The author compares God’s grace and gold. The author takes every aspect of gold, from it’s qualities, prospecting, etc, and shows how this compares with Christians and their desire and search for God’s grace.

Each chapter ends with three things:

1. "Nuggets:" the author takes a term involved with the concept of gold and uses it to form an acronym relating to grace.

2. A Prayer of Grace: the author includes a prayer based on the concept she’s included in that chapter.

3. Questions for reflection: she ends each chapter with questions meant to make the readers really think about the concepts she’s covered in the chapter. The author ends the book with small Bible studies for each chapter.

We will be updating our book review section for the rest of the year and preparing to bring you more interviews and podcast features from your favorite Christian authors in 2010.

Have a Merry Christmas and Joyous New Year!

A Tangible Reminder
by Mary Byers

Last year I read Me, Myself, & Bob: A True Story About Dreams, God, and Talking Vegetables by Phil Vischer, creator of the Veggie Tales video series. I was interested because my children grew up on Veggie Tales. But I was also interested because somewhere along the way I noticed Phil Vischer was no longer with Big Idea, the company he founded. I knew there must be a story there, so I picked up the book.

Though millions of children can sing the Veggie Tales theme song, Big Idea no longer exists. After expanding too quickly, the company was forced into bankruptcy. Vischer writes about the experience in his book, which is part memoir and part business tutorial. And it’s a touching example of how one man encountered grit and allowed it to be turned into grace.

READ MORE

THE CHRISTMAS GLASS
by Marci Alborghetti

Anna’s mother gave Anna the box of Christmas glass for a wedding present. It was a box that her own mother had been given as a wedding present years earlier. But now, with the Nazi’s invading, and Jews in danger, Anna feels that the Christmas glass would be safer with her sister, Filomena, who lived in the southern tip of Italy, and was hoping to move to America. So, Anna ships the box of Christmas glass off to her cousin.

Years have passed. Now Filomena is old, and living in an assisted living apartment. But her family is pushing her into moving to “the dying place”, the part of the nursing home for those who need more long-term help. But Filomena is objecting. Unless her family agrees to come together one last Christmas…and bring the pieces of the Christmas glass together, which she had divided up between her daughters and friends of the family.

READ MORE

CHRISTMAS MIRACLES 
by Cecil Murphey & Marley Gibson

CHRISTMAS MIRACLES is a collection of many short stories, all of them true, that the authors consider miracles, and all of which happen around Christmas time. In this book, the authors show how miracles can happen to real people during the Christmas season, people who have overcome desperate situations through a miraculous twist of fate.

For instance …a young boy sits down to read a book and discovers that his learning disability has vanished. .. a woman stranded in a blizzard is rescued by a mysterious stranger she believes is an angel … a couple traveling during the holidays have their tire changed by strangers they believe are angels.

READ MORE