The Wellness Revelation

The Wellness Revelation by Alisa Keeton is a great Bible study book - I've already recommended it to several different groups for audiences from 15-5.  She focuses on loving God, ourselves, and others, so it's not a diet or weight loss book at all. It's a tool to help women live healthy and whole lives without addictions and burdens. It's packed full of scripture and practical ideas for living well. The whole book has a hopeful,  you=can=do=it kind of feel.

It's set up to be an 8-week study. I wish I could change the layout of each week to be in a 5-day format.  The week's reading seems long because of the layout, but it really doesn't take much time to read it. Each week has a reading (10-15  pages with stories and education), a respond section (6-10 pages of what to do with the information learned), a renew section with journal style reflection questions, a relate section with accountability questions to share with a a partner, and a reciprocate section with a spotlight story about wellness around the world.

The end of the book has a food journal to photocopy and a workout calendar to follow during the 8-week journey.

Overall, though I think the layout is lacking, the content is superb and I'll continue to recommend this book to others.

I received this book as a gift from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

With You Always by Jody Hedlund

I devoured this book - I couldn't put it down! With You Always by Jody Hedlund is a historical fiction book set in the times of orphan trains. The characters were delightfully developed.and the story had just enough twists and turns. I look forward to reading more of her novels!

I love the themes woven throughout her novel:
how God puts us in particular situations to use the gifts he has given us for the betterment of others.
how God values all people - women, men, children, abused, rich, poor, .
God will provide for us spiritually, physically, and emotionally..
it's important to stand up for what's right, no matter what the cost
true leadership requires humility and understanding
God is so merciful and forgiving.

I would recommend this book to female readers age 16+. It's clean, but some of the parts are sad with mature topics such as prostitution and abuse.

I received this book from the publisher as a gift in exchange for my honest review.

Mystery in the Library

A Name Unknown by Roseanna White is a mystery on the main stage of a grand and messy library. It is the first book in the Shadows Over England series. 

The main character is wonderfully complex - opinionated, compassionate, creative, and strong. The story is a little long and drawn out in some places, but overall a good read. Very creative plot with interesting characters. I was intrigued by the locations, stories and lifestyles of the before characters. I enjoyed the compassion and empathy of the characters. .i also appreciated a peek into the thought process of a fiction author, because though I'm also a writer, I only write nonfiction - and the process is so totally different!. 

It's clean historical fiction with a little bit of romance that evolves in unexpected places. I would recommend to ladies age 16 and older.

I received this book as a gift from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.