Stacks of books on my dresser topple and fall. "Silver Refined" catches my eye, and upon cracking it open, I cringe as my eyes drink in the opening lines. I whisper, "Lord, why does REFINING have to be so painful. I don't know if I want to be refined . . ."

Kay Arthur knows from a painful past the agony of being refined. Melted and poured out, Kay's horrific personal experiences (which came as an utter surprise to me) have molded her into one of the most godly women teachers of the Bible. Stories of God's work in her life, as well in the lives of her friends serve to demonstrate that God is a God to be trusted. And the pain the accompanies trials lifts our faces to a God who HEALS.

I definitely ate this book up -- 4 stars for this excellent resource for people going through difficult times in their lives.

I received a copy of this book from Blogging for Books for reviewing-- which in no way influenced my review.

The foolish man built his house upon the sand. When the rains of death, financial trouble, relational battles and personal loss come, the foundations crumbled. I ask myself: on what have I built my house? Randy Alcorn's 90 Days made my mouth dry and my heart thud -- is my faith strong enough to get me through the tough times? No, but my God is.

This amazing book by Randy Alcorn has a title that I think sounds fluffy and light. Trust me, this is anything but light. Alcorn tackles issues of terminal illness, losing your children, divorce and other painful things that come, and he shows how God's hand always orchestrates things for the good. God is good. All the time.

Alcorn's main point that really drove home for me, was that BEFORE trials come, you must know in your heart that God is good. Troubles WILL happen in this life. After reading the book, of course I still dread them. But I've learned a little more of my Creator that gives me hope that He will be present to pull me through my grief.

With long passages of Scripture, this book works perfectly for a daily devotional. (Though it might make you cry at points.) I'm going to read it again with my husband.

(This book was given to me by the publishers.)

Snowflower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See 

This novel reads like an Amy Tan story with its vivid Asian imagery and strong female-dominated plot.  Expertly written, this story within a story captures the deep friendship between two young girls as they struggle their way through customs and traditions in becoming proper grown women.

This book's description of footbinding was like nothing I'd ever heard.  Did you know that mothers wrapped their baby's girls' feet and made them walk on it for days until the bones would break and settle?  I learned that 1 in 10 girls died from infection incurred from improper binding techniques.

One of my favorite parts of the story is when the main character realizes that her heart is like a black shriveled mushroom.  That she's really evil and dark on the inside.  Unfortunately, after this revelation, she tries to work away her penitence instead of accepting the forgiveness that was freely offered to her.  The ending makes it sound like she made peace with herself through her acts of remorse, but you and I both know that "shriveled mushroom" hearts won't change by any means other than Jesus's grace imparted to us.

My dear friend, Julia, sent me this book when she found out I was pregnant.  Plus, my mother-in-law also said she'd read it a few times when she had a household of little boys. So I knew it was going to be good!

Jean Fleming encourages young mothers to teach their children godliness through love, prayer, example, discipline and cREaTIviTy!

One of the best things I got out of this book was how to prayer for Julianna.  I pray that she will be a member of God's Kingdom, a credit to the Kingdom and am ambassador of the Kingdom.  Jean Fleming really encourages me to teach Julianna at every opportunity, using my creativity and skills.  I'm so excited about teaching Julianna about Jesus!

A GREAT companion book in this same genre is Edith Schaeffer's The Hidden Art of Homemaking.  Mrs. Schaeffer's ideas are so creative and practical, you'll love it!

Gaudy Illustrations

Unfortunately, the illustrations in this book were a little mediocre with overstimulating designs and clashing colors. The borders are too busy, and the art quality isn't consistent throughout the book. I personally prefer simple pictures for little kids.

The theme communicates the sanctity and value of life in a Christian way, (which I love) but the plot and story are a little all-over-the place. As an adult, I smiled at the "surprise" ending, but I could just see my child being SO disappointed if I just have ONE baby next time.

This would be a good book for a family having twins, but I would skip it otherwise.

Thank you to WaterBrook Press for giving me a copy of this book for review.

Well-written southern literature at its best!  You can smell the citrus, hear the bees and in my case, even feel the sticky sweet honey.  Literally.

Yes, as I turned the very last page of the novel, I noticed something gooey on the back of my leg.  Then I noticed it on the couch, too.  "What is that?"  I smelled it.  HONEY.  "How in the world did that get there?!?" 

The plot really "stuck with me" (haha), and after thinking about it for a few days, I really decided that overall, I didn't love the story.  The characters and themes center around a Virgin Mary-figure, and have even formed a cult-like following of Mary as they understand her.  I do understand the young girl's craving for a mother figure, but the worship of any other god does not and cannot give fulfillment and joy.

This book was excellently written, but I can't really fully enjoy a plot so heavily ensconced in occultic symbolism.  What if it would have been centered around Christ who loves and heals the broken-hearted?

Asking the Hard Questions

The Take Action Bible asks the difficult questions that cause Christians to evaluate living their faith through works. The one question that really stood out: "How do you want to be a blessing to the world?" A few years ago, I would have had a three-point answer written down on paper, but when I read this question, I realized how self-centered and small-minded I have become. The questions really inspired some heart-searching.

The people featured in this Bible are little short of amazing. From a tiny girl selling lemonade to a man battling HIV, these heroes of faith inspire the reader to really engage with the Word and look for opportunities to live it out amongst the unsaved. The list of 52 action ideas at the end are superb for getting your mind thinking about how to live a faith of action!

Because the colored illustrated pages are so thick and the Bible pages are so thin, the book is difficult to flip through, which makes it more of a specialty Bible than one to take to Bible study or church. I would be thrilled if the Take Action Bible was a devotional: including more stories and only relevant sections of Scripture (since most Christians already own other Bibles). However, the New King James version definitely flows beautifully and is easy to understand. I also loved the spaces to journal and record answers to the questions.

Thank you Booksneeze for giving me a copy of this book for review!