Choosing to Make God's Love a Part of One's life

In Choose and Choose Again, the reader will encounter story after story of different people, most of whom are from Hope Community Church of Detroit, where Pastor Butcher has been sharing the healing love of God for thirteen years. They represent men and women, African American, Caucasian, Latino, and Asian, urban and suburban, professional types and prostitutes, clergy and addicts, drunks and lawyers and convicts―wounded human beings who have found themselves empty, dying, and longing to be filled.

  I was highly anticipating reviewing this book. I love to read about people's lives that have been changed through Christ. When I started this book I immediately found it very difficult to follow along. I did not know whose lives Mr. Butcher was talking about. I kept reading thinking the book would get easier to follow. But it never did. I would recommend this book for pastors or people who are into bettering others lives. I think this would be a great book for discussion groups. It just wasn't for me.
 I received this book to review by Tyndale House Publishing. I did not receive any compensation to review this book.

Finding Contentment

Mattie Schrock is no stranger to uprooting her life. Even as her father relocated her family from one Amish community to the next, she always managed to find a footing in their new homes. Now as the Schrock family plans to move west from Somerset County to a fledgling Amish settlement in Indiana, she looks forward to connecting with old friends who will be joining them from another Pennsylvania community--friends like Jacob Yoder, who has always held a special place in her heart.

Since Mattie last saw Jacob, they've both grown into different people with different dreams. Jacob yearns to settle down, but Mattie can't help but dream of what may lie over the western horizon. When a handsome Englisher tempts her to leave the Amish behind to search for adventure in the West, will her pledge to Jacob be the anchor that holds her secure?


   I didn't think I would enjoy this book as much as I did. I did not realize that this was the second book in the series. When I was asked to review this book I was not made aware of this. I don't usually read books that are not first in the series. Because they are normally a continuance of the first book. I was pleasantly surprised that even though this was the second in the series it was able to stand alone. 

  Mattie's Pledge was a mixture of excitement, intrigue and mystery. It was not like other Amish books. It wasn't all about their religion. It also wasn't about the beautiful girl gets the extra handsome man. Mattie's Pledge brought a sense of excitement by telling the experiences of pioneer life on the trail. It also brought a sense of intrigue by fascinating the reader with the Amish life. Mattie's Pledge also brought a sense of mystery of different things that happened on the trail. This book encourages readers to keep their promises even if it means giving up what a person would like to do instead. 

I received this book from Revell for this review.

The Help and Love of Animals

The editor says, " After years of loving the vibrant city life in San Francisco, Lonnie Hull DuPont reluctantly trades her three-room apartment on foggy, lively Telegraph Hill for a farmhouse on a quiet plain in Michigan. She immediately misses the rhythm and the pace of the city, and the isolation country living brings has her longing for something more.

Enter Kit Kat and Lucy--stray cats who arrive at the farmhouse a year apart and each ask to move in. The antics and oddities of these two strong personalities wrapped in fur bring a new light to the farmhouse and DuPont's life. Kit Kat, an obsessive-compulsive tortoiseshell, can purr her new human into a happier state of mind. Lucy, the playful, leaping Russian Blue who can nail a bat right out of the air, makes her laugh.

From the hysterical process of getting two strange cats to like each other, to the exciting years of watching those cats thrive--and inspire DuPont in the process--this book is an energetic tale of cat and human foibles. Animals enrich our lives, and the heartwarming story of how Kit Kat and Lucy changed one woman's world will leave readers enchanted."

 I wanted to review this book because I love animal stories. I was utterly impressed. From the first page I could relate to the author and her love for her animals. I could also relate to the issues of her anxiety and how animals can relieve this. I do agree with Ms. Dupont that animals can relieve a lot of different ailments. People have lost touch with nature. They are now more dependent on drugs than on the companionship of animals. It is too bad that we lose our companions so early.  I would recommend this book for people who love animals and for those who don't.