Feburary Books and a Great Program

My list of books for February includes more than 2. Which means if I keep this pace up, I will have more than the 20 I originally wanted to read this year. Since I bought myself a Kindle Fire with birthday and Christmas money, I've been doing much of my reading on it. Which I love! For those of you wondering, I got the Fire because of the ability to download apps. I don't have an I Pad, I Pod or I Phone, so I can't take advantage of apps on any other device. However, if you have another device with apps, you might as well just get the regular Kindle. Many of the books I will be posting in the next few months will be ebooks. Some of them may have paper copies, others not. I will try to link to each of them so you can check them out.

Here We Come Aggies Inheretance Book 3 by Chautona Havig. 
I want to start this review by saying I didn't read the first two books. This one was free and the others were not. Courtesy of Goodreads.com, here is the summary: "In the hubbub of wedding preparations, Christmas celebrations, and a house full of lively children, Aggie is feeling overwhelmed and unappreciated. Add to that two puppies who are growing faster than she can replace chewed shoes and fix dug fences, it seems like things just can’t get any worse. Then, as she should be enjoying the most exciting time of her life, she’s faced with her worst nightmare." I loved this book. The characters were relateable, I laughed and cried with them, 5 stars. The plot took a very interesting turn, that I wasn't expecting at all, 5 stars. No gore, no inappropriate content (although it is written for an adult audience). Discusses great relationships and the hardships life throws our way in a very real sense. 

The Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer: This is the review I wrote on goodreads.com: "I read this on my way to work (or rather the Kindle read it as I drove to work) this morning. Quick read, I think it took 20-30 minutes tops. Tozer obviously has a good sense of Biblical teaching and is able to bring it down to a level where it is applicable immediately. Yes, there are many things he challenges us to do that don't happen overnight, but the power of this book makes you want to get started in any way you can immediately. He discusses being humble in our work, something I feel most of the modern American Christians could use a reminding about- I know it was helpful for me. He lays it out in a very logical and Biblical way that it seems easy (even if it does take time and patience and a lot of prayer)." It is nonfiction, so I won't rate the characters etc.

7 An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess by Jenn Hatmaker. This book is extreme! Jen takes 7 months and reflects on different areas in her life that she has excess of. The first month she eats only 7 foods, for an entire month! Each month she tackles something new: purging 7 things each day from the house, eliminating media, spending money at only 7 places a month etc. Her end goal is to focus on what God desires for us, rather than the American materialism trap that we so often fall into. She has a council that do variations of each month with her and this book describes her adventure, failures and victories in this journey. Since it is non-fiction, it doesn't go with my typical rating system. It is a good book and will inspire you if you are looking to simplify your life.

Leaving Carolina: Here is goodreads.com's summary: "Piper Wick left her hometown of Pickwick, North Carolina, twelve years ago, shook the dust off her feet, ditched her drawl and her family name, and made a new life for herself as a high-powered public relations consultant in LA. She’s even “engaged to be engaged” to the picture-perfect U.S. Congressman Grant Spangler .Now all of Piper’s hard-won happiness is threatened by a reclusive uncle’s bout of conscience. In the wake of a health scare, Uncle Obadiah Pickwick has decided to change his will, leaving money to make amends for four generations’ worth of family misdeeds. But that will reveal all the Pickwicks’ secrets, including Piper’s. Though Piper arrives in Pickwick primed for battle, she is unprepared for Uncle Obe’s rugged, blue-eyed gardener. So just who is Axel Smith? Why does he think making amends is more than just making restitution? And why, oh why, can’t she stay on task? With the Lord’s help, Piper is about to discover that although good PR might smooth things over, only the truth will set her free." This is a rather lengthy summary, and does a pretty food job highlighting everything. While church and truth are involved, I wouldn't consider it Christian fiction. She struggles with truth, but not really with Truth. While intended for adults, there is nothing in it that would keep me from letting a teenager read it. Character development I would give a 2.5. While the main character is doubting herself and many things around her, the emotion isn't there, just mediocre. Plot is predictable 2.5. No gore, nothing inappropriate. I won't be reading the others in the series, as I found it lacking description and character development. 

And [insert drumroll]. . . . .I found a great program that gives you free books (both paper copies and ebooks)! Yep, this girl likes free! And better yet, it's a Christian publishing company! You do things (surveys, book reviews etc) to earn points and then "buy" books with your points: and it's free to sign up. I'm so in! I've downloaded a couple free ebooks to my Kindle and will be excited about reading and reviewing them. You can sign up for your rewards by going to the following link:
www.tyndalerewards.com/signup/?pc=4759-fmp6-73ez-a8edwww.tyndalerewards.com/signup/?pc=4759-fmp6-73ez-a8ed.