"Last of the Blue and Gray--Old Men, Stolen Glory, and the Mystery That Outlived The Civil War" by Richard A. Serrano

Last of the Blue and Gray--Old Men, Stolen Glory, and the Mystery That Outlived The Civil War by Richard A. Serrano is a fascinating look at the lives of some of the men who fought in the Civil War.  Most of these men lived to be over 100 years old--wow!  This book centers on one man who said he fought in the war but he really didn't.  I enjoyed hearing these stories!
(Gerard's review, 4 stars)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

"David-Seeking a Heart Like His" by Beth Moore is a Fantastic Bible Study!

David-Seeking a Heart Like His by Beth Moore is the best Bible study I’ve done yet! WOW! I learned so much and it was a fantastic look at David’s whole life with its ups and downs. What an inspiration! Not only did this study focus on David’s life going through I and II Samuel but also into Kings and Chronicles. One of my favorite features of this Bible study was that she also pointed out Psalms that David wrote as he went through certain events of his life or looked back.

I found myself highlighting quite bit in both the book and my Bible as I went through this study. I spent about 45 min. to an hour a day on the daily lessons but the time flew by. There is so much life application included that it just made the scripture really come to life. Although I did it along with a group and viewed Beth Moore’s DVD once a week to introduce each week’s lessons, I got so much more from digging into the daily lessons during the week.

 If you want to grow in your walk with the Lord, this will be an eye-opener. It has raised my level of praise, worship, trust, understanding of God and prayer. I cannot say enough good about this study and highly recommend it! Now go order it!
(Karen's review)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

James--Mercy Triumphs by Beth Moore (UPDATED)

James Mercy Triumphs by Beth Moore is such a great in-depth Bible study on the book of James that I was sorry to see it end. Beth’s older daughter, Melissa, also had some interesting articles included from an historical standpoint based on research she did.

 I learned so much more about James, the author of this book, than I had known before and accepted Beth’s challenge to memorize the entire book of James, which I completed on April 23, 2012.  Whew! 

This is a very practical study because the topics in the book of James are still relevant today: Patience, temptation, rich and poor, favoritism, judgment, controlling the tongue, wisdom,, our relationship with God, how to treat others, prayer. This study is fantastic! I really can’t say enough good about it. There are DVD’s that go with this that I enjoyed too because of some funny stories she shares from her experience to make her points. In particular, I especially liked hearing about her camping trip with the birds and the hair brush story at the airport. That is one I don’t think I’ll soon forget.

Other Beth Moore Studies I did were: Fruit of the Spirit, Daniel, which were good too. I highly recommend this to anyone looking for a challenge who likes a good Bible study.

Related Post:  I Did It--Challenge Completed Ahead of Time (Check out this link to see the methods I used to memorize the entire book of James)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments.

Happy Reading! During March we are donating 50 cents for each legitimate comment we receive on all our blogs to the American Cancer Society.

"Show Dog" by Josh Dean

Show Dog by Josh Dean tells the true story of Jack, an Australian Shepard dog, that Josh follows for a year from show to show.  This is a double WOW book for me because now I know the ins and outs of a dog show.  It's an awesome read!  The writing is very good and Jack's handlers and the other dogs in the book are good too! 

If you love dogs, declaring this a "must read" is a no-brainer.  I hated to see it end, LOVED IT!
(Gerard's review)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

We are donating 50 cents for each legitimate comment we receive on all our blogs to Caroline's Kids Pet Rescue to help homeless cats this month.

"Dear Sparkle: Cat-To-Cat Advice" by Sparkle the Cat

Dear Sparkle: Cat-to-Cat Advice from the world's foremost feline columnist by Sparkle the Cat is a fantastic book that entertains while imparting great information on how to solve some problems that cats and humans have. Sparkle answers the letters from cats with humor and many good suggestions, including some cat owners can learn from as well. It has cute pictures of cats included too and shares bits of cat wisdom! I read it on my Kindle and highlighted many passages. I highly recommend this for any cat owner and am sure your cats will enjoy it too! Ours did.


Sparkle is also a blogger who I visit regularly at www.sparklecat.com. She is a sweet cat!
(Karen's review: My rating: 5 of 5 stars )

Spunky Doodle and Manny's review

This is our favorite book yet!  The best book ever!  If you live with a cat, you must read this one!  It's pawsome!

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

"Keep Your Brain Alive: 83 Neurobic Exercises" by Lawrence Katz

This is a quick-read but very interesting and practical. The gist of the book is to improve memory, you need to keep your brain active and use all of your senses. “Routines can be brain deadening.” Basically, learn to enjoy new experiences, change things around, interact with people and change up routines.

The most startling thing I learned from reading this book is: "Research has shown that watching television literally numbs the mind: The brain is less active during TV-viewing than during sleep!" (p. 117)

Gerard gave me this one for my birthday--thanks, honey!  You need to read it too!

(Karen's review--My rating: 5 of 5 stars)


Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

You can help our charity of the month just by leaving a comment on any of our blogs! We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month. The charity for this month is at the top of our blog.

"Angel on a Leash" by David Frei

I'd like to be a therapy dog-Woof!

Angel on a Leash--Therapy Dogs and the Lives They Touch by David Frei  is a wonderful book about therapy dogs and David's experiences with his.  Therapy dogs do such good work by visiting people who have cancer, or other illnesses or disabilities, and Ronald McDonald House for kids.  The stories are touching and the pictures of the people with the dogs are priceless.  I know when our dog, Abby, goes up to people, most really enjoy it!  This is a very informative book that tells what all is involved if you want your dog to be a therapy dog and what to expect. 

Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

You can help our charity of the month just by leaving a comment on any of our blogs! We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month. The charity for this month is at the top of our blog.

"The Chimps of Fauna Sanctuary" by Andrew Westoll is Fantastic

WOW and Double Wow! The Chimps of Fauna Sanctuary by Andrew Westoll is a fantastic book! Gloria Grow runs a sanctuary for chimps. The author goes there to observe and work too. I loved this book because the chimps are so fascinating! You will never feel the same way about them after you read this! It is a book filled with emotion. I highly recommend it. Read and enjoy.
(Gerard's review)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? You can help our charity of the month just by leaving a comment on any of our blogs! We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month. The charity for this month is at the top of our blog.

"Out Of My Mind" by Sharon M. Draper

I enjoyed this children's book, Out Of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper about Melody, a girl with Cerebral Palsy. She had a photographic memory but greatly limited physically. She couldn't talk, walk, feed herself or do basic things. Kids thought she was retarded and pretty much ignored her or made fun of her. When she was in 5th grade, she got a medi-talker which enabled her to communicate. When the kids discovered how smart Melody was, they were very surprised.

This was a quick, enjoyable read that has increased my empathy for those who have disabilities.  I recommend this to anyone who knows or has contact with special needs kids.

To see how far we have come as a society though in treating people with Cerebral Palsy, I suggest you read Petey by Ben Mikaelsen which is about the 1920s.  This one is very sad but also interesting.
(Karen's review, 5 stars)

Check out Bloggin' bout Books review of this for another opinion:  An Important Story For Us All

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? You can help our charity of the month just by leaving a comment on any of our blogs! We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month. The charity for this month is at the top of our blog.

"Strength Training For Seniors" by Michael Fekete, CSCS, ACE

I liked Strength Training For Seniors by Michael Fekete because it gave some really good information about exercising in general, about how the muscles, tendons and ligaments all work in addition to some good exercises and instructions for developing a personal exercise program.  Blank worksheets are included to help the reader set specific goals, manage stress, and record progress in workouts.  This is a short book but packed with helpful and interesting information on strength training specifically for people over 50.  It also includes several different scenarios from real clients he worked with who had different problems so the reader can see how to tailor a personal workout program. 

To answer the excuse of having no time, Michael Fekete says on pg. 122:

Put your priorities in order.  Eliminate the useless, the unproductive, and the nonsensical.  You will be surprised at the amount of time freed up for training.  The time you allot to exercise is your best investment.  If you think that you cannot make time for exercise now, then be sure to make plenty of time for illnesses and hospitals later.

I highly recommend Strength Training For Seniors by Michael Fekete!
(Karen's review)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? You can help Canine Lifeline (a dog rescue organization that saved our dog, Abby) by leaving a comment on any of our blogs in March. We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month.

"The Girl In The Gatehouse" by Julie Klassen

I really liked the cover!

The Girl In The Gatehouse by Julie Klassen is historical fiction about Mariah who was sent away from her home for inappropriate behavior to live in a gatehouse on her aunt’s property.   This takes place in the 1800s when it was considered unladylike to be an author so Mariah wrote a couple books under a pseudonym.

There were quotes before each chapter but the harshest I think was this one by Nathaniel Hawthorne in a letter to his publisher, 1852:  All women as authors, are feeble and tiresome.  I wish they were forbidden to write. 

I found the historical quotes interesting and also the book cover.  There is mystery, romance and the insight into the 1800s in this story.  I enjoyed the interaction with the people in the poor house across the street from the estate, especially when Mariah got her friends to put on a little play for those at the poor house.  There are a lot of characters, but they were introduced slowly enough to be able to get to know them. 

I had to laugh when I came to the part of Captain Bryant discussing Mariah’s novel with her and his lieutenant, Mr. Hart, when he did not know she was the author because it summed up how I was feeling about this book:

He snapped the book shut.  “It is all so much gentlewoman gibberish to me.” . . .. In any case, I am afraid I find the book frightfully dull.
“Let me guess,” Hart said.  “No swordplay, no gunfire, and no horse races.”
“Exactly.  Lots of long looks and deep discussions.”
Hart raised one finger high.  “And therein lies the void between the sexes.  Women want long looks and deep discussions, and men want to ride and shoot.”

There was so little action and it moved so slow, several times I had trouble keeping my eyes open!  I plowed through it though because I have seen several good reviews for it and I got to liking the characters.  I loved the ending--and not just because it was over!  The theme is forgiveness and to move on even if you make mistakes, don't dwell in the past.

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? You can help the charity at the top of this blog by leaving a comment on any of our blogs in March. We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month.

If you want to see other bloggers thoughts on this book, visit Christian Fiction Book Club over at Edgy Inspirational Romance.

"Facebook Me!" by Dave Awl

Facebook Me! by Dave Awl is a good reference book for learning to use Facebook to its full capacity.  I've been on Facebook for a couple years now I think so most of the things in this book I already knew by just exploring on my own.  Had I read this book first, it would have saved me some time.  It does explain how to set up a fan page which is something I didn't know how to do.  Another helpful thing was that it pointed out how I can blog app requests like silly gifts and games that I am not interested in.  It's actually very simple, there's a "block this app" option in  tiny letters under the app request that all I had to do was click on.  

I recommend this to anyone considering opening a Facebook account or who just is kind of lost when they go into it and would like to have a better understanding of it.

Have you read this one? What did you think of it?