Thursday, May 21, 2009

HERO



Hero by Fred Stoeker & Jason Stoeker with contributions by Mike Yorkey


You already know it’s not easy being a single man in this culture today. But it is easy to be overwhelmed, to feel helpless and hopeless about living by God’s high standards for singles. It’s easy to cave in to the pressures of this sex-soaked world and accept defeat—blaming the media, the culture, even girlfriends who don’t know how tough it can be.



But many men have read books like Every Young Man’s Battle and Tactics and have committed themselves to stand strong and pure in the power of God, and to go on the offensive against the onslaught of negative stereotypes. Some have suffered. Some have fallen. But many have experienced victory—and you can be among them.



What makes those committed men so desirable to women? Be Her Hero is their motto. From best-selling author Fred Stoeker, along with his son Jasen, come the straightforward insight and real-life examples you’re looking for to help you take personal purity to its logical conclusion. Here’s straight truth with irrefutable evidence of what makes an ultimate hero to women who long for men of faith—men who stand by their convictions and make their world a safer and better place.



Are you ready to accept the challenge? You can purchase this book here for a single young man in your life or leave a comment below and enter to win a copy. I'll draw a name on Monday the 25th.

Monday, May 18, 2009

So Not Happening



I don't normally read young adult fiction but when given the opportunity to read this one I jumped at it. So Not Happening by Jenny B Jones is everything I've been missing since chick lit went out of style. Bella is a teen who is swept away from her fab life in NYC to a farm in Oklahoma. A blogging mishap, new friends vs old friends, a suspicious new step-dad, new step brothers and that pesky (but somewhat attractive) school newspaper editor all come together to weave a perfect story that old and young alike will enjoy. I laughed out loud with Bella and cried for her when Moxie went away.

If you're looking for a fun summer read for that you can share with your teen daughters then this is a MUST!

Monday, May 11, 2009

2009 Reading List

Mostly to see for myself how many books I read in a year...

1. The Face by Angela Hunt
2. Only Nuns Change Habits Overnight by Karen Scalf Linamen
3. Where Truth Lies by Lynn Bulock
4. Oh Baby by Judy Baer
5. Twilight by Stephanie Meyer
6. New Moon by Stephenie Meyer
7. What's Age Got to do With It? by Robin McGraw
8. Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer
9. Admission by Travis Thrasher
10. Along Came a Cowboy by Christine Lynxwiler
11. The Widows' Club by Joyce Livingston
12. Breaking Dawn by Stephanie Meyer
13. Love Finds You in Humble Texas by Anita Higman
14. Home Another Way by Christa Parrish
15. "I Do Again"
16. Fighting for Bread and Roses by Lynn A Coleman
17. On a Someday by Roxanne Henke
18. Three Roads Home by Travis Thrasher
19. A Promise Remained by Travis Thrasher
20. All Through the Night by Davis Bunn
21. Sky Blue by Travis Thrasher
22. A Steadfast Surrender by Nancy Moser
23. Multiple Blessings by Kate Gosslin & Beth Carson
24. The Wedding Wish by Dee Henderson
25. A Claim of Her Own by Stephanie Grace Whitson
26. Ruby's Slippers by Leanna Ellis
27. Gun Lake by Travis Thrasher
28. Get Cozy Josey by Susan May Warren
29. The Ultimatum by Nancy Moser
30. Evidence of Murder by Jill Elizabeth Nelson
31. The Noticer by Andy Andrews
32. Footsteps by DiAnn Mills
33. Waiting for Daybreak by Kathryn Cushman
34. Reluctant Burglar by Jill Elizabeth Nelson
35. Higher Hope by Robert Whitlow
36. Worlds Collide by ALison Strobel
37. Dear Mom by Melody Carlson
38. So Not Happening by Jenny B Jones
39. Nothing But Trouble by Susan May Warren
40. Shadows of Lancaster County by Mindy Starns Clark
41. Double Minds by Terri Blackstock
42. Cry in the Night by Colleen Coble
43. Searching for Spice by Megan DiMaria
44. Sisterchicks in Wooden Shoes by Robin Jones Gunn
45. Truffles by the Sea by Julie Carobini
46. Isolation by Travis Thrasher
47. The Watermark by Travis Thrasher
48. Ghostwriter by Travis Thrasher
49. Jane Austen Ruined My Life by Beth Pattillo
50. Religion Saves by Mark Driscoll
51. The Blue Bottle Club by Penelope Stokes
52. Perfect by Harry Kraus
53. Woodhouse Family, Welcome Home by Kimberley Woodhouse
54. The Hope of Refuge by Cindy Woodsmall
55. Balancing Act by Kimberly Stuart
56. Bottom Line by Kimberly Stuart
57. For Women Only by Shaunti & Jeff Feldhahn
58. Just Between You and Me by Jenny B. Jones
59. Fools Rush In by Janice Thompson
60. Kiss Me if You Dare by Nicole Young
61. She's in an Better Place by Angela Hunt
62. Seaside Letters by Denise Hunter
63. A Million Miles in a Thousand Years by Donald Miller
64. The Great Christmas Bowl by Susan May Warren
65. The Will of Wisteria by Denise Hildreth
66. If Tomorrow Never Comes by Marlo Schalesky
67. Talking to the Dead by Bonnie Grove
68. The Returning by Ann Tatlock
69. Wisdom Hunter by Randall Arthur
70. The Sound of Sleigh Bells by Cindy Woodsmall
71. Leaving Carolina by Tamara Leigh
72. Limelight by Melody Carlson
73. Feeling for Bones by Bethany Pierce
74. Salty Like Blood by Harry Kraus, M.D.
75. The Other Side of Darkness by Melody Carlson
76. Rhapsody in Red by Donn Taylor
77. The Long Way Home by Sharlene MacLaren
78. What Matters Most by Melody Carlson
79. Always Watching by Brandilyn Collins and Amberly Collins
80. The Only Best Place by Carolyne Aarsen
81. Dark Pursuit by Brandilyn Collins
82. Stray Affections by Charlene Baumbich
83. White Picket Fences by Susan Meissner
84. I'm So Sure by Jenny B. Jones
85. Thirsty by Tracey Bateman
86. Blinded by Travis Thrasher
87. North of Tomorrow by Cindy McCormick Martinusen
88. Crime & Clutter by Cyndy Salzmann
89. Let Darkness Come by Angela Hunt
90. My Sister Dilly by Maureen Lang
91. Stretch Marks by Kimberly Stuart
92. Shadow of Turning by Valerie Hansen
93. The Queen of Sleepy Eye by Patti Hill
94. The Second Thief by Travis Thrasher
95. An Uncertain Dream by Judith Miller
96. Dying to Decorate by Cyndy Salzmann
97. After the Storm by Lenora Worth
98. In Between by Jenny B Jones
99. On the Loose by Jenny B Jones
100. The Big Picture by Jenny B Jones
101. Cottonwood Whispers by Jennifer Erin Valent
102. The Sweet By and By by Sara Evans with Rachel Hauck
103. The Last Word by Kathy Herman

