Confident Moms, Confident Daughters

Confident Moms, Confident Daughters: Helping Your Daughter Live Free from Insecurity and Love How She Looks by Maria Furlough is a new Christian book for mothers of daughters. The author shared from her life growing up and the battles she had with her own self image. She wanted her daughter and herself to feel differently about how she looked. She offers practical ways to speak to your daughter about her self image and to have a true confidence in herself. As mothers we show our kids everyday what we believe and practice and little ones pick up on stuff. If they hear us calling ourselves ugly or fat then they look for those things in themselves. If we can find a true confidence in ourselves then we are able to help model for our own daughters a healthy self image. The author interviews other people like a nutritionist and a pediatrician for their input on this topic. I really enjoyed the chapter where the author’s mom shared about raising her daughter who struggled with the way she looked. Thank you to Revell for this review copy.

About the Author:
Maria Furlough is a wife to her husband, Dave, and a mother to one amazing eleven-year-old daughter, three ridiculously fun boys, and one baby boy who lives in the arms of Jesus. She teaches women’s Bible studies and works as the Missions Team Leader at Lake Forest Church in Huntersville, North Carolina, and she is a former full-time youth pastor.

 

I would also recommend her other book:

 

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The Whisper Man

The Whisper Man by Alex North is a new mystery/thriller. It has been getting a lot of buzz for being creepy. It read to me like a mystery and one that I enjoyed. There is child abduction and that is a hard topic to read about, but it was handled well into the story without too many graphic details.  It was told from the perspective of several different characters which was done very well to show you all the sides of the story. The mystery and the police work held my attention and I wanted to know what would happen next.

“If you leave a door half open, soon you’ll hear the whispers spoken.
If you play outside alone, soon you won’t be going home.
If your window’s left unlatched, you’ll hear him tapping at the glass.
If you’re lonely, sad, and blue, the Whisper Man will come for you.”

-Alex North, The Whisper Man

Some other mystery and thriller books that  I would recommend are:

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3 Great Books

I had a weekend away and got to read 3 great books that were 4 and 5 star books for me.

The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abbi Waxman is a modern day story about a woman working in a book shop that discovers her biological father’s family. Her life has a lot of altering events and this story was delightful. This is a must read for bookworms.

“Reading isn’t the only thing in the world, Nina.”
“It’s one of the only five perfect things in the world.”
“And the other four are?”
“Cats, dogs, Honeycrisp apples and coffee.”
― Abbi Waxman, The Bookish Life of Nina Hill

The Stationery Shop by Marjan Kamali is a beautiful story about a young couple in Iran and spans their lives as they are faced with hardships and changes. The story is told over a few timelines and perspectives and covered topics of love and loss very well.

“What’s your favorite book?” he asked quickly.

“I don’t have one.”

“Oh, it’s just that…I assumed you loved to read.”

“I do. I mean I don’t have just one. Too many.”   -Marjan Kamali, The Stationery Shop

The Dearly Beloved by Cara Wall is a new favorite of mine. This historical fiction story was so well written and one I did not want to end. The story focuses on two couples involved in ministry.  This book is an amazing debut novel and the Read With Jenna pick for September.

“Why not? Books should be read. That’s why we collect them. Don’t want them all to go into museums, under glass. Go ahead; learn something. It’s what keeps writers alive.” -Cara Wall, The Dearly Beloved

 

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Protecting Your Child From Predators

Protecting Your Child from Predators by Beth Robinson EdD and Latayne C. Scott PhD is a new book for parents. This book was not easy to read because of the importance of this topic. The authors share from their experiences of counseling victims of sexual abuse. The topics cover all ages and are divided into age groups of advice on how to talk to your kids about these issues. This book made me more aware of the people and dangers surrounding my children. Parenting gets harder all the time because things are always changing with technology and ways that our kids can be victimized. I would highly recommend that parents or any child caregivers read this book to help protect your children from sexual abuse.  Thank you to Bethany House Publishers for this review copy.

 

About the Authors;
Beth Robinson, EdD, is a licensed professional counselor and approved supervisor for licensed professional counselors. She is also a certified school counselor with a teaching certificate and is a frequent expert witness in legal proceedings involving sexual abuse. Dr. Robinson and her family live in Lubbock, Texas.

Latayne C. Scott, PhD, is an award-winning veteran of the Christian publishing industry and has written over two dozen books. She has a PhD in biblical studies and lives with her husband in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

 

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Charlotte The Scientist

This series about a scientist bunny named Charlotte is adorable and educational. She shares the scientific method and how experiments are conducted. My kids request to read these books frequently.

