Book Review: If You Have A Craving, I Have a Cure

For a light, almost devotional-flavored take on everyone's penchant for getting their life under control for the New Year, try this book. It is full of pretty average, run of the mill advice that you have already heard -- not much new -- but it is enjoyable reading all the same. There are lots of recipes in each chapter that might be fun to try. The recipes are the main feature so this would make a nice gift for your friends who like to try new recipes. I was hoping for something more substantial from this book, but I did enjoy reading it anyway.

I received a free copy of this book from Tyndale for review. All opinions are my own.

Courting Cate by Leslie Gould

According to the cover of this book, it is book 1 of a series called "The Courtships of Lancaster County." If that is the case, I hope Ms. Gould is a fast writer because I can't wait to hear the stories of the other couples she will write about. This was one of the most interesting Amish tales I've read in a while. It shows the difference between the lives of the Amish in different areas of the country, but not only the differences but the "sameness" of their beliefs and traditions.

This is the story of Cate, loosely mimicking Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew, but in a modern day Amish setting. Since The Taming of the Shrew has always been a favorite story of mine, that made it all the more fun to read. Cate is the eldest sister in the family and has raised her younger sister since her mother died giving the little girl birth. Cate feels that she is past the age of marrying and also feels that she is a laughingstock in the neighborhood thanks to some mischievous neighbor boys. Betsy, the younger sister, is quite popular in the neighborhood and has reached typical marrying age. Their father, trying to help out Cate in his own bumbling way decrees that Cate must marry before Betsy does. Enter Pete Treger from New York who decides he wants to court Cate. Of course, there are a whole plethora of misunderstandings before they realize they both wanted the same thing all along.

I found the characters and situations in this book intriguing and very "real." I will definitely be looking for more books by this author.

I received a copy of this book from Bethany House to review. I did not receive any compensation for completing this review. All opinions are my own.

Real Life Real Miracles by James L. Garlow & Keith Wall

I recently read a commentary by a well-known Christian writer that said God isn't doing miracles today. His belief was that the miracles in the Bible were just to establish authenticity for Jesus. I disagree. The apostles certainly did miracles after Jesus ascended into Heaven and we have heard of many miracles over the time since. I have even experience some myself. This book tells of experiences of people who have had their lives restored, been healed, received needed provision etc. These stories are amazing and the doctors and other observers involved have been forced to admit to themselves that there was no possible way but that a miracle actually had occurred. I have heard these kind of stories and even experiences some miracles in my lifetime. My grandmother used to tell me stories of her parents and grandparents and others she knew that had these kinds of things happen. How wonderful it is to know that our Heavenly Father is interested in our needs and intercedes on our behalf. Anyone reading these stories could not help but be inspired and encouraged in their walk with the Lord. I appreciate the authors' time in compiling these stories and making them available to the public. I hope there will be more coming in a sequel. This very uplifting book will be a page turner for anyone who picks it up.

I received a copy of this book from Bethany House to review. I did not receive any compensation for completing this review. All opinions are my own.

Everyone is being thankful this week so I will tell you what I am thankful for EVERY DAY OF THE YEAR: My son and my daughter -- the two best babies a mama could have and all their progeny -- the best grandbabies a grandma could have. No matter what other things have happened in my life God blessed me so big with these offspring that I feel overwhelmed by His care for me. And of course God has blessed me with provision, protection and a whole slew of special people he has put in my life and most of all His PRESENCE. I don't have room for anything else because I am overflowing with these blessings in my life.

I don't understand how anyone could deny God's existence. He is with me always. We are in constant relationship. I would not be able to face all the uncertainties of this life if I didn't have Him there as a constant reminder that He is the reality, the controller of circumstances, and He is El Shaddai -- The God that is more than enough!

And I am thankful for His grace because I fall short every single day and He loves me anyway and His forgiveness is there ready and waiting for my repentance. I wish I could be everything He wants me to be but I know that I cannot do any of this by myself. I keep leaning on Him more and more because it is only through Him that I have or am anything at all.

I wish I could somehow explain to every person in the world how much He loves us, how much He wants to be in relationship with us, and how essential He is to our very existence and well-being. I don't think there are even descriptive enough terms in any earthly language to describe how wonderful He is.