Friday, May 8, 2009

Dear Mom

Dear Mom by Melody Carlson



I've long been a fan of Melody Carlson's fiction for women. I know that she also writes for the younger teen ages so when I opened this book I was finding myself agreeing with the girls who said, "It's like you're still a teenager...you're stuck inside an adult body."

Every mom knows how communicating with a teenage girl can be difficult, even impossible at times. One-word answers. Defensive conversations. Daily arguments. How typical for teens to put up such barriers. All the while, moms truly long to know what their daughters really think.

Best-selling author Melody Carlson, whose books for women, teens, and children have sold more than three million copies, bridges this chasm with trusted insight. She speaks frankly in the voice of the teen daughters she’s written for and she tells it like it is: struggles with identity, guys, friendship, and even parents—it’s all here. The straight-talk to moms covers such things as “I need you, but you can’t make me admit it,” “I’m not as confident as I appear,” and “I have friends. I need a mother.”

Instead of focusing on outward behaviors, Dear Mom looks at a young woman’s heart and reveals to moms:

·how to talk to teens so they hear,

·how to connect despite the differences of perspective or years and experiences,

·and how strengthen the bond every mom and daughter ultimately wants.

The lively chapters in Dear Mom can be dipped into topically or used as a read-through tool by moms and daughters alike to understand what motivates or deflates, troubles or inspires—and just in time for Mother’s Day and all the Mother’s Days ahead.

You can purchase this book here.

I know I'll be keeping this one around for the next 8 years or so.



Author Bio:

Melody Carlson is the award-winning author of more than one hundred books for adults, children, and teens, with sales totaling more than three million copies. Beloved for her Diary of a Teenage Girl and Notes from a Spinning Planet series, she’s also the author of the women’s novels Finding Alice (in production now for a Lifetime-TV movie), Crystal Lies, On This Day, These Boots Weren’t Made for Walking, and A Mile in My Flip-Flops. A mother of two grown sons, Melody lives in central Oregon with her husband and chocolate lab retriever. She’s a full-time writer and an avid gardener, biker, skier, and hiker.