• Charlotte the Scientist Is Squished  by Camille Andros and illustrated by Brianne Farley.
• Charlotte The Scientist Finds A Cure by Camille Andros and illustrated by Brianne Farley.

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The Lager Queen Of Minnesota

I love when a book takes you by surprise. The Lager Queen Of Minnesota by J. Ryan Stradal has been all over Bookstagram getting great reviews. The story starts with family drama between two sisters and shares their perspectives over the next 50 years. Also, one of their granddaughter’s is a main character with her own story interwoven in. This book focuses on pies and beer and the making of both. Beer is a large theme in this family drama and since it is a topic I am not familiar with, found it very interesting.  The book was very well written and the end brought tears to my eyes. I had read and enjoyed the author’s previous book Kitchens Of The  Great Midwest.

 

 

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The Complicated Heart

The Complicated Heart: Loving Even When It Hurts by Sarah Mae is a new book about how to forgive others. It releases 9/17/19 and there are preorder bonuses if you order it before then. Sarah Mae shares openly about her relationship with her alcoholic mother. She tells her story from the age of 14 to an adult including when she had an abortion as a teen. The writing style was great and after she shared about her life, she included passages from her mom’s journal to show what she was thinking during those years. Even though I felt like I couldn’t personally relate to some aspects of Sarah’s life, I learned a lot and loved the book. The message was strong that we can still love even though we are hurting in our relationships with others. Thank you for the opportunity to be part of this launch team and to read an advanced copy.

I have read her other books and one of my favorite books for moms (especially of little ones) is Desperate by Sarah Mae and Sally Clarkson.

About the author:

Sarah Mae is in the ministry of spilling your guts. Through the “spilling” of her own honest and vulnerable stories, she’s learned that no story is too unsafe, no past is too awful, no heartache is too great that God’s grace can’t cover, recover, and heal. She has a real tender spot for the brokenhearted, especially those with mother wounds, and her writing and speaking is always in service to those who need to know that dysfunction doesn’t have to be their legacy or identity, and healing, redemption, and victory is always on the table.

Sarah is the coauthor of the bestselling book, Desperate: Hope for the Mom Who Needs to Breathe (with Sally Clarkson), and is the host of the podcast, The Complicated Heart. She has been featured on Focus on the Family radio, The Life Today Show with James Robison, and in Life Beautiful Magazine as one of 50 most inspiring Christian women of 2016.

Sarah makes her home in Lancaster County Pennsylvania with her woodworker husband and three spunky kiddos. You can learn more at sarahmae.com.

 

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Risen Motherhood

Risen Motherhood: Gospel Hope for Everyday Moments by Emily Jensen and Laura Wifler is a new book for moms. I have been a listener to their Risen Motherhood podcast for a few years and was so excited to read their new book. They offer Biblical hope to moms that feel like motherhood is hard and may feel discouraged. They openly share from their own lives as mothers of what they have learned and how you can be inspired and encouraged on your own journey of motherhood.  Each chapter has questions at the end to further apply these lessons to your life. Thank you for the opportunity to be part of the launch team.

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Back Roads To Belonging

Back Roads to Belonging by Kristen Strong is a Christian non-fiction book about finding your place of belonging.  Finding a place where you belong and have good friendships can be hard at any stage of life. Our lives are constantly changing as we pass in and out of different circles. Kristen Strong shares from her own life experiences of feeling lost and alone. She shares where we can find our real source of belonging in God.  I really enjoyed this book and would highly recommend reading it. I read it during a time when we have moved to a new school where we do not know anyone. Not only do I think of my kids finding new friends, I feel like I need to find my own place of belonging with the other parents that already know each other and I feel like an outsider. This book was encouraging and one I will revisit to remind myself of the truths that I learned. Thanks to Revell for this review copy.

About the author:

Kristen Strong, author of Girl Meets Change, writes as a friend offering meaningful encouragement for each season of life so you can see it with more hope and less worry. She and her US Air Force veteran husband, David, have three children. Together this military family zigzagged across the country (and one ocean) several times before settling in Colorado Springs, Colorado. You can find her at kristenstrong.com, DaySpring’s (in)courage, and on Instagram @kristenstrong.

I would also recommend:

 

 

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Home For Erring and Outcast Girls

Home for Erring and Outcast Girls by Julie Kibler is a historical fiction book that spans two time periods in the past and in the present. Told from the perspective of three women. I was really enjoying this story until about 200 pages in. The story took a direction that I was not expecting and didn’t really care for. Overall the writing style was great and historical fiction is my go to genre. What is your favorite genre to read?

If you enjoyed this book then I would recommend:

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