At Home in Drayton Valley by Kim Vogel Sawyer

Tarsie Raines, alone in the world now and living in New York City in 1880 yearns for a better life somewhere with grass and trees. She has befriended a woman name Mary Brubacher with two small children and a hard-working husband, Joss. Her friend is ill and Tarsie wants to get her out of the city, too. Using money Tarsie has saved, they leave New York on the train and meet up with a wagon train going to Kansas. On the way tragedy strikes and arriving in KS, it is just Tarsie, Joss and the children and Tarsie’s promise to Mary to take care of her family. With all of them mourning the loss of Mary, times are hard but Joss finds work and they find friends that help them adjust to life there. All kinds of troubles ensue, including racial tensions, the enacting of prohibition and other changes in their lives. Kim Vogel Sawyer never disappoints. Each book is better than the one before and each one keeps the reader enthralled throughout the whole experience. These are not formula romances. These are stories of people that grip the heart and make the reader want more. They are stories of faith in real life. I am glad Ms. Sawyer stays at her writing every day because even as it is, it is way too long between her newest book and the next one! If you have time to read only one book for pleasure this month, buy this one! You will not be disappointed.

I received a copy of this book from Bethany House to review. I did not receive any compensation for completing this review. All opinions are my own.

A Hidden Truth by Judith Miller

Dovie Cates comes to the Amana Colonies in Iowa in 1892 hoping to visit some relatives and solve the mystery of why her deceased mother left the Colonies in the first place. Having grown up in Cincinnati, OH, life in the Colonies is different than the way she grew up. But since her mother spent her early years in the Colonies, her mother had raised her with many of the stories and traditions of the Amana family. On arriving in the Colonies, she lives with her mother's cousin Louise, her husband George and daughter Karlina. Dovie works in the Kitchen House with Louise and Karlina works with her father with the sheep. Since Karlina's father is in poor health, a new shepherd, Anton, is sent to help with the sheep. Karlina and Anton find working together difficult at first. Dovie becomes friends with the man who delivers bread to the Kitchen House from the Bakery every day. As Dovie struggles to get information from anyone at all about her mother (no one wants to help), she discovers just enough clues to jump to some disturbing conclusions. This is a wonderful story and one wants to keep reading till all is solved. It also provides interesting insight into how this small group of Amana Colonies functioned in the late 1800s and the background for the way they lived. It makes me long for a simpler time when God was viewed with reverence and people genuinely tried to do what was right in all things. I will definitely look forward to more books by Judith Miller about the Amana Colonies and its people.

I received a copy of this book from Bethany House to review. I did not receive any compensation for completing this review. All opinions are my own.

Samson's Classroom

Samson's classroom is an engaging set of online games to improve a child's reading ability. There are three sections of games: Sight Words,Spelling and Reading.



My granddaughter is just learning to read and most of her training has been in phonics so sight words were a new things for her. We used the Sight Words sections as part of her daily schoolwork. There were eight words per list, 7 lists on each level and 5 steps per list. In step one, each word is spelled, used in a sentence and repeated. In step two is called "missing letters." Several letters are displayed at the top of the screen and blank squares for the word at the bottom. The student clicks on the correct letters for each box as the word is spelled for them again. In step three all the words are displayed and the student clicks the correct word as Samson says it and uses it in a sentence. Step four has the entire alphabet displayed. The word is called out and used in a sentence and the student clicks on the correct letters in sequence to spell the word and fill the boxes. In step five the sentence is at the top with a blank for the word. It is also read aloud for the student. There are four treasure boxes displayed below each with a word above them. The student must select the correct word with the correct spelling and the treasure box pops open and displays a jewel. My granddaughter enjoyed this process although it was tough for her. I think she will benefit more from this program next year but if your child is already reading up to their grade level this would be a great program for them.






The Spelling section was too much for my granddaughter but will also benefit her next year. You can use the program's spelling lists or make your own. This is also a series of similar games to help the student with spelling.






The Reading section was also beyond my granddaughter's abilities but it is basically reading comprehension. You read a passage and then answer a series of questions about what you read.






This is an excellent program for beginning readers. My difficulty with it for my granddaughter is just that she seems to have a phobia against reading and has it in her head that she can't do it. Her older sister went through the same thing at that age and one day it just clicked for her and she took off like a house afire. She is reading way beyond her grade level now. So with the little one I just keep drilling and going over things and using excellent programs like this one to keep it before her and pray for that "AHA" moment to come soon!

For home use (1 user) this program is $30 per year. For a family (4 users) it is $50 per year. You would pay more than this for a good spelling curriculum alone. This is such a great way for your student to learn sight words, do spelling and practice reading comprehension that you are getting a whole package for less than another curriculum would cost for just one component of that package.

As part of the TOS Homeschool Review Crew, I was given access to these games free of charge to review. However, I did not receive any compensation. All opinions are my own.

To read what others on the TOS CREW had to say, please click here: TOS CREW