The Chocolate Diaries by Karen Linamen

Ready to Make Some Sweet Changes? 

Karen Linamen dishes up a satisfying blend of moxie and mocha, sharing stories from dozens of women who reveal savvy strategies for embracing a sweeter life—even while traveling rocky roads. If you’re hungry for more joy, reasons to laugh again, ideas to help you heal, and reliable hope leading to a sweeter future, this journey will leave you satisfied.

Funny, transparent, and uplifting, The Chocolate Diaries is like taking a road trip with good friends who are wise about life. And while you’re at it, indulge (just a little) in the quirky recipes for concocting chocolate delights out of whatever ingredients you can round up in your kitch. The road may still be bumpy, but you’ll be having too much fun to care. ~~synopsis from Goodreads

The subtitle of this book is Secrets for a Sweeter Journey on the Rocky Road of Life. Don't ya love it? 

What an amazing book! This book contains some great advise, presented in a very fun way. And the author talks about chocolate -- a lot!  How yummy is that? Ms. Linamen has a great sense of humor and I think I would love to be her friend - she would be so much fun. 

Some of her chapter titles and her words of wisdom at the beginning of the chapters are a hoot. Check these out and if these don't make you want to read this book, I don't know what will.

Great chapter titles 

• Nobody Knows the Truffles I've Seen  
• There's More to Life Than Chocolate (Sometimes There's Chocolate with Nuts) 
• Chocolate-Covered Bacon Lollipop, Anyone?  

Words of wisdom that I enjoyed  

• In case of heated argument, add chocolate. It makes everything sweeter and can help two people stick together.  
• Prayer. Friends. Laughter. Tears. What a recipe for healing! Throw in some chocolate and there's a good chance you could fix the world. 
• Every morning, put eating chocolate at the top of your to-do list. That way, you'll always get one thing done. 

I will especially follow that final words of wisdom tidbit - it makes sense to me!

 

There are also some great recipes and ideas for enjoying chocolate throughout the book - bonus!! 

 

I really enjoyed this book and got some great advice but not in a 'preachy' kind of way. It did give me some things to think about. I loved her writing so much I am going to check out some of her other books. Maybe Ms. Linamen can help me in other aspects of my life. 

 

Author's website 

 

Ms. Lineman's list of books 

 

I received a complimentary copy of this book from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishers for review. I was not obligated to provide a positive review. The opinions in this review are my own.

The Canary List by Sigmund Brouwer

"Protected by the dark of night, Jaimie Piper runs. But is anywhere safe when Evil is hunting you?
 
She’s just a twelve year-old girl, bumped around between foster homes and relegated to school classes for challenged kids, those lagging in their test scores or with behavioral issues. But her real problem is that she can sense something the other kids can’t—something dark. Something compelling her to run for her life.
 
All Crockett Grey wants is to mark the anniversary of his daughter’s death alone.
 
But when his student Jaimie comes to him, terrified, her need for protection collides with his grief, and a tangled web of bizarre events sends them both spiraling toward destruction.

Crockett’s one hope of getting his life back is to uncover the mysterious secrets of Jaimie’s past and her strange gift. It isn’t long before his discoveries lead him to a darker conspiracy, secrets guarded by the highest seat of power in the world—the Vatican." ~~ synopsis from Goodreads

Wow! This book grabbed me from the start. The prologue is pretty intense and I just had to keep reading. The story has a fast pace and was very easy to get into. There are a lot of twists and turns and you just want everything to come out ok, especially for the 'good guys'. I found myself really liking the good guys. 

Some people might be offended by the Catholic church references but you know what, that stuff was in the news and this is just a story. But it does make one wonder, how much truth is in fiction? hmmmm

I always like to figure out how the title fits into the story and in this case, you don't find out what the canary list means until almost the end of the book. Ahhhh, I get it now!

This is a very well written, enthralling story.

Click here to download chapter one of The Canary List

Author's Website

"I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review"

The Shape of Mercy by Susan Meissner

This book caught my eye because I have always been fascinated by the subject of the Salem witch trials. This is a story about a young woman, Lauren, who has been hired to transcribe a diary that was written by a young woman, Mercy, who was accused in the trials. This starts a journey for Lauren to discover who she is and to examine how she feels about her life of privilege.

One of the great lines from this book ~~ "When you only do what is expected of you, you never learn what you would've done had you chosen for yourself." ~~ is exactly what Lauren is struggling with.

The Shape of Mercy is very well written and I found myself caring for both Lauren and Mercy from the very beginning. We also meet the owner of the diary, Abigail, an older woman who reveals in one of their transcribing sessions ~~ "He was the man I should have married." Lauren is determined to find out what she means by that statement but she also wonders if she, herself, in too concerned with what she 'should' do. 

I enjoyed this book immensely and will be recommending it to my friends! 

The author's website says she writes "Fiction for the Restless Reader". I am pretty sure that I am a restless reader and I know that I am going to be reading more of Susan Meissner's books! 

http://www.susanmeissner.com/

~~ I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review. 

The Dragon and the Turtle Go On Safari

"Padraig the dragon and his best friend, Roger the turtle are determined to spend the whole night outside. As brave explorers at the base of Mount Sillymanborrow, the boys use their imaginations to have fun while munching on crunchy baked bugs and toasting s’mores over their campfire. But when the sky gets dark and the sounds of strange animals fill the forest outside their tent, their safari gets scary. This adventure is just what the boys need to discover that the dark might be frightening, but their friendship is stronger than fear." ~~ synopsis from publisher's website

The Dragon and the Turtle Go On Safari by Donita K. Paul and Evangeline Denmark. Illustrations by Vincent Nguyen

I love a good children's book, especially one with good illustrations. Good illustrations, along with a good story, keep a child's attention when being read to or when reading a book on their own. This book has both! 

This book is a story about a turtle and a dragon who want to sleep outside all night - what kid doesn't want to do that? Well, their imaginations go a little wild and they hear strange creatures roaming around in their backyard. The illustrations of these strange creatures make the story so much fun to read.

And along with this great story about the safari, there is a little bonus story at the back of the book as well as lessons, conversation starters, that will help us open up some dialogue with our kiddos.

Great book and one that I look forward to reading to my Grands when they come for a visit! 

Read an excerpt

http://www.donitakpaul.com/

Disclaimer ~~ I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

Divine Appointments by Charlene Ann Baumbich

I have to admit that I chose this book because of the snow globe. I have an extensive snow globe collection so this book caught my eye. I just hoped that the story would satisfy me as well. And it did!

Josie is a 47 business analyst who swoops down on a company and suggests restructuring and downsizing. She does this job with no feelings for the people involved. And that is how she lives her life, with no feeling. 

The snow globe adds a mystical component to the story and we discover that people aren't always what they seem to be and that people can change. I think we all know that but this story is a nice reminder.

I really enjoyed reading this book and found myself having a hard time putting it down - I wanted to continue being a part of these character's world. This is the second book in the Snowglobe Connections Series and I can't wait for more. And I will be adding the first book, Stray Affections to my reading pile.  

http://www.charleneannbaumbich.com/

Download and read the first 2 chapters of Divine Appointments.

~~ I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

Two Tickets to the Christmas Ball by Donita K. Paul

Can mysterious matchmaking booksellers bring two lonely hearts together in time for Christmas?

In a sleepy, snow-covered city, Cora Crowder is busy preparing for the holiday season. Searching for a perfect gift, a fortuitous trip to Warner, Werner, and Wizbotterdad's (a most unusual bookshop) leads to an unexpected encounter with co-worker Simon Derrick and the surprise discovery of a ticket for a truly one-of-a-kind Christmas Ball.

Every year, the matchmaking booksellers of the Sage Street bookshop host an enchanting, old-fashioned Christmas Ball for the romantic matches they've decided to bring together.

This year, will Simon and Cora discover a perfect chemistry in their opposite personalities and shared faith? Or will the matchmakers' best laid plans end up ruining everything this holiday?

This is a magical book full of wonderful people that will get you into the holiday spirit. I read this book right before Christmas and it was a perfect escape to wonderland. I don't typically read Christian fiction but this book caught my eye and looked very interesting and entertaining - hmmm - maybe some magic at work here?

The characters in the book start out living in their own little worlds. Simon and Cora have worked together for several years but really hadn't 'seen' the other person until they both received tickets to the Christmas Ball. Each character grows and becomes a better person because of the love that they get from others. The magic of the tickets encounter quite a few hurdles before things work out the way they are supposed to. There are some amazing side characters in the story that help the magic work.

I love Sage Street and all the wonderful shops on it. The street is only visible to those people that are open to the magic of the shops and the magic of Christmas. I love Christmas and this is the perfect book to read for the holidays.

I really enjoyed this book and look forward to exploring more works by the author, Donita K. Paul.

Watch the video trailer to this amazing book!

Download chapter one of Two Tickets to the Christmas Ball now!

Disclaimer -- I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.